Chapter 52: Stones!?
The ship popped out of the Jump Point, to see one extra large troop dropship, twenty large troop dropships and several hundred fighter jets in the air, surrounding Nidavellir and sending fire. There were already about fifty troop dropships on the ground, and Outriders were pouring out of them.
The dwarves were giving as good as they got, several hundred of them using guns the size of a 5' human on the Outriders, and they had several dwarves manning cannons that took ten or so fighter jets out of the sky at each blast.
Kaine looked at the gods watching the scene with him through the opening hatch.
"Odinsons, Odinsdottirs, Valkyrie, Asgardians." Kaine said. "Speeches aren't really my thing. But I want to remind you that while Odin may have been one heartless son of a bitch, none can deny that he created the best soldiers. The Valkyrie are still known across the cosmos as the best army. Even the Mad Titan knows better than to attack the Asgardian army head on. Hela conquered the Nine Realms, and not even all of the Valkyrie were able to defeat her. Thor is known across the pantheons as the undefeated champion of Asgard. Loki is the god that escaped the control of the Mad Titan, his deceptions are known even in the tales of mortals, and not even Artemis herself can match his aim with knives. Sylvie waged a fucking one woman war against the TVA, to the point that they were forced to admit that they weren't on her level. Asgardians are a race meant not just for battle, but for winning them. So get the fuck out of here, Descendants of Buri, and show the Mad Titan the wrath of Asgard!"
Kaine's mask materialized as his stingers and legs got into battle position, then he leaped into the hordes of Outriders, killing hundreds of them in a minute.
"The Captain would be abhorred by the language in that speech." Thor muttered to himself as he gathered lightning while his eyes gained their electric blue look.
Almost as if by some unspoken agreement, all four children of Odin charged at the same moment. Thor had veins of lightning running all over his armor and skin and blasts of lightning hit Outriders, while Loki had green mist creating a platform for him to stand on, daggers flying out of his hands and into heads of Outriders faster than anyone could see. Hela's hair transformed into her black crown as she mounted Fenrir, and she threw swords parallel to the ground, each sword cutting hundreds of heads of Outriders off. Sylvie sent out disks of green magic, causing the Outriders to kill each other.
Freya happily looked at her kids working together, then she went into battle along with the other Asgardians.
Once they saw the reinforcements, the dwarves gave a joyous cry and renewed their attacks with a newfound vigor.
All along the field, Outriders fell far faster than they dropped their enemies, but in the forefront of the Asgardian army the remaining major gods of the Asgardian pantheon along with Kaine lay visible carnage to the Outriders.
Kaine was stabbing and slashing nonstop, killing at least twenty Outriders per ten seconds. His wolf and Wolverine claws were blue from the blood of the Outriders, and his legs were painted blue.
Thor was shooting thousands upon thousands of watts of lightning out of his hands, each streak of lightning frying Outriders to death upon impact. If any Outrider managed to get close to him, they would promptly have their heads smashed into mush.
Freya was killing Outriders faster than thought possible, her sword was dancing around the Outriders and licking them. Occasionally, she used her magic to confuse them and kill a hundred of them in one go.
Heimdall was engaged in battle as well, the Sword of Bifrost in his hands and attacking Outriders as they moved. With his superior eyes, he could see all of the Outriders as they moved, and his skill with the blade ensured that every stroke of his sword was deadly.
Loki and Sylvie were working side by side, combining their magic to kill thousands of Outriders, throwing daggers all the while. Their green magic was snaking across the Outriders and snapping their necks.
Hela looked absolutely euphoric. She was raising armies of skeletons, and sending them to fight the Outriders while she lazily chopped Outriders with her swords.
"The army can take care of the remaining ground troops!" Kaine said to Freya after a while. "We need to take care of the dropships!"
Freya nodded. "Hela! Thor!" She called. "The dropships!"
The siblings nodded, then Hela created several huge swords and with a wave of her hand, she sent them to slice the dropships.
Thor roared, then he spread his hands out, and the sky lit blue from his lightning traveling to the dropships alongside Hela's swords.
The swords and lightning hit the dropships and fighter jets, then the sky turned red from the explosions of the ships.
Then the largest dropship appeared out of the clouds of debris, apparently unharmed.
"Hela, take care of any Outriders remaining." Kaine ordered.
Hela nodded, then her swords flew over the fields, chopping up any remaining Outriders.
Eitri walked up to Thor. "You have our thanks, Thor. Nidavellir would have fallen had it not been for your aid."
