Ethan Cole's decision to broadcast his declaration to the entire world triggered a massive global upheaval on that very day. Across the United States, every television station, news outlet, and online platform was discussing the same topic.
A mutant with godlike power had appeared.
He had demonstrated the ability to pull asteroids directly from the asteroid belt, a feat that could unleash catastrophic disasters on Earth. Now, that same man had openly declared his intention to challenge the existing order of the entire world with nothing but his own strength.
His name spread across the planet overnight.
While people were still arguing about his intentions, the news that followed pushed countless others into outright fear.
On the same day, the United States deployed no fewer than six thousand ground combat troops to Manhattan. Their objective was simple: defeat Ethan Cole, or eliminate him entirely if necessary.
The outcome shocked the entire world.
The deployed forces were completely destroyed.
Within a single night, the entire ground operation collapsed. Out of more than six thousand soldiers, fewer than thirty percent survived the battle.
When this information was officially released, the entire world erupted into chaos.
News outlets immediately began digging into Ethan's past. His identity, personal history, and even fragments of his previous life were uncovered and broadcast across every major media channel.
If there was one person who became the most famous individual on Earth after that day, it was undoubtedly Ethan Cole.
He became a symbol remembered by everyone.
A man who dared to stand against the entire world.
A terrifying figure who attempted to impose his will upon every nation through his own power alone.
Naturally, the U.S. government moved quickly to seize all assets registered under Ethan's name. Every known property and business connected to him was immediately confiscated.
However, when authorities attempted to freeze his bank accounts, they discovered something unexpected.
The money had already disappeared.
Despite mobilizing the full investigative resources of the state, they failed to track where the funds had gone. Every financial trail seemed to vanish completely.
No one knew that Ethan had already dispersed the money long before the seizure orders were issued.
Even if the funds had been frozen, he wouldn't have cared.
Money had already lost its original value to him. The only reason he moved it in advance was simply to test whether the American government could trace it.
In reality, the funds had been quietly injected into the stock market.
Of course, the investment wasn't done all at once. Svija had carefully distributed the transactions in countless small batches to avoid attracting attention.
Ethan's real goal was to use those funds as a catalyst.
Eventually, they would become the spark that could detonate the entire stock market.
His thinking was straightforward.
He wanted to see how the world would react under intense pressure.
Would every country unite against him?
Or would they continue pursuing their own interests, eventually tearing each other apart in the process?
At this point, Ethan's Phoenix Force had already reached the peak of the second evolutionary stage.
Breaking into the third stage was only a matter of time.
Once he reached that level, he would become a truly cosmic-level powerhouse. At that point, dominating Earth would be nothing more than a trivial matter.
Even now, however, he already possessed enough strength to shake the entire world alone.
In the eyes of governments and media alike, Ethan had already become the enemy of the world.
Logically speaking, someone in his position should have disappeared into hiding somewhere far away.
But Ethan did the exact opposite.
He openly remained in Manhattan.
The massive sword-shaped skyscraper under his ownership had undergone a dramatic transformation. Its exterior was now completely wrapped in a thick layer of metallic alloy.
After the great battle in Manhattan ended, Ethan and Raven returned to the building together.
Then something astonishing happened.
From every direction across the city, enormous quantities of metal began flying through the air. The materials converged toward the building like a metallic storm.
Once they arrived, the metals melted instantly into liquid form.
The molten metal flowed across the structure, coating the entire skyscraper from bottom to top.
Manhattan had effectively shut down.
Normal life in the city had completely collapsed, but almost no one protested. Everyone understood that this was no longer a normal political situation.
This was war.
In ordinary circumstances, dissatisfied citizens might march through the streets in protest against government decisions.
But only a fool would walk into Manhattan now.
The district had once been the economic heart of New York.
Now it had become an empty city.
Even so, the area was far from abandoned.
Military forces were stationed everywhere. Units surrounded the district from multiple directions, attempting to contain Ethan within the city.
The idea itself was somewhat naïve.
Ethan largely ignored the encircling forces.
The military had attempted to destroy the skyscraper several times. Helicopters returned repeatedly, and stealth fighters occasionally streaked across the sky at high speed.
But every attack ended the same way.
Complete destruction.
Even without Ethan intervening personally, Raven alone could easily eliminate those threats.
Gradually the military began hesitating.
Unless they deployed weapons of mass destruction, it seemed impossible to inflict any real damage on Ethan.
Unfortunately for them, this assumption was based on incomplete understanding.
They were still applying the same strategies once used against powerful mutants in the past. In reality, they had no true comprehension of Ethan's strength or how terrifying it had become.
The metallic transformation of the sword-shaped skyscraper was entirely Ethan's work.
The reason was simple.
After running extensive calculations, Svija had determined that the building was the optimal location for establishing the robotic production base.
Ethan had personally accelerated the construction.
Endless quantities of metal gathered and melted together, forming advanced alloys. These materials rapidly filled the internal structure of the skyscraper.
Within each floor, specialized production lines began forming automatically.
The Ultron Project had officially begun.
From the moment the first robotic soldiers were activated under Svija's control, less than half a day had passed.
Already, their numbers had reached six hundred.
"It's time for the soldiers to appear in front of the world," Ethan said calmly.
He stood once again atop the skyscraper.
The building's shape remained the same, but its internal structure had been completely rebuilt using advanced alloy systems. Numerous weapon platforms and mechanical structures had been integrated throughout its exterior.
Even now, pieces of metal occasionally flew through the air and fused into the building. Liquid metal would reshape itself midair before merging seamlessly into new components.
"Svija," Ethan continued, "deploy the soldiers to engage the ground forces. Collect combat data in real time for later upgrades and improvements."
Far away, the American military command continued analyzing the strange structure.
Reports arrived one after another.
When a new analysis was placed on the conference table, the expressions of several senior officials immediately darkened.
"Our sensors are detecting powerful energy fluctuations inside the building," the analyst reported. "There is an energy shield surrounding the structure."
He paused before continuing.
"Several components have been identified as electromagnetic generators—essentially electromagnetic cannons. In addition, there appear to be multiple gravitational field generators."
The room fell silent.
"For now," the analyst added carefully, "we still don't fully understand their intended function."
He looked around the table.
"But based on the technology being displayed, the target's technological capabilities exceed current national technology by at least twenty years."
His voice lowered.
"Gravitational generators are theoretical systems that currently exist only in speculative science."
The room grew even quieter.
Every person present felt the same chilling realization.
That building represented a threat unlike anything they had ever faced before.
.....
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