206. Killmonger and the Conqueror

"Mr. Wayne!" yelled Peter, following Bruce. "You're back! You find the Engineer-?"

Peter meets...

Tony.

Tony stood before Peter.

"Mr. Stark..." said Peter.

"Hi, Parker," said Tony. He gulps and tries to speak. "I'm... I'm sorry-..."

Peter immediately hugs Tony.

"I know..." said Tony.

Everyone from both groups eats dinner at a camp they've made near the cave they were in.

Damian, Bruce's son, gives Cassandra a wet willy.

"Stop it!" whined Cassandra, stomping her feet.

"Damian. Don't do that to your sister," said Bruce. "Where the hell did you learn that."

Quill punches Drax on the shoulder.

"I apologize, Winged Panther," said Drax, bowing his head.

"Rhodes," said Bruce. "Anyone out there?"

"None so far, Wayne," nodded James.

Bruce sighs as he sees Peter staring at Tony, who is writing something in the holograms.

"Hey," said Bruce, sitting down with Peter. "I heard you two were close."

"We were..." said Peter. "He... was a good man. I'm just grateful that I get to meet him after all these years."

Bruce sighs.

"You two are going to have to work together," said Peter.

"Don't worry. I'd get him," said Bruce.

Bruce sighs and walked behind Tony.

"'Batman always wins,'" said Tony.

"I'm sorry?" asked Bruce.

"Call it your ego's burden or weird fucking batshit crazy quirk or whatever. I remember Nathaniel Richards told me one thing. 'Batman always wins.' That is a rule in the Universe," Tony turns to Bruce. "How does it feel to destroy everything I've worked for your own selfish reasons, Bruce?Your choice... To challenge my Universe to a battle they didn't want... A secret war... just to wish for a timeline where Superman doesn't kill your timeline.You know... for a guy who hates wildcards? You're no different, Wayne."

"And for a guy who has everything... you still have nothing..."

"Yeah... and who took that away from me?"

"I didn't think anyone would die because of that wish..."

"One choice, Bruce! One choice! That choice murdered billions! You murdered way more than Hitler or Thanos combined! And Ronald McDonald! No... Trillions! No... Who knows, Bruce!? Who knows how many people you killed!? One choice that destroyed everything I worked hard for!You brought us into this mess, Bruce! I died for my Universe! That was my job! It was to build armor around the world. And you came here to disable my suit.You came crashing in with your fists and changed everything! Your one selfish choice!'Batman always wins...' Well, guess what, Wayne?At what cost? At what cost, Wayne!?"

Bruce stares at Tony with contempt, slouching terrifyingly.

"You know what I think? I think that you're no different from me."

"Sure. I wear a cape and look like a fair-skinned T'Challa."

"I think you destroyed people's lives just as I did for your very own favor. You see me as yourself."

"No! No! STOP TRYING TO WIN THIS, BRUCE!!! You beat me in combat. You equalized the playing field. You can't beat me in this argument! You're a murderer! Okay? You are a murderer.You're like Sherlock fucking Holmes but with mommy and daddy issues. You're laughable.Peter... Peter... Don't talk to him, okay? Do me a favor. No! Do him a favor... and don't talk to him.My wife... my daughter... in this future. They're gone... I'm destined to die... FOR NO REASON, WAYNE!!!YOU KNOW HOW EXISTENTIALLY DREADFUL, THAT IS, WAYNE!? If this fails... and this is over... I'm going to do something to stop Thanos... And I die.And for what!?"

"You're afraid, aren't you?"

Tony stops talking and scratches the back of his head.

Bruce sighs. "'I am Iron Man.' Heh...You're... angry... you're afraid... I know. Believe me. I get it. I know what it's like to live in fear. In fact... that's every single day of my life. I tried to kill someone who I now consider one of my closest friends because I was scared that he'd endanger my world's lives. Ironically, fear is my greatest weapon.I did everything for my own world, too. And we're not so lucky like in your world. We don't have any saviors like the TVA in our world. All we have... is us. Superman... Me... Diana... That's all we have. We're the suit of armor in our world."

