Corvus Glaive stepped to Supergiant's side, his silence heavy with intent. Her voice echoed in his mind, a psychic whisper cutting through the chaos. "This human is formidable, equipped with potent artifacts. The wand in his right hand and the rings on his left are cosmic treasures, or near enough. Your glaive, forged with Thanos' authority, matches their caliber. You know the power such relics wield."
Cosmic treasures, imbued with universal authority, were rare and devastating. Thanos had laced Corvus' glaive with a fragment of sharpnessand a fragment of death's power, granting it unmatched cutting force. This weapon elevated Corvus to the Black Order's forefront, a blade that could sunder any defense.
"End him!" Supergiant urged.
Corvus roared, charging at Sebastian Shaw. His glaive swept forward, both weapon and shield, its edge gleaming with lethal edge. Simultaneously, Supergiant's eyes flared white, her psychic might surging into a towering, invisible storm that bore down on Sebastian's mind.
Sebastian's gaze turned cold, emotionless. Occlumency sealed his mind, a flawless bulwark against Supergiant's assault. He raised his left hand, the Ring of Frost blazing ice-blue. A torrent of ice spears and spikes erupted, forming a glacial wall that surged toward Corvus like a tidal wave.
Corvus swung his glaive, cleaving a jagged path through the ice. He pressed forward, undeterred, closing the distance to Sebastian.
Annihilation Ray! Sebastian's wand flicked, six dark red beams lancing from its tip. They zigzagged through the air, four targeting Corvus' vitals from multiple angles, two streaking toward Supergiant. Her psychic prowess was formidable, her abilities insidious, but her direct combat skills faltered. The rays forced her to divert focus, weakening her mental grip on Sebastian. His counterattack sharpened, pressure easing.
Corvus' glaive danced, deflecting the four rays with precision. They ricocheted, piercing the surrounding ice walls and vanishing into the void.
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. He couldn't afford Supergiant's interference. He had to end Corvus—now.
Murderous intent flared. An Unforgivable Curse formed on his lips.
Crucio!
Dark green lightning erupted from his wand, striking Corvus' raised glaive. The curse's power surged, the blade trembling violently. Green tendrils snaked along its surface, seeping into its core, exploiting its cosmic essence.
Corvus screamed, collapsing to his knees, convulsing in agony. The glaive flew from his grasp, embedding itself in the earth under the curse's force.
Sebastian cast Crucio again, targeting Corvus directly. To his shock, the spell blasted Corvus backward but inflicted no pain.
What? The first curse had just worked—why not now? Confusion flickered, but time was short. He raised his wand, shifting tactics.
Bombarda! His wrist vibrated, the wand's tip weaving red light threads like a drizzle of fire.
They arced around Corvus and Supergiant, who'd just evaded the Annihilation Rays. The ground erupted in a carpet of high-powered explosions, shaking the wilderness.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The barrage was relentless. Corvus, stripped of his glaive, relied on his alien physiology—superhuman strength and rapid healing. He endured the blasts, shielding himself, but couldn't aid Supergiant or retrieve his weapon. Supergiant's psychic surges faltered against the physical onslaught. Her abilities thrived in populated areas, controlling crowds or turning enemies against each other, earning her place among the Black Order. But here, in the desolate wilderness, with Sebastian's Occlumency thwarting her, she was outmatched.
"Damn it!" Supergiant snarled. "Corvus, protect me!"
In a desperate bid, her psychic power invaded Corvus' mind, overriding his will. He abandoned self-preservation, rushing to her side. Wrapping her in his arms, he became a living shield, absorbing the explosion's brunt.
The bombardment ceased. Sebastian exhaled, his breath visible in the frigid air. He stepped toward the ravaged battlefield, intent on inspecting the fallen foes. The ground lay scorched, craters pocking the earth.
A familiar blue tractor beam descended, snatching Supergiant—battered but alive—and Corvus, reduced to a mangled skeleton, from the debris. The glaive followed, vanishing into the beam. Sebastian's gaze hardened with regret as the Chitauri warship executed a space jump, fleeing Earth's atmosphere in a blink, leaving only silence in its wake.
Sebastian Shaw exhaled deeply, steadying his frayed nerves. The battle against Corvus Glaive and Supergiant had pushed him to his limits. He'd avoided lethal dark magic—not out of mercy, but necessity. Spells like Avada Kedavra demanded intense mental focus, and Supergiant's psychic onslaught had crippled his ability to wield such volatile power.
Dark magic, especially the Unforgivable Curses, risked catastrophic loss of control if mishandled. Under her relentless mental suppression, even basic spells had been a struggle.
