The arena floated in silence, stars slowly regaining their normal positions after the chaotic battle with the corrupted versions. The Cosmic Champions floated among the debris, exhausted, battered, but undeniably victorious.
Tony's armor had scorch marks. Thor's cape was torn. Superman had cosmic dust all over him. Black Adam's lightning flickered weakly. The Galectors' star-metal armor showed dents and scratches. Even Doremano's tail wagged slower than usual.
"JARVIS," Tony groaned. "Damage assessment?"
"Armor integrity at 67%, sir. Your coffee reserves are at critical levels. And I believe you pulled something in your left shoulder during that dimensional rift maneuver."
"The coffee is the real emergency."
Then the God appeared.
But this time, its impossible form seemed... softer. Almost warm.
"You have earned something rare," the God said, its voice carrying genuine approval. "A reward for your growth. For proving that teamwork transcends individual power."
Thor perked up despite his exhaustion. "A reward? Will it involve fighting?"
"No."
"Oh thank Odin."
"You have earned... a break."
Everyone stared.
"A break?" Superman repeated slowly.
"A vacation," the God clarified. "Rest. Recovery. What mortals call... downtime."
Tony's visor lit up. "Wait, seriously? We get a vacation? In space?"
"I will pause time within this arena. You may rest, explore, or do whatever brings you... joy." The God's form rippled, as if amused by the concept. "Think of it as... cosmic sandbox mode."
Loki's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What's the catch?"
"No catch. You have proven yourselves. Even cosmic warriors need rest." The God gestured, and suddenly the oppressive weight of battle lifted from the arena. "Enjoy it while you can."
And with that, the God faded, leaving the team floating in suddenly peaceful void.
There was a moment of stunned silence.
Then Doremano barked excitedly, his tail wagging so hard it created rainbow-colored gravity waves.
"Well," Tony said, grinning beneath his helmet. "You heard the cosmic entity. Time to relax!"
***
The Scatter
Within moments, the team had dispersed across the arena, each finding their own way to unwind.
Thor created a pocket dimension that looked suspiciously like a beach—complete with golden sand made of pulverized starlight, waves of liquid aurora, and a rainbow waterfall that defied all laws of physics.
"Mjolnir!" Thor called out cheerfully, reclining on a floating lounger. "Come to Daddy and bring the cosmic mead!"
The hammer flew over obediently, a bottle of glowing liquid somehow attached to it.
"Don't get too comfortable!" Thor told his hammer. "We might need to fight something later... but not RIGHT now."
Mjolnir, if a hammer could look relieved, seemed to settle down next to him.
***
Loki materialized his own paradise—holographic beaches that shifted between tropical, arctic, and abstract geometric patterns. He lounged on a throne made of frozen probability, creating elaborate illusions just for fun.
"Finally," he muttered, waving his hand to create a dozen illusionary versions of himself all doing different activities. "Chaos on MY terms. No corrupted versions, no cosmic threats, just... peaceful mischief."
One illusion-Loki was juggling planets. Another was ice-skating on a frozen star. A third was reading a book titled "1001 Ways to Annoy Your Brother."
"Perfect," the real Loki smiled.
***
Superman found a quiet spot among a cluster of calm stars and simply... floated. No battles. No threats. Just peace.
He pulled out a book—somehow, impossibly, he'd manifested a book in the cosmic void—and began reading.
"This is nice," he said to himself. "No one attacking, no soap incidents, just—"
"CLARK!" Tony's voice echoed across dimensions. "YOU'RE READING?! WE'RE IN SPACE!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE, TONY!"
"NERD!"
Superman sighed but smiled. Even in cosmic vacation, Tony was still Tony.
***
Black Adam found an asteroid, crossed his arms, and sat down with the grumpiest expression imaginable.
"Even vacation in multiversal chaos is exhausting," he muttered.
But then, almost despite himself, he noticed cosmic energy waves rippling past like ocean swells. Divine lightning crackled at his fingertips. And before he knew it, he was surfing those cosmic waves, lightning trailing behind him like a cape.
"This is..." he paused, catching himself almost having fun. "...adequate."
