The battle over Washington D.C. had reached its peak.
The Super Skrull, disguised as Captain Marvel, was fighting Wonder Woman and Cyborg—and holding his ground.
The terrifying energy waves rippling through the air sent chills down everyone spine.
As hurricane-like shockwaves spread, several high-rise buildings in Washington began to shake, and their glass windows cracked and shattered.
People no longer dared to get close, sensing the imminent danger.
Luckily, the battle was taking place in the sky.
If it were in the city streets, this would have turned into another Washington Battle—just like the Justice League vs. Avengers fight, where Washington Square was reduced to ruins after the Cyborg vs. Iron Man duel.
White House
The President watched the live broadcast with a grave expression.
The combat power displayed by both sides far exceeded that of even the most well-equipped military forces.
These were undoubtedly the strongest individuals currently known on Earth.
"Have we identified that woman?"
After a moment of deep thought, the President said,
"If I'm not mistaken, she related to an extraterrestrial event from the last century."
In the past two years, incidents involving aliens had happened one after another.
As a result, the President had made it a priority to thoroughly study every known extraterrestrial event involving the U.S. government.
He had even memorized them all.
The moment that woman appeared, his mind immediately connected her to an old case.
"Her identity has been confirmed."
The Secretary of Defense, John Keller, responded,
"Carol Danvers—formerly a test pilot under Dr. Wendy Lawson, the lead scientist of Project Pegasus. Also a top Air Force pilot.
However, she has been missing for nearly twenty years.
According to our previous intelligence, during these two decades, she was not on Earth."
The President was not mistaken.
This was the same woman who repelled an alien invasion in the 1990s!
Her appearance now was exactly as described in old classified reports.
But there was something noteworthy—
This incident had been handled by S.H.I.E.L.D. back then.
And the "hero" responsible for the mission was Nick Fury—who had now fled into space with the Skrulls.
"So, does this mean Nick Fury is involved?"
The President frowned, lost in thought.
Nick Fury left Earth with the Skrulls, found Carol Danvers, and brought her back…
That explanation made sense.
But why was Carol Danvers fighting Wonder Woman and Cyborg?
That still needed further investigation.
"Mr. President, I believe someone knows more."
Keller suddenly spoke while staring at the screen,
"Captain Marvel is fighting Justice League members.
Instead of blindly speculating, we should ask Anton.
As a Justice League member and the leader of the Men in Black, he likely holds far more information than we do."
"Agreed."
The President nodded.
"Contact Anton immediately. I want to know exactly what going on."
Right in front of the President, Keller dialed a number.
After exchanging a few brief words, he hung up.
The President, curious, asked,
"What did he say?"
"He on his way to Washington."
Keller replied,
"He'll be at the White House soon to report the situation in person."
"Good."
The President nodded.
"We've arrived!"
Tony plane entered the Washington airspace.
"I'm heading out first!"
With that, Tony glanced at Anton, his armor wrapping around him as he opened the plane hatch and leaped out.
Whoosh!
Transforming into Iron Man, his thrusters ignited, unleashing a powerful burst of air, propelling him toward Washington at lightning speed.
Meanwhile, Anton and Monica remained on the plane.
"What about us?"
Seeing this, Monica looked a bit uncertain.
"You stay here."
Anton glanced at Monica, then instructed J.A.R.V.I.S.:
"J.A.R.V.I.S., take me to the White House."
"Of course, Mr. Jameson," J.A.R.V.I.S. responded.
The plane shifted direction.
Washington Battle
At the same time, Tony was now soaring toward the battlefield above Washington at maximum speed.
The Super Skrull expression darkened.
Before him, Wonder Woman and Cyborg remained calm and composed, clearly expecting Tony arrival.
"Hmph."
The Super Skrull snorted coldly, wasting no time.
There were too many enemies—it was unwise to engage further.
At this point, it was almost impossible for them to capture him.
Likewise, defeating all three of them alone was unlikely.
Retreat was the best option.
A prolonged fight might expose unnecessary information.
Whoosh!
His cold gaze swept over the three heroes before he suddenly shot toward the higher sky.
In the blink of an eye, the Super Skrull speed surged, making him look like a rocket launching into orbit.
A dazzling trail of energy flared beneath his feet, an explosive burst of force propelling him upward.
"Trying to run?"
Wonder Woman and Cyborg gave chase without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Tony deployed Sidewinder missiles from his shoulder armor, locking onto the fleeing Captain Marvel imposter in an attempt to cut off his escape.
BOOM!!
At an altitude of over a thousand meters, a massive fireball erupted, forming a mushroom cloud that expanded slowly through the sky.
But to Tony surprise, the missiles did no damage—
They only slightly stalled the enemy rapid ascent for a fraction of a second.
An almost insignificant delay.
"Damn it!"
Since joining the fight, Tony could feel the intense pressure from this opponent.
"Who the hell is this woman?"
A flood of questions filled his mind as he recalled Anton earlier explanation:
Nick Fury old friend?
But why had she become an enemy?
Could Nick Fury really be hiding something?
A storm of doubts swirled in Tony mind as Captain Marvel imposter continued to escape further and further.
With Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Iron Man in pursuit, they soared past Earth atmosphere—
Only to see their opponent enter the radiation-filled depths of outer space—
Heading straight for the Moon.
"Give it up."
Wonder Woman and Cyborg halted their pursuit.
"We can't catch her. Even if we did, we wouldn't be able to stop her."
Cyborg voice came through Tony comms.
"This time, let it go!"
"Wait a second."
Tony interjected, "You two at least owe me an explanation."
"Go find Anton."
Cyborg replied, "You know where he is."
"Anton…"
Tony paused, then quickly locked onto Anton current location.
"The White House?"
As he processed this, Wonder Woman and Cyborg turned away, clearly unwilling to explain further.
They descended back toward Earth, disappearing from sight within seconds.
Tony didn't dwell on it. Right now, his priority was to get answers.
Where the hell was Nick Fury?
What was going on with this Carol Danvers who had just shown up? If she really was Nick Fury old friend, why had she turned into an enemy?
Or had he completely misinterpreted the meaning of "old friend"?