As Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf broke free from Earth's atmosphere, they observed a monumental battle raging off their portside between three entities of extraordinary, godlike power. The ship's advanced scanners verified that the destructive energy unleashed in the skirmish far surpassed anything either of them could hope to withstand, compelling them to keep a safe distance from the turmoil.
"Let us return to Lord Thanos with the good news, there is no need to entangle ourselves further in this conflict!" Ebony Maw declared, utilizing his formidable and meticulously honed telekinetic skills to plot a course back toward the main fleet.
Black Dwarf grunted in agreement, settling into his oversized chair, custom-built to accommodate his massive frame, and closing his eyes as he imagined tearing the limbs off of some helpless prey.
The ship accelerated relentlessly, breaking free from Earth's atmosphere and traversing the vast expanse of space to reach a position far beyond Jupiter in a matter of moments. It was only at that point that they dared to engage the ship's faster-than-light (FTL) drive.
As the FTL drive roared to life, the sensors suddenly detected a vessel heading toward Earth. Noticing this, Ebony Maw narrowed his eyes. The ship, though not massive by galactic standards, radiated an aura of domination, its design distinctly menacing and composed of an unfamiliar material.
"How peculiar... wait, what?" Ebony Maw's eyes widened into pinpricks as he observed a figure standing atop the vessel, which was traveling at subluminal speed toward the vibrant blue sphere of Earth.
The figure, barely discernible on the sensors, stood proudly on the highest point of the ship, like a celestial sentinel. He gazed intently in Earth's direction, his expression brimming with excitement that verged on madness.
"Who is this? Some Earthling? No matter, we have our duty to fulfill!" With that declaration, Ebony Maw deactivated the scanner and proceeded to engage the ship's FTL drive. Space faintly distorted around the vessel before it vanished in a brilliant flash of light.
(Above Earth)
BOOM!
CRACK!
SNAP... CRACK!
WHOOSH!
BANG... BANG... BANG!
A relentless clash between three immensely powerful beings continued to reverberate through the very fabric of space, sending shockwaves that rippled across Earth. The Civil War reignited with full force as time on the planet's surface had been reversed, effectively restarting the conflict for everyone except those locked in combat above Earth's atmosphere.
The void quaked.
Blue Marvel's fist struck Hyperion's jaw, detonating a surge of blue anti-matter energy that pierced the abyss like a blazing comet. The shockwave shattered the upper atmosphere, its energy flaring momentarily as a ghostly aurora streaking crimson and cobalt across the heavens before vanishing.
Hyperion barely staggered. With the wrath of a collapsing star, he drove his forearm into Blue Marvel's chest, sending him spiraling through the void. The collision obliterated a decaying satellite, scattering molten debris that spiraled around them in a dazzling storm of fiery fragments.
And then he arrived.
The Sentry materialized between them in a cascade of white-gold brilliance, his velocity distorting gravity itself. His voice rang out, trembling with urgency and fear.
"Stop, both of you! You'll destroy the Earth!"
Hyperion surged forward, fists blazing like solar anvils. The Sentry met his charge, their impact igniting a flash so radiant it seared through the stratosphere, casting jagged shadows across half the continent below.
Blue Marvel steadied himself, his calculations racing alongside his rising anger. "Enough," he growled, his voice resonating through a graviton field. "We are protectors, not conquerors. This planet is not ours to destroy."
Yet his plea was swallowed by the relentless cacophony of clashing titans.
Hyperion drove his knee into Sentry's abdomen, sending him spiraling backward. Sentry's energy aura flickered like a dying star as he halted mid-spin, his golden hair floating weightlessly around him, his eyes blazing with fury.
"I'm done holding back."
The very fabric of space warped around him. His molecular structure began to unravel, raw energy surging outward in chaotic waves that distorted the planet's magnetosphere. Blue Marvel instantly recognized the phenomenon, an uncontrolled molecular cascade.
"Sentry, stop!"
