"This is meaningless, Hammurabi." Salomon walked out of the United Nations Headquarters surrounded by the Praetorian Guard, the Sisterhood, the Hellfire Knights, and representatives from various nations. Pegasus dissolved into motes of light and vanished from reality, leaving only Phoenix, constantly radiating heat, at his side. After the earlier battle, fragments of the Hulkbuster Armor, burning wreckage, dripping oil, and shattered glass filled the plaza. The Veronica prison system, blasted open by welded-core warheads and fusion weapons, still stood there. Pieces of the Iron Legion shattered by explosive rounds lay everywhere, and every breath of air was heavy with the scent of war. No one had ever brought war to the United States mainland before. Now that record had been broken. They should have been afraid, should have rediscovered humility, should have seen through the lies fed to them by politicians, and should have found the courage to fight for justice and the Human Race.
Of course, he did not expect a single parade of war machines to awaken minds steeped in ignorance for centuries. Cleansing rot took time and blood. It required a complete scraping of bone and purging of poison. Latveria and the City of Immortals did not yet have the strength to carry out a comprehensive purge across North America. Managing the homeland, the Middle East, and West Africa had already nearly exhausted their existing administrative personnel. The populations plundered from war-torn regions could not accomplish such delicate work. Even after being fitted with thought implants, many could not change their way of thinking in a short time. Some even regarded themselves as slaves. Even though the City of Immortals gave them food, medical care, and education, they still saw themselves as slaves, because their past lives had been far worse than their present ones.
"If I