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*****
United Nations, General Assembly Hall.
This is the largest room in the United Nations—a meeting hall, a place where member states gather to discuss the pressing issues of the age. Countless problems have been resolved here.
But now, this building so full of significance was being destroyed just like that in the heat of battle.
Chunks of shattered building materials came crashing down, and everyone scrambled to dodge.
Wanda and the Invisible Woman used their abilities to prop up a safe zone for the group.
Rumble!
Accompanied by a massive roar and rising dust, the entire building collapsed. The intense combat paused for a moment.
Well, except for the Hulk and Red Hulk, who were on the verge of losing their minds.
These two big guys continued to beat each other relentlessly even as the building came down, even going so far as to grab fallen ceiling panels to smash over one another.
Boom, boom!
Amidst the roars of the two behemoths, the flying dust slowly began to settle.
In the center of the battlefield, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four stood together, their expressions grim as they looked at the Inhuman Special Ops team and the government's super-soldiers opposite them.
After the fierce fighting, they had taken down many enemies, but...
They looked at the expressionless Medusa and the Lockjaw standing beside her, their mouths twitching involuntarily.
This was simply unwinnable.
Should they leave?
Tony turned his head to look at the energy barrier surrounding them.
Under the sunlight, the energy barrier was as crystal clear as a layer of glass, but the strength of this thing...
He had just found an opportunity to blast it with his most powerful bomb.
The result: it did nothing at all.
They couldn't escape, and as for fighting... the enemy could keep calling for reinforcements indefinitely.
Add to that Black Bolt—whose strength was terrifying, who had been fighting with ease since the start, and who likely still held power in reserve.
If the battle continued, their side would be the only ones to face defeat.
Tony let out a long breath, instinctively thinking of his Uncle Mike. Just as he was about to say something...
"Quick, go invite Mike Kent!"
Rhodey growled out.
Tony: "..."
How did this guy manage to steal his line?
Steve gave a bitter smile, finally revealing a hint of information to the group, saying, "He will come. At some point."
If he didn't say something now, the superheroes—who had been watching the enemy call in help non-stop—would fall into despair.
Sure enough, as soon as those words fell, everyone felt a sense of relief. A feeling emerged that if they just held on a little longer, reinforcements would arrive.
Amidst the ruins, the superheroes stood together facing their enemies. Though they looked exhausted, every face was resolute, without a hint of wavering.
Queen Medusa admired this greatly, but...
"What a pity. It's your own fault for being a stumbling block, for being our enemies," she murmured. She turned to look at Lockjaw, intending to continue calling for people.
Just then, Black Bolt's voice rang out in her mind.
"No need to call anyone else. Leave this to me."
Black Bolt spoke indifferently, his gaze cold as he looked toward the superheroes.
It wasn't that he couldn't speak, but rather that he must not speak. Usually, he used brainwaves to communicate with Medusa, letting her speak for him.
Medusa blinked, a look of apology flashing across her face.
They hadn't finished the battle after all this time, causing trouble for Black Bolt. But she understood even more clearly that the reason Black Bolt didn't want her to call more people was that he was a good king; he didn't want to watch his compatriots be sacrificed anymore.
"Blackagar..." Medusa whispered, a smile appearing on her face.
This was a King. Maximus would never have made such a choice.
"I understand." Medusa nodded and said to the Inhumans, "We are preparing to leave this place."
With that, she was the first to place her hand on Lockjaw's head.
The members of the Inhuman Special Ops team breathed a quiet sigh of relief and also placed their hands on Lockjaw.
In the next instant, all the Inhumans vanished.
Watching this, the group was stunned.
"Are they retreating?" Reed said in surprise, a flash of joy appearing on his face.
"I don't think so," Steve whispered, his eyes locked tightly on Black Bolt.
He felt an ever-increasing pressure emanating from the man.
"Everyone, be careful!" Barton barked, reaching out to notch an arrow.
Meanwhile, the few remaining government super-soldiers were also bewildered by the sudden disappearance of the Inhumans.
Are you guys just leaving?
If you leave like this, what about us?
The men looked at the superheroes, cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads.
They were already no match for these people; if they lost their numerical advantage now...
They couldn't help but glance at General Ross, hoping he would give the order to retreat.
