Chapter 34: Full Power Unleashed

The battlefield on the outskirts of the convergence zone had reached a level of chaos the Vanguards had never imagined. The destruction stretched across miles of crumbling terrain, fractured space, and twisting energy portals that flickered ominously across the sky.

Ethan hovered above the ground, his glitching form constantly shifting as he manipulated the spotted dimension with terrifying ease. The dimensional instability surrounding him was palpable, and even the most seasoned warriors could feel it in their bones.

Below him, the remnants of Earth's mightiest heroes, Thanos, and Doctor Doom gathered, prepared to face the unprecedented threat. They had suffered losses, and their bodies and minds were worn, but there was no retreat now.

Tony Stark, floating beside Thanos, activated the nanobots in his suit, the armor shifting and reshaping to accommodate every move. He scanned the battlefield through his HUD, tracking every unpredictable portal that Ethan created. "We need a plan," Tony muttered, "or he's going to tear this place apart."

"He's already destabilizing reality," Doctor Strange said, hovering beside him. The glow of mystic energy surrounded Strange's hands as he tried to contain the dimensional rifts that Ethan was opening faster than they could close. "If this goes on, there will be no stopping the collapse."

Doom stood silent, his eyes narrowed beneath his mask. The device on his arm pulsed with energy, designed specifically to counteract Ethan's manipulations of the spotted dimension. His calm demeanor belied the ferocious power that he held in check.

"You'll die here, Stark," Doom muttered. "As will your so-called heroes."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Doom. Always a pleasure," Tony quipped, but his mind was racing as he searched for any sign of weakness in Ethan's ever moving form.

Thanos, clad in his full armor, raised his massive double-bladed sword. His gauntlet shimmered with the combined power of the Reality and Power Stones, and yet, the Mad Titan seemed to recognize the magnitude of the challenge before them. "He cannot be allowed to continue," Thanos growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "We end this now."

Ethan floated higher above them, his eyes locked on the approaching heroes. There was no trace of hesitation in his cold, distant gaze. His body pulsed with the energy of the spotted dimension, his very presence distorting space and time.

"I've indulged you long enough," Ethan declared, his voice echoing through the chaos. "Now I will end this."

With a flick of his wrist, portals began to open everywhere. The battlefield erupted into pure chaos as the rifts tore through the air, ripping apart the very fabric of the universe. The heroes scrambled to avoid being sucked into the void, but several weren't quick enough.

A portal opened beneath a Wakandan warrior, and within seconds, his body was consumed by the dark void, his scream silenced as the portal closed. The sight shook the Vanguards, but they had no time to mourn.

"Tony, deploy everything!" Steve Rogers shouted over the comms, his breath ragged as he dodged another portal.

Tony's HUD lit up with countless warning signals as he initiated full combat mode. "Jarvis, deploy all nanobots. We need to outmaneuver him."

"Deploying, boss," Jarvis, replied, and Tony's armor shifted into an advanced combat configuration. His gauntlets morphed into massive energy cannons, while his shoulders opened to reveal missiles, all aimed directly at Ethan.

Tony fired everything in his arsenal,repulsor beams, missiles, and concentrated energy blasts,but it was as if Ethan had anticipated every move. Ethan opened a series of portals, effortlessly absorbing the attacks before redirecting the energy back toward the heroes. Explosions rocked the battlefield, forcing the remaining fighters to scatter.

Hulk roared, charging through the debris with a fury unmatched. His massive fists slammed into the ground as he tried to get close enough to grab Ethan, but the glitching villain was too fast. Portals flickered around Hulk, sending him tumbling through the void before he emerged disoriented on the other side.

Doom, watching the battle unfold, finally moved into action. With a cold, calculated precision, he raised his hand, and the device on his wrist pulsed with energy. The pulse surged forward, destabilizing the portals around Ethan. For the first time, Ethan's control faltered as the dimensional rifts flickered and shimmered, temporarily disrupted.

Seizing the moment, Hulk leaped into the air, his fists crashing down toward Ethan. The impact sent Ethan careening into the ground, creating a massive crater, but the victory was short-lived. Ethan rose from the debris, his body glitching violently as he regained control.

"You think you can stop me?" Ethan growled, his black circles expanding across his body. "I am beyond your comprehension."