"Don't thank me." Thor said in a surprising show of humility. "Loki and the one with eight legs is the only reason Ragnarok hasn't come to pass."
"Battle's not over yet, people." Kaine said. "Heimdall, tell Bruce he better get the fuck out of the ship and Hulk the fuck out right now."
Heimdall did something with his sword and the Bifrost activated, bringing Bruce in front of them.
"Why'd you bring me here?" Bruce asked, almost hyperventilating. "You don't want the Other Guy to come out."
Hela looked at Kaine with a deadpan expression. "This is the man you called for? He doesn't look like a warrior."
"That's because he isn't." Kaine said. "Bruce, do you see that ship?"
Kaine pointed at the dropship, and Bruce paled at the size of the ship that was slowly coming.
"Yes?" Bruce asked fearfully.
"There's probably a million Outriders along with one of the Black Order, and Thanos is probably on the way with The Sanctuary." Kaine said. "So if you don't Hulk out, I will Hulk you out."
Bruce gulped then nodded, then focused.
"Am I supposed to expect something?" Hela asked drily.
Bruce's veins started turning green, then his face turned music, then his body became twice as big as he ripped his clothes apart and turned into Hulk.
"Took you long enough to come." Kaine said, looking up at Hulk. "Now get ready, the ship is about to land."
Hulk grunted in acceptance.
The dropship landed, and the main hatch opened, revealing hordes of Outriders and Ebony Maw.
"Your resistance is futile, Asgardians." Ebony Maw said. "Accept the inevitable. Asgard has fallen, and balance shall rule the world."
Hulk, the hothead that he was, rushed at Ebony, but he just raised his hand, telekinetically stopping Hulk. Then he gestured, and Hulk was thrown into a building with a roar.
"Loki, the Tesseract." Kaine ordered.
Loki looked hesitant. "Are you sure?"
"Loki, the fucking Tesseract, right now." Kaine ordered again.
Loki brought the Tesseract out and gave it to Kaine.
Maw attempted to use his telekinesis to pull the Tesseract to himself, but Kaine dissolved his mask and smirked as he held onto the Tesseract with one hand.
"I see you have an ally who knows some of what he must do to battle Thanos." Maw said. "But what you all fail to realize is that in the end, you will all fail."
"Shut the fuck up." Kaine said, then he crushed the Tesseract and held the Space Stone of Universe-200027 in his hands.
Maw gestured, and all the hatches on his ship opened, then about a million Outriders ran out, screaming.
Hulk immediately grinned. "HULK SMASH!" He screamed, jumping and landing in the middle of the Outriders, creating a crater and thousands of dead Outriders.
The Asgardians and Dwarves joined Hulk in obliterating the Outriders
Kaine put the Space Stone in a pocket on the center of his spider emblem, then he jumped in and started killing the Outriders along with the others.
After a few minutes, he found himself fighting back to back with Loki.
"How do you think this time will be?" Kaine asked as he clapped his hands with all the force possible, creating a shockwave and obliterating a horde of Outriders in front of him.
"It's… different." Loki said, throwing daggers and slicing heads off.
"Just wait, you'll get your happy ending." Kaine said, then he ran off, killing Outriders as he headed towards Ebony Maw.
"Thanos is coming, and your efforts will be futile." Ebony said once Kaine reached him.
"That's the thing, Maw." Kaine said. "I used the stone to block anyone from entering. Thanos can't use Jump Points to get here, he'd have to get to the block and force it open with the Power Stone."
Maw frowned, then he telekinetically threw beams and dead bodies at Kaine.
Kaine created a portal to land it all behind him, then he jumped at Maw, using the Web to combat Maw's attempts at pushing Kaine away.
Kaine bared his stingers, then he attempted to stab Maw in the neck, but a forcefield pushed his stinger away and blasted him several feet back.
Kaine looked at Maw, and saw that he was caressing a bruise on his neck where Kaine had attempted to stab him.
"A force field protecting against sharp items but not blunt force?" Kaine said. "That's dumb, Ebony Maw."
Kaine sped up, going so fast that he was just a blur. He was circling Maw, punching him everywhere.
Maw was covered in bruises after ten seconds, then he followed Kaine's pattern and stuck his hand in the right position to punch Kaine in his solar plexus.
Unfortunately for Maw, that's what Kaine was waiting for.
Maw cried out as his elbow was broken and his hand flopped down.
Kaine continued to circle Maw, punching him randomly.
"The only reason you saw a pattern was because I wanted you to." Kaine said. "Do you feel fear, knowing that you'll die today?"
"ENOUGH!" Maw shouted, causing a humongous telekinetic blast and throwing Kaine away.
