DC HERO AT MARVEL

At this moment, Zartan and the others deeply understood a simple truth:

To defeat a superhuman, it takes another superhuman.

Firefly and White Ghost were among the strongest of humanity.

Both had undergone slight physical enhancements, coupled with advanced weaponry provided by the Cobra organization. They were, in many ways, half-superhuman themselves.

Yet even they, considered elite fighters, couldn't last a single round against Batman and his team.

It was terrifying!

No wonder a terror organization rooted in the shadows for decades was so desperate to eliminate Batman.

Now, Zartan and his team realized just how much they—and Cobra as a whole—had underestimated Batman.

Crack!

The sudden sound of the ground shattering caught Zartan attention.

He turned his head to see, from the burning wreckage of the plane, a hulking figure emerge from the shadows.

Like a claw ripping through darkness, this figure shattered the airport floor with terrifying speed. It was like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging straight at Batman with immense force.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The figure movements were as fluid and powerful as a cheetah.

In the blink of an eye, it bypassed both Cyborg and Green Arrow, closing the distance to Batman in a flash.

Boom!

A metallic fist punched through the air, creating a sonic boom. The sheer force displaced the air around it, forming a visible shockwave.

The Winter Soldier.

He had made his move.

Zartan eyes lit up with hope, expecting the Winter Soldier attack to turn the tide.

On the other side, White Ghost gaze grew even brighter.

Years ago, when he was just starting out, the Winter Soldier had nearly killed him—a haunting nightmare that had stayed with him ever since.

That encounter remained vivid in his mind, a memory that refused to fade.

Like Zartan, White Ghost now pinned his hopes on the Winter Soldier, praying that this superhuman assassin could change the course of the battle.

At the very least, they hoped he could create a window for their escape.

"Heh."

Across from Zartan, Green Arrow smirked coldly.

Not far away, Cyborg noticed the change in White Ghost expression and mirrored Green Arrow reaction.

He sneered, "You people just never know when to quit."

"What?"

White Ghost, an Asian who had trained as a ninja for years, fully understood the meaning behind Cyborg words.

Hearing the disdain in Cyborg tone, his heart skipped a beat.

In front of him, the Winter Soldier metallic arm, like a hammer carrying immense power, swung ferociously toward Batman.

Anton, seeing the Winter Soldier appear, remained expressionless, though a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.

He had already detected the Winter Soldier presence.

When the Batwing cannons had fired on the enemy plane, and the Winter Soldier had leaped out just before it crashed, Anton had recognized his true identity.

Bucky Barnes.

Captain America best friend, now brainwashed and controlled by Hydra as the Winter Soldier.

Boom!!

In a flash of movement, under everyone watchful eyes, Batman raised his fist to meet the Winter Soldier strike head-on.

The impact resounded heavily.

The shockwave rippled outward, causing visible distortions in the air.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The ground beneath Anton feet cracked open, forming two small craters.

The force of the collision was staggering.

The Winter Soldier, seeing his punch blocked, remained unfazed.

He closed the distance again, continuing his assault.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two exchanged rapid blows.

Anton wasn't about to hold back just because the Winter Soldier was once Captain America friend.

The man before him was now merely a blood-stained executioner.

While his past deserved sympathy, as an enemy, he wasn't worth saving.

The Winter Soldier metal arm was incredibly destructive, and his body, enhanced multiple times by Hydra, had all the attributes of a superhuman.

Unfortunately, he was up against Anton.

The Arkham Knight armor Anton wore was no less advanced than Tony Stark Iron Man suits.

Coupled with Anton peak human physique, he was far stronger than the Winter Soldier.

Against this armor and Anton combat prowess, the Winter Soldier had no advantage.

After a brief exchange lasting mere seconds, the Winter Soldier found himself at a disadvantage.

Anton, however, only grew more comfortable as the fight progressed. He landed a powerful knee strike that sent the Winter Soldier stumbling back several steps, then closed the distance to grab a handful of his hair.

What the point of keeping long hair in a fight? Just asking to get grabbed.

Anton smirked coldly and yanked hard.

The Winter Soldier winced in searing pain as a chunk of his scalp came away.

Without even touching his head, he could tell that blood was now streaming down the side of his face.

Drip!

Drip!

Blood trickled down the Winter Soldier face, dripping onto the ground below.

