The night sky split open.
It wasn't thunder. It wasn't lightning. It was something else — something that bent the stars themselves. A thin white crack carved across the heavens like shattered glass, spreading wider, bleeding with violet fire. Birds scattered. Satellites fell. The world below trembled as though reality itself had forgotten how to breathe.
In Metropolis, Superman was the first to hear it — a frequency too high for human ears, a pulse of energy so foreign it cut through his bones. His eyes narrowed, glowing red as he looked up. This wasn't natural. This wasn't Earth.
On the other side of the world, in New York, Doctor Strange was already standing at the edge of the Sanctum's balcony, cloak fluttering wildly. He could see it — not just with his eyes, but with his soul. The sky was tearing, and on the other side of that tear was… another universe. One filled with guardians, gods, and titans not his own.
The rupture pulsed again. Cities across both universes felt the echo. In Gotham, the Bat-Signal flickered against a distorted night. In Wakanda, Shuri's readings went off the charts. In Atlantis, the ocean shook with a tidal roar.
And then it happened.
A figure slipped through.
Thor landed in a thunderclap, Mjolnir sparking as he crashed onto the ruined streets of Metropolis. Dust and lightning spread in all directions. He looked up, scanning the unfamiliar cityscape with confusion, before his gaze fell on the man descending from the sky — cape red, emblem bright as the sun.
"Stranger," Superman called, his voice carrying across the rubble. "You don't belong here."
Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir, eyes flashing with stormlight."I know not this realm, but it reeks of danger. Stand aside, or be cast aside."
The wind howled. The ground cracked. For a heartbeat, the world held still as god and alien faced one another — each uncertain, each unwilling to bow.
The first blow shattered the street.
Mjolnir swung like thunder itself, Superman's fist met it with the sound of mountains collapsing, and the city below roared as glass shattered, alarms wailed, and the war of worlds truly began.