New York.
Behind the scenes, the black hand pulled the strings, pushing the forces of light to split. He had orchestrated the conflict between Tony and the captain , driving them to oppose Anton.
Watching the scene unfold on the screen before him, he couldn't help but clap his hands in delight.
"Wonderful, wonderful!"
Anton realized he had underestimated Tony.
This variant of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was using his unique abilities to create miracles. After being defeated multiple times by the Justice League led by Batman, Tony had gone silent for a long time—only to emerge now, having accumulated a power that could no longer be ignored.
An army of Iron Men.
The equivalent of fifty Iron Men—fifty individuals with extraordinary abilities.
Anton was satisfied. Even the Justice League, hailed by the public as the most powerful superhero team, couldn't field fifty enhanced individuals. They couldn't even assemble twenty.
It was easy to see that Tony's Iron Man army was a terrifying force—second only to Carter's Super Skrull army, which had once threatened to take over Earth.
"No wonder Tony dares to fight the Justice League—and even Batman," Anton murmured.
With Tony Stark's intelligence and resources, building such a force wasn't out of reach.
"Bucky is dead…"
Anton could already see the ending. With Tony's suppressed fury finally unleashed, Bucky had no chance of surviving this battle. Tony would pay a price, sure—but that was a problem for later.
As Anton pondered, the confrontation between Tony and the captain continued on screen. It would not pause for his thoughts.
With Tony's Iron Man army now on the scene, the tension escalated. The smell of gunpowder thickened in the air.
Everyone watching understood: facing a fully committed Tony Stark, even the combined efforts of special forces wouldn't be enough to stop him.
Unless…
Unless nearby troops were deployed to forcibly suppress the battle.
But that would almost certainly spark national unrest.
Across the nation, many frowned upon hearing this. The debate had begun.
The White House.
The President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, and other high-level officials gathered quickly.
"We underestimated Tony Stark's fury," said John Keller grimly. "This situation is out of control."
He continued, "We have three options: deploy the military to stop the battle, sacrifice Bucky and win Tony back to our side, or…"
He trailed off, looking at the room.
Then the President spoke. "Or… call the Justice League?"
"Yes," Keller nodded. "According to our agreement, they won't sit by and do nothing."
"In that case, I'm counting on you," the President said.
Keller stood up, took out his phone, and stepped aside to make the call—to Anton.
A few minutes later, he returned, his expression dark.
"What's going on?" the President asked, sensing something was wrong.
"Anton didn't answer," Keller said grimly. "And without Anton, I can't get in touch with the Justice League."
What troubled him more was that he couldn't tell if Anton had missed the call… or ignored it on purpose.
If it was the latter—then things were about to get much more complicated.
In the sky above the Special Forces headquarters, a new battle erupted.
Fifty Iron Man soldiers hovered ominously, their glowing eyes locked onto every member of the special forces below, radiating a deadly intent.
Before Special Forces Commander Hawke could issue a single order, Tony Stark struck first.
The expressions on the faces of Captain America and Bucky changed dramatically. Even War Machine—Rhodey—felt a sinking sensation in his chest. He now realized that he had underestimated the depth of Tony's thirst for vengeance.
Boom!!
Two missiles launched from the barrel-like extensions on Tony's suit. He flew head-on into the path of the missiles, deployed decoy flares, and detonated them mid-air. The resulting explosion blanketed the open area in front of the Special Forces building with fire and smoke.
But this time, it was Tony who had created the smoke.
Through the haze, he charged forward—targeting Captain America and Bucky without hesitation, his strikes lethal and unforgiving.
Captain America raised his shield, straining to hold back the assault.
Bucky swung his metal arm—its surface covered with imitation leather, making it almost indistinguishable from real flesh—trying to retaliate. But Tony blocked his attack effortlessly.
After enduring brutal defeats at the hands of the Justice League, Tony had become much stronger than his former self. He was no longer a man in a suit—he was a weapon of war.
Fighting one versus two was no longer a challenge for him.
In fact, it was Captain America and Bucky who were struggling to keep up.
At the same time, War Machine—Rhodey—attempted to rush to their aid, only to be intercepted by a group of Iron Man soldiers descending from above.