Against Corvus Glaive alone, Sebastian could have dominated with ease, leveraging his Ring of Harnessing Power and Hellfire Authority. But the Black Order's synergy—Corvus' relentless melee and Supergiant's psychic interference—had been a nightmare. Supergiant's weak direct combat and survival skills were her downfall, allowing Sebastian to end the fight swiftly. Had she been stronger, the outcome might have differed.
The Killing Curse posed its own enigma. As a relic of his past life, it was the most potent dark magic he knew, uniquely altered in this world. Sebastian sensed that casting Avada Kedavra now would dispatch enemies effortlessly but invite a severe magical backlash—perhaps fatal. As a prudent wizard, he heeded the unknown, restraining its use. In magic, wisdom meant cautious exploration, blending knowledge with instinct, always vigilant.
He exhaled again, ready to regroup with Tony and the others. His comms, jammed since the Black Order's arrival, crackled to life. Tony's voice burst through, urgent amid roars and explosions. "Shaw! Shaw! Comms back online?"
Sebastian nodded, though Tony couldn't see. "Restored. What's happening?"
"New York's a warzone! Loki opened a wormhole. Chitauri are swarming. Everyone's here—except you and Banner!"
"Thor's there?" Sebastian asked.
"Thor and his Asgardian crew are holding the line. They're a game-changer! I—Boom!" A blast cut Tony off, the sound of an attack echoing through the comms.
"I'm coming!" Sebastian said, stepping through a portal as the word left his lips. He emerged above New York, where Tony battled a swarm of Chitauri airships, his Mark VI armor battered.
Sebastian's wand flashed, his wrist a blur. Red Reducto spells streaked outward, obliterating Chitauri ships in fiery bursts, freeing Tony from the encirclement.
Tony, unfazed by Sebastian's arrival, flew to his side, gesturing at his damaged armor. "Shaw, I need to swap suits. Mark Ω II's in Stark Tower. Takes a minute—can you cover me?"
"No problem," Sebastian replied.
Tony remotely summoned the Mark Ω II. A portal opened above, and the gold-and-red Mark VII, sleek as a shuttle, soared out, racing toward him. Tony detached from the ruined Mark VI, free-falling. As he plummeted, he snapped bracelets onto his wrists, prepping for the new suit.
Sebastian's wand danced, Reducto and Expulso spells shredding any Chitauri daring to approach Tony. The Mark VII reached him, transforming mid-air. From the bracelets, it enveloped Tony, encasing him in seconds.
Bang! Thrusters flared, and Tony rocketed upward, Mark VII's arsenal unleashing a barrage that decimated half the Chitauri swarm. He grinned through the comms. "Shaw, let's see—who kills more?"
"As you wish," Sebastian said, a spark of challenge in his eyes.
The Chitauri were contained around Stark Tower, not yet reaching Alisha's area. Sebastian touched the pendant he'd given her, a protective charm linked to his magic. Sensing her safety, he dissolved into black smoke, soaring into the fray.
As black smoke, he wove through the chaos. When Chitauri airships neared, Sebastian materialized briefly, red Reducto rays blasting them apart before he vanished again.
A massive green figure—the Hulk—leaped from below, smashing onto a Chitauri warship. He tore into it with primal fury. Sebastian, seizing the moment, summoned water vapor with his wand,
It coalesced into a colossal Water Sword, slashing a warship in half. The wreckage plummeted, frustrating Hulk, who roared at Sebastian before charging ground-based Chitauri.
Sebastian spotted Thor below, fighting alongside Asgard's Three Warriors. He descended as black smoke, materializing on the ground. Sliding forward, he unleashed a volley of Stupefy and Reducto spells, obliterating Chitauri in his path.
Back-to-back with Thor, Sebastian waved his wand, felling enemies. "Thor, where's Loki?"
Clang! Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, sent Chitauri flying. "Didn't see him when I arrived. But Amora might know."
"Amora—where is she?" Sebastian pressed.
"She's—Bang!" Thor smashed another Chitauri. "Fighting Sif and your red-haired warrior, Natasha. Only they can face her without falling to her enchantments. Men wouldn't stand a chance."
"Natasha and Sif? I'm going to them. Hold here!"
"Got it!" Thor said. "You'll handle that witch. I've got your back!"
Lightning crackled in Thor's eyes. He raised Mjolnir, thunder erupting skyward, annihilating nearby Chitauri in explosive bursts. Sebastian seized the opening, transforming into black smoke and streaking toward Natasha and Sif's location.