Combined with his icy, lifeless gaze, he looked like a demon straight out of hell.

Unfortunately for him, this demon had met Anton.

To villains, Batman was a figure far more terrifying than any demon.

"Enough!"

Anton waved dismissively. "I'm done wasting time with you… Let end this tonight."

Whoosh!

At his words, Wonder Woman sprang into action. Her body became a blur of motion, charging forward like an unstoppable train barreling down the tracks.

Bang!

She collided with the Winter Soldier with devastating force.

The impact sent him hurtling through the air like a cannonball, slamming directly into the burning wreckage of the plane.

Boom!

The plane exploded once more, splitting in half.

The blast obliterated the structure, scattering debris and leaving the aircraft a smoldering ruin.

The Winter Soldier, now at the epicenter of the explosion, was engulfed by flaming wreckage. His fate was uncertain.

"What…?"

White Ghost and Zartan stood frozen, their eyes wide with shock.

The entire scene fell silent.

Only the crackling sound of burning debris echoed in the still air.

Neither could have anticipated that the Winter Soldier, their supposed ace, would fall just like Firefly—incapacitated by a single strike, completely overpowered.

White Ghost, in particular, was stunned.

The person he had placed so much faith in, who he believed could turn the tide, had crumpled like a child throwing a tantrum, offering no resistance and going down even faster than he had.

"He…"

White Ghost murmured in disbelief. "Is he really the Winter Soldier?"

Bang!

In response, Cyborg delivered a single punch, knocking White Ghost unconscious.

Dusting his hands off, Cyborg glanced down at the fallen figure and remarked,

"This guy vibe was weird. Always wearing white—maybe he into guys or something?"

Now, only Zartan, the master of disguise, remained conscious.

Looking around, he fully grasped what it meant to be utterly outmatched.

Even as an escape artist extraordinaire, Zartan knew there was no way out of this situation.

To make matters worse, the case containing the nano-worm warhead had fallen during his earlier scuffle with Green Arrow, leaving him with no bargaining chip.

With a bitter smile, he raised his hands in surrender.

"No more fighting. I surrender!"

The New York Police Department arrived late once again.

George Stacy hadn't even wrapped up the case at Columbia University, where Anton had taken down a group of terrorists, before receiving another report: Batman had appeared at the Destro Hotel.

But when George arrived at the Destro Hotel to find bodies strewn across the floor, another report came in—Batman and his team were now at New York Airport, where they had just downed a plane.

George almost felt like Batman was tormenting him on purpose tonight.

When he finally arrived at the airport, the scene left him speechless.

He wasn't the only one. Every officer accompanying him stood stunned at the carnage before them.

The ground was littered with plane wreckage.

Among the debris were charred bodies, severed limbs, and scattered remains.

The New York Airport looked less like a functioning facility and more like a war zone that had just gone through a meat grinder.

In a way, this wasn't far from the truth.

Anton, standing with his three avatars in a line, acknowledged George with a nod as the police approached.

"This is all yours now," Anton said.

"Batman, what the hell happened here?"

George voice carried a mix of shock and resignation.

As he spoke, his gaze drifted to Wonder Woman, standing beside Batman.

Although her appearance had already made headlines online, this was the first time she officially appeared in front of the police.

Standing before these superheroes, George truly understood what Anton had meant earlier—this wasn't something the New York Police Department could handle.

Faced with such a terrifying event, George knew he couldn't guarantee the survival of his SWAT team if they were tasked with handling it.

Opposite him, Anton, portraying Batman, remained stoic, his voice low and steady.

"These individuals are members of the Cobra organization," Batman explained. "

They were carrying incredibly powerful weapons—nano-worm warheads—intended to destroy New York and draw me out. Clearly, they succeeded."

"Nano-worm warheads?"

George eyes widened further.

The name alone sounded ominous, but George had never heard of such a weapon before.

"Strategically, nano-worm warheads are on par with nuclear weapons," Batman continued. "They were carrying four of them.

If detonated within New York, the city would be leveled into a wasteland within minutes."

George heart pounded as the gravity of the situation sank in.

Comparable to nuclear weapons?

Four of them?

He swallowed hard, his gaze shifting to the captives.

"Are these the culprits?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

"No."

Batman voice was calm but firm.

"They're just pawns, not the masterminds. However, they're valuable to the military. Cobra has ties with certain corrupt elements in the military.

