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The Redeemer
Chapter 46: Corrupt mode unleashed
The corrupt form/corrupt mode: A state that those empowered by the spiritual realm, such as spirit knights, can undergo, overriding the limits of their powers at the cost of a warped personality or berserker fury.
Lazlo Collins/Albion Corrupt Form: Murdred-The gold armour turns black and Lazlo's accumulated light turns into dark clouds.
Kyle/Azure Eagle Corrupt form: The Bolt Crow-Bladed feathers are replaced with bone like wings and skeletal armour-wind pillars converted into lightning bolts.
Rick/The Brute corrupt form: The Savage-Muscles further expand and intelligence is completely lost, replaced by blind fury and enhanced strength to the point of muscles tearing.
Siegfried Wallace/Victory peace corrupt form: Black and red demonic armour covers body, mutated sword is formed and Sieg is driven into a berserker fury.
Sven Reilly/Aeon corrupt form: Onyx-Black version of Aeon's armoured form and becomes/seeks to become the embodiment of evil.
Cade Hunter/Deathblade Corrupt form: Permanently in corrupt form.
Virgil Wallace Corrupt form: Data pending…
The dust seemed to settle for a moment as the Multiversal army looked over the great crater that the Shazam family had formed.
"Now that's a final blow," Freddy Freeman said, high fiving his younger counterpart.
"Is it finally over? All right, who wants to get ice cream?" Darla asked.
"I'm up for that," the white haired and garbed Captain Marvel said, smiling at the foster sister he never had on his world.
"There still remains the issue of Onyx's forces, don't worry, I'll deploy my empire to those Earths, we'll bring peace to them," Mark said.
"You mean clear out Onyx's forces, send his generals back to their own realities?" Captain Carter asked.
"Some of those Earths were already terrible places, why should we stop at just destroying Onyx's forces?" Terra asked.
"Because there is a limit to how much one should interfere, intervention should never become occupation," T'Challa said.
"We do it all the time, the Viltrumite empire would bring peace to those universes, as we have in ours," Mark said.
"It sounds more like you forced peace, even it went against the development of other species," T'Challa countered.
"How many cultures were destroyed along the way, because they wouldn't accept your gifts?" Kahhori asked, frowning at Mark and his Viltrumites.
"We aren't Europe or America, what we do is right," Mark said.
"Of course, you have the power so you have the right to use it to make things the way you want them to be," Homelander said.
"Okay, now we know it's wrong when this asshole says it," Billy pointed out.
"There will be interventions but no occupations, we will not change the natural course of worlds, we will save people, but they get to determine the paths of their worlds, not us," Calvin said.
The President and Superman of his world, despite his wounds, stood tall and unwavering and even looked as if he would fight the emperor of the Viltrums. And he wasn't alone, Supreme stood by his side.
"I tried idealism on my world, you've seen the sacrifice that has to be made because of that, in the end killing is sometimes the only way," Mark explained calmly.
"Is that so?"
The heroes collectively widened their eyes as the sky began to darken. They looked at their surroundings, trying to find any trace of the man they assumed had been defeated.
"Practicality winning out over idealism, execution as just punishment, or as viable solution, such a thing may apply to a mortal foe, to a physical foe…" Onyx mused, his voice echoing around them.
Homelander, Supreme, Calvin, they all tried to detect some trace of Onyx through their enhanced senses. But they couldn't hear him, and for a moment they wondered if Onyx was projecting his voice through telepathy.
"But whoever said that I was a purely physical foe? And I'm not talking about psychokinetic energy, we believe that there is a physical embodiment of death, a skull lady in a hood, or a girl with a friendly smile."
"Is that what you want Onyx, to become the embodiment of evil?" T'Challa asked.
"Well congratulations, billions are dead, you've spread your name across the Multiverse, you're the new devil," Peggy said, raising her shield, ready to fight.
"One does not need to kill in order to become a concept, all one must do is convince the world that they exist, like any religion does…" Onyx's voice drifted as lightning flashed.
Atom Eve formed swords with her energy, stepping back and then feeling her back touch something. A body standing over her, black and gold cloak flapping in the wind, a lightning bolt glowing on his armour chest. She was ready to turn and attack Onyx when she heard his voice again.
