EARTH-616:

Kang, the ruthless ruler of the citadel, stood at the edge of his massive fortress, towering above the city. As he gazed out at the horizon, he saw the skies ablaze with a crimson hue, casting an ominous glow over the land. In the distance, he could hear the deafening screams of terror from the residents below and the eerie sounds of thousands of monstrous beasts running rampant through the streets. Despite the chaos, Kang's eyes sparkled with a sense of triumph, as if he was savoring the victory that was yet to come. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a tiny figure approaching the landing strip where he stood. He took a deep breath and waited, his eyes fixed on the silhouette, ready to strike at any moment.

A small distance away, Tommy was on the back of Delta as he and his rescue team were currently flying toward the landing strip. Tommy gave them a recap of what had happened, and they were somewhat surprised to hear that Kang had saved them only to use them. But at the same time, it wasn't all that surprising.

"There he is!" Tommy exclaimed as he recognized Kang on the platform.

"He could be easy pickings from up here," Hope offered, seeing that she could have her dragon shoot him down easily.

Ashley however was against that idea, especially since she was using her goggles to search for Tina. "Uh, I would hold off on shooting just yet. I have no scans or any signs of life other than Kang."

Hope wondered, "So, where's Tina?"

"He's the master of time; likely holding her somewhere he can drag her in at the last second." April took an easy guess. "We all clear on the plan?"

Tommy asked, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Hey, I orchestrated the plan that trapped the Justice League, remember?" Ashley stated. But then she saw the looks on their faces – April and Tommy, the looks of annoyance and anger. "Oh, right, yeah, sorry, that's still a sore subject, isn't it?"

Hope said, "I hope this plan works." To Delta, she added, "Take us down, girl."

Delta cooed in response, agreeing with her rider.

Hope flew in and they managed to land safely. Tommy quickly jumped off of Delta and marched over towards Kang, keeping a small distance between them so as to not draw their hands too soon. He knew how a prisoner exchange worked, and he was going to do this properly. He reached into his pocket and took out the small chip that contained all of the information for the Triskelion.

"You brought friends." Kang recognized.

Tommy didn't even make any remarks about that; he just wanted his sister back. "Where is my sister?"

"I told you not to tell anyone," Kang said.

"I got what you wanted, now give her to me," Tommy demanded, holding out the drive. "Where is she?!"

"Oh, she's safe," Kang promises him. "For now."

"We had a deal!" Tommy exclaimed as he showed the drive. "You get all of the access codes to the Triskelion; now give me my sister. She's useless to you now."

Kang smiled when he heard that and pointed to Tommy. "You are...correct." He then extended his hand. "Do I need to take it from you?"

"You get this only after I get my sister," Tommy said, holding a grip on the flash drive.

"Oh, she will be better off with me," Kang proclaimed. "I can promise you that."

Out of nowhere, the drive flew out of Tommy's hands and right into Kang's palm without him even moving. They weren't exactly expecting him to have some form of telekinetic powers to take the drive from them. Meanwhile, Ashley reached behind her back and pushed a button on her glove, sending off a small frequency through space and time.

"Thank you. For your cooperation." Kang stated and started to walk away.

Tommy started to grow furious, and his entire hair started to turn white. His eyes began to glow blue, and Ashley recognized this as what Tina had done on that rooftop just last year. This was not going to end well. Tommy sent a blast of mist in his direction, but Kang just turned around and, suddenly, Tommy was being reversed through time. He was being taken back before they even landed, placed Tommy above the edge, and then dropped him when Kang stopped it. Delta screeched and went in for a strike with her quills first, but she, Hope, April, and even Ashley were stopped by Kang freezing all of them at once.

Then out of nowhere, a breach opened up in front of Kang, and someone came flying out with the help of rocket boots. Terry McGinnis came flying through and was trying to go for a head-on assault on Kang, but to all of their surprise, he was stopped mid-strike. Terry was left floating there in the middle of the air, almost as if someone had hit pause on a television.

"Did you really think that would be enough to stop me?" Kang asks, sounding almost offended.

But out of nowhere, a shield came flying from the portal, and smashed into his face, sending him toppling back a little. When Kang got back up to his feet, he watched as Roberta, Dante, Daniel, and M'gann came flying out of the portal. M'gann was the first to go in for a strike, using her powers to phase through Kang, and even managed to upset his armor. However, that also ended up being a mistake, as it only ended up causing something in M'gann to feel like she was set on fire. Her entire body shut down and crashed into the platform before sliding off and rolling to fall into Washington Bay.

Roberta used her wings and gained some momentum as she flew in and threw her shield towards Kang. But when her shield came close enough for it to be within arm's reach, Kang only used his powers to spin it around himself and tossed it right back at Roberta with ten times the speed. Roberta didn't even have the time to react to what was happening when her shield was flung right back at her and even impaled her stomach in the process. Luckily, her armor was able to take most of the impact, but it was still able to draw some blood as she was flung and crashed right into the Washington Monument.

Cessily made her way out of the portal as a pile of ooze as she then quickly wrapped herself around Kang's arms to try and give them an opening to fight back. It managed to work as it seemed she had stopped the connection between Kang and Terry, and he broke free of his time dilation. When he was freed, Terry managed to come at full speed, turning around quickly enough so that he could use his feet to kick Kang.

Kang was then kicked in the face and his mask was activated to prevent further injuries from occurring. This was when he stopped playing around. Just when everyone was coming back around for round two, Kang let out a gigantic blast of energy that created a form of time bubble around him and everyone who was coming to attack. Everyone was frozen in time, unable to fight or even realize what was happening to them. They were living life one-tenth of a second compared to Kang who was walking around freely.

"Not to worry," Kang said as he looked at the drive in his hand. "Everything has been going according to schedule." He paused for a moment before continuing. "It's time to finish this."

A small holographic platform appeared beneath Kang as he approached the edge of the platform. He then floated down and began to make his way downward toward the Triskellion.

As Kang approached the front, his heart raced in anticipation of what was to come. He could feel the eyes of Reverse Flash, Zoom, and Zod boring into him and he knew he had to be quick. Without missing a beat, he raised his palm to show them the glove he was wearing, which had a small computer attached to it. The hard drive he had been carrying all this while was inserted into the glove and Kang immediately gained access to every code he needed. He felt a surge of confidence as he flicked a button on the glove, causing the previously impenetrable shield that had been guarding the front doorway to shut down and grant them entrance.

