Disclaimer: I do not own anything in regard to Marvel Comics, all rights belong to the respective ownership. The only thing I own is this story and my OC.
"Speaking"
'Thoughts'
'Telepathic'
Review Response:
Phenomenal Ultra Instinct (Chapter 3): What better way to homage and honor one of the greatest comic creators. Well, it's Marvel after all… so that could be a wild number of things for Isun to encounter lol. Though there is still the thing with Hulk…
mdhunter111 (Chapter 3): Well, besides the Hulk… there's still the Illuminati still waiting for him… plus Sentry… think that's about it for now. Eh, depends on which Marvel cast; probably like more than half would be half expecting once they discover than Dr. Strange was the one that pulled Isun into the universe. The other half probably wouldn't know what to say to that.
The Void would be an interesting arc for Isun Te to undergo since there's plenty of psychological problems that the Void could exploit. Though Isun would likely put up a better fight mentally than Robert Reynolds.
Plus, it also depends on the cosmos in Marvel since Dr. Strange did pull someone that doesn't belong in the multiverse, it would likely draw attention to this new specimen. So, in hindsight Isun may be the cause of a Marvel Infinite Crisis…
Guest/mdhunter (Chapter 3): Thanks for the reviews and suggestions!
Silver crow (Chapter 3): When are you never not happy? Lol.
Actually, it makes a lot of sense for the Phoenix to be temporarily paired with Isun, granted you could ask the question of why the Phoenix didn't just powerup Jean to fight alongside Isun or take care of Prime herself… Questions, questions; answers, answers… Didn't quite expect the Phoenix to be quite the WINGman… HHHHHHHHHHHHHHA!
I have my moments of nice scenes lol.
Yeah usually lol, unless he's ripping someone, or god, in half… then he's right on time XD.
Well I'm happy your murder-boner was satisfied lol.
I figured a final farewell for the greatest comic writer of all time was necessary, so I hope it worked well.
Thinking back, I don't think Isun would want to harness the Void into his body. Think about it, he JUST got rid of Prime, then he's subjugated to be the vessel for the Void, considering how Reynolds himself has lost his mind essentially? Plus, the earlier chapters prove that Sentry is content with staying out of the picture unless world-ending events are taking place.
Not a bad idea for the lead weakness, considering from New Destiny, via Source Wall, he apparently has the formula to rid himself of it.
Heh, maybe but I think I'll leave the Sentress idea alone.
I think the whole Venom/Knull idea is cool, but a bit over the top for me lol.
Zer0the0mega108 (Chapter 3): ~You can't put a story in a graveyard, that's a waste of paper~
~WHOOOOOOOOOO!~
Omni-Creator Kami of Anime (Chapter 3): Um… I didn't mention the Presence at all in the last chapter. I mentioned the DC multiverse at the very least.
I'm aware of how powerful the Phoenix Force is, but there's dialogue in the last chapter that's fairly forward that Isun can't really control the Phoenix:
"You blame me for your failure," the Phoenix stated, a thin veil of distaste evident in her tone.
"You claimed to have the power to destroy Prime, you came to my body," snapped Isun bitterly. "Yet all I see is death and destruction, except for the one that deserves it!"
"I am a force of nature, not a weapon to be wielded," the Phoenix reprimanded. "YOUabused my power for your own ends, YOU have slaughtered more lives in a matter of moments that I myself would have taken millennia to accomplish. Your failure is your own doing. You seek to destroy the entire universe because of your- "
Plus, Isun isn't the natural vessel for the Phoenix, which does come into play too.
Those ladies are added, thanks for the suggestions.
I'm also aware of how powerful the Marvel heroes and villains are in comparison to Superman and other Kryptonians… you should see when Dr. Doom gets involved.
sloksingh45 (Chapter 3): Wish granted!
xXCoopyXx (Chapter 3): Yep.
Captain-Mazahs (Chapter 3): Hopefully this was worth the wait!
Lazymanjones96 (Chapter 3): Thank you!
The Golden Sentry (Chapter 3): Hope this doesn't disappoint!
Ryuujin96 (Chapter 3): I haven't fully decided if Isun will keep some portion of the Phoenix's power, cause I know it was split into five people before. But perhaps I'll do that later as I want Isun to get acquainted with the Marvel verse with his own power before upgrading him.
Superman90 (Chapter 3): I will, just slow updates probably lol.
Toxin-Symbiote (Chapter 3): Thank you, and apparently you and everyone else hates Scott too lol.
CaptainMarvel90 (Chapter 3): I will, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy this story.
Captain Scion (Chapter 3): Appreciate the kind review!
Chirag D (Chapter 3): Not to brag… but yeah lol.
noble6117 (Chapters 1 & 3): I would recommend reading Infinite Crisis: New Destiny first, as it's the first story in the series and it mostly explains Isun Te's character and motivation. But in some ways Isun will try to serve as Superman in some capacity…
-Starchild-
On his throne of broken metal, jagged pieces displaying the nature of his power on the planet that dared to control him, the Green Scar cared little for the ravenous thunder of cheers from the bleachers of crudely made coliseum. Nor did he feign to care for the four bastards that unwillingly knelt before him.
Not anymore.
Tony Stark and Reed Richards had used their genius to save the world every other week. That's how they would be remembered in history. Much like how Banner wished to be remembered. However, Banner would have been lucky if his tombstone didn't simply say 'Hulk Smash!'
And yet, Hulk accomplished what Banner never did- He had a family, he had love, he had commradery. He had respect.
He had purpose.
A reason to live.
Now, it was gone.
A fleeting thought of his fight with the alien boy crossed his mind, ignoring him for a later date. He was the only real threat to him, no one else on his Earth had the will of strength nor strength of will to match his hate.
Yet he would savor the hellish pleasure that was duly deserved to him.
"Black Bolt. Mr. Fantastic. Doctor Strange. Iron Man. These are the four whose shuttle exploded, destroying the crown city of Sakaar." Announced the Sakaaran Elloe, her voice booming across the vast stadium.
