X-Force: Beyond Omega

The wreckage of Sanctuary II burned on the outskirts of Asgard. Smoke rose into the red sky, and the ground shook from distant explosions. The golden shield protecting the city flickered, still holding strong...

For now...

Hela stood at the edge of the battlefield, Thor's battered body floating beside her, wrapped in black tendrils of her magic. She looked down at him, unimpressed.

"Pathetic," she muttered.

With a flick of her wrist, she tossed him through the barrier like a piece of trash. The golden light shimmered as it accepted Thor inside, keeping him safe. Lady Sif and the other Asgardians rushed there to help Thor.

She turned away.

A deep, metallic rumble shook the ground behind her.

Hela narrowed her eyes.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Heavy footsteps echoed. The Destroyer stepped out from the wreckage, its glowing faceplate burning like molten fire. The ancient weapon of Asgard, once Odin's guardian, now stood under new control.

And standing atop its shoulder... was Loki.

His black-and-green cape fluttered in the wind. His eyes gleamed with mischief, but there was something else. He looked somewhat serious this time, which was very rare. He wasn't playing around this time.

"Sister," Loki called down with a smirk. "Did you miss me?"

Hela raised an eyebrow. "Barely noticed you were gone."

Loki snapped his fingers.

The Destroyer's faceplate flared to life, and it fired a blinding beam of golden energy straight at Hela.

ZINGGGG!

The ground exploded under the blast. Fire and smoke shot into the air, creating a massive crater where Hela had stood.

Loki's smirk widened. "Too easy."

Then, from the flames...

SHE WALKED OUT.

Not a scratch. Not a bruise.

Hela brushed the dust off her armor like the attack was nothing. Then she looked up at Loki, bored.

"Was that supposed to hurt?"

Loki's smile faltered. "Well… I was hoping."

Before he could react, black spikes shot from the ground, tearing toward the Destroyer's legs. The giant machine moved fast, sidestepping the attack, then fired another energy blast at Hela.

She raised her hand.

The beam stopped midair.

As if frozen in time.

Then... SNAP!

She erased it into nothing.

Loki's eyes widened. "...Oh."

Then everything got worse.

The Outriders and Chitauri attacked.

The sky darkened with thousands of enemy ships. Blaster fire rained down from above, turning the battlefield into a storm of explosions and smoke. Luckily the effect of the Aether seemed to decrease massively.

Hela noticed multiple shockwaves coming from the sky. 'That's my man. So strong...'

The ground shook as monstrous Outriders rushed forward, their claws scraping against the ruined metal of the Sanctuary II. Their glowing red eyes locked onto Hela and the Destroyer.

The Chitauri warships unleashed a barrage of missiles, the air screaming with the sound of destruction. They didn't care if their own allies died or not. All they did was attack.

For a moment, the battlefield was nothing but chaos.

And then...

Hela stopped holding back.

She spread her arms.

The shadows of Asgard rose.

Black blades, hundreds of thousands of them, erupted from the ground and tore through the Outriders like paper. The air howled as her magic twisted into a storm of death.

The Chitauri ships exploded midair, ripped apart by dark tendrils. Entire squadrons of soldiers were cut down before they could even fire.

Loki, still on the Destroyer's shoulder, stared in horror.

For the first time in centuries, Hela unleashed her true power.

And Asgard trembled.

Every step she took left a trail of bodies.

The Outriders swarmed toward her, their claws ready to tear her apart. They were fast but she was faster.

With a flick of her wrist, black blades pierced through dozens of them in an instant. They shrieked as their bodies were ripped apart, limbs severed, skulls shattered.

More came.

Hela smirked.

She raised her hands, and the very shadows of Asgard obeyed.

Dark tendrils shot from the ground, wrapping around the beasts like hungry serpents. They struggled, screeched... then burst into dust.

The remaining Chitauri above rained fire upon her. Missiles, plasma blasts. But it didn't matter.

Hela walked through it all, untouched.

She raised a single hand.

The sky split open.

Hundreds of obsidian spears materialized above her, hovering in the air. She flicked her fingers...

And they fell.

The warships never stood a chance.

One by one, they exploded midair as the spears tore through their hulls. The leviathans exploded. Chitauri soldiers screamed as their ships collapsed in a blaze of fire and smoke.

The sky rained debris and bodies.

Loki, still on the Destroyer's shoulder, watched in stunned silence.

"This is…" he swallowed. "...concerning."

The Destroyer moved.

It fired another blazing beam at Hela, a blast powerful enough to turn mountains into rubble. The golden energy roared forward, unstoppable.

Hela sighed.

She snapped her fingers.

The beam froze in midair and then scattered into harmless golden sparks.

Loki blinked. "Oh, Hel."

Hela's emerald eyes locked onto him.

And then she vanished.

A shadow blurred through the battlefield and suddenly, she was there.

Right in front of him.

Loki barely had time to react before her hand shot forward, grabbing him by the throat. He didn't even have time to use his illusion spell.

The Destroyer turned to attack...

But it was too late. 

Hela's blade pierced through Loki's chest.

