Ed POV
"Za Warudo!" I shouted.
"You know time powers don't work on me," Thaldris said flatly, not even flinching. "And you don't have to say it out loud to activate it."
"I know," I smirked, "but saying it is fun, and the more I use the power, the longer I can freeze time."
It's been 94 years. Ninety-four years of training, fighting, getting my ass kicked—and I'm still trying to land a clean win against the literal Goddess of War.
Right now, I'm using my Stand to fight her. Yeah, my Stand can use Haki. You heard that right. We've been double-teaming her with a barrage of punches. You might think it's cheap. jumping someone in a fight, but let me remind you: she's a freaking war god. This is survival.
Even with all the crazy power combos I've come up with, she adapts within seconds. I've never seen anyone learn that fast and hit that hard. I've managed to get a lot of hits off lately, but never—never—a true victory.
Take my sand power for example. I turned my body into pure sand, made a hundred giant fists, covered them in Haki, and launched them at her like missiles. She dodged and reflected them all. From my point of view, she's basically got Ultra Instinct.
I tried to change it up. Charged up a Cruel Sun and threw it right at her. She dodged again, of course, and blitzed toward me like a rocket. She started wailing on me with punches. I blocked them, barely. The World jumped in and hit her with a barrage of Haki-infused strikes.
She didn't even flinch. Blocked every single one of them with one hand. I tried to sneak in an attack with the opening, and with her free hand, she decked me in the face. I went flying.
But I wasn't out. I used the momentum to launch myself higher into the sky, then started firing a combo of shockwaves and miniature suns.
This was my newest fusion: Nikyu Nikyu no Mi mixed with Concussion Power and Sunshine. I called it: Sun-Paw Barrage.
And even with all of that... she was still smiling.
She dodged every last one of them. I wasn't surprised, but I was ready. As she flew straight at me like a missile, a radiant yellow aura suddenly flared to life around me. Then—BOOM—I shot off in a completely different direction, leaving behind a golden streak of light.
Now, if you're wondering what that was, that was my mutant ability. Yeah, I awakened it a couple of years ago, and let me tell you, it's a game changer.
It's insanely powerful. When that golden aura surrounds me, everything gets boosted: my strength, my speed, my reflexes, even some of my powers get a power-up. It's like going Super Saiyan, but with more control. My senses sharpen to a crazy degree, I can react to attacks before they're even fully thrown.
But that's not all. I learned I can share this power. I can transfer a portion of my aura to others, temporarily boosting them too. And if I really focus, I can stop the aura from wrapping around me and instead condense it into a single, devastating energy blast.
It's not just raw strength; it's adaptable. And right now? I was going to need every last bit of it.
It didn't take her long to catch up. Within seconds, she was right behind me, and we were blitzing through the air, clashing mid-flight. Punches flew like lightning bolts, shockwaves rippling through the sky with each collision. One thing I've learned over the years, Thaldris isn't exactly a master of aerial combat… but she adapts fast. Like scary fast.
"You've gotten way better since the last time," she said, deflecting my punch and countering with one that cracked the sky behind me. "Especially with that mutant ability of yours."
"Thanks," I grunted, dodging to the side and firing off a blast of golden energy. She weaved around it effortlessly and smacked it right back at me. "It's like second nature now, like all my powers."
We kept trading hits mid-air, but I could feel it; she was landing more blows than me. Mine were just keeping her busy.
"You're getting desperate," she smirked. "Got any more tricks? I'm ready to end this."
And that's when I knew she was about to crank it up, not her full power, but enough to finish the fight with either a knockout or enough pain to make me take a long nap.
"All right," I said, floating in place, my fists clenched, lightning arcing around me. "I think I've got enough now."
Her confident expression twitched, just a little. Confusion. Curiosity. She could feel it.
I activated my mutant ability and pushed it beyond its normal limit. And then I layered it with everything I had, Sunshine, Burn, 100 Justice, Armament Haki, Chi, Thunder Breathing, One For All, and Iron Dragon Slayer magic.
My body surged, muscles bulged, veins glowed green, and arcs of lightning danced across my arms. My aura exploded outward, radiant and golden, my skin turning to iron, layered with dense Haki so dark it shimmered like obsidian in the sunlight. I was a living engine of destruction.
This was it. The moment I'd been waiting for all day.
I'd been collecting every ounce of pain she dished out. Every broken bone, every bruise, every drop of blood, feeding my fighting spirit. After nearly all day in this timeless void, it was blazing at its peak. My strength now was nothing short of monstrous.
But I knew the truth, this wouldn't last long.
So I grit my teeth, locked eyes with the Goddess of War…
…and charged.
We charged at each other, full force, and the moment we clashed, a massive shockwave exploded outward, ripping through the sky like thunder made solid. The sheer pressure cracked the air around us.
I didn't stop.
I unleashed a barrage of blows, fists flying like a machine gun. And for the first time since we started this never-ending battle, I was landing hits. Real hits. Not just grazing her or faking her out. Actual, solid punches.
She blocked a few, dodged a couple, but more and more kept getting through.
For a moment, I let myself believe—just maybe—this was the breakthrough. Maybe I could win.
But then—
She vanished.
I blinked—too late.