"Kill them all."

CHAPTER 6

THE CONQUEST HAS BEGUN

Tina found herself trapped in a cramped and dark cell nestled deep within the Kang Citadel. The air was thick with a musty odor, and the only light came from a narrow slit high up on the wall. She let out a heavy sigh and slumped back against the frigid, unyielding surface of the cell wall. The cold drained the heat from her body, and she shivered involuntarily. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. The cell was made entirely of Vibranium, a rare metal known for its incredible strength and durability. She traced her fingers over the walls, feeling their smooth, unyielding surface. She knew that her powers were of no use here. Despite her proficiency over cold, the Vibranium walls seemed impervious to her powers. Even her spider powers, which usually provided an advantage in tight spaces, were useless here. As she lay there, Tina's mind raced with questions about how she had ended up in this dire situation and whether she would be able to escape.

Even if she found a way to escape from this cell, she would still have to deal with the two guards that Kang left to watch over her. She was trapped in a no-escape situation and had no way of escaping without some form of assistance.

The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension as the two guards stood watch, their eyes trained on every corner of the space. Suddenly, a piercing cry cut through the silence, startling both guards. One of them was hurled across the floor by an unseen force, while the other stood his ground, his staff pointed outward, poised for attack. Despite his vigilance, the guard was caught off guard by a swift blow to the face, sending him flying backwards. The first guard struggled to his feet and frantically fired his weapon in every direction, hoping to hit his unseen assailant. As the chaos ensued, a faint speck emerged from the dust, slowly growing in size until it revealed itself to be none other than Scott Lang of Earth-2.

Scott said, "Hey, Tina."

Tina was shocked to see Scott. "Scott? How did you get in here?" she asked.

"It's a long story," Scott said as he walked up and hit the button to deactivate her cell forcefield. But that didn't seem to work, so he then realized his mistake. Grabbing one of the knocked-out guards, he then dragged their face over and scanned it. The forcefield then finally deactivated and allowed Tina to escape. "Your brother and about half of your team are currently on the platform. They had the idea of using me as they were distracting Kang."

"Sounds convoluted and stupid," Tina commented with a sigh. "Definitely my brother's plan."

Scott said, "Actually, it was Ashley's plan."

Tina said, "Same difference."

As she stood there feeling defeated and hopeless, her eyes caught a glimpse of a faint glowing light at the end of the hallway. Her mind immediately started racing with ideas. Maybe, just maybe, if she could find a way inside the citadel, there might be a chance to take down Kang from within. Bravely, she made her way towards the light, her heart pounding with anticipation. Each step she took was a mix of fear and excitement, but she knew that this was the only way to save her people and put an end to Kang's tyranny.

Scott said, "The exit is this way."

Tina said, "See if you can rescue the others from being frozen. I'm going to see if there's anything here that we can use against Kang."

Scott watched as Tina walked down the hallway and started to sneak around. He sighed and decided to comply with her. "Man, this family is insane."

Meanwhile, the entire Triskellion went into a frenzy once word reached them that the barrier had been breached and people were entering. Agents gathered their weapons as they made their way towards the entrance that Kang had entered from.

As Kang made his way deeper into the heart of the headquarters, he encountered skilled agents who were prepared to defend their base at all costs. Yet, Kang's superior intellect and combat prowess proved to be unmatched. Swiftly and stealthily, he dispatched the agents one by one, leaving behind a trail of chaos and devastation.

"Freeze!" an agent cried as he entered, carrying the Destroyer gun, which had now been enhanced and was now the size of a bazooka. "Don't move!"

Kang didn't comply as he continued to march his way towards the agent. As he fired the Destroyer Gun, Kang didn't even take a second as he raised his hands, and it was almost like he was manipulating the beam to circle around him and then toss it back at the agent. When the beam hit the agent, it destroyed him, and the rest of what was left crumbled into ashes.

"Is that all you have, puny humans?" Kang cried out.

Meanwhile, on the upper levels, MJ starts to panic as she sees that not only Kang is there, but other villains have also entered, including Bloodwork, Zod, and Reverse-Flash. She rushes to try and regain control by using her emergency passcode that only she and Peter know. However, when she reaches the control room, she finds it completely covered in ice.

"What the hell?" MJ exclaimed in confusion. She saw that Peter-1, Frost, and Dawn were already working on defrosting the controls. "What happened?"

"We don't know, we just found it like this," Peter-1 said as he was trying to defrost everything. "But it couldn't have been Tommy's ice blast. That was just to push us around. This was intentional to freeze the systems."

"Or more precisely," a demonic voice called, causing everyone to turn towards Aster, whose face was now covered in ice blue veins. "To keep you out."

"Oh, great, he's been corrupted by Bloodwork," Frost said.

"Didn't we already cover the evil phase?" Dawn asked.

The situation quickly escalated as Aster launched a sudden attack, unleashing a powerful blast of mist that sent everyone diving for cover. In the chaos that ensued, Dawn sprang into action, determined to track down and stop Aster before he could unleash any further destruction. Meanwhile, Peter-1 was alerted by the sound of screams and rushed to the scene, only to find himself face to face with the formidable trio of Thawne, Bloodwork, and Zod. Despite his fear, Peter-1 steeled himself for battle, ready to face these powerful foes alone if necessary.

"Aw, Parker," Thawne said as he walked forward. "It's been a long time since we had a moment alone." He then saw Bloodwork and Zod. "Present company excluded."

"I can't say I was feeling nostalgic," Peter said angrily. "What is the plan this time, Thawne?"

"Well, you see, it's such a great plan," Thawne stated. "I finally get to kill you for everything that you took from me!"

"Same story, just with a different cover," Peter scoffed. Barry and Kara then quickly made their way over as they joined Peter, followed by Oliver coming down from a grappling arrow. "Took you guys long enough."

"Sorry, a lot of the team got redirected toward Kang," Barry explained why they were late. "He's tearing through the lower levels."

Peter froze as he remembered that there was a certain someone down there. "The daycare area."

Kara confirmed, "He's heading in that direction."

