Swoosh! Swoosh! Above the city of Washington, two figures darted through the air.
The dense array of towering skyscrapers seemed to transform into their personal playground, with brilliant artillery fire exploding mid-air, periodically eliciting gasps and cheers from the citizens below—far more thrilling than any nighttime fireworks.
Cyborg and Tony had chosen the entirety of downtown Washington as their battleground, yet they carefully avoided the crowds during their clash.
Unbeknownst to them, their fight was being broadcast live to all of Washington.
Text updates, video feeds, phone broadcasts—they were all happening.
"They've taken the fight to Washington Square..."
"It stopped!"
"Looks like Cyborg and Iron Man are set to determine the winner at Washington Square!"
The radio host voice was fervent as he communicated with a reporter in Washington via his mobile phone, broadcasting the information he received with a sharp wit and impressive on-air skills, captivating countless listeners.
At this moment, the radio station listenership soared to an all-time high.
Within just ten minutes, about one-tenth of all Americans had tuned in to listen to this live audio broadcast of the battle and updates.
Listeners were highly focused, afraid to miss a single word.
Many drivers even stopped their cars on the side of the road, turning up the radio volume to the maximum, their expressions tense, as if listening to a World Cup-level epic showdown.
Washington Square.
Cyborg and Tony hovered midair, facing each other from a distance.
"Let finish it here."
Cyborg gazed indifferently at Tony Stark before him and calmly stated, "It just you left, Tony."
"That quickly?!"
Tony instantly understood what Cyborg meant.
The entire Avengers had been defeated, all except for himself.
Beneath his mask, his expression was quite unsightly.
"No more nonsense... Since it just you left, let make this quick!"
Cyborg raised his hand, gathering energy.
Boom! A terrifying beam of energy tore through the sky like a meteor aiming for Tony.
Tony raised his hand, releasing a similar beam of energy.
The two beams collided.
Bang! The fountain beneath them burst open, the pool and the ground beneath it instantly cracking, the water droplets seemingly exhibiting a human-like terror as they collided and scattered in all directions.
In the clash of energy beams, the fearless onlookers, confident in their safe distance, boldly looked on.
They hadn't expected that the scattered beams, mingled with debris from the shattered pool, would hurl stones hundreds of meters, smashing near their feet, cracking the ground.
Some debris struck a roadside fire hydrant, sending water shooting up and drenching them instantly.
The scene turned their faces pale with fear, and they turned and ran, heads covered.
They fully realized.
Even as mere spectators, such a level of battle posed unimaginable dangers.
The only ones who could safely enjoy the spectacle of Cyborg and Iron Man battle were those in the nearby high-rise buildings.
Because the clash between Cyborg and Iron Man was deliberately kept away from the high rises, and the resulting shockwaves, constrained by the buildings' sturdiness, did not cause severe damage.
At most, some windows shattered.
Nevertheless, these mostly fearless onlookers risked the not-too-great danger, continuously snapping photos with their phones, their faces tense yet excited.
Among them was a radio reporter who had hurried to the scene.
Rumble!
In their view, Cyborg and Iron Man, both technologically advanced superheroes clad in versatile armor, with numerous weapons and artillery flying through the air, skillfully avoided the high-rise buildings.
The collision erupted in intense fire and shockwaves that slammed directly into the ground.
Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!
The ground of Washington Square cracked, pavement breaking into dust, fist-sized fissures spreading as if burrowing straight to the core of the earth.
Quickly.
Bursts of black smoke from the explosions enveloped the half-space over Washington Square.
Swoosh! A silver figure suddenly burst through the smoke, grasping the neck of a red figure, then dragging the red figure down and smashing him into the ground.
Bang! The ground sunk again, creating a huge crater tens of meters in diameter amidst the intersecting cracks.
Washington Square lay in ruins, completely transformed into a gruesome battlefield.
Creak, creak, creak! Onlookers saw Iron Man instantly defeated, pinned to the ground by Cyborg, the locks of his armor joints bursting off, his entire body emitting creaks of strain.
"Tony, it over!"
Cyborg voice thundered in Tony ears.
"Not by a long shot, Cyborg!"
Tony gritted his teeth and struggled with all his might, "Coulson, aren't you here yet?"
Boom! Mid-sentence, Cyborg suddenly looked up.
Onlookers, from a distance, saw Cyborg movement and inexplicably followed suit, staring up into the sky as if sensing something was about to happen. Whoosh!
As the smoke from the explosion gradually cleared, the sky returned to a clear, deep blue, suddenly rippling like waves.
A massive warship phased out of invisibility, gradually materializing and hovering above Cyborg and Iron Man.
"The Sky Carrier!"
Cyborg murmured.
"I told you, it not over yet!"
Beneath his armor, Tony managed a strained smile, then exhaled, "Finally!"
However, Tony saw no sign of panic or even surprise on Cyborg face, who remained as calm as ever.
It was as if... Cyborg had anticipated this moment.
"Tony, if this is your trump card, then it disappointingly underwhelming."
Cyborg slowly rose to his feet, ceasing to press Tony down, still looking up at the massive, sky-obscuring Sky Carrier.
"What?"
Tony felt a surge of surprise, detecting disdain for the Sky Carrier in Cyborg words.
Could the Justice League have another card up its sleeve? As he pondered.
The sky opposite the Sky Carrier also began to show transparent ripples, the sunlight appearing twisted, just like when the Sky Carrier had first appeared.
"What is this..."
Tony face showed shock.
Quickly.
Just as he imagined, a jet, entirely black and bat-shaped, decloaked, appearing opposite the S.H.I.E.L.D. Sky Carrier.
Though the bat jet was much smaller than the Sky Carrier, about a tenth of its size, no one dared overlook this jet.
It was clear to those with keen eyes, this was Batman jet.
Just like the previous appearances of Batman motorcycle and Batmobile, this was the Bat Jet.
"Gulp!"
Tony finally understood why Cyborg was so calm.
The Justice League had been prepared all along.
Click, click!
Following that, Tony saw the Bat Jet hatch open, and a tall figure, using a golden lasso, tied several people together and leaped from mid-air.
Boom!! The figure landed, creating a deep crater in the ground.
But the golden lasso in her hands kept those bound well-protected.
"Wonder Woman!"
Tony gritted his teeth, his gaze not lingering on Wonder Woman but instead focusing on the ones tied up by the lasso.
Ronan, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Otto, Captain America!
Just as Cyborg had said, except for himself, the others had all been defeated.
No.
Now it seemed, even he had been defeated.
Tony looked at the virtual screen before him. Although 29% of his energy remained, almost all his weapon systems were damaged.
Apart from the palm cannon, which was still operational, he had lost the ability to counterattack.
As for the palm cannon...
With just 29% of energy left, the firepower it could muster would be about as effective as a minor stumble to Cyborg.
At this moment, the Avengers had completely fallen.
…
Radio.
The host, upon receiving the news, was immensely excited.
"Iron Man defeated!"
"As expected, Cyborg defeated Iron Man, Tony Stark. Meanwhile, Batman appeared with new gear, and the Bat Jet hovered over Washington D.C.…
The entire Avengers have been captured! Wonder Woman, using her Lasso of Truth, has tied up all the Avengers in the now-ruined Washington Square…"
"But, the standoff hasn't ended; the Avengers seem to have activated their final weapon, a super warship, practically a sky carrier…"
"The Bat Jet is only about a tenth the size of this super warship, which gives you an idea of just how massive this warship is… Oh God, I've seen the photos sent back from the scene, and I can hardly believe that this is a weapon humanity could create…"
"Wait, could this warship be alien technology?"