The Plumbers' intervention caught Psyphon off guard, but fear never entered his calculations. If anything, this unexpected development presented a golden opportunity to advance Vilgax's greater objectives.
"According to our intelligence," Psyphon addressed his Dark Elf allies with calculating precision, "the Plumbers maintain only five Senior Agents at their headquarters. The warrior before us is Beta Ray Bill, guardian of their primary battle fleet."
His alien features twisted into something resembling a smile as tactical possibilities crystallized in his mind. "If we eliminate him and capture his vessel here, Lord Malekith's future assault on Midgard becomes significantly easier."
The Dark Elves responded with bloodthirsty eagerness, rallying their Fire Demon allies as they prepared to engage the Plumber force. This was exactly the kind of thinking Psyphon had hoped to encourage—let both sides exhaust themselves in brutal combat while he positioned himself to claim the spoils.
The battle erupted with space fury as Sindr the Ash Queen unleashed her dominion over flame and molten earth. Massive fire-serpents burrowed through Nidavellir's rocky foundations, their passage transforming solid stone into rivers of superheated magma. Where they emerged, the very air shimmered with volcanic heat that would have incinerated most organic beings instantly.
But the stellar forges had prepared the dwarves for such extremes, and the Plumbers proved equally resilient.
Sindr raised her arms toward the planet's blazing core, her voice carrying the authority of ancient fire-god bloodlines. "Children of flame and fury, arise and serve your queen!"
The response was immediate and terrifying—the stellar forge itself seemed to rebel as bubbles of weaponized magma erupted from its controlled fires. Creatures of living flame burst from the furnaces that had created legendary artifacts for millennia, their birth cries echoing through caverns as they turned toward the dwarven defenders with murderous intent.
The irony wasn't lost on King Eitri as he raised his forging hammer against monsters spawned from his people's own sacred fires. The very tools that had shaped Mjolnir and countless other legendary weapons were now being perverted into instruments of slaughter.
But the dwarves weren't alone in their desperate hour.
Beta Ray Bill charged into the fray like a living thunderbolt, his cybernetic form wreathed in crackling energy that made the air itself sing with power. The Universal Weapon swept in devastating arcs, each impact channeling not just its space design but also the Old Power he'd learned from Caiera during his time on Sakaar.
Blue lightning erupted from the weapon's contact with Nidavellir's stone, creating electrical cascades several meters thick that carved through enemy ranks like a scythe through wheat. The combination of Kree technology and Sakaarian mysticism proved devastatingly effective against creatures born of fire and shadow.
"Brothers, follow me!" Bill's voice boomed across the battlefield, inspiring his forces to match his courage.
Korg lumbered forward with surprising grace for his massive stone frame, his rocky features set in grim determination. Though he often played the philosophical comedian, in battle the Kronan warrior became something altogether more primal—a force of geological inevitability.
With mere thought, he reshaped Nidavellir's cavern walls into weapons that fit his colossal hands. Stone hammers the size of shuttlecraft formed from the living rock, their weight backed by tectonic forces as he swept through enemy formations like an avalanche given purpose.
"These Fire Demons picked the wrong planet to invade," Korg rumbled with satisfaction, his massive fists reducing flame-creatures to scattered sparks. "Nothing beats rock-solid strategy!"
Behind the vanguard, waves of Plumber forces advanced in disciplined formation. Former gladiators from Sakaar's arena led the charge, their hard-won experience evident in every calculated strike. These weren't the desperate, untrained fighters who'd once battled for the Red King's amusement—they were seasoned warriors who'd earned their freedom through skill and determination.
Following them came newer recruits drawn from both Sakaarian and Korbinite populations, their armor crackling with the blue energy signatures of enhanced equipment. Though they lacked the veterans' battle-scars, their training under Ben Parker and Eunice.'s guidance had elevated them to near-Asgardian physical capabilities.