"Go, we can handle this," Oliver assured him. He knew Peter was worried about his daughter.

"Barry Allen and Oliver Queen," Thawne said with a laugh. "Now, when was the last time anyone was ever around to see a rematch between six resurrected foes?

"I must say, it's an honor to see the great Oliver Queen. Bill Cipher has told us wonderful things." Bloodwork said.

"What did you do to Aster?" Kara asks in anger.

"Let's just say that he worships a new fate now." Bloodwork proclaimed. "One that grants everlasting life."

"Kneel before the likes of us, and we may spare your pathetic lives," Zod proclaimed.

"Like he said, we can take you." Kara wasn't bowing down to Zod.

"Can you now?" Thawne asks with a taunting tone. "Because I thought that we made it perfectly clear..." His eyes then began to glow in anger. "...I am the one thing you cannot stop, Flash."

"You take Thawne, I'll handle Zod," Kara said as the two ran at their respective criminals. "Oliver?"

"I've got the Zombie King," Oliver promises.

The scene was intense as Barry chased after Thawne at lightning speed, their feet pounding against the pavement as they tore through the streets. Meanwhile, Kara found herself face-to-face with the formidable Zod. The two crashed through a nearby window and continued their epic battle outside of the Triskelion, with each of them unleashing a barrage of heat-vision lasers as they soared through the air.

Oliver stayed behind as he prepared himself for a fight against Bloodwork. "You! You are really starting to piss me off!"

"Why?" Bloodwork asks. "I'm only trying to improve the multiverse you created. And I can help bring every world together under one mind for a singular purpose. Immortality."

"Those worlds don't belong to you or your master." Oliver proclaimed in anger.

"You're right. They belong to them." Bloodwork said as a horde of Blood Brothers-infested SHIELD agents ran towards the Arrow.

As the first wave of zombified Agents lunged forward, Oliver swiftly notched an arrow and released it with precision. The arrow cut through the air, finding its mark in the skull of a ghastly creature, instantly incapacitating it. The Green Arrow's movements were fluid, his agility unmatched as he dodged the grasping hands and gnashing teeth of the undead.

Bloodwork continued to command the zombies with an eerie authority, urging them to close in on their target. Oliver scanned the area, assessing the battlefield and formulating his strategy. He knew that his arrows alone wouldn't be enough to overcome this threat.

Drawing on his years of combat training, Oliver engaged in close-quarters combat with the zombies. His fists and feet struck with precision, incapacitating them one by one. With each strike, he aimed for vulnerable spots in their armor, aiming to kill since he knew that anyone infested was already either dead or killed when they were corrupted. The Green Arrow understood that every moment counted, and he needed to keep moving.

As chaos reigned outside, the Next Avengers were steadfastly holding their ground within the Triskelion. Despite the relentless attack of the Blood Brothers, Agent Venom and Morgan managed to keep them at bay with expert precision. Meanwhile, Cassie and Laura had decided to take a more direct approach and were charging headlong into the midst of the horde, determined to take them down.

From a higher vantage point, Bishop was firing off arrows with deadly accuracy, picking off the Blood Brothers one by one. Kamala, on the other hand, was using her enlarged fists to pummel the ground, creating shockwaves that disrupted the enemy's advance. And just when it seemed like the horde might overwhelm them, Doreen emerged from the shadows, crawling up the walls with lightning speed and tackling every agent that came within reach. With her razor-sharp squirrel claws, she made quick work of any foe foolish enough to cross her path. Together, the Next Avengers fought with fierce determination, unwilling to give an inch to their foes.

"Fighting zombies of our coworkers in the heart of SHIELD." Thompson recapped their situation. "I love this job!"

"Really?" Kitty asked as she ran through the wall. "Because I'm starting to grow a little sick of it!"

Kate Bishop then noticed something coming and panicked. "Watch it! We've got-"

As Kate was in the middle of issuing a warning, one of the flying eye bats swooped in and captured her, leaving her no time to react. The rest of the heroes were incensed at the sight of their friend being taken away, but their anger was quickly replaced with fear as they realized that the eye bats were now heading straight towards them.

Thompson shouted, "We've gotta fall back!" The eye bat then started to fly through the window, "Affirmative, we've lost the west side."

"Get out of there, Thomson!" MJ cried.

Kitty and everyone ran for it, but before she could get away, Doreen was captured and turned to stone. When Kamala found her friend turned to stone, she stopped and screamed.

"Doreen! No!" Kamala cried as she enlarged her fists. "Em-" But before she could go all out, the eye bats captured her as well.

One by one, all but Morgan and Kitty were captured by the eye bats. Little did they know that everywhere around the Triskellion, the heroes were slowly being captured while MJ was lost as to what she was supposed to do. The scenarios they had considered as possibilities - zombies attacking with giant eyeballs and bat wings turning people to stone - weren't on the list.

"We're being surrounded!" Nate cried as he was turned to stone.

"We gotta move!" Sara cried, them making their way for the Waverider.

As the situation became increasingly dire, MJ realized that there was no other option left. She knew that the fate of the entire Triskelion rested on her shoulders as she reached over to the evacuation trigger and hesitated for a moment before finally activating it. With a sense of urgency, she called for the immediate evacuation of every single person on board, hoping that everyone would be able to make it out safely and without incident.

"Sara, get whoever you can on that ship, I'll send you coordinates," MJ told the leader of the Legends.

Kara and Zod collided into the ground, and Kara quickly recovered and looked around. Zod was just as quick; he ended up landing and tossed a gasoline truck over toward Kara. Kara jumped out of the way of the truck and shielded her eyes when it exploded, but she was then hit by Zod as he came flying at her and sent Kara skidding backward. Zod went to try and punch her, but Kara was quick; she blocked his punch and tried to hit Zod back. Zod ducked to dodge the punch, followed by him punching Kara and sending her flying.

Kara got back on her feet just for Zod to come flying at her and punch her into the ground. When Kara tried to climb back to her feet, Zod picked up a nearby truck and smashed it over Kara's head. The repetitive hits to the head were starting to cause Kara to feel lightheaded, but she continued to try and fight back as much as she could. However, Zod then kicked Kara backward and impaled her into the pavement.

