I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 40 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Link: Patreon.com/Heroicverse
—------------------—
DarkEgo coldly released his hand, throwing Thor, who had lost an eye and was in a near-death coma, onto the ground like trash.
Then he extended a finger, pointing at the fallen heroes on the messy battlefield.
Steve, Tony, Banner, Jessica...
He pointed very slowly, calling out a number for each person he pointed to.
"One."
"Two."
"Three..."
He uttered the cold numbers without any emotion.
"...Thirteen."
DarkEgo finished counting the last person and retracted his finger.
"You have lost."
DarkEgo's words simply and directly passed judgment.
"A total of thirteen of you came."
"Then, according to the rules of the game..."
"I shall destroy thirteen cities."
As soon as these words were spoken, the audience in the livestream, who were still grieving and weeping for Thor's tragic state...
...were plunged into the abyss by this proclamation.
Thirteen cities! That meant the deaths of hundreds of millions of people!
This wasn't war; this was massacre.
Imagining the impending destruction, imagining the tragedy of Markvis's transformation into a wasteland about to repeat in thirteen other cities, boundless sorrow welled up in people's hearts.
The bullet chat on the internet vanished instantly; almost everyone was terrified to the extreme, seemingly losing even the strength to type on their keyboards.
...
Kamar-Taj.
Wanda was already surrounded by scarlet Chaos Magic.
Back when she saw Pietro scream and collapse with a broken leg in the livestream, she could no longer bear it and began tracing a sparking portal in front of her.
But Sorcerer Ancient One walked over calmly and dispersed the portal with a light wave of her hand.
"Let me go! I want to help them!" Wanda shouted anxiously.
"They will be fine," the Ancient One's tone was profound. "This is a tribulation that must be experienced, Wanda."
"If you wish to see Anthony return as soon as possible, do not interfere."
Hearing the name "Anthony," Wanda's movements froze.
She bit her lip, the red light in her eyes flickering unwillingly, but she ultimately suppressed her inner impulse.
...
Nullarbor Plain.
All the livestream cameras were tightly locked on DarkEgo.
Everyone stared in terror at this brutal demon, wondering what method he would use to destroy thirteen cities simultaneously.
Under the gaze of countless fearful eyes.
DarkEgo coldly raised his hand, flipping his palm upward.
A metallic cube appeared in his hand.
father box.
Unlike the mother box, which leaned toward planetary ecological transformation, the father box leaned toward pure destruction.
Without any nonsense, DarkEgo threw the father box in his hand into the air.
"Bzzz—Hum!!!"
The father box was activated in mid-air.
In an instant, a wave of dark red energy centered on the father box spread outward in a ring, sweeping across the entire Earth within minutes!
A sudden mutation occurred.
People all over the world looked up in horror.
The originally azure sky turned a spine-chilling scarlet, as if thick blood had been splashed over it.
Thick blood clouds rolled over the globe, with countless scarlet lightning bolts interlacing and darting through the sky.
The air was filled with a high-frequency piercing hum, making people's eardrums ache.
Earth's gravity began to behave abnormally; trash cans, bicycles, and lighter animals on the streets began to float upward uncontrollably.
The world's oceans surged, and tsunamis were forming, roaring as they prepared to swallow the land.
It was a terrifying scene, as if the Apocalypse was about to arrive!
Looking at this global terrifying phenomenon, people seemed to realize an even more horrifying fact.
"He lied to us..."
A desperate voice rang out from the crowd.
"He isn't going to destroy thirteen cities at all... he's going to destroy the entire Earth!!"
The bullet chat in the livestream also fell into a frenzy.
"Demon! This is a true demon!"
"Apocalypse! This is the end of the world!"
"We're all going to die! The Earth is going to be torn apart!"
"We're finished! Mom, I don't want to die..."
"If there's still a tomorrow, I will definitely stop complaining about life..."
"Why has God forsaken us?!"
Apocalyptic rhetoric, anger, fear, sorrow, and deep regret—various emotions intertwined in people's hearts.
Countless people began to pray in despair to God, Allah, Brahma, and their respective highest deities, pleading for a miracle to descend...
...
Washington, White House.
"Quick! Contact Vought immediately! Initiate the Interstellar Exile Project!"
President Ellis looked at the blood-red sky outside the window, his forehead covered in cold sweat, shouting at his staff, "We must ignite and take off immediately! Send the people on the list away now!"
The staffer, drenched in sweat, connected to Vought's private line. After a moment, he hung up and walked over to Ellis with a grim expression.
"Mr. President... Vought International has rejected the launch request."
"Are they crazy?!" Ellis grabbed the staffer's collar. "The Earth is about to be gone! What are they waiting for?!"
"Vought's top brass said..." the staffer swallowed, "The Interstellar Exile Project is put on hold; we still have one last hope..."
"What hope is left?" Ellis asked.
Just then, the office door was pushed open.
The Presidential Assistant walked in quickly and handed a document to Ellis.
"Mr. President, this was sent over by Vought International. They need you to deliver a global television address immediately."
"A speech?!"
Ellis snatched the document and roared angrily, "At a time like this, what's the point of a speech?! Can a few words stop the Apocalypse from coming?!"
"Mr. President, Vought said this is the only way. Please, you must read it," the assistant emphasized.
Ellis suppressed his anger and scanned the manuscript.
He complained while scanning the contents of the document.
Gradually, his complaining stopped. His eyes moved between the lines, and his breathing became heavier.
After reading the last line, Ellis's hand trembled slightly. He was caught in an internal struggle.
This wasn't just a speech; it was a gamble, an ultimate gamble wagering the faith of all humanity.
But if this method... could really help that person return?
Ellis closed his eyes, recalling the moments he spent with Homelander and the trust Homelander had in him.
When he opened his eyes again, all hesitation and struggle had vanished, and his gaze became firm once more.
"Inform Vought..." Ellis straightened his tie and strode toward the Oval Office. "I accept Vought's proposal."
"In one minute, switch to the global broadcast line and take over signals for all channels."