Ross noticed the situation as well. Though his heart was full of doubt, he had no time to think of anything else because a brief lapse in concentration had just earned him two heavy blows from the Hulk.
The superheroes watched Black Bolt warily. Seeing that he didn't attack immediately, Steve walked to the front of the group and spoke to him: "Black Bolt, I know the current situation isn't your intent. You're just being controlled."
The time Crystal and Daisy had spent with the Avengers had provided them with plenty of useful information, including the fact that the members of the Royal Family were being controlled.
Black Bolt looked at Steve in silence and slowly shook his head.
He didn't consider it "control," because he followed Hive's orders willingly; Hive was the sole reason for their existence.
And that was the horror of Hive.
It wasn't mental control, but rather a surrender effect achieved through parasites that made one lose their sense of self and prioritize Hive above all else—a form of physiological control.
Seeing Black Bolt's reaction, everyone's hearts sank.
Steve smiled bitterly. "Believe us, we don't want to be your enemy either."
Black Bolt paused for a moment, then nodded.
But regardless of whether they wanted to or not, he had to carry out the orders Hive had given him.
So, looking at Steve who wanted to say more, he reached out and made a "hush" gesture.
Nothing said would change his current decision.
Then, facing the group, he adjusted his angle slightly and spoke in a tiny whisper: "To war!"
Boom, boom!
The moment Black Bolt opened his mouth, an invisible force slammed into the space in front of him.
The open ground shook, and a massive crater was blasted into the earth.
Seeing this, Tony's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but complain: "If this guy had the same talking speed as Pietro, it would be the end of the world."
Hearing this, Bucky and Sam, who were standing next to Tony looking after the injured Pietro, couldn't help but glance at him. Imagining that scenario made them shudder.
That kind of image was simply too terrifying.
Pietro gave a chuckle, but it agitated his wound, causing him to cough softly.
"How are you?" Wanda asked softly, her eyes still fixed on Black Bolt.
She knew the terror of Black Bolt better than anyone else here.
Earlier, the three of them had dealt with Black Bolt and were actually suppressed, and Black Bolt had looked like he wasn't even using his full strength.
Now the Inhumans were gone, leaving only Black Bolt.
If this wasn't them being foolish, it meant they had absolute confidence in Black Bolt's victory.
That meant they were about to see Black Bolt at full power.
Just how terrifying would such a Black Bolt be?
Wanda clenched her fist slightly.
"I'm okay," Pietro grimaced, saying with difficulty, "I can still fight."
"You need to stay put," Barton said, shaking his head.
"Barton!" Steve barked, giving him a look.
Barton nodded. "I know."
He would look for an opening, but...
Barton looked at Black Bolt and gave a bitter smile. Facing such an enemy, he wasn't confident either.
"Watch out, he's about to speak!"
Suddenly, Vision noticed Black Bolt's movement and hurriedly warned them, the Mind Stone on his forehead flashing with yellow light.
"Attack!" Steve roared.
Following his command, the superheroes with ranged capabilities immediately launched their attacks.
Missiles from Tony and Rhodey, Barton's arrows and Vision's energy beam, the Human Torch's flames and the Invisible Woman's force field blast, Wanda's crimson energy...
Everyone's attacks carried a fearsome momentum as they rained down on Black Bolt.
Simultaneously, The Thing, Reed, Steve, Winter Soldier, Sam, and Natasha followed close behind, charging toward Black Bolt.
Watching the incoming attacks, Black Bolt's eyes remained calm. Then, he opened his mouth and roared: "Come!"
Boom, boom!
It was as if transparent ripples appeared in the air. Terrifying sonic waves swept out like a hurricane toward the incoming attacks and the charging superheroes.
In the next second, the group's attacks collided violently with Black Bolt's assault.
Black Bolt's sonic energy was continuous.
Like an oil painting being crumpled by a hand, the two sides held in a stalemate for only a few seconds before the group's attacks were ground to dust inch by inch by the sonic waves. The superheroes charging at him were sent flying back directly by the horrific wall of sound.
In fact, if Black Bolt's sonic wave hadn't been weakened by the group's combined attack, some of them would have been blasted to pieces.