***
The Galectors formed a perfect geometric formation on a large asteroid and engaged in what they called "synchronized rest protocol."
Which was basically all seven of them sunbathing in military formation.
"This is acceptable," one said.
"We should maintain weapons readiness," another suggested.
"We are on VACATION," the leader said firmly. "The weapons can wait."
"...But maybe just a quick maintenance check?"
"VACATION."
One of them started creating star-metal sculptures for fun. Within minutes, all seven were engaged in artistic expression while maintaining perfect formation.
***
Alien X floated alone, its three personalities immediately arguing.
"We should use this time to contemplate existence," Bellicus said.
"We should create something beautiful!" Serena suggested.
"Can we just... not argue for five minutes?" Ben pleaded.
There was a pause.
"...Agreed," all three voices said simultaneously.
Alien X simply existed peacefully, creating abstract art with reality warping—shapes that existed in colors that shouldn't exist, forms that were simultaneously solid and liquid and gas and thought.
"Is relaxation... logical?" Bellicus wondered.
"Does it need to be?" Serena replied.
"...No," Ben said. "No it doesn't."
***
Doremano was having the time of his life.
The cosmic god-dog zoomed through the arena at impossible speeds, chasing asteroids like they were tennis balls, his tail wagging creating miniature auroras and gravitational art installations.
He found "cosmic snacks"—floating energy particles—and chomped them happily, each bite creating a small supernova of flavor (apparently).
His joyful barks echoed across dimensions, and every tail wag created a new gravitational phenomenon. One wag made a nearby star do a backflip. Another created a temporary rainbow made of pure gravity.
"BORK BORK BORK!" Translation: This is the best day ever!
***
Tony's Idea
Tony floated at the center of the scattered team, watching everyone relax in their own way. His HUD tracked their vitals—all improving, stress levels dropping, even Black Adam's grumpy biorhythms were leveling out.
"JARVIS," Tony said thoughtfully. "Can we make this MORE fun?"
"Define 'more fun,' sir."
"I'm thinking... party. Full scale. My place. Sort of."
"Sir, we're in the cosmic void."
"So? I'm a genius. I can improvise a party ANYWHERE." Tony's visor glowed with inspiration. "JARVIS, can you replicate Stark Tower in this space?"
"With the God's permission and sufficient energy manipulation... theoretically yes, sir."
"Then let's do it!" Tony opened a communication channel. "EVERYONE! HOW DO WE FEEL ABOUT A DANCE PARTY?!"
There was a pause across the arena.
Then:
"BY ODIN'S BEARD, YES!" Thor's voice boomed.
"Finally, civilized chaos!" Loki added.
"...Do I have to?" Superman asked.
"Absolutely not—" Black Adam started, then sighed. "...Fine."
"We shall attend... for team cohesion," the Galector leader said diplomatically.
"Define... party?" Alien X's three voices asked in unison.
"BORK!" Doremano barked enthusiastically.
***
The Transformation
Tony waved his hand, manipulating energy fields with his cosmic-enhanced abilities. Reality rippled, bent, and suddenly a portal opened—leading to what looked like a massive, floating version of Stark Tower, hovering above a nebula like a cosmic nightclub.
"The Cosmic Mansion is open!" Tony announced. "Everyone get over here!"
The God's presence flickered briefly. "I'll allow it. But... keep it contained."
"Scout's honor!" Tony said.
"You were never a scout, sir," JARVIS pointed out.
"Details."
As everyone approached the portal, the God waved one impossible appendage, and suddenly they all transformed.
Armor became formal wear—Tony in a sleek suit with a glowing arc reactor tie. Thor and Loki appeared in Asgardian formal attire that somehow mixed royal elegance with party vibes. Superman in regular clothes (finally, blessedly, not soap-covered). Black Adam in something that looked like ancient Egyptian formal wear mixed with modern style. The Galectors' armor shifted into formal configurations that still looked military but party-appropriate.
And Doremano...
The cosmic god-dog shrunk down into a tiny, adorable chihuahua.
Still glowing with cosmic power. Still capable of manipulating gravity. But now small enough to fit in someone's hand.
