A/N: Well, here it is. The final battle. Fair warning, this will be a bit derivative of Avengers Endgame, because I seem to always go back to that. Also, some characters, mostly Frank, will probably seem a bit OOC at the very end of this. Anyway, enjoy!
New York
Frank tightened the straps on his vest, then proceeded to lock and load his rifles and pistols, holstering the smaller weapons on his waist, a couple knives in his boots. Once he was finished, he looked over to Wanda, who was tying her hair into a ponytail. Wrapped around her was her old red jacket she wore when she was an Avenger, complete with added body armor- courtesy of Frank- hiding beneath. Combat boots and fingerless gloves adorned her hands an feet, while strapped to her hip was the Desert Eagle she took from his van, so long ago.
Wanda looked over her shoulder, noticing Frank watching her.
"What?" she asked, seeing Frank still looking at her. "You good?"
Castle slowly nodded, as Maximoff finished up, then proceeded to pick up an extra rifle.
"Kid." Frank called out, turning around to face America, who was loading the pistol he gifted her.
"Here's an extra."
Castle took out a final pistol and tossed it to Chavez, who had to jump to catch the weapon, but nevertheless joined its sibling.
"Where's Strange?" Frank asked, looking around the Undercroft.
"Waiting on you." Stephen announced, as he and Wong arrived. "Are you three ready?"
"Are you?" Frank retorted.
"We were waiting on you." Wong told him. "America and I will stay behind, recruit the allies we haven't yet. Bring the ones over that we have encountered."
"Right." Castle nodded, looking over to Wanda, who returned the gesture.
"Let's finish the fight."
Westview
A fiery portal opened up on the outskirts of the town, as Frank, Wanda, and Stephen stepped out, taking pause to look up at the blood moon hanging over head.
"That's not good." Doctor Strange muttered. "Chthon's power is strongest now."
"No turning back." Frank grit his teeth. "We don't stop him, a lot of people are gonna die."
The trio strolled forward towards the town, when a strong breeze nearly knocked them all off their feet, while Frank's eyes went white. That feeling… it seemed familiar…
A demonic cackling suddenly assaulted their ears, and Frank looked up to see Chthon hovering overhead, several hundred feet above Westview, the blood moon haloing his figure.
"I feel I should thank you." the demon chortled. "You all arriving here is so much easier than me having to hunt you down and kill you."
"Yeah, I'll bet you couldn't even do that, asshole." Frank growled, using his deadite powers to levitate up into the air, with Strange and Wanda following right behind him.
Chthon sneered- proving Frank right- before he let out his response.
"I almost forgot you read from the Necronomicon." the demon snarled. "Fine. Once you, Wanda, and Strange are dead, I will drain America Chavez's powers, along with her life, and kill the ones who have caused trouble for my children in that other world."
"Not gonna happen." Wanda declared, crimson magic pooling in one hand, Desert Eagle in the other.
"None of you will be alive to stop me." Chthon promised, before flying towards them. Or more accurately, flying towards Wanda, preparing to grab her throat. He was stopped by Frank, who put himself between the two and grabbed the demon's wrist, throwing him to the side. Unfortunately, Chthon grappled with Castle instead, causing them to both veer through the air. This caused Strange to produce a lasso made of magic that he used to wrap around the Punisher's body, pulling him away from Chthon's clutches, but the demon followed after them, throwing orbs of dark magic in their direction. Wanda held up her hands, attempting to create a force field around them, but the projectiles crashed straight through, sending the trio to the ground. Chthon chased after them, planning to land on Frank's chest, but the soldier immediately rolled out of the way, while both Wanda and Strange shot out beams of magic from their hands, knocking the demon back slightly. The Great Shadow merely laughed, getting back up and blocking the beams easily, before corrupting the screams with his own dark magic and sending them back at the sorcerer and the witch, sending them flying.
"And then there was one." Chthon said mockingly, as Frank got to his feet. "You can't hope to stop me."
Frank shrugged, stepping forward.
"Yeah. But I'm staying right here. Between you and them."
Chthon let out a laugh again, looking down at the Punisher in amusement.
"I have existed longer than the universe itself, boy. Long before the first light was ignited."
Frank numbly nodded, looking down.
"Maybe." he admitted. "Maybe there's a reason you chose me, right? Cause we're the same. Just a couple killers. So come on. Let's do it. It's time for us to go."
"You think you will make me go?" Chthon chuckled. "With your toy peashooters?"
Castle tightened his grip on his pistols, as his eyes turned deadite white.
"Goddamn right." he snarled, looking back up at the demon that made him. "Let's do it. One last time, yeah?"
Frank levitated off the ground and flew towards Chthon, firing his pistols as he did so. The demon responded by flying as well, zooming towards the Punisher with unimaginable speed, grabbed him by the throat and slammed him back to the ground.
"Foolish boy." Chthon sneered, but was suddenly peppered with tiny balls of crimson magic. Once the demon's hand was off his neck, Frank looked to the source, seeing Wanda had recovered, and was pouring her magic into her Desert Eagle to enhance the bullets. Chthon growled in annoyance, but Frank kicked him back, before pulling out the Kandarian Dagger. Castle raised his arm to stab, causing the demon to blast him back, before dodging Wanda's attacks and throwing an orb of magic at her feet, which exploded into black tendrils that wrapped around her limbs.
"Wanda!" Frank shouted, throwing the dagger in her direction. Maximoff strained her arms, but somehow caught the weapon, and immediately began hacking at the demonic tentacles.
Frank actually let out a sigh in relief, until Chthon suddenly appeared in front of him and punched him to the ground, planting his foot on Castle's chest.
"Now you have lost your weapon." Chthon gloated, raising his fist, which began to grow claws. A golden whip wrapped around the demon's wrist, pulling him off, as a portal opened up, and Doctor Strange descended, conjuring another whip that wrapped around Chthon's other arm. Seeing his chance, Frank shoved Chthon's foot off him, forcing the Demon to stumble back onto one knee, just as Wanda, now freed of the tendrils, flew towards them, conjuring crimson whips of her own to tie the demon down. The Great Shadow defiantly roared, slamming a fist into the ground to disorient both magic users, dissipating the snare around him, then proceeded to throw an orb of magic right at Wanda. The Scarlet Witch had just enough time to conjure a shield in front of her, but the projectile simply smashed through, sending her tumbling.
Seeing Maximoff was down momentarily, Doctor Strange created two swords out of mystical energy and charged at Chthon, slashing at the demon's figure, trying to find an opening. Unfortunately, the monster simply grabbed the weapons in midair and broke them with his inhuman strength, as Stephen created a portal to give him distance, Chthon reached in and grabbed him by the throat, pulling him back through to the other side and slamming him into the ground. Frank continued to shoot at the demon, who simply let the bullets strike his form, before clenching his fist, causing the weapons to melt in Castle's hands.
"I must admit, this has been rather fun…" the demon admitted, before backhanding Frank so hard, he flew back several feet before collapsing. Chthon looked up, seeing Agatha flying towards him.