"You and Mark got to have your happy ending, peace across the universe, and lo and behold you're immortal, capable of de aging your cells in order to stay young. Yet the wisdom of Solomon proposes the question, why? Why did that work? What is the source of your power? The wisdom answers with another question Eve, did you ever wonder what it was like for your friend 'Rex', living as a brain in a jar?"
"Mark," Eve whispered, a tear falling down her cheek.
Clap!
Black gauntleted hands slammed into Eve's head, obliterating it and generating an electronic shockwave that knocked the heroes back. Mark looked towards his wife's headless corpse, just as Onyx took Eve's hands and began dancing with her.
"One word to save the world, but the same word can bring misery and pain, Shazam!" Onyx declared.
The lightning came down from the sky, slamming Mark into the ground. Terra screamed with tears in her eyes, flying straight for Onyx. He span however with his dance partner, hitting Terra with her mother's body and shattering it, coating Terra with her mother's blood before Onyx grabbed her throat.
"Shazam!" lightning came down again, hitting Terra's back, burning her costume and shattering the lenses on her mask.
"Shazam!" Onyx electrified Terra's body again, throwing her across the planet.
Kahhori ran out of Terra's way, the Viltrumite princess slammed into Mr Majestic and both knocked T'Challa and Carter to the side.
"Shazam!" Onyx fired a bolt at Freddy, turning him back into the short, curly haired boy with a crutch.
"Shazmmmffff!" fear spread across Freddy's face as his mouth was covered by Onyx's hand.
He looked at the villain's 'Shazam' form fully revealed; even his visor had the shapes of lightning bolts across it. Suddenly, red laser beams ripped through Freddy's chest and struck Onyx.
"FREDDY!" Billy screamed.
His focus turned to Homelander, the man's eyes glowing from his attempt to attack Onyx through his human shield.
"He was just a fucking cripple that's all, he wasn't…" Homelander never got to finish his sentence, as Mary and Darla punched him so hard in the face that he flew across the wasteland.
The power of Zeus crackled in Onyx's hands, he looked over his shoulder at the heroes.
"If you had been half the hero you should have been Billy Batson, your foster family wouldn't be here, they wouldn't be dying around you," he stated.
Onyx traded blows with both versions of Shazam's champion. Captain Marvel charged his fists with lightning whilst Billy ran with the speed of mercury, trying to punch Onyx. Onyx however struck first, cracking his armour with a punch that Billy essentially ran into. He then grabbed Billy by his hood, knocking Captain Marvel away and sending him flying into the High. Spinning around, Onyx built up his speed until he was able to discern where the darting forms of Darla and Kahhori had gone to. Kahhori, who had absorbed the power of the space stone on her world, moved like a speedster, but when Onyx threw Billy, Shazam's champion obliterated her right leg and slammed into his foster sister's head so hard that she would get a concussion.
"SHAZAM!" Onyx yelled.
He focused the lighting as his cloak burned behind him, his armour shifting until it became a sword that focused the wizard's magic. Then he flew across the planet, hitting the constructs of Green Lantern Corps members. The Earth One Hal Jordan just barely blocked Onyx's strike with a shield construct, watching in horror as Onyx immediately turned and cut through Mightyman. Green beams came down from the sky, followed by photon bombs. The ground was being glassed, forcing the Guardians of the Multiverse to retreat.
"Kahhori," Carter whispered before she stepped through the portal.
"Don't worry, I'll get her," Gamora said.
The daughter of Thanos ran and jumped across the warzone. She landed near Kahhori, using her double sided blade to deflect the friendly fire. Tucking Kahhori underneath her arm, she nodded to the woman who changed her world. Before Gamora could jump though, Onyx's blade pierced through her chest and the rebel alliance bombs consumed them. T'Challa and Peggy looked at where their team mates were in horror before a shockwave knocked them through the portal.
Mark Grayson screamed, a sound that was blotted out by space.
Massive-Verse
Invincible felt a tear roll down his cheek, he couldn't explain why but he felt sad. Even as he was faced with the imminent threats around him, he still couldn't help himself, he wept for something he was sure he had lost.
"Total honour to meet you by the way, stopped watching Walking Dead after they killed you off," Radiant Black said.