"BORK!" Tiny Doremano yipped, his little tail wagging creating micro-gravitational sparkles.
"Oh my god, he's adorable," Superman said despite himself.
"Don't let the size fool you," Tony warned. "He can still create black holes."
Tiny Doremano yipped proudly.
***
The Party Begins
The Cosmic Mansion was spectacular.
The dance floor floated over a nebula, transparent and shimmering with starlight. A bar served drinks from different universes—glowing cocktails that tasted like supernovas, beers from alternate Earths, Asgardian mead that somehow remained cold in the vacuum of space.
Music that existed across multiple dimensions pulsed through the air—JARVIS had taken on DJ duties, mixing Earth classics with cosmic harmonics.
Gravity was optional in different zones. Mini black holes had been repurposed as disco balls, spinning and refracting light in ways that made everyone look amazing.
"WELCOME TO THE COSMIC CHAMPIONS VICTORY PARTY!" Tony announced, raising a glass. "Where we celebrate not dying, not destroying reality, and definitely not letting Superman live down the soap portal incident!"
"I'M LEAVING!" Superman threatened.
"NO YOU'RE NOT!" everyone shouted back.
The party erupted into full swing.
***
Dance Floor Chaos
Thor immediately launched into what he claimed were traditional Asgardian war dances, which looked suspiciously like a mix between Viking combat moves and breakdancing.
"WITNESS THE DANCE OF MY PEOPLE!" he bellowed, spinning Mjolnir (which had also transformed into a tiny, formal version of itself, complete with a little bowtie).
Loki rolled his eyes but couldn't resist. He used illusions to create backup dancers—dozens of holographic versions of himself performing synchronized choreography.
"Show-off," Thor muttered.
"You started it," Loki shot back, his illusions now doing a coordinated routine that involved juggling planets.
Superman stood awkwardly at the edge of the dance floor, trying very hard to look like he belonged.
"Come on, Clark!" Tony called out. "Dance! You can punch through dimensions but you can't do the robot?"
"I don't dance," Superman said firmly.
"Everyone dances!" Tony insisted.
Black Adam, surprisingly, was already on the dance floor. And he was GOOD.
"Divine rhythm," he explained when everyone stared. "Gift from the gods."
His movements were precise, powerful, and somehow graceful—like combat turned into choreography.
The Galectors, naturally, performed synchronized dance formations. Seven star-metal warriors moving in perfect unison, their formal armor gleaming, their movements calculated to the microsecond.
"FORMATION DELTA-DANCE!" the leader called out.
They shifted into a new pattern, creating geometric shapes with their positions.
"They're line-dancing," Loki observed. "The cosmic warriors are LINE-DANCING."
"And they're better at it than you," Thor pointed out.
"Lies!"
Tony showed off with armor-enhanced moves—spinning, floating, using repulsors for dramatic effect. His arc reactor pulsed in time with the music.
And Doremano—tiny chihuahua Doremano—was doing ZOOMIES through everyone's legs, his little paws creating gravity ripples that made people spontaneously float an inch off the ground.
"BORK BORK BORK!" he yipped excitedly, zooming in figure-eights.
"THE DOG IS WINNING!" Loki shouted over the music.
"HE'S ALWAYS WINNING!" Tony agreed.
***
The Drinking Games
"DRINKING CONTEST!" Thor bellowed, slamming a massive tankard on the cosmic bar. "I challenge you ALL to Asgardian mead!"
"Oh no," Superman muttered.
"Oh YES!" Loki corrected.
They lined up at the bar: Thor, Loki, Tony, Black Adam, Superman, and somehow all seven Galectors who insisted on participating "for team cohesion."
The drinks appeared—glowing, bubbling, and smelling like liquid stars.
"READY!" Thor raised his tankard. "DRINK!"
Everyone drank.
Thor: Chugged it like water, immediately ordered another.
Loki: Finished his, then subtly manipulated probability so his glass would refill slower, giving him an advantage.
Tony: His armor filtered most of the alcohol. "Responsible genius," he explained.
Black Adam: Divine constitution made him essentially immune, but he was enjoying the taste.