The enemy forces arranged themselves in a different but equally formidable pattern. Fire Demons comprised the largest contingent—not just Muspelheim's original inhabitants, but Sindr's summoned creatures that seemed to emerge endlessly from the stellar forge itself. They advanced like a tide of living magma, their heat-distortion making them difficult to target precisely.
Above them, Dark Elf warriors claimed the aerial advantage with their characteristic grace, diving and weaving through the cavern's vast spaces like predatory birds. Though fewer in number, their elevation and mobility made them a constant threat to ground forces.
Finally came the Dark Elves' elite ground troops, their dark-matter blades humming with energies that could cut through most known materials. These were veterans of the ancient war against Asgard, and their techniques had been honed across millennia of hatred.
"Kill them all!" A Dark Elf commander raised his weapon toward the Plumber forces. "Capture their warship for Lord—"
His rallying cry ended abruptly as a dwarven spear punched through his chest from behind, pinning him to the cavern wall like a macabre trophy.
"Don't forget about us!" King Eitri's voice thundered across the battlefield as his people launched their counterattack, their legendary strength finally finding proper targets.
Psyphon observed the three-way melee with calculated interest before issuing new orders. "Sindr, detach a portion of your forces to deal with the dwarves. We need only a few survivors to operate the forges—eliminate the rest."
The Ash Queen bowed with the fluid grace of inherited nobility before raising her power once again. "Spirits born in sacred flame, heed your sovereign's call!"
More explosions rocked the stellar core as additional fire-creatures erupted from the space furnace, their birth-screams mixing with the sounds of battle as they turned toward the dwarven positions with supernatural hunger.
King Eitri's heart sank as he watched his people's most sacred creations turned against them. The forges that had shaped the weapons of gods were now spawning the instruments of their destruction.
Beta Ray Bill assessed the tactical situation with military precision, his enhanced senses tracking multiple threat vectors simultaneously. Though his individual prowess was devastating, the enemy's numerical advantage and continuous reinforcements made victory through attrition impossible.
"We need to eliminate their force multiplier," he decided, his grip tightening on the Universal Weapon as he identified the primary target. "Sindr first!"
He bellowed commands to his most trusted subordinates—Korg and the insectoid warrior Miek immediately grasped his intention. The Kronan slapped his rocky chest with confidence that sent chips of stone flying.
"Leave the crowd control to us, buddy!" Korg's enthusiasm was infectious, even in the midst of space warfare. "We've got this completely under control!"
"That's exactly what I'm worried about," Bill muttered, remembering some of Korg's more creative tactical interpretations. "Siloy, maintain overwatch on their position."
The former gladiator nodded grimly, understanding the unspoken order to keep their enthusiastic stone-warrior focused on the mission rather than philosophical observations about their enemies' motivations.
With his flanks secured, Bill launched himself toward the enemy's command position like a guided missile, his cybernetic form wreathed in increasingly intense energy fields. The Universal Weapon's power signature climbed toward critical levels as he prepared for the most dangerous phase of the assault.
"He's still worried about you, brother," Druuk observed
"He doesn't trust you either, you know," Korg replied, crushing a Dark Elf beneath his enlarged fist before hurling the remains into a pack of fire-serpents.
"Is it possible,that he simply doesn't trust any of us?" Druuk asked
"Shut up," Korg grumbled. "He didn't even mention your name in the battle plan."
Despite their constant bickering, the stone brothers fought with perfect coordination, their combined assault creating a mobile fortress that carved through enemy formations like geological inevitability made manifest. Even creatures of pure flame couldn't overcome their inherent resistance—after all, Kronans were born from volcanic activity themselves.
Meanwhile, Bill penetrated deeper into enemy territory with single-minded determination. The sight of Surtur's crown adorning Sindr's head filled him with cold fury that burned brighter than any fire. That symbol of Muspelheim's sovereignty belonged to a tyrant who'd destroyed countless worlds, including his own people's original homeworld.