"But it is time for you to surrender America Chavez to me, or this backwater town will be the first to suffer."
The moment he finished, Agatha Harkness joined his side, her eyes glowing black.
"It is done."
"Just in time…" Chthon smirked. Frank slowly stood up, wondering what they were talking about, when the clouds overhead stirred, causing the hair on his neck to stand up. The very ground shook beneath him, as the pavement cracked and split apart, as hands of all grotesque manners erupted behind Chthon and Agatha, clawing their way out of seemingly Hell itself.
Bony fingers grasped at air, before latching onto the sidewalks and street to pull themselves up. Following them were bloodied, somewhat decayed limbs shoving past one another to pull themselves up. If Frank looked close enough, he could also see four pairs of giant, grayish black arms protrude from the earth, each one appearing as thick as tree trunks-
Castle's eyes widened, realizing that whatever Harkness did, these monsters- skeletons, deadites, even the creatures guarding Mount Wundagore- were all coming back. Agonizing screeches filled the air, and those demonic black spirits that Strange had used at Wundagore appeared, flying above and around Chthon. Even the demons Frank had already faced in that mish-matched world the Dark Ones created, as evidenced when the Evil Ash seemingly reformed from several pieces, brandishing his sword and snarling viciously. Next to him, Eligos teleported in out of nowhere, Baal, the demonic Abomination, and Henrietta crawled their way out of the earth, and the old deadite witch rose up as if she was in an eternal slumber.
The ground shook, as a rift was opened in the air, and the octopus and ribboned demons tore their way into reality, both of them screaming loudly. Soon, Frank, Wanda, and Strange would be outnumbered- hell, they already were.
"Frank…"
The Punisher looked to his right, seeing Wanda had come to, and was staring at the army of the damned in front of them.
"What do we do?" she asked fearfully. Frank's throat tightened, as he pulled out his ka bar.
"We can't let them get to the kid." he murmured. Wanda swallowed the lump in her throat, as she racked the slide on her Desert Eagle.
"Yeah." she mumbled, as the two stared back at Chthon. This was it. They were about to face down a literal army-
Wanda… can you hear me?
Maximoff frowned, as a familiar voice echoed in her head.
Venom? Is that you?
Oh good, we were wondering if that connection would work! Venom's voice rang out cheerfully. Listen, we're on our way soon! That nice girl you were with is portalling us now!
As soon as the alien said- thought- that, both Frank and Wanda heard that telltale sound of glass shattering, and they looked over their shoulders, seeing a star shaped portal open up to reveal Eddie, Frank-3, and Logan stepped out, staring at the duo. Despite the circumstances, Brock shot a warm smile in Wanda's direction, followed by a nod only she noticed, before he was covered in a black substance, and Venom took over. Behind them were Morbius, Kraven, and America, who stepped out from behind the trio, smiling at Frank and giving a reassuring wave, before she closed her hand, extinguishing the portal, but also opened up several other portals all at once, while circular portals- created by the Masters of the Mystic Arts- opened up all around them as well.
The first gateway that immediately opened up had Ash Williams, Mia Allen, and Beth Hack step out, with the Ghostbeaters, the knights Arthur and Henry, Kassie, and their respective family members right behind them. Further back were a plethora of men and women, some of which were decked out in military camouflage, while the rest looked like… medieval knights?
"Let's kick some evil ass!" Ash yelled, revving his chainsaw, as everyone around him cheered in agreement.
Doctor Strange suddenly came to, just in time to see a fiery portal open up in front of him, with Spider-Man, Daredevil, Hawkeye, and Amy stepping out, the latter wearing a bulletproof vest with a white skull, not unlike Frank's, while the Vulture flew out of the portal behind them, landing right next to Peter. Next to them, a hexagonal portal ripped through the air, with Peter-2, Ghost Spider, and a man in a blue costume with red accents walking out, with Gwen pressing a button on her wrist to shut the portal off. Behind them, another star shaped portal took form, with two figures on hoverboards- Norman and Harry Osborn- flying out, while below them, the Ghost Rider, Blade, Wanda-2, and Frank-2 simply walked out, all of them armed to the teeth in their own way.
Several orange rectangles opened up a ways away, and TVA agents filed out, led by B-15, Mobius, and Sylvie. Right next to them, America opened another of her portals to reveal Frank-4, leading his world's variants of Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, and Doctor Strange. The Franks all looked at one another, giving a silent nod, before Castle-1 turned back to Chthon, a determined look on his face.
Stephen joined Frank and Wanda, just as another of the sorcerer's portals opened, revealing Dinah Madani, John Pilgrim, Monica Rambeau, and dozens of SWORD and CIA agents right behind them, primed for battle.
"Madani." Frank-1 murmured, as Dinah and John approached him. "Finally getting your hands dirty, huh?"
"Your little helper Amy told me what was at stake here." Madani told him. "I'm more surprised Pilgrim agreed to come along."
"Someone has to." John mumbled. "And I owe you my life, Frank."
Castle looked to the side, seeing another of America's portals open, as John Constantine, his Wanda, and what could only be assumed as his universe's Doctor Strange walked through, igniting their hands with various forms of magic. A smaller portal opened up next to them, and Darkman stepped out, straightening his coat.
Next to Strange, another circular gateway opened, continuously widening so that Wong and the sorcerers all around the world could step through, though some of them gave Wanda the side-eye, they decided to focus on Chthon and his army of darkness.
"Did you get everyone this time?" Stephen cheekily asked. Before Wong could spit out a retort, America joined them, parting her hands.
"Actually, there's a couple more!"
A final portal opened, revealing three armored individuals. The first one was clearly the Iron Man from the Illuminati's universe, but the other two…
Wanda-1's jaw nearly dropped, seeing both her and Frank's variants from the same universe outfitted with armored suits, not unlike Tony's. Frank-838''s appeared very similar to the War Machine's armor, albeit painted black and silver, with his skull across the chest, while her own variant's… it looked nearly identical to the costume when she was the Scarlet Witch, except clearly created from metal armor, gauntlets on the hands, and a hi tech visor attached to the headpiece she wore. Behind them were dozens of SHIELD agents, led by Frank-838 and his world's variant of John Pilgrim.
"Now that's everyone!" Chavez announced, as the portals all closed. The groups behind Frank, Wanda, Strange, Wong, and America all got in formation- their own army, to combat Chthon's- as Castle gave Maximoff a nod.
Knowing what he was implying, Wanda returned the gesture, before sucking in a breath.
"AVENGERS…"
She paused, allowing a small shiver to go down her spine.
Now or never.
"...assemble."
Frank let out a roar of righteous fury, which was quickly joined by his variants, Wanda herself, and her own counterparts, as they all surged forward to meet Chthon, Harkness, and their army. The demon in question merely chuckled, holding out his arms, and the deadites, beasts, skeletons, and spirits all screeched in unison, before charging in a dead sprint towards the living.
