American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

166. Night Raid.

Alex and his companions were targeting the Enchantress, an Asgardian sorceress from the halls of Asgard. She had long been Thor's nemesis, though she had also crossed paths with other members of the Avengers. Her magical powers were formidable, and that was precisely what Alex needed.

After that battle ended, the Enchantress lost her sense of purpose. She wandered the world but could no longer find the thrill of outwitting and battling the Avengers. Eventually, she arrived in Osborn City, having heard that Osborn was declaring war on all the remaining superheroes of the wasteland. Initially, the Enchantress didn't pay much attention, believing that no true superheroes remained in the world. However, the reality surprised her greatly.

Since Osborn's declaration of war more than a year ago, over thirty individuals claiming to be "superheroes" had died by his hand. Although most of these so-called heroes were weak, almost all of them ordinary people, and many were Osborn's own creations, it still caught the Enchantress's attention.

As the saying goes, throw a stone to attract waves. In this wasteland world, superheroes were even rarer than bigfoot. It didn't matter if ten out of eleven were fakes; as long as the eleventh was real, that was enough.

As Osborn expected, the long-lived Enchantress only desired a few challengers who might try to resist them, providing some amusement and a chance to relive old times. For this reason, the Enchantress joined Osborn's alliance of criminals, becoming one of them and waiting for challengers from across the wasteland.

Perhaps to ensure his game wouldn't be interrupted by other supervillains, Osborn even created a special challenge route that led directly to Osborn City, without interference from Red Skull or others. Osborn also took special care to deal with Hydra spies, fearing that any potential heroes might be intercepted by Red Skull before reaching him.

In fact, Red Skull initially did try to do just that. But when he realized that Osborn was merely entertaining himself and that the "heroes" coming through were mostly worthless, he stopped bothering with the madman. Instead of playing house with the old lunatic, Red Skull preferred to wear the uniforms of his old enemies and admire the relics of past heroes. As for Alex, his objectives extended far beyond this.

The Enchantress's magic was important, but the origin of the batarang was even more crucial. If those who had come from other universes survived, there was no way they would allow Osborn to run rampant. Imagine this: when members of the Justice League, Justice Society, or Teen Titans arrived in this world, discovering that the superheroes had become history and the villains had divided the world among themselves, would they simply accept it?

Of course not. They would do everything in their power to fix the situation, dreaming of bringing hope to this desolate world.

And when they heard Osborn City's broadcast—one of the world's greatest villains challenging all the heroes of the wasteland to a battle—Alex was sure their first reaction would be: "That guy is definitely taunting us. If we don't fight him, we're cowards!"

Alex wasn't just speculating. Given his understanding of those hot-headed heroes, they were definitely capable of doing something like that. So, based on this assumption, Alex decided to head straight to Osborn City. If he could find clues about those from the DC Universe, that would be ideal. If not, collecting the Enchantress's magic was still worthwhile.

After bypassing New Babylon, Alex and his two companions continued onward. Most of the roads here were under Hydra's control, so for safety, Alex traveled under the cover of night, sticking to side roads. It was a good thing Alex had modified the Ghost Rider's motorcycle. Otherwise, the eerie glow alone would have gotten them shot to pieces by Hydra soldiers as soon as they entered the Red Skull's territory.

Driving through a desolate plain, Alex slowly brought the motorcycle to a stop.

"Let's take a break here. I need to refuel the bike, and you two should eat something to replenish your energy," Alex said as he got off the motorcycle, addressing Kara and Pietro. "We should reach Osborn City by tomorrow. There's a tough fight ahead, so we need to be prepared."

"Don't worry. If they were in their prime, it might be a challenge, but a bunch of old and weak foes? I can take them all on by myself," Pietro said with a grin, opening his takeout box.

"Don't underestimate them. Not everyone has been worn down by time. The Enchantress, for example, has maintained her peak condition," Alex cautioned.

"Pfft, as long as you're handling the sorceress, I'll take care of the rest. I guarantee the fight will be over in five seconds—ten at most. Definitely not more than twenty," Pietro boasted, but he felt a little unnerved under Alex's gaze. He quickly nudged Kara. "Right, Kara? You'll back me up, won't you?"

But Kara didn't respond. She just frowned, seemingly deep in thought.

"Kara, what's wrong?" Pietro asked, his smile fading as he noticed her seriousness.

"Did you hear something?" Kara suddenly asked instead of answering.

Hearing her question, both Alex and Pietro paused, exchanging glances before falling silent to listen carefully to their surroundings.

This was, after all, Red Skull's territory, and a single mistake could get them surrounded by Hydra soldiers—a very dangerous situation. Though they could handle being surrounded, they needed to stay alert for the sake of their plan.

Alex and Pietro both knew that Kara had the best hearing among them. If she heard something, it was likely that something was indeed approaching.

"Kara, what did you hear?" Pietro asked curiously after listening for a while and hearing nothing.

Kara leaped off the motorcycle, crouching slightly as she amplified her hearing, trying to pinpoint the exact source of the sounds.

"I hear many people approaching. They're moving fast, faster than humans, and the strangest part is, I can barely hear their heartbeats. It's like they aren't alive."

Pausing for a moment, Kara continued, "There are about seventy of them, led by a strange figure wearing what looks like a big bat suit with a red stripe on the chest."

"Wait a minute! You can hear the color of their clothes?" Pietro was stunned.

"No need to hear," Kara said softly as she slowly stood up, her voice calm.

"You can just turn around and see for yourself."

...…..

📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
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167. 'Old Friend' Blood Baron.
168. Past Memories.
169. Unexpected Intel on the Bat.
170. Ashley Arrives.
171. The Symbiote, Venom.