Kaine landed on his back and rolled into his ready position, feet on the floor, spider legs spread wide, and stingers bared.
Kaine wiped some blood off the corner of his mouth. "You're the first person to make me bleed in a while."
Kaine ran forward again, and uppercutted Maw before he could react.
Maw flew in the air for a moment, going through a portal Kaine made.
As soon as he went through the portal, his stomach was greeted by Hulk's fist, and he flew into another portal.
Maw landed in a heap in front of Thor, who grinned evilly, then he applied streaks of lightning onto Maw, overloading his force field suit.
The power of the lightning blast had Maw sliding away from Thor. He was sliding as his force field flickered on and off, until someone stepped on his torso and stopped him.
Maw looked up to see Loki grinning evilly with a dagger in the hand.
The last thing Ebony Maw of Universe-200027 would see was said dagger descending to his neck.
~~ A Different, Superior, Spider-Man ~~
Kaine walked up to Thor and Freya, who were just done speaking with Eitri.
"We're missing someone, Thor." Kaine said. "Where's Lady Sif?"
"I have not properly visited Asgard in a while, I could not truly tell you where she is." Thor said.
"She's at Knowhere." Loki said, walking up to them. "I sent her there to keep an eye on the Reality Stone."
"And to make sure she didn't realize you weren't Odin, but that's not important." Kaine snarked.
Loki didn't deign to answer Kaine.
"Ok, we need to understand where to send our troops, and what to do." Kaine said. "Eitri, are your forges ready to make the Stormbreaker?"
"Yes." Eitri said, surprised that the Midgardian knew about Stormbreaker.
"Good." Kaine said. "As soon as this conversation is over, I would start its preparation, if I were you."
"And who do you think you are to order me so?" Eitri challenged.
"I may not know his name, but he has my trust." Freya said.
"...So be it, All-Mother." Eitri said hesitantly.
Kaine retook control of the conversation. "Loki, you are the King of Agard. What is the status of the Asgardian army?"
"I just came back from checking on them with Heimdall." Loki said. "The force we have here is at sixty thousand strong at the moment, originally, they were sixty-five thousand, but five thousand are either dead or injured."
Kaine nodded. "Are there others stationed along the Nine Realms?"
"Ten thousand of them are stationed across the Nine Realms, five thousand guard Asgard, and three thousand of them are scattered in platoons across the universe." Loki said.
"Can anyone other than the Dwarves of Nidavellir forge an Infinity Gauntlet?"
"There are forges on Knowhere." Eitri said hesitantly.
"How many Asgardians are on Knowhere?" Kaine asked.
"A thousand." Loki said.
"Tell Sif to take them and retreat with the Reality Stone." Kaine said. "They will make for Midgard while we finish up here."
"You are suggesting retreat!?" Thor exclaimed angrily. "We are Asgardians, we don't back down from a fight."
"Thor, he already has the Power Stone." Kaine said calmly. "Thanos knows about the death of Maw. He will go to Knowhere to get himself a Gauntlet. If Sif stays there, she is guaranteeing her death as well as the loss of the Reality Stone. We could order her to kill all those who could make an Infinity Gauntlet, but that's not smart. Our best bet is getting all the Stones we can. Vision has the Mind Stone, Sif has the Reality Stone, I have the Space Stone, and the Sorcerer Supreme has the Time Stone. That's four stones against one or two. If we go to Knowhere, we're risking an equal fight."
"Well thought." Loki said. "And what about the Soul Stone?"
"If Thanos wishes to retrieve it himself, he may." Kaine scoffed. "No Stone is worth the death of a loved one."
"Odin's grandfather, Buri, placed that protection over the Stone." Freya said.
Kaine nodded. "I figured it would be the Asgardians. Celestials would never bother to do something smart. Anyways, Loki, you're sending ten thousand of your best back to Asgard, along with twenty thousand of Hela's Einherjar. I don't want anyone getting a hand on Odin's hoard. The rest will go to Midgard. Thor, you and I will use the Space Stone to contact Sif and tell her to come to Midgard along with the troops and the Reality Stone. The Asgardians will go by ship, while I and Thor will go to the Sorcerer Supreme's lodge. Are there any protests?"
They all looked around, and when there were no protests, Kaine glared at them. "Then what the fuck are you waiting for? For Thanos to decide to attack Earth while it's undefended? Get the fuck out of my face!"
They all ran away, except for Freya.
"Well done, Warrior." Freya said. "You would be a good king had it not been for your rage."