Mark could feel the energy pouring out of the new hero, even as portals opened and demons came out of hiding. Several demons though were smashed together, blood showering across the floor.
"No fair, changing where we fight isn't part of the rules, send us back," Giant flicked the blood off of his gloves and stomped towards Invincible and Radiant Black.
Radiant Black fired an energy blast from his hand, hitting Giant and knocking him back slightly. Invincible flew through several demons, punching their heads off and looking towards the black clad teenager on the ground. The four eyed boy was as still as a statue, even through the chaos and flames around him. He didn't move, even as Giant stomped over him.
"No fair, stop shining that light in my face," the mutated child said, swatting at Radiant Black.
"Light is kind of my thing, I could really turn it up if you life, but wait, you're a giant, one eyed monster dude…"
"DON'T CALL ME MONSTER! JUST GIANT!" the behemoth slapped Radiant Black to he ground.
Invincible swooped over Radiant, intercepting Giant's fist and protecting the hero. Virgil's hands twitched for a moment as he looked up at the sky, universes reflecting off of his four eyes. Then he blinked, and he was looking at different universes, universes with apes instead of humans, planets of transforming robots, anthropomorphic animals, fifth dimensional beings, sixth dimensional beings and gods of mythology like Odin and Zeus, gods of literature or imagining like Cthulu and the Valar, cosmic gods like Darkseid and Galactus and antithesis of gods such as Lucifer and Mephisto. His body shook as he turned towards the fight between Radiant Black, Invincible and Giant. The giant had multiple variations, some with skin like the hulk, some with two eyes, some that looked like storybook ogres. The variants of Invincible were spread across multiple timelines reflected in Virgil's eyes. A Mohawk Invincible, an Invincible in a cloak yellow and black costume, one Invincible in a tracksuit version of his outfit, a grey clothed Viltrumite Invincible, and an older Invincible who declared himself emperor and was locked in merciless combat with Onyx.
Heavy growls and panting escaped from Virgil's nose, he stepped back, almost recoiling in pain as his fingers twitched, coming up to his head to grip it. He looked at Radiant Black, and even his four eyes could only see two, two possible men beneath the mask, two possible timelines but heroes in both. It was the comforting possibility that for at least one hero in the Multiverse, no matter who was underneath the mask, they were in their own ways heroes. Then instinct took over and Vincent unleashed his anti-matter powers.
Westview
Wanda sat on her chair with the camera aimed at her. She had a tired expression, and an even more tired smile.
"Kids," she huffed. "I mean I was difficult too, so, so difficult for my mom and dad, they didn't have it easy, and there was Pietro there too," she sighed.
"You see Zack is the way he is because he doesn't have a positive male role model, no father, no big brother, and he's desperate for it. We all want to look up to someone right? I'm his mother, who better to look up to than me?"
The scene shifted and revealed Clint Barton sitting with his wife Laura. The subtitles showed their names underneath them.
"I mean Wanda has my complete sympathy, because it is difficult raising three kids," Clint said.
"Oh we know it, but we just make it work," Laura said, the couple grabbing one another's hands.
Again the scene shifted, showing Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes.
"I mean Wanda's situation is a particularly unique one, the closest I can think of is my sister and her kids, my nephews have the best mom that they could ask for and I'm there for them every time," Sam explained.
"Does he say anything or does he just stare?" one of the crew members asked, the camera panning on Bucky's deadpan expression.
Outside the house though, everything appeared peaceful. It was anything but peaceful though as Zack walked the streets and found people stuck like statues. He flew across the sky, using his streams of energy to fly like a rocket. One state went by after another, his hair whipping from side to side with the wind, his lips going dry until he came to a stop. He floated in midair surrounded by scarlet energy.
"Oh no mom…Wanda," he corrected himself. "You consumed the entire world," he put his hands to his eyes, trying to wipe away his tears.
The cast of WandaVision had expanded, because the Hex itself had covered the entire planet. A giant red H suddenly flashed over the screen, followed by a menu with multiple options, titles for shows such as 'Attorney at Law', 'Legendary Star Lord', 'Wakanda Forever' and upcoming titles like 'Armour Wars', 'Ironheart' and documentaries.
These were the things that Peter Parker and Yelena Belova could see on Wong's TV at Kamar Taj.
