The Black Serpents swarmed like a tide, their shadows multiplying, their claws scraping against Isolde's unyielding body. Her greatsword cleaved through them, but the numbers kept pressing in, suffocating, endless.
"Damn it…" Isolde muttered, blood streaking her jaw though her flesh healed as fast as it tore. Even with her indestructible body, their numbers threatened to drag her down.
Then, a thunderclap split the sky. A blinding flare of light cut through the Serpents' hissing.
"Strike fast—don't let them regroup!"
Isolde glanced up and saw them descending—Mausgrau, with his steely presence, Delilah glowing with elemental fury, and the X-Men charging at her side.
Jean Grey's psychic wave tore through the battlefield, scattering Serpents like dry leaves in the wind. Wolverine roared, his claws carving into the shadows. Storm unleashed a cyclone that lifted half the horde into the sky.
Delilah hovered above, her body alive with swirling flames and ice, water and earth, her powers rippling with every breath. Her eyes were steady now, her training under Jean holding her emotions in check. She threw her hands wide, and a storm of elements rained down, crushing the Serpents in a cascade of lightning, stone, and fire.
Mausgrau waded through the chaos like a juggernaut, his fists smashing Serpent skulls to pulp, his voice booming:
"Together, we end this!"
Isolde didn't hesitate—she fought at their side, blades bursting from her arms, her legs, her shoulders, weaving with Wolverine's feral strikes and Delilah's elemental fury.
For the first time, the Serpents faltered. Their endless hiss turned to shrieks of pain, their black forms torn apart under the combined force of blade, claw, and storm.
Finally, the survivors slithered back into the darkness, their leader hissing in defeat:
"This… is not the end. The keystone will be ours…"
They vanished, leaving silence broken only by the labored breaths of the warriors.
Isolde wiped her mouth and sheathed her greatsword back into her chest with a sickening but practiced motion. She glanced at Delilah, Jean, and Mausgrau, her lips twitching into a rare smile.
"Not bad. I almost thought I'd have to handle that alone."
Delilah smirked faintly, her eyes flickering with light. "Trust me… you won't ever have to fight alone again."
---
✨ Meanwhile…
Far across the city, in the heart of the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four headquarters hummed with quiet tension.
Greta sat with Candy and Louis, the three of them gathered in the wide common room. Mona leaned back against the wall, her two demonic allies lurking behind her like shadows, their burning eyes scanning every corner.
The Fantastic Four weren't hiding their unease. Reed kept glancing at Mona's companions, Sue's forcefield subtly shimmering at her fingertips. Ben Grimm folded his arms, stone cracking as he muttered under his breath, while Johnny Storm paced, his fire flickering on and off nervously.
Candy, trying to ease the tension, leaned forward. "I told you already—Mona can be trusted. She's… different."
Mona smirked, her demonic aura faintly curling. "Different enough to fight your wars, maybe. But not different enough for you to sleep easy at night, huh?"
The room went silent.
The uneasy alliance was set, but trust was a fragile thing—especially with demons in the room.
And soon, they would all be tested.