Her speech was interrupted by the leader of the Fantastic Four. "We didn't plant a bomb. We'd never- AAAGH!" In turn he was cut off by a piercing jolt of electricity from the obedience disk lodged on his chest.
"Enough of ta obedience disks, already!" Cried the Thing, his fists clenched seeing his lifelong friend being tortured with gleeful exhibition.
"Let him speak, Elloe!" Pleaded Sue Storm, her anguish painful in her throat. Her eyes burning with fear and rising resentment.
"Why, Sue Storm?" Argued Elloe, her back facing the other set of prisoners. "They didn't let the Hulk speak before they shot him to space. They didn't let my mother speak before they incinerated her and a million others."
"Listen, we didn't-" Again Reed tried to plead but his voice gave to the ensuing pain throttling his body, forcing him to his knees.
Silenced by the insectoid Miek, the accused party was forced to listen to their sins; accusations of the people they were charged to protect, charging them with sins of vanity and self-assurance.
-Starchild-
Silence engulfed his soul.
The Crisis… was over.
Prime was dead.
That alone should have made him wept with joyous relief, that he was free from his wretched destiny. He didn't feel anything, nothing that he should be feeling. He would never regret his decision to end an multiversal threat, lives of countless numbers wasted by a deranged sickness of the mind.
Avenge Kara.
Now he stood alone. In the same way he imagined Prime did. Looking towards his hands, Isun recalled his talk with the old man; returning to his own multiverse, to go back to everything he lost. To where Kara no longer was.
What life could he find here that he didn't there?
Her arms draped across his chest, her glowing inferno warming his back drew the Daxamite's attention. "You are no ordinary man, Star-Fire. Do not concern yourself with the past anymore. Choose to embrace this new life you have been given."
"My old life wasn't my choice," the Daxamite countered, lowering his hands to his side. "Seems I never did have a choice. And now…" His gaze refocused on the endless celestial light in front of him. "I'm forced to end another conflict that has no baring to me."
A sensual, calming laugh came from the Phoenix as she rested her head on his shoulders. "All good comes to those who wait… This is the first step of the cosmos repaying its long, overdue debt to you."
"Depends if it's all worth it then," Isun contemplated aloud, more to himself than to her statement. The corporal Phoenix sauntered to the front of the Daxamite, her arms locked around his chest.
"Your race is one of nobility and strength, a kind which I haven't seen in eons long past." The Phoenix cooed, her flaming orbs blistering with radiating energy. "I can see it within you, hidden behind the sorrow and anguish blatant in your eyes. I can see why you were her Starfloro."
A rare mythical flower from ancient Krypton, the Starfloro symbolized the eternal flames of Rao. Pure and raw as the flares of a newborn star, it was said to last beyond the final breaths of the dying universe, and from there, it would dawn new creation.
Kara was more beautiful than the Starfloro, but it was the closest word to describe her worth to him. It encompassed all that he could've had, if he had been willing to truly accept his new life. He had tried to force himself to become a guardian of Earth, and for a time, he had begun to believe.
He was so far from home now.
"She was my Starfloro. I wasn't worthy to be called something so pure." Reaching towards the Phoenix, his hands resting on her shoulders feeling the smoothness of a woman's skin, Isun recalled the false memories of the archer and the Amazon. The raw passions that ensued his psyche, fueling desires that he thought were no longer there.
Perhaps, in some human way, this would be for the best. No more worries, no more pain, no more sorrow, no guilt, no regrets…
For once, he may decide to indulge in his selfishness…
-Starchild-
He would wright those wrongs. For her. Only for her.
"You're no hero." A thin trail of blood leaked down his otherwise pure skin. "You're cursed. Like me."
"My only curse is you," Isun declared. His heart stirred, there was too much he wanted to say. Yet he knew they would be wasted endeavors. "And I will free myself of you."
"For the longest time," Isun started. "I wondered what your endgame was. Besides bringing back your "perfect Earth". You believed yourself to be a hero . And maybe … a long time ago… you were."
"No one will save you now," Isun observed after strenuous moments passed. "You're alone with me. Cursed to take this to the grave." White flames of cosmic power shot damningly from his eyes, engulfing the Kryptonian fully. Screams and thunder engulfed his senses, before diving into the white flames himself and tackling the Kryptonian. Crushing Superboy Prime in a bear-hug, the Phoenix's Avatar launched both of them beyond Earth's reach; massive craters of the moon's destruction rained down to its mother's care, comets of fire reminding the cosmos of its just dues…
-Starchild-
Observing the downed golden man, blood dripping from his cracked unconscious forehead, the Daxamite glanced around the destruction of New York. Floating next to him, the Phoenix lowered closer to her perceived ardor but hovered just above the ground. Flames of cosmic beauty brought a calming ease to the young man.
"The fate of the Earth now lays on your shoulders," the Phoenix affirmed, her tone leaving little to discern from.
"I've wielded bigger burdens," Isun mused, a faint smirk tugged his lip. It made sense of why he was called to this universe; cleaning the mess of someone else's problem. Now he was stuck in the middle; let this Hulk have his revenge or have the Daxamite prevent further loss of life.
'Either one doesn't make me feel any better,' thought Isun. From his peripheral he saw the Phoenix starting to rise. Likely to go back to her prison, he mused passively.
"My time is finished Star-Fire," the Phoenix commented dishearteningly. "I trust that you can make the right decision… Starfloro." The Daxamite's eyes winced subtly, fortunately the heavenly beauty disappeared in a cosmic trail of fire. Isun Te took a step towards the golden hero, kicking him once on his foot, looking towards the bright trail looming still in the sky.
Her presence, her touch, brought the warmth he had felt with Kara. A part of him was sure it was a kind of manipulation to entice him forward. The other side tried to convince himself that it could have been genuine. Maybe, in the universe's final cruel test, this was to confront where he stood in all things.
Adventurer.
Warrior.
Survivor.
Hero.
Sinewing the crackles of his neck with a roll of his shoulders, Isun started to turn when he caught wind of the Emerald Gladiator before his sandalled feet rocked the foundation of New York City. Holding his ground Isun saw past the dust and debris to face once more the Hulk.