As Zod approached Kara, he was prepared to finally finish her off; however, all of a sudden Karen came flying and crashed into Zod, sending him flying. Before he could hit the wall of a building, Angelica came flying in and punched Zod. She then used her webs and yanked him back, allowing her to sucker punch him and send Zod flying into the ceiling.

"We need to get to the Triskellion," Karen said as she picked up Kara. "She needs some help."

Anjelica nodded and saw Zod coming back. "You go, I'll keep him busy."

Karen nodded as she flew off to leave Anjelica to fight Zod so she could get Kara to safety. Anjelica started to crawl her way up the side of the building as Zod was flying at her at full speed. When they collided, the glass on the building shattered and sent it flying everywhere.

As Kang made his way through the halls of the Triskelion, he remained focused on his mission to reach the heroes who were currently trapped in the FRAMEWORK. Meanwhile, Caitlin-1 kept a watchful eye on the monitors, monitoring the comatose heroes and ensuring that they were safe from harm. She knew that they were unable to defend themselves and so it was her responsibility to keep them out of harm's way. Despite her best efforts, the sounds of screams and fighting could be heard echoing through the halls, indicating that trouble was on its way. As Caitlin-1 tried to keep her daughter calm, she braced herself for the worst, knowing that the safety of the heroes was in her hands.

Kang moved swiftly through the dimly lit corridors, his sharp gaze scanning every nook and cranny for any signs of danger. As he passed by the daycare area, where Caitlin had taken care of Mayday earlier, he couldn't help but steal a glance at the room where Mary from E-118 was still inside. She wondered how she was doing when a sudden commotion caught her attention. Kang instinctively raised his fists and sent a powerful blast toward the medical labs, causing the walls to shake.

Caitlin, who was still in the medical area, sprang into action. She hit a button on the control panel, causing the doors to slide shut and the room to go into lockdown mode. The steel doors were reinforced with Nth Metal, providing an impenetrable barrier against the onslaught of Kang's attacks. Caitlin clutched Mayday tightly in her arms, shielding her from harm as she fretted about Mary's well-being.

Meanwhile, Mary was trapped outside, alone and vulnerable. Caitlin couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt that washed over her as she worried about the eight-year-old girl's safety. The tension in the air was palpable as they all waited for the chaos to subside.

Just when Kang was going to blast the doors to try and break them down, that was when the heroes sprang into action with the help of Mia shooting an arrow, which Kang somehow saw coming and stopped it mid-flight. When he did, there was a sudden attack from behind as Miles sprang into action and shot Kang with one of his Venom Strikes. Most of Kang's tech needed to begin rebooting in the process, but that didn't stop the incoming hoard of heroes who came to defend their facility.

Frankie came in and started to manipulate the twisted and broken pieces of metal and sent them flying towards the Conqueror. Kang however still had a few tactics up his sleeve as he managed to stop the incoming steel just by raising his hands. Miles came in with a second strike, ready to assist his girlfriend, but that ended up working against them, as Kang then used Miles and sent him flying towards Frankie.

When Frankie was hit by his Venom Strike, she couldn't keep up and lost all of her nerves as she dropped to the ground. Miles was then smacked into the ceiling and then smashed into the ground the action was then repeated several times before Kang let him fall to the ground. Kang then readied his gauntlets and shot out two beams of energy towards the two, which was immediately blocked by Courtney, who came flying in and used the Cosmic Staff to hit the ground, shattering the ground in the process, and left a shockwave to throw everyone off.

"Courtney." Kang didn't sound surprised to see she was in the building.

"I thought we were finished with you!" Courtney cried in anger.

"Finished?" Kang asked in sarcasm-laced disbelief. "You thought you could best me so easily? I am KANG! I have conquered entire worlds. Entire timelines. You think that one measly setback was going to stop me?"

V.I.V.I.A.N. then shot out of the ground as she shot a beam from her head to try and attack Kang, but he ended up using his fist as he raised it to stop the beam. V.I.V.I.A.N. didn't even notice at first, but she was actually charging Kang's power source in the suit with her powers. Mia quickly recognized what was happening and ran as she skidded on her knees and slid on the floor, she used one of her EMP arrows and sent it flying towards Kang to try and distract him from absorbing the ray from V.I.V.I.A.N. But it didn't work as Kang only used his other hand to stop the arrow and then flung it into the air, impaling it into the ceiling.

Courtney then leapt into action as she shot at Kang while flying around the area using her Cosmic Staff. Shooting a beam of light from the weapon, it was heading directly for Kang as he blocked the beam with both of his hands. However, while his suit was indeed absorbing the ability, they were using it as a distraction; Ollie was crawling his way onto the roof below them. He was helping Peter-38 set up a trap to cripple Kang and send him falling.

"Did you do your part? "Peter asked Ollie.

Ollie said, "Get him into position, and he'll fall all the way down."

"Then let's get to it," Peter-38 said and tapped his ear. "Spider, you in position?"

On the floor above, Peter-1 was all suited up and hiding behind one of the hallways as he watched the entire fight going on in the main room. But something about this was different. He was different. Instead of jumping into action and being ready for the fight, Peter-1 almost seemed hesitant to join the fight. But he took a deep breath and sighed before nodding.

"Yes, I am in position," Peter-1 said as he prepared to lure Kang into the trap. "Everyone, get out of the way on three."

"Got it," V.I.V.I.A.N. said as she kept her beam on Kang to distract him.

"Just say when!" Courtney cried.

"Three..." Peter-38 counted down.

"Two..." Ollie continued.

Peter-1 shouted, "One!" and then leapt into action.

The kids all got out of the way as Peter-1 came flying and swung in to charge up a powerful strike to send Kang over to a small point on the floor they had created to cause Kang to fall to the first floor. That would either kill him or knock him down enough to give them the chance to detain him. Honestly, with the fate of the universe currently hanging in the balance, there was no real way this was going to end the way that they would like it with murder not being an option.

The tension in the air was palpable as Peter-1 drew his arm back, his fist clenched tightly as he prepared to strike Kang. All eyes were fixated on the scene, awaiting the outcome with bated breath. With a sudden burst of energy, Peter-1 unleashed the punch, aiming straight for Kang's helmet. The impact was deafening; the sound of metal meeting metal echoed throughout the room.