Frank and Wanda were the first to make contact, Castle using his deadite strength to tear through the first two demons with ease, while Maximoff blasted skeletons with her magic, sending their bones flying across the battlefield. Doctor Strange and America were right behind them, as Stephen threw magical discs at one of the Wundagore demons, as Chavez slid under its legs and peppered its back with gunfire. The octopus demon screeched, trying to make its way towards the teen, only for Peter-2 to swing around, webbing its eye, while the Osborns threw pumpkin bombs at its limbs.
"I thought you wouldn't become the Goblin again!" Peter-1 shouted, watching Norman fly around on his glider as he swung in to join the fight.
"I'm not!" the older Osborn revealed. "I didn't take the serum!"
Back on the ground, Ash, Mia, and Beth hacked and chopped at the monsters' tentacles with their chainsaws, further enraging the demon, as it picked the three of them up with one arm.
"Oh fuck!" Williams shouted, straining against the appendage. "I don't wanna be food for some giant calamari!"
"Incoming!"
Ash looked up, just in time to see Iron Man fly towards them, his gauntlets pointed straight and in fists, as the variant Avenger smashed straight through the demon's eyeball, obliterating it from his rocket-like speed. The monster let out one final screech, as its tentacles loosened, releasing the deadite slayers from its grasp, and plummeting to the floor of the battlefield.
"Hey, I had it under control!" Williams shouted up at the armored Avenger.
"Sure." Tony's faceplate lifted to show his smirking face, before he took off, joining his Earth's counterparts, who hovered in midair, back to back, and were blasting dozens of damned spirits out of the sky.
"I wasn't expecting this to be my welcome home party!" Stark said dryly, firing a missile from his wrist at one of the Wundagore demons, who simply snarled in response. Wanda-838 wore a small smile, while her husband stayed silent behind his helmet, simply blasting away deadites and skeletons with the minigun attached to his shoulder. One of the monsters jumped up and grabbed his foot, forcing Frank to simply plummet to the ground, stomping the deadite in a gory mess, right next to Pilgrim.
"Director Castle, it's good to work with you again!" John nodded, shooting a skeleton that stabbed a TVA Agent. "Like old times?"
"Like old times." Frank-838 agreed, firing a repulsor blast from his gauntlet at another Wundagore beast, who had been stalking towards Constantine.
"Thanks, other Frank!" the demonologist called out, before throwing fireballs at several deadites. Next to him were his Wanda and Strange, who were firing their own blasts of magic at the demons, creating a brilliant display of power.
In the ensuing chaos, Wanda and Strange were separated from Frank, and the duo quickly began to become overwhelmed by the forces of evil, despite their powers. As Wanda augmented her gun to shoot concentrated energy blasts, Stephen conjured a portal to protect them. Unfortunately, one of the Wundagore demons simply destroyed in by slamming its fists against the mystical sigil, shattering the defense and sending the sorcerer to the ground.
"Stephen!" Maximoff shouted, throwing her Desert Eagle at him. Strange caught it and, channeling his own magic into the weapon, squeezed the trigger. A golden orb rocketed out, blasting the beast through its torso and leaving a gory cavity where its heart should have been.
Without a weapon, Wanda resorted to leaping onto a skeleton and flipping them over, before tripping a deadite and hitting them with a palm strike to the sternum. When a fourth skeleton charged her, holding onto an axe, she jumped over the skeletal adversary, prying the weapon from its bony fingers, and hacked its head off.
"Nicely done." Stephen complimented, having got up and handing her pistol back. "But I think that's more my style."
Wanda shrugged, handing Strange the axe, as she took the Desert Eagle back. With a quick nod, the two of them resumed fighting, carving their way through Chthon's forces.
On the other side of the battlefield, Frank found himself shooting at deadites and what looked like miniature versions of Eligos, when he was blindsided and thrown into a tree. Castle looked up in annoyance, seeing none other than Henrietta staring down at him, her neck already elongating.
"Oh hello Frank!" the deadite chortled. "I don't think we've been properly introduced!"
"Don't give a fuck." the Punisher snarled, his eyes going white. Before they engaged however, her head exploded, showering the ground in blood. Confused, Frank looked to where the shot came from, seeing Amy holding a smoking double barrel.
"Gross." Bendix wrinkled her nose in disgust, before walking over to a recovering Castle. "Hey Frank. I see you got an upgrade."
Frank shook his head, allowing the deadite side of him to fade, as she reached out to hug him.
"Good to see you too, Amy."
As the battle raged on, a squad of TVA agents were impaled by the ribboned demon, who screeched with rage. Mobius quickly jumped out of the way, rolling across the ground, before spying the Kandarian Dagger next to his hand.
"Got it." the agent murmured, immediately grabbing the weapon. "Hey, I got the dagger!"
In response, the ribboned demon immediately turned toward him, letting out another screech.
"Shit!"
Mobius made a mad dash towards one of the Wandas, the one who was firing a machine right next to an older version of Frank, as he heard the demon zero in on him. Out of nowhere, the Vulture flew past him, and Mobius looked over his shoulder to see the former criminal stab its wings into the monster, before the Ghost Rider joined him by wrapping his chain around the demon's limbs and pulling it apart, while Blade jumped in and slashed at its "face". Finally, Venom propelled himself towards the creature, using his body's tendrils to wrap around the head and rip it in two, finally killing it.
"B-15, I found the Kandarian Dagger!" Mobius said into his earpiece.
"Good!" B-15 replied, as she and Sylvie worked together to fell a Wundagore demon, first stabbing its legs, and then stabbing a pruner stick into its head, disintegrating it.
"Get to Chthon! We'll buy you some time!"
"Not gonna work, love!" Constantine suddenly shouted, fighting off multiple deadites only a few feet away from them. "You'll need either the Frank Castle or Wanda Maximoff of this Earth to kill him!"
"Then I'll find them!" Peter-1 called out, swinging by as several spirits chased after him. Along the way, he webbed the dagger out of Mobius' hands, but a deadite jumped up at Spider-Man, pulling him down.
"Ugh, get off!" Peter shouted, kicking the creature away, but lost his balance in the process, falling down. He was saved by Iron Man swooping in and grabbing his arm, flying him high over Westview.
"Mr. Stark?" Peter asked in awe, before realizing he was a variant.
"Hey Spider-Man." Tony smiled behind his faceplate. "It's been a while."
Several feet away from them, Chthon scanned the battlefield, nonchalantly grabbing a sorcerer by the neck, snapping it with ease, before chucking an orb of his magic at several SWORD agents, immediately obliterating them into a hail of blood and gore.
"Where is the child?" the demon asked, glaring at Agatha, who was sapping away the lifeforce of one of the knights.
"I… I can't sense her…" Harkness frowned.
Chthon slowly looked up, just in time to see Spider-Man and Iron Man flying around, but more importantly, he saw the former holding onto the Kandarian Dagger. With a snarl, the demon fired a blast of magic, causing them to free fall back to the ground, as he levitated.
