As soon as the Space Stone was removed from the Kryptonian device, Steppenwolf, who had been waiting for this moment, lit up with excitement. He immediately attempted to fuse the three Mother Boxes and reopen the space portal.
However, his hopes were dashed almost instantly. The space portal failed to activate, and the Mother Boxes remained inert. Steppenwolf felt the oppressive return of the Earth's spatial blockade, its power both familiar and utterly unyielding.
"Damn Avengers! Are you toying with me?!" Steppenwolf roared, his frustration erupting into fury. His metallic armor bristled like quills, a reflection of his anger.
But Steppenwolf's rage changed nothing. Now that the Avengers had mastered creating devices to activate the Space Stone, they could maintain the blockade for a significant period.
"Any anomalies?" Tony Stark asked as the Space Stone was securely placed in the new device.
"Brief spatial fluctuations occurred above Earth, but they ceased once the Space Stone's power reactivated," Jarvis reported, revealing that Steppenwolf was still trying to break through.
"This guy is relentless," Steve Rogers muttered, his expression grim. While they had thwarted Steppenwolf this time, they couldn't perpetually play defense. Finding his location remained their top priority.
Unfortunately, just as Steppenwolf was left impotently raging, the Avengers also had no leads on his whereabouts. Both sides were locked in a stalemate. Meanwhile, the Black Robe Enforcers were capitalizing on the lull, making a spectacle of themselves.
The Avengers initially believed the Enforcers consisted of just the seven original experiments. To their surprise, Vought International had launched a "second generation" and even "trainee heroes," turning their superhuman team into a reality TV franchise.
Amid this media circus, the Avengers began noticing flaws in the Enforcers. Their powers and personalities were unstable, and their heroics often seemed more like jobs they begrudgingly performed rather than genuine acts of goodwill.
Despite Jarvis' efforts, Vought's cybersecurity measures proved formidable, preventing any access to detailed records about the Enforcers. Much of Jarvis' computational resources were already devoted to tracking Steppenwolf, leaving little capacity for infiltrating Vought's systems.
One day, a furious Kara stormed through the Avengers base.
"I swear, I'm going to smash that idiot's head in!" she fumed, her clenched fists trembling. Peggy Carter and Martian Girl rushed to calm her down.
The cause of Kara's anger was none other than Homelander. After his failed attempts to smear the Avengers, he had begun tarnishing Superman Clark's legacy.
In his latest propaganda, Homelander claimed Superman was an evil alien scout bent on Earth's domination, unworthy of his reputation as a god among men. In contrast, Homelander proclaimed himself the true savior of Earth, the hope of the nation and the planet.
Worse, Homelander extended his accusations to Kara, labeling her an accomplice of Clark's supposed alien agenda and questioning the Avengers' motives.
While Kara could tolerate personal attacks, she couldn't stomach the slander against Clark, who had sacrificed everything to protect Earth. The memory of Clark's ultimate sacrifice in the Doomsday event was fresh in her mind. To see his legacy tarnished by a pretender like Homelander was unbearable.
"Let it go, Kara," Peggy advised. "If you kill him, it'll only fuel their narrative. What then? Destroying Vought International would turn you into exactly what they accuse you of: a tyrant."
Kara groaned in frustration. "I should've stayed in the shadows like the Saiyans instead of going public," she muttered, regretting her decision to become a visible hero.
The burdens of fame weighed heavily on her. As a prominent superhero, responding to slander with force was out of the question. Destroying Vought would damage not just her reputation but that of the entire Avengers.
Peggy continued, "Even Soldier Boy has been mocking Steve, claiming his wartime achievements were overblown. Steve didn't let it bother him, and neither should you."
At this, Martian Girl chimed in, her eyes lighting up. "What if I infiltrate Vought? I can shapeshift and blend in. I'm sure I could uncover their secrets!"
"No," Kara snapped, her sharp gaze silencing the younger hero. "It's too dangerous. We can't afford to take unnecessary risks right now."
Tony Stark joined the conversation, patting Martian Girl on the shoulder. "Vought is hiding something, no doubt. But we'll deal with them after we handle Darkseid. For now, their antics are a distraction. Let them have their moment in the spotlight.
"Besides," Tony added, "we've just received confirmation. The Saiyans have located Thanos. That's a threat we can't ignore."
Indeed, the Black Robe Enforcers' latest recruits raised concerns. Among them were individuals with traits resembling Atlanteans and Amazons.
While Atlanteans were occasionally encountered due to the proximity of their underwater realm to human territories, acquiring Amazonian DNA was a mystery. Paradise Island was isolated, and Diana had sensed no Olympian power from the so-called Amazon Enforcer.
After a brief encounter, Diana returned to Paradise Island to investigate and ensure no harm had come to her homeland during Steppenwolf's invasion.
Meanwhile, out in space, Robert (Robb) Westeros approached Thanos' ship aboard his craft. He couldn't contain his anticipation after the monotony of interstellar travel, especially given that his only companion—an unconscious Supergiant—remained unresponsive.
As Robb's ship neared Thanos' massive vessel, he finally locked onto the Titan's energy signature. "His energy isn't as overwhelming as I expected," Robb muttered. "Not even as strong as Hulk's at his peak."
However, Robb knew power wasn't solely about energy levels. Mystics like the Ancient One wielded unmatched strength despite their subtle auras.
"What's this?" Robb's attention sharpened as he sensed the Mind Stone on Thanos' ship. Its energy felt unusually calm, unlike the volatile forces he had encountered in the other Infinity Stones.
Curious, Robb decided to confront Thanos directly. He destroyed Supergiant's ship with an energy blast, ensuring no trail could lead back to him.
"Alert! Supergiant's ship has been destroyed," a robotic voice echoed aboard Thanos' flagship.
"Destroyed?" Thanos' brow furrowed. "They encountered an enemy?"
"Head to the coordinates of the explosion," Thanos ordered. "Thor's mind remains under the Mind Stone's influence. He's likely unharmed, but we need to investigate."
"No need. I'm already here," a calm voice interrupted.
Everyone turned to see Robb Westeros, standing confidently before Thanos.
"Saiyan," Thanos growled, his piercing gaze narrowing as he recognized the intruder.
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