"Huh? How did he manage that?" The Avengers exchanged glances, puzzled by the change in the Mother Boxes.
Victor Stone's strength had been thoroughly tested by the Avengers, and outside of his ability to interface with the digital world, his physical combat power was considered weaker than even their standard-issue combat armor. Yet now, he had accomplished something that even Diana, Kara, and Thor together couldn't achieve. This was beyond their expectations.
"It's probably related to his abilities. He became what he is now because of the Mother Boxes, so maybe he can communicate with or partially control them," Tony Stark suggested, quickly deducing the connection between Victor's powers and his origins.
"I can't do it alone! I've managed to suppress the energy field between the Mother Boxes, but you'll need to pull them apart in different directions!" Victor shouted, straining under the effort. While his abilities were derived from the Mother Box, this didn't mean he had full control over it.
It was similar to Moon Knight's relationship with the Egyptian god Khonshu—while his powers came from Khonshu, he couldn't turn the tables and control the deity. For Victor to even influence the Mother Boxes at all was already impressive.
"Let's help!" Though the Mother Boxes weren't particularly large, the Avengers, the Green Lantern Corps, and the students of Kamar-Taj all joined forces.
The scene was both chaotic and awe-inspiring. The Green Lantern Corps and the Kamar-Taj students, despite their differing sources of power, employed strikingly similar techniques.
The stronger Kamar-Taj sorcerers used the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to bind the Mother Boxes, while the less experienced conjured energy whips to hold them in place. Similarly, the Green Lanterns used their power rings to create various constructs of chains and ropes. Both groups began pulling the Mother Boxes apart in opposite directions, filling the underground chamber with a dazzling interplay of green and fiery orange light.
Had Steppenwolf been in a clear state of mind, he would have been shocked that Victor could influence the Mother Boxes at all. He might even have broken free from the Hulk's relentless assault to interrupt the Avengers' efforts.
But Steppenwolf's mind was consumed by the Rage Energy, and his focus was entirely on battling Hulk. Even though he had inflicted countless wounds on the green giant, he was still far from satisfied.
"Let's help pull them apart!" Tony Stark directed the Avengers to assist the Green Lanterns and the Kamar-Taj students. Since few Avengers had abilities suited for restraining the Mother Boxes, they lent their strength to the Lanterns and sorcerers. Meanwhile, Thor, Kara, and Diana each grabbed hold of one of the boxes and pushed them in different directions.
The Mother Boxes were incredibly resilient. Even with the combined might of so many powerful beings, they didn't separate immediately. However, the force binding them together began to weaken, and the trend toward merging started to reverse. Slowly but surely, the boxes were being pulled apart, giving everyone hope.
As time dragged on, Hulk and Steppenwolf's battle intensified. The earth-shaking clash was kept in check only because Earth's structural integrity had been reinforced and because their fight remained mostly physical, with minimal energy blasts. Otherwise, the planet would have been obliterated long ago.
Despite his immense strength, Hulk wasn't dominating the fight. In fact, he had been at a disadvantage from the start. While his Rage Energy affected Steppenwolf, the Apokoliptian warrior's raw power exceeded Hulk's expectations.
Steppenwolf was an elite even among Elder God-level beings. If Kara hadn't ambushed him earlier, she wouldn't have been able to send him flying so easily. His thorn-like spiked armor, resembling his own skin, was particularly troublesome. Unlike vibranium's reflective shockwaves, Steppenwolf's armor was purely sharp and sturdy, causing significant damage to Hulk, who relied heavily on his fists.
Additionally, Steppenwolf's giant axe wasn't ordinary. Only Hulk's unbreakable bones prevented the axe from slicing him in half on several occasions.
Fortunately, Hulk's powers weren't to be underestimated. As the battle dragged on, his anger fueled his strength, durability, and energy output, allowing him to grow stronger over time. Eventually, Steppenwolf's spiked armor could no longer harm Hulk, and only the axe posed a threat—but it was no longer enough to kill him.
Had Steppenwolf been in his right mind, he might have devised another strategy. But under the influence of Rage Energy, his sole focus was splitting Hulk in two.
"We're almost there!" Tony Stark's excited voice rang out as the fight reached its climax. The Avengers, Green Lanterns, and Kamar-Taj sorcerers had managed to weaken the pull between the three Mother Boxes significantly.
