Bruce Wayne paced back and forth restlessly, sending rapid messages to Diana through his communicator.
Bruce Wayne: "Diana, get Barry. We need to meet and discuss this immediately."
Diana: "Agreed. This isn't something the two of us can handle alone. The kid will be useful. What about Arthur?"
Bruce Wayne: "He's still hesitant to join us, but once I explain the severity of the situation, he won't refuse."
Diana: "Understood. Where are we meeting?"
Bruce Wayne: "Central City. I'm heading there now."
Without another word, Bruce stormed off and found Arthur Curry, who was casually sipping a drink at a local bar.
Arthur raised an eyebrow at Bruce, looking utterly bewildered.
"What's with you? You're pacing around like a madman while drinking—what the hell is going on?"
Bruce stopped in front of him, his expression deadly serious.
"We need to leave. Now."
Arthur frowned. "Leave? Where to?"
"Just follow me! I'll explain on the way. The world is in danger, and we need your help!"
Arthur sighed, still unsure what Bruce was so worked up about. But looking at his stern face, he knew this wasn't a joke.
"Fine, I'll go. But this better not be a waste of my time."
With that, Arthur stood up and followed Bruce out of the bar.
...
Marvel Universe
At a dimly lit bar, Tony Stark and the others sat in heavy silence. No one had spoken for a long time.
Everyone's face was grim—except for Thor, who was passed out drunk on the table. Whether he had heard about the Blood Pool or simply didn't care because he lacked the power to stop it was unclear.
The tension was suffocating. No one knew what to say, and even their breathing felt subdued.
Tony tapped his fingers lightly on the table, but not enough to make noise. He didn't want to disturb the silence—he needed to think.
Finally, Steve Rogers broke the tension.
"We need to do something. We can't just sit here and watch as those creatures pour out."
His words, as always, were filled with unwavering optimism and determination.
"Cap, it's not that simple!" Barton interjected, rubbing his temples. "We're talking about over ten million monsters!"
"So what?" Steve's voice was firm. "What, are we just going to sit back and do nothing? If we're going to fight them eventually, we might as well go all in!"
For once, Tony Stark agreed with him.
"I hate to admit it, but he's right."
This surprised everyone. Stark had never been one to see eye-to-eye with Rogers, their ideologies clashing at every turn.
But this time was different.
"What's done is done. There's no point in overanalyzing. We take it one step at a time and do everything we can."
Tony picked up his drink and downed it in one gulp.
"If it means protecting Earth, I'll give it everything I've got."
For the first time, everyone saw Tony Stark speaking with absolute seriousness. Even Nick Fury was visibly shocked.
"Why is everyone staring at me like that?" Tony frowned. "Did I say something wrong? Or do I have something on my face?"
"No, it's just… we're not used to hearing you talk so seriously," Natasha Romanoff admitted, still processing what she just heard.
Tony rolled his eyes. "Well, excuse me for being a jokester most of the time."
"But he's right. What's done is done. We prepare, and we fight."
Natasha, influenced by Rogers and Stark's resolve, finally solidified her own.
"As if I'd fall behind." Barton smirked.
Everyone's attention turned to Nick Fury, waiting for his response.
"I know what you're thinking," Fury said, his face unreadable. "Obviously, I'm not going to back down. I've already submitted a request for global military support—this is way beyond something we can handle alone."
Tony scoffed. "You really think the U.N. is going to do anything useful?"
Fury smirked coldly. "Procedures have to be followed. But if those politicians think they can ignore this and let monsters show up on their doorstep, they've got another thing coming."
With Fury handling the bureaucratic side of things, the others didn't have to worry about government interference.
"And don't forget, Asgard's All-Father and that group of wizards from Kamar-Taj aren't going to sit this one out." Tony reminded them.
Kamar-Taj
"Master Ancient One, should we prepare for battle?"
Mordo took a deep breath.
"We have no choice," the Ancient One replied, lazily waving her fan. "An external force has already invaded. It is our duty to protect the balance."
She had banished countless beings from other dimensions before.
But none of them had ever been on this scale.
Still, compared to Dormammu or the greater cosmic threats, these creatures were manageable.
"But Master, do we really stand a chance against an army of ten million?" Stephen Strange hesitated.
"Strange, trust yourself. Trust us. Don't forget the power you now wield."
The Ancient One smiled and pointed to his Apocalypse Staff, which had transformed into a smartphone.
With that artifact, Strange could definitely hold his own.
"And according to the information we've gathered, the Blood Pool's creatures don't spawn consistently. It's not like millions of them appear every day. We may get lucky."
The Ancient One's fanning slowed.
The group let out a collective sigh of relief—but the tension still lingered.
"But what concerns me even more…" she continued, narrowing her eyes, "is that if the Blood Pool begins unleashing monsters again, what will happen to the hostile extraterrestrial factions we were already dealing with?"
The room fell silent.
They had completely forgotten.
They weren't just dealing with the Blood Pool—there were still other threats out there.
If those factions took advantage of this chaos, what then?
Could they afford to divide their forces?
Asgard
"Your Majesty, the armies are ready and standing by. We can deploy to Midgard at any moment."
Heimdall knelt before Odin, delivering his report.
"Good. When the Blood Pool reveals itself once more, we shall descend upon Midgard through the Bifrost."
Odin gave his order, his voice calm and unwavering.
(End of Chapter)
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