"Man, a worldwide expansion of the Hex," Peter muttered, running his hands through his hair.
"And you guys didn't do anything about this…why?" Yelena asked in her heavy Russian accent.
"Believe it or not we respond to threats the world doesn't often know about," Wong said, shaking his head.
A sling ring portal suddenly opened, Dr Strange walked through with King(Queen) Valkyrie and Shang-Chi and his friend Katy.
"Oh wow, you guys got…Hexflix here?" Katy looked at the streaming platform in shock.
"We managed to get a shelter going in Egypt and another in Tokyo, but there aren't many safe places from the Hex left," Stephen Strange said.
"What took so long to respond to this?" Peter asked.
"A dark war is going on whilst our Earth struggles with its own conflict, another Dr Strange tried to recruit me into a Multiversal War, but I think this may actually be connected to it," Strange explained.
"Man, the Multiverse is real, I always thought it was some story Mysterio concocted," Peter said.
"Anyone with a brain could tell his footage of you was doctored malen'kiy pauk, then again anyone with a brain would also know Spider-man and Peter Parker are one and the same," Yelena winked at Peter as he blushed.
"Well my girlfriend certainly had one when she figured out," his comment made Yelena pout before a look of concern crossed his face. "MJ, Ned, my Aunt, everyone at my school is under the Hex, they can't move, they can't eat, is there anything we can do sir?" he asked Strange.
"Wanda is the Scarlet Witch, she has powers capable of warping reality but there should still be a limit, especially considering how new she is to these abilities," the sorcerer said.
"What if she isn't new to them in a way?" Shang-Chi asked, elaborating when everyone looked at him. "My dad would put me in real fights to test me, to gain experience by doing rather than text books or sparring."
"It was the same in the red room stick us in life and death situations, break our bones to make them stronger," Yelena said.
"You're suggesting that Wanda's experiences with Hydra, perhaps even the Avengers have been training her in a sense," Wong said.
"Helping her to come into her powers, the telekinesis, the illusions, what if it they were all just one ability, matter manipulation?" Peter asked.
"Reality manipulation," Strange corrected.
"Which is what she might upgrade to if we don't stop her," Wong said.
"Stopping her though, might actually doom our world," Strange said.
"What do you mean?" Katy asked.
"Before the hex consumed the world, something terrible arrived, and I think the worldwide Hex is the only thing keeping it from destroying our world," Strange stated.
Earth 616
"Life changes when one becomes a father, that has happened for me numerous times, and nearly every time I lost those children, you relate don't you old friend?"
Charles Xavier looked to his side, Magneto stood in his red and purple costume, juggling with his magnetic powers three helmets. The popular misconception, one that Erik himself encouraged, was that his helmet blocked psychic powers. Whilst true it was something he had designed his helmets to do, Erik had a natural ability to block telepathic scans and resist them, stemming not just from a strong mind but from his control of electromagnetic waves and the brief instance in his life that Erik had artificially induced psychic abilities. Charles though didn't need to read Magneto's mind to know what was bothering him, and to know why he was playing with his head gear.
The master of magnetism held the internal struggle of identity. Revolutionary, terrorist, madman, futurist, hero, villain, teacher, predator, father, failure, survivor or victim, so many faces, masks, personas that had twisted Erik's sanity. Once he went by the name Max, his entire community and family knew him by that name. He looked at his arm and without even rolling up his sleeve, Charles knew that Erik was looking at the numbers tattooed to his wrist. Numbers that represented everything he feared, everything he predicted about human nature and sadly everything he was right in saying about human nature.
One helmet was black and silver, to represent the darkness he was capable of, the man who ripped the Adamantium from Wolverine's skeleton, whilst holding the world hostage. Another helmet was white and silver, to represent the light that Erik had tried, the times he had tried to fight for Xavier's dream or some path that others could describe as heroic. Then there was the red and purple helmet, a look as old as their fight, the dream of coexistence against domination, peace vs. war and idealism against cold cynicism. Neither men had gone through life without failure, neither struggles could justify failure, not were either of their struggles to be dismissed.
"I failed my son and I have failed my X-men many a time," Charles said.
