(Captain Marvel POV)
"I have heard tales of your prowess… Captain, and I can assure you that our battle will be long… and vigorous."
His voice was breathy and inviting, and I couldn't help but smile. It had been far too long since someone even half-decent tried to get into my pants. When you've fought as many people as I have, you develop a reputation that acts like a beacon for every lunatic in the galaxy.
They either want to sleep with me or kill me—usually in that order. Occasionally, the reverse.
I felt Sif's glare burning into the back of my neck. She clearly didn't appreciate me flirting with her on-again, off-again boyfriend. I had no intention of taking Thor up on anything, but watching her seethe while he tossed shameless compliments my way was the most fun I'd had since coming back to Earth.
"God damn it, you've got to be kidding me," Fury swore. I'd been tracking their conversation the whole time. Loki's ploy was bold, even elegant, if his claims were true.
Did Dante really mean to wage war on the demons alone? I'd spent time studying him since that meeting, and it was obvious he stood above every other demon I'd encountered. Sure, he wasn't quite at my level or his brother's, but he was resourceful, adept at all manner of esoteric magic—and now the owner of an infinity stone.
I'd read the thousand-year-old eyewitness report of the Power Stone being used. One blast had scourged the surface of an entire planet. I shook my head. That kind of power in the hands of a twenty-year-old… maybe I should have ignored Fury and forced him to hand it back.
"Fury, what's wrong?" I asked, taking two quick steps toward their huddle. Loki actually twitched at the speed, and the others weren't much better.
"Our new satellite near Mercury is transmitting images of a fight," he said, taking the holographic tablet from Hill. The screen was a standard Xandarian model—one of the many technologies I'd acquired in bulk for Earth. High-grade combat suits, satellites capable of light-speed transmissions, energy weapons, stable infrastructure. The shipments were still flowing through the newly activated Jump Gate orbiting Earth.
The images were rough—blurs of blue and purple streaks, silhouettes flaring and vanishing, a mountain exploding under a beam of impossible intensity. The atmosphere bloomed with energy. The surface ruptured like a volcanic cataclysm. Purple flames washed over the terrain. Then the energy readings spiked—so potent I felt the residue even from Earth.
I recognized that aura immediately.
"Vergil Sparda," I said quietly.
"The Moon Breaker?" Loki nearly squeaked.
"I need to go. Earth isn't safe. The solar system isn't safe. Dante might be strong, but he's no match for him."
"I will join you, fair warrior," Thor announced, already at my side, the rest of the Warriors Three following with weapons drawn.
I shook my head. "I prefer to go alone. Besides, you'd slow me down. Can you even breathe in the vacuum of space?"
"Of course," Loki scoffed. "We're Asgardians."
"That doesn't solve the flight problem," I pointed out.
"I will have Heimdall take us with the Bifrost," Thor said.
I lifted off the ground, energy cloaking me in a shimmering layer of light. "Sounds like a plan. Meet you there."
I shot through the atmosphere with a soft hum and let loose the moment I hit space, becoming a comet of raw energy. Venus passed beneath me in seconds. Mercury loomed shortly after—scarred, gouged, and shredded by impossible force. Mountains that had stood for a million years were gone. The planet reeked of cosmic discharge, but one I was familiar with.
The Space Stone had ignited my powers, and I was linked to it in a way that I couldn't fully describe. I would know if it'd been used on this planet.
Did Dante filter the energy somehow? Make it less potent to battle with?
No. This felt like something different entirely.
My eyes widened. He couldn't have? Could he?
Dante got his hands on another Infinity Stone?
How? When? And most importantly, which one?
A strange flickering rock some distance away answered that question for me. It rapidly disintegrated, then reformed and repeated the cycle twice more before it went inert.
Time.
A pillar of rainbow light struck the ground nearby at an angle. The Asgardians emerged, weapons tight in their grips, hungry for battle.
Thor blinked at the destruction.
"Looks like we missed the fun," Fandral said.
"Do you think he survived?" Sif asked. "I can't imagine many beings could survive this."
"Dante or the moon breaker?" Thor asked.
"Either," she said.
"Vergil is likely dead, or at least badly wounded," I said, leaping toward them. Even Vergil couldn't stand against an Infinity Stone.
"How can you be certain?" Volstagg asked, mustache trembling.
"A hunch," I said.
Loki focused, then cast a complex Asgardian spell. It unraveled instantly. He paled, and when our eyes met, I knew he recognized the Time Stone's residue.
Thor grinned. "Music to my ears. Dante Sparda is an even greater warrior than I hoped. Perhaps he's worth fighting after all."
His companions stared at him, bewildered, while he simply admired the ruined horizon.
"What a sight," he said. "We should grace this world with a battle of our own." His eyes locked on me. "What say you?"
"I say…I need to get back to SHIELD. I have duties."
"Another time, then," he muttered, disappointment clear.
I brushed it off and took flight, mind racing.
Dante now possessed two Infinity Stones. And I couldn't stop thinking Loki was right—just not about forcing Dante's hand. Antagonizing him seemed like the worst possible approach, especially after seeing this level of destruction.
We needed a parley. Some sort of agreement. And I needed to be the one who initiated it.
He's been burned by Fury, and heaven knew I didn't trust the man either.
Fury was far too eager for expansion and independence. Despite everything I'd already provided, he'd pushed for Xandarian scientists to help Ross finish a new generation of enhancement steroids—permanent boosts for soldiers. Dante had once offered the same, and Fury had wisely declined, but I wasn't convinced Xandarian involvement was better. Their hunger for the formula rivaled Earth's. They had too many enemies. The Kree. The Demons.
And who knew what kind of soldiers they'd churn out?
Still, I couldn't fault them for wanting power.
Lauren—the enemy Fury whispered about like a ghost story—had been carving a bloody trail across the galaxy. Appearing in several places at once. Freeing the worst criminals alive. Recruiting monsters. Nova Corps had managed to kill a clone or two, but that barely slowed her.
It was past time Earth set aside its differences and prepared for the fight ahead.
Especially while we still had Asgard's help.
I couldn't stay on Earth forever.
Read up to Chapter 236 on Patreon.com/artandcreativewriting