Chapter 41 – Bonds Rekindled, Rewards Bestowed
Silence hung heavy after the battle. The corrupted storm had dissipated, leaving behind only the shattered streets of Washington D.C. and the sound of strained breathing.
Hulk—no, Banner—was the first to stir. His massive frame shrank down, muscles fading until only the weary scientist remained. He sat up, groaning, one hand against his forehead.
"…Thor?" His voice was hoarse, but it was his.
Thor grinned, clapping his old friend on the shoulder so hard Banner almost toppled. "Aye, Banner! I thought I had lost you to rage forever."
Banner blinked at his surroundings, confused, before his eyes caught Velgrynd, Neo, Natasha, and the rest of the group. "Wait… who are…?" He trailed off, realization dawning. "The corruption… you saved me?"
Neo gave a small nod. "You're free now. The fight's not over, but you're safe."
Not far away, Wanda Maximoff pushed herself upright. Her crimson aura flickered faintly, no longer twisted, but fragile. Steve was the first to reach her.
"Wanda."
Her eyes filled with tears the moment she heard his voice. "Steve… I—I couldn't stop it. It took everything. I—"
Steve knelt, taking her trembling hands. "You don't need to explain. You're here now. That's all that matters."
Natasha approached quietly, placing a hand on Wanda's shoulder. "We've all been through it. You're not alone anymore."
Wanda broke, sobbing against her teammates as the Avengers embraced again—fractured, but piecing themselves back together.
Even Thor's usually booming voice softened. "We have faced gods, monsters, and warlords… yet to see you two returned to us—it is a victory greater than any battlefield could offer."
🕰 The Missing Ones
Once the emotions calmed, the talk shifted to grim reality.
"Clint's with us now. Wanda, Banner… that makes four recovered," Steve said, glancing at Neo's group. "But there are still more."
Tony exhaled sharply. "Yeah. Vision. Strange. T'Challa. Scott. And… others." His tone was edged with guilt. "If they're out there, corrupted like the rest, then the worst is yet to come."
Neo folded his arms, silent. The truth was clear—the corruption wasn't just testing them anymore. It was escalating.
🌌 The Chat Group Announcement
Before anyone could speak further, the system chime of the multiversal chat group echoed in every member's mind.
[Group Announcement]
Partial Mission Rewards are now being distributed due to successful purification of Wanda Maximoff and Bruce Banner.
Difficulty level has exceeded projections. Rewards will scale accordingly.
A ripple of anticipation surged through the group.
• Velgrynd: felt her draconic essence deepen, her flames sharpening into a purer, higher-order heat.
• Thor, Natasha, Steve, and the others: received evolutionary enhancements, expanding their abilities beyond even what their home universe would normally allow. Their durability, perception, and mastery surged.
• All members: massive point gains, enough to fuel future upgrades or summons.
But for Neo—
[System: Neo's Adaptation has reached 95%.]
[The Cocoon of the End begins to awaken.]
[Evolution Sequence initiated.]
Neo froze. For a moment, his body felt weightless, as though every cell was unraveling and rewriting itself.
Seraphina's voice echoed within. [Confirmed. The adaptation threshold is nearing completion. Azathoth's functions are now stable, though further growth is inevitable. The Cocoon of the End has begun awakening… Neo, your existence is preparing to evolve again.]
Neo clenched his fists, steadying the surge of energy. He could feel it—his being harmonizing with Nihility, his vessel shifting toward something more absolute. And yet, there was more. Always more.
Velgrynd's crimson-gold eyes studied him closely. "You're changing again, aren't you?"
Neo gave a small nod. "The Cocoon is stirring. But I'll need time before it's complete."
Tony, crossing his arms, whistled. "You know, when I joined this little multiversal book club, I didn't expect 'mysterious cosmic dragon god powers' to be part of the perks package. Guess I should've read the fine print."
Despite the levity, everyone felt the weight. They weren't just fighting for survival anymore. They were evolving together—transcending.
And the war was only climbing higher.
Chapter 42 – The Cocoon Stirs, the Truth Revealed
The battle wasn't over. Neo stood at the center of the battlefield, the taste of victory still raw on his tongue from purifying Wanda and Banner. The others were sweeping up the remnants of corruption, but for Neo, something deeper was happening.
His breath caught. For a moment, the world warped around him—the edges of reality shimmering like glass under heat.
