Empire State Building. The Grand Hall.
Tony Stark looked at the assembly of heroes and villains. He was dumbfounded, but his heart raced with purpose.
The death of Colonel Rhodes—War Machine—had cost Tony his best friend.
He wanted justice.
But he knew his own power wasn't enough to defeat the Ice Demon.
So, he used Vincent's slaughter of 30,000 people to stoke the fear in the superhuman community, gathering them all here.
Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, stood beside him.
Reed hated what Vincent had done—freezing the Vatican, destroying the Carrier Group, the tsunami. It was chaos.
Reed believed he had found a way to neutralize the ice energy.
Tony respected Reed; he was one of the few people on Earth whose intellect matched his own. Together, they had built the Energy Dampeners specifically for this fight.
Victor Von Doom entered the hall.
Reed spotted him immediately.
"I hope you're not here to cause trouble, Victor. We need to work together to stop the Ice Demon," Reed said gravely.
"Reed, the Ice Demon threatens all of us. His ice power could plunge the Earth into a new Ice Age. Do you understand what that means for humanity?" Doom's voice was cold.
"Is that your prediction?" Reed countered.
Freezing the whole planet wasn't easy. And a slight temperature drop wouldn't kill humanity—it might even counteract global warming. But Reed knew extreme weather shifts would destroy civilization's stability.
"That is my prediction. But today, I won't argue. I'm here to fight. Our grudge can wait until after the Demon is dead," Doom turned away.
He scanned the room. The Thing and Human Torch were there. But Sue Storm was missing.
"Reed, be prepared. The Ice Demon has powerful telepathy. He can hijack minds and turn people into puppets," Doom warned.
"I know," Reed said grimly.
"Every person he killed in New York heard one sentence: The Hunt Begins. This wasn't random, Reed," Doom smiled beneath his mask, a grotesque expression.
"Professor Xavier is dead, but his power lives on in this monster."
Reed fell silent. Before he got his powers, he had witnessed Xavier's potential during the Apocalypse event. A telepath of that magnitude could enslave the world.
"Why kill 30,000 people in a second? Imagine the power required," Reed continued. "If he has Xavier's mind and that level of energy... we can't win alone."
"That's why I'm here. Alone, we are nothing," Doom said.
Doom's eyes drifted to an elegant Asian man in a suit.
Wenwu. The Mandarin. Master of the Ten Rings. A warlord who had lived for a thousand years.
Doom was counting on Wenwu to be the main tank.
Beside him stood a tall, bald priest in robes. He radiated benevolence and power. A holy light surrounded him.
The Angel of the Vatican.
"We must be ready. Anyone who attacks first will die," Doom announced to the room.
The chatter died down.
Suddenly, a golden ring sparked in the air.
Spark. Spark. WHOOSH.
A portal opened.
"Impossible. That's the Sling Ring," Master Wong (who was attending from the NY Sanctum) whispered, his face changing.
"Naturally. It's a gift from the Ancient One. I quite like it."
Vincent Hall stepped through the portal, straight from his office.
He looked at the crowd of heroes and villains in their colorful costumes.
To become the Public Enemy of the World... what an achievement.
He checked his stats.
Wealth: 97.5 Billion (Debt forgiven +13.6B).Desire Points: 783.5 Million.Abilities: All Tier 3 / Peak. Omega Beams (Novice).
With the debt wiped, his wealth skyrocketed. Fear generated massive Desire Points.
He was now peak Father-Level. He feared no one here.
Except... the man with the Ten Rings.
Wenwu. His energy signature was impressive.
"Ice Demon."
Tony Stark stepped forward in a suit, eyes burning with rage.
"Tony. I'm disappointed. I thought you were smart," Vincent sighed.
"You killed Rhodey."
"He conspired against me. Oh look, Viper and Doom are here too. I thought the masterminds would have run away," Vincent looked past Tony to Doom.
