BGM-Marvel Ultimate Alliance OST-Menu

Iron Man: I'm Iron Man. But you already knew that. Right after we returned to Avengers Tower, the Chronoblade activated on its own and transported us to a strange world. And would you know it, the Syndicate were already invading the place. We rescued Fury from their clutches, but they got away with the Scepter of Darkness. This Cia woman seems to know what's going on. She's the Guardian of Time and Chronoan? Well that explains a lot.

BGM End

Issue 7: Story of the Ages

Time Sanctuary, Medical Chamber

"No way! YOU'RE a Chronoan?!" said a surprised Tails, after Cia revealed her shocking heritage to the Avengers while Fury is in recovery.

"Wasn't expecting to run into a Chronoan in this adventure. I thought your people went extinct." Spider-Man said to the sorceress while clinging to the wall.

Cia nods solemnly, "That is true. The rest of my people have died out and our once great civilization fell into obscurity. I am all that remains. The sole survivor."

"You say you are the Guardian of Time. Does that mean you are the White Sorceress I have heard of in legend?" Thor asks her.

"Yes, Lord Thor." Cia replied, being respectful to the Thunder God, "I manage the flow of time throughout the universe, keeping a close eye on history and protecting it from this Time Sanctuary. When history goes off course, a false timeline is created. I work hard to correct any of these changes to history."

"Impressive. But how did someone like you from an ancient civilization on Earth become a cosmic protector of the universe?" Iron Man asked her.

BGM-Hyrule Warriors OST-Hidden Skill Training

Cia frowns while briefly looking down, "It all ties to the tragedy that befell the Chronoan Empire. Many millennia ago, our Sun God, Solaris, gifted my ancestors with the power to manipulate time and space, and with our newfound technology, our civilization advanced and nearly colonized the entire world. But we were careful not abuse our great power and instead use it for the benefit of Earth. The only ones who could rival our rule was Pharaoh Rama-Tut, then later En Sabah Nur, the mutant villain that you would come to know as Apocalypse."

"Makes sense why that guy would be a pain. He has Celestial technology on his side." Iron Man quipped.

Cia continues, "For a time, my people lived in peace. I was a child back then. A young sorceress-in-training that loved her family and kingdom above all else. But then the Great War against Apocalypse happened. He sought to conquer the planet, and saw my people as weak for not using our resources to their fullest potential. It was a constant bloody conflict for supremacy where neither side would yield. For a short while, we gained the upper hand with our prototype Tokizoid armies, but eventually Apocalypse overwhelmed us with his Celestial power and family of Horsemen. We had no choice but to plead to our god to save us, and he did in the form of the Flames of Disaster. Solaris's rage defeated Apocalypse, but endangered the entire world. The Chronoans combined their strength to seal him within the Sol Vessel, saving the planet and ending the war, which cost the lives of nearly all of my people, including my family."

"Sorry to hear about that." Steve apologized for the loss of her family.

"It is alright. I have learned to move on during my next task." Cia responded, "To prevent Solaris's return, The Chrono King, lord of the kingdom, used his remaining power to seal away his people and the kingdom beyond time."

"Is that where we are right now?" Ruby questioned.

"Yes. This is the space where me and this Sanctuary were sent to, guarding Solaris for a VERY long time." Cia answered.

"And still looking quite beautiful." Stark flirts with the immortal time sorceress.

Cia smiles teasingly with a flirtatious pose, "One of the many benefits mastering Time Magic." She then confronts the billionaire and sternly points at him, "Just don't question my age or I'll erase you from existence." She threatened coldly, surprising and unnerving Stark.

"I won't. I learned that the hard way." Spidey quipped.

Logan smirks at him, "Still sore from Carina?"

"It was her birthday and I asked a question! She didn't have to punch me with that Elder strength!" Spidey retorted profusely.

BGM End

BGM-Sonic Unleashed OST-Gaia Manuscripts

"If your people have been guarding Solaris here, how did his Vessel end up in SHIELD's hands?" Captain America asked the sorceress, wanting to return to topic.

Cia sighs while crossing her arms, "That is an entirely different issue. I've been at war with a temporal warlord for control of the timeline. You have heard of him. Kang the Conqueror." She revealed, shocking the Avengers.

