Chapter 38: In The Midst Of War

The planet was currently in shambles. All across the globe, different versions of Invincible wreaked havoc. Men, women, and children were slaughtered like cattle. Some unlucky women and children were forcefully taken as prizes. The New Earth Federation had deployed all of their soldiers to combat the extinction level threat. The only thing it did was slow down the onslaught. Cities were being decimated in seconds.

The entire hero task force had sprung into action. From heroes like Fight Force to villains like the Mauler Twins, everyone fought to save their home. It was expected that a large percentage of criminals would be exonerated of their crimes after this event. If they lived to tell the tale, that is.

All the way in Japan, a new figure could be seen emerging. It was a woman who appeared, confronting the villains before disappearing. The citizens of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and especially Hitogaya, all looked to the skies in hope as an unknown hero or vigilante battled against two Invincibles. Both of the copies were much larger and bulkier than their original counterpart. The shockwaves from their clashes could be heard even though they were in the clouds.

Back in America, the Teen Team was back together. There were two Invincibles with crazed eyes. It seemed as if they were enjoying their time immensely. If it wasn't for Dupli-Kate, who had an improvement in strength along with her plethora of clones, it would've been a losing battle. Atom Eve took on the other villain along with Rexplode.

"What the fuck is your problem, Mark?! Take a chill pill!" Rex exclaimed with anger.

He flipped like a gymnast before launching new and improved mini bombs. They were enhanced with his power, which made the explosions much larger. The evil Invincible flew back from the blast, but it was useless. He rebounded toward them even faster, on a straight course to the exploding hero.

"I can make you chill forever. Without a heart…I heard it gets really cold." Evil Mark exclaimed darkly.

Before the alternate hero turned villain could reach Rex, the other Mark crashed into him. They both fell to the ground. The second copy was bleeding from his mouth, and was extremely angry. He glared at Dupli-Kate.

Kate stood a few meters away with six clones surrounding her. The dynamic of her hero role had changed. She'd gone from a supportive member of the team to one of the hard hitters. The ground beneath her cracked as two Kates burst into motion. She couldn't fly, but she sure as hell could run and jump.

The two nonchalant heroines flipped in the air with an elegant display of acrobatics. At the peak of their momentum, a heavy stomp was thrown. Both of the copy Kate's hurtled down onto the entangled villains.

BAM

The ground cracked from the impact. Both Invincibles raised their arms to block, and they were successful. It did cause them to spit out more blood however. They weren't completely free of damage. Both Marks pushed back, throwing the two women into the air. Right before they could fly after her, a pink cage slammed down onto them. They were stuck.

"Get ready!" Eve exclaimed. This was their chance to get a breather.

"Oh no…Oh SHIT." Rexplode exclaimed. His gaze was focused on the sky. Everyone turned to see what the commotion was. Their faces turned solemn instantly.

PHOOOM

With a gust of wind a new figure appeared. It was another Invincible. This viltrumite was way larger and more shredded, and the relaxed expression on his face implied his strength. He wore an all white skin tight suit, reminiscent of Viltrum. He even had a mustache. There was a wet spot on his lower half, with a dead child in his hand. It was a little girl.

"Hmmm…You've given my other selves quite a bit of trouble. Let's clear the way, shall we? I'm not satisfied with my hunt yet." He spoke while tossing the dead child aside like a broken toy. Her pelvis was crushed. It was obvious what he was doing to her in the last few minutes.

__________

Taz appeared in the sky over France. In the Champ de Mars over Paris, the eiffel tower was displayed for tourists and citizens alike. The only problem was that instead of admiring the structure, they were running away from it.

GRRNNN

A groan was constantly being emitted from the structure. The tower was slowly tilting as if it would fall over. Its inner workings were crumbling. Another evil Mark stood at the top while dangling a citizen over the edge.

"I'm gonna drop you! Heh. Beg me to spare you. I love it when domesticated animals whine." He exclaimed. The innocent man cried in terror.

"Oh god! What did I do to deserve this?! Spare me, please!" The bystander pleaded. Alternate Invincible thought for a moment.

"Mmmm…Nah."

With those words, he let go. Mark crossed his arms with a grin. He couldn't wait to see the man's body flatten on the ground like roadkill. Unfortunately that didn't happen. The constant sound of the collapsing tower ceased, and the man slowly floated to the ground.

