Yelena!

Maxim was already on the move, the infernal wind howling around him as it carried the stench if sulfur and decay. Molten lava flowing through the rugged terrain like veins as he moved towards his destination.

After killing that Demon Lord, he had made the conscious decision to save some of its blood. Maxim didn't know exactly what he would do with the blood in the future, but it could potentially be useful, and there was no harm in keeping it.

Maxim was still browsing through the memories of the Demon Lord he killed, and had smiled when he saw which of the Hell Lords this particular realm had belonged too.

It was Satannish, a relatively lesser-known Hell Lord in the Marvel Universe, though he is still a significant demonic figure. From what Alex knew, Satannish was one of the weaker Hell Lords when compared to figures like Mephisto and Dormammu.

From what he knew, Satannish was created by Dormammu, who placed him as an undercover agent inside the Hell-Lords, and he had similar personality traits to the other Hell Lords, like cruelty, arrogance and a love for manipulation.

Maxim wondered how their meeting would go. By time he arrived at Satannish, his assimilation would the Dante Template would've reached an extremely high level, and he was sure at that point he'd be able to put Satannish down.

His mind swirled with all those kinds of thoughts as he walked through the desolate plains of the Hell Domain, the ground beneath his boots ever cracking and scorched by the ever present HellFlames.

As he moved forward, his senses flared - Danger!

Without warning, the ground trembled violently. A massive shadow passed overhead, and Maxim glanced up just in time to see the Demon Dragon swooping down from the ash-filled sky, its obsidian-black wings spread wide, fire glowing between its teeth.

The beast let out a thunderous roar, hurling a torrent of fire toward Maxim.

Maxim didn't flinch. He dashed to the side with lightning reflexes, dodging the inferno as it scorched the place where he stood moments before. 

Ebony and Ivory were already in his hands, and he fired rapid bursts of demonic-charged bullets at the creature. Each shot struck true, but the Dragon's thick, molten scales survived under the barrage. Its glowing eyes locked onto Maxim, enraged.

The beast charged at him, claws digging into the ground as it surged forward, trying to crush him with sheer size. Maxim vaulted upward, flipping over the Dragon's snapping jaws.

As he descended, Rebellion materialized in his hand, the massive sword gleaming with demonic power.

With a powerful downward slash, Maxim drove the blade deep into the Dragon's shoulder, ripping through scales and sinew. The creature howled in agony, thrashing wildly, trying to shake him off.

Maxim held on, using the momentum to leap onto its back. With a swift, brutal motion, he ripped Rebellion free, black blood spraying from the wound.

The Demon Dragon reared back, twisting its neck to snap at him. Maxim slid down its spine and dropped low to avoid the bite, then slammed his fist into the creature's flank, a surge of demonic energy exploding from the impact.

The Dragon's side buckled, sending cracks through its armor-like scales.

It let out one final roar of defiance, wings flaring as it prepared to take to the skies again, sending out a concentrated blast of fire.

Maxim just stood his ground and flashed with Rebellion, cutting straight through the fire and protecting himself. He could feel the intense waves of the Dragons HellFlames surrounding him as he cut it apart from the middle, yet he didn't budge.

Finally, once he saw an angle for attack, he dodged to the side, sending the ferocious flames rampaging behind him, and Maxim leapt forward, Rebellion poised, and with one clean strike, he severed the Dragon's head from its body.

But Maxim was faster. He leapt forward, Rebellion poised, and in one clean strike, he severed the Dragon's head from its body. 

The massive form crumbled to the ground with a thunderous crash, blood pooling beneath its lifeless corpse. Maxim stood amidst the smoke and ash, Rebellion at his side, eyes fixed on the remains of the once-mighty beast.

*********

Meanwhile

The tension in the narrow alleyway was palpable as Wanda's glowing hands illuminated the space, her red Chaos Magic swirling with power. Pietro stood beside her, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he stretched, preparing for the inevitable battle.

The Red Room agents were closing in, their movements precise and calculated, weapons drawn. The blonde assassin in the black combat suit was calm, almost cold, as she sized up Wanda and Pietro.

"They've been brainwashed," Wanda whispered to Pietro, her voice carrying the weight of the lives before them, "We need to be careful. We're not here to kill them."

Pietro's blue eyes glinted with understanding. "Got it, sis. Let's show them what we've learned."

Before the Red Room agents could launch their attack, Pietro blurred into motion, disappearing from sight for a moment, only to reappear amidst the group, disarming several of them in an instant. Guns clattered to the ground, and the agents were left with nothing but hand-to-hand combat as an option.

Maxim had trained Wanda & Pietro in not just using their powers, but also the basic of Hand-To-Hand Combat and how to effectively analyze a battlefield.

Wanda raised her hands, her Chaos Magic surging with intent. She released a burst of energy that surged forward like a wave, knocking back a group of agents without causing them harm.

The force was enough to disorient them, buying Pietro time to move them further from the battle.

The leader, however, was unfazed. She moved swiftly, aiming a precise strike at Wanda, but the Scarlet Witch was ready. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a shimmering shield of magic, blocking the blow and countering with a pulse of energy that sent Yelena skidding back, though she stayed on her feet, impressively agile for a Human.

Wanda's powers crackled in the air as she released another wave of magic, this time targeting the minds of the remaining agents.

She reached into their subconscious, searching for the layers of conditioning and control that bound them to the Red Room.

It was a delicate process, but Maxim had constantly be giving her tips on how to more effectively invade minds, and she was putting those tips to good use here.

Slowly but surely, the agents' movements began to falter as Wanda's magic worked to loosen the grip of their brainwashing.

The leader, however, was more resilient. She fought through the mental intrusion, her body tensing as she resisted Wanda's influence. But Pietro was there, moving faster than she could react. He appeared behind her, tapping her on the shoulder with a smirk before delivering a light blow that sent her stumbling forward.

"Not bad," he remarked, "But you're outnumbered."

Wanda stepped forward, her eyes glowing with power. She placed her hands together, releasing a focused stream of Chaos Magic that enveloped the leader, breaking through the last of her mental defenses.

Yelena's body went limp for a moment, her eyes flickering as the grip of the Red Room's control finally faded and she passed out.

The rest of the agents collapsed to the ground, no longer a threat.

A.N.G.E.L.'s voice chimed in through their earpieces, calm as always. "Well done. The leader of this group is Yelena Belova, someone on Maxim's watch list. It is imperative that she, and the rest of the agents, be taken to a secure location where you can fully remove their brainwashing."

Wanda looked down at Yelena, who was passed out, "Where do we take them?"

"I've found an unused house in the countryside, far from prying eyes," A.N.G.E.L. responded. "I'll send the location coordinates to your devices. Proceed with caution. We don't want to attract any attention."

Pietro sighed, glancing at the group of now-unconscious Red Room agents. "Guess we've got some clean-up to do."

Wanda smiled softly, her determination still burning brightly. "We'll make sure they're free. All of them."

With A.N.G.E.L. guiding them, the twins began moving all of these unconscious agents to the safe-house A.N.G.E.L have provided for them, ready to continue onto the next phase of their mission to take down the Red Room.

************

Thanks for reading, just a question.

Do you all want Maxim to receive Angelic Abilities from Dante, like he has in the Reboot? Or stay true to the original and just Demonic Powers? Comment under yes for Angelic Powers and No for Just Demonic Powers.

- Yes

- No