Baal… kill them…
When Peter-1 and Iron Man fell from the sky, they were immediately separated, much to Spider-Man's panic. He began to frantically look around, but a man with dark hair and a black suit appeared in front of him, holding up a finger with an elongated nail.
"Shh…"
Almost immediately, Peter's mind became foggy. His spider sense was going off, and yet… it seemed dulled…
He hadn't even realized he dropped the dagger.
"Isn't that a lot better?" Baal whispered, grinning a cheshire smile, as he stepped forward.
A star shaped portal opened up behind Spider-Man, and America ran out, shooting Baal in the chest multiple times. Unfortunately, that only pissed off the demon, as he lunged forward, grabbing Chavez by the throat.
"I'd kill you, but my master wants your power." Baal growled, pointing his claw at her face. Suddenly, a hand reached over his shoulder, stabbing the dagger right in his chest. Baal's eyes widened, letting go of America, as he coughed and sputtered, his face beginning to burn, until he suddenly exploded, coating everyone in the vicinity in a layer of blood.
"Holy shit!" Peter shouted, as America quickly scooped up the dagger. She looked up, seeing the hand that stabbed Baal belonged to Kassie, who smiled fondly at her.
"Thanks." Chavez grinned, looking her in the eyes. If they weren't in a warzone right now…
"Hey, guys?" Peter-1 brought their attention back. "We need to find Frank and Wanda."
America blinked, before nodding.
"Right."
Peter took off his mask and activated his earpiece, turning away.
"Hey Amy, have you seen Frank or Wanda? We kinda need him."
Across the battlefield, Frank-1 and Amy continued blowing skeletons to smithereens, while Hawkeye covered their six, and Daredevil flipped around several deadites, smacking them with his billy club.
"Yeah, he's right next to me. Why?" Bendix asked, seeing Logan in the distance slicing one of the Wundagore beasts to pieces with his claws. Next to him was Frank-3 and Morbius, were were making short work of the crowd of deadites in their midst.
"Well, America and I found this old dagger, and some time dude said that it's needed to kill the big demon Chthon, right?"
"The Kandarian Dagger?" Frank-1 spoke up. "Where are they?"
"I think… they're on the other side of this." Amy told him.
"God dammit." Frank groaned, before his eyes turned white. He felt his body begin to levitate, and he began to survey the area, trying to find Spider-Man and America.
Eligos and Evil Ash single handedly fighting Frank-4 and the Avengers of his world…
The spider-people swinging around, fighting off the spirits of the damned…
The abominations that looked like Mia and Beth's family tearing apart TVA agents, until Morbius, Madani, and Rambeau took them both down with the help of the combined forces of SHIELD, SWORD, and the militia that accompanied Ash and his Ghostbeaters…
There. Almost in the middle of this war was America, Kassie, and Spider-Man, fighting off multiple deadites, but Frank could see the final Wundagore Beast charging towards them.
"God damn it." Frank muttered, before willing his body to levitate towards them. That soon became him flying faster and faster, dodging the spirits that tried to intercept him, until he reached the trio, smashing his fist so hard into the beast's face, its head was knocked completely off his shoulders.
"Oh god!" Peter-1 exclaimed, seeing Frank turn towards him with his deadite white eyes.
"Easy kid. Just me." Castle murmured, his orbs returning to normal.
"Oh good. I thought we'd have to fight some evil version of you." Parker breathed a sigh of relief, as America handed him the dagger. With a nod to Chavez, Frank looked across the battlefield, seeing Wanda, Wong, and Strange fighting a horde of deadites that were trying to enter the town.
"Dammit." Frank cursed, turning back to America. "You still trust me?"
Chavez nodded, as he wrapped an arm around her.
"Hold on."
Castle levitated once more, flying towards Wanda, as Kassie continued battling skeletons on the ground, while Peter swung around, kicking away the spirits of the damned. Out of the corner of his eye, Frank could see Ash fighting his evil doppelganger on the ground alongside Darkman, chainsaw against sword, while Beth and Mia were tag teaming Eligos, but that would have to wait. He needed to get to Wanda.
On the other side, Wanda and Strange were pushing back the crowd of demons, while Wong put up a protective barrier around the town of Westview, so as to keep the civilians safe. As Wanda fired her gun, she was suddenly blindsided by a deadite tackling her to the ground, but as she pointed her weapon at him…
She faltered, seeing the face of Frank staring down at her.
"F-Frank?"
"Kiss me, lover!" the deadite cackled, opening his mouth wide. Before he could bite her, a spear suddenly impaled the creature out the back of his head, and a strong hand tore the top part of his skull clean off, showering her with blood.
"Let me help you." a Russian accent cut through the air, as Maximoff was carefully lifted up off the ground, seeing another familiar face, yet different.
"Are you okay?" Kraven the Hunter asked, looking her up and down.
"Fine." Maximoff swallowed. "Thank you, P- …Kraven."
The hunter arched an eyebrow, as his fingers fidgeted with his spear.
"You hesitated. Almost called me by the other name, when I tried to… sorry." he noted. "Was this Pietro close to you?"
Wanda slowly nodded, looking down.
"He was my brother."
Kraven returned the gesture, looking off into the distance.
"I am sorry. I had… I have a brother too."
"Wanda!"
The Scarlet Witch suddenly looked up, seeing Frank and America land in front of them, which also gained the attention of Strange and Wong.
"I got the dagger. Where is that asshole?!"
"Chthon? We haven't seen him." Wong called out, just as a deadite jumped on his back. Frank and Wanda aimed their guns, but while they couldn't line up a shot, the Spider-Man in the blue suit and red lining swung by, webbing the monster and slamming him into the ground.
"Okay." Castle shrugged, brandishing the dagger. "Guess I gotta look for him then."
"No Frank." Wanda told him, a determined look on her face. "We have to look for him."
Frank met her gaze, seeing her eyes begin to glow crimson.
"Goddamn right."
"Not so fast."
Frank looked up, just in time to see a violet orb of magic smash into the ground, causing a shockwave that sent him and Wanda careening towards Wong's barrier. Thinking quickly, Castle used his powers to levitate in midair, while Wanda used her own to do the same.
"Jesus." Frank snarled, looking at the source of the projectile to see Agatha Harkness, grinning at them maliciously.
"You made me a prisoner in my own head, Wanda." the witch sneered. "When I'm done with you, you'll be begging for me to do the same."
"How're you gonna do that?" Frank snarled. "You gonna talk us to death?"
"Actually…" Agatha smirked, conjuring another orb. "I was planning on draining both of your lives."
Harkness thrust her arms out, sending a stream of black magic towards Frank and Wanda, causing them to roll out of the way and become separated. Castle immediately began to fly towards her, shooting his guns as a distraction, but Agatha held up a magical shield, cackling in delight.
"Even with the Kandarian Demon flowing through you, you're no match for me!" the witch mocked.
"I know." Castle admitted. "I was just waiting for someone who was."