"You've got to be kidding me…" Rhodey muttered, looking around.
Every one of the fifty Iron Man soldiers surrounding him looked just as strong—if not stronger—than he was.
Ironically, despite being painted like the American flag, he was the least advanced piece of tech among them.
"Tony, come on... you didn't have to go this far with me," Rhodey groaned internally.
Then he called out, "Jarvis!"
He knew who was coordinating the Iron Man army and hoped he could reason with the familiar AI.
"Let's talk. What do you say—just leave me one soldier to fight, huh?"
"Apologies, Mr. Rhodes," Jarvis replied calmly. "These soldiers are not under my sole control. Ultron commands half of them. Mr. Stark has given us clear instructions. Our minimum objective is to disable you—so you won't interfere."
"Damn it!" Rhodey cursed under his breath.
Left with no choice, he surged with energy. A violent shockwave erupted from his suit, blasting into the air as he ascended rapidly.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Seven or eight Iron Man soldiers immediately took off in pursuit.
The remaining forty Iron Man soldiers—split between the control of Jarvis and Ultron—hovered in place, now facing off against the Special Forces.
Commander Hawke and his team stared up at the floating Iron Men, each one silently shifting their armor to reveal new weapons.
All of them were on alert. The situation was dire.
Just then, a calm, British-accented voice echoed through their comms:
"General Hawke, good evening. This is Jarvis, Mr. Stark's artificial intelligence butler."
Jarvis suddenly spoke.
"Mr. Stark doesn't want to kill innocent people indiscriminately. If you're willing to stand down, we can simply wait for this matter to end."
"Otherwise, we'll go all out and eliminate every member of the special forces."
"Leave no one."
Jarvis's cold, mechanical voice came through the communicators worn by the special forces—calm, emotionless, and chilling.
Although their radio station had been destroyed, Jarvis, using his own capabilities, was still able to connect to their individual comms and issue a warning.
Hawke fell silent for a moment.
Many special forces members exchanged glances, tense and ready for battle.
But—
"Stand down. Do as he says," Hawke ordered with a sigh, halting everyone's movements. "We have no place in this fight."
"Why?"
"General, are you scared?"
"General, we're not afraid to die!"
Duke and several others looked grim, unwilling to retreat.
"No."
Hawke shook his head. "We can't change the outcome. There's no point in needless sacrifice… Let the three of them settle this. Tony has already shown restraint."
…
Just as Hawke had said.
Though Tony could be reckless, he had indeed been merciful.
With fifty Iron Man suits under his command, wiping out the special forces—or even taking over the city—wouldn't have been difficult.
Realizing this, Hawke ordered his men to stand down. He didn't want pointless casualties.
Though Bucky—codenamed White Wolf—was a new addition to the special forces and currently locked in a fight with Tony, sacrificing one man to save the whole team was, from a practical perspective, the only choice.
Hawke, a career soldier, wasn't someone who usually prioritized cold pragmatism. But as commander of the special forces, he was now responsible for everyone's lives.
To lose the entire team for the sake of one man—that was unacceptable.
"Bucky… White Wolf…"
Hawke exhaled and watched the fight between Bucky, Captain America, and Tony unfold. In the end, he chose to stand aside.
…
Bucky and Steve Rogers understood Hawke's decision.
During World War II, they'd made similar ones.
It was completely understandable.
If the sacrifice of one could save the whole team, they would have done the same.
Still, even though Hawke's choice was within Tony's expectations, it didn't stop Tony from sneering.
"So… you're not as important to them as I thought."
The irony wasn't lost on Tony.
The reason he revealed his trump card was precisely for this moment.
The military's interest in Bucky had little to do with morality and everything to do with leverage—wanting to win Bucky over and use him to connect with Steve.
But when push came to shove, if the benefits were good enough, the military would abandon them without hesitation.
No matter how outrageous Tony's actions were, people in power understood that if Tony could provide greater value, they'd turn a blind eye.
And the Iron Legion he'd unveiled? That was the proof—the infinite potential he offered.
Tony knew that with that display, the military would have no choice but to let him walk away.
He was absolutely confident.
