With Nolan's strike, the others quickly responded.
Yet Nolan's ambush had little effect.
Malekith had not blocked the attack, but the Aether surrounding him absorbed it entirely. The plasma warblade could not penetrate such a formidable defense.
Nolan had anticipated this. The Aether was a manifestation of the Reality Stone's power. It would not yield to a simple strike.
Almost immediately, attacks from the others followed. The battle escalated fiercely.
Hulk's iron fists struck Malekith like the blows of a child. Thor's hammer collided helplessly against the Aether shield. Even Tony Stark struggled to make an impact.
Malekith laughed, unshaken. This was his power, absolute and terrifying.
As time passed, spatial distortions grew more severe. The Nine Realms began to align, converging along a single axis. Cracks appeared in reality itself.
The battlefield shifted from Earth to realms beyond, with the combatants moving between worlds.
But even across multiple realms, Malekith's dominance became clear.
His laughter echoed through the collapsing dimensions, wild and unrestrained. He had earned the right to be arrogant. Soon, with the Nine Realms aligned, he would unleash the Aether, plunging all realms back into darkness.
Time was running out.
Tony Stark's expression darkened.
"This isn't working. We need another approach."
Malekith's strength exceeded their expectations. He delayed them, but time was not on their side. Everyone seemed at a loss.
Nolan, however, smiled subtly.
"Titan… almost there."
The word brought hope to the weary heroes.
Titan?
Malekith noticed the change in their expressions. He did not know what this "Titan" was, but he recognized that it was not a good sign for him.
His expression darkened.
"No matter what allies you have, your destruction is inevitable. Soon, the Nine Realms will merge!"
He glanced upward, seeing the faint outline of the converging realms. The sun dimmed under thick clouds, and raging winds tore across the skies.
JARVIS spoke in Tony's earpiece.
"Sir, detecting a high-risk weapon system rapidly approaching."
Tony's lips curled in a grin.
"It's coming!"
Thor and Hulk exhaled in relief. Nolan's smile widened. Malekith was indeed a difficult opponent.
His challenge was not just the Aether. A veteran warrior in his prime, Malekith's raw strength combined with his immense combat experience made him nearly unstoppable.
Yet now…
The Titan mech had arrived.
Before Tony could finish speaking, a colossal mech descended onto the battlefield, capturing everyone's attention.
"Clear the area!"
Nolan shouted.
The others reacted instantly.
Missiles streaked across the battlefield, whistling through the air.
"F***!" Tony swore as he ducked for cover. Thor grabbed Hulk, leaping away with Mjolnir.
Only Nolan remained, holding Malekith in place, preventing him from fleeing.
Explosions rocked the skies. Smoke and debris filled the air.
"That Nolan Rock must be a decoy," Tony said, tense. If the real Nolan had been at the center of that blast, he would be gone.
Thor looked confused.
"Probably."
They were correct. The Nolan in the field had been a robot. The real Nolan now piloted the Titan mech.
As the smoke cleared, Malekith stood, bruised and battered. The battlefield was a ruin.
"Impressive attack," he admitted, his expression wary. Even with the Aether, the strike had injured him, revealing the assault's sheer magnitude.
Nolan's gaze did not waver, cold and unyielding as he surveyed Malekith.
"Let's begin…" he muttered, activating the Titan's full arsenal.
The previous strike had been only a test. Now, the mech unleashed overwhelming firepower, greater than anything seen during the New York battle.
Malekith's eyes narrowed as torrents of destructive energy engulfed him. Thor's jaw tightened. If Nolan had used such firepower previously, he would have been in grave danger. At least now, Nolan had shown restraint, earning Thor's grudging respect.
Despite the devastation, the assault could not kill Malekith. The injuries inflicted were superficial. As the final alignment of the Nine Realms approached, Malekith's arrogance surged. He unleashed the Aether fully.
A terrifying vortex of energy erupted, forming an impenetrable barrier.
"This is over!" Thor grimaced. He regretted not heeding his father's warnings. The consequences would now fall on the Nine Realms.
Malekith's laughter echoed as darkness swept across the realms. The Dark Elves grew exponentially stronger, turning the tide against the previously advancing Terminators.
The Aether's peak energy intensified, revealing Malekith's true power the force that could rival even the ancient God King Bor.
Nolan's expression hardened. This was beyond anything he had faced. How had history ever dealt with such a force?
Far away, in Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One watched with a slight smile. History had been subtly altered, but just enough to set the stage for what was unfolding now.
Nolan called out to Dr. Erik Selvig via a T-1000 Terminator unit.
"What can we do? How do we stop this?"
Selvig quickly analyzed the situation.
"The Aether has not fully spread. The Nine-Star alignment is underway, but it will pass quickly. If you can disrupt the Aether, even briefly, you might prevent its full release."
Nolan didn't hesitate. Titan's weapons unleashed an unrelenting barrage on the Aether.
It was not enough.
The Aether continued to spread.
Then, Nolan remembered the small box the Ancient One had given him a gift she said he would know when to use.
Now, he understood.
Thinking of the gem on the Ancient One's chest, Nolan sighed. That manipulative woman had planned everything.
Opening the box could change everything. Without his intervention, the Aether might have been contained differently. But now, he had no choice.
Nolan activated communication.
"Tony, if I don't make it, protect RockTech. I'll return soon."
Tony was momentarily confused but had no time to question. Nolan opened the box.
A catastrophic surge of energy erupted, forming a massive magical array. Magic and Aether collided not exploding, but merging violently.
Malekith's eyes widened as the unstable Aether began to stabilize. He imagined his impending defeat.
"No!" he roared, but it was too late.
The Aether and magical energy collapsed, condensing into a singularity.
For a brief moment, Nolan doubted if he had misinterpreted the Ancient One. Then a deep, powerful shockwave hit.
The Titan mech's omnishield activated, absorbing the energy and disintegrating instantly, along with Nolan himself.
Tony Stark watched, stunned.
"Nolan isn't dead!"
Somehow, he had to be alive.
After an unknown interval, Nolan opened his eyes. He was standing in a dark alley, streetlights flickering, cars passing by. Below him were marks left from traveling across dimensions, scattered mech components around his feet.
Nolan's gaze lingered on the Titan's wreckage. His mech was destroyed.
"Damn you, Ancient One," he muttered silently.
"Red Queen," he called, glancing at his wristwatch.
"Sir," Red Queen responded. Relief washed over him. Even without Titan, RockTech still had resources.
"Locate our position. I need to know how far we are from the Hive," Nolan instructed.
Seconds later, Red Queen replied.
"You are in New York, not connected to the Hive system."
Nolan froze.
"If we're in New York, how is contact impossible?"
He looked down at the street, realization dawning.
"This… isn't the original world."