Harkness' eyes widened, as she turned around to see Wanda flying towards her, punching her with a magic-infused fist. The strike caused the shield to dissipate, and seeing his chance, Frank tackled the witch in midair, sending them both to the ground.
"Well played." Agatha chuckled, before conjuring a wave of magic that pushed the Punisher off her. "But did you forget that if you blast me with your magic, I can merely absorb it Wanda?"
"Oh I know." Maximoff smirked, lowering herself to the ground. The red glow faded from her eyes, as she balled up her fists.
"I need a workout anyway."
Agatha looked between Wanda and Frank, the latter holstering his guns, as the Scarlet Witch's grin widened.
"Come on. Or are you just gonna hide behind your own magic?" Wanda tilted her head. "I remember taking it all before. You became so… powerless. pathetic."
Taking the bait, Harkness growled at the taunt, launching herself at Wanda. The redhead's grin remained, as she stepped to the side, kicking the older witch in the stomach, followed by Frank throwing a haymaker at her face. Agatha tried to block, but Wanda surged forward, grabbing her arm and bringing her elbow down, breaking the limb at and odd angle. Castle kicked out her legs from under her, and Maximoff finished by slamming her head into the ground, before planting her foot on Harkness' chest.
Agatha snarled, her magic coalescing at her fingers, but Frank immediately levelled his gun at the woman's face.
"I don't wanna see any of that magic bullshit." he muttered, pulling the hammer back. The more he was looking at her, the more he was getting tired of it.
This was the same witch who tried to take Wanda's power, and forced Frank to relive Kandahar. Forced him to relive what happened to his family. Even now, she was working with Chthon. For the first time since… probably Russo and Rawlins, it felt like more than just punishment. It was personal-
"Frank?"
Castle was taken out of his thoughts, looking up to see Wanda giving him a determined expression.
"I'll do it."
The Punisher furrowed his brow, seeing her pull out her Desert Eagle.
"What?" he murmured, as she aimed the gun at the witch's head. "Wanda… you know what I told Parker. Once you cross that line… to my side… you can't go back."
Maximoff swallowed, looking down.
"I know… and I'm ready."
Frank quickly looked back at Harkness, about to pull the trigger, but a red mist wrapped around his hands, preventing him from pulling.
"Wanda, wait-"
"One batch…" Wanda whispered. "Two batch…"
Agatha widened her eyes.
"Penny and a dime."
Bang.
A quarter sized hole appeared in Harkness' head, coating the ground in her blood. At the same time, the red magic disappeared from Frank's hands, and he immediately embraced Wanda, pressing her forehead against hers.
"Wanda, hey… you didn't have to do that…"
"Yes Frank… yes I did… and I'm okay." she replied, closing her eyes.
The two of them stood there, letting time pass. Somehow, none of the demons or monsters seemed to touch them, odd as it was.
The reprieve didn't last long, as a dark chuckle resounded across the Earth.
Such pitiful creatures.
A column that could only be described as pure darkness rose up, solidifying into the nightmarish Chthon, who waved his hand. In an instant, a wave of dark magic fell across the battlefield, instantly obliterating dozens of agents belonging to the TVA, SHIELD, and SWORD. Several sorcerers threw energy projectiles of various shapes at the Great Shadow, but he simply flicked his skeletal wrist, sending them back at their users and killing them as well. Even one of the Ghostbeaters, whom Frank recognized as Ruby, leapt at him, intent on killing him, but Chthon casually caught her by the throat, squeezing tightly.
"Such as waste." the demon sneered, reaching into her body and ripping out her heart. "To have such power, yet you betrayed your own siblings for humanity."
"Ruby!" Kelly Maxwell screamed, as Chthon tore the woman's head off and cast the body aside.
"And now." Chthon smiled, eyeing America Chavez, who looked terrified, despite raising her guns. The Great Shadow merely held up his hand, and the light blue mist of her lifeforce poured out, beginning to be sucked into his form.
"With your power, I shall finally turn every universe what it should always be… infinite darkness."
Chthon flew closer to America, only for Frank to come out of nowhere and tackle him, raising the Kandarian Dagger.
"Get the fuck away from her-"
Chthon blasted Castle away, making him drop the dagger somewhere along the way, but before he hit the ground, a star shaped portal opened up, swallowing the Punisher. The demon growled in annoyance, turning back to Chavez, only for Wanda to continuously shoot at him, running forward and jumping up to kick his face. Chthon merely reached up, grabbing her ankle, and slammed her into the ground, before a golden whip wrapped around his wrist, held onto by Strange. With one limb immobilized, another portal opened underneath Wanda, pulling her in as well, while at the same time, Frank reappeared from a second gateway, holding onto a familiar red and white shield with a star in the middle. Castle roared in anger, ramming the shield into Chthon's face, but the demon batted him away, pulling Stephen closer. Strange responded by throwing the borrowed axe at the Great Shadow, who snatched it in midair and snapped the handle in two. Sensing the danger, the cloak immediately dragged the sorcerer backwards, straight into another portal America conjured, while Wanda leapt out of another fresh portal, holding onto an equally familiar hammer.
After giving her a short nod, Frank threw the shield at Wanda like a frisbee, which she hit with the hammer- not unlike swinging a baseball bat- sending the weapon right at Chthon, smacking his face before returning to Castle's waiting arm. In response, the demon rushed towards Frank, dark magic coating his fists, as the Punisher brought the shield up. The Great Shadow's bony hands collided with the oversized disc, creating a massive shockwave that shattered the shield into dozens of pieces from the sheer force, sending Frank to his knees.
"Frank!" Wanda shouted, her eyes glowing red. She aimed the hammer at Chthon, and after a flicker of crimson, scarlet and blue colored lightning shot out from the object of immense power, striking the demon directly in his back. Chthon staggered, laughing in amusement, before holding out his hand, blocking the stream and corrupting it into a horrid black. The Great Shadow continued cackling, even as America opened another portal to retrieve Strange, who sported gauntlets on his hands similar to Iron man's, and he immediately began shooting beams of concentrated magic at the foe. Chthon's laugh deepened, sounding somehow even more demonic, as his other hand lifted, stopping the sorcerer's magic and corrupting it as well.
"You believe you could stop me with simple trinkets?" the demon asked in amusement. With a clench of his fists, the magic wrapped around the hammer and gauntlets, destroying them both, before he used his power to throw Maximoff and Strange towards America, who barely moved out of the way.
"No."
Chthon looked over his shoulder, seeing Frank, a final portal closing behind them.
"We were just buying more time."
Castle held up his right hand, revealing a golden, metal glove seated upon it. Six glowing stones- Wanda and Strange both realized were the Infinity Stones- embedded within it.
"Frank…" Maximoff called out feebly, seeing arcs of pure, raw power race across his body. Just like with Tony.
"One batch…"
"Frank, no…"
"Two batch…"
"Please don't do this."
"...Penny and a dime."
Snap.
