Ethan hurried out into the rooftop garden.
The massive object that had fallen from the sky was not far away in the streets below. From the height of Typhoon Tower, it was clearly visible.
A huge crater had been smashed into the ground.
Dust and debris billowed outward like a shockwave.
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly.
From the way it landed alone and the crude impact it caused, he was already certain of one thing.
That thing was definitely not Thanos.
Simply put, it was far too crude.
When the smoke finally began to clear, the enormous figure standing inside the crater revealed itself.
The monster was tall, bulky, and grotesque.
It was not Thanos.
It was one of his lieutenants.
Black Dwarf.
Although Black Dwarf was considered the weakest member of Thanos' Black Order, he still possessed terrifying physical strength and skin that was almost impossible to penetrate.
Ethan activated his communicator.
"Blonsky," he said calmly. "Come meet our new guest."
After giving the order, Ethan understood that it was finally time to bring this entire farce to an end.
He had a growing feeling that if things continued to escalate, Thanos would lose even more forces in this battle.
If that happened, the Mad Titan might simply decide to stop playing games and send a full army to Earth.
At that point, the situation would spiral completely out of control.
Even if someone like the Ancient One or Odin personally intervened to repel him, the outcome still would not benefit Ethan.
Right now, Thanos possessed none of the Infinity Stones.
Capturing someone of his level alive would be extremely difficult.
So why push him into desperation?
Ethan picked up the Mind Scepter and walked toward the elevator.
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of Typhoon Tower, Tony Stark remained completely immersed in studying the alien device.
Stacks of holographic equations floated around him.
Captain America stood near the edge of the building, leaning forward as he watched the battle raging in the streets below.
Black Dwarf and the Abomination were locked in brutal combat.
When Steve noticed Ethan stepping onto the rooftop, he immediately turned.
"How's the situation down there?" Steve asked. "Are they holding out?"
"We can hold them off," Ethan replied calmly.
Tony heard his voice but didn't even look up.
"What are you doing here?" Stark asked distractedly. "I haven't finished studying this thing yet."
Ethan smiled slightly.
"I'm going to close the portal."
Both Steve and Tony looked up at him at the same time.
"What?"
Ethan casually lifted the Mind Scepter.
"My people just found Dr. Selvig," he said. "According to him, this scepter can shut down the portal."
He shrugged.
"So I figured I'd give it a try."
Tony stared at him blankly.
His brain processed the statement slowly.
Had everything he studied been completely useless?
It suddenly felt like he had been tricked.
Without wasting time, Ethan walked toward the alien machine.
He raised the scepter.
With a sharp thrust, the glowing tip pierced straight through the machine's protective energy shield.
Then Ethan struck again.
The device shattered instantly.
Sparks burst outward as the machine collapsed into useless scrap.
Above the city, the massive portal began to flicker violently.
Without the machine feeding it energy, the wormhole destabilized rapidly.
Within seconds, the enormous opening in the sky began to shrink.
The swirling vortex twisted inward.
Then it vanished completely.
At that exact moment, Black Dwarf—who had been overpowering the Abomination in the streets below—suddenly stopped moving.
He looked up.
The sky above New York was now empty.
Black Dwarf stood silently, staring upward in confusion.
The remaining Chitauri soldiers lost their support.
Without the portal, they had no way to retreat.
Many simply fell helplessly to the ground.
The Battle of New York was over.
Under those circumstances, even a monster like Black Dwarf could not change the outcome.
One Abomination alone was not strong enough to defeat him.
But when Thor, Juggernaut, Cyclops, and several other heroes joined the fight, Black Dwarf quickly realized the situation had become hopeless.
Even he had no choice but to retreat.
The war was finished.
Ethan Voss' tenure as commander-in-chief was also nearing its end.
However, there were still a few matters left that required his final judgment.
Soon afterward, Ethan organized a secure video conference.
Participants included the President of the United States and the members of the S.H.I.E.L.D. governing council.