"Kang?" The shocked Cap remarked.

"We've had a few run-ins with him. He's a time-traveling conqueror from the 41st century. He's conquered that era and countless other timelines with his highly advanced technology." Black Widow proclaimed, expressing her knowledge of Kang.

Cia says, "He has repeatedly sought out to gain Solaris's power to reign over the universe. The surviving Chronoans became Guardians of Time, fighting Kang's forces throughout time. Sometimes we deal with legendary warriors, or other dangerous forces that threaten the timestream. More and more Chronoans were killed in this Time War, until only I remained. Kang nearly stole the Sol Vessel until I defeated him and force him to retreat. But during the conflict, the Vessel fell lost in time and ended up in the 1940s, where it was found by Howard Stark, which led to Project PEGASUS." She looks at the captain.

"Is that when you started your secret relationship with Fury?" Stark quipped.

Cia glances at Fury's tank, "I pulled Fury to this realm after the Project failed and reprimanded him for purposely risking the existence of the world. I wanted him to return both halves of Solaris to me, but we manage to strike a compromise. I kept the Scepter of Darkness in this world and he kept the Sol Vessel in his own. Over the years we've come to establish a friendship. I lent him a Crystal as a sign of that friendship to communicate with me, or transport himself to this realm."

"But the Syndicate stole the Crystal when they kidnapped Fury, which is how they got here." Steve figured out.

"Yes. Sometimes I would request Fury's aid to patrol history together, as there is no secret agent better than him in any timeline." Cia said.

"Debatable." Widow dryly quipped.

"But now he is injured and the Scepter is in the hands of this Syndicate." Cia stated, "Fury had informed me of Eggman Nega's actions with Iblis and how he has changed the course of history. That creature was not meant to be awakened like this. His ancestor, Eggman, was to be responsible for awakening the Flames of Disaster."

"That's what he told me too, but then Nega showed up out of nowhere to do his own thing with Iblis." Spidey remarked.

Cia ponders, "Strange. What could The Syndicate be planning?"

"Perhaps the revival of Solaris." Thor responded.

"Possibly. But even if they have both halves, they lack the necessary power to merge them together. Still, one half is enough to threaten the world, as proof with your recent battle with Iblis. I commend you all for averting the Day of Disaster." Cia compliments the heroes.

"It wasn't our first rodeo preventing disastrous prophecies." Stark quipped.

"But I did most of the work stopping Iblis." Spidey retorted.

"And we'll work together to stop Mephiles, if he hasn't been awakened yet. What can you tell us about him?" Cap asks the sorceress.

"He is the malevolent darkness of Solaris. His mind and will that craves destruction and a lust to fuel Iblis until there is nothing left of time itself. In that regard, Mephiles is the more dangerous of the two halves." Cia proclaimed with a serious expression.

BGM End

Hydra Submarine (Syndicate's New Base)

The Syndicate have moved into a mobile base under the sea after their previous base at the Mojave Desert was compromised by the Avengers. The lab door opens for a fully-recovered Salem, as she and Doppelganger walk into the lab to meet with the rest of their team. Salem notice Eggman Nega interacting with a console while Enchantress attaches the Scepter of Darkness into a machine.

"I see you have recovered, Salem." said Red Skull, approaching the healed sorceress.

"Yes. My regeneration has been restored to normal levels after we left that strange realm. To believe that Sorceress possessed the power to weaken my immortality." Salem replied. Doppelganger crouches by his mother's side with lowly growls of concern for her. Salem notice and warmly smile, kneeling to softly touch his cheek, "Thank you, son, for protecting me from that woman. You make me proud. Stand with me so we can watch our friends finish with their work." She softly says to him, standing alongside the clone as he complies to her orders.

"You treat that thing like a dog." Naugus commented.

"I'm raising him to act like a normal human being. It'll take time." Salem replied.

"If you have trouble, bring it to my academy sometimes. I'll train it to be the perfect killing machine while it learns how to talk." Taskmaster offered her.

"Is that thing even legally alive?" Naugus asked with a confused glance at the mercenary.

"From what I know, he's inorganic. His body is somewhat malleable and could form different shapes and is hard to kill. That is something we share in common." Salem grinned.