Frank snapped his fingers, creating what sounded like a sonic boom and blinding everyone immediately near him. Wanda gasped, blinking rapidly and adjusting her eyesight, as she looked around. All at once, the deadites, skeletons, the spirits of the damned… they were all turning to ash. One by one, their allies stopped, looking around to see the army of darkness fading away into the wind.
Maximoff's face split into a smile, realizing this was what Frank was planning. They were faced with insurmountable odds, and he just won them the board. Checkmate.
Frank…
Wanda's gaze suddenly turned toward Castle, seeing him stumble backwards, the gauntlet falling from his arm. Half his body was mangled and charred, starting with the arm the gauntlet was originally on. The Scarlet Witch immediately ran over, wrapping her arms around him and lowering him to the ground.
"Oh my god…" she murmured. "Frank, we're… you're going to be okay…"
The Punisher weakly shook his head, raising a feeble finger.
"Chthon…"
It was then her mind suddenly registered that there was a dark chuckle, emanating far away. With a chill, Wanda turned, seeing Chthon, laughing, and hovering a foot off the ground. He wasn't crumbling like his army did.
How? Why?
As if reading her thoughts, Chthon laughed harder, as dark magic coalesced in his hands.
"You thought those stones could hurt me?" the demon chortled. "The moment they were carved from my body, the connection was severed."
Wanda paled, her eyes widening. If the Infinity Stones couldn't kill him then what hope did they have?
Almost to answer her, a single thought appeared in her mind.
Only Chthon can kill Chthon.
Slowly, her eyes trailed down, seeing the Kandarian Dagger a few feet away. She knew what she had to do.
As she swallowed her fears, Wanda looked back at Frank one last time, planting a kiss on his charred lips.
"I love you." she whispered. "You're… you're my world, Frank."
Somehow realizing what she was going to do, Frank's lips began to move, trying to say something.
"Goodbye." she whimpered, before turning and flying towards Chthon, picking up the dagger in the process.
"Wanda…" Frank finally rasped out, but it was too late.
It was like in slow motion for her, as she flew towards what she was pretty sure would be her demise. The dagger's hilt was tightly wrapped in her hand to the point of her knuckles turning white, but she pushed on. If she paid attention, she would've noticed Chthon's arms opening wide, as if patiently waiting for a hug.
Slow, agonizing seconds passed, as Wanda came closer to Chthon, raising the dagger over her head, when…
Time sped back up, as Chthon grabbed her wrist, squeezing hard, as his essence travelled along her arm. With his other hand, he grabbed her throat, bony fingers digging into her skin.
"When I'm done, I will swallow your soul." the Great Shadow promised. "And then, I will shit it out and smother your fucking boyfriend to death with it… what's left of him, anyway."
Wanda cried out, as her vision darkened from his hold.
"You are nothing, Wanda Maximoff." Chthon sneered. "You're just a child who had no idea what forces you were playing with."
Maximoff screamed, dropping the dagger…
And catching it in her other hand, which she then thrust, straight into Chthon's chest. The Great Shadow hissed, as dark blood leaked out of the wound, and cracks began to form, colored a deep purple, blood red, but also a pure white. Wanda screamed even louder, as it felt like her insides were set on fire, yet she tightly held onto the hilt, pressing it deeper into Chthon's chest cavity. As she felt her fingers both heat up and freeze simultaneously, she closed her eyes, seeing memories play out of her life up to this point.
Her mother and father watching sitcoms with her as a child, being mesmerized by the comedy of I Love Lucy.
Being close to Pietro, whether it was on the streets of Sokovia, locked in that Hydra base, or fighting alongside him and the Avengers.
In her room at the Avengers compound, comforted by Vision many times after Pietro's death.
And finally, Frank when he was talking to her in that foxhole, comforting her after what she did in Westview. She still remembered what he said before they dozed off.
Don't be afraid of who you are.
Wanda's eyes snapped open, and with a final burst of strength, she pushed the Kandarian Dagger all the way in, until the hilt was buried deep into Chthon's chest. The demon screamed, the cracks spreading out across his face, as light emanated from them, intensifying. Wanda smiled, knowing this was the end, and Chthon's body exploded in a fantastic display of blood, gore, and light, blinding the woman. The force of the explosion also sent her reeling, as she was thrown backward several feet, hitting something hard.
Then everything went dark.
Darkness. That's all Frank saw, everything that was around him, for miles. If his memory was right, it was what he was seeing years ago, back when…
Castle stiffened, remembering Maria. This is what he saw when Rawlins nearly killed him.
"Fuck." Frank muttered, turning around to see a figure approaching him from the dark. As the person got closer, Castle squinted, barely being able to see the form of a woman, with long brown hair.
"M… Maria?" Frank asked. A soft chuckle echoed around him, as the woman came into view. Castle knit his brow in confusion, seeing that the woman in front of him had striking features; wearing black lipstick and dark green eyeliner. Wrapped around her body was a dress of sorts, colored a dark green, as a unique headpiece of the same color sat atop her head.
Not Maria. But her appearance… it reminded Frank of the Scarlet Witch's wardrobe.
"You don't recognize me, Frank?" the woman asked coyly. "After all we've been through?"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Frank asked, narrowing his eyes. The woman grinned, and for a brief second, her head morphed into a pale white skull, with only her eyes remaining. The moment was gone as quickly as it came, returning the woman to her normal appearance- as normal as it could get.
Frank lowered his head, looking at the void between them as he realized what was happening. Who was right in front of him.
"Goddamn it."
"God's not here, Frank." Death told him. "But I am."
"Right." Frank nodded, looking back up. "Finally happened, yeah?"
"Yes." Death confirmed. "You used the Infinity Stones. Thanos nearly died when he used them. Tony Stark actually did. It won't be different for you."
Frank didn't say anything, as Death placed her arms around Frank's neck, pulling him close.
Wanda's eyes fluttered open, looking up to see… bright green threads in the sky, slowly weaving, twisting around each other. She blinked, sitting up… and finding herself sitting on what looked like black obsidian, lined with gold. This… this wasn't Westview… was it?
Maximoff stared at her hands, noticing that they no longer looked charred, but she also wasn't holding the Kandarian Dagger. Did she drop it?
"Hello… Wanda Maximoff."
Wanda finally looked up, past the stones, to see a staircase, leading to a golden throne. Sitting upon that throne was a man in dark green garments, as several of those threads formed to make a cape-like attire. She'd never met him personal, but it was the helmet with the exceptionally long horns that gave him away.
"Loki." she whispered, getting up and timidly walking toward him. "Thor told everyone you were dead."
"I am." the god of mischief told her. "Or at least I am in your universe."
Maximoff pursed her lips in confusion, looking around.
"What trick is this?"
"No tricks. No mischief. I promise."
Wanda tilted her head, putting two and two together.
"You're a variant."
"Yes." Loki nodded. "When the Avengers went back in time to retrieve the Infinity Stones, I stole the Tesseract, creating a new branch in the timeline. I had… quite some time, to reflect on all I've done, to make amends… and ascend to become… this."
