Chapter 135 Nick, You Wouldn't Make This Difficult, Would You?

Green Arrow led the charge.

He pressed the elevator button, stepping inside without hesitation.

After all, with dozens of floors to climb, running up would waste not only energy but also precious time—time they didn't have.

The cramped elevator was soon crowded as the hulking forms of four Ninja Turtles filed in behind him, followed by Nick Fury and Coulson.

Even the injured Hawkeye, grimacing in pain, managed to squeeze his way inside.

Natasha glanced at the packed space, then at the other elevator. She decided to wait with a group of agents for the next one.

Ding!

The elevator rapid ascent filled the silence with an awkward tension.

Inside the confined space, everyone exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to say.

Nick Fury remained stoic, his expression unreadable as if deep in thought.

At last, the elevator doors slid open.

Hawkeye, slowed by his injuries, hesitated just a moment too long.

Before he could step forward, someone behind him gave him a swift kick, sending him stumbling out of the elevator.

"Shit!" he cursed loudly, tumbling forward just as a blur of movement raced past him.

At the forefront was Green Arrow, his movements precise and commanding, followed closely by the Ninja Turtles. Armed and ready, they swept into the room like a coordinated unit.

Coulson hurried to help Hawkeye to his feet, while Nick Fury stepped out and surveyed the scene.

The room was a battlefield.

Dozens of Foot Clan remnants surged forward, but Fury attention immediately locked onto the teleportation beacon at the center.

The machine pulsed with energy, radiating an almost palpable power. Fury one good eye narrowed as he assessed the situation.

By this point, shutting down the device was no longer an option.

Instead, they needed to ensure that the device remained functional long enough to send the War Fortress back into space.

The War Fortress was a weapon of terror—a destructive force that had no place on Earth.

Fury had briefly entertained the idea of taking control of the Fortress.

But he knew better. A weapon of such magnitude should not fall into the hands of any Earthling. Doing so would likely lead to a catastrophe as devastating as—or worse than—an alien invasion.

The sharp whoosh of projectiles snapped Fury from his thoughts.

Green Arrow was already in action, his arrows slicing through the air with precision.

One arrow struck the ground near the feet of the bloodied yet unyielding Karai, forcing her back.

Another landed just inches away from the trembling form of Dr. Stockman.

Green Arrow voice was icy and resolute.

"Stockman, if I see you make one wrong move, the next arrow won't land at your feet—it'll pierce your heart."

Green Arrow words were calm, yet carried an unparalleled menace.

After issuing a stern warning to Stockman, he shifted his gaze toward Karai, only to find her swiftly incapacitated by Daredevil, who had landed a decisive blow.

With Karai down, both Green Arrow and Daredevil turned their attention to the armored figure of Shredder, who was locked in a heated battle with Spider-Man.

The duel was intense, with neither giving the other an inch.

Though Spider-Man had the upper hand, Shredder wasn't entirely outmatched.

The numerous blades mounted on his arms were magnetically controlled, allowing him to launch them in a torrent of deadly steel. The blades swirled through the air, severing Spider-Man webs before returning to their original positions.

"Wait! I've got this!"

Spider-Man noticed Green Arrow and Daredevil intent to join the fray.

Not wanting his "graduation project" stolen by his colleagues, he shouted:

"Go handle the teleportation beacon! Shredder is mine!"

Spider-Man declaration came with such conviction that he failed to notice the four Ninja Turtles already closing in on Shredder.

"Little bro, we've got your back!"

"You're too green for this! Let your older brothers show you how it done!"

"You want to graduate? You've got a long way to go!"

The Turtles laughed as they formed a tactical ring around Shredder, effectively backing Spider-Man.

"Damn it!" Spider-Man groaned, realizing his "big moment" was slipping away.

Shredder, however, was far from amused.

To him, it was an insult to be treated like mere fodder.

Fueled by rage, he prepared to retaliate.

Meanwhile, Green Arrow focus shifted.

He knew that with the current team in place, there was no way Shredder could pull off an upset.

Victory was practically assured.

What truly mattered now was the situation above—inside and around the War Fortress.

Would Batman secure the Beacon?

Could Cyborg keep Rang occupied?

Through his own perspective, Green Arrow could tell both missions were progressing steadily.

Everything was going according to plan.