"You never outright tried to hurt them, Pietro, Wanda, Lorna, I don't know them as well as I should, I've hurt them all so much, Luna, William and Thomas, now Zack, they have every reason to doubt me, oh to be young and naïve again," Magneto sighed.
"It is hope old friend; can you not look at them and honestly tell me they do not fill you with hope?" Charles asked.
"I do feel hope, it is a feeling I do not wish to go away, but the brave are always the first to die," Erik said.
He kept on juggling the helmets as he hovered off the floor, cloak fluttering behind him. Charles lowered his head slightly, knowing his friend would do whatever he felt necessary, no matter how bloody the path to save his grandchildren. Magneto felt the familiar touch of his psychic friend, a gentle touch filled with a desperate hope, feeling his own desperation, for his grandchildren to not taste the same darkness he did.
"I accept it old friend."
"Accept what?" Magneto asked.
"That you were right," Charles said and Erik widened his eyes
"You have known humanity better than I ever could, your entire family, hunted and slaughtered, and not even for being mutants, you have known since childhood that humanity couldn't even make peace with eachother. Even as reality is on the brink, national and religious conflicts are still going on," Charles explained.
"How much time must go by, how many tragedies must occur before people are tired of the death and hatred, what must we do to be good enough? Must our grandchildren suffer simply to learn a lesson we should already have passed on to them?" Magneto asked.
"Have faith in them, be ready to fight with them, but do not give up on those that they believe in, there is a reason they believe," Charles said.
"I'll give them a little more time Charles, then I will take the choice out of their hands, as they have taken the choice out of mine," he gestured to the helmets, all of them rotated, wavering on darkness, on light and that path in between.
Only part of Charles feared the Magneto in the red and purple more than when he was in the white and black.
"Zack, Virgil, don't give up!" he reached out and relayed with his telepathy.
Massive-Verse
"I DON'T NEED THAT MESSAGE PROFESSOR!" Virgil roared.
Flames were hit by the anti-matter; portals that brought forth armies were consumed, erased. Virgil floated off of the ground, reaching out with his tendrils, wiping away flames across town. Invincible and Radiant Black flew back; the latter's light shining brighter as a cloak appeared around him.
"I thought that was some berseker or villain form, but he's…"
"He's controlling it, he's controlling his full power," images flashed before Mark's eyes of his own rage, his own unrestrained use of his power.
Virgil rushed forward, punching Giant in the face, the temporal energy driving him to different worlds spread across the Giant.
"You'd better go now," Radiant Black said and Invincible nodded.
Mark flew to Virgil and Giant, just as the temporal energy dragged them away. Through time streams they passed, potential futures of Invincible, and even the potential futures of the conflicts to come, and were happening right now.
The Older Mark repeatedly punched Onyx across the head, seemingly shattering his helmet and spreading the shards of his armour across the ground of a planet. Whilst on another world, Aeon unfused with Batman's batwing, taking Captain Marvel's hand and kicking Red Jocasta back. Green Lantern created a hammer and hit Jocasta in the back, sending her flying into Bromm's charged fists. Carol fired blasts from her hands, whilst Aeon unleashed his optic blast, hitting the Red Nimrod. Red Nimrod summoned pillars of molten rock, forcing Batman to swerve around them.
"Penny one, I'm going to need a little something from cold storage," Batman said over his radio.
"Most fortuitous sir, sending it now," Alfred Pennyworth said.
Invincible landed in his own world with an unconscious Giant, looking up at where Vincent once floated.
'He controlled it, his dark side, he controlled his worst nature,' Mark realised.
War Earth
Emperor Mark Grayson had every reason to not hold back, bringing his fists down on Onyx's armour form. The last spark of the power of Shazam faded, leaving only Onyx's base power. He tilted his exposed head, dodging Mark's punch and then countering with his own. Viltrumite's were tough, relying on their velocity to fight; half breeds like Mark had the added bonus of a human adrenaline system. They could fight longer than full blooded Viltrumite's could, but would suffer for it. Going on pure rage, Mark slammed his fist into Onyx's, the shockwave they unleashed created a cloud of dust across the planet. When the dust cleared, it revealed Onyx's exposed arm, bruised to the point that it had turned purple. He tilted back as Mark charged him again, slamming his fist into Mark's cheek, cuts spreading across the side of his arm whilst Mark's brain shook.
