"Roar!" Algrim, upon hearing Malekith's orders, let out a primal roar. His aura flared like that of a monster emerging from the shadows, sending shivers down the spines of all who saw him.
"Hulk!" Not to be outdone, Hulk, who had been itching for a real fight, responded with a roar of his own. He'd only been dealing with minor beasts from other planets while traversing the twisted space earlier, which didn't satisfy his need for a proper battle. Now, provoked by Algrim, Hulk locked onto him and broke free from Robert's telekinetic hold, charging headlong toward Algrim.
"Get out of my way!" Algrim, however, had no interest in Hulk. His mission was clear: target Robert. Without hesitation, Algrim punched Hulk, who responded in kind.
Boom!
In the next moment, to Hulk's shock, pain radiated from his fist. His body was sent flying, rolling across the ground, utterly bewildered.
"Hulk?" For a moment, Hulk was confused. It didn't feel like he was fighting a typical enemy—it reminded him of fighting Kong, where he had been completely overpowered. This fight felt the same, a direct and crushing defeat.
"Huh?" Robert, seeing Hulk so easily knocked away, was surprised. He hadn't expected Algrim to overpower Hulk so effortlessly. Despite his turbulent aura, Algrim's energy wasn't stable, as though it had been artificially enhanced. He bore similarities to the failed animal warriors Robert had once faced.
"Hulk! Again!" Hulk quickly recovered, yelling as he charged at Algrim once more. In Hulk's mind, there was no way this "ugly brute" could be stronger than him. After all, if he couldn't beat Kong or Robert, surely he could defeat this opponent.
But Algrim, focused solely on his mission, ignored Hulk's provocations. After knocking Hulk aside again, he stomped the ground, creating a crater, and leapt toward Robert.
"Bring it on!" Robert, now excited, readied himself. Algrim didn't emit any energy-based attacks, but his raw physical strength was impressive. Robert was eager for a contest of pure physical might.
"..." Kara, who had initially considered intervening, stepped back upon seeing Robert's enthusiasm. Instead, she flew toward Malekith and his forces, ready to confront them.
As Robert and Kara made their moves, the Avengers' base reappeared. Vampires, werewolves, and even Lorna and Susan Storm charged out to join the battle, while Steve and Bucky stayed behind to guard Peggy Carter and Brian, who had yet to awaken.
The Dark Elves were formidable, equipped with advanced technological weapons. However, the vampires and werewolves, being extraordinary beings from a different dimension, were no weaker than the Dark Elves. The clash between the two forces was intense, but the Avengers were holding their own.
Moreover, despite not fielding their strongest members, the Avengers had a numerical advantage in high-level combatants. Besides the average Dark Elf warriors, only Malekith and Algrim posed significant threats. On the Avengers' side, even without counting Hulk, fighters like Kara, Lorna, and Susan were enough to handle the Dark Elf leadership.
In fact, despite Malekith's once-great reputation across the Nine Realms, he didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight against Kara. Algrim, the cursed warrior, was proving to be a much more formidable opponent.
What the Avengers didn't anticipate was how easily Robert, like Hulk before him, was knocked back when he first clashed with Algrim.
This was the first time the Avengers had ever seen Robert take such a blow in combat. Even against powerful foes, Robert had never been sent flying. The sight immediately made the Avengers tense up, realizing that Algrim was far stronger than they had initially thought.
"Impressive strength! Besides Superman, you're the strongest opponent I've faced in terms of raw power!" Robert wasn't fazed by being thrown back. In his time in the Dragon Ball world, he had been knocked around far worse before mastering his Berserker Punch technique.
Now that he had engaged Algrim, Robert could tell that, unlike Kryptonians like Clark, who developed abilities like heat vision and freeze breath, Algrim relied solely on brute strength. He was more akin to Hulk, possessing immense power but lacking energy-based attacks.
The fight was exhilarating for Robert. Algrim's body was tough, his strength immense, and he had far superior combat techniques compared to Hulk. Robert couldn't have been more pleased with the match.
Shhh!
Not wanting the fight to be interrupted by pauses, Robert activated his Berserker Punch, throwing himself back into the battle with renewed energy. Despite Robert's enhanced strength and combat skill, Algrim still had the upper hand due to his overwhelming physical might.
However, Algrim's advantage wouldn't last forever. As the fight dragged on, Robert's strength continued to grow. Algrim, on the other hand, started to feel the pressure mounting.