Returning his gaze to Stockman, Green Arrow found the scientist flashing a sheepish grin.

"Heh-heh…" Stockman chuckled nervously, his posture submissive and his tone ingratiating.

"Whatever you need! Just say the word, and I'll do it!"

Knowing escape was impossible, Stockman had fully embraced the role of a cooperative prisoner.

If helping could reduce his sentence, why not?

Inside the War Fortress

Batman received Green Arrow update, confirming that the fight over the teleportation beacon was nearing its conclusion.

All that remained was for Batman and Cyborg to finish their respective tasks and send the War Fortress back into space.

Batman, ever efficient, quickened his pace toward the Beacon.

Outside, Rang, sensing the shift in momentum, became increasingly agitated.

His fury was directed squarely at Cyborg, who had masterfully stalled him.

BOOM!

Rang ramped up the output of his weapons.

A relentless barrage of energy blasts rained down on Cyborg like a deadly storm.

But Cyborg remained unfazed.

He expanded his sonic shield, neutralizing the blasts mid-air while ensuring the protective barrier absorbed the shockwaves.

From the ground below, the gathered citizens of New York watched in awe, unaware that they were being shielded from what could have been catastrophic collateral damage.

In Cyborg and Batman shared field of vision, something else was happening.

The fan metrics for both heroes were skyrocketing, reflecting the swelling admiration of onlookers.

Finally, Cyborg turned to Rang with an unflinching resolve.

"It time to say goodbye."

Amid countless eyes fixed on the scene, Cyborg lunged forward and collided with Rang humanoid mech.

What followed left everyone, from the citizens below to the agents on the ground, utterly speechless.

With raw, unrelenting force, Cyborg tore off the mech arm.

But victory came at a cost.

A point-blank energy blast pierced Cyborg chest, creating a massive, glowing wound.

"Cyborg, hang in there!"

Cheers and gasps erupted across New York as the battle reached its peak.

The crowd clenched their fists, offering emotional support to Cyborg.

Some couldn't bear to watch anymore, peeking through one eye while closing the other. They wanted to witness the action but feared what might come next.

What they didn't realize was that the gaping wound in Cyborg chest, though alarming, had little effect on his combat capability or mobility.

Before being transformed into a half-human, half-machine hybrid, Victor Stone, the man behind Cyborg, had been on the brink of death.

Cyborg body was entirely mechanical, with even his brain replaced by a quantum computer.

Damage to his body could be repaired simply by replacing parts.

Moreover, with the near-limitless energy supplied by the Mother Box from Apokolips, his operational energy was unparalleled—not just on Earth but across most of the known universe.

Of course, comparing the Mother Box to the Infinity Stones isn't entirely fair.

Both have unique strengths and serve different purposes.

In the Marvel Universe, the Infinity Stones are fundamental to its existence—a core part of its framework.

In contrast, the Mother Box functions more as high-tech support, akin to Thor Stormbreaker.

Returning to the action.

Cyborg apparent injuries managed to deceive Rang.

"You pathetic human! I'll rip you apart!"

Rang laughed maniacally, believing victory was within his grasp.

He directed his mech remaining arm to strike Cyborg with a crushing blow.

What Rang didn't anticipate, however, was that Cyborg chest wound was already halfway healed.

The memory-metal components of his mechanical body had rapidly reassembled, fully covering the damaged area.

In a split second, Cyborg went from seemingly paralyzed to fully operational.

With precision timing, Cyborg unleashed a sonic cannon blast straight into Rang mech.

BOOM!

The blast, combined with the resulting shockwave, sent Rang and his mech hurtling into the sky before crashing onto the extended platform of the War Fortress.

Without missing a beat, Cyborg soared upward, relentlessly pursuing his foe.

The tide of battle shifted dramatically.

New Yorkers watching from the ground were left speechless, their shock quickly turning into overwhelming relief and joy.

"Cyborg did it!"

"We won!"

Cheers erupted across the city, echoing through every street.

At TCRI

Near a window in the TCRI building, Nick Fury, Daredevil, and Natasha Romanoff all exhaled in unison.

Green Arrow duplicate, however, remained calm and composed.

As another of Anton manifestations, connected to both Batman and Cyborg, he had foreseen this outcome.

To Fury and the others, though, this came across as unshakable confidence in his comrades—a display of profound trust.