As long as Tony provides the technology to manufacture Iron Man soldiers to the military, they will inevitably overlook all the negative consequences of today's events and once again treat him as a guest of honor.
After all, this technology compensates for the military's lack of superpowered individuals—and more importantly, offsets the loss of Bucky and the captain .
In this era of peace, the role of Bucky and captain is no longer what it was during World War II.
While combat effectiveness still matters, deterrence is even more crucial.
And it's obvious which is more valuable to the military: a free individual who can't be fully controlled, or an Iron Man soldier who follows orders with 100% obedience.
Upon hearing Tony's sarcasm, both Bucky and Steve Rogers could only smile bitterly.
They understood Tony's game all too well—but they had no solution. All they could do was keep fighting, trying to shake him off and escape.
But of course, that was impossible.
Tony had already cast a net over Washington. Even if the two managed to slip away from the immediate battle, he could locate them in seconds.
Not to mention—they couldn't escape him in the first place.
Boom!!
Tony landed a punch squarely on Steve.
The vibranium shield dented slightly under the full force of Tony's anger-fueled strike.
Steve was stunned by the impact.
In the next instant, Tony spun through the air like a cyclone, moving with blinding speed, and closed in on Bucky again.
This time, his attack was even more brutal than before.
Whoosh!
The metal in Tony's palm morphed into a dagger.
It tore through the air with a shrill screech, whistling past Bucky's ears.
Seeing this, Steve's heart sank.
"Bucky!" he cried out. "Watch out!"
"Hmph."
To prevent Steve from interfering, Tony launched a Sidewinder missile from his back, cutting off Steve's advance.
But his attack on Bucky remained relentless.
Bucky gritted his teeth and raised his metal arm to block the strike.
Clang!!
The clash of metal echoed across the open space.
Under hundreds of watching eyes, Tony's dagger scraped along Bucky's forearm—cutting clean through the outer layer.
"What?!"
"Look—his arm…"
Gasps followed as they saw what lay beneath.
Bucky's arm wasn't injured—it gleamed with exposed metal.
The faux skin had been torn away.
His cybernetic arm was now fully revealed.
His identity… completely exposed.
While many in the special forces opposed Tony's actions, most of them—except for Commander Hawke—were unaware of the deeper truth behind the situation.
All they knew was that their enemy was Iron Man, once a revered superhero.
"The White Wolf… who is he, really?"
"General, you must know something."
Duke and the others turned to Hawke.
"…He's the Winter Soldier," Hawke finally said, sighing. "Now that it's come to this, there's no point in hiding it anymore. His real name is Bucky Barnes—former comrade-in-arms of Steve Rogers. A war hero from the last century."
"What?"
"Bucky Barnes? That Bucky Barnes?"
The special forces members looked at each other in disbelief.
To be honest, after hearing the truth, they were even more confused—unsure how to respond, unsure what to believe.
Of course, during the battle, neither Tony, Bucky, nor captain paid any attention to the discussions happening around them.
After severing Bucky's metal arm, Tony pressed the advantage, forcing Bucky to retreat continuously, barely managing to fend off the onslaught.
But while Tony engaged in close-quarters combat, that wasn't the only weapon in his arsenal.
When fighting Steve, Tony had held back—he hadn't aimed to kill.
But with Bucky?
He was aiming to end him.
Period.
Weapons of all kinds emerged from Tony's armor—launched at Bucky without hesitation, without mercy.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Boom!
As Bucky dodged Tony's transforming cold weapons, thinking he'd found a rhythm—
Bang bang!
Bullets suddenly ripped through the air, catching him off-guard.
Thud thud!
Rounds pierced his body, making him stumble mid-motion.
A split second later, explosive shells detonated against him—sending his body flying like a rag doll, tossed high into the air before crashing down, consumed by flames and shockwaves.
"NO!!"
Steve's anguished cry rang out.
But Tony remained unmoved.
His sensors locked onto Bucky's figure in the billowing black smoke, and he calmly activated his laser beam emitter.
Thin red lasers sliced through the smoke and fire, scanning back and forth—until finally, Bucky's form emerged from the inferno.
But it was already clear.
What was left… was barely recognizable.
Just a mangled, broken body.
There was no way he had survived.
No body intact.
No hope.
…
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