"Then why did you endanger everyone in our world? Why'd you drag everyone into your problem!?"

Bruce stares at Tony, as he takes off his mask and holds it, revealing a beaten and battered face.

"'Either you die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.' An old friend told me that."

Tony stares at Bruce with contempt. "So... you're the hero?"

"No," said Bruce. Bruce sighs and bows his head. He inhales with a shaky breath and looked back at Tony. "Not anymore."

"Why?"

"Because for one thing, I've lived long enough to become one."

"Mr. Stark..." said Peter. "You should calm down."

"Yeah, I should. I'm just the one screaming at Bruce and calling him out for murdering quadrillions of innocent lives."

"Mr. Stark... I know this is hard... But I believe we can bring anyone back with the Life Equation."

Tony Stark scratches the back of his head and begins pacing around. "Ababababa... Hoo..." Tony looks up in the stars. He closes his eyes.

"You don't know what to do, do you?" asked Bruce.

"No," said Tony.

"It's okay, sir. I'll do anything you tell us to."

Tony stares at nothing. "Huh? What? Oh, sorry. He's actually the leader. I just build everything, pay for everything, and was brought back to life to help save the world.His armor is also based on my technology."

"You didn't know how to bind the nanites with Vibranium, did you?" asked Bruce, as he walked back to camp.

Tony is left speechless.

"You can bind nanites with Vibranium?" asked Tony, following Bruce. "I'm sorry!? You bound Vibranium in my nanobots!?"

"Technically that was my idea... so... it's my nanobots."

Bruce smirks and turns to Peter. "I told him I'd get him."

Meanwhile... Matthew Murdock, a blind man who could see with his other senses, meets with Harley...

"Hey, Red!" smiled Harley. "What you got there?"

Matthew finished praying and settled his rosary. "I was... praying..."

"Catholic?" smiled Harley.

"Pretty much," Matthew breathed in as he ate his meal.

"I used to be Catholic, too!" smiled Harley. "Then my boyfriend made me kill a kid..."

"I heard..." Matthew shakes his head slightly.

"Well... ex-boyfriend... I found after that he had a lot of red flags," smiled Harley. "Like... a lot!"

"The cannibal who murdered men, women, and children thinking of it as comedy? No wonder," said Matthew.

Harley laughs and punches Matthew's shoulder.

"You sure are funny, red!" giggled Harley.

Matthew smiled and nodded.

"You doin' this for someone?" asked Harley.

"I'm doing this for my family and the world..." said Matthew. "Even though they're as ungrateful as they can be..."

"Me, too! Wow! We have so much in common!" smiled Harley.

"Yeah..." sighed Matthew.

"You're a great guy, Red!" Harley punched his shoulder.

"Ow!"

"Oh! Put holes in your mask. I don't think you can see with it!" Harley walked away.

"I'm blind," said Matthew.

Harley laughed. "You are killing it!"

Frank sat with Matthew.

"Hey, Red," said Frank.

"Frank..." sighed Matthew.

"Still haven't killed anyone, huh?"

Matthew shook his head.

"Well... I still think that you'd make a fine soldier. With what you can do."

"And I think you can be a good hero."

"I'm not a hero..." Frank smiled, shaking his head.

The two silently stared at the stars.

"It's fucking terrifying... Knowing that the world was destroyed... A world that is bigger than our own... For the first time in a while, I'm actually fighting for something that isn't for revenge..."

"I'm sorry... about your family... I'm sorry about fighting you before... I kinda... get it now... that rage... that loss..."

Frank nods. "Sooner or later, you'll take a life, Matthew. So will Bats over there..."

Matthew shakes his legs while sitting down. "Hm..."

Deadpool sat with his father.

"So! Dad! Wanna play catch?"

Slade is tied to a metallic pole Bruce planted on the ground. "I'm your fucking prisoner."