Inside his soul, the Cocoon of the End pulsed, threads of light and darkness weaving through his being.
[Adaptation has reached 95%. Cocoon Evolution Initiating.]
Seraphina's calm voice echoed within him. [Neo… you're entering the preliminary phase of awakening. Your body is no longer resisting the Cocoon—it's harmonizing. This… is the first sign.]
Neo staggered slightly, gripping his chest as raw energy surged through him, spilling outward in faint ripples of Nihility. The ground beneath his feet cracked under the pressure.
Velgrynd's gaze sharpened instantly. "It's begun, hasn't it?"
He nodded, steadying his stance. "The Cocoon… it's waking. I can feel it knitting into me."
Even in the chaos, there was no time to rest.
🛰 Tony's Discovery
"Uh, guys?" Tony's voice cut in, his armor flickering with holographic displays. "While you've been doing the whole cosmic metamorphosis thing, I've been scanning for the missing pieces of our team puzzle."
Everyone turned. Tony projected a 3D map above his wrist—earth's continents glowing with heat signatures. One area pulsed bright, vibrating with an ominous energy signature.
"Wakanda," he said grimly. "Every single one of the remaining Avengers… they're there. Or what's left of them."
The room went silent. Steve's jaw clenched, Natasha's fists tightened, and Thor's expression darkened.
"So that's where the corruption wants us next," Steve muttered.
Neo narrowed his eyes. "Then that's where the final battle begins."
⚠️ The Chat Group's Revelation
Before anyone could plan further, the familiar chime of the multiversal chat group struck every mind.
[Group Announcement]
Corruption Origin Source Identified.
Source: The Lord God Space.
The words hit like thunder.
Several members stiffened. Kirito swore under his breath. Bell froze. Even Velgrynd's calm eyes flickered.
"Again…?" Natasha asked, confused.
Kirito's hand trembled on his sword hilt. "The first mission we ever did… it was the Lord God Space. We fought, we bled, and we cursed that place."
Bell grit his teeth, voice sharp with anger. "And now it's back. The corruption… it comes from there."
A grim silence followed.
Neo's voice was low, steady. "At least this time, there are no transmigrators involved. No puppets twisted by their will."
Velgrynd gave a small, sharp nod. "True. That much is… a relief. But knowing the source means the scale of this battle is greater than we imagined."
Tony exhaled sharply, his face shadowed inside his helmet. "Lord God Space, Wakanda, corrupted Avengers, and your Cocoon thing waking up. This just went from world-ending to… multiverse-ending stakes."
Neo clenched his fist, the Cocoon's pulse resonating through him. He could feel it—the shift. The coming storm.
"We end it in Wakanda," Neo said finally. His eyes burned with determination. "No matter the cost."
And so, with their goal clear and the truth finally unveiled, the group prepared to march toward their longest, hardest battle yet.
⚡ Chapter 42 ends
Chapter 43 – The Final March Begins
The night air was thick with anticipation, the kind that hummed across the battlefield before war.
Neo sat at the center of camp, Aeternus beside him, Cocoon of the End pulsing faintly inside his core. The resonance was stronger now—nearly 95% adapted. Every breath reminded him that his evolution had already begun.
And everyone around him was sharpening themselves for what awaited in Wakanda.
⚔ Final Preparations
Steve stood firm, shield glinting under firelight. "Before Wakanda, we push ourselves to the limit. If we falter, even once… people die. We can't afford it."
Asuna nodded, her rapier shining faintly as she crossed blades with Kirito in their spar. The two flowed like water and steel, testing each other's speed and synergy. "Don't hold back, Kirito—we don't have the luxury anymore."
Natasha and Thor sparred next, her assassin's precision weaving through arcs of storm lightning. "Still telegraphed, Thor," she teased.
Thor bellowed with laughter, Mjolnir calling thunder down. "And yet you dodge like a shadow—well struck, Widow!"
Clint set his eyes on moving energy targets Neo had created. Arrow after arrow found its mark. "My aim's good. Let's hope it's enough for whatever's waiting in Wakanda."
Tony floated above in his Celestial Armor, scanners alive with light. "Diagnostics: optimal. Weapons: optimal. Pilot? …bit anxious, but hey, that's a Stark guarantee."