"My brother has this same rage as well, but he refines it." Kaine said. "I… I am different from him."
"And that is why you are brothers, not the same person." Freya said.
"And yet, I'm his clone." Kaine said.
"You may be his clone bodily and in memory, but your soul is different."
Kaine nodded in agreement.
"You and Thor still have to call Sif." Freya reminded. "You should get to that."
"Till next time, All-Mother." Kaine said, heading to find Thor.
After going through a good amount of Nidavellir, he found Thor with Eitri, admiring his new axe.
"And you say this controls the Bifrost?" Thor asked.
The Stormbreaker in this universe looked much like the one from Universe-199999, however, the handle was real, instead of just being a piece of Groot.
"Yes, it will." Eitri said, then he noticed Kaine. "What about you, Warrior? Do you wish for me to forge anything for you?"
Kaine shook his head. "You wouldn't be able to make something for me."
Eitri puffed his chest angrily. "Are you saying you're too good for the forges of Nidavellir?"
"Frankly? Yes." Kaine said. "Using any weapons you make me would be limiting me. The only ones who'd be able to make me something would be my father, my brother, the Dwarves of my universe, and those on Knowhere." Kaine turned to Thor. "Come, we must contact Sif."
Kaine walked away, and Thor and Eitri exchanged glances, then Thor ran after Kaine.
Kaine led them to a secluded area, then he activated the Space Stone, opening a portal.
Sif was on the other side of the portal, instructing two Asgardians.
"Sif!" Thor called, and all three Asgardians looked at him.
"Thor?" Sif said. "Who's your companion?"
"That's not important right now." Thor said. "Get the Aether as well as our men out of Knowhere, head to Midgard!"
"What's going on?" Sif asked.
"Thanos is coming to Knowhere." Kaine said. "He already has the Power Stone, and we're trying to collect all the Stones we can and fight him on our turf. You have about twenty minutes."
Kaine disconnected the connection, then he looked at Thor. "Our work is done."
"You won't go help them come?" Thor asked, running to catch up with Kaine.
"And why should I?" Kaine asked. "That was never part of the plan."
"Thanos might attack them!" Thor said. "If he does, then he'll get the Aether!"
"Relax, everything is going as planned." Kaine said. "Now, let's go."
"No!" Thor said, standing still. "I refuse to go unless Sif's safety is guaranteed!"
Kaine slowly turned to face Thor. Thor gulped at the angered expression on Kaine's face, but he stood his ground, his grip on Stormbreaker tightening.
"She. Is. Safe." Kaine said. "Do you want to know where Thanos is right now? He's stuck in the trap I set for him. By the time Sif is going out, he'll be just arriving at Knowhere. He needs to see the Asgardian ships leaving, so he understands." Kaine walked up close to Thor. "He needs to feel fear. He needs to know which of us is stronger. He needs to know that I'm the one controlling his moves. He needs to see the ships leaving and realize that I let him get a Gauntlet. He needs to be desperate. Fear will grip his heart. He will grasp at strings. He will feel my hand as it grabs his heart. He will feel my legs as they rip his arms off. He will feel my rage, my anger, my wrath. He will feel my pain, my hate, my restlessness. And then he will run into my hands and die."
Kaine turned around and walked away. "The others are leaving for Asgard and Midgard. Come, we head for the Sanctum Sanctorum."
Thor just stared dumbfoundedly as Kaine waved his hand and created an Eldritch portal.
Kaine looked back. "Are you coming or not? I'd rather not have a pointless fight with Strange."
Thor followed after him.
~~ A Different, Superior Spider-Man ~~
Dr. Stephen Strange was worriedly reading a tome in his library.
"Do you know why I'm feeling like this?" He asked his cloak. "I don't know, the Eye just feels wrong."
"That would be mine and Thanos' fault." Kaine said as he entered the library.
Immediately, Strange was ready for a fight.
Thor walked out from behind Kaine. "It's ok, he's an ally."
Strange stood down, but he was still cautious, and his Tail Mandalas were still out. "You feel… almost wrong."
"That would be because I am what you would call an extraversal individual." Kaine said. "Nice to meet you, Sorcerer Supreme."
Strange looked confused. "What might your name be?"
Kaine laughed. "I'm afraid you won't find my name anywhere in this universe. However, a title you'd know me by is the Executioner of the Web."
Strange paled and deactivated his Tao Mandalas immediately. "My apologies, your highness."
"What is the meaning of this title?" Thor asked.