Superman: Literally could not get drunk due to Kryptonian biology, but played along enthusiastically.
The Galectors: Drank in perfect synchronization, their advanced alien metabolism processing alcohol at exactly the same rate.
After round three, Thor pointed at Loki. "YOU'RE CHEATING!"
"I'm using my GIFTS!" Loki protested.
"THAT'S CHEATING!"
"IT'S STRATEGY!"
"SAME THING!"
***
The Limbo Contest
Someone—no one was sure who, but suspicions pointed at Loki—produced a limbo bar made of solidified light.
"LIMBO CONTEST!" Tony announced through the sound system. "Winner gets... bragging rights!"
"THAT'S ALL WE NEED!" Thor declared, immediately joining.
The contest began.
First round: Easy. Everyone passed except the Galectors who refused to break formation and went under as a synchronized unit.
Second round: Getting lower. Superman's flexibility showed. Black Adam's divine balance helped. Thor was struggling but determined.
Third round: This is where it got competitive.
Thor and Loki were the last two standing.
"I WILL NOT LOSE TO YOU!" Thor declared, bending backwards.
"YOU ALWAYS LOSE TO ME!" Loki taunted, using just a TINY bit of probability manipulation to make the bar slightly easier for him.
Thor noticed. "LOKI! STOP CHEATING!"
"I'M NOT—okay maybe a little!"
"A LITTLE?!"
They were both under the bar now, bent at impossible angles, arguing while horizontal.
And then Doremano—tiny chihuahua Doremano—zoomed through, used gravity manipulation to phase THROUGH the bar entirely, and barked triumphantly on the other side.
Everyone stared.
"THE DOG WON!" Tony announced. "DOREMANO WINS LIMBO!"
"BORK!" Doremano yipped proudly, tiny tail wagging.
Thor and Loki, still bent backwards under the bar, looked at each other.
"Did we just lose limbo to a dog?" Thor asked.
"We lost limbo to a dog," Loki confirmed.
"I'm putting this in my memoir," Loki added.
"YOU WILL NOT!"
***
Storytelling Corner
Eventually, the party mellowed into a storytelling phase. Everyone gathered in a floating lounge area, drinks in hand, tiny Doremano curled up in Superman's lap (creating minor gravitational comfort).
"Okay, okay," Tony said, slightly buzzed despite his armor's filters. "Embarrassing stories time. Thor, you start."
"ME?!" Thor protested. "Why me?!"
"Because you have the MOST embarrassing stories," Loki said sweetly.
"LIES!"
"Remember that time you dressed as a bride?" Loki continued.
The entire room went silent.
"THAT WAS ONE TIME!" Thor bellowed. "AND IT WAS FOR STRATEGY!"
"You wore a WEDDING DRESS," Loki cackled. "A GIANT. WEDDING. DRESS."
"TO INFILTRATE—"
"YOU HAD A VEIL!"
"LOKI, I SWEAR—"
Tony was recording this. "JARVIS, are you getting this?"
"Every glorious word, sir."
Superman was laughing so hard he almost spilled his drink. "Please tell me there are pictures."
"There are CAVE PAINTINGS," Loki said, wiping tears from his eyes.
Even Black Adam cracked a smile.
The stories continued. Tony told dramatically embellished versions of his Iron Man origin. Superman reluctantly shared stories about Krypton that made everyone quiet and thoughtful. The Galectors shared battle stories that somehow ended up being funny despite the military context.
And then someone—probably Loki—brought up the soap portal incident.
"Remember when Superman arrived?" Loki said innocently.
"NO," Superman said immediately. "WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT."
"Covered in SOAP!" Tony cackled. "JARVIS still has all twenty-three backup copies!"
"I WILL DESTROY EVERY COPY!" Superman threatened.
"They're in SEVENTEEN DIFFERENT SECURE SERVERS!" Tony wheezed. "ACROSS MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS!"
"I HATE ALL OF YOU!"
But he was grinning despite himself.
***
Karaoke Disaster
JARVIS, in his infinite wisdom (or perhaps mischief), activated the cosmic karaoke system.
