A chain of explosions boomed from deep inside Surtur's body. Gouts of magma sprayed; within the blaze a vicious long blade thrashed and pinwheeled madly.
Corvus Glaive.
Even swallowed whole, he was hacking and tearing at everything he could reach.
Rip. Ruin. Shred.
His power raged—but Surtur, fused with the Eternal Flame, was no longer a creature you could carve apart from the inside. His body was a living furnace. No amount of thrashing would change that.
"No—! I am Corvus—! I don't die here!"
Corvus howled inside the fire giant's belly. Lava surged in from all directions, eating him down to bare bone.
But as long as that hideous war-blade remained in his grasp, he kept knitting back together—again and again.
"His life force is that strong?!"
Thor stared, slack-jawed. Even inside a fire giant, the wretch wouldn't die at once.
"Hm…"
Loki's brow creased. He watched Corvus struggle for a long beat, then a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. His fingers idly stroked the Royal Scepter.
"It's the blade. His regeneration is tethered to it. Surtur—destroy his sword."
"At once."
The lava tides suddenly found a target. Guided by Surtur's will, torrents of molten fire roared down and smashed toward the weapon in Corvus's hands.
"No—! Don't!!"
The scream went ragged with panic.
Corvus hunched over the blade to shield it. Magma sheeted over him, stripping away the meat in an instant. Under Surtur's control the flood hammered on, breaking down everything in its path—then slamming straight into the weapon.
Crack—
A hairline fissure crawled across the steel.
Corvus convulsed. Terror flooded his eyes—and the same split traced itself across his brow.
"I yield! I yield! Don't kill me—don't—!"
A minute ago he'd been strutting and sneering. Now he was on his knees, wagging for mercy.
In the original timeline, this was the one who, after Thanos vanished, dared to rebel and crown himself. A monster among monsters.
"Surrender? Sadly, there's no opening on my staff for you." Loki's smile curved, lazy as he buffed a nail. "End it, Surtur. Make it clean."
What followed was not clean.
The belly of the giant filled with a single, endless shriek. Lava, crushing and absolute, pounded the weapon until it shattered into slag.
And with the death of the blade, the being bound to it came apart at once—blown to ash and dust.
"Pah—this kind of trash dares yap at me."
Surtur smacked his lips, body shrinking rapidly until he was once again a lazy bulldog, all wrinkled jowls and dopey eyes. Looking at him, no one would connect the adorable mutt to the slaughtering inferno from a breath earlier.
Thor watched, cheeks burning with a mix of embarrassment and envy.
Earth.
Long-suffering New York City.
Screams rippled through the streets. Panic churned the blocks into chaos. At some point, a colossal ring-ship had pushed down from the clouds, so huge it was like a skyscraper turned on its side. Where its shadow passed, towers buckled and fell.
"Bad. That's—"
Stark burst out of the New York Sanctum, eyes up. He'd just been deep in a strategy session with Doctor Strange about the coming Thanos invasion.
For now, the Time Stone was in Strange's care. Saitama had refused the title of Sorcerer Supreme—"too much paperwork"—and guarding the Time Stone was the Supreme's duty.
Strange wasn't Saitama, but as a mage he was a prodigy. In a few short months, his power had grown by leaps and bounds. Wong, the library warden, stood at his side.
As for Saitama?
He was at home being the ultimate couch potato—streaming dramas, gaming, inhaling snacks. Disturbingly, he never put on a pound. The mythical "can't-get-fat" body.
The streets were wrecked. Traffic frozen. Civilians fled in waves. In the end, only Stark and the sorcerers stood their ground.
The titanic craft settled over the avenue like a storm-front.
A column of blue light dropped from its belly. Two figures took shape within it.
"Rejoice. You should be grateful." The thin one with the straight-backed posture raised his voice like a choir director. "For a son of Thanos has come to deliver you to perfect balance."
"Sorry, Earth's closed today," Stark called back. "Take your jelly-donut UFO and scram."
Ebony Maw inhaled slowly and turned that barked-wood face toward Strange. A shiver ran through the air—the Stone's aura pulsed from the sorcerer's chest.
"The Prime Guardian?"
So. The Infinity Stone was here.
Their lord already held the Collector's Stone. Corvus's mission should be secure. Proxima and Cull were both reliable. If Ebony Maw claimed this one, half their cosmic family-planning project would be complete.
"This chattering animal your spokesperson?" Maw asked, never taking his eyes off the prize.
"No," Strange said levelly, golden sigils blooming around his hands. "I can speak for myself. You're violating this city and this planet."
"What he means is: get lost, Squidward," Stark added helpfully.
Wong spun up glowing rings at his fists.
Maw's face fell. He muttered in an alien tongue to the mountain of a warrior beside him. The two conferred briefly.
Then the "Child of Thanos"—massive, bearing a grotesque cleaver of a blade—stepped forward. The street itself vibrated under his tread.
"Bit of a headache. Big guy is yours or mine?" Stark muttered.
With Banner off-world studying in Saitama's universe, there'd be no Hulk today.
"I'll take the thin one," Strange said. "The big one looks more your style."
"Fine. Listen up, big fella," Stark called, baring his teeth. "I'm in no mood. If you turn around right now and take your calamari friend with you, maybe I don't stuff you in a cell."
"Raaah—die!"
The titan roared and brought that brutal blade down for Stark's head.
Chik—chik—chik—
Plates cascaded over Stark like liquid mercury. The Nano Vibranium Mark snapped into place, sharp as sin.
He caught the cleaver in one gauntleted hand. Six crescent-shaped emitters fanned out and hovered at his back.
"Opening with murder is a bad habit."
They flashed.
And a sextet of lances screamed past Stark's shoulders, turning the street-day to hard white noon.
(End of Chapter)
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