Captain America's shout rang out sharply, cutting through the tense air.
"Avengers, assemble!"
The heroes charged in unison, a wall of steel, magic, and determination advancing on the enemy. But before the first blow could land, the ground rumbled as if a monster awoke beneath their feet. The earth cracked, and sharp spikes of rock shot up at full speed, launching like spears toward them.
-"Dodge!" Natasha ordered, leaping aside as a rock pierced the asphalt where she had just been.
Clint rolled and fired an explosive arrow to deflect a projectile, while Steve raised his shield, blocking another attack. The ground crumbled beneath their boots, forcing them to retreat.
Amid the chaos, a crystalline figure stood firm. Diamond extended his arms, and the rock spears slammed into his body, shattering uselessly. The glow from his hardened skin reflected flashes of light in all directions. Black Widow and Hawkeye took cover behind him as projectiles rained down like a storm of stone.
-"That was close," Clint muttered, breathing heavily.
When the ground settled, a mocking laugh broke the silence. In front of them, on his glider, was the Chitauri general, clad in black armor with a predatory gaze. Beside him, on another glider, Loki watched with a sly smile, his scepter glowing faintly.
-"I expected nothing less from my brother's allies, charging foolishly into battle… just like him," said the God of Mischief, his voice dripping with disdain.
Thor stepped forward, gripping Mjolnir tightly.
-"Loki! Your plan ends here. Surrender, and I assure you your trial in Asgard will be fair."
-"Oh, Thor…" Loki laughed. "Always so noble. I would love to come with you, but I fear… I cannot leave my new friends here after coming this far… it wouldn't be honorable, would it?"
The street trembled again. From a dark fissure in the ground, a colossal figure slowly emerged, as if the planet itself were trying to spit him out.
He was a massive warrior, with stone-like skin and glowing eyes. His armor was adorned with alien engravings, and in his hands, he held an axe large enough to split mountains.
The titan planted himself on the asphalt, his presence silencing even Loki for a moment. His eyes shone with contained fury.
The unknown warrior raised his axe and spoke in a deep voice that resonated in everyone's chest:
-"Listen, inhabitants of this world… I am Terrax, the World Crusher."
The Avengers exchanged glances; none had heard that name before.
-"In the past, I served the Devourer of Worlds, Galactus," the giant continued, his voice booming like distant thunder. "I have destroyed worlds more prosperous than this, subjugated entire races, and today… this planet is next."
Iron Man tilted his head inside the armor.
-"Well, that sounds friendly. Does anyone else think I should go fetch Hulk?"
Captain America adjusted his shield and stepped forward.
-"No matter who you are. No matter whom you've served. This planet kneels to no one."
Terrax smiled faintly, a cold gesture.
-"Then you have chosen to fight for your world. Admirable. I will keep a memento of you in my collection to honor your memory."
The gemstone figure advanced, his body gleaming under the muted light of the cloudy day. His eyes shone with determination as he aimed directly at the titan.
-"You will keep nothing, because here, you will not win."
Natasha raised her pistols, never taking her eyes off Terrax.
-"It wouldn't be the first time we've faced death."
-"But we're still alive, ready to kick the asses of arrogant fools like you," Clint added, aiming his bow directly at Loki.
Thor twirled Mjolnir, ready to strike.
-"Avengers! This monster does not know Midgard's strength. Let's give him a proper welcome!"
Loki laughed softly, his glider floating around the scene.
-"Oh, how inspiring. You really think you have a chance," he said, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.
Terrax raised his axe, and the air grew heavier, as if gravity itself bowed to him.
-"Then let this planet be your tomb."
…
The air filled with a heavy silence before the storm. In front of the Avengers, Terrax stood like a living mountain, his axe glowing with a dull radiance.
Around him, Loki floated on his glider, laughing softly, while the Chitauri general positioned himself with his six arms extended, each holding a different weapon.
Captain America raised his shield.
-"Avengers! Attack!"
The street exploded with movement. Thor threw his hammer, which cut through the air in a perfect arc and struck Loki's glider. The God of Mischief barely dodged, laughing.
-"As predictable as ever, brother! Have you ever thought of starting a fight without throwing yourself at the enemy?"
Iron Man fired a volley of missiles at Terrax, who raised his axe and, with a swing, split the explosions midair, creating a shockwave that sent Natasha and Clint flying backward.
-"Ugh! Nat, we need to keep distance," Clint muttered, getting up and readying an electrified arrow.
Terrax advanced, each step cracking the asphalt. Diamond rushed forward, colliding with the colossus with a charge that could have crushed a tank. But Terrax barely budged.
-"Interesting… your physiology doesn't match this planet's environment," he said calmly before grabbing him by the arm and throwing him into a wall, which crumbled into pieces.
Natasha rolled aside, firing bursts to cover Steve, who charged directly at Terrax.
-"Here, giant!" the Captain shouted, striking him in the knee with his shield.
Terrax looked irritated, and with a swing of his axe, cracked the ground.
Steve barely jumped over it. Diamond reappeared, his body gleaming like a beacon.
-"Come at me, monster!" he roared.