"So you two don't have to worry if Nega's machine blows up and we drown." Abomination quips while looking at Nega.

"Such disrespect. Nothing is going to blow up. I'm calibrating the machine to perfectly contain Mephiles once I extract it from the Scepter." Nega says with an eerie grin.

"Just in case he fails, all sorcerers will stay on-guard." Red Skull ordered his mystical members. "Do it now, Doctor." He orders the futuristic scientist to begin extracting Mephiles.

BGM-Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) OST-The Resurrection of Mephiles

Eggman Nega interacts with the console to activate the machine. What is inside the Scepter of Darkness begins to be drained into a tank as floating dark mass. Then, it ominously morphs into the form of a ghostly black humanoid whose body seems to be made up of purple smoke. It has no legs but forms hands with sharp claws, as well as a dark face with quill-like protrusions on top of it with no mouth and creepy green eyes with red sclera.

"Free at last…" The ghostly creature speaks eerily with a masculine voice, which shocks the Syndicate. The ghost glances around the tank that he is concealed in, "But not so free. Who still imprisons me?"

"It talks?" Taskmaster questioned.

"Hmm?" The ghost creepily looks at the villains, "Are you the group that has freed me from the Scepter?" He asked them.

"That is correct. We are the Syndicate, and I am its leader, Red Skull. You have been asleep for a long time, Mephiles the Dark." Red Skull replied, introducing the group to the creature of darkness.

"I am impressed that you know about me, and I am thankful. But for what reason would you go so far to free me? What are you plotting?" Mephiles asked.

"We all share a common goal: The revival of Solaris and complete domination of this world, as well as enact revenge on Nick Fury." Skull replied, manipulating Mephiles to help him with his goals.

"Fury…" Mephiles snarls upon hearing the name of the man who sealed him, "I remember him…But what of Iblis and the ones that sealed him away?"

Red Skull replies saying, "Richard and Mary Parker are dead. And we found Iblis and had him in our grasp for a while, until he was taken from us by a group of so-called heroes." He then projects a floating holographic photo of the Avengers for Mephiles to look at, "They call themselves 'The Avengers', allies of Nick Fury. If you ever want to be reunited with Iblis, then you must assist us in destroying the Avengers."

"Release me…and I will give you what you want." Mephiles bargains with the villains.

"Give us a reason to trust you." Enchantress replied, sternly putting her hands on her hips.

Mephiles chuckles eerily, "Very well. I will tell you how to unlock the seal of Chronoa." He proclaimed, shocking the villains.

"What?! What do you mean?" Nega retorted.

"At the end of the Great War that devastated his lands, the Chrono King sealed away his kingdom to a different dimension. The only way to break the seal is with the power of the Sacred Relics." Mephiles told them.

"I am familiar with this concept." said Salem, recalling Remnant's Relics and what they were capable of, "Can you tell us what these Relics are?"

"There are three Relics, each belonging to a lost tribe and blessed with a portion of Solaris's power: The Spear of Mira, the Armor of Kako, and the Crown of Tempus. Once one has found all three Sacred Relics, they gain the power of the three tribes and become the new Chrono King." Mephiles explained.

"More OOPArts. And here I thought you would mention the Chronoblade." Nega quipped.

"So that foul weapon still exists in this time, I take it." Mephiles remarked, "It does not matter. Once you revive the lost kingdom, you'll be in possession of limitless power to overwhelm any world." He claimed.

"How do we find these Sacred Relics?" Red Skull asked the dark spirit.

"They are most likely hidden throughout this world. My power is extremely weak in this imperfect state, so it is difficult for me to track their exact location. But, I CAN sense that we are near an island region that houses the abandoned ruin of a Chronoa city. You can begin your search there." Mephiles claimed.

"Fine. Enchantress, Abomination, Taskmaster, and Naugus. You four will accompany me as we investigate the island. Nega and the rest will stay in the submarine to gain more information from Mephiles on the Relics." Skull orders while walking out of the lab with his selected team, leaving behind another team to keep an eye on the mysterious Mephiles.