"You didn't save anyone you know," Onyx taunted.
He punched Mark in the face again, the armour across his left arm cracking as he did it. There was no energy, no godlike power, just raw strength, and not even the strength of a Viltrumite. The technique of his punch however and how he used Mark's own momentum against him was what made the real damage. Mark looked at Onyx in shock, realising that the villain was essentially fighting him as a human being.
"What you gained after a thousand years, was an empire, conquered states that only had hatred for your empire. An empire that had crippled them, denying them the chance to develop naturally, to accept universal morality, right and wrong, as part of their psychological and societal evolution. Peace? You guaranteed more wars for the years to come, because they were not shackled by chains, but by a white lie, that for their society to be great, they had to accept your conditions, if that isn't slavery, then what is?"
Black marks glowed across Onyx's body, he tightened his bruised and swollen hand into a fist, blood pouring out of it. The blood became flames as Onyx's eyes flashed, his skin turning as black as a shadow.
"This is what that outrage you created, that negativity your empire created feels like, tell me what it is, if you survive!"
His fist glowed as he and Mark met in close quarters combat again. He bent his knee at the last moment, Mark's fist going over his head, whilst his slammed into Mark's nose. There was a spark across Mark's body, a pulse that sailed through the Earth and even space itself. The blow resonated through Mark's blood, his daughter and son felt it, even a version of his father felt it. Then it reverberated across the Multiverse, to the younger Invincible and countless other alternatives of the hero. They gripped their heads in pain, feeling the force of Onyx's blow.
Essentially PTSD that echoed across the Multiverse.
"Shatter my armour, shatter my body, rend my flesh away and reveal my soul, reveal…my DEVIL FORM!" Onyx roared as his skin cracked.
Wings of energy burst out of his back, the energy expanding as he flew higher, until it spread across the planet like an aurora. His eyes burned like suns, wiping away his skin and armour in ribbons until there was only a shadow form left. Then he rushed forward, and the Watcher shed tears, seeing the lights of explosions, the dying lights of Lanterns. Supreme and Onyx grappled, the heroic icon yelled as he brought Onyx into his own universe, the Supreme verse. Many variations of Supreme gathered, eyes glowing before they attacked Onyx. He smashed open Supreme-of the Future's head, shattered Supreme-Gold, reduced Macro-Supreme to molten rock with his eye beams. Blocking the beams fired by Sister Supreme and Suprema, he was knocked back by King Supreme and the prime Supreme. Though they gained for a moment a physical advantage, the denizens of the Supremacy, the dimension that contained past iterations of Supreme, began to panic. They looked at their surroundings, their fortress, their utopia, and saw darkness spreading across it.
"HE'S FUSING WITH THE SUPREMACY!" Diane Dane screamed out to her lover.
Supreme picked Diane up just as Onyx unleashed a blast of energy from his hand, destroying much of the fortress, burying Supreme's supporting cast members of previous lives.
"We made a mistake bringing him here," the Superman analogue realised.
He looked at the love of his life Diane and smiled. They exchanged a final kiss before Supreme flew alongside Suprema and his dog Radar. The Supreme family pushed Onyx back into the physical universe, just as armour reformed around Onyx. Dark black and purple armour, a jagged version of his knight's visor with devil like horns on his head, devil wings, monstrous clawed boots and gloves and a tail. The prehensile tail wrapped around Radar's throat whilst Onyx fired his energy blasts at Supreme and his sister.
"We can't stop him can we?" Peggy asked the Watcher.
The Ultima Thule shocked and Justice Incarnate felt their ship crumble to pieces. Onyx crashed through the Multiversal craft, and then crashed into the dead Earth below. His hair and eyes were exposed by the cracks and breaks on his helmet, dull eyes bored with the fight, even as he held a lifeless Suprema by her hair, and pushed his foot against Supreme's cheek.
"None of you made me feel anything, a temporary distraction is all your efforts are worth," he huffed.
Supreme felt something touch his body, objects were falling like rain. He widened his eyes, seeing that they were Green, yellow, violet, and an assortment of other ring that were supposed to seek out new wielders. The Multiversal PTSD had spread, to the point even the sentient computers didn't want to fight anymore.