With a snap of his fingers, Ethan opened a portal directly inside Hulk's chest. Hulk roared in agony as the portal twisted and pulled at his heart, threatening to rip it from his body. But Bruce, fighting with every ounce of willpower, managed to close the portal before it could finish the job.

Ethan, visibly annoyed, raised both hands, and the ground around them trembled. His form began to shift wildly, his body glitching with raw, unrestrained energy. The black circles on his skin expanded into jagged, glitching lines. His skin turned pitch black, the swirling portals glowing with white energy as his body morphed into an unstable, ever-shifting figure.

This was Ethan's universal state, a form that defied all reason and logic, constantly flickering between dimensions.

"Tony, watch out!" Doctor Strange shouted, his mystic senses screaming as Ethan prepared his next move.

Without warning, portals began opening inside the bodies of the remaining heroes. A scream echoed through the battlefield as one of Thanos' Black Order soldiers was ripped apart from the inside, their organs pulled through a portal and dropped unceremoniously at Ethan's feet. Blood splattered the ground as the portals began to tear apart the very people fighting to stop him.

Captain America, bloodied and battered, watched in horror as his fellow fighters fell one by one. His shield, cracked and worn, was all that stood between him and the devastation around him. With a final, desperate push, Steve Rogers charged at Ethan.

But Ethan, now fully in control of his universal power, opened a portal inside Steve's chest. Captain America's eyes widened in shock as his heart was pulled through space, ripped from his body. The once-unshakable symbol of hope crumpled to the ground, his shield clattering beside him, the battle lost before it had truly begun.

"Steve!" Tony's voice cracked as he screamed, his HUD flashing red as the suit struggled to maintain stability. Blood pounded in Tony's ears as the sight of his fallen friend ignited a rage like nothing he had ever felt.

"Jarvis, I need everything!" Tony barked, and the nanobots reconfigured, creating massive energy blades as he flew directly at Ethan. Repulsors fired, missiles streaked across the battlefield, and energy beams sliced through the air in a desperate attempt to stop Ethan's rampage.

But Ethan was relentless. His glitching body absorbed the attacks effortlessly, redirecting them back into the already shattered battlefield. Buildings collapsed, debris flew, and the ground splintered under the weight of his reality-warping power.

The unlucky planet below them was dying the more time passed.

"You're not taking anyone else!" Tony screamed, pushing his suit to the limit.

"You're all already dead," Ethan said coldly, his voice echoing unnaturally through the void. His glitching body was unstoppable, his portals tearing apart everything in their path.

But Tony Stark, even in his desperation, was still the smartest man on the battlefield. He watched closely, tracking every glitch, every moment of instability in Ethan's form. There was a rhythm to it, a brief moment of weakness every time Doom's destabilizing pulse hit.

"That's it," Tony whispered, adjusting his suit in real-time. He flew back, creating distance as he charged an EMP blast designed to hit just as Doom's next pulse destabilized Ethan.

The EMP struck perfectly.

Ethan staggered as his control faltered, his form glitching wildly. For the first time, the battlefield seemed to stabilize, giving the heroes a brief window to regroup.

"Now!" Tony shouted, signaling the others to attack.

Doom unleashed a torrent of arcane energy, his power merging with Tony's EMP. At the same time, Thanos, ever the opportunist, activated the Power Stone. A beam of raw cosmic energy shot forward, slamming into Ethan with devastating force.

For a moment, it seemed like they had won.

Ethan's form flickered uncontrollably, his body glitching violently as he struggled to maintain control. The combined assault tore through his defenses, and the ground trembled beneath the weight of the power unleashed.

But Ethan was far from finished.

With a guttural roar, Ethan unleashed his full power. His body morphed even more into an ever-shifting mass of glitching black and white, portals opening and closing around him like a vortex of destruction. His control over reality had reached a new height, he could now tear through the very fabric of the universe with ease.

Ethan, his form fully glitching, with his portals flickering wildly as the power surged around him.

But even as Ethan's control faltered, his resolve remained unbroken. "You think you can stop me?" he growled, his voice echoing with glitching resonance. "I am beyond you all!"

With one final push, Ethan opened a massive portal, swallowing the entire battlefield in darkness.

As the heroes and villains alike were pulled into the void, Ethan's voice echoed through the chaos.

"You will all fall."

And then, everything went black.