This situation had practically pushed those officials onto a burning furnace.
The U.S. government immediately issued an emergency order.
All nearby military units were mobilized.
Their orders were clear:
If possible, capture the attackers alive.
If that was impossible, eliminate them immediately.
But under no circumstances were the people inside Karl's manor to be harmed.
Soon afterward, large numbers of troops began moving toward Karl's manor in Manhattan.
Armored vehicles roared down the streets.
Tanks advanced in formation.
Armed helicopters filled the sky.
All kinds of military equipment surrounded the area.
The two individuals attacking the manor were none other than Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.
Both of them were wrapped in black-and-yellow hellfire, their eyes burning with hatred.
BOOM!
The manor's defense system, Extreme Speed, had already detected the attack.
Yelena immediately used her slowdown ability, attempting to restrain the two attackers.
At the same time, she launched a counterattack.
The commotion quickly alerted the others inside the manor.
May, Raven, Wanda, Pietro, Peter, and the rest rushed outside.
When they saw that only two people were attacking, they immediately pulled out the treasures Karl had given them and began bombarding the two men.
Even Ganata came to the doorway, curious about what was happening.
Meanwhile, Pietro and Peter rushed forward enthusiastically, eager to test their abilities against Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.
However—
Something was wrong.
No matter how many attacks landed on them, nothing worked.
Their bodies remained completely unharmed.
It was as if they were indestructible.
After a short while—
BOOM!
Another loud noise echoed.
Everyone turned around.
A large group of U.S. soldiers had arrived.
Before anyone could react, the military immediately opened fire.
Tanks launched shells.
Heavy weapons roared.
Helicopters fired missiles.
But the results were the same.
The two flame-covered figures stood there completely uninjured.
In the shadows nearby, an old man silently observed the scene.
His gaze remained fixed on Ganata.
The seemingly frail old man was none other than Mephisto, the Lord of Hell.
He had come for the souls of the people around Karl.
His plan was to use those souls as leverage to control Karl himself.
That was why he had manipulated Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, forcing them to attack Karl's manor.
But Mephisto had not expected something.
Inside the manor was a terrifying presence.
And he instantly recognized it.
With his sharp perception, Mephisto immediately saw the truth.
The endless black hole inside Ganata's body was unmistakable.
It was exactly the same phenomenon possessed by her father.
There was no way he could fail to recognize it.
She was the daughter of Galactus.
And because of that—
Even Mephisto wasn't sure he could defeat her.
That was why he had not dared to act personally.
Meanwhile, May and the others were starting to run out of ideas.
Then suddenly—
Ganata calmly walked up to Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.
And swallowed both of them whole.
Everyone present froze.
May.
Raven.
The soldiers.
Even the helicopter crews.
They all stared in complete disbelief.
Swallowed them?
Just like that?
May immediately rushed over.
She grabbed Ganata's shoulders anxiously.
"Are you alright?!"
"Spit them out quickly!"
"That kind of thing is unhealthy!"
"You'll get sick!"
"Ganata, hurry up and spit them out!"
May said urgently while patting her back.
Hidden in the shadows, Mephisto watched the scene in complete silence.
Then he disappeared without a word.
"May~ I'm fine."
Ganata smiled innocently.
"I can eat anything."
"They won't make me uncomfortable."
"Hehe!"
Hearing this, May still looked worried.
"Really?"
"If you feel even a little uncomfortable, you must spit them out."
"Those two looked like bad people."
"Come on, I'll make you something delicious."
May had already forgotten Karl's earlier explanation about Ganata's origins.
Over the past few days, Ganata's innocent personality and curiosity about everything had made May and the others grow very fond of her.
Soon, May led Ganata back into the villa.
Raven, Wanda, Pietro, Peter, and the others looked at each other speechlessly.
Then they also returned to the manor.
Meanwhile, the military reported the situation to their superiors.
After receiving the report, the higher command issued a new order:
The troops were to set up a perimeter and remain stationed nearby.
They would withdraw only after Karl returned.
…
Meanwhile, on the battlefield in Sokovia—
After freezing Great Wanda, Karl slowly landed on the ground.
At the same time, he learned about the attack on his manor.
The attackers had been Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.
Karl thought for a moment.
The answer quickly became obvious.
It had to be Mephisto.
It seemed he would need to visit Hell soon and have a proper conversation with that demon.
Otherwise, how could a dimensional lord at the Skyfather level dare to target the people close to him?
Meanwhile, the steel robots on the battlefield had already been completely destroyed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Suddenly—
A massive tremor shook the ground.
Just like in the original timeline, the entire city of Sokovia began rising slowly into the sky.
Karl sighed.
Then he placed the frozen Great Wanda into the Shadow World.
Immediately afterward, he transformed into a beam of golden light and destroyed every remaining steel robot and vibranium armor.
Tony watched the destruction with a bleeding heart.
Those were all the armors he had built through endless effort.
And now Karl had smashed them all to pieces.
But Tony had no choice but to accept it.
After all—
It was his own technology that had been hijacked.
"Heh… I knew it."
Karl said calmly when he appeared before Arnim Zola.
Before Zola could react—
Karl punched him.
Zola died instantly.
Meanwhile, the entire city had already risen high into the air.
If it climbed another 500 to 700 meters before falling—
The impact would destroy most cities on Earth.
The death toll would be unimaginable.
The Avengers began to panic.
No one knew how to stop it.
Then—
Karl blasted the activation device beneath the city.
Immediately afterward, he flew beneath the floating city.
Golden power erupted from his body.
He enveloped the entire city with his energy—
And lifted it alone.
Nearby, a news reporter captured the entire scene.
His voice trembled with disbelief.
"Holy—!"
"The Gold Saint just lifted an entire city by himself!"
"He saved humanity!"
"If that city had continued rising even 500 meters before falling, the impact would have destroyed countless cities!"
"The casualties would have been unimaginable!"
"I never imagined that Earth's strongest hero would destroy the activation device and single-handedly hold up a city!"
The reporter's voice was filled with shock.
Tony and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If the city had actually fallen—
The consequences would have been catastrophic.
Human civilization might have been pushed back decades.
It wouldn't just be the impact.
The shockwave would trigger massive tsunamis.
Almost every coastal city in the world could have been devastated.
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