With both sides poised for battle, Corvus Glaive made the first move. He lunged towards the Tesseract, swinging his golden glaive at his most dangerous opponent—Noah.
He earned his moniker "Glaive" because of this very weapon. His double-edged golden blade was incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through even vibranium, the metal renowned for its unparalleled defensive properties. In the film, he used this very glaive to pierce Vision, who was made of vibranium.
He moved with incredible speed, seemingly even faster than in the movie. But to Noah, his speed wasn't surprising. He raised his own sword—Muramana—and met the golden glaive head-on. A powerful wave of energy rippled outwards from the point of impact. Noah, understanding the sharpness of his enemy's weapon, imbued his own blade with magical energy as he countered the attack.
Noah didn't know what material his sword was forged from, but after being reforged through the system, it possessed incredible durability. However, he didn't want to risk any damage, such as nicks or scratches, which would mar the weapon's elegant appearance.
Glaive planned to eliminate the most dangerous opponent first, then secure the Tesseract. But Noah's counterattack stopped him in his tracks. He had to grip the glaive's shaft with both hands, but the force of the impact repelled him, sending him flying backward, his chest colliding with his own weapon.
Proxima Midnight, who had intended to coordinate her attack with her husband, suddenly saw him flying backward. She managed to catch him before he crashed to the ground.
Fortunately for Corvus, his armor absorbed some of the impact, and his superhuman strength allowed him to withstand the blow without serious injury.
"This man is very strong. Be careful," Proxima said, supporting him.
"I know," he replied, getting to his feet. Now he truly understood who he was dealing with.
The other people in the room finally reacted and opened fire.
Bang-bang-bang!
Bullets flew towards the enemies. Although the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents weren't as accurate as Hawkeye, they were skilled enough to hit stationary targets.
However, Corvus didn't panic. He slammed the scepter with the Mind Stone against the ground. Before the bullets reached him, a powerful shockwave emanated from the blue crystal.
All the bullets were deflected by the wave, which continued to spread throughout the room. Everyone nearby felt its force and was thrown backward. Noah, noticing the scepter's activation, attempted to neutralize some of the energy by sending a magical wave towards it, but he only managed to partially absorb the impact.
He sensed an unusual energy within the wave that he couldn't fully absorb. Everyone else momentarily lost consciousness—their minds overwhelmed by the power of the Mind Stone. Even Noah felt a slight impact, but thanks to his strong mental defenses, he recovered within a second.
"Is that... the power of the Mind Stone?" Noah wondered. This energy had managed to affect even him.
Corvus Glaive was certain that all his enemies were temporarily incapacitated. But he was utterly surprised when he noticed Noah recover in mere moments.
But there was no time for contemplation. He already understood that his opponent was too strong, and if he didn't seize the opportunity now, they might lose. He gathered all his strength and lunged forward again. After the Mind Stone's shockwave, everyone was thrown back, and the path to the Tesseract was completely clear.
He moved with incredible speed. His scepter, now transformed into a longer weapon, glowed with the powerful energy emanating from the blue crystal at its tip.
Noah quickly recovered and realized that his opponent's target was the Tesseract. He channeled all his magical power into his sword and unleashed a powerful air blade, which rapidly increased in size.
The air blade hurtled towards Glaive, who was already airborne. He couldn't dodge, but he didn't intend to. Corvus fully activated the scepter's power and directed it at the Tesseract, which was secured within a specialized device.
In an instant, the energy of the two Infinity Stones collided, causing a powerful energy explosion. The Tesseract activated, and before Noah's air blade could reach him, Corvus was enveloped in blue energy. Proxima Midnight and the Kree scientist vanished along with him.
The air blade sliced through empty space and continued its trajectory, cutting through everything in its path. It sliced through the base's structure, leaving a deep gash, like a knife through butter. It soared upwards and finally pierced the base's roof, creating a massive crack through which the sky was visible.
Noah quickly checked the area of destruction and confirmed that no one was injured. By the time he turned back to where the Tesseract had been, the base was almost completely evacuated on Nick Fury's orders.
"They took the Tesseract," Noah sighed, rubbing his forehead. He instinctively reached for his head, but his helmet prevented him from touching his skin.
This was his miscalculation. This was the first time he encountered the power of the Infinity Stones, and their might caught him off guard. If he had been more prepared, the Mind Stone's power wouldn't have affected him.
The agents, stunned by the energy blast, still lay on the ground. Only Hawkeye and Black Widow were beginning to recover, thanks to their superior physical conditioning.
Noah understood that the Stone was now in enemy hands, and events were unfolding in a familiar direction. But he still had doubts – would Corvus and Proxima simply take the Tesseract and immediately flee? Unlikely.
"Well, I won't think about it for now," Noah muttered, shaking his head. He took out Mikael's Blessing from his backpack, an artifact capable of dispelling mental control.
Ding-ding!
A soft, melodic chime echoed through the laboratory, reaching everyone's ears.
Hawkeye and Black Widow were the first to rise. They were already almost recovered, but the chime accelerated the process.
The others also began to regain consciousness, aided by the sound. Nick Fury, getting to his feet, first looked at the spot where the Tesseract had been, but now only an empty container remained.
"What happened?!" Nick Fury looked sharply at Noah, then at the massive crack in the building.
"Those aliens used the Tesseract's power to escape," Noah shrugged and returned his sword to his backpack.
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