Bruce adjusted his glasses, standing near Hulk's projected form within him. His voice was calm, but his eyes told another story. "Hulk and I—we're in sync now. He wants this fight just as much as I do."
Hulk rumbled inside, his presence echoing with restrained power. "Smash corruption. Smash harder than before."
Velgrynd stayed quiet, golden eyes fixed on Neo, her flames coiled like chains yet ready to burst. "You'll need control, Neo. Without it, all this training is meaningless."
Neo's eyes glowed faintly as Turn Null rippled in the ground before fading away. "How pitiful… energy that built multiverses, and I can only brush its surface."
[Stability: 95.4%. Cocoon synchronization rising.] Seraphina's calm voice echoed across their minds, guiding every strike, every adjustment.
📡 The Watchers
Far beyond their camp, the live broadcast flickered.
Kiana leaned forward, fists clenched as she watched. "He's evolving again… Neo's really pushing past his limits."
Himiko exhaled softly, a wry smile touching her lips. "And dragging the rest of them along with him. He's reckless, but… this is what leadership looks like."
Other group chat members, scattered across their own worlds, watched in silence. Excitement, worry, pride—it all spilled into the chat feed as they bore witness to the march toward Wakanda.
🧭 Shared Resolve
By nightfall, sweat and determination replaced hesitation.
Steve strapped his shield tighter. "We're ready."
Asuna lowered her rapier, chest heaving but eyes sharp. "We'll fight as one."
Kirito sheathed his blades, nodding at her. "And finish this together."
Natasha cracked her knuckles. "Whatever's waiting in Wakanda won't see us coming."
Thor raised Mjolnir, lightning roaring. "Then let them tremble!"
Clint slung his bow. "Guess I'm out of excuses."
Bruce closed his eyes, feeling Hulk's eagerness building like a storm inside. "We'll hold nothing back. Banner and Hulk—both of us are in this."
Tony scanned the distance. "Wakanda's shields are breaking. It's now or never."
Velgrynd unfurled her wings, flame-wreathed and divine. "Then let tomorrow's dawn carry us into battle."
Neo rose, Cocoon thrumming like a second heartbeat. He looked at all of them—Avengers, allies, friends—and felt the weight of their shared purpose.
🌑 The March
At dawn, they marched.
Wakanda's golden shield flickered in the horizon, warped by the oily stain of corruption. Tendrils of anomaly crawled across the borders, as if clawing to swallow the land whole.
No words were needed.
Every step was heavy with resolve.
Every heartbeat closer to the storm.
Neo gripped Aeternus, Cocoon pulsing in sync. He could feel it. The decisive battle was calling.
The final march had begun.
Chapter 44 – The Heart of Corruption
The barrier around Wakanda rippled like shattered glass, fragments of golden light bending and warping under the weight of the corruption pressing against it.
When the group stepped through, the world inside twisted.
Blackened vines writhed like living chains across the once-proud plains. The sky itself was fractured, shards of purple-red lightning splitting the horizon. Vibrant Wakandan technology, once sleek and alive with purpose, now lay half-dissolved, consumed by oily shadows that pulsed with a heartbeat not their own.
Even the great city beyond—the jewel of Africa—was half-buried in the miasma, its towers leaning as if dragged into some unseen abyss.
The air was heavy. Wrong. It carried whispers, fragments of voices not their own, taunting, coaxing, promising.
📡 The Watchers React
The live broadcast crackled to life, beaming the nightmare across infinite worlds.
Kiana's eyes widened. "This… this isn't just corruption. It looks like the world itself is being rewritten."
Himiko grimaced, her usual teasing tone stripped away. "It's brutal. If this spreads past Wakanda…" She didn't finish. She didn't need to.
Asuna leaned closer to the feed, her voice tight. "It's like fighting inside a corpse that's still alive."
Other group chat members began typing furiously. Messages scrolled like fire across the interface:
『How can they fight in that?!』
『It's worse than the anomalies before… this is a world-ending corruption.』
『If they don't win here, Earth is finished.』
The watchers fell silent after that, united in fear and fragile hope.
⚔ The Core Team
Neo felt Aeternus vibrate in his hand, Cocoon of the End pulsing stronger with every step. The distorted air tugged at his existence, testing his adaptation. [Stability: 95.7%. Cocoon evolution active.] Seraphina's calm guidance steadied him.
Steve lifted his shield, planting it into the corrupted soil. "This is where we hold the line."
