Lightning rippled across the violet sky, the ground fracturing beneath the weight of forces beyond comprehension. Dust and light intermingled, forming a storm that devoured sound itself.
The Avengers materialized within the shimmering dome with Vermont's help—disoriented but standing. Energy still crackled faintly around them as the teleportation field dissolved.
Before anyone could speak, they noticed four figures.
A lavender-haired warrior in Time Patrol armor, sword slung over his back, stood at the front—Trunks. Behind him loomed Bardock and Raditz, both radiating a raw, battle-hardened energy that made even Thor's skin prickle. Between them hovered a small girl—no older than ten—her eyes a brilliant blue, her hair black and weightless.
Tony's helmet retracted, his eyes sweeping over the group. "I'll be honest… after everything we've seen, I stopped thinking 'impossible' was still a word. Guess I was wrong."
Trunks' eyes narrowed at first, assessing the new arrivals. "They're not hostiles," he said, tone clipped but confident. His gaze turned to Gohan. "New recruits?"
Gohan shrugged. "From the Abyss. They were trapped."
At that, Trunks' expression softened. "Then they owe you their sanity. I'm surprised the mist didn't get them first."
Raditz snorted. "Heh. They don't seem that strong."
Bardock crossed his arms, his voice gravelly but calm. "They've been through something. You can see it in their eyes." He glanced toward the Avengers.
Steve gave a small nod. "Something like that."
The girl floated a little closer, peering curiously at Tony's armor. "Are you… a machine person?"
Tony blinked. "Half right, kid. I'm the guy who built the machine person."
That earned a faint smile from her. "You look and feel tired."
"Yeah," Tony said quietly, the girl looked at him curiously but she had no idea. 'That's the most accurate thing anyone's told me all week.' Tony thought to himself.
Before more could be said, the ground trembled beneath them. The sky above flared gold and green—two lights colliding with enough force to warp the horizon itself.
The young girls head snapped upward. "They're still going! I want to join!" Gohan immediately placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from trying anything, she drooped a bit.
Gohan's gaze followed Diana. "I've seen this before," he murmured. "It's her divinity being unleashed by…"
"Rage," Vermont finished, his tone even. "Or perhaps guilt. Either can masquerade as power… for a time."
The shockwave from the clash rippled through the barrier surrounding them, and the Avengers instinctively braced. Through the haze, Diana burst forth—radiant, incandescent, every movement burning with unrestrained purpose. Opposite her, Strix rose—blood trailing from her ear, her calm unbroken yet her Ki was wild and overflowing.
Thor gripped Mjolnir tighter. "She fights like a storm given form."
Gohan's voice was steady. "She's what I used to be—before I learned restraint."
Tony glanced sideways at him. "That's the kind of line that usually ends with property damage."
Gohan didn't answer. His eyes stayed locked on the battle. "She fights without mercy. Before I met her, she didn't even know what that word meant."
The sky fractured again as divine energies tore through the air. Diana and Strix met in the center, aura against aura—gold fire and emerald flame. Each impact seemed to rewrite the landscape for an instant.
Natasha spoke quietly, her eyes following every motion she could follow. "Who will win?"
Gohan hesitated. "Winning," he said, "might not be what either of them is trying to do."
Below them, the storm fell silent. Two silhouettes stood amid the haze, unmoving save for the trembling air between them.
"She's conscious," Gohan murmured. "Even here, in the midst of battle… she's never been able to maintain control before." Diana smirked—her divinity, though partially released, had been tamed.
He noticed the single broken bracelet glinting in the dust. "Her power was suppressed by those. A conduit of sorts."
Tony frowned. "Yeah, that's one hell of a failsafe to take off mid-fight."
Vermont's voice was low, reverent. "And yet… she's learning. Through pain, through defiance—that is how gods are born."
Diana smirked as she crouched low.
"Ka…" A familiar chant began.
"Me…" A purple orb formed between her palms, releasing a high-pitched whistle that rattled the very ground beneath her. The pressure created a small indent as her aura wrapped tightly around her form. The energy then began to drain into her palm, the orb dripping like liquid light.
She clenched her jaw as the orb swirled violently. Flashes of blue light sliced the ground around her. "Ha…" Her control was slipping—thin cuts began appearing across her body.
Strix slammed her hands together, her aura blazing. The energy around her gathered as she raised her hands to her forehead, forming a golden orb against her emerald aura. "Masenko…"
"Me…" Gohan's eyes widened in surprise as he stepped forward. "When did they learn those techniques?"
"Ha!" they yelled in unison. Their roars unleashed immense shockwaves, each beam pressing forward with tidal force. The ground shattered as the dimension itself began to quake uncontrollably.
Tony exhaled through his teeth. "And I thought our training sessions got intense."
Thor smiled faintly. "You jest, Stark—but there is reverence in your tone."
Tony didn't deny it.
"Well, my lord," Vermont started as the sky began to collapse, "when beams of equal power collide, the reaction mirrors their force—an infinite feedback loop. It seems they've become powerful enough to destroy a universe-sized body just by clashing together."
Diana and Strix kept pushing until the energy grew unstable. Cracks formed around the group; light bled through them as the world itself began to fracture and fall into darkness.
Breaking free from the clash, Strix grinned as her power surged even higher. She charged at Diana, stomping straight through a crack in reality and shattering the shard. Diana smirked back and caught her foot, flipping her overhead. Strix used the spin to her advantage—she pulled her legs in, explosively increasing her speed. In an instant, she had already repositioned herself perfectly; as she spun around, both legs extended, landing a thunderous blow.
Diana recoiled as blood escaped her nose, but her warrior spirit refused to let her lose sight of Strix. She brought her leg up and delivered a bone-shattering kick to her opponent's back.
The two were blasted apart, only to vanish—leaving trails of gold and emerald light as they clashed repeatedly, smashing through a moon before Diana appeared above Strix with a dropkick. The force sent Strix hurtling into a gas giant.
The planet vanished in a puff of cosmic vapor as Strix countered with three heavy blows to Diana, then spun her around and launched her away—a move she had learned personally from Lord Gohan.
Diana slammed into a moon, breaking it apart on impact. Strix appeared from the opposite side, aiming a brutal dropkick—only to pass straight through an afterimage.
"They appear to be heading right toward the living world," Vermont noted, tapping his staff to make their battle visible once more.
"Shouldn't you stop them?" Rhodey asked.
Thor turned to him with wide eyes. "And deny the maidens of war this glorious battle? That would surely be a most egregious act."
Vermont didn't move. "No," he said. "This is their crucible. And should it go too far—" he lifted his staff slightly, the faint shimmer of divine energy flowing from it "—I will undo the damage."
Natasha glanced at him. "You can undo this?"
"Do over," he replied simply. "Time bends to balance. But growth cannot be granted—it must be earned."
Steve's eyes followed the battle on the screen. "So, this is training."
Vermont nodded once. "A lesson in what even gods fear to confront—themselves."
"I suppose this is just the level they train at now," Gohan said with a shrug. He hadn't realized Diana had so much power locked away—and Strix… He turned his gaze to her. She's definitely still holding back, but she's come quite far, he thought, impressed.
Another shockwave hit. The nearby stars blinked out. Yet through it all, Vermont stood unmoved—calm, certain, almost proud.
The Avengers said nothing more. There was nothing to add.