As the smartest man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony Stark was quick to notice a troubling detail.
The area destroyed by the Tailed Beast Bomb was precisely the same zone covered by the military's new experimental weapon. In other words, this might not have been Senju Haruto's true limit.
It was deliberate.
He had controlled the scale of destruction with precision.
This was a warning.
What unsettled Stark the most was that throughout the entire battle, Haruto's expression hadn't changed much at all. To him, unleashing this level of devastation seemed meaningless—nothing worth flinching over.
That kind of mental composure… it wasn't something that came naturally. It required countless battles, relentless training, and years of blood-soaked experience.
What has this kid been through…?
How many enemies has he slaughtered with that power? How many cities has he already reduced to rubble?
And his age…
Stark's mind overflowed with questions, and for the first time he realized he had probably underestimated Haruto again.
He might look like a teenager, barely into his youth, but inside… perhaps he was already a monster who had lived for hundreds, thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of years.
Maybe his youthful appearance was just an illusion, maintained by some kind of magic.
And just as Stark was convincing himself this might be the truth, Susanoo once again radiated an overwhelming brilliance.
It blazed like a second sun—so bright it was impossible to look at directly.
The sudden flare shattered General Ross's already fragile nerves. After witnessing the catastrophic might of the Tailed Beast Bomb: Rasenshuriken, his spirit simply couldn't withstand another shock.
Thankfully, as the dazzling light gradually faded, Susanoo's towering form—along with Haruto, Stark, and Banner—vanished into the night sky.
Everything within a two-kilometer radius of Broadway had been annihilated, every piece of modern technology reduced to scrap.
Where the city's heart had once been ablaze with neon lights, darkness now reigned.
Ross and Nick Fury sat frozen inside the armed helicopter, at a complete loss.
Even Fury, normally composed and unshakable, couldn't sit still this time. After seeing the Rasenshuriken's destruction firsthand, he doubted whether he'd live to see the sunrise tomorrow.
His right hand, hidden from Ross's sight, discreetly sent a distress signal to Captain Marvel.
But—just like the last few times—she didn't answer.
She didn't appear.
Fortunately… Haruto had only destroyed Broadway.
If he had chosen to go further, then not just New York—no, the entire United States—would have been finished.
Even if the country somehow survived Haruto's rampage, its economy and military might would have been blasted back by centuries.
No—erased entirely.
"…We…"
It was impossible to say how long silence had gripped the cabin before the frozen air finally seemed to thaw.
Fury swallowed hard and broke the silence first.
"…We underestimated him. Again."
He sucked in a sharp breath. "This man alone has the power to reshape the balance of the entire world."
The balance of the world?
Ross gave a bitter laugh, his uniform soaked in cold sweat. He could feel his own emotional control slipping through his fingers.
He didn't even know what he should be feeling right now. Relief that Haruto wasn't another Abomination? Or sheer dread at the terrifying force Haruto truly possessed?
"Even if we gathered the full military strength of the United States… could we actually defeat the mechanical plague he commands? Or his army of Hulks?"
Ross wasn't even looking at Fury when he asked. His gaze was unfocused, as though he were muttering to himself.
But it was a question with no answer.
"The military's power?"
Fury hadn't been expected to respond, but upon seeing Ross's profile, he spoke anyway.
Unlike Ross, Fury had seen bigger storms.
Back when he was just another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he'd fought in a war against aliens—a battle that had cost him an eye.
Everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. who knew that story regarded him as a legend. But the truth was, he hadn't played a decisive role in that war.
If it hadn't been for Captain Marvel, humanity might have ended right then and there.
From the start, Fury never believed that the military could handle "higher-level events."
That was why he conceived the Avengers Initiative.
That was humanity's only real hope.
But General Ross wasn't about to listen to Fury now.
Every time he thought of the mechanical plague.
Every time he thought of Haruto's Shadow Clones.
Every time he thought of the Rasenshuriken.
All Ross could feel was despair.
In this world, perhaps no one could stand against Senju Haruto.
He was a god.
"…Maybe you're right," Fury finally nodded. Haruto's power wasn't something a human should possess.
But even gods bleed.
As long as the right method was found… Or, failing that…
Why not recruit him?
Fury's gaze hardened. Compared to making Haruto an enemy, he found himself leaning more and more toward another option.
If you can't beat him—then join him.
At the same time, Ross and Fury weren't the only ones watching the Broadway incident.
In a secure virtual conference room, the members of the United Nations Security Council sat grim-faced.
From the beginning, they had seen Haruto as Earth's greatest potential threat. His very existence had the power to shatter the balance of the world.
That was why they had demanded the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. work together—why they pushed for the capture of the Hulk, and the creation of a serum to manufacture super-soldiers.
All of it was meant as a countermeasure against Haruto's mechanical plague.
If possible, they even wanted him dead.
They couldn't allow someone like him to exist.
But now…
Shock had given way to disbelief, disbelief to horror—until only silence remained.
Yes, silence.
The most powerful people on Earth had nothing left to say.
Even with all their knowledge, their strategies, and their wildest imaginations, they could not conceive of any weapon, any plan, that could bind or restrain Senju Haruto.
He was a god without weakness.
"…Gentlemen. Do you remember the plan Director Fury once mentioned?"
At last, someone broke the heavy silence.
"Which one? Pegasus?"
The first speaker shook his head. "No—the Avengers Initiative. A team of our own super-powered individuals."
"Whether they're Inhumans, mutants, or enhanced soldiers… If we gather them together, maybe—just maybe—they could stand against him."
He pointed toward the screen in front of them.
On it, the figure displayed was Senju Haruto.
Meanwhile, inside a hidden Hydra base…
Madame Viper had always been intrigued by Haruto. She dreamed of recruiting him into Hydra's ranks, to achieve her ambition of world domination.
At first, she had merely sent subordinates to make contact.
But now…
She had decided to go in person.