Without a second thought, he raised his arm and generated a swarm of diamond spikes, shooting up from the ground at the titan with surprising speed. Each shard shone like solid lightning, aimed directly at Terrax's most vulnerable points.
-"Don't think it'll be that easy for you, like on other worlds!" Diamond growled, launching another volley.
Terrax raised his axe, deflecting the spikes, but not all were stopped. Some struck his shoulder and arm, but the colossus barely flinched.
With a quick motion of his free hand, he began absorbing and redirecting the mass of earth beneath his feet, forming a temporary barrier around himself.
Then he slammed the ground with his axe, sending out a shockwave that shattered several of the crystalline structures, while the rest disintegrated on contact.
Diamond didn't stop. With a swift turn, he raised a full diamond wall in front of Terrax, attempting to trap the colossus. His body vibrated as he sought to enclose him completely.
The destroyer watched; the structure was strong, but his attention turned to the spikes the warrior had launched.
He struck his axe hard, creating powerful sonic waves. When they hit the wall, it cracked slightly.
Terrax smiled, repeating the action until huge fissures formed in the prison. He swung his axe, splitting the diamond as if it were clay, scattering fragments around him.
Not satisfied, the titan lifted a leg and slammed the ground behind Diamond, generating a wave that sent the crystalline warrior flying backward several meters, partially destroying his own defense.
-"Son of a…!" Diamond muttered, getting up as his body vibrated from exertion.
He attempted one last attack: a large, pointed diamond spear shot directly from the ground at Terrax with enough force to pierce steel. The colossus barely smiled.
-"Interesting… but insufficient."
With an agile movement for his size, Terrax caught the spear between his hands. His eyes glowed slightly, his arms bulged, and he shattered the spear into pieces, scattering shards that rained around the warrior.
Then he stepped forward, making it clear that no structure could hold him for long.
Diamond breathed heavily, cracks forming in his crystalline body. He knew Terrax could counter almost any creation, but he still pressed on, trying to maintain the attack while seeking an opening.
The titan looked at him with curiosity, almost like a scientist observing a failed experiment.
-"You have courage… and refined technique. But your power has limits… limits and weaknesses that I now know."
THOOM!
Thor descended from the sky with a thunderous strike. The blast of light momentarily blinded everyone.
-"Move back!" Thor shouted, firing a new bolt. Terrax raised his axe and channeled the energy, redirecting it into a nearby building, which exploded in flames.
-"The power of thunder… compared to your father, you are nothing," Terrax said in a deep voice.
Loki suddenly appeared behind Natasha, but she spun and unleashed an electric shock, forcing him to retreat.
-"You think I didn't learn from last time?" she said with a cold smile.
Loki frowned and fired a bolt from his scepter, which Natasha barely dodged, rolling for cover. Clint retaliated with an explosive arrow that struck the god's glider.
The Chitauri general then jumped into the fight, his six arms spinning like a whirlwind of weapons, forcing Steve to fall back. The Captain blocked and dodged, but the alien's speed was superhuman. Just as a sword was about to pierce him, a thunderous roar shook the air.
-"HULK… SMASH!"
The emerald giant landed with a crash that made the entire street tremble. The Chitauri general barely had time to turn before being slammed by Hulk, who threw him through several cars. They rolled across the pavement, colliding with animalistic fury.
Hulk grabbed the alien by two arms and smashed him into the ground, but the general responded by wrapping two more around Hulk's neck, squeezing tightly.
...
Thor and Loki were in the middle of an aerial battle, flying between buildings. Thor spun Mjolnir and slammed it into his brother, sending him crashing into a wall. Loki tried to flee on his glider, but Thor grabbed him by the neck, hurled him away, disappearing behind him amid bolts of lightning and thunder.
Back on the ground, Hulk and the Chitauri general fought like savage beasts. Hulk took a shot to the shoulder, roared in fury, and ripped the weapon from the enemy's hands, crushing it. With brutal force, he lifted the general by all six arms and threw him into the side of a building. The impact shattered the wall, and Hulk followed, dragging the fight away from the others.
Now, it was all between Terrax and the remaining heroes.
Iron Man fired bursts of repulsor energy while Natasha and Clint flanked him, looking for weak points. Steve charged again, smashing his shield into the titan's leg, while Diamond leapt forward once more.
Terrax moved like a colossal force; each swing of his axe generated shockwaves that sent cars flying.
-"It's been millennia since I faced such resistance," he spoke, knocking Steve down with a single blow that sent him rolling several meters.
Diamond ran to cover him, placing himself between Terrax and the Captain.
-"You'll have to get through me," he said, spreading his hands and forming a massive hammer.
Terrax smirked faintly.
-"That's exactly what I will do."
The collision was brutal. Diamond withstood the first blow, but the second split him in two directions: the axe struck his defense and threw him into a truck, denting it completely.
He struggled to rise, cracks visible across his hardened skin, his torso slowly trying to reform.
-"Come on… I have to be able to do something, think…" he murmured, staggering toward Terrax, before a red glow enveloped his body, disappearing into smoke and dust.
-"Let's try this together, Stark," Steve said, raising his shield.
Iron Man floated beside him, his repulsors glowing.