"NO," Black Adam said immediately.
"YES!" Tony countered. "EVERYONE SINGS!"
Thor went first, belting out Asgardian war ballads in a language no one else understood, completely off-key, but with SO MUCH ENTHUSIASM.
"THROUGH FLAMES AND FROST, THE WARRIORS MARCH—"
"MAKE IT STOP!" Loki begged.
"NEVER!"
Loki went next, choosing a dramatic villain song from a Earth musical, performing it with theatrical flair and perfect pitch just to show up his brother.
Tony attempted rock classics, his armor providing backup instruments. He was actually pretty good, which annoyed everyone.
Superman was dragged up and, with his perfect Kryptonian pitch control, absolutely NAILED every song. Everyone booed him for being too good.
"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" Superman protested.
And then Doremano started howling along with the music.
His tiny chihuahua howls created gravitational harmonics that made the entire room vibrate in perfect pitch with the songs.
"THE DOG IS BETTER THAN ALL OF US!" Tony declared.
"BORK!" Doremano agreed.
***
The God's Interruption
The party was in full swing. Music blasting. Everyone dancing, singing, laughing. Tiny Doremano zooming between legs. The Galectors doing synchronized karaoke. Loki and Thor arguing over who was the better dancer. Tony showing off. Superman actually, genuinely enjoying himself.
It was perfect.
And then the music screeched to a halt.
Reality warped. The lights flickered. The floating dance floor trembled.
The God appeared above them, its impossible form somehow radiating FURY.
"WHAT," the God boomed, its voice shaking dimensions, "THE ACTUAL HELL IS THIS?!"
Everyone froze mid-dance.
Tony, glass still raised, attempted a smile. "Party... party, boss? Human tradition. Drinks. Music. Fun times?"
The God stared at the scene before it.
Dancing warriors. Floating drinks. A tiny chihuahua with cosmic powers wearing a little bowtie. Disco ball black holes. Seven star-metal aliens doing synchronized choreography. And what appeared to be... were those human females in the background wearing very small covering garments?
"PARTY?" the God's voice cracked slightly with confusion. "What is... why are those humans wearing such... minimal clothing?"
"That's fashion, boss," Tony explained weakly. "It's, uh, a thing."
"WHO AUTHORIZED THIS?!" the God demanded.
Everyone pointed at Tony.
"TRAITORS!" Tony hissed.
"You literally said 'Scout's honor,'" Superman reminded him.
"WHO SAID IT?!" the God's attention focused on Tony like a cosmic spotlight.
"...Not me?" Tony tried.
The God's form rippled with barely contained cosmic irritation. Its impossible geometry flickered between states of matter, suggesting it was having difficulty processing the concept of a "dance party" in its sacred arena.
"WHY," the God continued, its voice somehow getting louder and quieter simultaneously, "IS THE ASGARDIAN WEARING... THAT?"
Thor looked down at his sparkly, formal Asgardian attire. "It's festive!"
"You look ridiculous," Loki muttered.
"YOU'RE WEARING THE SAME THING!"
"Exactly. We BOTH look ridiculous."
The God's attention shifted. "And the SMALL ANIMAL?"
Tiny Doremano, sitting on the dance floor in his little bowtie, looked up at the cosmic entity with innocent puppy eyes.
"Bork?" he yipped softly.
His tiny tail wagged once, creating a gravitational wave that made the God's form flicker.
The God paused. "Did that... did the small animal just manipulate my dimensional frequency?"
"He does that," Tony said. "He's very talented."
"BORK!" Doremano agreed proudly.
The God looked around at the party—the decorations, the music system, the cosmic cocktails, the holographic backup dancers, the limbo bar still floating in the corner.
"THIS IS..." the God struggled for words. "...HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE!"
"But is it fun?" Loki asked with a smirk.
"FUN IS NOT THE—" The God stopped. "Wait. Is that karaoke equipment?"
"Uh... yes?" Tony admitted.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence.
"...Can I hear the small animal sing?" the God asked, its voice suddenly curious.
