At this moment, neither Robert nor Clark had noticed the Dark Elf invasion fleet. Since entering the twisted space, they had been too busy rushing between the Nine Realms, with little time to stay on Earth. Although they hadn't yet found a large enemy force descending upon Earth, countless Earthlings had fallen into the various realms. Clark alone couldn't keep up with the rescue efforts.
Robert had come to assist Clark, so the two began working together to locate and rescue the innocent Earthlings scattered across the Nine Realms. Sadly, despite their swift actions, some unfortunate souls had already perished—either slain by alien lifeforms or succumbing to the harsh conditions of foreign worlds.
The dream of finding another planet suitable for human life was a common one, but the harsh truth remained: humanity was born on Earth. Without long periods of adaptation or evolution, finding a planet perfectly suited for all humans was nearly impossible. Some people's genetics allowed them to adapt more easily to environmental changes, while others simply could not.
However, Clark and Robert weren't the only ones engaged in the rescue effort. Diana, Kara, Peter Parker, Hancock, and Mary had also joined the mission. The rest of the Avengers, on the other hand, focused on helping Earth's population and dealing with the various creatures emerging from the other realms.
Many Avengers lacked the experience or abilities to survive in alien environments. Given that some of Tony Stark's armors had gone missing when traversing the twisted spaces, sending too many members into those unpredictable realms could have resulted in further casualties.
Meanwhile, back at the Avengers headquarters, Susan Storm was growing accustomed to her newly enhanced powers when she suddenly froze.
"Did you feel that?" Susan asked, looking at Lorna with uncertainty.
"Feel what?" Lorna responded, confused. She glanced around and extended her telekinetic senses but found nothing.
"Was it just my imagination?" Susan wondered aloud, beginning to doubt herself. Given Lorna's superior strength, Susan naturally deferred to her judgment.
"Wait, no! Something is wrong—it's an invisible force!" Susan quickly realized the truth. After the Reality Stone had augmented her abilities, Susan had developed a heightened sensitivity to invisibility. She could now sense a hidden object approaching the Avengers' base—and fast.
Not wasting any time, Susan reacted immediately. Even if her response was an overreaction, it was better than doing nothing.
With a hum, a powerful wave of telekinetic energy enveloped the entire Avengers base, and in the next instant, the entire facility vanished from sight. Previously, Susan's invisibility abilities had only affected optical visibility, but now, thanks to her enhanced powers, she could make physical objects disappear entirely.
"What?!" Malekith, aboard the Dark Elf ship, was stunned. His small, beady eyes filled with confusion, and even his subordinate, Algrim, couldn't see his expression clearly.
"We're getting close, Commander," Algrim reminded him quietly.
"Close?! The Aether is gone! What's the point of arriving if it's already been taken? Damn it! Did they take the Aether and run? How could they do that? Why can't I sense its power anymore? Has someone else obtained the Aether? Have they been chosen by it?!" Malekith raged, losing his composure at the thought.
Malekith had no idea how long he'd been asleep, so it wasn't impossible that the Aether had found a new master in the meantime. If that were the case, it would explain why he could no longer sense the powerful Reality Stone.
"Commander, the Aether hasn't disappeared. I can still vaguely sense it. The power is still in its original location!" Algrim, now a Cursed Warrior infused with fragments of the Aether, calmly reassured his leader after sensing the energy.
"Really?" Malekith's eyes lit up with hope. "Of course! You have the Aether's power inside you, even if it's only a fragment. Your ability to sense it is stronger than mine."
"So, they must have sensed our approach and are hiding. Interesting. Let's see how long they can hide! Full speed ahead and fire when we arrive!" Malekith ordered, his gaze locking onto the vanished Avengers base.
"Yes, Commander!" The Dark Elves complied, their ships speeding toward the base's location.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Soon, explosions erupted all around the Avengers base. However, thanks to Susan's newfound powers, the base remained entirely invisible. The Dark Elves' bombardment seemed fruitless, failing to cause any significant damage.
But Susan's invisibility was not perfect. Unlike the Reality Stone, which could flawlessly alter reality, her powers had limitations.
For example, after the initial barrage, the ground beneath the Avengers base began to cave in. Malekith immediately noticed the disturbance.
"So, they're still there? And they can turn invisible too? Fine. Attack everything! Let's see how long they can maintain that invisibility!" Malekith's eyes gleamed with cold malice as he issued the new orders.