"I take it he wasn't worth his punishment," Isun stated.
The Sakaarson held his imposing demeanor, holding his shoulders squarely. "His punishment of his own making, far worse than what I could unleash upon him." Tension mounted in the air again though neither warrior seemed to notice or ignored it. Seconds passed when the Hulk eased his shoulders, noticing something changed within the boy then noticed his lifelong friend by his feet. "No doubt that Strange chose a powerful pawn to clean his mess."
Ignoring the slight Isun folded his arms readily. "This is between them and you. I will not interfere any further."
"The Phoenix's doing no doubt," the Hulk ventured, his posture still poised for any last minute tricks.
"She showed me enough, nothing in great detail." Making his back exposed to the Sakaarson, Isun's gazed closed on the building with the female Hulk, his telescopic vision focusing on the husband and wife duo of the Fantastic Four. They were biding their time. "I shouldn't say you can't go after the people who killed your family, nor say it would leave you empty inside."
The ground shook lightly as the Hulk began to venture towards the Baxter Building, the Daxamite spinning in kind. "You killed your demon, I'll kill mine." The Daxamite held his place, forcing the Hulk to stop momentarily at a half-step, a low growl thundering deep from the Jade Giant. "I don't know what you hope to get from me. You won't have it. I have nothing else."
"Your Warbound?" Challenged Isun, a frown etching on his face.
"I AM the Warbound!" The Hulk seethed, his eyes radiating pure energy. "I stand alone! I fight alone! I DIE alone!" His ginormous hands balled dangerously, thick veins containing the power to kill gods flexed against his emerald skin. "All I have that keeps me sane is the anger. That primal instinct is what kept me alive, most times when I did not wish so. You take that from me, and you are no more the monster than them!"
"Then why bother with all this?" Isun questioned sincerely. "You gain nothing-" Silenced by a thunderous back fist knocking the Daxamite clean through a building, the Hulk leapt towards the top of his destination. A web of deep cracks sprained the surface of the rooftop as the Jade Beauty and the remaining heroes gathered in front of Mr. Fantastic.
"Bruce please!" Jen pleaded, her voice strained with desperation. "I am sorry that this happen to you, I understand that!" Thunder and lightning shook across the night sky, courtesy of Africa's beloved X-Man; her husband crouched low at the far end of group, calculating for any small fraction of success. Success amounting to no deaths. "You said you lost your family, do I no longer matter?!"
"Not as a long as you stand before me," Hulk countered, his shoulders tensed for one last confrontation. "You give me Richards, I will leave your planet forever. Refuse and I kill you all, and Richards."
A transparent blue force field veiled between the monster and her family; Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, the strongest of the Fantastic Four not by power alone but of her goodwill and kindness. She respected Banner's plight with the Hulk, always welcomed him as one of their own.
She could empathize with Banner's anger on some level, her own disappointment in her husband these past years had shown his flagrant flaws and ultimate selfishness. Yet she continued to love him.
"That will not stop me," Hulk reprimanded. Confronting the transparent force field, he did not strike against it. He did not have to. Placing his palm firmly on the cool surface, Sue's body trembled feeling the raw power of the Eye of Anger against her efforts. Gamma light radiated his hand allowing the Hulk access inside the shield, the heroes balking in fear and taking a cautionary step back. "None of you can stop me." This act of sheer will made the heart of the Fantastic Four drop her shield in defeat, callously dropping to her knees.
Feeling the heat of a star on his back, the Hulk had expected the return of his new 'playmate'. "I expected no less than lies from you, slave." Ascending higher above the Hulk, Isun Te's pupiless crimson eyes bore the tenure of an experienced warrior. The Saakarson kept his back to the alien, mocking the boy's earlier action.
"I am no slave!" Growled the Daxamite, teeth clenched in rising anger. The Hulk's low laughter did not help the situation. "No more than you!" Settling his feet on the roof Isun noted the fallen Richards not far from him, unconscious. "You still have the Sorcerer to face even after you get past me, and you think you have a chance?" Calculating the best odds to safeguard the other heroes without further antagonizing the Hulk, the Daxamite continued. "He can summon someone else to take my place or send you anywhere he wants. You can not win."
"Such a child," the Hulk spat, a dark scowl etching on his already enraged demeanor. "This not about winning." His muscled calves tightened forcing himself to stay in place, never taking his eyes off his prey. "He played god against the devil. And he lost. I am here for his soul." Turning his head to view the alien, the Saakarson glared intently. "You can not bargain with the devil, you can not fight the devil." Radioactive eyes radiated raw gamma, neon veins pulsing dangerously across his body. "Only reign in the ashes of the hellscape!"
His mind raced fervently, little option was left for Isun to exploit. None of these earth's heroes were in any shape to fight the Hulk nor have the strength. This he knew. If he continued to battle the Saakarson, there wouldn't be any Earth left.
Lesser of evils.
Snatching the unconscious co-leader of the Illuminati, the Daxamite offered him to the Green Beast. The rest of the heroes tensed. A cold sweat ran down Jennifer's spine, a rare sensation of fear flooded her body. This wasn't her day…
"Please no," Jennifer begged softly, forcing her throat to barely voice her rising fear.
This was not her day…
Slumping to her knees, Susan Storm had offered as much as her power and soul as she could. For nothing. Her husband was now in the hands of the devil, his sins to be punished. Cold tears ran down her face, her shoulders shook the anguish of her heartbreak now tangible for all to see.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Bellowed Johnny Storm, his engulfed nova burning the night sky. "You were suppose to help us! What makes you think-"
"You want to fight him?" Offered Isun, not bothering to look behind. "Be my guest. I am ending further bloodshed of innocents, including yours. Your city has seen enough destruction as it is. You have no power to bargain how I end this fight, a fight you cannot end yourself. Any of you…"
Salvation laid just at his fingertips. The man who had orchestrated his rise and fall of a god-king, the Saakarson, now laid at his feet. Where all belonged, if he was merciful…
-Starchild-
As the Sorcerer Supreme finished wrapping the bandages of his damaged hands, he awaited his divine retribution. He had played God… a false god, but a god nonetheless.