"And that's still stopping you to hang out with your son!? Excuses, excuses! Wow... Just... Wow! Father of the Goddamned year," said Wade.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," said Slade.

Later... the other group left to return to headquarters to watch over Darkseid's activities... The Batman, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Flash Prime, SHAZAM, Thor, Star-Lord, Deadpool, Daredevil, Harley Quinn, Cassandra Wayne-Prince, Damian Wayne, and The Punisher are the only ones left in the desert...

Later that day... the group detects an entity in the desert...

"Mr. Wayne... Mr. Stark's computer says that someone's out there in the desert," said Peter.

Bruce looks at Tony's computer and sees that there is one person who emits carbon dioxide way at the north.

"Yeah... There's only one guy up north. Go check it out."

Bruce sighs. "Wade. Harley. Matthew. Frank," said Bruce.

"Yeah?" asked the pair.

Frank Castle nods.

Matthew turns to Bruce.

"Let's go north," said Bruce, as he walked away.

They followed after.

"Whoa, whoa... You don't need an entire army for one guy, Wayne."

Bruce ignored Tony.

Later...

"The Star Conqueror?" asked Frank.

"Anyone who has a star on their head becomes a Starfish zombie," said Bruce.

"So feel free to go guns and blazing?" smiled Deadpool.

"Yes, Wade," said Bruce.

"Wow! I always wanted to meet and kill a zombie! I've killed a Star Conqueror before, though! Stabbed on in the eye with a javelin!" smiled Harley, swinging her bat around and humming "Fur Elise."

"Squarepants called. He wants his best friend back," said Deadpool. "Anyway... Bruce. Where is this Star Conqueror and how do you know that there's a Satr Conqueror?"

"Tony failed to detect a creature that emits anything else other than gas, which is antimatter. The only creature that does so is the Star Conqueror."

"Why the hell are you always flexing against Iron Man? Do you have some sort of... I dunno... weird rivalry with him?" asked Matthew, who wore a bonnet over his head and a red sweater and black pants. He also wore black shoes and black gloves.

The five hid behind a rock, waiting for something to happen.

Bruce uses his goggles. He presses a button at the side of the lens as the goggles zoomed in. Bruce saw only one man. He looks like he is of Sub-Saharan descent. He had black curly skin. He wore black and gold metallic armor. The goggles detect that the armor is 100% Vibranium.

"What?" asked Frank.

"Erik Killmonger," said Bruce.

"Killmonger? He was an old friend in Afghanistan? What the shit!?" Frank looks at Killmonger with his binoculars.

"Semper Fi," said Wade.

"Shut the fuck up, Wade. You're Canadian," said Frank.

"Hey! He may be Canadian, but he makes a damn good burger!" yelled Harley.

"Damn straight," said Deadpool.

"You know him?" asked Matthew.

"Yeah... Good guy. He's from Wakanda. Liked to go to Museums a lot... He's here... Must've fought in the Secret Wars... I remember... He was a damned good rapper in the camps..."

"Thanks, Frank!"

"Shut the fuck up, Wade.What you got on his file, Bats?"

Bruce checks his file. "Nothing. But I don't think we should avoid having him approach us." Bruce looks at Killmonger. "He's gone."

"What do you mean?" asked Frank.

"I mean that he isn't there. He disappeared the moment I adjusted my-..."

*SHING*

Wade blocks Killmonger's blade with his katana.

"WHOA!!!" yelled Wade.

The Vibranium vibrated and glowed when it went in contact with Wade's adamantium katana.

"Black Panther!?" asked Deadpool. "Didn't he die from cancer? God bless his soul, by the way."

"Erik!?" asked Frank.

"Hey, Frank... Sorry... But the boss told me to kill you."

The five backed away as Erik spun his blade.

"Who the hell sent you!?" asked Frank.

"Darkseid... He promised me things that I need..." said Erik.

"Like what?" asked Frank.