To everyone's shock, Kang barely flinched. His helmet remained unscathed, barely a dent in sight. The force of the punch had been absorbed by his suit, leaving him unharmed. Meanwhile, Peter-1 recoiled in pain, clutching his hand as if in agony. It felt as if he had broken his hand, something that hadn't happened to him in a long time.

The two stood there, facing each other in stunned silence. Even Kang was surprised by the turn of events. He had anticipated the punch and had prepared his suit to absorb the impact. But he hadn't expected it to be so powerful that it would leave Peter-1 injured. The room was silent, the tension thick as the two adversaries stared each other down, neither one willing to make the first move.

"That was unexpected," Kang said in surprise. Then out of nowhere, he reached out and grabbed Peter-1 by the throat and lifted him, using his holographic platform to lift them both up. "No super strength. No spider senses. Why is that?"

Then out of nowhere, a plasma blast came from the window, sending both of them flying. Peter-1 tumbled and rolled on the ground, while Kang repeated the process. However, the difference was Peter-1 was currently struggling to stand back up, whereas Kang was crawling his way back up and ready to go for a second round. Shooting several beams of energy towards Hiccup, Toothless, Heather, and Windshear, he missed as Ray Palmer was flying his way up to try and fight Kang.

While Ray flew upward and Kang was distracted, he punched him right in the face, stunning Kang. For a guy who claimed to know how everything was going to end, he was awfully off guard for a lot of these attacks. Felicia Hardy and Peter Parker from the Legends crew made their way towards Peter-1 and quickly helped him to his feet.

Felicia said to him, "Come on, we gotta move!" They both helped him run and find a way to escape.

V.I.V.I.A.N. flew in and tried to fight back, but Kang was now back to full power and managed to stop her midflight, and then threw her into the ground, sending her falling all the way to the ground level. Kang then felt the ground crack, and Peter-38 came blasting through and shot webbing to wrap around Kang and stop him. The webbing didn't hold for very long as Kang broke his way out of it and then sent a blast towards him, only for Oliver to come and tackle Kang.

Ollie was the first to officially get a punch in on Kang as he went directly for his mask. But Kang then punched Ollie, sending him skidding only for him to use the mechanical arms in his suit to stop him from going further. Peter-38 then shot out repulsor blasts towards Kang before he could get a hit on the kid, that only ended with Kang turning his direction towards Peter-38 as he readied to shoot him. But Ollie webbed his arm and yanked, causing the beam to hit the ground, causing it to shake the entire foundation of the building.

Ray flew in as he shot several blasts at Kang, who then backhanded him and sent him flying. Noah Devore then came flying in as he then released his entire arsenal of weaponry toward Kang to try and stop him. However, that didn't work in their favor as Kang manipulated every piece of weaponry that he sent flying toward him and sent it directly toward the heroes, also creating a cloud of smoke in the process to hide them.

As MJ watched the battle rage across the entire Triskellion, she realized that this battle was lost, and they needed to start working on evacuation plans. That meant that she now needed a way of moving everyone to another location, which seemed practically impossible. However, she also started getting alerts that something else was happening and was confused by the readings.

Bloodwork unleashed his own powers in the form of dark tendrils that snaked through the air, reaching out to ensnare the Green Arrow. Oliver swiftly rolled to the side, narrowly evading the deadly grasp. He retaliated by firing a specialized arrow tipped with a vial of liquid nitrogen at Bloodwork. The freezing blast caught the villain off guard, momentarily slowing him down.

The battle raged on, with Oliver's arrows finding their mark and his acrobatic maneuvers keeping him one step ahead of the relentless zombies. Enraged by the setback, Bloodwork channeled his powers to mutate the undead, making them faster and more resilient.

Undeterred, Oliver adapted his tactics, utilizing explosive arrows to create barriers between himself and the horde. The blasts temporarily halted the zombies' advance, granting him a moment to catch his breath and assess the situation. He knew he had to strike at the heart of the problem.

With a determined glint in his eye, the Green Arrow unleashed a volley of arrows directly at Bloodwork. Each arrow was meticulously aimed, targeting the villain's vital points. Bloodwork, sensing the imminent danger, summoned a shield of blood to protect himself. But Oliver knew his enemy's weakness.

Utilizing a special type of arrow loaded with an electrical charge, the Green Arrow unleashed a powerful surge of electricity upon the shield. The shield crackled and shattered, leaving Bloodwork exposed. Sensing his vulnerability, Oliver prepared to finish the fight.

Holding an arrow that glowed with a bright multiversal cure, Oliver aimed it straight at Ramsey and declared, "Ramsey Rosso... you have failed this city!" With precision, he let go of the arrow, watching as it flew towards its target. The sound of impact echoed through the empty rooms of the Triskellion as Ramsey cried out in agony, realizing that his plans had been thwarted.

As the arrow flew straight into Rosso's chest, it released a shockwave of green energy that cleaned the entire multiverse of his infected cells. The perk of being the Specter. As Bloodwork hit the ground in a puddle of goo, the remaining zombies lost their coordination, their bloodlust fading away.

Angelica was sent flying and smashed into a construction site, causing her to groan. She forgot she wasn't as powerful as her mother, and her father's powers weren't doing her any favors. Zod came flying down and shot lasers toward Angelica as she used a web to quickly dodge and maneuver around the construction site. Grabbing a piece of steel, she leapt down and screamed as she slammed it into Zod, who only ended up taking the full force of the steel pipe.

Anjelica sighed as fighting Zod was taking a lot out of her. "Okay...I should have swapped with Karen."

Zod then suddenly moved faster than Anjelica's senses could have alerted her, and he grabbed her by the throat. He raised Anjelica off of the ground and began to crush her throat. He made the experience slow and painful for Anjelica as she desperately tried to break free.

"You will learn to kneel before the might of Zod," he proclaimed to her.

Suddenly, as if it had appeared out of nowhere, a breach opened and a speedster came rushing in, slamming into Zod at top speed. Anjelica was dropped and managed to catch her breath after Zod dropped her, and she was shocked when she saw another speedster appear and save her life, wondering where she had come from.

Avery Ho, the Speedster of Earth-2, ran in and started smashing Zod through several buildings, trying to take him down. Zod immediately began using his heat vision to try and kill her, but Avery used her speed to spin him around and slam him into the ground. Avery then grabbed him again and kept ramming him into the buildings, dragging his face against the walls.