His sins, long thought paid by his humble devotion to the mythical arts, were now to be fully paid. In his final act of self-servitude, he had let a boy take his fall. He could have done what Stark had suggested and thrust the Hulk to the other side of the universe. By then they would have long passed from old age, their secret deed a long forgotten memory.
But no, he had postponed damnation.
And for the worse.
His faithful friend Wong had no need to stand by his side still. He was a good man from the start, a foundation that had forced Stephen Strange to wright his wrongs. Yet he failed all the same.
"Wong," he started. "I have failed not only the Avengers, my friends, and the people I swore to protect." He managed to look at his confidant, his friend's demeanor as sculpted as always. "I have failed you, the person who placed the most faith in me when I did not deserved it. And I still haven't earned your faith. For that, I will always be ashamed."
"Shame means little in the face of genocide," the god-king spoke, stepping past the dark shadows. Alongside was the alien boy from another universe, the supposed savior… "For all your borrowed power, you still couldn't bare to stand before your failures."
The Sorcerer Supreme observed his fallen co-conspirator in his large hand, unconscious, still next to the boy. He couldn't read his expression, although indifference was in large part of it. Not that it could be blamed. He himself knew little of the card Fate that drawn for him, all the same he was ready to accept it.
The final act of his humility.
"You are right, Bruce-"
A dangerous growl thundered within the Saakarson, "Bruce is dead." The emerald giant glared defiantly at the smaller false god. "He was simply a shell that was to be broken, to unleash me upon you all. I exist to reshape life itself; a force of nature that cannot be denied."
The Daxamite passively listened to the unfolding conversation, his mind idly keeping note of what was in front of him. He had no place in this fight, only holding to a promising hope that the Hulk would keep his word. Nonetheless his promise to Kara, it was the only fire left in his chest to keep him alive. Even if this wasn't the Earth he promised to protect.
Carefully spotting the various magical artifacts in the Sanctorum, the mere presence of magic normally would've caused his body to react in a minor capacity; a side-effect known to Kryptonians and Daxamites for their lack of connectivity. Or perhaps a psychological wound from his time during the Crisis.
However, his body was reacting in an unfamiliar way. Not normal from what he expected… Though perhaps this was a different sort of magic that he was unfamiliar with. Not exactly unfounded since he wasn't versed in magic at any rate.
"You have run out of tricks wizard," the Hulk spoke, bringing Isun make to reality. "Nothing you can pull out of your sleeves now."
Dr. Strange nodded. "I don't plan to hide or fight anymore. I should've done the right thing from the start."
"As if you'd know the difference." Snatching the sorcerer by the throat, the Saakarson crudely tossed him towards his WarBound as they stood behind the god-king and alien. Eyeing the dutiful friend of the supreme wizard for a moment, the god-king and his WarBound began their retreat to the real world.
The Hulk glanced over to notice the alien remaining behind, then continued onward. The boy was a wildcard, not really much of a threat even with the rare power that he possessed. His instincts told him to mind the boy all the same, odds are something would change once more…
The faithful friend of Dr. Strange observed the contemplation of the boy's expression; a mixture of caution and puzzlement, and a dash of uncertainty. Knowing fate to be out of his hands, Wong retreated back further into the Sanctuary leaving the boy alone.
Alone once more with his thoughts, Isun recounted his time back in his universe. How Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton, was heralded as Earth's greatest hero before the rise of the Justice League. The threats he faced alone, the struggles that challenged his foster world's ideals and beliefs.
Now it was time to overcome a similar challenge himself.
His promise to Kara Zor-El.
His eyes scanned the room a final time, turning his way back to the outside world. There was little left he could accomplish anyway. The golden man he fought earlier might try and attack both him and the Hulk, leading to an inevitable and destructive outcome for Earth. Or what would be left of the planet in any case.
Fatigue again rested unto his psyche, he wasn't a soldier deep down. A warrior perhaps, a adventurer certainly…
-Starchild-
Death by combat was the punishment owed to the leaders of the Illuminati.
Death by their own hands. Created by their false pariah as self-orientated gods.
The alien hailed from another macrocosm gazed from high above the self-constructed gladiatorial arena. Loud cheers of bloodlust rang across the emptied and partly destroyed remains of New York. Sitting on his high throne of broken and jagged metal, the Saakarson bemused himself in his tranquil seething.
This was not of justice.
This was not of revenge.
This was not of vengeance.
This was of nothing.
But it proved a point all the same.
A fact the Daxamite could not forsake. It was why he couldn't truly talk down the god-king. He couldn't fully convince himself of what he tried to speak of. Millions of lives on a foreign planet for the lives of four that wrought such death; it was fair…
His gaze trailed from the arena to the Baxter Building not far from him, his telescopic vision fixing onto the small group that was protecting one of the Illuminati. The blonde wife of Richards was distraught in her grief, a broken empty husk of what she may have been before. The Jade Beauty knelt before her, offering no words of comfort but the silence of her company. The panther hero and his partner stood to the side quietly. Leaving only the flamed hero hovering high above the tower, focusing his stare on him.
And Isun stared back.
The torched hero flamed brightly then launched in his direction, halting only a few meters. Isun lazily contemplated that the torched hero might have strong words directed at him, some insults of any kind; to rant and vent any anguish towards him over almost losing a friend and teammate.
Instead the Torch looked down at the arena, seeing the spectacle that had arisen in a short time. "It's crazy," the Torch started, his fists balled tightly at his side. "Reed was always the smartest guy in the room… if the room was the universe. Always had an answer or solution ready when you wanted one. Saved us and the multiverse more times than necessary, even though sometimes it was his fault." Raising his arms to fold themselves, the Torch continued. "All the crazy shit we've been through, including fighting gods and abstract ideals of reality itself, it'd be our family that hurts us the most."
Unsure of what to make of it, Isun stared at him. Taking note of the alien's silence, the Torch hovered closer. "Guess we couldn't fight our way through everything together… Especially when those closest to us leave us like this." Finally looking towards Isun, the Torch nodded solemnly then flew back to the tower.
