Tony stood in the ruins of Prague.
Emergency sirens wailed in the distance.
Smoke drifted through the destroyed plaza where he'd freed Colossus just minutes ago.
All four Horsemen liberated. The mission was complete.
But Tony knew this was just the beginning.
His armor's systems ran diagnostics automatically. Damage from the battle with Death was significant but already repairing through nanite technology.
The quantum energy in his body stabilized after the massive expenditure required to free Colossus.
Tony looked down at his hands. They still glowed faintly with residual Starktonium energy.
He'd pushed his Homo Supreme abilities harder today than ever before.
'Four Horsemen freed. Storm, Wolverine, Magneto, Colossus. Each one required different tactics. Different applications of power. But all of them successful.'
He clenched his fists slowly.
'Now comes the hard part. The reason I freed them in the first place wasn't just to save them. It was to gather data. To understand how Celestial corruption works. To map Apocalypse's energy signature and technological patterns.'
Tony's mind raced through calculations. Every battle had been reconnaissance disguised as rescue. M.A.R.V.E.L. had collected terabytes of data on Celestial technology during each confrontation.
'And now I use that data. Now I spring the real trap.'
He activated his communications systems.
"M.A.R.V.E.L., open a secure channel. Route it through every communications network on Earth. Satellite. Radio. Television. Internet. Everything. I want every person on this planet to hear what I'm about to say."
[Acknowledged. Establishing global broadcast network. Estimated time to full coverage: 47 seconds. Proceed?]
"Wait for my signal."
Tony's armor completed its repairs. The nanites had rebuilt the damaged sections perfectly. He looked up at the sky where somewhere far away Apocalypse was watching.
'He knows the Horsemen are freed by now. He's probably furious. Or amused. Hard to tell with someone that old. But I know one thing about him for certain.'
Tony smiled behind his helmet.
'His ego is predictable. And that's his weakness.'
"M.A.R.V.E.L., begin broadcast. All frequencies. Record and transmit."
[Recording. Broadcasting in 3... 2... 1... Live.]
Tony's voice boomed across every screen, every radio, every device on the planet. His image appeared on billions of displays simultaneously. The armored figure standing in the ruins of Prague became the center of global attention.
"Apocalypse."
That single word echoed across the world.
"You've terrorized this world for five months. Killed billions of innocent people. Corrupted heroes and turned them into weapons. Tried to reshape humanity in your twisted image of evolution."
Tony paused. Let the words sink in.
"You've failed."
In Cairo, inside the massive throne room of the Akkaba Citadel, Apocalypse sat motionless on his throne. His eyes were fixed on the holographic display showing Tony Stark's broadcast.
Around him, Celestial technology hummed with power. The Ascension Device pulsed in the chamber below.
But Apocalypse's full attention was on this human who dared to speak to him this way.
Tony continued his broadcast.
"Your Horsemen are freed. Storm. Wolverine. Magneto. Colossus. All of them back under their own control. Your instruments of conquest have been taken from you."
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