Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Armistice (Last)

2012

New York City

Within The Dome

 

(Omniscient POV)

*Boom!*

Andreas' body implodes into a cloud of ash as the crimson beam of pure energy Brock was emitting begins to titter off before the flow comes to a complete stop.

The stream of crimson power dies as Brock drops to one knee, the output of energy leaving him exhausted. Light scratches marked the surface of his armor and the usual pulsating crimson glow was now as faint as a dying candle. He had used up most of his reserves of destructive energy to put Andreas down for good.

As he took a moment to recover, a faint ebony light began to emit from the small crater that now acted as Anreas' grave. The sickly ebony glow stretched out and Brock looked up in time to see a large ebony fang float up from the crater. Its tip glowed with an even darker shade of black than normal which made Brock feel uneasy about it. Before he could say anything or react, a blast of ebony energy exploded from the fang and struck him dead on.

Brock was lifted off his feet as the inky black tendril struck him and felt the massive amount of ebony fire burn through him like nothing more than a warm breeze. The runic markings under his armor began to glow brilliantly and crawl further up his arms as power poured into him. His vision went blurry as his mind struggled to overcome the utter feeling of euphoria that he was experiencing. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to harness all this power and use it to its utmost potential.

"Now then," The deep booming voice inside of his head said calmly, "I think we've seen enough."

The power within him became so immense that the very fabric of reality itself seemed to be tearing apart around him. The ground beneath him broke away and he floated up toward the top of the dome like a shooting star.

As he reached the top, the radiant color of the golden dome began to shift and warp into a deep crimson hue. A shockwave reverberated throughout the area, shattering every single window of the abandoned buildings within the dome.

A crimson beam of light shot out from the center of the dome and sent Brock hurtling back down toward the ground.

As he fell, Brock's vision turned black and he lost consciousness, crashing to the ground like a wrecking ball.

*Boom*

Brock smacked against the concrete hard enough to leave a crater in the earth below him, steam trailing off of him as the last vestiges of energy soaked inside of him.

He lay there, motionless, as the glow of his runic markings and around his armor, faded to nothingness. The plates of his armor began to liquefy and sink back into the markings, that now reached up to his shoulders.

"It has been determined," A voice echoed throughout the space, "and to the victor, go the spoils!"

*************

Astral plane

"Cheater!!!!" Farallah bellowed as she pointed her clawed finger at Cyttorak, who just look on with amusement and continued to sit comfortably on his throne.

"You cheat, you cheat, you cheat, cheeeater!" Farallah's guttural voice continued to screech throughout the white space as she bared her fangs and tensed her muscles like she was going to pounce.

"Now, now. That's enough of that." The One Above All stated while casually taking a sip from his mug and moving between the two godly beings. Ferallah let out a growl but lowered her head as she saw the old man walk across the empty field. She knew that if she tried anything, he would end her existence faster than she could blink.

She snarled softly to herself and sent a death glare toward Cyttorak as the old man stepped closer, a relaxed expression on his face and a soft smile on his lips.

"Let us not cause any trouble here today. Cyttorak's champion won fair and square. Will you abide by the terms? Or do I need to take action?" He asked calmly, the threat clear in his words.

Farallah continued to glare at Cyttorak for a second longer before she reluctantly lowered her gaze and nodded hesitantly.

"V-very well." Farallah conceded. "But remember this yo-"

Before Farallah could finish her sentence, she was blasted to her knees by a torrent of red energy. Her eyes snapped open as she found herself sprawled out on the floor of a crimson field, surrounded by scorched earth and broken stone.

"Enough of your trivial words. Submit!" Cyttorak's booming voice echoed throughout the now crimson-red void as he glared down at the bowing goddess.

Farallah scowled at the ancient creature from her lowered position, her rage, and irritation seething. She spat a curse at him but brought her hands together, palms facing up as if she was handing something over.

"I.. I Farallah of the Hunt, hereby relinquish control of my domain and...s-submit my essence to Cyttorak the Destroyer."