They couldn't help but admire the camaraderie within the Justice League.

Among its members, Batman, Cyborg, and Green Arrow were the most enigmatic, bound by a seemingly impenetrable mutual understanding.

Meanwhile, on a Rooftop Nearby

Tony Stark lay sprawled across the rooftop, having removed his helmet.

Beside him stood Eddie Brock, fully transformed into Venom.

Hearing Stark mention his name, Eddie wasn't particularly surprised.

As the head of Stark Industries, Tony Stark was a man privy to countless secrets.

In the aftermath of the Life Foundation incident, which involved Oscorp, Venom true identity had already leaked to select circles.

"Cyborg…"

Tony eyes followed the action above before turning to Eddie.

"You're part of the Justice League too?"

"Of course," Eddie replied with a grin.

Eddie nodded with pride. "I was the first person Batman invited."

"Batman..."

Tony suddenly realized something crucial.

The nearly indomitable Cyborg, who had essentially taken Rang to the brink of defeat, wasn't even the Justice League central figure.

Everyone knew the true heart of the Justice League was Batman!

And at this moment, Batman was still inside the War Fortress, presumably executing the final phase of their plan.

"It not over yet..."

Tony sighed, but oddly enough, he didn't feel as tense as before.

It was as if he instinctively knew that the alien invasion was already nearing its conclusion, even if it technically wasn't over.

And he was right.

The situation was indeed drawing to a close.

Inside the War Fortress

Anton, as Batman, reached the central "Beacon."

Standing before the small orb, which could fit into his hand, his gaze was deep and focused.

Suddenly, a loud crash erupted behind him.

Rang, blasted back by Cyborg, had plummeted onto the War Fortress interior platform.

"Human! Stop!" Rang roared in fury.

Anton ignored him completely.

Elsewhere, Cyborg entered the fortress, placing himself between Rang and Batman.

"Rang," Cyborg declared, "this game is over. You've lost!"

Without hesitation, Anton, as Batman, removed the orb and inserted a USB-shaped device into its port.

Streams of data cascaded across Cyborg vision as his quantum-computer brain processed the information at an incredible speed.

Rang, sensing the tide turning against him, let out a guttural roar of anger and defiance.

In a final, desperate act, he issued an irreversible command to the War Fortress systems: initiate the escape protocols.

"Mark my words!" Rang snarled as his escape pod was activated. "You humans haven't seen the last of me!"

"Not so fast."

Anton voice, calm yet chilling, pierced through the tension.

Turning away from the Beacon, he watched as Rang escape pod entered the launch track.

"You think you'll get out of this alive?"

As the pod was launched into the sky, Anton fired a grappling cable from his suit, attaching himself to the pod.

Suspended midair, he landed on the pod exterior, locking eyes with Rang through the glass.

Rang, now visibly terrified, could do nothing but scream, "No!"

Seconds later, the pod energy system malfunctioned, and a massive explosion erupted high above.

Rang was obliterated, leaving nothing but ashes, with no last words to mark his demise.

As the pod disintegrated, Anton fell from the sky, his cape billowing.

He landed gracefully atop his Batmobile, which had leapt into action to catch him.

Driving onto a nearby rooftop, Batman exited the vehicle, standing beside Eddie and Tony.

"It over," Anton declared.

Tony, still dazed, let out a long breath.

The entire ordeal had been a humbling experience.

He'd realized the limits of even his unparalleled genius.

For all his efforts, the alien technology—far beyond anything he'd encountered—had left him utterly outmatched.

Cyborg emerged from the War Fortress, carrying the Beacon.

He sent it through the dimensional gateway, causing the War Fortress to disassemble.

Piece by piece, the massive structure returned to the void of space, following the Beacon through the rift.

Moments later, the ominous black clouds dissipated, revealing a clear, sunny sky over New York.

Relieved citizens erupted into jubilant cheers.

Inside the TCRI building, Shredder and his cohorts had been subdued and detained.

The crisis was over, but tension still lingered.

Standing beside the teleportation beacon, Green Arrow faced Nick Fury and his agents, their eyes filled with guarded determination.

"Batman said this device cannot fall into your hands," Green Arrow stated firmly.

His tone was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

Then, with a steady gaze, he addressed Fury directly.

"Nick, you're not going to make this difficult for me, are you?"