The crown's presence meant Sindr had claimed rulership over the Fire Demons' realm, making her directly responsible for the atrocities that had scattered the Korbinites across space and nearly driven them to extinction.
Personal vengeance merged with tactical necessity as he raised the Universal Weapon high, its energies crackling with barely contained space force. The Old Power flowed through his cybernetic systems like liquid lightning, transforming the Kree artifact into something far more devastating than its original designers had ever intended.
"This is for Korbin," he whispered, then roared with the voice of justified wrath. "And for every world you've burned!"
The hammer descended with the force of colliding planets.
The impact shook Nidavellir's foundations so violently that hairline cracks appeared in the stellar core's containment rings. Every combatant across the vast battlefield felt the seismic shock wave, their weapons freezing mid-strike as they turned toward the epicenter of destruction.
"Did he get her?" Siloy called out, his enhanced vision struggling to penetrate the expanding dust cloud.
Korg winced at the question. "According to every entertainment program I've ever observed, asking that question guarantees something bad is about to happen."
Sure enough, space winds dispersed the debris to reveal a scene that defied expectation. Sindr stood unharmed but clearly shaken, her fiery form having cooled to ashen black from sheer terror. But between her and Bill's devastating attack stood an unexpected figure—Psyphon, one hand extended to casually deflect the Universal Weapon's space energies.
The attack that should have pulverized mountains had been neutralized with contemptuous ease.
"Interesting," Bill breathed, his tactical assessment shifting rapidly. "The intelligence was wrong."
Ben Parker had shared Loki's reconnaissance data with all Senior Agents, including detailed assessments of Malekith's known subordinates. According to those reports, Psyphon possessed moderate psychic abilities but limited physical capabilities—certainly nothing approaching the power needed to stop his enhanced assault.
"If Vilgax can absorb other beings' abilities," Bill realized with growing concern, "then this creature has been significantly upgraded since our last intelligence update. His current power level matches my own, possibly exceeds it."
The implications were sobering. A two-on-one engagement against opponents of roughly equal strength created unfavorable odds, especially while surrounded by enemy forces.
Psyphon smiled with predatory satisfaction as he examined the Universal Weapon in his grasp. "Beta Ray Bill, one of the legendary Sheriff. How disappointing."
With casual dismissal, he hurled the space artifact aside, watching it clatter against the stellar rings like discarded scrap metal. His own assessment of the tactical situation reached very different conclusions.
"You're isolated, outnumbered, and outgunned," Psyphon continued, his confidence absolute. "Sindr and I together can easily overwhelm you, while your subordinates lack the strength to provide meaningful assistance."
The logic seemed sound from his perspective. Sindr wore Surtur's crown and wielded the accumulated power of Muspelheim's conquest, making her a formidable opponent in her own right. Combined with his own Vilgax-enhanced abilities, they possessed overwhelming force concentration against a single target.
As for the other Plumbers, they might be individually competent, but none approached Senior Agent capability. Their elimination was merely a matter of time and application of sufficient force.
Psyphon gestured to his ally, and together they moved to end the threat that Beta Ray Bill represented to their mission.
Sindr emerged from her terror-induced paralysis, the Crown of Ashes blazing with renewed fury as she channeled the volcanic powers of a conquered realm. Molten earth erupted beneath her feet, sending waves of superheated magma cascading toward Bill's position like a tsunami of liquid fire.
The Korbinite warrior leaped skyward to avoid the initial surge, his cybernetic reflexes calculating trajectory and landing zones with computer precision. He retrieved the Universal Weapon mid-flight, its familiar weight providing reassurance even as the tactical situation deteriorated.
Landing in a combat crouch on one of the stellar rings, Bill immediately fired a concentrated space ray toward Psyphon. The purple beam carried enough energy to punch through starship hulls, but his opponent deflected it with casual contempt before launching himself forward with missile-like velocity.
