The battle in New York erupted into chaos.
Debris exploded across the street as Cull Obsidian swung his massive weapon, tearing through a city bus like paper. The sheer force of the blow sent the twisted metal spiraling into the side of a building, collapsing an entire storefront in seconds. Cars flipped end over end as people scattered, screaming and ducking for cover beneath overturned vehicles and shattered awnings. Ebony Maw floated above the devastation, untouched, his hands weaving effortlessly through the air, flinging chunks of concrete and shattered glass with surgical precision.
Iron Man zipped between projectiles, his repulsors blazing. "Strange! You good with the sparkly green rock?"
Doctor Stephen Strange, hovering beside him with his cloak billowing in magical defiance, tightened his grip on a glowing sigil. He was maintaining multiple defensive wards at once, the strain showing in the sweat beading along his temple. "Focused. Barely."
Wong had created a protective perimeter around the Sanctum entrance, deflecting incoming attacks with a spinning ring of fire. His arms moved in precise arcs, each gesture triggering new glyphs in the air, each glyph pulsing with ancient energy. Bruce Banner, still in human form, ducked behind a wrecked SUV, trying once again to coax the Hulk to emerge.
"Come on! Come on! Just one punch! One big, green punch!"
Nothing. The reflection in the broken glass scowled back at him—green eyes filled with fear, but no transformation. Bruce slammed his fists against the hood of the car.
"You're embarrassing me in front of the wizard!"
Meanwhile, Strange was holding the line against Maw's unrelenting pressure. Energy collided with psychic force as they hovered high above the skyline. The clouds churned around them like a storm responding to battle, and the wind howled as spells and debris alike screamed through the air.
Down below, Steve Rogers, now dressed in his dark tactical suit, emerged from a Quinjet that had landed on a nearby rooftop. He leapt down with uncanny agility, landing between Cull and an overturned bus, his vibranium shield already in hand.
"Steve?" Tony's voice crackled over comms.
"Glad to see you again, Stark."
Tony blasted a car out of Cull's path. "Could've picked a quieter reunion spot."
With Steve came Natasha and Sam Wilson. Natasha flipped forward, landing beside Wong, twirling her electrified batons in a ready stance. Sam's wings flared wide as he launched a barrage of miniature missiles toward Cull Obsidian. The creature howled in rage as one of the blasts hit him squarely in the chest, forcing him back several steps.
The city groaned beneath the weight of the battle. Sirens wailed in the distance. Helicopters hovered, trying to maintain a safe radius. Police scrambled to barricade streets while keeping civilians safe. News drones floated nearby, capturing the surreal war unfolding in the heart of Manhattan.
Steve ducked under a swipe from Cull, then rolled forward, bouncing his shield off the brute's face and catching it mid-spin. Natasha struck low with her batons, while Sam strafed from above. Still, Cull advanced.
Tony joined the fray with a full-force blast, temporarily forcing the alien back.
"This guy doesn't take a hint," he muttered.
"He's not here to play games," Steve said. "He's here to take the Stone."
Far away, beyond Earth's chaotic surface, Alexander stepped into the final chamber of the Catacombs of Orvax.
The stench of ancient power hung in the air like burnt ozone. Arcane symbols glowed faintly across the floor. A circular sarcophagus sat in the middle of the stone hall, suspended by chains forged from celestial ore. It pulsed with unnatural life, vibrating with the echoes of whatever slumbered inside.
Nortis and Noctis stood at his side, silent as ever.
"The seal's weakening," Noctis observed, his voice low, reverent.
Alexander stepped forward. His system flashed an alert:
[WARNING: ENTITY CLASS - UNKNOWN. SHADOW BINDING POSSIBILITY: HIGH. RISK: EXTREME.]
He drew his hand outward, and a spear of shadow formed in his palm. With precision, he stabbed it into the seal, the weapon embedding into the core of the sarcophagus.
The chains burst open.
A roar echoed through the halls, shaking the walls as the sarcophagus lid exploded. From within, a creature of molten armor and skeletal wings emerged—its eyes burning with fury, remnants of its past life still clinging to its form. Its roar shook the ground and shattered the hanging lanterns lining the corridor.
It screamed, a sound that once heralded the fall of empires. Then it lunged.
Alexander stood firm, raising his hand. His shadow expanded outward like a black tide, swallowing the incoming force whole. The creature screeched as it was trapped mid-air, its momentum neutralized.
"Kneel," Alexander commanded, his voice laced with sovereign authority.
The entity trembled. It flailed against the crushing weight of his aura.
"Kneel, or be forgotten."
Nortis stepped forward and slammed his executioner's blade into the ground. A pulse of shadow energy surged through the room. Noctis raised his spear, and symbols lit up the chamber, anchoring the beast's essence.
The ancient being hesitated. Then slowly—grudgingly—it bowed its head and lowered itself.
Alexander's system glowed:
[NEW SHADOW ACQUIRED: AEROTH, TITAN-BINDER. CLASS: ELITE. FUNCTION: FRONTLINE BREAKER. SYNC: 76%.]
He exhaled and lowered his hand. "Good. We keep moving."
Noctis tilted his head. "There's another presence. Watching. Earth has entered the fire."
Alexander turned toward the northern corridor. "Then we prepare for war."
Back on Earth, the battle raged.
Tony launched a blast directly at Maw, but the telekinetic twisted mid-air and deflected it with a flick of his fingers, sending the beam crashing into a nearby high-rise. The explosion erupted in a plume of dust and flame.
Strange shouted, "We can't hold them like this forever!"
Maw smirked. "Then stop trying."
With a surge of energy, he yanked Strange into the air, wrapping bands of psychic energy around him, binding his limbs.
"No!" Tony shouted, soaring upward.
Maw opened a portal mid-air. Strange was pulled through.
"Damn it!" Tony called over the comm. "He's got the wizard. Banner, get up here!"
Bruce tried again. He punched himself in the face, then again.
"Come on! You coward! You big green coward!"
Still nothing.
Tony launched into the portal without a second thought, vanishing after Strange.
Steve, watching the whole thing, turned toward Sam. "Stay with Vision. Get him ready. We're moving to Wakanda next."
Cull Obsidian roared again, charging with renewed rage.
Natasha stepped in front of him, her batons sparking. "You're not getting past me."
Above it all, the sky shifted. A tremor rippled across the city.
And in another realm, Alexander looked up.
His eyes narrowed as he saw the system display a pulsing warning:
[EARTH SIGNATURE DISTURBANCE DETECTED. LOCATION: NEW YORK CITY. COMBAT STATUS: RED. DO YOU WISH TO INTERVENE?]
He said nothing.
He simply turned, his shadow armor beginning to materialize across his body.
"Noctis, gather our shadows. Prepare the gate."
The chamber rumbled. An ancient portal ignited with light and darkness fused into one. Nortis silently raised his sword, the army of shadow soldiers forming behind him in perfect rows.
Alexander stepped forward, eyes burning.
"Let's remind them why the dark fears us."
To be continued.
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