"He used a hundred percent of his power, but there is still more to come," the Watcher said.
Uatu nodded, suddenly joining his fellow Watcher. He touched the Watcher's shoulder and gestured to the great battle. It took seeing the destruction for the younger Watcher to realise that victory would not be achieved in a great battle. Their eyes glowed as they accessed their incredible, though limited powers.
"I am sorry, we failed you all, but it is time for you all to return home!" the Watcher said.
"Even you Onyx," Uatu said.
In brilliant flashes of gold light, those whom had been gathered to assassinate Onyx were thrown back to whence they came. Terra Grayson screamed, mourning for her dead parents, and the Guardians of the Multiverse mourned for their lost members too. Onyx though returned to the Gap, coming through the portal just as Amora sat upon his throne.
Westview
"Zack, Virgil, don't give up!"
Zack felt the psychic call, the urge, and the encouragement. He looked up at the sky as he landed on the streets of New York. Red markings spread across his body, scarlet energy glowed in his hands and he looked up with shining eyes. He extended his hands, releasing a beam that went into the sky. It touched a hexagonal shape, which became to dissolve, revealing the sight of Brainiac's skull ship above the Earth, still firing a beam that was intended to destroy the planet.
"ZACK STOP!"
He looked to the sky, to see the Avengers, or rather, Wanda's version of them. There was herself in her Scarlet Witch outfit, Sam Wilson as Captain America and Clint Barton and Kate Bishop sharing the Hawkeye role. She looked at Zack with desperation in her eyes.
"What are you doing Zack?" Sam asked.
"You'll destroy the planet if you wipe away the Hex," Wanda said.
"You mean I'll free everyone, look at what's going on down there, people are stuck, they can't all be the extras in your fantasy Wanda," Zack said.
He pointed down below, and just as her Avengers looked down, Wanda waved her hand, making the people on the streets go about their scripted day. It didn't go unnoticed by Zack though.
"You're still carrying on the act, happy families, at the expense of everyone else, wake up Wanda, you lost Pietro, you lost your parents and you lost Vision too," Zack explained.
"He's right Wanda, what you're doing is wrong," a voice spoke from above.
Wanda's eyes watered as her Vision floated down to Zack's side.
"I don't know if I am simply an aspect of your psyche, if Billy and Tommy are either, regardless of whether they are figments of your imagination or true people, they'll eventually ask why they don't have other children to play with, why their lives and ages have rushed by, or why they're still your little boys regardless of the time that goes by, you can't maintain this forever Wanda, it'll break," Vision explained.
"He's right, the fact that this Vision you created has questioned you at every turn, is evidence that you're heart isn't in it, you know this is wrong!"
"What would you have me do?" Wanda seethed.
Her head twitched as she levitated off of the floor.
"I am keeping these people safe, despite your protests and the obstructions of my supposed 'friends' I have protected the world from Brainiac's attempts to destroy us," she explained, her lips quivered, teeth grinding together.
"Wait a minute, how would you know the name of the person trying to destroy the Earth?" Zack asked.
Wanda lowered her head slightly, her fingers slowly turned black as her skin paled. A gold ring appeared behind Zack, Dr Strange and the rebel Avengers came out.
"Because she's working with Onyx," Stephen said.
"Please Zack, please, help me, help me expand the hex, perfect it, we can make everything the way we want it to be, free from Onyx, free from this insanity," Wanda explained.
Zack however glared at the woman.
"But not free from your insanity," he retorted.
He fired another blast up to the sky, further erasing the hex around the planet. The sky turned black and white for a moment, then shifted to normal colours, showing the skull ship in orbit, again charging its beam.
"I'm insane? You're the one who has doomed us," Wanda said.
"No I haven't," Zack grinned.
In a burst of chronal energy, Virgil emerged, anti-matter glowing around him. His four eyes looked at Wanda and saw the classic Scarlet Witch, the crowned princess of the House of M, the corrupted Avenger and another variant, obscured by darkness. Wanda flew up and fired energy blasts at the rebel Avengers. Strange and Wong were about to conjure a defensive spell, when a wall of antimatter appeared in front of them. Wanda attacked again and Virgil intercepting the blasts. Strange had heard of the corrupt form, how it altered the personalities of spirit knights like Aeon. He began to see that this corrupted form had reduced Virgil to his basest instinct.