Psyphon's enhanced strength slammed Bill against the stellar ring's superstructure, his grip closing around the Korbinite's throat with crushing force. Simultaneously, Sindr's flame-creatures swarmed the position, their claws and fangs finding gaps in his armor as they began tearing at his cybernetic components.
Within moments, Bill's form was wreathed in fire that charred his synthetic skin and overloaded several sensor arrays. The pain was significant, but not debilitating—Korbinite engineering had been designed to survive in space environments far more hostile than this.
"If this represents the extent of your capabilities," Psyphon taunted, "perhaps you should surrender now and save us all unnecessary effort, Plumber."
In his assessment, Bill's defeat was inevitable. The combined assault had clearly overwhelmed the Korbinite's defenses, and no rescue was forthcoming from his subordinates who remained engaged with the main enemy force.
But defeat was the furthest thing from Bill's mind.
"Yeah..." he growled through damaged vocal synthesizers, his cybernetic eyes beginning to glow with increasingly intense energy. "Not... quite... yet."
Power unlike anything Psyphon had witnessed began flowing through Bill's systems—not the technological energies of Kree engineering, but something far more fundamental and dangerous. Space forces awakened in response to his will, transforming the Universal Weapon from an advanced tool into a conduit for primordial power.
The burning grip on his throat became unbearable as Mana surged through every circuit and cable in Bill's frame. Psyphon released him with a startled cry, stumbling backward as he tried to process what he was witnessing.
"This power..." Recognition dawned in Psyphon's alien features. "You wield Mana!"
His voice carried both respect and growing dread. Mana represented one of the most volatile space forces—its effects varied dramatically based on the user's inherent strength and spiritual development. For a warrior of Bill's proven capabilities, awakening such power could result in exponential enhancement.
The flame-creatures that had been tearing at Bill's form were suddenly swept away by invisible forces, their fire-based existence no match for the space winds now swirling around the Korbinite warrior. A scarlet cloak of pure energy materialized around his shoulders as he rose to his full height, the Universal Weapon revealing previously hidden runic inscriptions that pulsed with Mana.
"Since you recognize Mana," Bill declared, his voice now carrying harmonics that seemed to resonate with Nidavellir's stellar core itself, "you should also understand that your destruction is inevitable!"
He raised the weapon high, and space storms began gathering around its head with sufficient force to distort local space-time. The next moment, he vanished from sight—not through technology or stealth, but through movement so rapid it exceeded even enhanced perception.
Psyphon barely had time to raise his defenses before the Universal Weapon struck his chest with the concentrated force of stellar collapse. The impact launched him backward through multiple layers of stone and metal, his trajectory ending somewhere deep within Nidavellir's planetary structure.
Bill turned his attention to Sindr, who froze in terror as the full weight of his enhanced presence fell upon her. The Ash Queen might wield the power of conquered Muspelheim, but facing a Mana-enhanced opponent was like confronting a force of nature itself.
"Ten minutes," Bill noted with clinical precision, his enhanced awareness tracking the energy expenditure required to maintain this level of space enhancement. "This battle ends within ten minutes."
The limitation was significant but manageable—pushing Mana enhancement to such extremes created tremendous strain on both body and spirit. After ten minutes, exhaustion would render him vulnerable to even basic attacks.
But ten minutes was more than sufficient to deal with the remaining threats.
King Eitri, watching from the battlefield below, felt his heart sink as he recognized Psyphon's impact trajectory. "He's heading for the treasure vault..."
Deep within Nidavellir's planetary structure, Psyphon struggled to consciousness amid the rubble of his violent landing. Every system in his enhanced form screamed warnings about structural damage and compromised combat effectiveness.
"That cursed warrior..." he gasped, attempting to assess his injuries while formulating escape plans. "His power level exceeded all expectation. Retreat is the only viable option."
But as he forced himself upright, his searching hand encountered something unexpected in the debris—cold metal with an unmistakable shape and weight.
"A hammer?" Psyphon's fingers traced the object's contours, his mind racing as implications crystallized. "Could this be...?"