As Farallah finished speaking, she felt a rush of energy course through her body. Inky black tendrils began to leak from her body and stream toward Cyttorak. The tendrils halt in front of him and began to swarm together, distorting the air around them and forming a solid ebony orb that looked like a swirling vortex of darkness.

"As it should be," Cyttorak spoke coldly as he reached out and gripped the orb in his palm. With a flash of black light, the ebony sphere shattered as the energy drifted into him.

Farallah felt the connection to her source leave her and disappear completely. Making her once majestic form appears shrunken and frail. Her luscious black fur now looks grayed and patchy.

"Raaawwwggggahh!!" she howled in pain as the energy seeped from her body before the crimson light eventually faded away, and she once again stood in her own realm, only now she was no longer a godly being but a mere spirit swimming through the empty sea of the universe.

She stood sullenly in, what was once a luxurious dark Forrest, but was now an empty dark void.

The realization of her situation finally dawned on her.

"Ha...ha ha...ha ha hah ha ha!!!!" Farallah began to laugh crazily as madness took hold of her mind, breaking her beyond repair.

"Cyttorak!!!!!!!"

*************

New York City

Outside The Dome

 

"Look!!" A civilian calls out from the crowd behind the barricade, his hand pointing toward the now dark crimson energy dome.

Large cracks began to form in the dome as the energy inside of it grew more unstable.

Small pieces of the crimson dome began to fall from its sides and disperse into the surrounding atmosphere. As the dome burst apart, thousands of scattered rubies gliding through the air, the five pillars that were looming over the city started to sink back into the ground.

As the dome fell, the hundreds of civilians that were trapped on the other side rushed out of the area like a tidal wave, crying and begging for help.

"Med unit, take care of those civilians and get them talking. Techs, I want drones in the air surveilling the area. Ground team, move out and began securing the perimeter. Security detail, watch our six, and avoid contact with anyone else but each other." Nick Fury ordered his men as he walked over to where Tony was working on fixing his suit and Steve was strapping on his cowl.

"Yes sir!" The S.H.I.E.L.D agents stated and they began moving about the chaotic scene.

"This is a mess!" Nick grumbled as he adjusted his eyepatch and gave his cluttered surroundings a quick glance.

"Well, we can't just leave this place like this," Cap remarked as he grab his shield and strapped it to his back.

"No argument from me. Mr. Stark, just make sure you don't blow up any evidence" Fury added jokingly.

"Hey! I'm not stupid!" Tony replied defensively as the eyes of the helmet he was tinkering with begin to power back up.

"Finally," Tony muttered and placed the helmet over his head. He let out a sigh as the familiar feeling of his AI's voice flooded his ears.

"Good afternoon, Sir," Jarvis greeted him cheerfully.

"Good to have you back Jarvis," Tony responded. "Everything okay?"

"Quite alright, Sir. I have acquired a sizable amount of data from the scene and am currently analyzing it. However, I have encountered several anomalies in the data."

"Tell me on the way," Tony said as he gave a slight frown and turned his head over to Cap.

"Ready?"

"Always," Cap answered bravely.

"Alright, let's move out!" Iron Man exclaimed as took off in the air toward the edge of where the dome had been.

Cap charged after him from the ground but moved as fast as a car.

Bruce moved to follow the pair but was stopped as Fury placed his hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Why don't you stay back, Dr. Banner. I think the people have witnessed enough of their city being destroyed for one day." He said and Bruce glanced over at him for a second before looking around at the injured civilians that were receiving medical aid.

He let out a tired sigh before he reluctantly gave Fury a nod and moved over to assist the medics, guilt plain on his face.

************

New York City

Dome Investigation Site

A Few Minutes later

 

Captain America and Iron Man made their way through the streets that were now littered with fallen debris. They came to a stop near a row of burned-out cars as they scanned the area with their enhanced vision.

They were met with the sight of a young girl who was sitting against the side of a building. She was shivering and appeared to be crying.

Captain America quickly walked over to her and kneeled down beside her.

"Are you alright little lady?" Cap asked.