I plan to hand them over to you so you can pass them on to the appropriate military authorities. They'll understand the message I'm sending."

George frowned. "Wait—does this have anything to do with what happened earlier tonight at the Destro Hotel?"

"Yes," Batman confirmed with a nod.

"Destro, the CEO of MARS, is a prominent member of Cobra—one of their key leaders.

Tonight, we've captured almost all of Cobra top officials. Only one remains at large."

"Who?"

George eyes lit up.

"The Commander—Rex," Batman said.

"Rex is a cunning individual. He didn't travel to New York with this plane but stayed hidden in the shadows.

However, the Justice League won't let this slide. Cobra backers will face our wrath, and once Rex loses his support, he'll no longer pose a threat. Someone will capture him sooner or later."

"In any case, we owe you once again, Batman," George sighed.

Lately, he couldn't help but feel that New York was cursed with misfortune.

Without Batman intervention, he suspected he would've already been removed from his position as Commissioner of the NYPD.

Even now, with things under relative control, he had considered resigning. Only someone in his shoes could truly understand how exhausting the role was.

"George, these people are now in your custody. But if S.H.I.E.L.D. comes asking for them, under any circumstance, do not hand them over. Make sure they go directly to the military," Batman warned.

"Oh, and the one with the metal arm—have the Turtles lock him up at the usual place. I have another use for him later."

"Not to S.H.I.E.L.D.?" George paused, his instincts telling him there was more to this. "Why? Does this mean—"

"Let leave it at that," Batman cut him off, pausing briefly before adding,

"Though I suspect S.H.I.E.L.D. won't have time to come looking for you anytime soon."

With that, Batman ended the conversation.

Green Arrow stepped into the Batwing and unceremoniously handed over Destro to George. Without another word, Batman and his team boarded the Batwing.

Whoosh!

The jet took off, quickly cloaking itself and vanishing from the view of the stunned officers.

"That plane… it can turn invisible…" murmured one of the policemen.

George stood still, watching as Batman Batwing cloaked itself and vanished from sight, his thoughts heavy.

Batman was becoming more and more enigmatic.

George was almost certain that the Batwing wasn't just equipped with cloaking technology—it had to harbor other advanced features as well.

"Forget it," George muttered to himself. "I'm in no position to meddle in Batman affairs…"

Snapping back to reality, his gaze swept over the wreckage-strewn airport, his expression growing grim. Batman parting words echoed in his mind.

Do not hand them over to S.H.I.E.L.D.!

The meaning couldn't have been clearer.

"So, this matter… involves S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

A chill ran through George.

He had dealt with S.H.I.E.L.D. several times before and had a decent grasp of the organization.

Especially given that S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was based right in Washington, the political heart of the country, if there were problems within S.H.I.E.L.D., the implications could be catastrophic.

Inside the cloaked Batwing.

Anton waved his hand, dismissing all his avatars and shedding his Batman persona, reverting to his original appearance.

Moments later, he landed the Batwing on the rooftop of the Daily Bugle building. Jumping out, he quickly recalled the aircraft into storage.

Ring! Ring!

As soon as he stepped onto the rooftop, his phone rang.

It was Eddie.

"I just got word—you're done."

Eddie excitement was palpable, his questions rapid-fire.

"Anton, you really stirred things up tonight. The internet blowing up with discussions about the Justice League and Wonder Woman.

The whole New York Airport is on lockdown. Someone even recorded a video of you guys taking down another plane! What happened? What going on in New York that you had to bring out the Batwing?"

"It a complicated situation," Anton replied.

"But I've just arrived at the Daily Bugle. You'll understand soon enough."

Descending from the rooftop, Anton entered the building.

By now, the Daily Bugle was practically deserted, save for Eddie, who had stayed late.

With major events unfolding, Eddie naturally chose to stay behind, knowing that Anton would bring him a groundbreaking story.

"Ready?" Anton asked with a smirk.

"Hope you don't faint when you hear this."

His tone was calm but carried an undercurrent of intensity.

He began explaining the entire chain of events to Eddie, holding nothing back.

As he watched Eddie expression shift to one of shock, Anton lips curled into a cold smile.

"Eddie, you know me… sitting back and taking hits isn't my style. It time we take the fight to the enemy. It time to declare war."