Natasha's eyes swept the battlefield. "This is no ordinary fight. We're deep in enemy territory now."
Thor twirled Mjolnir, lightning biting the warped air. "Then we shall strike as storm and flame until the shadows break!"
Clint nocked an arrow, its tip glowing faintly from the chat group's enhancements. "Targets everywhere. Just the way I like it."
Tony hovered above, scanning. "Energy readings are… off the charts. And that's me understating it. Guys, Wakanda's practically bleeding into another dimension."
Bruce let Hulk's presence bleed into his own, his skin already tinged green. "We fight together. Hulk's hungry for this one."
Hulk's growl rumbled across the corrupted air, primal and eager. "Smash. Purify. Smash again."
Velgrynd unfolded her wings, flames flaring in defiance. "This is the end of the corruption—or of us."
Neo raised his weapon, his voice steady, unshaken. "Then let's make sure it ends with us standing."
🌑 The Final Push
The group spread out, their synergy sharpened from weeks of battles, training, and pain.
Behind them, the watchers held their breath.
Before them, Wakanda's twisted heart throbbed with malevolence.
This was no longer a mission.
This was war.
And the battle to reclaim Wakanda had just begun.
Chapter 45 – Flood of Shadows, Birth of Purification
The corrupted earth screamed first.
From the ruined soil, hundreds—no, thousands—of creatures poured forth, crawling, slithering, bounding on twisted limbs that had once belonged to Wakandan beasts and machines. Panthers with jaws unhinged too wide, rhinos covered in shadow-plated armor, and even Dora Milaje warriors reanimated as puppets of corruption.
The wave hit like a storm. The city groaned, towers cracking under the weight of their claws.
Steve barked, "Shields up—don't let them break formation!" His shield flashed with both his own skill and the purifying light Seraphina laced through it.
Thor hurled Mjolnir into the horde, lightning detonating with blinding force. "By storm and thunder, BEGONE!"
Velgrynd's flames painted the battlefield in golden fire, burning away swaths of the corrupted tide. Yet for every dozen destroyed, a hundred more surged forward.
👁 The True Threat Emerges
While the wave of creatures kept them pinned, a deeper tremor rolled across the ruined Wakanda.
From the shadow-veins in the soil, a figure rose. At first, just a silhouette—towering, broken, but undeniable.
Tony's scanners shrieked. "...Oh no."
Clint's arrow wavered slightly. "Tell me that's not who I think it is."
Out of the corruption walked the next Avenger, consumed. Their eyes glowed void-black, every movement dripping shadow like tar.
Natasha hissed, "We're fighting on two fronts."
Neo's grip tightened around Aeternus, the Cocoon pulsing in resonance. "Then we cut both down. Together."
✨ Manas: Seraphina's Answer
[Purification protocol initiated.]
Seraphina's voice rang calm yet sharp across Neo's soul corridor. Her divine authority stretched, manifesting into reality.
Light poured from Neo's hands, weaving through the bond with his allies. It took shape—no longer raw Nihility, but crystallized skills tailored for battle:
• Purification Arrows: channeled into Clint's bow, each shot piercing corruption at its core.
• Sanctified Flames: braided into Velgrynd's fire, turning her inferno into cleansing gold.
• Void-Cleansing Resonance: merging with Steve's shield, every block radiating waves of purification.
• Lightning of Clarity: entwining with Thor's storm, thunder itself became a hammer of absolution.
• Soul-Steel Strikes: coating Natasha's blades with anti-corruption essence, cutting both body and infection.
• Gamma Purge: stabilizing Bruce's link with Hulk, allowing him to channel brute force without succumbing to the miasma.
For Neo himself, Seraphina shaped a Purification Core, a crystallized nucleus of void energy wrapped in light, that he could unleash in devastating bursts without burning his body further.
"Abilities aligned. Resonance active," Seraphina confirmed.
⚔ The Clash Begins
The swarm broke against them like an ocean against stone. Every strike now carried not just power, but purpose—burning, searing, undoing the corruption at its root.
But the corrupted Avenger did not wait. With a roar that shook the twisted sky, they leapt forward, bringing their corrupted might down upon the team.
Neo raised Aeternus, its edge humming with both Nihility and Seraphina's purification.
His eyes locked on the foe.
"This ends here."
The war for Wakanda had truly begun.