"I-I'm fine..." The girl whimpered quietly as she continued to look down at the ground.

"Do you know what happened here?" Cap asked gently.

The girl slowly looked up at Cap and shook her head.

"I-I didn't see it...b-but I heard the explosions and saw the flames...." She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "My mommy and daddy are still missing..."

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Cap closed his eyes and swallowed hard as he tried to figure out how to comfort the young girl. He glanced up at Iron Man, who was hovering above, scanning around the area.

"Don't worry, We're going to find them, okay?" Cap assured the girl.

She looked up at him, wiping her face before nodding.

"For now, I need you to move to a safer area. Can you walk?"

The girl nodded again and tried to get to her feet. Cap offered her his arm and helped her to her feet. She allowed him to lead her over to the main street, where a few other survivors had gathered.

Cap directed them to where the S.H.I.E.L.D med station was and told the little girl to follow them. She thanked him and followed the group over to the facility.

Captain America shook his head sadly before turning around to continue his search.

The pair made their way through the streets and alleyways of the abandoned area until they found themselves outside a dilapidated apartment building. The structure looked like it would collapse at any moment and the windows were broken and boarded up.

A bruised and battered Thor sat on the stairs of the building outside the entrance. Loki lay at his feet on the sidewalk, looking in worse shape than his brother.

"Thor!" Cap called out as he ran over to him.

"Captain," Thor replied weakly.

"You ok?" Cap asked.

"I'll be fine," Thor insisted as he got to his feet, his legs still shaking a little from the powerful blows he received.

"What happened?" Cap questioned.

"That...thing and I fought. It refused to hand over my brother, so I attacked." Thor sighed, "When I woke up, I was laying in the middle of the street before a huge shockwave sent me flying-"

"Cap! Over there!" Iron Man called out as he took off toward the epicenter of the site.

Cap look back a Thor, who gave a nod, and ran after the billionaire.

The two heroes came to a stop next to a huge crater that encompassed a block of the city and was covered in a thick layer of black ash.

"Whoa!" Iron Man exclaimed as he scanned the crater. "This thing's giving off major power spikes, had to be one hell of an explosion. It looks like an asteroid hit Earth,"

"Or something did," Cap corrected.

The pair looked around the crater but spotted nothing but a pair of footprints leading out of it, and stopped at the edge.

"Stay here, I will investigate," Iron Man decided and hovered his way out into the crater.

He began to scan the area and soon noticed that the black ash that surrounded the crater was composed of elements he didn't even know. He quickly moved over to the center of the crater and searched for anything that could give him answers.

"There!" Iron Man exclaimed as he spotted what appeared to be a metallic object. He landed his jet boots and approached the object cautiously.

It was a thin dark strand of metal, a meter long and curled at the tips.

Iron Man grabbed onto the object and yanked it free from the ash and debris. It kept its shape well, with no signs of bending or breaking. He pulled it closer to inspect it but neither he nor Jarvis could recognize the material.

"What the hell happened here?" Tony questioned, uneasiness and tension filling his voice.

************

New York City

Underground Sewer Tunnel

 

(Brock POV)

I awoke to the strong smell shit and piss filling my nostrils. My body ached terribly and I felt like lightning was running through my veins. I moved to sit up and my muscles strained to do so.

Cold, slimy liquid cover my palms and the back of my arms and I look around, to realize I was lying beside a brown stream with chunky brown 'rocks' floating in it.

"Blargh!" I retched as the strong smell assaulted my senses again. Recoiling back on the concrete walkway I was sitting on, I moved against the wall and tried to get my bearings.

I brought my hands up to my face and gingerly touched my hair. It was matted with filth as was the rest of my body. A quick glance around revealed that I was in some sort of large tunnel that led further underground. The walls were rough and covered with dirt and grime.

"Please don't tell me I'm in a fucking sewer?" I muttered disgustedly to myself.

My mind replayed images from the previous fight. I recalled the voices and the bright light that illuminated the sky. Then I remembered the moment of impact.