Not survival, not violence, but the natural instinct to protect.
"VIRGIL! THE SHIP!" Zack yelled.
The four eyed sidekick looked up and snarled, flying upwards just as Brainiac fired a beam towards the planet. Virgil surrounded himself with a cloud of anti-matter, roaring as he absorbed the destructive beam, flying onwards, even further until he crashed into Brainiac's ship. At the same time Zack brought his hands together.
"Time to free them then," his eyes glowed for a moment, a black mist escaped his eyes before he focused himself. "NO MORE HEX!" he yelled.
"NO!" Wanda screamed.
Hex shapes that had surrounded the Earth began to shatter one by one. Darcy, Cho and Monica, once lost in a circus fantasy, were restored to their true selves with the agency tents returning. Denizens of Westview were freed, Tommy and Billy looked out of their bedroom windows, seemingly accepting that their home and they were disappearing.
"It was good, having a big brother," Billy said and Tommy nodded.
"Thank you," Vision smiled, even as disappeared.
Wanda looked at where her lover had been, tears welled up in her eyes and her body shook.
Suddenly she let out a scream, demons began emerging from portals around her. The Avengers, freed from the hex and united immediately rushed to protect people on the streets. Wong and Strange stood in front of Zack, intent on protecting him until Wanda knocked them aside. She glared at Zack, grabbing him with a red haze.
"YOU KILLED YOUR BROTHERS!" she screamed.
Zack yelled in pain as he was slammed against the ground. Wanda flung him off the roof, making him use jets of energy to slow his fall. Rolling across the streets, his bones ached and screamed at him for the assault to end. Wanda though landed in front of him, deflecting one of his blasts like nothing and catching the punch he threw.
"I offered you peace, a family, more of a family than that joke on your world," she gripped Zack's chin for a moment, pushing her sharper nails into his cheeks and drawing blood.
He attempted to kick her, but was thrown aside again. Wanda picked Zack up by his foot and cloak, hanging him upside down.
"I would have enslaved the entire world, just to make it a safe one for you and your brothers, what mother wouldn't do that?" she asked.
"If that's how you feel, then you really are a joke as a parent," Zack said.
She grit her teeth together, teeth that sharpened into fangs as she conjured a red mist around her body. Zack suddenly yelled in agony, feeling his mind and body being continually altered by a hex, his skin turned black and white, or cartoonish, or a rotting husk if Wanda thought it before returning him to normal.
"I didn't want this, I didn't want any of this, YOU ALL MADE ME DO THIS!" she yelled.
Suddenly, a red blast slammed into Wanda, knocking her off balance. Zack was grabbed by red energy, the pain left his body and he felt warmth, waves of healing magic filled his body. He looked behind Wanda and saw undead spirits coming to the aid of the Avengers, Doctor VooDoo's spells. Zack rolled into a crouch and looked with Wanda to where the blast had come from. She was hovering off of the floor, glowing with energy, brimming with power and glaring at Wanda.
"Mom," Zack whispered joyfully, recognising his Earth's Scarlet Witch, his mother.
"Get away from him you BITCH!" she yelled.
Brainiac ship
Virgil felt the power up of the corrupt form fade. He was barely able to stand up as Brainiac drones surrounded him. He slipped into a stance with his fists raised, exhausted but still ready to fight if he had to. His knees shook as the drones jumped towards him.
Suddenly, a red and white sword span through some of the drones, cutting them in half. There was a blue and silver blur that appeared in front of Virgil, grabbing the returning sword. The wielder rested the blade on his shoulder, smiling cockily as Virgil raised his head.
"I heard you're one of Aeon's apprentices," Sieg said, looking over his shoulder at Virgil, whose eyes widened.
"Welcome to the family brother!"
Next Chapter 47: Family
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.
I originally thought of having 616 Wanda say 'get away from him you witch' as the other one was a bit too obvious a reference :) but stuck to my guns for the impact.
X-men 97 has been the best Marvel project we've had for some time, loved Magneto's characterisation in it, he'll be getting involved in the search for Zack too.
Next time, Aeon and his allies, the bat, X and Spider clans across different universes show what the power of family is, whilst Cade takes another step in his recovery.