With a loud bang, the combined forces of Kara, Diana, Thor, and the others finally succeeded in separating the boxes. They were flung into three different directions, landing far apart.
"Phew!" Everyone exhaled deeply, gasping for breath. The intense effort and pressure had drained them, but they had succeeded in splitting the Mother Boxes.
"Don't relax just yet! There's still one major threat left!" Steve Rogers was the first to recover, quickly reminding everyone as he turned his attention to Steppenwolf.
"Something's wrong!" Victor Stone suddenly shouted in alarm. One of the scattered Mother Boxes emitted a strange glow before vanishing into thin air.
"What just happened?" Tony Stark's brow furrowed as he turned to Victor, knowing he was the only one who might understand what had occurred.
"I don't know, but some energy from the Mother Box just disappeared!" Victor said grimly.
No sooner had Victor spoken than a glint of light flickered in Steppenwolf's eyes. In an instant, he broke free from the Rage Energy's influence, regaining his composure.
"What?! You actually managed to separate the Mother Boxes?!" Steppenwolf exclaimed in disbelief as he noticed the three scattered boxes. His shock revealed to the Avengers where the missing energy from the boxes had gone.
Before Steppenwolf could act, Hulk took advantage of his distraction and sent him flying with a brutal punch.
"Hulk hates fighters who lose focus!" Hulk growled, standing his ground and glaring at Steppenwolf.
But Steppenwolf ignored the taunt. Rising to his feet, he turned his gaze to Victor Stone.
"You! You're the defective being that managed to influence the Mother Boxes?" Steppenwolf's focus shifted entirely to Victor, recalling the earlier events despite his Rage-fueled haze. The massive disturbance caused by Victor's intervention was impossible to ignore.
Steppenwolf charged at Victor with reckless abandon.
"I've got him!" Thor, thrilled at the chance to fight Steppenwolf, intercepted the charge. He swung Mjolnir with all his might, slamming it into Steppenwolf and sending him flying.
Clang!
Crack!
What happened next shocked everyone. Steppenwolf didn't resist Thor's attack; instead, he allowed himself to be hit, using the moment to hurl his axe toward Victor. The weapon cleaved through Victor's metallic body, slicing him in half and leaving him sprawled on the ground, his eyes flickering dimly.
"Victor!" Several Avengers shouted in alarm. Though Victor hadn't been an original member of the team, he had become a close ally and proven his worth time and again. Seeing him injured enraged them, and they unleashed a barrage of attacks on Steppenwolf.
"Open a portal! Get Victor out of here!" Tony Stark was one of the few who remained calm, knowing Victor's unique physiology meant this injury wasn't necessarily fatal.
"I'm fine. Just make sure the Mother Boxes don't merge again!" Victor struggled to speak, his remaining arm clawing at the ground as he urged the team to remain vigilant.
"Don't worry. He won't get another chance!" Tony assured him. With JARVIS and Silas Stone's help, Victor's father, he would recover quickly. Tony carried Victor's lower half through the portal, sending him to the Avengers' base for immediate repairs.
However, neither Tony nor Victor noticed the strange shift in Steppenwolf's behavior. As the Avengers continued their assault, Steppenwolf suddenly shed his spiked armor and allowed Diana to decapitate him with her sword.
"What's going on? Why did his armor fall off?" Diana asked, her instincts screaming that something was amiss.
Despite his apparent death, the Avengers couldn't shake the feeling that Steppenwolf's actions were deliberate. Why would such a powerful warrior willingly let himself be killed? Did he lose hope of conquering Earth, or was there a hidden agenda?
"Better destroy his body completely, just in case!" Kara suggested, recalling Robert's usual approach to enemies. Her eyes glowed red as she began disintegrating Steppenwolf's remains.
Others joined in, unleashing various energy attacks to ensure his body was obliterated.
"Is it over now?" Johnny Storm asked cautiously, staring at the scorched remnants on the ground.
"I don't know. I didn't detect anything unusual," Kara replied, scanning the surroundings with her vision.
Everyone else also searched for signs of danger but found nothing.
Hum! Suddenly, a faint vibration echoed through the chamber. Unseen energies began flowing into the three scattered Mother Boxes, causing them to hum ominously. The boxes lifted into the air and began merging again—this time at an even faster rate.
For a fleeting moment, everyone thought they saw Steppenwolf's spirit shimmering above the boxes, as if his soul was guiding their fusion.
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