I looked up and there she was, winding up, her fist glowing with raw power, wrapped in golden energy. Her eyes locked onto me like a hawk.
"Shit."
She rocketed toward me faster than I could react, and boom.
Her punch hit me dead in the face, and everything went black.
Thaldris POV
I carried Ed back to the living area, his body limp in my arms, but still buzzing with residual energy.
I won the fight, again, but this one?
This one was different.
That shockwave we created when we collided, it was no joke. And those hits? Ed landed twenty-two punches on me.
Twenty-two.
He's never done that before. Usually, it's one. Maybe two. Three if he's lucky and I'm distracted.
But twenty-two?
That wasn't luck. That was raw determination. That was skill, effort, growth.
He actually caught me off guard today… and I don't say that lightly.
As I laid him gently on the couch, I couldn't help but smile.
"You're getting stronger, little brother. And damn it… I'm proud of you."
"I'm pretty impressed he managed to combine all those powers," Zabrie said.
"That would be his mutant ability. I have to say, it's pretty impressive," Crystal added.
"What are you talking about? His mutant ability just powers him up. How can that help him combine all those powers?" Zabrie asked, confused.
"You're really not paying attention at all, are you?" Crystal said, shaking her head. "That aura? That's just one part of it. The real power of his mutant ability is adaptability. But instead of adapting his body, it adapts his powers. It mixes them perfectly and makes sure there's no conflict between them. Do you really think a normal person with all those different energies in their body wouldn't have exploded by now? That's all thanks to his mutant ability. I'm pretty sure he activated it a long time ago and just never noticed. The aura's probably just a side effect."
"Wow… his mutant ability is really perfect for him then," Zabrie said, surprised.
"Indeed, they are," I said, looking at Ed.
Peter Parker POV
I'm swinging around the city, just doing my usual patrol, when all of a sudden, I hear this deep rumbling. I land on a rooftop, and the rumbling just gets stronger. At first, I thought it was an earthquake, New York's had crazier things, but then I heard it...A loud, bone-shaking roar.
It came from just down the street. I swung over as fast as I could, and what I saw nearly made me stop mid-air.
A giant monster, massive, ugly, and pissed, stomping through the street, destroying everything in its path. Cars were flipped, buildings were crumbling, and... I think I saw some bodies. Dead bodies.
Yeah. This was bad.
I immediately tapped my comms."Calling all Web-Warriors and Vanguard. We've got a serious problem in New York. Giant monster. Lots of destruction. Civilians down. I don't think me or my team can handle this alone. I repeat, we need backup now."
I cut the line and dove straight into action. Because whether I've got backup or not, I can't just stand by. Not while people are in danger.
"Copy that, Peter," Gamma's voice came through my earpiece. "But that's not the only monster showing up. They're popping up in major cities all over the world. All other heroes are already engaged. I suggest you and the Web-Warriors stick to rescue. If you can't take it down, don't fight it."
"What?! Where's Arsenal?" I said while swinging in and grabbing three people who were about to get crushed by falling rubble. I barely got them out in time.
That's when another voice came in—Peggy.
"Peter, this is Peggy. Everything started happening at once. We don't know how or why. Ed's inside a strange building that popped up in the middle of all this. It's sealed shut. We can't open it, can't scan it, nothing."
I gritted my teeth, webbing another beam to keep it from falling on a trapped cab.
"I'm sending backup to your location right now."
"Okay," I said, panting. "Please make it quick. A lot of people are dying out here… and I can't save them all by myself."
Peggy Carter POV
"All Vanguard members, emergency meeting! All non-active members report to the meeting room now!" I said over the intercom.
I don't know what the hell is going on, but monsters just started popping up in major cities around the world. This isn't natural. Sure, we've had monsters show up from time to time, but this? All at once? This was definitely planned.
The door opened and the rest of the team came in—Bang, Battle Beast, Isaac McDougal, Siegfried, Tracer, Anissa, Plo Koon, Steve, Marco, Laura, Pietro, and Wanda.
"Alright," I said, pacing to the front of the room. "I'm sure you're all wondering what's going on, and I'll explain as best I can. Monsters are attacking major cities across the globe, and I don't think this is random. I'm going to be running Overwatch and sending each of you to key locations."
I looked around the room, meeting each of their eyes.
"Once you're done taking out the threats, I'll assign you to new targets immediately. Don't worry about cleanup or rescue—robots will handle that. Your only job is to stop the monsters. Clear?"
Everyone nodded, and the room tensed with focus.
"Good. Let's move."
"Wait a minute," Anissa said, raising her hand slightly.
"We don't have time to waste," I snapped. "Every minute we sit here, more people die."
"I know," she replied calmly, "but… where's Ed?"
I paused, then sighed. "He's inside some strange building. Cameras showed that after he summoned someone and pushed her through a portal, he walked outside and summoned a white structure. I tried opening it, but no luck. I sent a few robots to scan it and monitor the area. Honestly? I don't think he's in any danger."
"That's all I needed to know," Anissa said with a nod.
With that, the group moved to the teleportation room. I turned back toward the control panel, working alongside Gamma as we activated all available robots to assist in search, rescue, and cleanup.
Time to move. The world was burning, and we had monsters to kill.