Frowning, Isun glanced in the opposite direction towards the mansion where the Phoenix flew off to. Narrowing his search to find the ruby-haired girl, Isun found her on a bed being nursed by whom he presumed to be her close friend, or… her ardor… His eyes softened at the sight, remembering what Kara did for him after Daxam was destroyed. How it finally brought them together.
He continued his scan across the mansion, recalling his earlier encounter with the people who lived there. The cigar chomping man, Logan as he was called, was out on the front yard studying the broken debris and craters that decorated the area, grumbling to himself. Not far from him stood the girl that briefly fought alongside the young hero against the Hulk, also studying the area, particularly the area where he and the Hulk first landed.
And the bald telepath stood alone at the far end of the mansion, presiding over what appeared to be a makeshift graveyard.
'One Crisis for another,' thought Isun. 'I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do. Even with this new chance, my situation hasn't changed.' He knew nothing of this world and its heroes, much like before on his… Kara's Earth. Only this time he was truly alone, all the power a Kryptonian could wield without discretion. All the heroes that fell to the Hulk's feet prior to his arrival, including a supposed powerful sorcerer by his estimation.
Yet he alone had that power.
Perhaps the golden man might've-
His mind whirled, hazel orbs scanning restlessly to find him. Even with the doubts lingering still in his mind, his promise to Kara of protecting Earth, his growing resolve to find peace in this life… if he truly wanted to honor Kara's wishes, and forgive himself fully, he would have to forge his path by blood and fire.
-Starchild-
Kneeling beside the golden man, Isun gently smacked the unconscious man's face to awaken him. Grunts escaped the blonde's lips, scrunching his eyes from the blaring pain in his skull, his blurred vision alerted him to a bloody silver blob. Quickly his vision cleared to reveal the boy he encountered earlier. Lashing out viciously, hands attempting to crush the boy's throat, the golden man was restrained by strength rivaling his own.
"Listen to me!" The boy cried sharply, quickly wanting to grab his attention. "You want to help your friend right?" The man in turn paused, eyeing the boy warily before his gaze focused on his surroundings. "Look, I don't want this to go any farther than it has to. I could finish the Hulk myself, given his limited powers… but by the time I do, there won't be an Earth left."
The Daxamite tried to find an ally at this point, minus the earlier confrontation with the blonde man, he didn't have many options left before the punishment was to be served. He figured at least the conspirators would try and delay their deaths, however with the Saakarson watching over, it still left very little time.
"You're the only person besides me who has a chance of stopping this," Isun pressed. "Together we can stop him before-" He trailed off, realizing something was wrong with the blonde hero. His pupils were fluxing, his breathing was becoming heavy and audible and his body was shaking. Frowning at his behavior, the Daxamite's eyes scanned the innards of the fellow hero; besides the accelerated heartbeat, the Daxamite observed the brain chemicals fluctuating in response to a rising trauma.
He wasn't astutely educated in human biology and psychology, however he was keen enough to determine a probable cause: Agoraphobia.
Without knowing the finer details of his life story, Isun had no probable means of handling this situation. He had enough on his plate without adding this too.
Rolling his jaw in growing tension, Isun grumbled in his native tongue forcing himself to really push himself. His mind replayed his first observation of the Hulk. 'Limited powers,' Isun recalled. As he first noted in his encounter, the Hulk seemingly had a finite power set to play with, relying on strength, durability, and endurance above all else.
No difference to Doomsday.
The Daxamite winced, memories of his dark encounter with the creature played in his mind. Even if it was all fake in the Source Wall, his mind made it real. Plus there was no telling if the Hulk could overcome his weaknesses in the same capacity as Doomsday.
That might be his saving grace.
If he could manage to move the Hulk away from New York, away from civilians and strike with overwhelming offense, he would be able to incapacitate the Hulk without further bloodshed. However his shoulders slumped in realization, even if it was possible to pull that off, he had no means of subduing him, and he had doubt that any human prison could imprison him.
Leading him back to the heart of the problem…
Closing his eyes to clear his mind of his impending actions, the Daxamite carefully picked up the traumatized hero. He would have to act fast to fully enact his plan; making his own deal with the devil
-Starchild-
Baxter Building
Hot tears of seething anger ran down Susan Storm's cheeks, her power lashing out to prevent the Daxamite from coming closer. Isun was not surprised by her reaction, he was the one who condemned her husband to death. Still, he would need their help.
As the Daxamite held the golden hero in his arms, his amber gaze settled on the Jade Beauty, recalling their brief encounter before hell broke loose. "He needs your help." Holding the golden hero out for any one of them to grasp, the Daxamite continued. "This wasn't my fight to begin with. In all honesty, I don't even know what happened here to cause all this; maybe the Hulk is justified to kill those that were trying to kill him." Meeting Susan Storm's gaze, her eyes holding ire, resentment, and some form of understanding, Isun returned his gaze to the Jade Beauty. "What he plans to do after killing those four, I don't know. Maybe he will leave Earth, or he might destroy the world…" He looked over his shoulder, indicating the direction of the gladiatorial arena. "I'm not a hero… I'm just someone who's lost everything that mattered to me: family, my people, my planet… my love... Now, I'm faced with someone who is like me, and I'm being told to end him."
He had fought for his entire life; traveling across the galaxy had made him strong and independent, never depending on anyone else because no one else could DO what he could. It was the final blessings of Rao, to guide his children on their path of self-discovery. But his children had turned their backs to him, abandoned the god that created such gifts for them. Perhaps that was why Krypton was destroyed, why the Council had refused logic and reasoning when it was presented to them.
When he and Kara discovered the news of Krypton's destruction, that made sense to them.
When Daxam was destroyed… he saw no reason.
Superboy Prime saw no reason to do it, outside of his want to destroy these 'false realities' to recreate his 'Perfect Earth'. Reasonings of a madman…
"No one else on this planet can do what I can do, what I was BORN to do." Glancing at the golden man, reflecting on his earlier thoughts, Isun shook his head slightly in dismissal. "I don't know what you will do with me once I'm done cleaning up your mess. Maybe you'll praise me for my heroics, maybe you'll try to get rid of me… Perhaps both. I've always done what other people have wanted me to do for them, abide by their rules when it never made sense to do so."