But it was too late. The unleashed blast ripped through the void, annihilating fragments of debris and igniting the remnants of an orbital station. Blue Marvel braced against the force with a shield of anti-matter containment, but the impact sent him hurtling hundreds of meters backward.
Hyperion emerged in a burst of searing gold light, his body radiating nuclear intensity. "Is that the best you've got?!" he roared.
He surged forward, ramming his shoulder into Sentry's chest with explosive force. The collision sent both of them careening into Blue Marvel, the three smashing together in a brilliant detonation of power that rippled outward. Shockwaves shattered atmospheric layers, scattering vibrant auroras across the planet below.
None of them noticed.
None of them noticed the fragile world below, serene, oblivious, untouched, its people blissfully unaware of the war that had been wiped from their collective memory.
All three titans were lost in the moment, driven beyond reason by instinct, fury, and ideology.
Hyperion fought for supremacy.
Blue Marvel fought for control.
The Sentry fought himself.
Every blow, every roar, every burst of energy was a symphony of chaos, reverberating through the infinite void of space.
The darkness around them flared with dazzling light, blue, gold, and white swirling together in a ferocious dance of annihilation, culminating in a single, cataclysmic explosion.
For one fleeting, radiant moment, Earth had three suns.
(Below, at the Airport)
The battlefield sprawled across the tarmac, a tempest of chaos given life, metallic groans mingling with the deafening impacts and the sharp hiss of repulsors slicing through the dense smoke.
At the center of it all, Captain America and Iron Man collided like titans.
Each strike reverberated like a thunderclap, every motion a painful echo of a shattered brotherhood turned into a weapon.
Steve Rogers moved with ruthless precision, his shield crashing into Tony's forearm with a resonant clang. The collision sent a cascade of sparks raining down like fleeting stars.
Tony stumbled back, his HUD flickering as the AI detected a sharp decline in kinetic stability.
FRIDAY: "Warning: vibrational feedback from shield contact, compensating."
Steve allowed no time for recovery. He pressed forward, pivoting low before driving a left hook into Iron Man's helmet, the impact reverberating through the suit like a tolling bell.
Tony groaned, skidding backward as his servos strained under the pressure. "You've always had one hell of a right hook," he muttered, raising his palms just in time to deflect another shield strike.
FRIDAY: "Predictive modeling active. Compiling Rogers' combat patterns, twelve percent complete."
Steve ducked under a repulsor blast that scorched a blazing line across the fractured runway. He retaliated, slamming his shield upward to ricochet off Tony's shoulder, seamlessly catching it mid-spin. His movements were flawless, honed by discipline and sharpened by years of battle-hardened experience distilled into pure instinct.
Tony's systems struggled to adapt, thrusters igniting with renewed determination as he surged forward. But Steve was already there, closing the gap with relentless precision, striking, parrying, countering.
Each blow reverberated louder than the last.
The ground shuddered under the force of their clash as Tony dropped to one knee, Steve standing over him with unwavering resolve, his breath steady, eyes blazing with purpose. "You're not listening, Tony!" he yelled, voice hoarse and raw. "Fear is driving your choices!"
FRIDAY: "Pattern assimilation at forty-three percent. Recalibrating predictive targeting systems."
Tony pushed himself upright, plasma blades igniting with a sharp hiss from his forearms. "Maybe fear is all we have left."
The blades flashed through the air in streaks of blinding light. Steve ducked under the first, deflected the second with his shield, and rammed his shoulder into Tony's chest, sending him crashing into the wreckage of a burning shuttle.
Sparks erupted around them.
Steve advanced through the flames, his figure silhouetted against the roaring fire, shield gleaming with determination. He moved like a soldier who had come to terms with his past.
FRIDAY: "Pattern assimilation at eighty-six percent. Predictive matrix stabilized. Countermeasures ready."
Tony's eyes narrowed inside his HUD. "Execute."
In an instant, Iron Man's movements transformed, sharper, faster, impossibly precise. His counterattacks intercepted Steve's strikes mid-motion, perfectly synchronized. The AI had adapted.