BGM End

Later at Ancient Ruins…

BGM-Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal OST-Ancient City 2

The Hydra Submarine surfaces near the docks of the abandoned remains of an advanced Chronoa city from five millennia ago. The hatch opens for Red Skull's group to walk out of the submarine and enter the ruins. Crumbled buildings, roads, pillars, statues, they are all what make up these purple ruins between the hills, which are overgrown with various plants.

While passing through the ruins, Enchantress notice it is covered in ancient runes. "These ruins are covered in the Chronoans' runes." She noted.

"They're also showing much decay. Walls are crumbled and moss growing everywhere." said Taskmaster, staring down at his scanner device that should help them find a Sacred Relic.

"This city has been abandoned for many millennia. Still, this is an archeological marvel. Imagine how advanced it was before the calamity." Red Skull comments, being impressed with these ruins.

"Won't need to once we unlock the seal of Chronoa, but can we really trust Mephiles? He gives off a bad vibe." Abomination wondered.

"Why do you think I left the others behind?" Skull responded, "He is the dark half of Solaris, and unlike Iblis, expresses intelligence. We must stay cautious of him so we aren't the ones being played." He looks at Taskmaster, "Have you tracked down an OOPArt yet?"

"Picking up a signal. Seems these type of Relics can only be detected in close range as a security measure. It's somewhere inside that old temple." said Taskmaster, pointing at an ancient temple nearby.

BGM End

The villains go through the entrance of the large temple, finding the interiors to be dark and made of grey stone, but otherwise pristine and show the Chronoans' architecture in the walls, windows, pillars and statues. They walk through the lobby and so far find nothing of value to their cause.

"Be careful. This place may be booby-trapped." Taskmaster warns his team.

Unknowingly, Amora steps on a tile of the floor that causes it to glow with a strange rune. She notices, then everyone notices runes glowing around them on the walls in a strange pattern. "What is this?" She wondered.

"Must've triggered a mystical alarm." Naugus responded.

BGM-Sonic: After the Sequel OST-What a Mansion - For Moon Mansion Act 1

Suddenly, a portal open underneath the villains as they drop into it. The portal separates the villains, dropping each of them into a different section of the temple. Red Skull finds himself alone in a corridor, glancing for any sign of his comrades. He touches his earpiece, "Come in, Syndicate! Where are the rest of you?!"

'We're still here. Seems that portal separated us throughout the temple.' Enchantress responded.

Red Skull starts running through the corridor while saying, "Can you use your magic to regroup?"

'I can't. Somehow these runes are blocking my teleportation magic.' Enchantress proclaimed.

'Then we'll just have to regroup the old-fashioned way.' Taskmaster quipped.

Red Skull made it to another hallway just as he hears the growls of a Velociraptor, which confuses him. He turns around in shock to find actual Velociraptors running towards him with their vicious snarls. "Raptors?!" He says before being tackled to the ground by one. He quickly stands back up to blast away the dinosaurs, "What are dinosaurs doing in this temple?"

All of a sudden, a familiar evil shield is hurled at the raptors and ricochet between then, knocking them down as the shield is caught by Taskmaster, regrouping with Skull from behind. "Dunno. Doesn't look like they live here. And we're far away from the Savage Lands. Something is strange about this place." Taskmaster noted.

Soon after, the two villains run into a room with no other way to advance. "Dead end!" Taskmaster believed.

"I do not think so." Skull notices a crack in a wall, blowing it up with an energy shot to find Enchantress and Naugus fighting Raptors and Tokizoids in another room, "There you two are, and fighting more of those Tokizoids."

Enchantress flails her mystical whip to destroy several Tokizoids, while Naugus crystalizes Raptors before destroying more robots with energy blasts. "They ambushed us. Something summoned them here." Naugus claimed.

"Where is Abomination?" Skull asks, helping to clear out the room.

Right on cue, Abomination tackled through a wall into their room after defeating an army of Asgardian Rock Trolls. "Here! Anyone want to tell me what these things are?" He asks while holding a bloody Troll by their head.

"Rock Trolls?!" Amora remarks in surprise, "Did these miserable creatures from the Realm Below taken refuge in this dump?"

"Saw more come out of a weird portal along with dinosaurs and robots." Abomination says, fiercely throwing the Troll onto other displaced enemies.

"Show us." Skull ordered.