"Well, my family is tasked with the protection of this multiverse." Kaine said. "My older brother, he is the King, Protector of the Web, and Sorcerer Superior. Me, I'm a Prince and the Executioner of the Web. My younger brother, he's a Prince and the Hero of the Web."
"How are you aware of his titles and Asgard is not?" Thor asked.
Kaine smirked. "Bitch please. Odin knew, and I suspect Freya knows as well. You god types don't like being open about your weaknesses."
"The only mention of your family is in the Book of Vishanti, and you're referenced in… less than complimentary ways."
"Let me guess." Kaine scoffed. "That punk ass book praises the 'Hero of the Web' with colorful terms, and I'm just referenced as the dangerous and somewhat evil member of the family?"
"...yes." Strange said.
Kaine rolled his eyes. "The arrogance and hypocrisy of Agamotto is astounding. Well then, just remember that there's a reason I'm killing Thanos and Ben isn't." Kaine said. "Enough dilly dallying. Let's go to meet the other Stone Keeper."
Kaine made a portal with the Space Stone. "Our destination is Edinburgh, Scotland. We'll be walking into a fight, so get ready."
Kaine walked through the portal to a rooftop, and after a shared glance, Thor Odinson and Stephen Strange followed him.
~~ A Different, Superior Spider-Man ~~
Wanda was worriedly looking at Vision as he looked out the window.
"Are you alright, Vis?" She asked, but Vision didn't respond.
Wanda walked up to him. "Vision?" She asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, Wanda?" He said as he finally registered her calling him.
"Are you ok?" She asked.
"I… I'm not sure." Vision said with uncertainty. "In all my life, I've always known the better path to take. But now," he tapped the Mind Stone, "this is trying to tell me something."
"What is it trying to tell you?" She asked softly.
"I don't really know." Vision said. "First, it felt like it was warning me. But now, it feels like it's at war."
"What do you mean?" Wanda asked.
"I mean, before, it was as if there was a danger to it." Vision said. "Now, it feels like something is fighting against the danger."
"What does the Stone want to do?"
"I'm not sure." Vision lied.
Wanda didn't catch on to the fact that he was lying. "Is whatever that's fighting against the danger a friend?"
"I'm not sure." Vision said.
"The Americans have a saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Wanda said.
"The Accords are still active, Wanda." Vision said, ignoring Wanda's scowl at the mention of the Accords. "I highly doubt it probable that the United Nations allow the Avengers to act on a feeling of danger."
Wanda didn't respond.
Vision opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, something crashed into him and through the walls of the house.
Wanda immediately became alert and sent several hexes at a female assailant, who Wanda assumed was an alien judging from her physiology.
The assailant was thrown several feet back into a wall, but before Wanda could tag her with harmful hexes, the assailant rolled out of danger, then she threw several knives at Wanda.
Wanda raised a hexagonal shield to block the knives, which was mostly successful except for two knives which cut locks of her hair.
Wanda glared at the assailant. "That was my hair." She said as she sent hexes at the alien.
The alien deftly dodged all the hexes. "As if I care." She said as she closed the space between her and Wanda.
Nearby, Vision was fighting the assailant that attacked him. Vision was aiming blasts with the Mind Stone at the alien, who either dodged the attacks or blocked it with his glaive. (A.N.: Yes, Corvus Glaive's weapon is apparently called a glaive, hilarious right?)
The alien leaped and attempted to stab Vision in the stomach, but Vision phased through the attack. Apparently, that was what the alien was planning for, as electricity covered the glaive and shorted Vision for several seconds.
Vision fell to the floor, and the alien raised his glaive to deal the killing blow, but before he could, a string stuck to his glaive and yanked it away from the alien.
"Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight." Kaine said as the aliens observed the new additions to the fight. "I just came back from killing Ebony Maw, I'll remember to thank you for giving me two more members of the Black Order to decommission."
"Asgardian." Proxima said with a sneer as she looked at Thor.
Kaine tossed the glaive back to Corvus. "Let's have a good fight, shall we?"
As soon as Corvus spun his glaive, Kaine jumped into action.
He sped to stand between Midnight and Corvus, then his legs straightened up and stabbed at them.
Midnight was able to block all three legs that stabbed at her, while Corvus only managed to block two of the legs, and the last made a hole where his left shoulder joint was.
Corvus made a cry of pain as his arm fell limp, and swung his glaive at Kaine, but Kaine flipped away on his spider legs before either Corvus or Midnight could land a shot.
While he was flipping mid air, Kaine shut a magical web for him to land on.
Kaine landed on the web with all eight limbs, and when he jumped off the web, he bounced off faster than anyone's eyes could follow.
