Watching Gravik's mangled corpse crash onto the scorched dirt, the entire battlefield plunged into a dead, suffocating silence.
It wasn't just Chernobyl that fell silent—the entire planet seemed to have been cast under a three-second muting spell.
Three seconds later, the live global broadcast feeds exploded into a manic torrent of text.
"Is he... dead?! Just like that?!"
"Holy crap, that was way too fast! I thought that boss guy was supposed to be some unstoppable force, and he's gone in a split second?!"
"I suddenly feel a little bad for that green-skin... He spent so much energy orchestrating all those grand schemes, only to get squashed like a stray dog on the roadside by the lady in red."
"Wait, who is this Scarlet Witch lady anyway?! Isn't her power a little too broken?!"
"Forget other superheroes, I honestly doubt even the Arbiter could take a direct hit from that kind of reality-warping magic!"
Back on the battlefield, the remaining eight hundred Super Skrull soldiers stared at Gravik's gruesome fate, their final shreds of morale collapsing into absolute dust.
A few stubborn fanatics considered making a desperate last stand, but the second their eyes met Wanda's glowing crimson pupils, every ounce of courage was drained straight out of them.
That woman had erased their Supreme Commander even easier than stepping on an ant.
And standing right behind her was the Arbiter, who hadn't even bothered to raise a single finger the entire time.
Fight to the death? With what?!
Even if they threw themselves into a meat grinder, they couldn't cut through a net woven by literal gods!
In that fraction of a second, a young Skrull soldier's knees buckled, and he collapsed helplessly into the dirt.
Then a second, a third, a tenth, a hundredth...
Within the span of a single breath, every surviving Super Skrull soldier dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads firmly into the ash.
The sudden surrender left Tony and the others looking at one another in utter confusion.
"Hey, Arbiter, how do we handle this?" Harry turned back to ask Peter. "They've all surrendered. Executing prisoners of war on a live global stream probably isn't great for public relations, is it?"
Gwen couldn't help but add gently:
"He's right, Arbiter... Sir. Even though they're invading aliens, since they've laid down their arms, shouldn't we refrain from executing them? It goes against basic humanitarian principles."
Sif and Daisy, however, held the exact opposite stance:
"These aliens invaded Earth first. Even if we execute every single one of them, it's nothing more than legitimate self-defense."
"Exactly. There's an ancient saying in China: 'Those who are not of our kin will inevitably harbor a different heart.' If even a single one of these monsters escapes into the population, they pose an unacceptable, permanent threat to innocent civilians."
Listening to the opposing views on both sides, Peter felt a mild headache coming on.
Naturally, like Daisy, he firmly believed in eliminating threats root and branch. But his primary girlfriend was a classic no-kill idealist. Was it really worth creating a rift in his relationship with Gwen over a bunch of defeated alien grunt leftovers?
Just as Peter was weighing his options, a commotion echoed from the edge of the battlefield.
A ragged group of thin, frail Skrulls emerged!
Unlike the mutated soldiers on the frontlines, these Skrulls had never undergone gene fusion. They were thin, dressed in tatters, and bound together by ropes like cattle being dragged to market.
Leading them was a short, elderly Skrull.
It was Talos—whom Peter had met once before.
Standing right beside Talos were Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, Prowler, and Bruce Banner, whom Gravik's faction had captured earlier.
Stopping roughly twenty paces away from Peter, Talos didn't hesitate for a single second. He dropped straight onto his knees before the Arbiter with a loud thud.
Following his lead, every civilian Skrull behind him knelt in unison, bowing their heads deeply to the earth.
"Lord Arbiter..." Talos's voice was raspy and broken:
"Please allow me, on behalf of every Skrull who still retains a conscience, to offer our deepest apologies to you, and to every human on Earth who was harmed by our species."
Kowtowing repeatedly, Talos explained how Gravik's radical faction had taken complete control of their society, how he had been locked away in a dungeon for opposing the invasion, and how he had watched helplessly as his people were dragged toward absolute ruin.
After airing his grievances, Talos pressed his forehead hard against the ground once more, stating with solemn finality:
"As the General of the Skrulls, I am willing to pay for our sins with my life!"
"I only ask that you spare the remaining innocent civilians."
"I no longer dare beg you to fulfill our past deal and find us a new homeworld, nor do I ask for permission to stay on Earth."
"I, Talos, swear here and now: if you spare them, my people will leave Earth immediately and swear on our honor never to set foot on this planet again for all eternity!"
Talos's impassioned plea split global public opinion down the middle.
"Spare them?! Why should we?! Their people almost blew thirteen global capitals to kingdom come!"
"I mean, look at those elderly folks and kids... they really are just innocent civilian victims caught in the crossfire."
"I vote for total execution. Cut the grass without pulling the root, and it comes back in the spring!"
"Come on, he literally offered self-exile into deep space! Besides, the remaining ones pose zero threat anymore, right?"
While arguments flared across global feeds, everyone knew the ultimate authority rested in the hands of one single man.
Peter glanced at Talos, looked at the trembling Skrull civilians behind him, and finally turned his gaze to Mantis.
Catching his subtle signal, Mantis stepped forward and gently rested her fingertips against Talos's forehead.
A few seconds later, she pulled her hand back and nodded firmly to Peter:
"He is completely sincere. No deception, no hidden malice. His heart contains only genuine guilt toward Earth and a desperate wish for his people to survive."
Hearing this, Peter gave a light nod, looking down at Talos:
"Get up."
Talos raised his head, his dirt-smeared face written all over with sheer disbelief.
"The civilians around you may leave Earth alive," Peter's tone was completely flat, as if stating a trivial matter. "I can transport your people to Xandar. The Nova Corps are friends of mine; they will be willing to grant you a designated sector to settle down."
Hearing these words, Talos burst into tears of gratitude, kowtowing repeatedly to Peter:
"Thank you, generous and merciful Lord Arbiter!"
"From this day forth, the Skrull race will forever remember the debt we owe you. If any of my people ever dare break this vow, you won't need to raise a finger—I, Talos, will execute them with my own hands!"
Peter offered no further comment, simply waving his hand to signal Talos to lead his people to the side.
And with that, the conflict between Skrulls and humans that had dragged on for months officially came to an end.
Cheering erupted simultaneously across global streets and live feeds.
"We won?! WE ACTUALLY WON?!"
"LONG LIVE THE ARBITER!!!"
Just as billions of people were celebrating the dawn of peace, Gwen's Spider-Sense flared violently without warning.
Spider-Sense—CRITICAL DANGER!
Before Gwen could even react, chains forged from deep crimson energy erupted silently from the ground beneath them, instantly binding every superhero on the battlefield!
Seeing this horrifying turn of events, the triumphant smiles frozen across the faces of the global audience shattered in an instant...