-"Yes… together. Then what have we been doing all this time?" Tony said, still preparing alongside Steve.
Clint drew his bow, and Natasha loaded her pistols. The titan smiled faintly.
-"I'm already bored with your primitive skills."
Iron Man was the first to strike, launching a barrage of missiles. The sky lit up with explosions, but Terrax swung his axe, splitting the detonations midair. The resulting shockwave threw Clint and Natasha to the ground.
-"Come on, big guy!" Tony growled, firing a unibeam directly at Terrax's chest.
The impact forced the titan back a few steps, but he pointed his axe at the man of steel, releasing a beam of energy that knocked Iron Man down, his armor slamming against the asphalt.
Steve ran to cover him, striking Terrax's side with his shield. The titan growled but caught the shield with his axe and pushed so hard that Cap flew into an overturned taxi.
Clint fired an explosive arrow straight at Terrax's head, but the titan sliced it midair.
Natasha took advantage of the distraction to fire point-blank bursts, though the bullets bounced off his armor.
Terrax spun and struck her with the back of his hand, sending her several meters into a wall, unconscious.
-"Nat!" Clint shouted, before a strike from the butt of the axe sent him flying into the side of an overturned car.
-"Two down," the giant muttered.
Tony rose again, activating all weapons: lasers, mini-cannons, micro-missiles, repulsors.
-"Alright… Jarvis, party mode!"
The armor unleashed its entire arsenal at once, a torrent of projectiles and energy lighting up the entire street.
Smoke enveloped Terrax, and for a moment, it seemed the blast had an effect.
But from the smoke emerged the colossus, barely scorched, with a look of amusement.
With an inhuman leap, Terrax pounced on Iron Man, grabbed his helmet, and slammed him into the ground with such force that the armor groaned.
Tony groaned inside the suit, trying to get up, but Terrax grabbed him by the chest and threw him into a building. The structure collapsed, burying him under rubble.
-"Three," Terrax said, turning to Captain America.
Terrax looked at him with disdain.
-"Your efforts are useless, human. Surrender… and die quickly."
Steve rose slowly, uniform torn, face bloodied. He raised his shield, holding it firm, though his arms trembled, eyes burning with determination.
-"I can do this… all day."
-"I assure you, you won't get another chance," the titan said, raising his axe above his head. Steve could barely move, his body exhausted, but he did not release the shield.
Just as the weapon was about to fall, a shot rang out.
A beam struck Terrax in the eye, forcing him to step back with a grunt of annoyance.
-"Who…?" he said, slowly turning his gaze.
A few meters away, through smoke and rubble, a thin, fragile boy held a device with both hands. A helmet covered his face, but his labored breathing betrayed him. He fired again, the beam bouncing off the colossus's armor.
-"Stay away from him!" he shouted, voice cracking.
Terrax smiled, intrigued, his eyes gleaming as he studied the young human carefully.
-"Ah… the crystalline warrior. So this is what you look like without your armor," the destroyer said, his voice tinged with recognition.
Steve barely had time to react before Terrax kicked him, sending him rolling across the asphalt.
Effortlessly, the titan crossed the distance to the boy. Before he could fire again, Terrax grabbed him by the neck with one enormous hand and lifted him into the air.
The boy kicked and struggled, trying to push the hand away that choked him, but Terrax applied barely any force. He held him suspended, observing him with curiosity.
-"Fascinating…" the titan murmured. "It's not magic that transforms your flesh… it's a real change, at the atomic level. I've never seen anything like it. A physical body that reconstructs completely."
The boy tried to fire again, but Terrax easily deflected the weapon, squeezing a little more. His fingers were like iron yokes around the neck.
-"Your strength is gone. You are no longer more than a child… but your existence… intrigues me."
The boy's helmet fogged from the effort, his hands trembling as he tried to resist the titan's pressure, but it was useless.
Terrax held him with the calm of someone examining a piece of art.
-"Perhaps… I will keep you alive. To study how something so weak transformed into a warrior worthy of my attention." His eyes slowly focused on the boy's wrist.
Captain America, injured, tried to get up in the distance but couldn't reach him.
Natasha and Clint barely caught their breath.
Iron Man remained trapped in the rubble. No one was close enough to save him.
Terrax brought his face close to the boy's, eyes glowing with curiosity.
-"Resist all you want… you will not escape me."
The boy continued struggling, his legs kicking in the air, but the colossus's hand was immovable.
Terrax squeezed just a little more, enough to make it clear who had absolute control.
The roar of battle had ceased. For the first time, desperation weighed heavier than the noise of falling debris.
Bzzzz-ting!
The device hidden on the boy's wrist spun with a soft hum as its surface shifted from red to green.
With a final metallic click, an alien emerged, ready for transformation
==============================================================
Hey everyone, how's it going?
Things have gotten a bit complicated for our heroes. A particularly powerful figure has appeared before them, and desperation is starting to take over.
I wonder what will happen next. Which alien do you think will show up—one strong enough to stand up to a former herald of Galactus?
I hope you're enjoying it and looking forward to the next chapter as much as I am.
I really appreciate all your support and comments; I love reading them.
See you tomorrow, take care! :)