For all of one second, there was a blur flying around the two aliens, and they tried their best to block the attacks.
Kaine flipped away and landed on his feet, and everyone looked at Corvus and Midnight. Corvus was just a screaming, bleeding torso on the floor, while Midnight had cuts all over, and looked like she was on her last limbs.
Then a train rushed past, and they all paused to look at the train. When the train was gone, a figure was standing on the other side of the tracks.
"Thor," Kaine said, ignoring Captain America, "kill Proxima for me, would ya?"
Thor took his axe and cut into Proxima's chest, and she died with one last week cough.
Kaine looked at Thor. "You should have gone for the head." Then he looked at Corvus. "Tell Thanos that you could never have been a match for me."
Corvus coughed up blood in response.
Then a portal formed under Corvus and Midnight, and they fell through.
Kaine turned around to see Wanda, Strange, Thor, Steve Rogers, Falcon, Loki, Sif, Rhodey, Vision, and Natasha Romanoff, the fugitives all looking furtively at Vision.
"They're on Thanos' ship." Kaine said to Thor.
"Who are you?" Wanda asked, red magic snaking her hands.
"Well, I'm not a threat to you, that's for sure." Kaine said with a chuckle. "If I was, you'd be dead days ago."
Everyone was tense at that statement.
"You have mine and the Sorcerer Supreme's word that he isn't a threat." Thor said.
"Nice to see you Thor." Steve said.
"You too, Captain." Thor said.
"Not to break up the reunion, but what is Loki and the guy with mechanical legs doing here?" Sam Wilson asked.
Kaine glared at Sam. "They're not mechanical. And Loki is here because I told him to come to Earth."
"He tried to conquer Earth!" Rhodey protested.
"Under mind control." Thor and Kaine said at the same time, then Kaine continued. "Thanos used the Mind Stone to warp Loki's mind. Now, he might not be my favorite individual, but he is a useful individual. Four people here have Infinity Stones, and Thanos is coming for the Stones. I have the Space Stone, Vision has the Mind Stone, Sif has the Reality Stone, and Stephen has the Time Stone. Thanos has the Power Stone. I've blocked any chance of him getting the Soul Stone. Now, we -"
(A.N.: Kaine just portaled the Guardians' ship to orbit of Earth using the Space Stone just because he could. I also think that's the kind of thing Kaine would do.)
"Wait a minute!" Sam protested. "None of us have any idea what you're talking about!"
"What I'm talking about," Kaine hissed, suddenly right in front of Sam, "is your universe losing half of its life if you don't shut the fuck up." Then he backed off and looked at Thor. "Thor, get all of the Avengers together wherever they meet up these days, and get them on track, then bring them to Wakanda. Me, Loki, Sif, Stephen, and Vision are going to Wakanda."
"Yes, Warrior." Thor said, then he raised Stormbreaker, and Thor disappeared with his group in a Bifrost tunnel.
"Well then," Kaine said, looking at his group, "let's go."
Chapter 53: Thanos-200027
Kaine opened a portal to Wakanda, appearing on a landing pad, then he gestured for the others to follow him.
"If Vision's going, I'm coming as well." Wanda said as she stepped through the portal.
After a moment's hesitation, the rest went through the portal, and Kaine closed the portal behind them.
Moments later, a platoon of Dora Milaje surrounded them and pointed their spears at them.
"Greetings, Dora Milaje." Kaine said in Wakandan. "I mean you no harm, I have merely come to ask for your Princess's help."
"And why would you need my sister's help?" A male voice asked, then the Dora Milaje gave space for T'Challa to appear clad in his suit.
"T'Challa." Kaine said. "I believe it best to speak while sitting. As I said, we mean no harm, Vision here can attest to that."
"No, I cannot, I barely know who you are." Vision protested, and Kaine glared at him.
"You know enough of who I am, and do you wish to have spats while Thanos is nearing?"
Vision made an expression to clarify that he wasn't happy with the way events were going, but didn't protest.
"Very well, follow us." T'Challa said, then he walked away, the others following him with the Dora Milaje acting as guards.
~~ A Different, Superior Spider-Man ~~
"So right now, I'm in the room with three of the six items that created this universe?" T'Challa summarized skeptically.
"No." Kaine said. "The first thing in this universe was the One Above All of Earth-200027, and he created the six Infinity Stones, the Progenitors of the Primordials."
"I'm sorry, the Primordials?" Stephen asked.
