Carol's arrival brought a hush over the scene.
G'iah stared at the "god" before her, suddenly recalling the Skrulls' near-extinction years ago.
It was this woman, with half-Kree blood, who saved the Skrull race.
Without her, the Skrulls would have been wiped out long ago.
Every Skrull held gratitude in their hearts for her.
Cleveland.
But the Skrulls' survival crisis still needed resolution.
They had once pinned their hopes on Nick Fury, but Nick Fury couldn't save the Skrulls.
Now that Carol was back, it seemed the Skrulls had hope again.
"Lady Carol, you've finally returned."
Talos stepped forward, offering Carol the highest Skrull respect, his eyes filled with pleading and longing.
"Please save us. We have nowhere left to turn."
His steps trembled as he led his people to kneel before Carol, who glanced over the Skrulls who had tried to attack Nick Fury, speaking calmly.
"For a split second just now, I regretted saving you."
Hearing this, the Skrulls lowered their heads in silence, not daring to offer any rebuttal.
They had attacked Carol's friend. They were guilty.
Before Talos could explain, Carol continued, "But I understand you. I've seen countless homeless races in the cosmos, and their actions were far crazier than yours. You've held out this long, which is already impressive."
At these words, the Skrulls let out a collective sigh of relief.
It seemed Carol wasn't planning to abandon them.
Talos' face lit up with excitement. "Thank you for your mercy. There are traitors among us, and they caused all this. We Skrulls only want to live in peace. Please help us through this crisis."
Carol nodded slightly. "I already know. The mutants and another faction of Skrulls are trying to take over this world. That's not allowed. Leave it to me."
"With you here, nothing will be a problem," Talos said, laying on the flattery, the pressure of recent days vanishing in an instant.
G'iah also felt a weight lift, especially since that Gravik guy was seriously strong—she'd never been able to beat him.
Now that Carol was back, Gravik's days were numbered.
But one worry lingered. Two tigers can't share one mountain. Nick Fury had been ousted from S.H.I.E.L.D. by Spider-Man and Captain Carter.
If Carol wanted to settle the score for her friend, she'd inevitably clash with Spider-Man.
Spider-Man was strong, but Carol seemed stronger.
G'iah didn't want Spider-Man defeated, nor did she want the Skrulls' savior harmed.
Her mind was a mess, unable to think of any way to avoid this conflict.
Sure enough, before she could dwell on it, Nick Fury spoke up.
"Carol, I've been investigating. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been deliberately keeping a low profile in this mess. I suspect Spider-Man's trying to balance things between mutants, humans, and Skrulls. I think we could work with them."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Carol frowned slightly. "Did you leave on your own, or were you forced out?"
"I left on my own. You know I've always wanted to retire," Nick Fury said.
Hearing this, Carol looked thoughtful, then a slight smile curved her lips.
"Someone who could make you step down voluntarily? That's some skill. Spider-Man, huh? Interesting guy."
"Not just interesting—strong," Nick Fury said with a bitter smile. "Immense power plus an unkillable body? I didn't stand a chance."
"But I'm back now, and the winner's gonna be you," Carol said, radiating confidence.
"I also want to see if the young superheroes of today have what it takes to protect Earth."
"Don't go stirring things up. The situation's complicated," Nick Fury warned.
Carol kept her confident air. "No matter how complicated, when overwhelming power steps in, nothing's a problem. The war between mutants, Skrulls, and humans needs a force strong enough to end it. Every root of chaos must be eliminated."
She turned to Talos. "Where's the Skrull traitor? Let's deal with that guy first."
Before Talos could answer, Nick Fury got a message.
"Carter says the mutants found Gravik. They're at the White House."
"Perfect. Let's take them all out at once."
Carol didn't waste another word. Cosmic energy erupted around her, blazing brilliantly as she transformed into a dazzling meteor, bursting through the basement ceiling and streaking across the sky.
BOOM!
Debris rained down as the Skrulls watched Carol's invincible form, their faces etched with awe and a strange undercurrent of fear.
Seeing this, G'iah activated her mutant gene. Wings sprouted from her back, whipping up a fierce wind as she shot after Carol's trail.
"G'iah!" Talos shouted, but she didn't respond.
"Is she trying to join this battle?" His aged face creased with worry.
Nick Fury reassured him, "Relax. With Carol there, G'iah will be fine."
Talos shook his head. "That's not what I'm worried about."
He sighed. "Since the message came from Captain Carter, Spider-Man's definitely there. You saw how curious Carol is about him. You know what kind of person Spider-Man is. Carol and Spider-Man's first meeting won't be friendly. If I'm right, G'iah might mess up and anger the god who saved the Skrulls."
Nick Fury's expression grew serious. "You've got a point. We need to get to the scene."
"Might be too late."
…
Evening in Washington, D.C.
Pennsylvania Avenue.
A white sandstone building in neoclassical style collapsed with a thunderous crash, steel and concrete blasting out through clouds of dust.
SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH!
Steel rebar twisted in midair, coalescing into a massive iron rod that tore through the air as it slammed down.
On the emerald lawn, a white-haired old man's face twisted with ferocity. His suit burst apart under bulging muscles, dark green skin crawling with eerie veins, his rough chin and pointed ears betraying his Skrull identity.
His muscles swelled endlessly, raw power pouring from his body.
"Get lost!!"
BOOM!!!
His fist met the iron rod, the ground quaking as the impact tore the lawn apart with a savage shockwave. The rod began to twist.
"Hm?"
From atop the oval building, beneath a flag, Erik watched with a cold smirk.
"Not bad. Worthy of Super-Skrull Gravik. A fitting opponent."
With a wave of his hand, the flag behind him warped under his magnetic field, twisting into a spear.