He peered into the Jade Beauty's eyes, knowing the tough choices they would have to accept; whether she can accept that the Hulk, her cousin, lives or dies, whether this alien from a different universe will save them…
"I made a promise to her," Isun continued, looking to his hands. "To protect Earth. Even if this is not her Earth… MY Earth… I will protect it. To avenge my sins for not protecting her when she sacrificed herself for me." Amber eyes glazed, once long ago from guilt and shame, now with renewed life and purpose; ruby crimson orbs highlighted the raw power coursing in his veins, the power of a million and more stars…
-Starchild-
The God-King glared at his victims. Years upon countless years on this pathetic rock of a planet, he was hunted like animal, as if he was a prize to be displayed. These hunters… these false friends… laid at his feet.
His power that made false gods bleed. His rage that rivaled the most violent storms. His will stronger than Adamantium. All his to control, all his to use, all his to manipulate. His essence reigned over all life.
"Bruce!" Mister Fantastic cried out. The smartest man in the universe. Yet he was foolish and arrogant enough to make demands of the God-King. "You have the right to be upset with us. For us launching you into space without your consent. But we didn't know the bomb would-" Powerful bursts of electricity burned through his body, a coarse scream echoed throughout the stadium.
The Saakarson sat on his jagged, broken throne relishing in his victim's torment. "Not a very smart thing to say, Richards." Lounging on his throne, the Green Scar turned to sit properly in his throne. "Yet you think me the monster." Folding his large hands together, the Eye of Anger fiercely stared at the Illuminati. "How much of your humanity have you sacrificed to not understand your sins?"
"I suggest you shut up, Richards," Stark whispered to his cohort. "We're on death's door, and your bedside manners suck." Calculating any small odds of escaping this hell of jagged, broken metal arena, the Invincible Iron Man has never been one without words, or a plan. However, this a lit dynamite keg, any word could lead to their deaths.
"Nothing you could say will change what happened to my home," Hulk started. "Or any words will save you from death." He stretched his large hand towards them. "A death of your by own hands."
The Sorcerer Supreme, true to his word, resigned to his fate. He would accept his death. Whether by the God-King's hands, by his comrades, or by his own. His arrogance was always his greatest downfall: his skills as a surgeon, his gifts in the mystic arts, his ability to survive threats and demons that have warped the fabric of reality and consciousness. Now, his life had come full circle.
A ground-breaking shake rocked the arena, jolting the four Illuminati members onto their sides. Coarse coughs broke through them as everything blinded them with dust and flying debris; a roar echoed far into the night sky, quickly dying to their nightmares.
-Starchild-
Arctic Circle
The arctic tundra did nothing to chill the hellish rage in the Saakarson's blood. All his life he did nothing but run and fight… Run and fight… Run and fight… He was tired of running. The fighting was kept him sane on Sakaar. He found purpose in the death and violence that surrounded him. He finally embraced that side of him.
The God-King would not bow again.
"To think I would have honored the words of a child," the Hulk mocked, standing to his towering height. The snow melted around him, slowly, from the raging gamma power in his blood. "To think I would have honored my own word of sparing this world that would have praised my death as much as me saving it."
Descending from the blistering arctic winds, the Daxamite stood his ground. Justice… Revenge… Vengeance… not of that mattered now. His promise to Kara would be kept, the promise he made to himself would be fulfilled, and his life would move on. His sins were forgiven, his past behind him, nothing but the blank canvas of the future would be his to paint.
Only obstacle stood in his way of that future.
"Your anger will blind you. It will destroy everything that you care about," Isun observed.
"My strength is all that I have left," the Hulk countered. "I have always been the strongest there was."
"You may have strength," the Daxamite agreed, pointing towards the God-King. However he pointed to himself. "However I have power."
With a thunderous bellow, the Hulk slammed his hands together creating a massive shockwave that rupture an island sized mass underneath them, the ground starting to form mountains. The power forced Isun to cover his face with his forearms; that was power he was not unfamiliar with, nonetheless it wasn't anything he couldn't face.
Words were no longer needed. Isun's anger had kept him trapped, a false reality warning him of not letting go of the past. Even if it wasn't under his own power, he had gotten his peace with Superboy Prime's death.
Crimson fire torched through the iced mountains, frosted debris hurling chaotically across the tundra. Loud crashes echoed in Isun's ears, easily tracking the Hulk's behemoth weight crashing onto the falling rocks. Feral grunts escaped the Eye of Anger, gamma radiated eyes glowing dangerously from the renewed pulse of gamma energy increasing his strength.
Keeping his distance in the air, the Daxamite enhanced his vision to track of where the emerald behemoth would be; quickly spotting the Hulk, Isun dashed towards him, slamming with full force into the Sakaarson, launching the Green Scar flaying across the night sky. Soaring at full speed, Isun quickly caught up with his target, and getting under the Hulk, changed trajectory and launched the two of them into the sky.
Perhaps if he could get the Hulk off-world, leaving his fate-
A powerful elbow strike knocked the Daxamite asunder, nearly making Isun lose his grip but managed to hold on. He probably didn't have too much longer if the Hulk kept fighting back.
Troposphere.
Stratosphere.
Mesosphere.
Isun Te pushed his body harder and harder, fighting not only against the planet's gravity but the Hulk's strikes against his skull. The shockwaves from entering each of Earth's atmosphere had an affect on the Sakaarson, forcing the God-King to enter a stasis of near unconsciousness. His arms had fallen to his sides, the mach winds forcing his body down and his emerald body began to ice on his chest and face.
Exosphere-
Bloodied eyes shot open, the Hulk awoke and his body violently flared with gamma radiation. The sudden blindness compelled Isun to let go, covering his eyes on instinct.
-Starchild-
Time had stopped. Blood pounded in both of their ears. Instinct and survival was all that guided their actions. Most of the ice had melted, leaving the warriors of solid pieces of rock and ice that managed to survive the godly onslaught.