Dawn managed to catch up to Corrupted Sub-Zero as he used an ice slide to quickly traverse the city. However, she was using her speed to run around and up the buildings to manage to escape the blasts of ice he sent their way. When she was chasing after Aster, she suddenly got an idea and sped so she was running ahead of him. Then she made a U-turn and began to run up and around the Washington Monument as she used the top of it as a launching pad. She flew across the sky and made a beeline straight for Sub-Zero. Even when Sub-Zero tried to shoot at her, she was already built up with so much momentum that she managed to tackle him and the two ended up crashing into several cars with their momentum.

Dawn let out a low groan as she struggled to stand up, feeling a sharp pain in her kneecap. As she looked down, she saw tiny shards of glass embedded in her skin. She winced as she gingerly probed the wound, trying to determine the extent of the damage. With a deep breath, she braced herself and yanked out the glass fragments one by one, gritting her teeth against the searing pain.

She knew that she couldn't run until the wounds had healed, so she stood there, feeling vulnerable and exposed. Her heart raced as she glanced around, trying to assess her surroundings. That's when she noticed Sub-Zero, slowly but steadily crawling to his feet, his cold blue eyes fixed on her. Despite the pain in her leg, Dawn knew she had to be ready for whatever came next. She braced herself for the worst as Sub-Zero began to march towards her.

Dawn tried to get through to Aster and Sub-Zero. "Aster. Sub-Zero. I know you guys are in there." She said. "Come on, you can fight this."

Bloodwork spoke through Sub-Zero. "They can't hear you; they're gone."

"No, I don't believe that," Dawn said, denying the statement. "Come on, guys. You fought Killer Frost, survived Cable, beat the odds, and became heroes. You can beat this!"

Dawn watched in horror as the hero she knew so well was suddenly overcome by the influence of Bloodwork's infection. His body became rigid and unresponsive, his arm lashing out towards her in a violent motion. But then, a glimmer of hope appeared as his arm suddenly seemed to gain a mind of its own, moving to block the attack aimed in Dawn's direction. It was as if the hero's true self was fighting back against the infection, struggling to regain control of his own body. After a tense few moments, the hero and his body finally managed to emerge victorious, successfully breaking free from Bloodwork's hold and reclaiming their autonomy.

"Whew! There's only so much room in one body for so many people." Sub-Zero exclaimed as he looked around. "Where the hell are we?"

Back in the city, Barry and Thawne were still tearing through the streets as they tried to outrun the dozens of Weirdmageddon creatures that were still haunting the area. Barry led the way, zigzagging through the city as Thawne struggled to keep up. Suddenly, Thawne saw an opportunity and took a shortcut, which allowed him to ram into Barry, sending him flying into a nearby car on the freeway.

Despite the setback, Barry quickly got back up and swung at Thawne, but his nemesis was too quick and managed to dodge his attack. However, Barry didn't give up and landed a powerful punch in Thawne's gut, causing him to stumble backward. Barry continued to pummel his foe with several punches to the face, but Thawne refused to stay down.

In a desperate move, Thawne grabbed Barry by the chest and dragged him against one of the cars. Barry managed to break free and sped off down the street, trying to find a way to escape. However, Thawne was hot on his heels and punched him in the face, his Negative Speed Force enhanced by his alliance with Bill Cipher and his Henchmaniacs.

That was when Thawne was suddenly entrapped inside of a green forcefield, followed by Jessica Cruz flying down and revealing she was holding the Reverse Flash. "Hey, Barry."

"Jessica." Barry sighed in relief. "Where'd you come from?"

"From our new base," Jessica said as a portal opened, coming from Joey who was out rescuing everyone. "Come on, we'll take this guy with us." She was referring to Thawne.

Zod's fist finally connected with Avery's body, sending her flying through the air. Despite the force of the blow, Avery managed to quickly recover thanks to her incredible healing abilities. She darted back towards Zod with lightning-fast speed, determined to stop him at any cost. Zod unleashed his deadly laser vision, but Avery was too quick, expertly dodging each beam. She closed the distance between them in a blur, striking Zod with a swift punch. She retreated just as quickly, preparing for another strike.

The pattern repeated, with Avery darting in and out, landing punches on Zod each time. However, Zod was a cunning opponent, and he quickly recognized Avery's strategy. He managed to anticipate her movements and grabbed her by the throat. It seemed like the end for Avery, but in a split second, she used her incredible powers to phase through Zod's grip and down through the ground below. When she managed to escape, she sped off and made her way out of Washington and towards the new base so she could regroup with everyone else.

Back down below, Kang was watching from every direction, the smoke messing with his readings, and he couldn't seem to locate where they were striking from next. Out of nowhere, Riri came flying out and smashed into Kang and punched him in the face. When she did, she then used her repulsers and technology to try and keep up, only for Kang to throw her backward, into part of the wall and shake the foundation once again. That was what Kang was hoping for as the EMP arrow from Mia a while back then came falling from the ceiling and landed right in Kang's hands. When Riri came flying to strike Kang again, he threw the arrow at her and caused Riri to lose control of her suit and crash into the ground in pain.

Ollie crawled back up to his feet and seemed to be prepared for another round against Kang as he sighed. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

"What?" Ollie went to mock him. "You afraid that you'll lose?"

Kang seemed to have started to have enough of this boy as he shot several blasts towards Ollie. He however used his suit's technology to dodge the blasts and then went right towards Kang once again. Kang however kicked Ollie in the chest, sending him crashing. When Ollie tried to crawl back up, Kang stepped on his mask, causing it to crack. With one more stomp to the face, Ollie managed to crawl away fast enough so he could rip his mask off as it was now too damaged to use anymore. Before he could even try and consider going at it again, Kang punched him in the face, causing Ollie to receive a broken nose in the process. Hit after hit, Kang was not letting up as he smashed Ollie into the ground.

"You honestly thought you could beat me?" Kang asks as he clutches Ollie by the chest of his suit. "You're a child."

Before Kang could deliver the final blow, America Chavez came through a portal of her making and punched Kang in the face, sending him toppling. Chavez wasn't letting up as she punched Kang in the face and ended up opening portals across the multiverse with every hit. She tried to get Kang to fall through one of them, hoping that would finally get him out of their base. But when Kang finally caught her fist, he smiled with a giant grin. He grabbed Chavez by the throat and started to choke her.