Algrim didn't know who Robert was, but he could tell that Robert's power was increasing as the fight went on. Algrim realized that if he didn't finish the fight soon, he would inevitably lose.
The problem was, even as a cursed warrior, Algrim had his limits. The fragment of the Reality Stone embedded in him and his own life force were both finite. He was currently at his peak strength, with no further potential for growth. If he couldn't defeat Robert now, he wouldn't be able to later.
"This can't go on! I need to find a way to end this!" Algrim's eyes darted toward Malekith, who was also struggling. Malekith's situation was even worse than Algrim's.
Despite his once-fearsome reputation, Malekith wasn't a god-tier being. The wars of the past and his long slumber had taken their toll on him. Even the mighty All-Father Odin had aged and weakened over time—how could Malekith be any different?
Under Kara's relentless assault, Malekith was not only failing to gain the upper hand but had sustained significant injuries. For Kara, this fight was more than just another battle—it was a proving ground.
Though Kara had trained diligently, spending nearly all her time under the sun to grow stronger, even the Kryptonians had their limits. Although she had made steady progress, her power wasn't increasing as rapidly as she would have liked.
If power growth were limitless, General Zod and his forces wouldn't have rushed to Earth as they did.
Even though Kara had grown stronger, she was still not quite as skilled in combat as Diana. Now, with Lorna and Susan having received significant power boosts, Kara was feeling the pressure more than ever.
While she could likely hold her own against Susan Storm, Lorna was a different story. Lorna's telekinetic abilities had grown far stronger than Susan's, and she was also more destructive. Kara had no confidence in her ability to fight Lorna head-on.
Watching as Lorna deftly dismantled black hole grenades thrown by the Dark Elves, preventing disaster for the Avengers, Kara had to admit that Lorna had surpassed her.
Frustrated, Kara channeled all her anger into Malekith, battering him with powerful blows. Once pristine, Malekith's pale white body was now covered in bruises and blood.
Algrim could see Malekith's desperate situation. If he had any latent power left, now would have been the time to unleash it. But Algrim had already pushed himself to his limit.
Meanwhile, Algrim wasn't the only one observing the battle. Hidden in the shadows, four monstrous beings wearing grotesque masks watched everything unfold.
"What a bunch of weaklings! These Dark Elves were born in the darkness of the universe, and yet they're this pathetic! How did Malekith become their leader when even his subordinate is stronger than him?" Tara sneered, disgusted by the Dark Elves' performance as he watched Malekith get beaten down by Kara.
"Boss, what should we do now? Is your original plan still on track?" General Razzo asked, his voice tinged with hesitation.
"Plan? What plan? Look at them! How are they supposed to plunge the universe back into darkness at this rate? How can we, the Dark Dimension, use this opportunity to consume the entire universe?" Tara snapped at Razzo, his voice dripping with contempt.
"If they can't get the job done, I suppose I'll have to step in. According to the intel from Algrim, the first step is to retrieve the Aether."
"Are we going in now?" General Karman's eyes lit up with excitement. But before he could finish his sentence, Tara's dark aura flashed momentarily, and far away, the struggling Algrim suddenly experienced a surge in power.
Clearly, Tara had no intention of entering the fray himself. While he was confident that he could handle many of the combatants, Robert was another story entirely. Tara had seen how easily Robert had dismantled the Dark Elves' ships. It was better to proceed cautiously, avoiding any unnecessary risks.
Boom!
With his newfound strength, Algrim smashed the werewolf he had been fighting, sending him flying and leaving the werewolf completely stunned. Even the other Dark Elves, as well as Malekith, were bewildered.
"What? Was Algrim always this strong? How did I not know?" Malekith wondered, briefly distracted before Kara sent him flying again.
Fortunately for Earth, the planet's resilience had increased significantly, minimizing the destruction caused by their battles. Even the Dark Elves' bombardment of the Avengers' base had been less destructive than expected.
Malekith, however, mistook this for the Avengers' doing, unaware of how much stronger the Earth had become.
Buzz!
As Malekith continued to be pummeled, a strange change began to occur on the battlefield. The corpses of fallen Dark Elves started to stir, and then exploded into a bloody mist.
"What are you doing?!" Malekith, seeing the desecration of his soldiers' bodies, momentarily forgot his own plight. He turned toward Algrim, demanding an explanation.
At that moment, Malekith couldn't help but suspect that something was very wrong with Algrim.
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