Wanda sullenly looked around, seeing a void of nothing. Only the threads, chiseled rock… and the two of them.
"Where are we?" Maximoff asked, mesmerized by the threads weaving around each other.
"The end of all time." Loki told her, and though it was a whisper, his voice sounded like it was in her ear. "What you're seeing is every timeline, every branch. All of which are carefully constructing, twisting amongst themselves. And you… you endangered all of them. If not for you destroying Chthon, I would have had to leave this place and deal with him myself, further putting the multiverse at risk."
Wanda's eyes widened, turning around. She was about to bite back a retort, but stopped, knowing he was right. By opening the Darkhold, she allowed Chthon to possess her. She would have let him murder America Chavez for her power, all to gain access to children that weren't hers. To put it simply, she fucked up.
"I'm sorry." Maximoff whimpered, shutting her eyes. Her legs turned to jelly, as she collapsed onto the stone floor, beginning to weep.
"Fuck, I'm so sorry."
"Are you ready?" she whispered, leaning in close to give Castle the proverbial- and literal- kiss of death. The Punisher's eyes glazed over, thinking of Maria… Lisa… Frank Junior… he'll be able to see them again…
But then new images floated through his mind, showing Amy and Peter together. Matt Murdock, Karen, and Foggy. Even images of Doctor Strange and America Chavez filled his vision, and finally…
Wanda. The woman who had wormed her way into his heart, despite having tried to shut her out. He couldn't just leave her. Or any of them.
Frank suddenly grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back at arm's length.
"No." he murmured, pulling her away.
"No?" Death tilted her head in surprise.
"No." he repeated, releasing her and backing up.
"Don't you want to see your wife and child again?" Death coaxed.
"Yeah. Yeah, I do." Frank admitted. "But I can't leave Wanda. Not now."
Death shook her head, giving Frank a sad expression.
"The Scarlet Witch. A being of spontaneous creation." she murmured. "One that upsets the balance of nature."
"Not anymore." Frank argued. "Chthon took her power, alright?"
"You're not listening." Death told him. "The Scarlet Witch cannot be allowed to live. Her creation was a defilement against the natural order."
"Take Chthon instead." Castle bargained, remembering seeing Wanda flying towards the Great Shadow before he succumbed to darkness.
"Intriguing offer, but you can't just trade one for the other." Death smirked.
"There's still a lot of assholes that need to be put down." Frank countered. Death narrowed her eyes, taking a step forward.
"You're willing to do that? To save the Scarlet Witch?"
Frank looked slightly down, shaking his head.
"No… but I'm willing to save Wanda."
Death looked at Castle in pity, before sighing.
"Fine. I accept your offer." she finally said, beginning to back away into the darkness. The farther she got, the brighter his vision became.
"You do what you do best, Frank."
For several minutes, Wanda cried, hearing her tears strike the ground. Minutes turned to hours. Or perhaps they were only passing seconds. Regardless, after some time, she eventually felt a hand touch her chin, not unlike her variant's action from the Illuminati's world, and she looked up, seeing Loki had stopped in front of her.
"Wanda… you still have time." the Asgardian told her.
"How can you say that?" she asked bitterly. "After what I did? How can I live with that?"
Loki wore a sad smile, for the first time seeming to look right past her.
"If I can be granted a second chance, so can you." he murmured. "An old friend told me that most purpose… it's more burden than glory. So choose your burden."
Wanda opened her mouth to respond, but Loki's eyes glowed an emerald green, and her vision became consumed by darkness, draining her unconscious.
Frank's eyes shot open, seeing Amy, America, Peter, Matt, and Strange all looking down at him.
"Oh good, you're alive." Parker breathed out a sigh of relief. "I don't think I'd be able to deal with losing someone else-"
Castle gasped loudly, immediately hauling himself up.
"Where's Wanda?" he asked frantically, looking past Strange to see a body with red hair slumped several feet away, hands black as night, and curled over a certain dagger.
"No."
Frank pushed past the group, running over to Maximoff's body, barely even registering that he shoved an approaching Ash Williams and Eddie Brock away.
"Hey man, watch it-"
The Punisher ignored Ash's complaints, as he stopped right in front of Wanda's body, kneeling down to carefully scoop her up in his arms.
"No." he repeated, placing a hand on her face, trailing down to her neck, trying to find any sign of life. A pulse, a heartbeat, something-
"Frank."
He looked up, seeing Daredevil looking down at him with a grim expression, as he shook his head.
"I can't… I can't hear her."
Frank's throat tightened, as he squeezed his eyes and hung his head. Despite trying to keep it all in, a stray tear rolled down his cheek, dropping onto Wanda's suit. As more tears fell, Castle breathed heavily, feeling his hands begin to shake. Meanwhile, Wanda's eyelids started to open.
"Please…" Frank whispered. "I can't lose you too."
"Frank?"
Castle opened his eyes, seeing Wanda staring up at him.
"Wanda." Frank whispered, keeping her close. "How?"
"I…" Maximoff swallowed, averting her eyes. "I got a second chance."
The Punisher nodded, looking away.
"What about you?" she asked, noticing the char beginning to flake off of Castle's skin. As if it was just a layer of grime on top of him.
"Same… same here." Castle whispered. "I… I think using the stones burned away the deadite in me."
Frank began to turn away, but Wanda reached up, pulling him into a kiss. The two of them closed their eyes, accepting each other's embrace, as all they felt… was each other-
Someone cleared their throat, causing Maximoff to open her eyes, as Frank pulled back. They both looked up, seeing everyone approach them, but Castle was more focused on several specific individuals.
Doctor Strange. Wong. Madani. Ghost Spider and that other Spider-Man in the blue suit. B-15 and Mobius. Monica Rambeau, as well as some agents of SHIELD and SWORD.
"God dammit." Frank muttered, slowly helping Wanda up. "Figured we'd do this now."
"You figured right." Ghost Spider growled, stepping forward. "Peter might've stopped me from killing Wanda, but that doesn't mean she's getting away with what she's done."
Wanda sighed, hanging her head in shame.
"You're right." she murmured. "I've done… awful, terrible things. Would have done more, if Frank and America didn't bring me to my senses."
Maximoff gulped, looking back up.
"I'll accept whatever punishment awaits me."
Doctor Strange folded his arms, sighing.
"It seems we're not the only ones who want to deliver that punishment…" he muttered dryly, looking at the small group around him.
"She murdered one of our own." the blue Spider-Man announced.
"Wanda also took this very town hostage to live out her fantasy." Monica added.
"And she released an ancient demon to wreak havoc across the multiverse." B-15 finished.
Frank exhaled, looking over at Dinah.
"Got anything to add, Madani?"
"Just that she's still wanted by the government. And for that matter, so are you." Dinah told him. "But… since you just literally saved the multiverse, I can probably pull a few strings."
"Then do the same for Wanda." Frank told her. Madani bit her lip, sighing.
"C'mon. She's the one who took out Chthon."
"I'll… I'll see what I can do." the CIA agent finally told him. "Not sure about the other guys though."
