Nick Fury's negotiations with Akatsuki were not going well.
Strictly speaking, Akatsuki had unilaterally issued a final ultimatum to S.H.I.E.L.D.: within twenty‑four hours, Akatsuki's army would remain on the outer edge of Earth.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers Squad failed to retrieve the Tesseract, Akatsuki's army would descend to Earth to face the Chitauri. This was not a tone that suggested discussion!
"Fine."
Nick Fury forced down his explosive temper and said quietly, "About Akatsuki's army staying outside Earth's atmosphere, I need to file a report to my superiors and try to mediate as much as I can…"
"Whatever."
In the single eye of the mysterious masked man, a strange red light flickered. He said coldly, "Once the Chitauri arrive, this place will turn into a battlefield between Akatsuki and the Chitauri."
"Sorry, we might not really need…"
"This is not a negotiation. We've already given you enough time."
The mysterious masked man slowly shook his head and calmly continued, "When lions and jackals are fighting, they have no way to care about what the ants under their feet think…"
The meaning of that sentence sounded oddly familiar.
Nick Fury's expression grew uglier and uglier, and even Tony Stark's face didn't look too good. Wasn't this exactly the attitude the United States took toward backward regions on Earth?
"You don't need to look at me like that."
The mysterious masked man stood up and watched their faces. "Akatsuki is an organization that maintains peace. We won't interfere to invade any planet for no reason…"
When the mysterious masked man spoke up to this point, he habitually added, "Any war launched without Akatsuki's approval is considered an illegal war…"
"…"
Nick Fury simply didn't know what to say. This cosmic mercenary organization somehow sounded even more overbearing than they were.
"I hope you hurry up."
The mysterious masked man turned into a spatial vortex and vanished from the spot, leaving behind one last line: "Akatsuki's great army will arrive soon… This is the payment for Akatsuki's past research on the Tesseract, and it's also the last time Akatsuki will help Earth."
"…"
Nick Fury's hand suddenly clenched tight.
Just what the hell did Howard Stark do?
Was this Akatsuki organization the contingency Howard Stark left behind to protect Earth? It was just that the people in this organization were a bit too domineering…
This bunch of people from beyond the universe…
Their attitude toward Earth was really irritating!
"Immediately search for Loki and the whereabouts of the Tesseract!"
Nick Fury slammed a fist onto the table, shot Tony Stark a complicated look, and said in a deep voice, "We absolutely cannot let Earth become the battlefield for two alien forces!"
The members of the little Avengers Squad really were not worry‑free at all!
Tony Stark, this guy, was secretly connected to some alien organization, and Steve Rogers still carried suspicion of having once pledged allegiance to Hitler.
Only Dr. Bruce Banner was still relatively normal…
Akatsuki was as good as its word.
Just as Nick Fury returned to the command room, a bunch of satellite images had already captured photos of part of the atmosphere, sending a chill straight through everyone who saw them!
"Sir, these are the photos taken by satellites outside the atmosphere!"
Nick Fury had just stepped back into the command room when he was handed a stack of photos. Just looking at them made the corner of his eyes twitch uncontrollably!
Hundreds of oddly shaped people wearing cloud‑patterned black robes.
Some of them looked somewhat human, except their skin was deathly pale, their faces cold and emotionless, and each had a strange sword hanging at their waist!
They seemed to have no need to breathe air at all, just standing there in space beyond the atmosphere. They clearly weren't a group to be trifled with!
And compared to them…
Behind them stood tens of thousands of ferocious‑looking monsters!
Each monster's appearance was extremely crude: a body tens of meters tall, pitch‑black all over, with only a hideous, hollow face on its head. They actually looked quite like the Shinigami from legend…
Under Akatsuki's command, the Hollow World's great army!
Above this army, six thrones carved from meteorites floated in the air, and a crowd of bizarre men sat upon them, each one looking like a man of the highest rank…
These guys should be the executives of Akatsuki.
The first man wore an Akatsuki cloud black robe, with a suit of samurai‑like red armor underneath. His spiky black hair and unrestrained smile carried a hint of contempt as he gazed at Earth wrapped in its atmosphere.
A man who had experienced three worlds: Uchiha Madara!
The second man also wore a cloud black robe, with a similar red armor underneath. Beneath his smooth hair was a gentle smile.
A powerhouse on par with Uchiha Madara: Senju Hashirama!
The third man wore an elaborately made cloud‑patterned black greatcloak, with a tricorn captain's hat of medieval style on his head, laughing heartily at the person beside him.
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!
The fourth man was a towering Giant, gripping a long guandao in his hand. A crescent‑shaped white mustache grew on his face, and he too was grinning broadly.
Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!
The fifth man was an aged elder, leaning on a wooden staff. Long eyebrows and a long beard hung from his face, and he seemed rather serene, sitting in his place with his eyes closed, resting.
The General Captain of the Shinigami, Yamamoto Shigekuni!
The sixth man was a rather handsome young man with a stylishly swept‑up hairstyle. His narrow eyes stared at Earth's atmosphere, and a cold smile hung at the corner of his mouth, making him look dangerous at a glance.
Master of the Hollow World, Aizen Sousuke!
All these formidable figures were Uehara Naraku's prized collection, and this was their first appearance in the Marvel World. From now on, they would act bearing the name of Akatsuki!
Nick Fury certainly didn't know who any of them were. He naturally assumed that these men sitting on the Void Throne were all Akatsuki's higher‑ups…
To be honest…
This army stationed outside the atmosphere put enormous pressure on Nick Fury. The mere fact that they could remain in a vacuum under ultraviolet radiation for long periods meant their strength far surpassed that of any army on Earth…
For Earth…
This was an army made up almost entirely of Superheroes!
Nick Fury wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and glanced at the agents beside him. "How did they appear? Did the satellite surveillance capture a video of their movements?"
"Y‑yes… yes…"
The agent immediately pulled up the footage.
In the footage—
A pitch‑black black hole appeared out of thin air.
The six men seated on the Void Throne passed through the black hole and were the first to stop in space. A group of Arrancar Hollows in cloud black robes led tens of thousands of ordinary Hollows flying out.
Just as a satellite, orbiting along its path, passed by this army, a few ordinary Hollows opened their mouths. Red Ceros turned into beams of light and instantly pierced through that unlucky satellite!
Nick Fury's fists trembled slightly. Those crudely shaped small fry alone could unleash power with a single strike that was no less than a missile…
If it had only been that, Nick Fury might have been able to stay somewhat calm. However, the next scene made his eyes practically bulge out!
After the first arrogant man said something unknown, the old man seated on the throne suddenly opened his eyes and slowly drew a sword, flames flaring up along its blade!
The old man suddenly swung once toward the cluster of satellites around them. A slash of flames at least several dozen kilometers long swept out, instantly blowing a large number of satellites to pieces!
This was…
Akatsuki's great army?