Quickly, the villains fought dozens of displaced enemies that were blocking their way into a room where they spot a dark floating portal that resembles an eye. The portal hurls out a Tokizoid, Raptor, and Rock Troll, which were quickly defeated by the villains. "Now I understand. This is an Eye of Solaris." Red Skull stated, "This rift has been summoning creatures from other times. Enchantress, see if you can close it."

Smiling, Enchantress fires a mystical beam at the rift and permanently closes it. With the rift closed, all the creatures that it summoned vanished without a trace. And in their place, a wall near the villains pulls itself up to reveal a new large chamber with something very mysterious inside.

BGM End

BGM-Sonic Riders OST-Theme of Digital Dimension

The Syndicate walk into the chamber to find a large humanoid statue holding an ornate golden crown with purple jewels imbedded in it. "There it is! That must be the Crown of Tempus!" Naugus expressed profusely.

"So Mephiles wasn't fooling after all." Taskmaster remarked stoically.

"It would seem we had to pass that trial if we wanted access to the Relic." Red Skull surmised.

The Hydra terrorist walks forward to steal the Crown. But as he tries to touch it, his hand simply phases through it, much to his shock, "An illusion?" Suddenly, the room quakes and nearly knocks everyone down. Then, the eyes of the humanoid statue begin to glow ominously. It stands on its own while shedding its dusty skin, slowly revealing it's true and sleek form: A large humanoid robot colored black and gold with glowing purple accents. It forms a red cape behind its back, and its face resembles the black mask of the deceased Time Eater.

The extremely shocked Red Skull is taken aback and regroups with his allies as he calmly remarks, "It would seem this trial is not yet done."

"GRAAAAAAAAAAH!" The massive robot furiously roars down at the villains, ready to eliminate the intruders.

BGM End

A few minutes earlier at the Time Sanctuary…

BGM-Sonic Unleashed OST-Gaia Gate

Cia points her scepter at a temple that was destroyed during her battle with the Syndicate. She activates her spacetime magic to reverse time on the rubble, seamlessly repairing the building as if it was never destroyed in the first place, impressing the likes of Spider-Man, Hulk, Ruby, and Ms. Marvel that were watching her in awe.

"Wow! It's like it was never broken!" Kamala commented.

"Spider-Man can do the same with the Chronoblade." Cia smiled at her new friends.

"Really?" Spidey responded in surprise.

Cia nods, pointing her scepter at a destroyed arch, "It's simple. Focus its power on this rubble as if you're turning back a clock hand."

Spidey summons the Chronoblade to his hand and approaches the rubble, "If you say it's easy." He points the blade at the rubble and concentrate deeply. Slowly but surely, the blade glows as it reverses time on the rubble and repair the damage to the arch, making it look good as new. "Good as new!" Spidey smiled.

"You're a natural." Cia approaches the webslinger with a smile, "The Chronoblade is one of Chronoa's greatest creations, crafted by our greatest blacksmiths and sorcerers using the remains of the First Devourer."

"The First Devourer?" Spidey questioned.

Cia says, "In legend, it is said to be an ancient creature that nearly devoured all of time, but was defeated by four warriors that could transform into Golden Gods. Its corpse slipped through time and was found by the first Chronoans, who used its flesh to create our technology."

"Yeah, I remember hearing about that when I visited the museum." Spidey recalled his recent visit to the museum, where he first laid eyes on the Chronoblade.

Cia points her scepter at the Chronoblade, "This weapon was only allowed to be wielded by our kingdom's greatest warrior. It was one of the few tools that managed to push back Apocalypse in the war. Never imagined I would see it again, in your hands. Must be fate."

"More like dumb luck." Spidey quipped.

Then, Iron Man flies into the area and lands near the sorceress, "Cia, you got to send me the cipher on your tech. It's absolutely amazing! Been studying the Tokizoids and having trouble understanding the specs of a prototype."

"Sure, I suppose. You are all legendary heroes caught in this Time War, and it's been a long time since I've had this many guests. It gets lonely…guarding time for countless eons." Cia frowns, depressingly looking down.

"Good thing you're not alone anymore. You have us now to help you." Ruby smiles to cheer her up.