Erik facepalmed and sighed. "Frank... You know that I would choose my people over yours..."

"Oh my God..." said Wade. "You're the guy who overthrew King T'Challa... You're the guy T'Challa killed before he died. You're the guy who tried to conquer and enslave white countries. What the fucking shit, man!? Black Superiority much?Black Hitler here comin' to you from a live studio audience of white man genocide!"

"What!?"

"Silence, RACIST!!!"

"I'm pale white, so I can't help but feel offended!" said Harley.

"Erik?" asked Frank.

Erik stares at Frank.

"Erik... You fought for the country... Our country..."

"Screw our country!" yelled Erik. "My country is Wakanda, Frank... It never was anything else than Wakanda..."

"You murdered innocent people to try and enslave white people?"

"It was vengeance, Frank. You get it, Frank! You murdered everyone who had a hand in killing your family!"

"This is different, Erik! You're a murderer!"

"And so are you.Murdock? You agree with me, right?"

Matthew shakes his head. "I'm a man of God, Mr. Killmonger. I'm a lawyer... I help people day and night... No... Frank is... Frank is damned well different."

Erik sighs as he puts on his Black Panther helmet.

"I'm sorry... but the sun never sets in the Wakandan Empire..."

Erik raised his hands as Bruce sees that several people from the antimatter radar emerge 4 kilometers away from them.

"Shit..." said Bruce.

"What!?" asked Frank.

"There's an army of dead people being controlled by Starro..." said Bruce.

"That's fucked..." said Matthew.

"That's not the fucked up part..." said Bruce.

It is shown that it is an army of 1,000 zombie white people as a giant one-eyed Starfish, Starro, comes charging toward them. They each have a small one-eyed starfish on their faces. The starfishes are blue in color with red stripes.

"Masks," said Bruce, as everyone puts on masks. Bruce activates his armor. Frank puts on a mask with a skull on the face. Matthew already has a mask on. Wade puts on his mask. Harley puts on a mask that morphs on her face similar to a terrifying clown mask.

"Bruce... I'm not okay with killing people..." said Matthew.

"Me neither," said Bruce.

Killmonger attacks Bruce with a blade as he uses his gauntlets to block Killmonger's blade. Bruce then flies toward Killmonger and blasts his fists into Killmonger's face.

Harley prepares her bat. Frank and Wade prepare their guns. Matthew takes out his sticks.

The three of them charge at the army. Frank, meanwhile, blasts his bullets toward Killmonger.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!"

Killmonger managed to stab Bruce in the stomach and kick him several meters away.

Frank shot at Killmonger, and the bullets somehow managed to damage Killmonger's armor, which regenerates every time Frank puts holes into the armor.

"Frank..." said Erik.

*RATATATATATA*

Erik slashes his blade toward Frank as Frank kept on blasting his bullets at Killmonger.

"Promethium bullets..." sighed Killmonger. "Frank... I don't want to do this."

"Maybe you do, you piece of shit," said Frank, as he shot at Killmonger.

Harley bashes a zombie's face in the head as she calls Diana.

"Diana... They're ambushing our camp with an army of white people!!!" said Harley.

"I'm sorry... an army?" asked Thor. "Why is there an army?"

"'White people?'" asked Diana.

"What? Is this a racial thing going on with Darkseid, now?" Thor asked.

"Peter. Billy. Stay here," said Diana. "Take care of the kids and guard Slade and the Anti-Life Equation."

"Sir, yes sir," smiled Peter. "I mean... Ma'am, yes sir. No!"

"Dude..." Billy shook his head.

"Welp... showtime," said Quill, as he puts on his helmet.

Slade sneers for a second...

Meanwhile, Matthew blasted his sticks into their heads hesitantly. He gasps and trembles in self-disgust. He yelped as he kills an old man by snapping his neck.

"You okay?" asked Harley.

"I never thought that I would kill anyone... I made an oath not to kill anyone..." said Matthew.

