Chapter 221: Across the Spider-Verse (45)     

 Meanwhile On Michael Universe

The ruins of the Sanctum Sanctorum were a haunting sight, once a fortress of mystic power, now reduced to rubble. Dust swirled in the wind as the battle began, with shattered remnants of magic artifacts scattered across the ground. Mark Taylor, aka Nightwing, stood firm alongside his wife Emily Taylor, also known as Lady Vamp, while the rest of their allies—the Halloway family, Dr. Stephen Strange, and Wong—braced themselves against the looming threat.

Thanos stood at the center of the chaos, his massive form casting a long shadow. Ebony Maw and Corvus Glaive, his loyal allies, stood beside him, ready for battle. Even though Thanos's Infinity Stones were less powerful in this universe because of the multiversal shift, he was still incredibly strong and intimidating. His mere presence made him a formidable threat.

Mark Taylor, also known as Nightwing, tightened his grip on his twin batons, his gaze fixed on Corvus Glaive. Beside him stood Thomas Halloway, both men steeling themselves for the coming clash. The weight of the moment pressed down on them, but Mark's determination never wavered. "We have to take him down fast.." Mark muttered, his eyes flicking toward Corvus, whose deadly glaive gleamed ominously in the broken light.

"Puny mortals thinking they can beat me?" Corvus sneered, his voice dripping with contempt as he lunged forward. Mark and Thomas reacted instantly, splitting off in opposite directions to flank him.

"Hey...Watch me!" Mark snarled, flipping through the air with acrobatic precision, drawing his energy batons. The two weapons crackled with electric force as he met Corvus Glaive's strikes head-on. Sparks erupted from the clash of steel and energy, the two fighters exchanging blows with incredible speed.

Thomas used his SHIELD training to dart around Corvus Glaive, dodging attacks and striking at weak points in Corvus' armor. Meanwhile, Mark kept Corvus busy from the front. Together, they attacked in sync, making it hard for Corvus to defend. Corvus growled in frustration as he tried to block their relentless assault with his glaive.

Thomas, He aimed his energy rifle at Corvus, firing a series of blasts that forced him to retreat further. "Let's see you handle this!" Thomas shouted as he unleashed a high-powered shot, the energy beam narrowly missing Corvus, but forcing him to stay on the defensive.

On the opposite side of the battlefield, Mindy Halloway and Emily Taylor squared off against the telekinetic menace of Ebony Maw. Maw's hands moved with fluid grace, manipulating debris and rubble, sending waves of telekinetic energy crashing toward them.

Emily, tapping into her vampiric powers, moved with lightning speed, dodging the incoming projectiles with grace and precision. "You'll have to do better than that, Maw.." she taunted, her fangs bared as she closed the distance between them. Her vampiric speed allowed her to get dangerously close, slashing at Maw with her razor-sharp claws.

But Maw was prepared. With a flick of his wrist, he sent her flying back with a telekinetic push. As she tumbled through the air, Mindy stepped in, using her own telepathic powers to counter Maw's influence. The two psychics engaged in a battle of minds, the air between them shimmering as their mental forces collided. Mindy's eyes glowed with power as she focused all her energy on breaking Maw's hold, their psychic duel shaking the very air around them.

Loe Halloway, Dr. Strange, and Wong were the final line of defense against Thanos. The Mad Titan stood towering over them, his face unreadable, but his intent clear. Thanos wanted the Power Stone, and he wasn't going to leave without it.

"Where is the Power Stone?" Thanos demanded, his deep voice rumbling through the rubble. His gauntlet, though weaker in this universe, still pulsed with ominous energy.

Dr. Strange's eyes met Thanos', a flicker of defiance in his gaze. "I don't know," he said, his tone mocking, "beats me?"

Thanos narrowed his eyes. He knew Strange was lying, but without his fully powered gauntlet, he couldn't track the stone himself. He lifted his massive hand, preparing to strike. "You are wasting my time, Sorcerer."

Strange glanced at Wong and Loe. They nodded in silent agreement. They had faced impossible odds before, and today would be no different.

With a flourish of his hands, Strange conjured intricate sigils in the air, creating a barrier of golden light. "You'll have to go through me first."

Thanos didn't hesitate. He charged forward with terrifying speed, his fist crashing into Strange's magical barrier. The force of the impact shook the entire battlefield, cracks splintering through the protective shield. Wong immediately flanked Thanos, unleashing a barrage of energy discs to distract him. Loe, meanwhile, tapped into SHIELD tech and fired a concentrated energy beam from his gun, aiming for Thanos' legs to destabilize him.

But Thanos was relentless. Even weakened, his sheer strength was overwhelming. He shattered Strange's shield with a powerful punch, sending the Sorcerer Supreme flying backward. Wong barely managed to pull him to safety before Thanos turned his attention to Loe.

"I will have that stone!" Thanos growled, lunging toward Loe with his gauntlet raised.

But just as Thanos' hand came down, Strange recovered, teleporting Loe out of harm's way in the blink of an eye. Wong conjured a portal beneath Thanos' feet, causing him to stumble for just a moment, buying them precious seconds.

Across the battlefield, the fights raged on. Mark and Thomas were gaining ground against Corvus, their coordinated attacks slowly wearing him down. Emily and Mindy's combined strength was pushing Ebony Maw to his limit, their teamwork proving to be more than he could handle.

..........

Wakanda, once a beacon of peace and advanced technology, was now a battlefield engulfed in chaos. The skies were filled with Chitauri soldiers descending from their hovercrafts, while the ground was shaking under the impact of battle. Wakanda's soldiers, led by Black Panther, held the line, but the invasion force was relentless.

