The captain's declaration of a break with the authorities shocked the audience.
No one had expected that Bucky's death would have such a profound impact on the team.
Or rather—they had expected it, but still chose to act as if the captain should simply accept it. Accept everything, and then continue to serve as both spear and shield for the military and the U.S. government.
After all, wasn't that exactly what the captain had been during World War II?
Justice, loyalty, and a slew of words praising virtue had turned Captain America into a symbol of the American spirit.
Over the decades, under the brainwashing of that ideal, people had come to believe that the Captain should go through fire and water for his country without question.
That in itself wasn't the problem.
The real issue was that they overestimated their control, believing they could manipulate the captain indefinitely.
In the end, they were wrong—and the captain was disillusioned.
After delivering his statement, the Captain swept a cold gaze across the room, pausing briefly on Tony—who was also in shock—before turning around and walking out of the Special Forces headquarters, vanishing into the night.
A moment later, Tony sighed. He knew it was over. He didn't speak to anyone or share a single thought. Ignoring Batman and the others, he launched into the air with his Iron Man soldier corps and left the base.
But he didn't go far.
He returned to a hotel—his own.
Every Stark-owned hotel in the world permanently reserves a suite for Tony Stark.
That's the privilege of the rich.
And Tony is not just rich—he's super-rich, in a superpower nation.
On the rooftop helipad, fifty Iron Man soldiers stood like gleaming statues. They looked like high-end toys, but each was a terrifying weapon.
Tony knew that even though he didn't want to talk tonight, eventually, he would have to.
He had crossed a line.
By tomorrow, every official organization would be trying to reach him—especially the U.S. government. They would all want access to the Iron Man soldier tech.
There was no way he could keep it secret any longer.
To avoid punishment for today's actions, he'd have to share the technology—at least in part.
But it wouldn't be easy.
This would become a long, drawn-out struggle.
They might want the tech, but that didn't mean they'd get it.
As he mulled it over, Tony took a shower, lay down on his bed, and sighed quietly, remembering the firm, resolute back of the captain as he walked away.
This wasn't the ending Tony wanted.
But it was the one he had to face.
Because he had no regrets about killing Bucky in front of the Captain.
Even if he had to do it all over again—he would.
After Tony left, Anton and the others didn't linger either.
Several Special Forces members, including Commander Hawke, stepped forward, just about to greet Batman.
But before they could speak, Batman and his companions nodded—and then, purple waves of energy shimmered around them. A spatial channel opened, absorbing all four members of the Alliance.
"Everyone ran off so fast. Now we're stuck cleaning up the mess..."
Hawke looked helpless.
"When did the Special Forces become janitors?"
The Duke and others beside him looked even more frustrated.
And yet, the reality was clear:
In this entire incident, the Special Forces had no place to act.
The Iron Man corps Tony had brought rendered them completely powerless.
Even Bucky Barnes—codenamed the White Wolf, former comrade and childhood friend of the Captain—had been killed right in front of them by Tony Stark.
"No, we can't let the Special Forces stay this way..."
The thought flashed through Hawke's mind.
He clenched his fist.
"We need to gain more powerful forces—so we can face these unexpected situations."
The next day.
From an objective standpoint, The Daily Bugle released a detailed report on the incident.
It covered key facts—Bucky Barnes's identity as the Winter Soldier, the blood feud between Tony and Bucky, and the captain 's defense of Bucky.
The role of the Special Forces was only mentioned in passing. There was no added commentary, and it seemed Eddie, the reporter, deliberately avoided highlighting them.
This omission left Hawke and the others relieved. They understood that Batman had shown them respect by not embarrassing the Special Forces—now publicly positioned as the replacement for S.H.I.E.L.D.
Similarly, the behind-the-scenes elements—the hidden plans of the U.S. government and military—were omitted from the report. But even so, hints lingered between the lines.
Most citizens didn't care about the political undercurrents. They were simply intrigued by the spectacle. Still, some sharp-eyed readers saw glimpses of the government and military's agendas beneath the surface and couldn't help but sneer.