His eyes widened, his breath hitching as cold steel sank deep into his flesh. A sharp gasp escaped his lips, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Hela's grip on his throat tightened. She leaned in, her voice a whisper of venom.

"Oh, little brother… did you really think you could use the Destroyer against me?"

Loki gasped, fingers twitching weakly against her iron grip. His body trembled as cold, necrotic energy seeped into his veins. He tried to use his power again but failed to do so. He couldn't feel it anymore. His eyes went toward Asgard's throne room. He could see Odin's eyes on him. 

'Ah! So, you chose her, huh? You knew everything, yet didn't do anything to stop this destruction. Was it fun, father?'

Hela smirked, twisting the blade deeper.

"Kuggg!" Loki coughed. 

"I know far more about this weapon than you ever will," she murmured. "You've barely scratched the surface of its true power."

The Destroyer stood motionless.

Loki tried to command it again and again, but nothing happened. The once-mighty machine, the great guardian of Asgard, refused to obey him.

Hela laughed softly.

"I was Odin's executioner," she purred. "I wielded the Destroyer long before you were even born. Did you think a few tricks would make it truly yours?"

Loki's vision blurred. His knees buckled, his strength fading.

Hela's grip never wavered.

She leaned in close, her lips near his ear.

"Now," she whispered, "your soul will rot in Hel for eternity."

A pulse of dark energy exploded from her hand, sinking deep into Loki's body. His magic faltered. His very essence, his soul, began to unravel, pulled toward the abyss of Helheim.

His screams echoed through the battlefield.

...

[Meanwhile]

High above the battlefield, Aron held Thanos by the throat.

The Mad Titan struggled, his massive hands clawing at Aron's grip. But it was useless. The winds howled around them as Aron dragged him higher and higher into the sky, past the smoke and fire of the war below.

Then, Aron removed his mask.

A gust of icy wind swept past as his face was revealed.

Thanos froze. His burning rage turned into something far more dangerous. Recognition. Hate. Wrath beyond reason.

"You." Thanos' voice was a growl, deep and filled with fury.

Aron's cold blue eyes met his without fear.

Thanos' whole body shook with rage. His teeth clenched, his hands trembled with uncontained fury.

"I know that face!" Thanos roared, his voice shaking the heavens.

Aron said nothing. He simply stared.

Thanos' fury exploded.

"YOU!" he howled. "You are the mortal my Mistress desires! You, a pathetic, worthless human!"

His muscles bulged as he fought against Aron's grip. But no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.

"How dare you?!" Thanos bellowed. His eyes burned with madness. "How dare you steal my Mistress' favor?!"

Aron's expression remained unreadable.

But Thanos' mind was a storm.

He remembered the day Mistress Death spoke of a mortal. A mortal she watched with interest. A mortal she whispered about in the depths of the void.

It was him. Aron.

Thanos' heart twisted in hatred.

"Mistress Death promised me!" he raged. "Promised that if I killed you, if I tore your soul from your body and offered it to her..."

His lips curled into a snarl.

"She would let me kiss her feet. Worship her. Serve her as only I can."

His obsession burned through every word.

Aron's grip tightened. Ice formed around his fingers, creeping onto Thanos' throat.

Thanos' eyes glowed brightly with the power of Aether.

"You will not take her from me!"

Aron stood there, silent, watching Thanos struggle. The Mad Titan thrashed, his massive hands clawing at Aron's grip, but it was useless. No matter how hard he fought, Aron didn't move. His cold blue eyes held no emotion. No anger. No fear. Just… indifference.

'So weak.' He thought looking at the Mad Titan.

Thanos' body glowed red as he roared, pulling back the Aether from Asgard. The red energy swirled around him, twisting and bending reality itself. The sky cracked. The Reality Stone, now solidified in his gauntlet, pulsed with raw cosmic energy.

With all his might, Thanos swung his fist.

BOOM!

The force shattered the air, a shockwave ripping through the sky. The impact crashed into Aron like a meteor, bending space itself. Any normal being would have been obliterated... Erased from reality.

But Aron didn't even flinch.

The Phoenix Force awakened.

Golden fire erupted around him, swallowing the energy like it was nothing. His body glowed with a power far beyond gods and titans. The heat from his aura melted the very fabric of reality around them. Thanos' attack didn't leave a scratch.

Aron sighed.

"Is that it?" His voice was calm. Unbothered.

Thanos' eyes widened in disbelief. "No… that's impossible…"

Aron tightened his grip. Thanos choked, his body shaking. His hands clawed at Aron's wrist, but it was no use.

SNAP!

Thanos' neck twisted sharply. His glowing eyes dimmed instantly. His massive body twitched once… then went limp.

Aron absorbed the Reality Stone and threw him down.

The Mad Titan's lifeless corpse fell from the sky, crashing to the battlefield below with a deafening thud. 

Aron teleported before the corpse, "I was expecting more." He threw a wisp of Phoenix Flame, turning Thanos' body to ashes. Then he flicked his fingers. The entirety of Thanos' force turned to dust...

Just like that, the war ended.

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[14 advance chapters] [No double billing] 

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