On the battlefield, Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards, was using his incredible elasticity to fight alongside Shuri, the brilliant and fierce sister of Black Panther. The Chitauri soldiers were relentless, pouring in from every direction, but Reed and Shuri were proving to be an unstoppable duo.

Reed stretched his body to impossible lengths, his arms coiling and whipping through the air like rubber bands, taking out multiple Chitauri soldiers at once. With each movement, he adapted to the chaos around him. A Chitauri soldier lunged toward him, but Reed elongated his torso, dodging the attack and sending his fist snapping back with the force of a slingshot, knocking the alien back into a cluster of its comrades.

Then Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, was soaring through the sky, leaving a fiery trail behind him as he dodged blasts from Korath. "You're gonna have to do better than that, chrome dome!" Johnny taunted as he barrel-rolled through the air, narrowly avoiding Korath's energy bolts.

Korath growled, his eyes tracking Johnny's every movement. "Hold still, flame-boy!" Korath unleashed another volley of blasts from his gauntlets, but Johnny was too quick. He shot straight up, the bolts exploding behind him.

From above, Johnny saw Nebula stalking toward his sister, Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, her cybernetic arm transforming into a blade. "Sorry, sis, but I'm cutting in!" Johnny quipped, diving down toward Nebula with a burst of fire.

"Flame on!" Johnny roared, sending a fiery blast in Nebula's direction. Nebula raised her cybernetic arm to shield herself, but the intensity of the flame forced her to stagger back.

In that moment, Sue Storm seized the opportunity. With her force field shimmering around her, she launched forward, a fluid motion as she swung her leg in a powerful roundhouse kick. Her boot connected with Nebula's side, sending the cybernetic assassin tumbling across the battlefield. Nebula rolled to her feet, her face contorted in rage.

"Not bad, sis!" Johnny said, hovering above the ground, his body engulfed in flame.

Sue smirked, her force field flickering in and out as she prepared to block Nebula's next attack. "You handle Korath, I'll deal with her."

"Already on it!" Johnny zipped back into the sky, turning his attention to Korath, who was charging up for another attack. Johnny fired a concentrated stream of flame, forcing Korath to dive for cover behind a pile of rubble.

Meanwhile, in another section of the battlefield, Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, was facing off against the towering menace of Ronan the Accuser. Ronan, wielding his mighty Cosmic Hammer, glared at Ben with contempt. "You think you can stand against me, creature?"

Ben cracked his knuckles, his rocky form gleaming in the Wakandan sun. "I don't think, I know," he growled in his signature gravelly voice. "Let's get clobberin', pal!" With that, Ben charged forward, his massive fists swinging like wrecking balls.

Ronan brought his hammer down with a thunderous crash, but Ben sidestepped just in time, the hammer smashing into the ground and sending a shockwave that cracked the earth. Ben retaliated with a brutal punch to Ronan's midsection, causing the Kree warlord to grunt in pain.

But Ronan recovered quickly, swinging his hammer in a wide arc. Ben raised his arms to block the blow, but the force sent him sliding back several feet, leaving deep trenches in the ground. "You hit like my mother, I'll give ya that," Ben muttered, shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears. "But I ain't done yet!"

Ronan's expression darkened. "You should have stayed down, monster." He raised his hammer again, the weapon glowing with cosmic energy. Ben, however, was ready. With a roar, he charged, this time ducking under Ronan's swing and delivering an uppercut that sent the warlord flying backward.

On the other side of the battlefield, the Wakandan soldiers, led by Black Panther, were locked in a brutal struggle against the Chitauri. T'Challa darted through the enemy ranks, his vibranium claws slashing through Chitauri soldiers with effortless precision. Every move he made was calculated, graceful, and lethal.

"Wakanda forever!" T'Challa shouted, rallying his troops as he leaped onto a Chitauri hovercraft, ripping through its controls before jumping to the ground as it exploded behind him. His warriors pressed forward, their spears crackling with energy, cutting down the alien invaders.

But the Chitauri kept coming, their numbers seemingly endless. Okoye, head of the Dora Milaje, was fighting off a swarm of soldiers with her signature spear, her movements a blur of deadly efficiency. "We need to push them back!" she shouted over the din of battle.

T'Challa, spotting Ronan battling Ben Grimm in the distance, knew they had to end this fight quickly. "Focus on the leaders!" he ordered. "Take down Ronan and the rest will fall!"

Back in the air, Johnny was dodging another series of energy blasts from Korath, who was becoming increasingly frustrated. "You're fast, but you can't keep running forever!" Korath shouted, his eyes blazing with fury.

Johnny smirked. "Who said anything about running?" He zipped in close, spinning in mid-air and launching a fireball directly at Korath's chest. The blast sent Korath crashing to the ground, his armor smoking from the impact.

"You're toast!" Johnny said, landing beside Korath, who groaned in pain. Before Korath could recover, Johnny was back in the air, his attention now fully on Nebula and Sue's ongoing battle.

Nebula, her cybernetic enhancements glowing with energy, lunged at Sue, her blade-arm slicing through the air. Sue deflected the strike with a force field, then sent a wave of energy that knocked Nebula off balance.

"Had enough yet?" Sue asked, her voice calm despite the intensity of the fight.

Nebula snarled, rising to her feet once more. "I don't stop until my enemies are dead."

Sue narrowed her eyes. "Well, that's unfortunate for you." With a flick of her wrist, Sue created a massive force field around Nebula, trapping her in place. Nebula struggled, but the invisible barrier held firm.

The battlefield was in chaos, but the Fantastic Four and Wakanda's forces were holding their own against the overwhelming might of Ronan's forces. The fight was far from over, but the tide was slowly turning in favor of Earth's defenders.

To be continue