Every swing of the shield met a calculated counterstrike. Every dodge Steve attempted was predicted before it began.
The tide shifted.
Tony unleashed a concussive blast from both palms, the twin beams converging into a single, devastating shockwave that tore through the smoke. Steve raised his shield, bracing himself, but this time, it wasn't enough.
The impact hurled him backward.
He crashed through a heap of debris, tumbling across the fractured runway until he came to a halt amid the wreckage of a transport jet. His shield clattered beside him, spinning once before resting flat on the scorched asphalt.
For a moment, everything was still.
The acrid air shimmered with heat and dust as Iron Man advanced, his armor hissing with residual steam.
FRIDAY: "Rogers' vitals, unconscious. Pulse stable."
Tony exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing. The repulsors dimmed, and the fiery glow inside his helmet softened to a faint flicker.
He gazed down at his fallen comrade, his brother in arms.
"Damn it, Steve…" he murmured, his voice cracking ever so slightly beneath the modulation. "Why didn't you just stop?"
In the distance, a low rumble echoed, not from above, but from something far more profound, something primordial.
Unnoticed by either of them, faint distortions of fractured reality shimmered on the horizon.
The world had been rewritten… but consequences, like fractures in glass, always found a way to endure.
Amid the chaos of the airport battlefield, the world burned in a storm of destruction.
Smoke billowed across shattered tarmac as flames reflected off mangled steel and shards of broken glass. The cacophony of war engulfed the air, repulsors whined, bullets ricocheted, and metal clashed violently.
At the heart of the chaos, Bucky Barnes stood face-to-face with the Black Panther.
They moved with predatory precision, swift, silent, deadly.
CLANG!
T'Challa's claws slashed through the air, their vibranium edges glowing with a menacing light. Bucky's metal arm rose instinctively to defend—
SHRRRIP!
Sparks flew as the claws gouged deep grooves into the titanium, the sound shrieking like nails on a chalkboard. The force sent Bucky skidding backward, his boots grinding against the fractured concrete.
The pain was immediate, sharp, searing, electric.
T'Challa stalked forward, every step deliberate, his presence radiating vengeance. "You cannot escape what you've done," he growled, his voice low and filled with fury.
Bucky's jaw tightened as he steadied his breath, ragged but resolute. "I'm not running."
He lunged forward, his human fist aimed squarely at the king's jaw. T'Challa sidestepped with effortless precision, retaliating with an elbow strike to Bucky's ribs. The impact reverberated with a harsh crack.
Bucky grimaced, pivoting swiftly to drive his metal arm at the Panther's midsection. But SHHHK! Those razor-sharp claws intercepted, etching another deep gash into the reinforced alloy.
Each blow left fresh wounds.
Each deflection cost him more of the arm.
The servos groaned, sparks cascading from shattered panels. Loose wires fizzled in the heat, exposed and writhing. Every motion of the arm became a battle, the limb jerking erratically, its once-mighty strength ebbing.
Bucky clenched his jaw, throwing a wild, desperate punch. The Panther snared it, wrenching the arm backward with a metallic shriek, then delivered a forceful kick to his chest.
Bucky hurtled backward, colliding with the remains of a transport cart. Glass shards erupted around him in a glittering storm.
Slowly, he dragged himself upright, his battered arm sparking and faltering. Pain lanced through his chest, each breath a struggle against protesting ribs. Yet his eyes, icy, piercing, unyielding, remained locked on T'Challa.
"You should have stayed hidden," the king growled, stepping forward, his claws glowing faintly with a purple hue as his suit absorbed the kinetic energy.
"Guess I'm not great at hiding," Bucky muttered, his voice low and edged with a growl.
He hurled a chunk of wreckage at T'Challa, using the brief distraction to charge. His metal fist arced wide, missing, and the Panther retaliated with a swift spinning backhand, his claws slashing across Bucky's face.
Blood spattered.