The Dark Elf ships, sleek and elongated like massive, deadly spears, revealed themselves as they approached. Not only were they armed with powerful weapons, but their very design allowed them to act as battering rams capable of inflicting tremendous damage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
This time, it wasn't just an assault of firepower. The ships themselves began ramming into the area, causing severe structural damage to the surrounding terrain. Though the Avengers base remained intact, the devastation to the surrounding area would take considerable time and effort to repair.
"Damn invaders! Who are they? Susan, let me out! I'm going to kill them all!" Lorna, her temper flaring, was ready to charge out and confront the attackers. Having just gained a massive boost in power, she was eager to put it to use.
"Don't act recklessly! Our powers are still unstable. I can hold on a little longer—let's wait for the Saiyans to return," Susan cautioned, trying to keep Lorna calm.
"Our job is to guard the base. So let's focus on protecting the Avengers headquarters. If you're feeling restless, help me create a telekinetic shield to block their firepower instead of rushing into a fight. We don't even know who they are yet."
"Fine!" Lorna relented, nodding as she began to release her telekinetic energy.
Boom! Boom!
However, just as Lorna's telekinetic barrier was starting to take shape, the Dark Elves switched tactics. A strange energy emanated from their ships, creating a small black hole that instantly sucked up nearby objects and then vanished.
"What is that?" Lorna gasped as she saw the black hole. "Don't tell me that's a man-made black hole?"
"It seems so. Even if it only lasted a moment, its destructive power far exceeded anything else they've used," Susan said in amazement. "If too much gets sucked into it, I might not be able to maintain our invisibility."
Whoosh!
Just as Susan began to worry, a fiery portal appeared in the sky above the Avengers base, and through it stepped Robert, Kara, Hulk, and several other Avengers. The rest had stayed behind to continue aiding in the twisted space.
"That's the Dark Elves' fleet! It's mentioned in the archives of Kamar-Taj!" Baron Mordo, who had come with the group, immediately recognized the enemy ships. "They're here for the Reality Stone!"
"I knew it!" Robert muttered with a smirk. "The Reality Stone may have hidden itself, but these Dark Elves managed to find us. Looks like I was right—the stone must be hiding inside either Invisible Woman or Polaris."
"Who's there?!" Malekith's face turned serious as he spotted Robert and the others hovering in the air. Frowning deeply, he barked out an order. "Fire everything! Use the black hole energy—don't hold back!"
"Yes, Commander!" The Dark Elves quickly responded, their ships charging up for another attack, focusing their firepower on the Avengers.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
But before the Dark Elves could fire, a series of energy blasts cut through the air, striking their ships first. These were no ordinary blasts; they resembled the Destructo Disc, sharp, crescent-shaped waves of energy.
Crack! Crack!
The energy waves slashed through the weapons of the Dark Elf ships, cutting them off. Without their weapons, no matter how much energy the ships had stored, they were rendered useless. In some cases, the stored energy dissipated harmlessly.
One Dark Elf ship even activated its black hole technology too early, causing the ship to collapse in on itself as the black hole consumed it.
"A black hole? Interesting power. I bet Tony would love to study this," Robert said, raising an eyebrow as he watched the black hole's immense but brief pull.
"Damn it! Who are these people? Asgardians? No, they don't have that accursed divine aura. What are they?" Malekith was stunned, watching in disbelief as Robert effortlessly disabled his ships' weapons. He hadn't expected their ships, capable of surviving cosmic battles, to be so easily neutralized.
How were they supposed to fight now? Should they ram their ships directly into Robert? But with his destructive power, he might just tear the ships apart on contact.
In just a few moments, Malekith began to contemplate retreating. But then he remembered Algrim, the last Cursed Warrior of the Dark Elves. If they failed to reclaim the Aether, the Dark Elves would never rise again. He couldn't back down now!
"Activate the primary controls and issue the
final command. Once we leave the ship, make it invisible again. If we can't retrieve the Aether, blow up the ship! If Midgard refuses to return the Aether, we'll make sure they suffer!" Malekith's eyes burned with hatred. Thousands of years ago, he had retreated, and the Dark Elves had fallen into ruin because of it. Now, there was no more room to run.
In today's universe, unless the Dark Elves were willing to remain hidden in the shadows of Svartalfheim for eternity, they had no place to grow and thrive. Malekith understood this was his last chance.
Clang!
Before long, Malekith and his Dark Elf soldiers exited their ships. Robert, recognizing the situation, didn't destroy the ships. He wanted to keep them intact for Tony Stark to study the black hole technology.
"Algrim, take care of that one!" Malekith said, pointing at Robert. He placed all his hope on Algrim, the final Cursed Warrior, trusting that he would demonstrate the Dark Elves' last stand!
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