The crimson light in the grand hall pulsed like a living heart. Wanda's voice echoed through the shattered pillars and fractured glass.
"Then come," she whispered, power humming in every syllable. "Let us see whose will shapes this dying world."
I grinned—slow, sharp, and confident. The ground beneath me fractured as my aura flared, clashing against her chaos magic. The air rippled, walls twisting as if the world itself couldn't decide which one of us it wanted to obey.
But before I could advance, chaos broke loose around us.
Valkyrie and the survivors were overwhelmed by the Asgardians who had turned into zombies. Screams echoed through the feasting hall as tables overturned and armored corpses tore into the living. Zemo and his men fired desperately, but for every undead that fell, two more rose from the crimson mist swirling in through the broken windows.
Jimmy Woo and Death Dealer were cornered, backs pressed to the wall as a horde of zombified Einherjar closed in.
"Zemo, move!" Woo shouted, firing into the dark. His pistol clicked empty. "Damn it!"
Just as the Asgardians lunged, a crimson wave cut through the horde—but not from Wanda. Shalltear stepped into the chaos, her eyes glowing blood red, her wings flaring wide.
"Pathetic," she hissed, raising her hand. "To think the warriors of Valhalla would end as this."
She extended a finger, and blood spilled from the corpses—a rain of scarlet threads that coiled around the zombies like living chains. The threads pulsed, then detonated, shredding the undead into crimson mist.
Jimmy stared, jaw slack. "Holy—"
Zemo cut him off sharply. "Don't question miracles. Run!"
Meanwhile, on the far side of the hall, the zombies had broken into the inner chambers—the chambers where Thor lay slumped on his throne, unmoving. Valkyrie's eyes went wide as she saw the undead closing in.
"No!" She cried, cutting down two zombies with her dragonfang blade. "Thor!"
She ran toward him, but Shang-Chi caught her by the arm, his expression grim. "It's too late."
"He's still alive! I can—"
"Look at him!" Shang-Chi snapped.
Valkyrie froze. Thor's skin was gray, his eyes lifeless. Lightning crackled faintly around him, flickering weakly—but there was no spark of divinity left. Only death wearing a god's face.
For a heartbeat, Valkyrie couldn't move. Her grip faltered, despair washing over her.
"Come on," Shang-Chi said quietly. "We can't save him. We have to go."
She didn't argue—she just nodded once, eyes burning with tears, before turning and running toward the hangar.
As they retreated, I glanced over my shoulder and shouted to Shalltear, "Protect them until they reach the ship! Once they're clear, come back."
Shalltear bowed low, her tone reverent. "As you command, my Lord."
Yelena turned as she ran with Kate, her voice hoarse. "You're not coming?"
I smirked, cracking my neck. "No. She gave me a challenge."
Kate shouted over the roaring fires, "You could die, you know!"
"It's a one in a billion chance." I replied, eyes locked on Wanda.
Since I am only using my physical strength and defence without use any bluff, Skill, ability, or Spell, she could give me a allenge. Since I haven't fought her, I don't know her true strength. I don't know what level she is compared to mine. But if I realize that he is more than I can handle, then I would stop holding back.
Wanda floated above the broken throne room, her crimson aura flaring, shards of reality bending around her. "Still defiant?" she said softly. "You should've joined me when you had the chance."
I stepped forward through the dust and blood. "Where's the fun in that?"
The survivors reached the hangar, where the Commodore—a sleek, Asgardian spaceship—stood waiting, half-covered in dust but still functional. Valkyrie and Blade Knight worked together to power it up while Kamala and Yelena helped the injured climb aboard.
"Hurry!" Kamala yelled, her voice trembling. "He's still back there!"
The Commodore's engines roared to life, flooding the chamber with golden light. The group rushed inside as Shalltear held the line, her crimson magic slicing through the undead like scythes.
But as the ship lifted, something massive tugged it back down. The entire hangar groaned, metal screeching as an unseen force gripped the hull.
"Something's holding us!" Blade Knight shouted.
Valkyrie looked out through the viewport—and froze. Outside, in the burning courtyard, Wanda Maximoff stood with her hand raised, her crimson tendrils wrapped around the ship like serpents.
"Wanda's pulling us down!" Kamala cried.
Her voice filled the ship—not through the air, but through their minds.
"You can't leave, Kamala. You are the key. Don't you see? With your power, I can heal it all—bring back everyone you lost."
Kamala gritted her teeth, pressing her hands to her head. "No… stop…!"
The chaos energy pulsed harder, seeping into her mind like a whisper. "A mother… a father… friends… all waiting for you. Help me, and the dead will live again."
Her Noor light flickered, crimson veins starting to creep across her neck.
"Kamala!" Kate shouted, gripping her shoulders. "Fight it! She's lying!"
Just as Wanda's power was about to fully take hold—
A shockwave split the air.
Wanda's eyes widened in shock as I appeared in front of her, my boot crashing against her chest with enough force to send her flying backward into the shattered throne.
"Enough of your sermons," I said coldly. "You talk too much."
The chaos bonds on the Commodore snapped instantly. Valkyrie seized the chance, slamming the control lever forward.
"Engines to full power! We're getting out of here!"
The ship roared skyward, breaking free from the burning fortress and streaking into the clouds.
Wanda hit the ground hard, crimson light bursting around her as she rose, her eyes burning with fury. "You think you can stop me?!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Stop you? No. But I can kill you."
And then thunder shook the world.
The walls behind Wanda cracked open as something massive landed in a flash of blue lightning. The shockwave sent debris flying, scattering corpses like paper.
I turned slowly—and my breath caught.
Thor.
Or what was left of him.
His once-golden hair was streaked with ash, his skin pale and rotted. One eye glowed faintly blue, the other nothing but an empty socket. Lightning still danced along his body—wild, unstable, and corrupted.
Wanda smiled faintly, her crimson magic mingling with his thunder. "See? Even gods kneel to the inevitable."
Thor raised his hammer—or what was left of it, half-melted from heat and decay—and pointed it at me.
Then the lightning came.
A roar of pure storm energy engulfed the hall, shaking the entire mountain. I crossed my arms, but the force still hurled me back through the broken pillars, my boots carving trenches into the floor.
"So this is divine lightning. It's a good skill to have."
Through the storm, I saw the Commodore vanish into the clouds, streaking toward the distant horizon—free.
I grinned through the crackling air.
"So," I muttered, tightening my fists as Thor and Wanda stood before me—the corrupted god and the queen of the dead, side by side. "Guess the real fun starts now."
~~~