"Haha! The barrier is broken! Delicious souls await us!" After spending an immense amount of time breaking through the protective shield, the demon lord knew that the passage had now closed and that Mephisto had vanished from this world. However, he did not care in the slightest.
There were countless demons in Hell, but the number of souls that fell into it was far too few. Even as a demon lord, he could only claim a limited share. But this world held an abundance of souls, and at this moment, he felt like a wolf surrounded by countless innocent and weak sheep, indulging himself without restraint.
Just then, streaks of lightning appeared in the sky. A hammer whistled through the air from afar, slamming into the demon lord and knocking him out of the clouds. The searing electricity coursed through his body, leaving him momentarily numb.
"Demon, face your doom!" Thunderbolts continued to strike from the swirling storm clouds above, forcing the demon to plummet further downward.
The Avengers had already eradicated the demons plaguing other parts of America. Now, only this chaotic battle in the skies remained. From this vantage point, they could see Naxxramas smoldering on the ground below.
Tony Stark flew up beside Garus. "Garus, need me to introduce you to the best construction crew in town?"
Before he could finish his sentence, several demons lunged toward him, wreathed in hellish flames. The hand of Tony's armor split open like a blossoming flower, and from within, a blinding white light shot forth, piercing through the demons with lethal precision.
"No need," Garus shook his head. "You guys should focus on clearing out those demons first." Naxxramas was built from special materials, but the relentless infernal fire of the demons had severely damaged it. Restoring its flight capabilities would require both his and Wanda's personal intervention.
Iron Man in his bloodedge armor, Spider-Man struggling to manage his new suit, Thor unleashing thunderbolts in every direction, and even the sudden appearance of a massive giant—together, they pushed back against the advancing demon horde.
"Dr. Pym?!"
Long ago, Dr. Hank Pym had been one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founding members. However, when the organization's council attempted to seize his Pym Particles, he left after a heated dispute. Later, the disappearance of his wife, the Wasp, into the Quantum Realm led him to retreat from public life entirely. Now, for reasons unknown, he had returned.
"Demon, perish!" The most powerful of demon lords naturally attracted the attention of more superheroes.
"Damn insects!"
The Avengers' arrival prevented the city from descending into complete chaos. They fought to contain the demonic invasion.
Suddenly, multiple aircraft appeared in the sky, breaking through the demon ranks and descending toward the ground.
"H.A.M.M.E.R. agents," Wanda muttered with a frown. They had clashed with H.A.M.M.E.R. multiple times before. Unlike S.H.I.E.L.D. under Fury's leadership, H.A.M.M.E.R. operated with a different agenda.
"What do you want?"
H.A.M.M.E.R. agents quickly surrounded the wreckage of Naxxramas.
Just as Wanda was about to act, a middle-aged man in a suit stepped forward.
"Director Osborn, what is the meaning of this?" Wanda's gaze hardened as she noticed several large construction vehicles rumbling toward the scene.
"Look around you," Norman Osborn gestured toward the destruction. "This city is in ruins because of you. Every battle leaves New York in shambles, driving businesses away. The devastation is undeniable." He pointed toward a massive crater filled with the wreckage of skyscrapers. "I won't hold you accountable for the destruction, but we will be handling the cleanup."
Osborn was not acting out of altruism. He had long coveted Naxxramas. Even as debris, the fortress held immense technological value. His Green Goblin armor required further enhancements, and the tech from Naxxramas could significantly improve H.A.M.M.E.R.'s arsenal.
"Clang!" Even in ruins, the floating fortress was remarkably sturdy. Ordinary machinery struggled to break through its defenses.
"Hey, old man! If not for us, New York would've been overrun by demons! This damage is nothing compared to what could have happened!"
The mutant students shouted in protest. Using their abilities, they softened the ground beneath the demolition machines, causing them to sink into the earth.
"Look! What's happening to Garus?" Xerion pointed toward Garus, who stood motionless. "Professor Wanda, doesn't that look like your magic?"
Everyone turned to see a deep crimson mist, fluid-like and ethereal, enveloping Garus. Wanda immediately knew this was not Chaos Magic. Her power was tied to a certain godly entity, yet she sensed no trace of that presence here.
Garus opened his eyes, looking down at the red energy coursing over his hands. It was the long-dormant Aether—finally awakened under his mental command. This was the power to alter reality itself. He wondered how it compared to Wanda's Chaos Magic.
As Garus focused, the crimson mist spread outward, flowing around Naxxramas and mending its cracks. The damaged levitation sigils began to restore themselves.
"Wanda, go inside and reactivate the fortress!" Garus shouted.
To everyone's astonishment, the fallen fortress began to rise once more. The shattered gargoyle statues along its borders reassembled and returned to their original places.
A few demons swooped toward the fortress, only to be erased from existence by the Reality Stone's power, vanishing without a trace.
The demon lord, still locked in battle with the Avengers, caught sight of this from the corner of his eye. A chill ran down his spine. Sensing danger, he decided it was time to flee. Striking as he retreated, he began flying away from the battlefield.
Using the Reality Stone to kill enemies was wasteful—it consumed too much energy. Recognizing the threat, the remaining demons dared not approach any closer.
Under the Reality Stone's immense power, the fortress gradually returned to its former state. The cracks in its structure rapidly sealed themselves.
As an Infinity Stone, its use came with a price. Garus could feel his life force being drained, transformed into another form of energy. He was fortunate that he no longer counted as a living being—otherwise, restoring the floating fortress would have aged him into an old man. But such concerns were meaningless to him.
"Garus is getting stronger," Tony muttered. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. His Iron Man suits had evolved significantly, yet compared to Garus, he was still leagues behind.
Osborn now found himself in an awkward position. He had initially been delighted by the fortress's fall, believing he could claim its technology. He had even prepared potential trade offers. But the situation unfolding before him had completely derailed his plans.
"Director Osborn," a H.A.M.M.E.R. agent approached and whispered, "That's Dr. Pym. Should we...?"
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