"I've been wondering. You have the power to control time. Can't you just reverse time to save all your friends, or at least go back in time to warn your people of these wars?" Ms. Marvel asks the sorceress.

Cia continues frowning as she says, "As much as I would love to see my kingdom revived, I cannot. Messing with time is a mortal sin against the cosmic balance. And abusing the natural flow of time could hold serious repercussions for the fabric of reality itself. Even I must be careful, or my actions could spell the end of the universe as we know it."

"Some of us gone through multiple time traveling adventures to learn that lesson." Tony quipped.

"Most of them weren't fun. I still have memories of an alternate timeline where I worked for Alchemax." Spidey said.

Stark glances at the webslinger, "You poor kid."

BGM End

Strangely, Cia notice the crystal of her scepter glowing and looks at it with a strange look, "This is odd."

"What is?" Hulk asked.

"Someone triggered security at the Temple of Tempus that was abandoned on Earth. Been centuries since I heard anything from that place." Cia informs the heroes.

"Maybe it's just archeologists snooping around." Iron Man believed.

"Maybe so, but that temple is riddled with dangerous mystical traps. I don't want people getting hurt wanting to learn about my culture." Cia responded.

"Then send us there. We'll check things out." Ruby said.

"Just the five of you?" Cia questions that risky idea.

"We're not doing anything. Everyone else is either busy exploring this place or trying to figure out the Syndicate's next move. Doing this will pass the time." Stark replied, being joined by Spidey, Hulk, Kamala, and Ruby.

"Understood. Keep in contact if you run into trouble." said Cia, conjuring a magic circle beneath the heroes' feet then warps them to their destination.

Temple of Tempus, Ancient Ruins

BGM-Sonic Riders OST-Theme of Digital Dimension

The Avengers were teleported in a corridor inside the ancient temple and glance at their surroundings. "This looks to be the place. Time to find out who's in trouble." Stark said.

Suddenly, Red Skull's group flies past the heroes after they were violently knocked back by their mysterious new enemy. "Found them." quips Hulk, as the heroes turn to their enemies.

"Red Skull?! What are you up to this time?" Stark asked, slightly surprised to be running into their enemies in this temple.

Skull slowly stands from the ground with an angry scowl saying, "Trying to survive THAT."

"GROOOAAAAAH!" Suddenly, the massive guardian robot confronts both groups from their front, shocking the heroes with its appearance.

"What the!?" Ruby remarked.

Spidey scoffs, "Heh. Looks like we ran into something interesting."

"You fools…who are going after the treasure…" The Guardian Robot speaks with a very serious and menacing tone. It summons a gear-like staff to wield in its hand, then forms huge holographic horns on its head. It swings its staff to the side, unleashing a burst of energy that knocks back both the Avengers and Syndicate.

Iron Man was among the first to recover from that blast and contacts Cia, "Cia, you seeing this? What is this thing!?"

'Oh my…That's the Guardian of Tempus! It's been activated! Quick, you must defeat it! Do not allow the ancient treasure to fall into the wrong hands!' Cia ordered, sounding shock upon noticing its activation.

"No need to tell me twice!" Hulk retorts as he lets out a ferocious roar and lunges at the Guardian's chest, punching it to push it back.

"I found it first! It's mine to crush!" exclaims Abomination, leaping to deliver a devastating swinging punch across the Guardian's face that briefly pins it to a wall. The Guardian breaks free and smacks the gamma fighters with its staff, then fires a mystic bolt that blasts away Abomination. It then releases a barrage of sorcerous projectiles at Hulk, painfully pushing him back despite him blocking.

"Hulk!" Ruby intercepts and activates her Silver Eyes, displaying a new power to create a shield around herself and Hulk to better block the projectiles.

"Since when could your eyes do this?" Hulk asks about her new Light Shield

"Got a cosmic upgrade from a space mirror. Still retained some of its power." Ruby briefed, recalling her space adventure involving the Black Vortex.

"That's awesome! I should've went to space!" Hulk retorts, as the shield is dropped.

Iron Man hovers near Red Skull while blasting Guardian with repulsors. "Wasn't enough stealing the Scepter of Darkness. Now you're trying to steal whatever this thing has?" He jokingly asked the terrorist.

