"Batman?!"
Their faces turned solemn, brows furrowed.
Against the backdrop of the dissipating energy from the space channel and the resulting waves of purple light, the shadows cast before them stretched—vast and distorted.
The projected shadow lit up the night sky, reflecting onto the clouds above.
The pointed ears and massive bat wings made one thing clear: this chaotic, high-stakes event was reaching its end.
Even Tony and Captain America understood.
Whatever their fight had become, it would not continue.
After all, both of them knew Batman wouldn't appear in Washington unless something serious was going on—something sanctioned by the government or military.
At the same time, citizens across Washington stared at the sky in stunned silence, then gasped in unison.
The entire city lit up as if responding to Batman's arrival.
Cheers erupted across the streets.
Everyone knew that since the major members of the Justice League had made public appearances, Batman had rarely shown up in person. He was the strategist, the mind behind the curtain, operating in the shadows to guide the League's actions.
But now, Batman was here—in Washington.
To many New Yorkers, this moment echoed the memory of Iron Man soaring through the sky and the echoes of explosions rumbling through the city.
Something huge had happened in Washington.
They opened the Internet. Searched the Daily bugle .
But the site hadn't been updated.
Disappointed, someone walked to the window, pulled out their phone, and snapped a picture of the giant bat shadow cast across the sky.
Then—something even more incredible happened.
Batman's shadow still loomed, etched in the night sky.
But now, three more figures joined him.
Wonder Woman. Cyborg. And a red-caped figure soaring above…
Was that Superman?
After closer inspection, someone shouted:
"Shazam! It's Shazam!"
Shazam's movie had only recently been released, and now—he was real, right there in the sky.
Since the destruction of the European Hydra base wasn't public knowledge, the general public only had official announcements to rely on. Naturally, their surprise at seeing Shazam in person was overwhelming.
Of course, after tonight, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. This would be headline news.
Tony and Captain America's expressions grew even more grave.
Batman. Wonder Woman. Cyborg. Shazam.
Four figures hovered in the sky, positioned at the front, back, left, and right—surrounding Tony and Cap at the center.
Their shadows loomed massive in the clouds above.
The crowd was dead silent.
The Justice League had arrived—not just one member, but four of its most powerful heroes.
Shock rippled through the onlookers.
"We're saved!"
"The Justice League is here. Finally, this madness is over!"
Hawk let out a deep breath. Even with Duke and the others beside him, his tense nerves relaxed just slightly.
At that moment, Tony and Cap exchanged glances, something unreadable flickering in their eyes.
Then, in unison, they turned to face the Justice League.
The arrival of the four heroes, especially Batman, was a clear threat—undeniably powerful, impossibly silent.
They hadn't said a single word.
But their message was crystal clear:
If you're not going to stop this… we will.
"Batman, I think you shouldn't be watching the show."
Tony summoned his Iron Man Soldier Corps.
In the next moment, more than forty Iron Man suits—along with all the special forces members—returned to Tony's control. With Tony at the lead, they surrounded the four Batmen once again.
At the same time, several Iron Man suits that had been pursuing War Machine quickly returned and merged into formation.
The situation was tense—and strange.
It looked like a triple-layer sandwich:
Tony and Captain America were the innermost layer.
The four Batmen formed the middle layer.
And the Iron Man Soldier Corps enclosed them all as the outermost layer.
In terms of raw strength, Captain America was undoubtedly the most vulnerable.
Whether it was the Iron Man suits or the Justice League team led by the Batmen, any of them could crush him with ease.
"Of course," Batman said calmly. "I received a request from the U.S. government and military—to stop your battle and prevent this from spiraling into the worst-case scenario."
After a short pause, he added bluntly,
"Truthfully, I don't care whether you live or die. But some people deserve a bit of respect."
As he spoke, he glanced around at the Iron Man suits surrounding him. Though calm on the surface, he could sense a faint but real threat emanating from them.
He couldn't help but be impressed.
The Iron Man Corps Tony had built far exceeded his expectations.
In the original timeline, Iron Man 3 saw Tony destroy all his spare suits in a dramatic, billion-dollar fireworks display—a symbolic gesture of letting go.
But here, things had changed.
In this world, Tony had suffered back-to-back failures. And the villain of Iron Man 3, Aldrich Killian—the man most responsible for Tony's transformation—had been taken down early by the Justice League.
As a result, Tony's character developed differently: more paranoid, more extreme.
He had even set himself a personal goal—
To defeat Batman.
To surpass the Justice League.
With that kind of ambition, scrapping his mechas was never an option.
Instead, converting those suits into a full-fledged Iron Man army became not just logical—it became inevitable.
It had to be said: Tony had lost certain principles and boundaries along the way.
But in return, his methods had grown sharper, more varied.
To some, this was a cause for celebration.
But Anton wasn't celebrating.
Tony's meteoric rise threatened the Justice League's standing—both in the military and within the World Council.
Fortunately, Tony was not someone easily controlled.
And both the military and the World Council were full of smart people.
And smart people always know how to play multiple sides of a choice.
"I've achieved what I came here for," Tony said.
He had no intention of going down in a blaze of glory against Batman.
That was never his goal tonight.
And if he was going to stand opposite Batman one day—
Today was not that day.
"If your aim is to stop the fight between me and Rogers," he said, "then maybe don't threaten me while doing it."
Tony's gaze shifted to Captain America.
"Huff—"
Cap clenched his fists, eyes locked coldly on Anton.
"Batman… is this your decision—or someone else's?"
"Of course not mine," Anton replied, shrugging.
"I thought I made myself very clear, Rogers. Would you like to hear my thoughts again?"
"Good. Very good."
Cap nodded slowly, his eyes shifting toward a corner camera.
His voice turned ice-cold.
"I know you can hear me…"
"To be honest—you've crossed my line. From this moment forward, I'm living for myself. All cooperation between us is over."
"Understood?"
"You corrupt politicians?!"
…
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