The battlefield was unraveling.
The Q-Ship's remnants spun slowly across the void, torn apart by the ongoing collision of raw cosmic energy and shadow-bound fury. Tremors rippled through the debris field, distorting space and wreaking havoc on nearby navigational systems. Energy flared in chaotic bursts from exposed conduits, while ruptured corridors vented oxygen and fragments of alien machinery into the star-choked abyss. Alexander stood firm, a lone figure framed by drifting smoke and fractured metal, his cloak of shadows rippling around him like a sentient storm.
Thanos advanced, unmoved by the devastation. Each heavy step echoed across the shattered hull, the Gauntlet pulsing ominously. With the Power Stone and Space Stone at his command, he radiated the inevitability of cosmic judgment. Spatial distortions warped around him, reality bending beneath his will.
Yet Alexander did not retreat.
Though his breath remained steady, his system blared warnings beneath the surface.
[CORE ENERGY: 64%]
[SYNC LEVEL: 91.3% — STABLE]
[WARNING: EXCESSIVE SUSTAINED OUTPUT MAY LEAD TO TEMPORARY SYSTEM LOCK]
He pressed forward anyway.
"Tell me," Thanos said, raising the Gauntlet with effortless menace, "what do you truly hope to achieve? You cannot destroy me. You only delay the inevitable."
Alexander's eyes narrowed, shadows flaring around him. "Hope isn't what I fight with."
He launched himself with a burst of compressed shadow, shockwaves erupting beneath his feet. As Thanos distorted the air with the Space Stone, Alexander adjusted mid-flight, bouncing off a fractured wall and embedding his spear deep into the dreadnought's bulkhead.
The explosion that followed was immediate.
He emerged through the smoke and slashed across Thanos's chest. Sparks flew as armor cracked. Thanos didn't flinch.
"You scratch the surface, nothing more," the Titan growled.
Above them, Noctis maneuvered through collapsing wreckage, casting deceptive shadows to misdirect Thanos's support drones. Nortis moved like a reaper, slicing through enemy units to keep the field clear.
Thanos retaliated, the Power Stone glowing. He swung, and Alexander met it with dual barriers of dark matter. The collision fractured the floor beneath them.
Alexander slid backward, steadying himself.
"He's forcing attrition," Noctis relayed. "His endurance with the Stones is limitless. This can't continue."
Alexander didn't reply. Instead, he shifted his stance, eyes locked on the enemy.
As Thanos raised the Gauntlet again, Noctis transmitted tactical overlays to Alexander's vision.
"Weakness in the Gauntlet's wrist. Briefly exposed after each Power Stone discharge."
Alexander struck.
Sliding low, shadows spiraling around his legs, he cut beneath Thanos's guard and slashed upward. The blade bit into the Gauntlet's wrist, sending sparks cascading. Thanos staggered, unbalanced.
Alexander shoulder-charged him into the wall.
Thanos's eyes narrowed. "You seek to disarm me?"
Alexander exhaled hard. "Let's see what you're worth without your crutch."
The Power Stone ignited again. Thanos smashed the floor, blasting Alexander away. As he landed in a crouch, another blast tore through the ceiling.
Thanos descended through the rubble like a meteor.
They clashed mid-air.
Space cracked, the ripple scattering smaller ships and triggering alerts on the dreadnought. Both were thrown back—but Alexander recovered first.
He surged forward, delivering a whirlwind of strikes. Shadows danced around his blades, precision meeting ferocity. Thanos parried with the Gauntlet, twisting space to gain ground.
Then, Alexander's system interrupted:
[INCOMING SIGNAL: EARTH ORBITAL SECTOR — CHANNEL ID: SANCTUM BEACON]
[MESSAGE: WONG / URGENT PRIORITY]
Alexander's vision filled with the transmission.
"Alexander. You must return. Earth is under attack. They've begun their strike. Wakanda is falling. We need you—now."
His jaw clenched.
"Nortis! Noctis! Retreat pattern Delta. We're leaving."
Thanos stepped forward, hand pulsing with power. "Running now? After all that resolve?"
"I don't run," Alexander said, shadows swirling. "I protect what matters."
He summoned a gateway of coalescing shadow. Noctis vanished through first, followed by Nortis.
Alexander gave Thanos one final look, blood streaked across his armor, yet defiant.
"You're not finished. Neither am I."
He stepped into the gate.
Thanos stood alone.
In the drifting remnants of the Q-Ship, he looked toward Earth.
And smiled.
"Interesting."
To be continued.
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