"You're funny, red," smiled Harley. "Think of them as corpses and that the only way they could rest is by bashing them in the skull!"

Matthew's breath went shaky. "Fine..."

Matthew kicked the zombies down with his feet as he used the metal sticks to bash their heads open.

Barry-Prime comes zooming in and creates a lightning sword with his hands which he uses to kill the zombies.

Diana and Thor fly into the scene. Diana uses her sword and Thor uses his ax, both slaughtering multiple zombies.

Star-Lord and Iron Man fly into the scene and blast at their enemies.

Frank blasted his bullets toward Killmonger.

"RAUGH!!!" yelled Frank.

Erik merely slashes his sword at him as Frank spins backward and continues to shoot at Erik.

Bruce leaps from behind Erik and stabs him from behind with a Vibranium-Promethium-laced Batarang.

Bruce then beats Killmonger to the ground.

Erik spins left and right and slashes his sword toward Bruce as Erik kicks him down and points the sword to his face.

"Where is the engineer?" asked Erik.

"Right, here..."

*pchoo*

Tony charges his repulsor cannon.

"Tony... Why the hell did you tell him that you're the engineer!?" asked Bruce.

"I'm a showman, Wayne. I like showing off. It's in the name in case you didn't get it."

"Stark... Stand down," said Bruce.

*PEW*

"STARK!!!"

Killmonger blocks the attack as he leaps up and grabs Tony by the neck.

Bruce flies upward and blasts Shattered Stars toward Killmonger.

"What was that?" laughed Tony.

Bruce tosses a repulsion blast at Killmonger as he blasts him down to the ground. Frank continues to blast his bullets at Erik. "What!?"

"Why the hell are you tossing your repulsion blasts!?"

"They're called Shattered Stars."

"That's pretty disadvantageous, counting that you have to -..." Tony pretends to toss some Batarangs. "Pew... Y'know."

"What?" asked Bruce.

"It's too much movement! That's what I'm saying!" yelled Tony.

"It's tradition!" yelled Bruce/

"What? Tradition!? How is throwing light tradition!?"

"No... I mean! Never mind."

Bruce flies toward Killmonger and Tony sighed as he followed after.

Deadpool shoots a zombie in the head as its brains splatter everywhere. "WHERE'S MR. KRABS!?"

Harley bashes a zombie in the face with her bat as its brains splatter everywhere. "WHERE'S MR. KRABS!?"

Meanwhile...

Vegeta plays chess with Jotaro.

Vegeta gets chills and shivers.

"Nani?" asked Jotaro.

"Huh?" said Vegeta.

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

"Who?"

"What?"

"Where?"

"Vegeta, no..." said Jotaro, as Vegeta incorrectly moves his chess piece.

"VEGETA, YES!!!" yelled Vegeta, slamming his table.

Meanwhile-Meanwhile...

Miguel gets chills in his spine.

"OH DEAR GOD!!!" yelled Miguel.

"What's wrong!? Kidnappers!?" asked Anne, running down from upstairs.

"No... No! False..." Miguel shivered. "False alarm..."

Miguel has flashbacks of his torture and defeats against cartoon characters way back in Part IV.

Now... back on the battlefield...

Bruce punches Killmonger in the face over and over as Killmonger crouches and swipes Bruce's feet. Bruce jumps up and kicks Killmonger in the chest with both feet as Killmonger tumbled backward. He slides on his hand and feet as he charged with a sword in his hand.

Tony blasts Killmonger away with several missiles as Killmonger stayed still on the ground.

*SHING*

*SPLAT*

Killmonger slowly looks at his own chest.

Frank had stabbed Killmonger from behind and into the chest.

Killmonger sighed as he dropped on two knees.

"You guys think you're the heroes?" asked Killmonger, as he drops to the ground face-first, dead.

Bruce sighs in relief. "Well... that's one down-..."

Meanwhile... God-Emperor Doom appears above them.

"Nice..." said Tony.

Doom sees Tony as his eyes squint. "Stark..."