Out of nowhere another breach opened up out of nowhere and Rick came running out and tackled Kang (very original) to the ground. He managed to punch Kang and even broke his mask and suit in the process so he couldn't use his weapons anymore. But Kang then grabbed Rick by the throat and punched him in the face, and while Rick did have super strength, it didn't come with the durability.

"I thought we stopped you already," Rick stated.

"In one timeline, you win," Kang confirmed as he marched towards Rick. "But every time that you win..." Rick took a swing to try and hit him, but Kang dodged it and punched Rick in the face again. "You create five timelines where you lose to me!" Then he punched Rick in the face again. "Creating infinite amounts of me! I can never die! And if you kill me, you will only break reality."

"What does that mean?" Rick wasn't sure if he was too hurt to follow or if he wasn't making any sense as he tried to attack.

"Ask your Martain friend who rescued her and Karen Staar from their moments of crisis," Kang stated as he grabbed Rick's fist. Then he looked down at Rick's hourglass and grabbed it. With one swift motion, he shot Rick and sent him flying, whilst ripping the Hourglass off of his neck. "We've had some fun times in our youth, Rick." He reveled in the history that he knew about the members of Earth-2. "But we all know without this..." Kang then clutched the hourglass and shattered it with his strength. "You're nothing!"

"No!" Rick cried as he saw the hourglass be broken in front of him.

Kang then dropped the pieces of the hourglass on the ground and watched them fall. Then when he was approaching Rick to finish him, a forcefield came out of thin air and struck Kang. Several more came out of thin air and kept on hitting Kang, and that was followed by several more punches coming out of thin air. Violet Parr was using her powers to get close, as she then covered Kang in a forcefield, and then flung him around.

Elsa then came in and used her powers to freeze Kang inside of the forcefield so that when Violet stopped using her powers, he would still be trapped inside. Elsa turned to Rick and saw that he was hurt and gestured to Violet.

"Get him out of here! We'll hold him off!" Elsa said as her husband joined the fight.

Violet nodded as she ran over to grab Rick and a portal opened from Dr. Strange (Joey), leading them to somewhere that MJ was evacuating everyone to. Thanks to Joey and Chavez, getting everyone out was a bit easier than expected. Seeing Rick eyeing the pieces of the Hourglass, she quickly scooped the pieces up using her force fields and dragged them into the portal with them.

"Man, there are a lot of things going on right now," Peter-118 said in pain as he dropped to his knees to catch his breath. But then he grew concerned for his daughter and knew she was in danger. "Where's Mary?"

"She's still in there." Elsa gestured to the daycare as she was holding Kang back.

"Mary!" Peter cried as he ran over to the daycare.

"Daddy!" Mary was overjoyed to be back with her father. "What's happening."

"We're getting out of here," Peter-118 told his kid. "Come on." He then raced over past Elsa who was keeping Kang back. "Elsa! Let's go!"

Elsa stopped using her powers and ran towards the exit, only for Kang to explode the ice that was holding him in seconds, sending Peter, Elsa, and Mary skidding and falling. When they tried to get out to the portal, Peter and Elsa were suddenly grabbed from the necks and dragged over to Kang. They were being choked and could barely fight back without their breath or even gravity working with them.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Mary cried in terror when she saw they were dying.

"Mary!" Peter-118 choked out. "Run!"

Mary's heart pounded with fear, causing her to hesitate before making a move. As she stood rooted to the spot, a strange and powerful force seemed to emanate from deep within her. Suddenly, the Symbiote began to engulf her body, sensing her fear and determined to protect her from any danger that might threaten her safety.

Elsa and Peter were taken aback by the unexpected turn of events. They watched in amazement as Kang remained completely oblivious to the unfolding drama. This presented an opportunity for Elsa and Peter to turn the situation to their advantage, but they knew they had to act fast before the Symbiote consumed Mary completely.

"Leave...my mommy and daddy..."

Mary's frustration grew as the Symbiote manipulated her emotions to bend her to its will. Gradually, she was consumed by its influence, and the Venom suit revealed itself to be unlike any version that had been seen before. The suit's torso was entirely black, with gleaming red lenses for eyes. Its sleeves and legs were a deep, blood-red hue, while its boots and gloves were jet black. A massive, striking red spider logo emblazoned itself across Mary's chest, completing the transformation. Kang finally noticed something as he turned towards the child, but was shocked at what he was seeing.

"...ALONE!"

Mary's body was completely overtaken by the symbiote's intense rage, and she felt herself being propelled into action. Her fists transformed into massive blades, sharp and deadly, as she lunged forward to attack Kang. Kang, caught off guard, instinctively raised his hands to defend himself. But it proved to be a grave mistake, as Mary seized the opportunity to strike at his vulnerable hands, causing him to cry out in agony and stumble backward.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Mary then used one of her tentacles to wrap it tightly around Kang's body, crushing him with immense force. The impact was so powerful that it sent shockwaves through the ground, causing it to quake and shake violently. Finally, Mary's incredible burst of energy was spent, and she collapsed, completely drained and exhausted.

Peter-118, who had been watching the brutal confrontation from a distance, quickly sprang into action and caught Mary before she hit the ground. He could see that she had pushed herself to the limit, and he knew that she needed time to recover from the intense battle.

"Never piss off a super-powered emotionally strong kid," Peter-118 said as he picked Mary up. Elsa and Chavez then got back up as they saw the portal closing. "Let's go."

Elsa and Peter were making their way toward the exit, their hearts racing with anticipation of finally escaping the danger that had been looming over them. As they were about to pass through the door, Chavez, who had been following them closely, suddenly heard a rustling noise behind her and turned around to find Kang, who had grabbed her jacket and was now holding her captive. Elsa and Peter quickly realized what was happening and immediately sprang into action, ready to go back and rescue their friend from the clutches of the enemy. But before they could move, their attention was drawn to Zod, who had suddenly emerged from the shadows, blocking their path and threatening to foil their escape plan.

"We can't go back," Elsa said worriedly. "We have to close the portal."

Peter-118 asked, "What about Chavez?"

