Tony Stark forced himself to suppress the anger surging within him; he didn't explode on the spot.
He thought of his friends, of the comrades who had stood by his side during the Avengers' civil war.
Not everyone had betrayed him.
Even if he fought against Captain Rogers and tore the Avengers apart, there were still many who were on his side.
He wasn't such a complete failure yet.
For a moment, he felt better, no longer suffocated, no longer gasping for air as if it were impossible to breathe.
Looking at the screen again, outside the base, Colonel Zemo repeatedly listened to his wife's voice messages, his face a mixture of happiness and grief.
It was his beloved wife, and his precious child—but he would never see them again.
Yet, fortunately, he would soon join them.
"You should have seen his little face. Try to come back soon, okay? I'm going to sleep. I love you!"
Behind him, Black Panther T'Challa was steadily approaching. Moments later, he removed his helmet and said, "I almost killed the wrong person!"
"Not exactly an innocent one either," Colonel Zemo replied calmly. He recognized the voice—it was T'Challa.
The child he had indirectly caused the death of, who was now Wakanda's king…
Technically, he had caused his death, though it was all part of his plan.
If he hadn't disguised himself as Bucky and killed the Wakandan king, causing a massive scandal, the UN wouldn't have pursued Bucky. Everything that followed was built on that foundation.
In his heart, the Avengers, those so-called superheroes, weren't exactly innocent either.
Sure, they saved the people of Sokovia—but what about those outside the city?
They had been crushed by falling debris, killed.
His own wife and child had been drawn into it through no fault of their own.
While Zemo felt no guilt about causing the Avengers' internal conflict, he still had some for T'Challa. He had exploited the death of T'Challa's father.
He had caused massive casualties. All along this path of vengeance, how many had been hurt? He didn't even know himself.
Now, it was time to repay them in kind—with life for life.
He was a man of clear lines between right and wrong.
"Is this what you wanted?" T'Challa asked, facing the man who had killed his father. "To see them slaughter each other?"
His eyes were full of both pity and shock. This was the man who had impersonated Bucky to kill his father, and then manipulated his grief to pressure the UN.
Wakanda, America, the UN, the Avengers—every faction had been twisted around by him.
T'Challa had never seen someone weave such intricate schemes.
Especially one that ensured the Avengers would inevitably fracture.
Such a person was terrifying.
But now, Zemo only sought death. He spoke with a heart worn to ashes:
"My father stayed outside the city; I thought it would be safe. My son was excited because he could see Iron Man through the car window. I told my wife not to worry—they were fighting in the city! We were far away; nothing would happen."
Zemo's eyes were filled with memories. "When the ashes settled, and the screams stopped, it took me two days to find their bodies. My father still held my wife and child… and the Avengers went home. I knew I couldn't kill them. Even those stronger than me tried… but what if I could make them kill each other?"
"I'm sorry about your father. He seemed like a good man, a filial son," Zemo told T'Challa. He truly felt remorse for killing the former Wakandan king.
Yet he had been consumed by revenge; he wanted vengeance, no matter the storm it stirred.
"Hatred has consumed you," T'Challa said pointedly. "It has consumed them as well."
"I won't let it consume me!" T'Challa clenched his pain and forced down the desire to kill.
He didn't kill Zemo because, following Tony Stark, he had seen too much.
He had seen Zemo commit a string of shocking crimes for revenge, hurting countless innocents.
And he had seen Tony Stark, for vengeance, sever ties with his best friends, fighting to the death.
This inferno of revenge had devoured everything, but he refused to be consumed by it; otherwise, it would never end.
"Justice will come soon," T'Challa said calmly.
"Go tell that to the dead," Zemo sneered.
Now that his vendetta was complete, he no longer cared about surviving.
He attempted to commit suicide, but T'Challa stopped him. "The living still have questions for you!"
There were still matters Zemo had to resolve alive—like giving the world an explanation.
T'Challa, once a pressure on the Avengers, now had a duty to help clean up the aftermath.
Tony Stark's feelings were complex. He had been angry, furious—but seeing what Zemo had said, he felt a bit deflated.
Zemo's child had been a fan of his, thrilled to see him…
Only to die because of the very heroes trying to save the world.
Sokovia had exploded; debris had killed his entire family.
If Tony had to fight Bucky for the death of his parents, this was different. Zemo had lost his entire family—father, wife, child—and sought revenge, even fracturing the Avengers. That seemed, in a twisted way, understandable.
No one could blame themselves too harshly—they were saving the world, after all. Collateral damage in saving lives.
Pietro Maximoff was one such cost; Zemo's family another.
But unlike villains, they had a conscience. They couldn't dismiss it as a mere number.
Before seeing their deaths personally, Tony could remain magnanimous. But seeing his parents killed by Bucky changed everything.
Everyone began recalling their previous discussions—how many innocents had truly suffered in their quest for justice?
The Hulk smashing a newly purchased car into a newly bought house—who wouldn't explode?
Before, the focus was on property damage. Now, it was lives.
Not one, not two… perhaps thousands, perhaps tens of thousands. Who knew?
Thinking this, Tony calmed slightly. T'Challa's words in the video helped—a man who could forgive a father's death could resist being consumed by revenge.
And what about him?
Tony's thoughts were in turmoil.
Meanwhile, the fight between Bucky, Tony, and Captain Rogers had reached its peak intensity.
Even J.A.R.V.I.S. warned: "You can't defeat him in hand-to-hand combat."
"Analyze his attack patterns!" Tony commanded.
Immediately, he activated the combat module he had prepared long ago. He knew he wasn't a hand-to-hand expert; why not let AI assist?
"Scanning!" Friday replied. "Countermeasures ready!"
"Let's give him a proper beating!" Tony said.
With Friday's combat module, Tony gained the upper hand and knocked Captain Rogers down.
Facing a furious Tony, Rogers only said, "He is my friend!"
"I once was too!" Tony roared, angrier, and blasted him away. "Don't get up—final warning!"
Yet Tony underestimated Rogers' stubbornness. He struggled to rise, declaring: "I can go all day with you."
The brutal battle continued. Eventually, Rogers and Bucky teamed up, using the shield to defeat Tony and smash the Arc Reactor in his chest.
At this point, Tony was completely powerless. Rogers and Bucky were barely better off.
Tony painfully retrieved the shield as he and Bucky prepared to leave.
"That shield isn't yours! You don't deserve it! My father made it!" Tony said, full of resentment and fury.
Hearing this, Rogers dropped the shield and left with Bucky.
Tony had now lost another friend, leaving only Bucky by his side.
For the spectators, this scene was heartbreaking.
The battle wasn't as large-scale as the airport fight, nor as flashy, but the destruction it caused was truly lethal for the Avengers.
After this battle, reconciliation was impossible.
The Avengers were torn apart.
As Zemo had said, an empire struck from the outside may rise again—but one broken from within dies permanently.
-----------------------
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