"BORK BORK BORK!" Doremano howled, creating gravitational harmonics that made the entire arena vibrate in perfect pitch with a melody that existed across seventeen dimensions simultaneously.
The God's form... softened. Just slightly.
"That is... surprisingly pleasant," the God admitted.
"SEE?!" Tony said triumphantly. "Parties are GOOD!"
"NO!" The God's firmness returned. "This is still highly inappropriate! You are COSMIC CHAMPIONS, not... not... PARTY ANIMALS!"
"BORK!" Doremano objected.
"PRESENT COMPANY EXCEPTED!" the God added quickly, apparently not wanting to insult the cosmic dog.
***
The Interruption Gets Interrupted
Just as the God was building up to what promised to be a legendary cosmic scolding, reality hiccupped.
A portal opened.
Not a cosmic portal. Not a dimensional rift.
A WEB PORTAL.
And through it swung SPIDERMAN.
"PARTY?!" Spiderman yelled excitedly, swinging into the cosmic mansion. "I sensed a party! ME TOO!"
Everyone stared.
"Who—" Superman started.
"How—" Black Adam continued.
"WHEN—" Thor finished.
Spiderman landed on the dance floor, already dancing. "This is AMAZING! Cosmic party! I've always wanted to go to a space party!"
Tony turned to him. "Kid, you're too young to join adults."
"I'm an adult!" Spiderman protested, still dancing.
"No you're not," Tony said flatly.
"Yes I am!"
"No. You're not."
"I'M LITERALLY—"
Tony looked at Doremano. The tiny chihuahua understood immediately.
Doremano's tail wagged ONCE.
A gravitational wave launched Spiderman backward through seventeen dimensions.
"WAIT I JUST GOT HEEEEERE—" Spiderman's voice echoed as he flew off into the cosmic distance, eventually disappearing into a star that looked vaguely embarrassed to have caught him.
"BORK!" Doremano barked, satisfied.
"Good boy," Tony said, scratching behind the tiny dog's ears (which created minor spacetime ripples but in a pleasant way).
The God stared. "Did you just... launch a child into a star?"
"He's fine," Tony waved dismissively. "He's Spiderman. He'll web his way back. Eventually."
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
"Look," Tony said, trying to salvage the situation. "We were just celebrating our victory. Team bonding. Morale boosting. You know, standard heroic stuff."
"HEROIC STUFF DOES NOT INCLUDE KARAOKE!"
"It does now!" Loki chimed in.
"YOU!" The God's attention whipped to Loki. "This seems like YOUR influence!"
"I'm offended," Loki said, not looking offended at all. "I'm a trickster god, not a party planner. That's all Stark."
"TRAITOR!" Tony hissed again.
The God's form pulsed with cosmic frustration. "You will ALL return to combat form. NOW. This 'party' is OVER."
"Aww," everyone said in unison.
"NOW!"
***
Back to Business
The God waved its hand, and everyone transformed back to their battle-ready forms.
Tony's party suit became his armor. Thor and Loki's formal wear shifted back to their combat attire. Superman's regular clothes became his cosmic-enhanced suit. Black Adam's divine energy crackled back to full strength. The Galectors' armor returned to military configuration.
And Doremano grew back to his full cosmic god-dog size, shaking his entire body and creating a gravity wave that made nearby stars wobble.
"BORK!" he barked, clearly relieved to be big again.
The Cosmic Mansion faded, dissolving back into the regular arena. The music stopped. The drinks vanished. The karaoke equipment disappeared (though JARVIS definitely saved recordings).
They were back to floating in the cosmic void, fully armed, fully powered, ready for battle.
But they were all still smiling.
"That was fun," Superman admitted.
"IT WAS INAPPROPRIATE!" the God insisted.
"But fun," Thor added.
"YEAH!" Tony agreed. "Can we do it again later?"
"NO!"
"That means yes," Loki whispered.
"IT MEANS NO!"
"Definitely yes," Thor whispered back.
The God's form flickered with what might have been exasperation. "Your 'vacation' is OVER. And there will be NO MORE PARTIES!"
"We'll see," Tony muttered.
"I HEARD THAT!"