Steve's shield was braced in front of him as he skidded across the ground. The Winter Soldier's braced arm was shattered, and Falcon's wings developed cracks. Only The Thing and Reed managed to block the attack by relying on their physical durability.
"Puff!"
Natasha spat out blood, crashing violently into the energy barrier like a butterfly with broken wings.
If she hit it full force, the already injured Natasha would definitely be critically wounded.
Seeing this, Wanda let out a low cry. The crimson mist wrapped around Natasha like a web, catching her and pulling her back in a hurry.
"Natasha! How are you?" Wanda asked anxiously.
"Her body took a massive impact; there's internal organ damage. We need to get her to a hospital for treatment immediately!" Tony scanned Natasha's body, grabbed her hand, and said quickly, "Don't move!"
"Everyone watch out! It's coming again!" Vision warned, and everyone's hearts tightened.
Wanda handed Natasha over to Vision and charged angrily to the front of the group.
She had known Natasha for a long time; she had always taken care of her and her brother like an older sister. Now she had been so badly hurt.
First Pietro, and now Natasha.
Wanda's eyes were completely dyed red by the mist. Crimson energy swirled around her body. As Black Bolt was about to speak again, she let out an angry cry, and the crimson mist expanded to protect everyone.
In the next second, the terrifying sonic wave slammed into her energy shield.
The red mist surged and roiled, but it did not shatter.
The group looked at Wanda in pleasant surprise, and Black Bolt was also somewhat surprised.
He looked at her and said loudly and slowly: "You are very good. I can see you have great potential. But right now, you are only exploding with power temporarily through anger. You cannot use it skillfully. How long can you hold out like this?"
With every word Black Bolt spoke, terrifying energy continuously slammed into the defense Wanda held up.
And every impact made Wanda's face turn a shade paler.
At that moment, the blonde-haired Invisible Woman silently walked to Wanda's side.
"Then add me to the mix!" She growled, using all her strength to prop up a protective force field.
Seeing this, Black Bolt smiled slightly.
He greatly admired this attitude of working together to resist an enemy, but that didn't mean he would let these people go.
Because Hive's command was his everything.
"Well done!" Black Bolt praised loudly, shouting: "Then keep it up! Let me see how long you can last!"
With Black Bolt's words, the entire space within the energy barrier seemed to tremble.
The ground vibrated, layers of earth being scraped away by the invisible force.
The terrifying sonic waves centered on Black Bolt, savagely sweeping in all directions.
Not just the superheroes, but even the few surviving government super-soldiers were blasted away, pinned against the energy barrier and turned into meat paste by the horrific wall of sound.
Seeing this scene, a chill ran through the hearts of the superheroes.
Even the battling Red and Green Hulks were caught in the shockwave.
General Ross and the Hulk dug their feet into the ground, resisting the continuous sonic waves. Their entire bodies were heaving as if being struck repeatedly.
At this point, Black Bolt had already disrupted their battle.
"Black Bolt, are you insane!?" Ross roared.
Black Bolt spared Ross a cold glance and continued to employ his ability.
"Ah!" General Ross bellowed in rage.
He knew these Inhumans were up to no good; that Maximus had a scheme!
Damn it, damn it all!
Cursing under his breath, he ignored the Hulk and took great strides, charging toward Black Bolt.
Seeing this, the Hulk also let out a roar and charged.
Black Bolt's brow furrowed. He turned toward the two of them and thundered: "Begone!"
It was as if a thunderclap had manifested out of thin air.
The space between the three of them distorted, and the horrific sonic wave slammed into the two giants, sending them both flying backward.
In the next instant, Black Bolt refocused his target on Steve and the others.
"Oh no, they aren't going to be able to hold him back."
Steve's expression shifted as he kept a close eye on the condition of Wanda and Susan.
Hearing this, a wave of alarm hit the group.
If the two of them couldn't hold the line, they would be forced to face Black Bolt's attacks head-on.
And after seeing what had just happened to those super-soldiers...
A chill ran through everyone's hearts.
At that moment, Tony—having used his Iron Man suit to provide emergency treatment for Natasha's wounds—stepped to the front of the group. With a grimace, he grumbled:
"I have never hated someone's talking this much."
When other people spoke, it was at most unpleasant to the ear. But when Black Bolt spoke... it was lethal!
(End of Chapter)