Both the Daxamite and the God-King were on their knees, panting heavily. Blood covered their faces like warpaint, their feral visage would have put fear into gods.
Isun had to end the fight now.
All of the Hulk's strength against all the power of the child of a sun god.
He was right in one thing: the Hulk fought a lot like Doomsday. He wasn't as adaptive in his healing capabilities as Doomsday but it was far more formidable than he figured.
However, from what he realized, the Hulk was still human.
He had a limit.
And he was pushing that limit.
Standing to his feet, Isun Te fluidity got into the stance of Torquasm-Rao, ready for the final showdown. He couldn't waste anymore time, the Hulk's body was a sick green; waves of neon gamma energy radiate violently off his body.
The Hulk remained on his knees, his body in a state of pain he's never felt before. But the power… he thought he knew power before. Now, he achieved a state of rage and peace that he never dreamed of. What he always desired.
"I should thank you," the Hulk said softly, his head down still. "I was always angry. It kept me alive for so long, it helped those I thought I cared about to remain alive." Slowly standing to his feet, the decaying state of the Sakaarson made Isun wince. It was a gruesome sight, bits of flesh melting and falling off his body, but the Hulk seemed at peace. "I thought I could get rid of my anger. I thought I could control it." His enormous hands gestured down his body. "I was wrong… I was never even alive! I was… I am… a force of nature, a hurricane that destroys for new life to grow. Now, I found my peace."
Shifting one foot back, Isun Te braced for whatever attack the Hulk was planning. Based on the sudden calmness that the Hulk was showing didn't provide any sense of ease to Isun. In his experience, usually angry opponents that have calmed down after a brutal fight would have either have that enemy surrender…
Or a final attack was imminent.
And based on the Hulk's actions from earlier, his disregards of trying to listen to him, Isun figured the latter was about to happen. And with the buildup of gamma radiation violently pulsating out of the Hulk's body, Isun was able to survive that much radiation however the rest of the planet would explode and billions of billions of lives would melt in an agonizing death. What could he do to prevent it?
Freeze breath? The heat and radiation pulsating from the Hulk would melt it near instantly…
He couldn't get near him and pick him up like he could before; the sudden impact would likely trigger an explosion.
All of his power… he couldn't think of a possible solution-
No! There HAD to be something he could do!
X-ray vision, super speed, strength, flight, heat vision, freeze breath…
All these powers, all these gifts… there HAD to be SOMETHING!
Amber eyes widened in realization; there was ONE thing he could do. The one power he knew of but never used. It was far too dangerous in normal circumstances, even during the Infinite Crisis it sat in the back of his mind, nearly forgotten.
Concentrate all the solar energy in his body and theoretically release it in an all-powerful blast. If the energy in his body was enough to overpower, or at least cancel out, the gamma radiation… he wasn't sure. It could even add to the radiation that the gamma explosion would provide.
Self-sacrifice was the key to the El family: Kal-El, Kon-El… Kara Zor-El.
Heat and power surged throughout his body, his body transforming into a bomb of pure solar power. His sunkissed tan skin became a living flame of red, orange and yellow, like a breathing core of a star. His veins glowed blinding white, his eyes disappeared in white hot intensity. Bio-electricity crackled around his body, growling from sheer ferocity.
A blinding crimson light shone over the two warriors, causing the two to look up. Just as the crimson light became white, both the Hulk and Daxamite unleashed all the stored potential in their bodies and spirits; the remaining bit of land and iced water disintegrated into nothingness…
-Starchild-
Baxter Building
"His physiology is remarkable… seems so familiar yet I don't recall experimenting on this species," Reed Richards muttered to himself, his elongated neck observing the unconscious Daxamite before returning to his body on the far end of the room. The young humanoid was not human, the scientist already mused, yet the power he displayed was captivating nonetheless. It was beautiful in a primal sense. Not too dissimilar to the Sentry… or even the Hulk. "His cells evidently stores solar energy, not much more different than a plant with photosynthesis, however the method of how his body converts this energy to power is-"
"Reed," his wife called, standing by the entrance of the lab but not entering. She wasn't fully recovered after everything that just happened: her husband's betrayal, his near-death, a young man supposedly from a different universe coming to save him, and her family…
It wasn't the craziest thing she gone through, but it was the hardest hitting.
For Reed, it seemed nothing changed. Right where he always was at the end of the day, the beginning of the next, and after every adventure. No affect on him, except for whatever information he gathered for his new experiment. She loved him for his mind, she loved a man with great intelligence, yet… she went to bed alone on most nights, and woke up cold and lonely in the morning.
She missed her husband. Her eyes went to the young man on the lab bed, surrounded by what appeared to sun lamps; his body coated with bright, white lights, along with open wounds and blood caked on his… muscular, chiseled body.
Guilt wrought immediately in Susan Storm's soul. He was young, younger than her… she was married, she shouldn't look or think of any other man…
Focusing on her husband, to see his back to her again… she knew something had to change in her life. Susan had stood by her husband through thick and thin, blood and sweet, for better and for worse… Yet he never returned those favors.
Not anymore, it seemed.
Why had she focused on the young hero just now?
Maybe… perhaps… she deserved some selfishness in her life, for once. She deserved happiness. She deserved peace. She deserved… EVERYTHING.
Now, after everything that transpired, everything had changed. Her husband wasn't the man she knew anymore. Wasn't the man she loved… That fire died some time ago and now she had to make a choice:
Abandon her team, her family.
She couldn't keep the Fantastic Four together. Reed had used them and took advantage of them too many times. "Reed," she called once more, her tone firm and resolute. It worked, pulling Richards from his studies. "How long until he recovers?"
"With the amount of lumens pumping into his body, and from the data I gained from his physiology, my bet would be-"
The lab bed rocked violently, the Daxamite darting off the bed and crashing loudly unto the floor. A low groan came from Isun and tried to grab the edge of the bed to pull himself up, only for a pair of soft, gentle hands wrapped around his torso and shoulders. Isun tensed from the unfamiliar sensation and tried to move away, but his body was far too weak to properly move.
So weak… the pain burned every fiber of his body, his muscles crying agony. But he was alive.
