Before any effective resistance could even form, the Avengers had already lost more than half their combat strength.
Captain America's arms were numbed by repeated shockwaves and needed time to recover. Hawkeye and Black Widow were unconscious, their condition unknown.
And Garou—their strongest close-combat asset—had suddenly defected and vanished.
To be honest, when Nick Fury first recruited Garou, it was entirely because of his terrifying martial arts ability.
As for his lack of identity records? In front of power like that, it didn't matter. Getting someone a legal identity was trivial for S.H.I.E.L.D. — just like Thor in the original records, technically undocumented, yet living freely.
Garou was never meant to access sensitive intelligence anyway.
He was supposed to be a weapon. A blunt instrument to suppress the Hero League if needed.
Now that weapon had turned against them.
Even though Hulk fought like a monster on the battlefield, the truth was undeniable:
The entire coastline had collapsed.
Hundreds of thousands of Deep Sea creatures had already flooded onto land.
Casualties had exceeded the hundreds of thousands—and were still rising.
"Retreat! We fall back for now!" Captain America said through gritted teeth.
Staying here longer wouldn't just risk their lives—it would make it impossible to protect the critically injured Hawkeye and Black Widow.
And without large-scale military support, the shoreline was impossible to hold.
"No! Hulk smash them all!" Hulk roared.
"Listen to me! Get them out of here. You don't want Black Widow to die here, do you?"
"Hulk… okay."
After hesitating, Hulk's childlike mind finally accepted the order.
He gently picked up Black Widow, afraid of hurting her further.
Hawkeye, however, didn't receive the same care. As long as he stayed alive, Hulk considered the job done.
With the two injured carried away, Hulk left the battlefield.
Only Falcon, War Machine, and a trembling-armed Captain America remained, still holding the line.
"Damn it! Where is the military?!" Falcon shouted.
"If they don't arrive now, we're finished, Cap!"
"I've killed hundreds. I'm almost out of ammo!"
The three stood back-to-back, staring at the endless sea of Deep Sea monsters.
This wasn't just pressure.
One mistake—and they would all die here.
Even slaughtering hundreds of thousands of pigs would exhaust a person to death, let alone hyper-aggressive sea monsters.
"Calling command, calling command. This is Captain America—Steve speaking," he said into the military communicator. "Garou has defected. Hawkeye and Black Widow are critically injured. We need reinforcements. Repeat—we need reinforcements!"
Static crackled.
Gunfire. Screams. Explosions.
Then—
"Help! The reinforcement unit is under attack by the Deep Sea King! Please—Captain, save us!"
"It's too strong! That monster wiped out an entire regiment! Bullets and shells are useless!"
"Don't eat me—AAAH—!"
The signal died.
Captain America's heart sank completely.
No reinforcements were coming.
The closest military units were only two or three regiments. And even if they arrived—
Against the Ghost-peak Deep Sea King, bullets and artillery were nothing but toys.
Unless they used the final option.
Nuclear weapons.
But that would mean New York died with the monsters.
So that option simply did not exist.
Captain America watched helplessly as Deep Sea creatures tore civilians apart, devouring them alive.
He closed his eyes in pain.
Surrounded by hundreds of thousands of enemies, he couldn't even save himself—how could he save others?
War Machine fired the last of his armor-piercing rounds in a final burst.
Seven or eight Deep Sea monsters fell.
Then his weapon clicked dry.
"Cap… we have to fall back. We'll die here."
"We can't retreat."
"We don't have a choice!"
Captain America took a deep breath.
Then he made a decision.
"Call Tony Stark."
Falcon froze. "What?"
"Request aid from the Hero League."
"Are you insane?! The government explicitly forbade any request for Hero League assistance! We could be court-martialed!"
"I'd rather be a good man than a good soldier," Captain America said firmly. "I'll take full responsibility."
"…Understood."
At this moment, there was no other path left.
They watched children—actual children—being slaughtered, and they were powerless to stop it.
The military had already been stopped by the Deep Sea King.
Only the mysterious Hero League could change this.
Even War Machine felt like cursing out loud.
Those damned senators.
They insisted on rejecting Hero League cooperation—and now hundreds of thousands of civilians were paying the price.
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