Ethan appeared on the screen first.
"Gentlemen," he said calmly.
"The war is over."
Thanks to the selfless efforts of our superheroes and their tireless fighting, this disaster was successfully prevented.
He paused briefly.
"The main villain responsible for this crisis has also been captured."
Before he could continue, Alexander Pierce interrupted.
"Mr. Voss," Pierce said, his expression sharp. "Can you explain why Director Fury was locked in solitary confinement and completely excluded from this entire operation?"
Ethan nodded calmly.
"First, I would like to make something clear," he said.
"I have almost no personal relationship with Director Nick Fury."
"There is no personal grudge between us."
Ethan's tone remained calm and respectful.
"In fact, I have always admired him."
Over the years, he has played an extremely positive role in maintaining global stability and peace.
Ethan paused.
Then his expression hardened slightly.
"But."
"I must admit that he greatly disappointed me after being appointed deputy commander."
Ethan continued.
"Instead of cooperating closely with the commander-in-chief, he openly showed contempt for the President and the Council's appointment."
He folded his hands calmly.
"His behavior also influenced several of his senior agents."
"That resulted in a situation where I, despite holding the position of commander-in-chief, was not respected or taken seriously."
Ethan continued speaking.
"In addition, it became clear that Director Fury had no ability to unite such a large group of superheroes."
"The Avengers he assembled do not resemble a true team."
He paused briefly.
"And frankly, the character of some members of that group is questionable."
Ethan tilted his head slightly.
"I am very curious what methods or promises he used to persuade a criminal and a professional gambler to join his team."
He waved the point aside.
"As for his unauthorized use of the Cosmic Cube to develop weapons of mass destruction, you are already aware of that issue."
"So I will not elaborate further."
The President leaned back in his chair and let out a low whistle.
"Tsk."
He shook his head.
"I'm starting to wonder whether S.H.I.E.L.D. belongs to the world…"
"Or whether it belongs to Nick Fury personally."
His expression turned serious.
"If even the orders of your council are ignored, I see no reason for the United States to remain involved in such an organization."
The five council members exchanged silent glances.
In their eyes, Nick Fury had always been an exceptional leader.
Resolute.
Decisive.
Meticulous.
They had trusted him deeply.
That trust was the reason they had tried so hard to protect the President after he learned about the Cosmic Cube.
Their original plan had been simple.
If the crisis ended successfully, Nick Fury could retain his position as director by claiming the credit for victory.
But now everything had changed.
Fury had been locked in solitary confinement from the beginning of the operation.
He had received no credit at all.
The council still had not decided what to do with him.
However, one thing had already become clear.
Nick Fury would never serve as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. again.
Seeing the council deep in thought, Ethan continued speaking.
"Gentlemen," he said.
"The reason we achieved such a clean and decisive victory today…"
"Was the close cooperation between the Justice League and the Avengers."
He spoke with calm confidence.
"I firmly believe that neither organization could have achieved this victory alone."
Ethan leaned slightly forward.
"So perhaps it is time for us to establish a more stable and long-term partnership."
The council members remained silent.
They understood exactly what he was implying.
Ethan Voss was still thinking about the position of supreme commander.
And the truth was undeniable.
The world did need such an organization.
The real question was far more dangerous.
Who would control it?
Who could manage a group of superheroes with such overwhelming power?
As that thought settled in their minds, the way they looked at Ethan began to change.
There was now far more caution in their eyes.
Even the President felt the same way.
In the past, he had worried that Ethan was becoming too powerful.
But since Ethan had always behaved cooperatively, he had never taken those concerns too seriously.
Now things were different.
The strength displayed by the Justice League had far exceeded his expectations.
And Ethan was clearly beginning to seek greater authority.
Of course, Ethan had already guessed what they were thinking.
There was nothing he could do about it.
Once someone reached a certain level of power, their methods naturally changed.
Given his current position, it was finally time for him to show the world his true strength.
The world would have to get used to his existence.
.....
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