"You plotted for the Super Soldier Serum. You spread rumors about my identity to make me the world's enemy. And now you're here to 'judge' me?"
Vincent's voice cut through the room.
"Calling you Ice Demon is wrong. You are a monster," Doom said.
"Who gives you confidence? The thousand-year-old Mandarin? The Vatican's Angel? Or the vampire lord Dracula hiding in the shadows?"
Vincent smirked.
His presence exerted a terrifying pressure. Weaker supers lowered their heads, pale and trembling. Only the veterans stood firm.
"Since you delivered yourself, someone will deal with you," Doom stepped back behind Reed.
Reed had to step up.
"Ice Demon. Your crimes are known. Surrender. We don't want to kill you," Reed said seriously.
"Mr. Fantastic. Smartest man alive. In your eyes, I am a criminal? But do you know the truth?"
"Truth is no excuse for murder. Even if they were guilty, the courts should decide," Reed lectured.
Vincent hated this moralizing.
The Thing (Ben Grimm) and Human Torch (Johnny Storm) tensed up.
"The world is foolish. The only court that can judge me is the Living Tribunal. But you can't even comprehend that level of existence," Vincent scoffed.
If the Living Tribunal or Celestials showed up, he'd be dead. But Reed Richards? Please.
"You froze the Vatican. You sank the fleet. No one is above the law," Reed shouted.
Ding! Desire Points +10 Million.
The crowd's fear spiked at the mention of his crimes.
"I admire your guts. But who gave you the courage?"
"Enough talk!" The Thing roared.
"It's Clobberin' Time!"
Ben Grimm charged, throwing a massive rock-hard punch at Vincent.
BOOM.
Vincent didn't dodge. He just hovered slightly so the floor wouldn't shatter from the impact transfer.
The punch hit Vincent's chest.
It felt like hitting vibranium.
Vincent didn't move a millimeter.
"Is that all?"
Vincent's hand blurred. He grabbed Ben's rocky arm.
CRACK.
He snapped it like a twig.
"ARGHHH!" Ben screamed, clutching his broken arm.
"Ben!" Reed stretched his arms to pull Ben back.
"Flame On!" Johnny Storm shouted.
He blasted Vincent with a stream of supernova-hot fire.
Vincent stood in the flames. His clothes burned away, revealing... nothing. His body turned into fire itself (Mera Mera no Mi).
"Fire is nice. But your usage is disappointing."
Vincent walked through the flames toward Johnny.
Johnny looked in disbelief.
Doom attacked. Lightning crackled from his gauntlets.
ZAP.
It hit Vincent's Man of Steel body and fizzled.
"If this is how you plan to kill me... I'm bored."
Vincent opened his mouth.
Breath of the Ice Demon.
He exhaled.
A stream of Black Ice (Absolute Zero) mixed with Kryptonian Freeze Breath rolled out.
It froze the air. It froze the atoms.
Reed pushed Johnny out of the way.
The breath hit the space behind them. The furniture, the walls... they didn't just freeze. They turned into atomic dust and vanished.
Panic. The hall erupted into chaos.
Tony froze in his armor. This is his true power?
"Hmph!"
The bald priest stepped forward. He raised a cross.
Holy Light burst forth, clashing with the Black Ice.
The light dimmed, struggled, but finally neutralized the breath.
"The Vatican. Haven't you learned your lesson?"
Vincent vanished.
Speed of Light.
He reappeared holding Doom by the throat.
No one saw him move. The kinetic energy from his sudden stop created a shockwave that shattered windows.
CRUNCH.
He crushed Doom's throat.
But Doom's magic armor kept him alive... barely.
"Demon! The Lord says you are guilty!" The priest's eyes glowed. An angelic avatar appeared behind him.
"If God himself came down, I might be worried. But you?"
Vincent ignored the priest.
Ice spread from his hand onto Doom.
Black ice.
It ate through Doom's magical shields. It ate through his armor.
It was devouring the very atoms of his body.
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