"Well, what passes for a true Primordial in your universe anyways, not the Galactic or Solar Primordials like Gaia, Chronos, and the Sheep." Kaine said. "As in Death, Oblivion, Eternity, and Infinity. Technically the Primordials and the Stones came to being at the same moment, but this only counts for universes other than mine. The Stones can't exist without the Primordials, and vice versa."
(A.N.: Gaia and Chronos are Greek Primordials, while the Sheep is technically Odin's great-grandfather, and one of two Primordials in Norse mythology. Search it up, it's quite an interesting story.)
"Then why did the TVA treat the Infinity Stones with such carelessness?" Loki asked.
"They existed out of this universe by a technicality." Kaine said. "Your Stones aren't like the ones of my universe, they have no jurisdiction out of your universe."
"So you're not from this universe, why do you know this much?" T'Challa asked.
"Are you challenging me?" Kaine asked. "The T'Challa from my universe would say it frankly if he was doing so."
"Well then I'll say it frankly." T'Challa said, rising from his throne. "How do I know you're not working with Thanos?"
Kaine started laughing. "Oh, that's fucking rich, Tich. Out of two beings in the multiverse, the two I hate the most are my Father and Thanos. I assure you, teaming up with Thanos is something I would never do except if he were no longer the wannabe consort of Death."
T'Challa studied Kaine's expression before he nodded. "Then we'll help."
Kaine turned to Shuri. "I need you to disconnect the Mind Stone from Vision, Stephen will keep you all locked in a moment of time, so you're in no rush. Sif, Wanda, and I will use our Stones and abilities to up the defenses."
"I never agreed to this." Vision protested.
"Please." Kaine said. "You're a liability. I trust you as far as you can throw a universe. You're a machine, created by a malfunctioning AI and a desperate scientist. The only reason Shuri hasn't already fully hacked your systems is because of the Mind Stone being unique and beyond her reach. If she can control you to destroy everyone in this room, what's to stop Thanos from doing the same?"
Everyone looked at Shuri in surprise, who was looking at Kaine in surprise. "How'd you know I already hacked his systems."
"You may not be the Shuri from my world, but you're similar enough to my sister for me to know what you'll do." Kaine said. "How about you give us a demonstration?"
Shuri grinned, and before Vision could say anything, he flew up and made erratic moves, guided by Shuri moving her beads.
"The point has been made." Wanda said after a moment, her magic snaking around her fingers.
Shuri nodded and landed Vision, then she receded control.
"That was… uncomfortable." Vision said.
"The extraversal individual has the right idea." T'Challa said. "Shuri, take Vision and Dr. Strange to get the Stone removed from him. I will prepare our army while our defenses are upgraded by the other visitors."
Shuri nodded, then she led Vision and Stephen away.
"Well, let's get to work." T'Challa said with a sigh.
~~~~~
At the Avengers Compound, the remaining Avengers were incredulously staring at Thor.
"So you're telling me you willingly brought someone who can destroy the whole planet with a snap to us?" Rhodey asked in an exasperated tone.
"No, not the planet." Thor said condescendingly. "This universe would probably take him a day max to destroy."
"That doesn't seem to be any better." Natasha said, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll have to give a kudos to Point Break for this one." Tony said. "I've known Thanos was coming since Manhattan. That's why I created Ultron. If we have such a strong individual on our side, then good for us."
"No one asked you, Stark." Sam said coldly. "We know you created a murderbot."
"Now is not the time for petty squabbles!" Thor exclaimed. "Thanos is coming! For what it is worth, Anthony was correct in trying to create Ultron, he just didn't go about it the right way! Thanos could kill most Asgardians without any hassle, and yet Earth's Mightiest Heroes decide to have spats instead of arming themselves!"
"Thor is right." Clint said from where he was leaning against the wall and pushed off of it. "If Wakanda is where the fight's at, what are we waiting for?"
"This isn't sanctioned." A voice said, and they all turned to see General Ross enter the room with a group of soldiers.
Thor summoned Stormbreaker to his hand and stood in front of Ross. They were so close that their chests were nearly touching, and Thor glared down at Ross.
"I lost my father barely three days ago, and I learned that my brother died several times trying to reunite with me." Thor said dangerously. "I'm sure if you checked outside, you would find a raging storm. I'd highly advise you to stop whatever you think you're doing while you're alive and not electrocuted to a crisp."
Ross hesitated for a moment, and before he could reassert his position, Thor smacked him into the wall.
The soldiers all pointed their guns at Thor, and Thor stared at them blankly. "My armor is made of Uru, and yet you aim guns at me?"
None of the soldiers said anything as their hands shook while they aimed at Thor.