The evil hero frowned. It felt as if gravity had disappeared. The sun was no longer the orbit point. Invincible looked up to see a new figure. His white cape flapped in the wind as debris and chunks of earth rose to the sky beside him. It was then that the alternate hero realized.

"He's the celestial body?! All of these things…are revolving around him!" He exclaimed in surprise.

Absolver quickly descended in front of him. The stoic viltrumite wanted answers, and decided that this was the lucky winner. His arm reached out to grasp the evil Mark. Invincible felt his life at risk from the simple action and jumped back. It was futile. An invisible force brought him right back into Taz's waiting hand.

"How did you all get here? And why Mark of all people?" The young elite questioned. His hand squeezed the evil hero's neck.

"What? I've always been here. Heh." He mocked. As he gathered his saliva in order to spit on Taz's face, a fist crashed into his chin.

BOOM

One moment Mark could see, and the next, everything went black. A few seconds passed before he could see again. The blow left him rattled. His brain jumped around his skull. That single punch had almost killed him.

"Who created you? Why are you all slaughtering everything? Is it to rule? What could you even rule if all of your subjects are dead?" Absolver questioned.

The alternate Invincible didn't respond, which made Taz frown. Grabbing him by the back of his head, the stoic soldier lifted him up. His other hand slowly dug into Mark's back and searched for the spine.

"AAAAAGGHHH!!! STOOOOPPP!!!" He roared in pain. His arms and legs flailed around in order to be free.

"...You only make it harder for yourself. It's commendable that you want to be strong and keep secrets. Unfortunately, this is the real world. Everyone breaks eventually." The young elite commented.

His hand firmly grasped the bone. He had finally reached the spine. All it would take was a slight tug to make the villain a cripple. Blood slowly dripped down the eiffel tower. Once it was caught by the bioelectric field, it floated into the air.

"I'll tell you! Just stop- AAAAGGHHH!" He screamed. Taz slowly began to pull.

"...Hurry up and speak. I'm not going to stop just because you said so. Speak and it will be over." Absolver declared.

"It was Levy! Angstrom Levy! We all made a deal!" He revealed.

"Mmm…and where are you all from?"

"A different universe! All of us! No more- AAAGHHH!" His words were interrupted by a terrifying sound. Taz pulled back his arm.

RIIIP

The spine came along with it. Mark's skull was still attached to the spine, which meant that the body was now just…a lump of flesh. His motor functions were gone. Invincible's body crumpled up like a blanket, even more blood floating into the air.

'Levy…That villain with the big brain? This is his comeback huh? Pretty grand.' He thought.

After remembering how the man promised to exact revenge upon him and the real Mark, he frowned. His public identity was synonymous with Kate. They were seen as a power couple, after all. That meant Angstrom would have something in store for her. He knew she could take care of herself, but one could never be too safe against portals. Taz raised his wrist guard and typed a quicked message, which instantly pinged to the viltrumite fighting in Japan.

Now that he knew who was behind it, he decided to get rid of more alternate Invincibles while searching. Absolver looked back at the eiffel tower and frowned. He then flew up and pushed it back in place. Now that it was set, red lasers melded the broken parts together. The structure wouldn't fall today.

Absolver then spread his bioelectric aura across the globe once again. It didn't take long to find the big headed villain. The young elite planned to take out some more enemies on the way. Not alone though. In his hand was a golden gadget.

BEEP

Not even ten seconds after the button was pressed, a golden portal emerged beside him. Thokk emerged from the portal with 20 white lion warriors. They were all armed to the teeth.

"You called? That must mean a battle is near!" Battle Beast exclaimed in excitement. Taz nodded.

"It's not a battle, but a war…and it has already begun." He answered while gesturing around him.

The group of lion men looked around in surprise. Blood floated in the air, along with gore and a corpse. Big chunks of land were frozen in the sky.

"Who are we fighting?" Thokk asked.

"Invincible. Bigger, stronger versions of him. They are all over the globe. Have fun." He explained.

As soon as his words were finished, he stepped off the air and accelerated. His silhouette disappeared in the horizon. At that moment, the floating corpse, blood, spine, and debris fell to the ground with a splat. The lion men deadpanned.

"Well then…To battle!" Battle Beast roared.

His squad gave a warcry before leaping high into the air. That single bound caused them to reach the clouds. It wouldn't be long until they found their first prey.