HUM~
The spear shot out at blinding speed, piercing the rod and heading straight for Gravik's heart.
SPLURCH!
Caught off guard, Gravik was impaled, green blood spraying across the battlefield as he staggered.
Clutching his wound, he glanced at the swarm of reporters at the battlefield's edge, his face grim.
This guy had planned it all.
Forcing him to reveal his Skrull form with brute force, ruining his plan to seize ultimate power.
Under the reporters' lenses, the President turned out to be a vile alien, leaving viewers at home in utter shock.
"My God! How is this possible?"
"The President's a fake too?"
"What's even real anymore?!"
"My Lord, I'm done trusting those guys."
"Come on, mutants, take down that impostor!"
The Skrulls became public enemy number one.
Neither mutants nor humans could tolerate a race that could disguise itself as anyone.
DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA~
Above the White House, hovering fighters unleashed their firepower, lasers engulfing Gravik's body in an instant.
BANG BANG BANG
The White House lawn erupted, dirt flying as Gravik's body darted through as a silver blur. To him, these energy weapons were no threat.
Until he saw a white building slowly rise from the ground.
RUMBLE RUMBLE!!
As reporters gasped, Erik raised his hands. Under his advanced magnetic control, an entire library building lifted into the air.
CRACK CRACK.
Dirt and rubble fell as the massive structure loomed over Gravik's head.
"What?"
As the building crashed down, Gravik glared at Erik, teeth gritted.
"Jerk, you're forcing my hand!"
Roaring, he became a phantom, charging at Erik as the massive building smashed into the ground, the shockwave rippling outward.
Missing his mark, Erik scanned the flickering speed-blurs around him, sensing Gravik's threat.
But he stayed calm.
"Hmph. Trash that only borrows mutant genes. I've been waiting for you."
He snapped his fingers, and dense shards from his sleeve shot out in all directions.
Under his control, the metal fragments scoured the surrounding space. The darting phantom couldn't dodge, pierced by several shards.
SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT~
Green blood sprayed as Gravik, legs pierced, crashed into the reception hall under the inertia of his speed.
BANG!!
Debris flew, and Erik waved his hands. The reception hall trembled, steel rebar breaking through walls to form an iron cage, aiming to trap Gravik in the ruins.
But Gravik's healing factor far exceeded expectations.
BAM!
Behind Erik, the injured Gravik burst through the ceiling, his wounds writhing with flesh buds, healing instantly.
His eyes blazed, scorching lasers shooting out, slicing the iron cage in two with searing heat.
Erik's face shifted slightly. He gritted his teeth, the ground roiling as underground metal broke free, blocking the sunset's glow. Endless metal surged toward Gravik, vowing to crush him to dust.
Gravik sneered, vanishing into invisibility, rapidly closing in on Erik.
Their battle nearly leveled half the White House.
In the distance, at the Oval Office, Charlie stood by the window, watching the fairly thrilling fight.
Beside him, Carter asked curiously, "When are you jumping in?"
"No rush. Apocalypse hasn't even shown up."
"But look at this. Erik might not lose, and the other three Horsemen haven't moved yet."
Carter didn't think much of Gravik. "If all four Horsemen hit him at once, Gravik's got no shot. That way, Apocalypse won't need to step in."
Charlie shrugged. "Your intel's a bit outdated. The Four Horsemen? It's just Erik now."
"Huh?" Carter blinked, surprised. "What's the deal?"
"No deal at all," Charlie said with a grin. "All four Horsemen are double agents. Apocalypse has to make a move."
"Double agents…" Carter's eyes narrowed. "So you had this planned. But what's with Erik? He's going all out."
Charlie rubbed his chin, thoughtful. "He's ready to lose, but he wants extra insurance to keep Apocalypse from sniffing out his little scheme. That way, even if I'm not reliable, he can still use Apocalypse's clout to get what he wants without crashing and burning."
"So he still doesn't trust you."
"Doesn't matter. It won't mess with my plan."
As Charlie finished, the battle seemed to be wrapping up.
"ARGH!!"
Gravik activated Spider-Man's "early" genes, his Hulk genes amplified by Spider-Man's physiology, his power surging. His green Hulk form took on a faint purple sheen, ignoring the incoming steel blades, charging with hundreds of tons of force, tearing through the metal shield before Erik.
BOOM!!
The magnetic field shattered. Erik didn't hesitate, riding a metal disc into the sky.
"Running? Not a chance!" Gravik sprouted bat-like wings, but before he could pursue, the surrounding buildings turned to sand.
"What the—?"
Gravik's face twisted as a blue-armored figure emerged from a spatial vortex beside Erik.
A powerful aura swept the field, making Gravik tremble.
"Here we go!" Charlie grinned.
Carter frowned. "Gravik's using your genes. When did they get your DNA?"
Charlie waved it off. "I don't always die without a trace."
Carter's eyes lit up. "Oh, I remember—"
Charlie cut her off. "Hold that thought. Stick to the plan. I'm gonna go say hi to an old friend."
"Wait!" Carter grabbed him. "Let Apocalypse deal with Gravik first. It'll save you a lot of trouble."
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Why not team up with Gravik to take down Apocalypse first, then deal with Gravik? Easier that way."
"Would he go for it?" Carter asked.
Charlie spread his hands. "Probably not."
Carter: "…"
"You're getting less funny."
"My bad. I'm heading out. Later~"
With that, Charlie vaulted out the window, firing spatial webbing to swing toward the battlefield.
Only by personally taking down Gravik could he earn a retry.
But it looked like someone was about to steal his thunder.
At the darkening horizon, a brilliant meteor streaked down, its overwhelming aura shocking everyone.
"Is that… Captain Marvel?"