T'Challa didn't hesitate. He struck again, once, twice, each blow slicing deeper into the cybernetic arm until his vibranium claws cleaved through it entirely.
RIP!
The arm split apart at the elbow joint, torn open in a violent spark of light and metal. The limb jerked spasmodically before falling limp, smoke and sparks pouring from the ruined socket.
Bucky collapsed to one knee, clutching the sparking stump with his remaining hand. Pain coursed through him, a jagged mixture of nerves, electricity, and memory.
T'Challa stood tall over him, his breath steady beneath the mask. "Justice will be served," he said coldly, raising his claws for the final strike.
SWIPT!
Before T'Challa could strike with his claws, his arm was suddenly ensnared in a glowing blue web. The Wakandan king narrowed his eyes as he realized his claws struggled to cut through the strange material. "What sorcery is this?" T'Challa muttered under his breath as he finally managed to sever one of the threads with great effort.
SWIPT!
SWIPT!
More webbing rapidly encased Black Panther's limbs, halting his advance. Suddenly, a skinny young man clad in subtly glowing blue and red tights appeared between him and Bucky.
"Dude, is that a metal arm? That is so cool!" Peter exclaimed, staring in awe at Bucky's mechanical limb, leaving the Winter Soldier utterly perplexed.
SLICE!
The sharp sound of Black Panther slicing through the webbing reverberated across the airfield, and Peter's spider-senses tingled, alerting him to the looming danger.
With effortless agility, Peter dodged T'Challa's swift strikes, including a claw aimed directly at his neck. In response, he shot another strand of his remarkably tough webbing, ensnaring T'Challa's arm. With a light tug, Peter spun the Wakandan king in several dizzying circles before T'Challa finally cut himself free. His momentum sent him hurtling across the distance, only to be stopped by another webbing strand attached to his foot.
"Oh no..." T'Challa groaned, just as Peter yanked him back with formidable strength. Bracing for the clash, T'Challa unleashed the built-up kinetic energy of his suit, causing its surface to glow with vibrant, royal purple lines of power.
Peter extended his hands, effortlessly halting the deadly claws in mid-air and immobilizing Black Panther's upper body despite his relentless efforts to break free.
"Release me, fool!" T'Challa bellowed in fury, thrashing wildly in defiance. Yet, in his desperate struggle, he remained oblivious to the fact that he was being securely encased in the same powerful energy threads Peter had summoned before, wrapping him tightly like a cocoon.
Soon, Peter stood atop the massive cocoon and gave Bucky a cheeky thumbs up, causing Bucky to scratch his head in embarrassment.
Peter crouched low on the shattered runway, his chest heaving as tendrils of smoke curled around him. The acrid air carried the tang of ozone and scorched metal.
His spider-sense screamed, a deep, primal warning that blurred his vision and sent adrenaline surging through his veins.
"Oh no… what now?"
The feeling hit him like a wave.
Something immense, seething, and fractured.
An emotional storm that clawed at his nerves like living, crackling electricity.
He looked up, and his breath caught in his throat as the heavens themselves bled crimson.
Wanda hovered above the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably, her eyes blazing with an unnatural scarlet fury. Around her, reality splintered and warped, shattering like glass struck by lightning. The air rippled with fractured dimensions, torn apart by the devastating force of her unrestrained power.
In her arms, Pietro's body floated limply, weightless and eerily still. Lifeless.
Wanda's lips quivered as she pressed a trembling hand over his heart. "Wake up, please," she pleaded, her voice cracking with desperation.
Her power wavered, pulsing erratically like a sob that shook the very fabric of existence.
"You promised you'd run," she whispered, her voice breaking into a shattered cry. A single tear slipped down her cheek, evaporating into crimson mist. "You promised you'd never stop running..."
And then, something inside her broke.
Her grief coiled, darkened, and transformed into something raw, something unstoppable.
The energy around her exploded outward, a crimson shockwave of chaos ripping through the upper atmosphere, shattering satellites and warping light into impossible, otherworldly shapes. From the vastness of space, it resembled a blood-red supernova blossoming against Earth's fragile orbit.