"That treasure will be mine!" Skull furiously blasts Stark out of the air, only to be caught off-guard when the Guardian bombards its enemies with meteors, knocking away Skull.

"Can we pretend to work together? It'll be hard killing each other while that thing is killing us!" quips Spidey, dodging the meteor volley until he is near Naugus, "Wally, crystalize its legs!"

"Don't tell me what to do and do NOT call me Wally!" Naugus angrily retorts at the webslinger, reluctantly encasing the Guardian's legs in a large crystal, preventing it from moving. Taskmaster fires a freeze arrow to freeze its face, then hurls his shield at its face and nearly topples it backwards.

"Take THIS!" Kamala enlarges her fist, punching the Guardian's back and toppling it towards Hulk and Abomination, both who unleash a powerful uppercut that shatters its restraints as it falls on its back. Just when everyone thought it was beaten, the Tempus Guardian switches it holo-horns for a holo-lion's head, with holographic wings materializing from its back as it takes to the skies. It unleashes a primal roar before whipping winds into a maelstrom frenzy as it circles its enemies, knocking them down. Enchantress and Ruby were the first to recover and work together trying to blast it out of the sky, but it keeps dodging their attacks.

Iron Man then recovers and takes to the sky, unloading missiles to slow down the Guardian, "Cia, is there a quick solution in shutting this thing down?"

'It's a mystical guardian that gains most of its power from its staff. Take it away and it'll be vulnerable.' Cia advised.

"We gotta take that staff away from it!" Iron Man informs his allies.

"If we can keep it still!" said Enchantress, grunting annoyingly while trying to blast the flying Guardian.

"Leave it to me!" said Spidey, summoning the Chronoblade to wield, "Time to bust out the time magic! TIME STOP!" He points his blade at the Guardian, freezing it in time for a few seconds. Iron Man unleashes a Unibeam at the hand wielding the staff, forcing it to drop it to the ground as time resumes for the Guardian.

"NOW! Attack it with everything!" shouted Red Skull, leading the all-out assault against the Guardian and keeping it at bay with severe punishment. Hulk grabs its large staff and roars while dashing towards the weakened Guardian, leaping to brutally pierce through its chest with its own weapon.

BGM End

"GROOAAAAAH…" The Tempus Guardian roars while exploding. It blows up, revealing the true Crown of Tempus as it descends from the air near Iron Man.

Tony picks up the crown, "Nice crown. Very Chronoan."

Suddenly, Tony was blasted away by Red Skull and accidently drop the crown. Skull tries to catch it, but it was swiftly caught by Ruby using her Semblance as she regroups with her friends. "You already have the Scepter of Darkness! We're keeping this one!" She proclaimed to the villains.

Red Skull scoffs with a thrusting hand gesture, "It's only a matter of time before it's mine. Until then, you can hold onto it for me!" He claims, before taking out a teleportation device to warp his group out of the temple.

Back at the Hydra Submarine…

BGM-Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) OST-The Black Shadow

"So you failed to retrieve the Crown. These Avengers sound more formidable than I thought." said Mephiles from his tank, speaking with the full Syndicate after Red Skull's group returned from their failed mission.

"Only because we were forced to help them!" Abomination retorted.

"The Avengers have allied themselves with that Time Sorceress. It's how they keep popping up when least expected." Red Skull proclaimed.

"A Chronoan Sorceress still lives? We can use that to our advantage. If the Avengers are now after the Sacred Relics, then we will allow them to search for the second while we locate the third. Then, we will take BOTH Relics when THEY least expect us." Mephiles proposed his sinister plan to his new allies.

Red Skull smiles deviously, "I am starting to like the way you think, Mephiles."

BGM End

BGM-Marvel Ultimate Alliance OST-End Credits

KFX Here: Mephiles has at last been awakened. Now imagine his "Imperfect State" as a ghostly hedgehog version of the Time Eater's imperfect form. This Saga is about to get a little more complicated if you're not familiar with the early stories in this series, so be caught up.

Question of the Chapter: How are you liking the legend of Chronoa so far?

Next Time: Treasure Hunt!

Remember: I have a forum page! Link can be found on my homepage or search for the "United Heroes Series" forums!

BGM End