He couldn't see. His vision was everything blurred, just blobs of shapes.
He heard a voice. It was muddled, it was definitely female. Was it the female Hulk from earlier? Isun slowly turned his head, trying to ignore the pain in his neck, to look at his rescuer.
Blonde hair.
Amber eyes squinted, unsure if it was who he thought it was.
The wife of-
"Don't move too quickly," Susan soothed, gently as she could she lifted Isun Te to his feet. He was heavy than he seemed, and his body was… quite rigid. And strong. Her hand rested on his abs, very deep cut and chiseled. And slathered in dried blood and sweat.
Her hand was still on his abs.
She was used to the superhero male physique before. So this shouldn't have any real affect on her… but his long torso perfectly accentuated the muscles on his body. Lean, tall… his eyes… as she looked into his eyes, brilliant amber orbs glazed in confusion and recuperating, there was a glimpse of youthful innocence buried within.
Her body warmed in womanly desire, quickly refocusing on what she needed to do. Pushing Isun Te gently back to the table, she stepped away a fair distance. Isun slumped forward, nearly falling off again before catching his balance.
"W-Where…" Isun tried to speak but his throat burned. He could barely speak. His powers… they were gone. Apparently that was the consequence of using that technique. He figured that was the possibility, but to actually use it. To embrace this punishment was something he had to accept. "… is Hulk?"
Susan looked to her husband.
"Dead," Reed Richards answered bluntly. "The gamma burst and your power, combined with the satellite weapon we used, together they were enough to take him out."
The Daxamite's vision cleared for a second, then blurred again. Feeling heat on his back, Isun straightened his posture and noticed the sun lamps around him. Figuring those lamps had something to do with his recovery, he closed his eyes and embraced the false lights.
-Starchild-
This reminded Isun Te of the Phantom Zone.
A dark dimension where the worse criminals on Krypton or in the universe were sentenced to live the rest of eternity.
Here it was called the Negative Zone.
In the few hours since waking up, the Daxamite had witnessed the four conspirators of the Illuminati about to serve their sentence:
Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans.
Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme of the Mystic Arts
Tony Stark, the Invincible Iron Man; co-leader of the Avengers.
Reed Richards, leader of the Fantastic Four and possible creator of the Illuminati.
Richards was the last person to enter the Negative Zone, before stepping to the platform he looked to his wife; a firm dedicated expression not detailing any emotion. Then he looked to the Daxamite, a similar stare was also given. Isun Te returned the expression, not owing an explanation to anyone.
Susan Storm stood next to Isun Te, closer than any of the three realized.
As the final member of the Illuminati disappeared into the void of the Negative Zone, Isun Te looked back to the group that formed behind them: She-Hulk, the Thing, the Human Torch, Black Panther of Wakanda, Storm of the X-Men, Professor Xavier of the X-Men.
He had fulfilled his tribute to the Illuminati, the heroes of this Earth, and his promise to Kara. He had to fulfill his final promise to himself: to accept his new life and to honor Kara Zor-El.
A/N: Hey guys, hopefully you'll enjoy this new chapter!
So, uh, I'm back with writing again… AFTER 10,000 YEARS! HA HAH HA HAHA HAH AH AHAH AHA AH!
Hopefully, the fight between Hulk and Isun Te was to your liking. I was worried it might've been too short or not action packed enough, but it was one of my concerns was how to display this fight. I know a lot of Hulk fans will be RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-ing at me because of how World War Hulk and Worldbreaker Hulk are perceived to be but... in fairness, most Kryptonians already scale above most incarnations (most Hulk scalings in base are at like Planet to my recollection) but with the World War Hulk and Worldbreaker, they're about at the Kryptonian levels. Plus Superman in general holds back a lot of power and strength, so someone like Isun Te (while younger in age) has more experience and willingness to use his powers in combat (ie. someone like General Zod in comparison) plus Isun Te has stood face to face with one of the heaviest hitters in DC Multiverse history: Superboy Prime, and survived, not exactly something you can brush off.
But in either case, I wasn't sure how to end the fight, so I figured taking a nod with the comics with the satellite weapon and the idea of the Worldbreaker form for Hulk being used against him, and resulting in his death, would end on a dark poetic note for not only Hulk, but for the Illuminati, She-Hulk, and Susan Storm. Will it have any effect on Isun Te? *Shrugs shoulders* It's hard to say, our favorite Daxamite has been through some rough hell himself and seeing similarities between him and Hulk might have alleviate some deep seeded problems that were rooted in there since Infinite Crisis and the New Destiny story.
So what now? With the biggest known threat to Earth dead and gone, what does our favorite Daxamite do now? Does he keep his promise to Kara? Does he find new happiness? New love? New purpose? New Destiny?
Fortunately, I'm back with a vengeance and trying to get my stories back on track so expect more updates, and more consistency, in the New Year!
Harem- (open to suggestions) What chu think? Too much? Too little? Not enough? Any villainesses? How much love do you think our broken boy needs to heal himself?
Mutants- Jean Grey, X-23, Storm, Rogue, Emma Frost, Mystique, Psylocke, Scarlet Witch, Polaris
Heroes- She-Hulk, Carol Danvers, Sue Storm, Red She-Hulk, Wasp, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, White Tiger
Villainesses- Sophie Von Doom, Black Cat
Human- Mary Jane Watson, Valeria Richards, Maria Hill
Aliens/Beyond Earth- Enchantress, Lady Sif, Galacta, Umar, Morgan Le Fay, Stardust, Caiera, Atrea, Gamora, Nebula
Power Scale-
Multiverse to Multiverse+:
Superboy Prime (Equal to Silver Age Superman)
Scarlet Witch (Full power; House of M)
Jean Grey (Phoenix imbued)
Universe to Universe+:
Isun Te (Phoenix-imbued/Imperfect)
Multi-Solar System to Multi-Solar System+:
Thanos (Base)
Galacta
Solar System to Solar System+:
World War Hulk (Base strength)
The Sentry
Isun Te (Earth-1/Post-Crisis era)
Thor
Hyperion
She-Hulk
Red-She Hulk
Adam Warlock