"We need to worry about that later," Elsa said. "Joey!"

Joey's eyes widened as he quickly assessed the situation. Chavez was in danger, and he had to act fast. Without hesitation, he reached for the portal controls and slammed them shut, effectively trapping Chavez on the other side while Kang closed in on her.

As Joey watched from the safety of his side of the portal, he felt a mix of fear and guilt wash over him. He knew he had just left Chavez to face the wrath of Kang alone, but he had no other choice. He could only hope that Chavez would be able to hold her own against the powerful conqueror.

Meanwhile, Kang towered over Chavez, his face twisted into a cruel smile. Chavez frantically scrambled to her feet; her eyes locked on Kang's imposing figure. She knew she was no match for him, but she refused to give up without a fight.

As Kang closed in on her, Chavez summoned all her strength and launched herself at him, fists flying. But it was no use. Kang effortlessly dodged her attacks and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off the ground.

Joey watched in horror as Kang tightened his grip on Chavez, his face contorted with rage. He knew he had to do something to help her, but he was powerless to act. All he could do was wait and hope that Chavez would somehow find a way to escape Kang's grasp. Then, he closed the portal and left his friend behind, even though he didn't want to do so. But this wasn't the end; it was merely the beginning.

Zod looked toward Kang and saw him holding Chavez. "We must hunt them down."

"Forget them," Kang declared, watching as the eye bats carried the captured heroes to the Fearamid. "We have what we came for."

As they looked at the new location where they were now hiding out, they saw it was a new location that they called the Lighthouse. The only ones to make it through were Ray Palmer, Oliver, Peter Parker-118-1-38, Elsa, Rick, Maybelle, Yolanda, Barry, Courtney, Mary, Violet, Garrick, Mia, Kitty, Lockheed, Caitlin-S, MJ, Kara, Jessica Cruz, Karen, and a few new arrivals from Earth-2 who came to save them in the form of Avery Ho and Joey Zarick. All of the rest of the heroes were left behind or captured by the Eye Bats. Luckily, they also captured Bloodwork and Thawne. They had a place to put them with power-dampening cells in the facility.

Peter-38 says in shock, "Is this all that's left?"

"No, it's okay," Ray said. "A handful of us escaped on the Waverider."

"How many?" Caitlin-S asks.

"About...seven." Ray was sorry to say. "Emily, Morgan, Teresa, Yolanda, Felicia, Peter, and herself. Kitty got the twins, my, so they're okay."

"Oh, thank God!" MJ exclaimed. She had been worried that she had left the twins behind in the chaos. But she was glad her friend had rescued them. "I sent them coordinates, so they should be here soon."

"What is this place?" Ronnie asks as he and Caitlin walk out of the newly established medical bay, while the rest of the team remains in the Framework.

"Well, you see..." A voice called, causing them to turn and face someone coming out of the shadows. It was Phil Coulson. Albeit much older than the counterparts they knew. This was the Coulson that had raised Peter for years. "That is a bit complicated." Everyone was confused as to why he was there and what was going on. "Just tell me one thing. What the hell did my son get himself into this time?"

"Grandpa Coulson?" Maybelle was shocked to see the man who had raised her father, whom she never got the chance to meet.

"We'll give you the recap soon, Phil," MJ says as she approaches the team responsible for taking Kang down. "What happened out there?"

"That's what I wanna know," Peter-38 said as he eyed his doppelganger. "Why didn't your powers work?"

Caitlin's concern grew as she noticed Peter-1 wincing in pain; prompting her to approach him to figure out what was wrong. As she felt his ribs, she was horrified to discover that they were broken. The last time she had felt something similar was when Peter-1 had gone up against formidable foes like Zoom or perhaps even Cicada or Savitar—all of whom were able to match his strength. But this time, it was different. This time, he was up against Kang, someone who was seemingly more powerful than anyone Peter-1 had ever faced before. Caitlin watched as Peter flinched with every breath, and she knew that this was not like Peter-1 at all. He was usually strong, resilient, and able to withstand the toughest of battles, but he was acting like…

Ronnie asked, "Pete, what's going on?" as he grew increasingly concerned for his friend.

"Peter...is there something you want to say?" Caitlin asks him.

Peter gave her a sympathetic look as he looked over to Mayday who was being held by Caitlin-S. It seemed she could also sense something was wrong with her father and he sighed. "There's something that I never told you guys." He then looked to everyone from Earth Prime. "My powers...they're dying."

As the bustling streets of Washington continued with the chaos and burning, Dawn and Aster made their way through the empty streets. Well, empty if you didn't count the insane creatures roaming and the rest of the Henchmainaics who were still hunting any surviving heroes.

"Okay, what's the plan now?" Aster asks.

"Well, Tommy, April, and Hope were heading for that place." Dawn gestured towards the Citadel. "Maybe Tina is there. That will give us a few new players to help us fight against these guys."

Sub-Zero took control of the body for a moment. "That doesn't sound like much of a plan."

Dawn was getting a little irritated with him. "You got a better plan?"

Sub-Zero took a second and saw her point. "I'll shut up."

Dawn nodded as Aster took control of his body again. "Alright, come on."

As they were sneaking around to make their way for the Citadel, an unexpected phenomenon occurred. A bright and radiant flash of golden light illuminated the immediate vicinity and caught the attention of the passersby. Within the glow of the light, an old face emerged out of thin air, shrouded in an aura of mystery. She was adorned in a vibrant purple jacket, emblazoned with a lightning bolt symbol on her chest, reminiscent of Barry's signature emblem. Her eyes were concealed behind a mask, leaving only a hint of intrigue and curiosity in their wake.

She looked around and revealed that it was none other than Nora West-Allard who had returned. She looked around the area she was in and at all the chaos surrounding her. She looked over and noticed Dawn and Aster, wondering who these people were.

"She with you?" Aster asks Dawn.

Dawn was completely confused when she heard that. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, she's got your family crest," Aster quipped, considering that the new girl was wearing a flashing symbol.

"Excuse me." Nora called out to the two of them, causing them to look towards her. "My name is Nora. Uh, I know this is going to sound strange, but I just came from another universe." That explains a few things. "I was supposed to return to my home universe. And I ended up from the Statue of Liberty to here." She looked around and was seriously confused. "Where am I?"