Raven emerged within the storm, her cloak thrashing violently in the tempest. The empath's eyes widened in shock as the torrent of raw anguish hit her, a grief so overpowering and visceral that it threatened to crush her own heart.
She extended her soul-self, the enormous shadowy raven materializing behind her, its wings spanning miles of the turbulent heavens. Its presence tempered the chaos slightly, casting a protective psychic shield between Wanda and the vulnerable world below.
"Wanda, hear me," Raven called, her voice cutting through the telepathic gale, a steady anchor amidst the storm. "He isn't truly gone. You can still feel him, can't you? His energy, his essence, it's still with you."
But Wanda's reply was a scream.
A scream that shook the very heavens.
Her eyes burned with unbridled scarlet light, and the air between them ignited as raw Chaos Magic erupted, slamming toward Raven with the unyielding fury of a wounded god.
Raven lifted her hand, her soul-self absorbing the majority of the energy, though the force still tore through her defenses. Agony surged through her chest as blood trickled down her chin.
"He's dead!" Wanda screamed, her voice fracturing into shards of echoing grief. "Because of them! Because of all of you!"
Raven winced, summoning every ounce of her empathy to battle against the raging storm.
"No, Wanda. He's not dead, you're drowning in your pain. I understand this feeling."
The crimson magic faltered for a fleeting moment, just long enough for Raven to reach out, her energy brushing against Wanda's aura with the tenderness of a mother soothing a frightened child.
"You don't want to destroy the world," Raven murmured, her voice soft, melodic, and tinged with sorrow. "You just want the pain to end."
Wanda's breath caught, her chest heaving as the storm momentarily calmed.
But then her gaze fell upon Pietro's lifeless body, and something raw and primal shattered within her.
The Chaos Magic surged once more, erupting like the death throes of a collapsing star.
Miles away, Zatanna felt the surge rippling through the very fabric of reality. Her spells, already stretched thin, strained to maintain the illusion that held Vision captive. The labyrinth quaked beneath the shockwave, threatening to collapse entirely as the crimson storm erupted outward.
"No, no, no, stay with me, Vision!" she shouted, her voice urgent as she bolstered her enchantments with a flurry of incantations. "Kcar reven lliw niaga!"
The mirrored illusion flickered violently. Vision's eyes widened, his senses reaching through the spell to Wanda's anguish. "She's in pain. I must—"
"You can't!" Zatanna interrupted sharply, summoning another glowing sigil with both hands. "If you go to her now, she'll destroy you, and take the world down with you!"
The labyrinth sealed once more, imprisoning Vision in place even as he fought against it, golden energy surging beneath his skin.
Zatanna turned her focus to the raging storm above, sweat streaming down her face. "Hold her, Raven… just a little longer."
Wanda screamed once more, clutching Pietro's lifeless body tightly to her chest.
"He's gone! Don't you dare tell me otherwise!"
Her anguish exploded outward, releasing a surge of Chaos that shattered the very fabric of reality—time twisting, stars warping. The clouds unraveled into spirals of crimson dust, disintegrating under the force.
Raven was thrown back, her cloak scorched, her aura flickering precariously in the storm. Yet, she pressed on, wounded, drained, but unyielding.
"Wanda… you're not alone," she rasped, her voice raw. "Let me help you carry this."
Her soul-self ignited once more, the immense raven wrapping around Wanda's chaotic energy, striving to absorb her agony, to share the unbearable weight.
For a brief, fragile moment, their minds intertwined.
Raven glimpsed Wanda's memories, Sokovia engulfed in flames, Pietro grinning amidst the turmoil, her trembling hands cradling his head as life slipped away.
And Wanda saw Raven's own torment, the shadow of her father, the darkness lurking within, the unending terror of becoming the very thing she despised.
Their tears mingled in the emptiness between them.
Two shattered souls grasping desperately at the faint glimmer of hope that remained.
Then, stillness.