"Not a chance." Ghost Spider shook her head, just as Peter-2 swung towards them.
"Guys… Gwen, Miguel-"
"No, you don't get it!" Gwen suddenly shouted. "It's because of her that my Peter is dead!"
Wanda's breath hitched, as her mind immediately flashed to seeing Peter-3 being ripped apart. Her body began to shake, as she looked down at her hands.
That's when she realized she was still holding the Kandarian Dagger. She looked up at Frank, having a dangerous look in her eyes. The same look she had when she begged him to kill her.
Castle's eyes trailed down, seeing the dagger in her hand, and he gently grabbed her wrist, stopping the shake.
"Dying's easy." he murmured, repeating what he told her when he refused to pull the trigger. Wanda calmed down, slowing her breathing, but then held out the dagger to Frank.
"Take it." she mumbled. "In case… in case if I…"
Frank looked her in the eyes, tightening his grip.
"You trust me with it?"
Maximoff stared at him dead on, nodding.
"Always."
Frank returned the nodding, gingerly taking the weapon and putting it in his trench coat.
"Okay." he murmured, securing the blade, while Strange pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Even without the powers Chthon gave her, Wanda can't be contained through conventional means." Stephen reminded everyone.
"Then what do you suggest?" B-15 asked. "She must answer for her crimes. The TVA has holding cells specifically designed for magic users."
"How'd that work out the last time we were there?" Frank snorted. Wong cleared his throat, stepping forward.
"Wanda Maximoff and the Darkhold were our responsibility. We must be the ones to right this wrong."
"She can stay in the New York Sanctum, under house arrest." Strange offered. "There are spells that can ensure she will be unable to leave for as long as we deem it so."
Everyone around them began to murmur amongst themselves, weighing the options, until B-15, Spider-Gwen, and Monica all nodded.
"Seems… fair." Madani announced. Frank breathed out, nodding to Dinah.
"Thanks Madani."
"Don't make me regret it, Frank." she warned, as the spider people opened a portal, jumping in. They were soon followed by the remaining TVA agents, who opened their rectangular portals and walked through, leaving Westview. With the battle won, America and the sorcerers opened up more of their own unique portals, allowing everyone else to leave. Some of them headed out without a second thought. Others, such as Ash, Peter-2, or Daredevil looked at Frank or America, giving them a silent nod, before leaving. Amy and Peter-1 waved at Castle as they walked through a portal, returning to their apartment. Hawkeye gave Wanda a sad expression, before heading through a portal leading back to his farm. One of the last people to leave was Kassie, who smiled at America, the latter returning with a wink. It didn't go unnoticed by Frank, who raised an eyebrow in Chavez's direction.
"What's that about?"
The teen shrugged, continuing to open portals and sending people to their own universe.
It took time, sending everyone back, but eventually, all those who remained were Frank, Wanda, America, Strange, and Wong, as Stephen created a portal to the New York Sanctum.
"Ready to go home?" the sorcerer asked. Wanda slowly nodded, a grim expression on her face.
"Yeah."
Strange looked at Wong, before the two led Maximoff into the sanctum, followed closely by Frank and America. Once the portal closed, the sorcerers held out their hands, conjuring mystical symbols in midair, as a golden disc formed around her feet on the floor.
"It's done." Strange announced, once the sigil faded. "You can no longer exit the sanctum unless Wong and I decide you ready."
"And for good measure, we've put a lock on your powers." Wong revealed. "You will only be able to access them when you yourself decide you are worthy of them again."
"What?" Frank widened his eyes. "Hey, wait-"
"Frank." Maximoff murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "They're right."
Castle exhaled, slowly calming down, as he looked over at Wanda. If she was okay with this… then it had to be good enough for him.
"Okay. Okay, she needs to be punished. I get that." Frank mumbled, pulling the dagger back out. "You want this too?"
"No, you keep it." Strange told him. "If there's one person I trust to… hold the knife, it's you."
Frank locked eyes with Strange, a silent promise, before returning the dagger to his coat.
"Wanda, I-"
He was cut off by Maximoff planting a kiss on his lips, something he returned almost immediately. Time slowed down for them again, yet their liplock seemed shorter than last time, as Wanda was the one to pull back.
"We'll see each other again, Frank." Wanda told him. "You gotta trust me on that."
Castle's mouth pulled into a smile, remembering when he told her the same thing.
"That's right." Frank nodded, as Wanda turned to Wong.
"Could you show me to my room?"
The Sorcerer Supreme smiled, as the two ascended the stairs, leaving Frank with America and Strange.
"How about it, kid?" Castle asked the girl. "You gonna keep looking for your parents?"
Chavez smiled, shifting from one foot to the other.
"Actually, I was wondering if I could first learn the mystic arts?" she asked, looking at Stephen.
"Of course, kid." Strange grinned, clapping a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, and can Frank stop by once in a while and keep training me to shoot?"
Castle raised an eyebrow, looking at Strange.
"I dunno, can I?"
The sorcerer chuckled, closing his eyes slightly and nodding.
"Sure."
"Sweet!" America cheered, while Frank looked out the door.
"I better get going." Frank muttered. "There's still a lot of assholes that need to be put down."
"You don't want to stay?" America asked. "We just saved the whole multiverse! We should order pizza or something!"
Frank looked at Chavez, seeing her looking between the two adults, as he shrugged.
"I could go for Lombardi's." he suggested.
"I'll go out and grab a box." Strange added, making his way towards the door.
"Strange, wait."
Stephen turned around, seeing Frank holding out his hand.
"Thanks." the Punisher told him. "I don't see myself having a lot of a friends… Red, Karen, Curt… he was, at least. But you… you've made the list."
Stephen took Frank's hand and firmly shook it, as the cloak seemed to shift in excitement.
"You ever need anything…"
"I'll call." Stephen nodded, before turning and heading out the door. Once he left, America coughed, placing her hand on Frank's arm.
"Thanks Frank. Thanks for saving me."
Castle turned towards the girl, looking her in the eyes.
"Nah, kid. You saved me."
A/N: Alright, we're finally almost done! All we got now is the epilogue! Gotta say, this has been a fun few years writing this!
So again, I'm pretty sure that Frank gets OOC at the end of this, but then again, I've probably made him like that throughout my entire series, but oh well.
This'll be the last story I write for a while. I really did get burnt out from writing this, and I feel like I was running on fumes to get to the finish line. I've pushed back a lot of other projects in my life that aren't related to this site, such as writing a film script, and editing some unfinished footage. Hell, there's a few projects I've scrapped both related to FFN and other facets of my life.
As of right now, I still have the documents for a couple stories. When I get to them, I don't really know. Sometime real soon, I'll be moving out of the house I'm currently living in to stay in another, so I might not have as much time as I did before. So I'm gonna try to get the epilogue out as soon as possible. Half of it is based on the actual Multiverse Of Madness ending anyway, so it shouldn't be that long.
That's all for now. Bye!