What stood out most in the report, however, was its impact on Tony and the captain .
What had happened in Washington the previous night spread like wildfire across the nation. People everywhere were buzzing with curiosity.
After all, Batman had reappeared after days of silence.
More importantly, he hadn't shown up alone.
From almost anywhere in Washington, one could look up and see four figures projected onto the clouds by purple light waves:
Batman, Wonder Woman, cyborg , and Shazam.
Four legendary heroes, all appearing at once. That alone proved the gravity of the situation.
The report from The Daily Bugle fed perfectly into the public's hunger for gossip and discovery.
And as Batman's official media outlet, the Daily bugle had, over the last two years, earned a reputation as the most conscientious news source in the world. If anything happened, you could count on The Daily Bugle to provide the truth.
Its credibility even surpassed that of the government.
Thanks to its strong reputation and Batman's backing, even when the government wanted to interfere with a report, they had to tread carefully and negotiate directly with Eddie.
That said, such interference was rare.
But not this time.
After the report went live, government and military officials immediately contacted the paper, demanding the article be taken down.
Eddie refused.
With Batman behind him, he had every reason to stand firm.
And the government could do nothing about it.
Fortunately, Eddie was tactful. The report pushed up against the red line—but never crossed it.
As the story spread and public discourse exploded, both the government and military had no choice but to accept it, guiding opinion behind the scenes and trying to shift blame elsewhere.
As a result, Tony and the captain became the epicenter of a massive wave of public backlash.
Some people supported Tony, believing he had every right to seek revenge. Others backed the captain , saying loyalty to a friend was more important.
In short, both had their defenders and critics.
But the one who suffered the most—without question—was the captain .
Tony was never seen as perfect. He had many flaws the public had long discussed—he was impulsive, indulgent, selfish. But he was also wealthy, brilliant, and had rarely been dealt a heavy blow.
The worst events in his life were the deaths of his parents and being kidnapped.
To the public, Tony was a man ruled by ego. If he wanted revenge—even if it meant breaking the rules—they weren't surprised. He was acting in character.
And no one would fault a man for avenging his parents.
His reckless actions, if anything, drew the attention of people who usually didn't care about superheroes.
But the captain ? He was different.
Captain America was the embodiment of the American spirit. A symbol of justice.
People grew up idolizing him. To them, he was near godlike.
And now—this same Captain America had tolerated a criminal.
Just because that criminal had once been a close friend and comrade-in-arms.
To many, that was an unforgivable betrayal.
And that was the hardest truth for the public to accept.
Yes, it was.
In any case, Bucky is a criminal.
The captain forgave him in a self-righteous way, without considering the position of his former teammate—Tony.
Many people also know that the ones Bucky killed, including Howard and Maria Stark, were his comrades-in-arms—just as Tony is now.
Under such circumstances, the captain 's decision to support Bucky, clearly influenced by personal emotions, and to fight against Tony, left many people outraged.
They furiously criticized the captain , claiming he was no longer worthy of being the symbol of the American spirit. The online backlash was vicious—some of the language was beyond harsh.
In an office somewhere...
Anton sat watching the chaos unfold online.
He felt a trace of pity and regret for the captain .
But deep down—he didn't feel true sympathy.
Of course, as someone who had been present during the events of the previous night, Anton knew the whole story. Even the mastermind behind the scenes had been caught off guard by the captain 's final words.
Anton had also been among those shocked.
The captain had publicly broken with the U.S. government—and declared that from now on, he would live for himself.
"Is this the birth of the Captain Hydra?" Anton wondered briefly.
Then he shook his head.
Surprised as he was, he didn't believe the captain would ever fully descend into darkness or join Hydra. Even if his ideals crumbled, even if he lost his way, he would never become a puppet of the enemy or serve Hydra's cause.
More likely, the captain would resurface under S.H.I.E.L.D., take revenge on Hydra once more—and maybe even settle the score with Tony along the way.
That said, ever since he walked out of headquarters the night before, the captain had completely vanished. No one had been able to find him.