"Ok, how'd I get her-"

I stopped talking as some kind of tingling feeling resonated throughout my body. I sprang up to my feet and my hand quickly shot out and gripped something in the air.

"Arrgh!" A soft hollow gasp sounded throughout the tunnel and I looked down at my hand and saw that it was wrapped around something invisible.

"Show yourself," I called out coldly.

The air began to shift around me as I focused on the appendage that I was gripping. A figure faded into existence in front of me. They were wearing an all-white skin-tight tactical armored suit with a hood covering five glowing red eyes that lined the face plate of their helmet.

The figure grabbed the hand that was wrapped around their throat and pushed off of me with their feet. Like a ghost, the person phased through my tight grip and flipped back a few feet away.

Surprised by their ability, I took a fighting stance and my markings started glowing crimson as I was about to summon my armor.

"Wait!" The figure spoke out in a soft echoey voice, raising their hands in surrender. "I'm not your enemy!"

I paused at their words, but still kept myself at the ready.

"Who are you?" I questioned coldly.

The figure slowly reached back to pull down the white hood, then removed the spider-eyed helmet.

My eyebrow quirked a little as I stared at the woman before me. She had long curly dark brown hair that fell loosely around her shoulders.

Her face was beautiful, with full lips and mocha-shaded skin. But the most striking feature was her eyes. They were shining silver orbs of stormy gray that seem to reflect through the grimy dark tunnel.

"My name is Ava Starr," The mysterious stranger introduced herself calmly. " And, I want to make a deal with you."

*************

A/n: Hey guys! So this Arc is finally done, hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading!!

Since the MC had another big power boost in these last couple of chapters, I am going to list some of his new abilities below.

Like before, they are separated into two sections: Unarmored and Armored. While wearing the armor the MC still has access to his other abilities but when not wearing it he won't have access to the armor's abilities. (Changes are marked*)

 

Unarmored Powers:

*Superhuman Strength- Able to lift up to 45 tons.

*Bulletproof Skin- medium caliber artillery (at or below 50.) bounces off of him but anything stronger can penetrate his skin.

*Moderate healing factor- He can heal and regrow limbs rapidly, but any powerful strike to his major organs, like his head or heart, will take him longer to heal.

Contaminant Immunity- Immune to all toxins, poisons, and diseases.

*Moderate Mental Resistance: Can see through Illusions and sense/block an average psychic from trying to read his mind.

*Danger Sense: Can discern numerous factors of a situation, including how much of a threat a foe poses, what move they will make, where they are going, and if these things relate to bringing harm to himself, as well as how to hide without giving away one's presence. (Think spider sense mixed with wolverine/sabertooth senses.)

* Enhanced Tracking- Can track others down easily via various means, ranging from scents to footprints. Which allows him to follow tracks that are days or even weeks old.

*Enhanced Senses- Has extremely accurate senses, allowing him to see, hear, smell, taste, and feel better than the peak of his species.

Summon Armor: Can summon his specialized armor at any time he wants.

????????

 

Armored Powers:

Self Sustenance- Has no need to breathe, eat, or drink. The armor generates weird mystical energies that provide him with the nourishment of sleep, nutrition, hydration, and oxygen.

*ForceField- capable of generating a personal force field around himself, which greatly enhances his physical durability to the level of fending off attacks from Thor.

*Venomous Claws- Possesses claws that secrete corruptive destruction energy, which can extend to the victim when the said victim is cut by the claws.

*Predator Aura- Can evoke and increase fear and horror in weak-willed individuals, causing the target's brain to release fear-inducing chemicals. The target's perception may be altered, causing them to see their environment as ominous and the user as dark and foreboding, or even as a monster.

Mental Resistance- Provides him with complete protection from telepathic attacks and Illusions.

*360-Degree Sensory Field- Able to generate a small 6-foot field that can be used to detect all that occupies it. While in the armor he can use any/all of his senses in all directions at once, allowing him to taste, feel/touch, smell, hear, see, etc., omnidirectionally at the same time and react automatically to danger.

 

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