***
The Warning
The God's presence intensified, becoming more serious. The playful annoyance faded, replaced by genuine cosmic gravity.
"Rest while you can," the God said, its voice carrying weight that made stars dim. "The next challenge... will require everything you've learned."
The arena began to shift. Reality rippled at the edges.
"And more," the God continued.
New rifts began opening in the distance. Massive ones. Not the small tears that had brought the corrupted versions, but enormous wounds in spacetime that pulsed with ominous energy.
Something stirred beyond them. Something MASSIVE.
Multiple somethings.
"What you faced before—the singularity, the corrupted versions, the tests of individual strength and teamwork—those were preparations."
The God's form began to fade, but its voice echoed across dimensions.
"What comes next... will test whether you truly understand what it means to be Cosmic Champions."
Thunder rolled through the void despite there being no atmosphere to carry it.
"Prepare yourselves. The Multiversal War begins soon."
And then the God was gone.
***
The team floated together, staring at the distant rifts, at the massive shapes stirring beyond them, at the implications of what "Multiversal War" might mean.
Tony's HUD lit up with warning signs. "JARVIS, analysis?"
"Sir, those rifts are orders of magnitude larger than anything we've encountered. Energy signatures suggest multiple entities approaching, each comparable to the singularity we fought earlier. Possibly stronger. Definitely more numerous."
"How many?"
"...I'm detecting at least fifty distinct cosmic-level threats, sir. And that number is climbing."
"Fifty singularity-level enemies?" Superman said quietly. "How are we supposed to—"
"Together," Tony interrupted. "We face them together. Like always."
Thor gripped Mjolnir tighter. "Aye. Together."
"With strategy," Black Adam added, his lightning crackling.
"And creativity," Loki said, probability already calculating.
"And coordination," the Galector leader stated, the squad moving into formation.
"And adaptation," Alien X's three voices agreed in harmony.
"BORK!" Doremano barked, tail wagging determinedly.
Tony looked at his team—his weird, ridiculous, powerful, absolutely insane team—and grinned beneath his helmet.
"Well, Cosmic Champions," he said. "We just had the best party in multiversal history. We danced, we sang, we launched Spiderman into a star. And now we're about to face fifty cosmic-level threats in what the God calls a 'Multiversal War.'"
He paused for dramatic effect.
"Anyone want to back out?"
"NO!" everyone shouted in unison.
"Good!" Tony's repulsors flared. "Because we're going to show this multiverse what happens when you give a genius, some gods, a cosmic dog, and a group of warriors too stubborn to quit a common cause."
"We're going to win!" Thor declared.
"Obviously," Loki added.
"By any means necessary," Black Adam said.
"With hope," Superman smiled.
"And honor," the Galector leader added.
"And logic," Alien X calculated.
"BORK!" Doremano barked, which everyone agreed was the most important contribution.
The rifts grew larger. The massive shapes beyond them became clearer. The Multiversal War was coming.
But the Cosmic Champions—fresh from the best party ever, slightly buzzed (except Superman), thoroughly bonded, and absolutely ready—stood together.
They'd faced impossible odds before. They'd beaten them with genius, teamwork, and strategic dog bites.
This would be no different.
Bigger, sure.
More dangerous, definitely.
Potentially universe-ending, probably.
But they were Cosmic Champions.
And they'd just proven that even in the face of cosmic horror, they could still find time to dance, sing karaoke, and launch Spiderman into space.
If that wasn't power, nothing was.
"Alright team," Tony said, his voice calm and confident. "Let's show them what we've got."
The Cosmic Champions moved into formation.
The Multiversal War was about to begin.
And reality itself would have to deal with that.
***
END OF CHAPTER 8
Far off in a distant star system that was still recovering from unexpectedly catching a web-slinging teenager, Spiderman finally extracted himself from the stellar surface.
"That was RUDE!" he shouted into the void. "I just wanted to PARTY!"
He web-slung off toward Earth, muttering about cosmic dogs and unfair gravity manipulation.
Behind him, the star twinkled in what might have been amusement.
Even the universe thought it was funny.
Next: Chapter 10 - The Multiversal War Begins