It was as if some hidden force had erased all traces of him.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Anton thought for a moment, but quickly dismissed the idea.
Under the pressure of the Justice League, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s presence and influence in the U.S. had been reduced to almost nothing. They no longer had the means to help someone like the captain vanish.
So then—who did?
As far as Anton knew, not only was he in the dark, but so were the U.S. government and military—who were already looking for ways to reconcile with the Captain.
But he had disappeared, completely and utterly, as though he had evaporated from the world.
In modern society, it's nearly impossible to vanish without leaving a trace—especially for someone as high-profile as the captain .
Someone must have helped him.
"Could I have overlooked something?" Anton wondered.
But after a moment of reflection, he couldn't find the answer. He sighed and gave up thinking about it for now.
As for the other party involved—Tony Stark—he had been summoned to the White House early that morning for a confidential conversation with the President and other top officials. The meeting hadn't ended yet.
One thing was obvious: Tony would not be able to keep the Iron Man soldiers.
If he wanted to walk away from this incident, he would have to pay a price.
And the Iron Man soldier corps was that price.
Bucky's death had caused the captain to sever ties with the government. The fallout was significant.
Only a greater benefit could offset that loss and make it worthwhile for the government and military to let Tony go.
The Iron Man soldier corps represented exactly that kind of benefit.
No one was foolish enough to turn down a force of such potential—a full team of superpowered autonomous soldiers.
"Tony is about to enter a long tug-of-war with the government," Anton thought.
"Negotiating over the Iron Man corps won't be easy..."
Anton knew in his heart that Tony was never someone willing to suffer losses.
So, with Tony now caught up in negotiations, he would naturally turn a blind eye to the registration bill for superpowered beings.
Anton had achieved his goal.
Even if Tony remained obsessed with that plan, Anton had more than enough ways to slowly wear him down.
Looking at Earth, Anton wouldn't claim he had no opponents—but Tony, the so-called "mc of the Marvel Cinematic Universe," was no longer one of them.
Whether in terms of intelligence or power, Anton was more than capable of crushing him.
His sights were now set on a universe far beyond Earth.
Nightfall.
The news of Bucky's death and the fallout between Tony and the captain , released by the Daily bugle, was still trending.
Discussion online hadn't slowed—it had only intensified.
Tony stepped out of the White House, looking exhausted, and returned to the hotel he stayed in the night before.
On the rooftop helipad, the Iron Man soldier corps now stood at forty-nine—one fewer than yesterday.
The negotiations had only just begun.
While the overall direction was clear, the finer details still needed repeated refinement.
But the first sweet gesture had already been made.
That was the sincerity tax.
"Jarvis, show me the news," Tony said flatly as he placed his watch on the table. "I want to know what Batman's been up to."
He'd been through too much to take anything lightly now—and he knew Batman well enough to expect something calculated.
Last night's events were sure to draw attention.
Earlier that morning, on his way out, Jarvis had already briefed him. The Daily bugle's article had revealed much of the truth, including specific details.
Although the writer, Eddie Brock, was an old friend, Tony knew the article was clearly Batman's doing.
Before the public could even begin speculating, Batman had taken control of the narrative.
Tony had gone to the White House to begin some very serious political bartering.
Now that he was out—it was time to check which way the wind was blowing.
"Rogers…"
Tony read the flood of insults directed at the Captain. With his usual resilience, he didn't take them to heart.
He was used to being scolded by the public but this time, he wasn't the primary target.
On the contrary, he felt a twinge of sorrow for Steve Rogers.
"I hope you can adapt to being the one everyone hates now," he muttered.
Sorrow aside, like Anton, he felt no real sympathy.
Once he finished reading, Tony calmly closed all the web pages and gave another order:
"Jarvis, where's Rogers now?"
"Sir, I was just about to report that…" Jarvis paused. "The Captain has disappeared. I can't pinpoint his exact location. I only know that the last place he appeared was along the boulevard…"
"Disappeared?" Tony frowned. "He managed to vanish under your surveillance? Who has the capability to do that? Was it cyborg ?"
…
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