"Very well." Thor said, then he turned to the rest, and before they could protest, he used Stormbreaker to take them to Wakanda.
~~ A Different, Superior Spider-Man ~~
Kaine stood alongside the rest of the Avengers as they waited for Thanos to arrive.
"How long?" Sylvie asked, and Kaine looked at Strange in askance.
"They're almost here." Strange said. "He's sent the Outriders."
Moments later, several large ships fell towards the city, and those that fell above were obliterated by the defensive dome.
Then a small ship landed, and the doors were ripped open, and a large black alien individual exited.
"Black Dwarf!" Kaine called. "You're the last member of the Black Order!"
Black Dwarf glared and drew his cudgel. "Thanos is inevitable, you will fall."
"I've yet to fall, and you've lost all of your most important warriors." Kaine challenged. "Tell me, Black Dwarf, how does Thanos plan to win?"
"With his army!" Dwarf said, gesturing to the Outriders behind him.
"What use is a dumb army without its commanders?" Kaine asked.
Dwarf growled, and gave the orders to his men to charge.
The Outriders ran forward, and as soon as they touched the shield dome, they were all destroyed in a multitude of ways.
"What is happening to them?" Tony asked confusedly.
"Many things." Kaine said.
"It depends on where they hit the dome." Wanda explained. "Some of them are going through portals that lead to space where they freeze to death, some of them are having their reality shifted to being Outriders under Sif's control, and some of them are being turned into nothing through Chaos Magic, among many other painful deaths."
"Need it be painful?" Sam asked. "I mean, I understand that they're the enemy, but it's also clear that they're mindless."
Kaine looked at Sam. "This isn't for you to lose your lunch over, this is for Thanos to become more desperate. These are mindless creatures that have most of their pain receptors muted. For them to feel pain, that means that they are truly in pain. Thanos is watching, and he will come soon."
Sam didn't look pleased, but conceded to Kaine's decision.
"I agree." Gamora said. "Thanos doesn't respond to many things, but making a joke out of the Black Order will catch his eyes."
"Ares would like this type of war." Thor said. "I may not particularly like Ares, but he has his uses, and this would be his type of thing."
Kaine nodded. "It takes a special type of violence to be a god of war, and while Ares may not live up to being a true God of War, he understands the brutality."
Thor nodded in agreement, remembering his older brother Tyr. While Tyr was a peaceful being even as the Asgardian God of War, when he fought, he was savage, and everyone feared his anger, more than they feared Odin's. Eventually, he decided to travel the cosmos, and it had been many centuries since Thor had seen his brother.
"I'm not nice like Tyr, Thor Odinson." Kaine said amusedly. "Your brother is more like my older brother."
Thor agreed internally, but he said nothing and observed the Outriders kill themselves.
Eventually, Black Dwarf decided he had enough, and charged at the dome.
Everyone tensed, but Kaine and the others who constructed the defenses were still relaxed.
As soon as Black Dwarf hit the dome, his body was turning into shreds, and he screamed as he turned into nothing but a bunch of scraps on the ground.
"Now, he's coming." Kaine said. "T'Challa, you have the Mind Stone, correct?"
T'Challa nodded.
"Remember that you wield the Mind Stone." Kaine instructed. "While mere blasts of power can kill the Outriders expediently, using the Mind Stone to convince the Outriders to kill each other is much more useful. The Stone you hold is more powerful when used as it's meant to be."
Before T'Challa could nod, the Sanctuary appeared in the sky, and everyone stared at the large ship.
The ship sent blasts at the dome, which the dome ate up.
After a while of constant bombardment to no effect, Thanos jumped out of the Sanctuary and landed on a knee, his fist on the ground and the golden of the Infinity Gauntlet glowing.
Thanos stood up and raised his hand.
The Power Stone glowed, and purple beans attacked the dome, and forcefully made a hole in the defenses.
The Outriders poured through, while Kaine and Thanos had a staredown from two sides of the shield.
Everyone was about to charge ahead, but Kaine raised his hand, never tearing his eyes from Thanos'. "Odinsons, Odinsdottirs, be prepared."
The four children of Odin palmed their weapons and their eyes glowed with power.
The Outriders neared until they were three hundred feet away from everyone, but Kaine still didn't let them attack.
Everyone was getting twitchy as the Outriders neared.
"Hold your ground!" Kaine ordered as the Outriders were two hundred feet away.
"Now." Kaine said with finality as the Outriders reached the hundred foot mark.
The four children of Odin charged, and their weapons sliced across the field as the Outriders were killed, and within moments, there were not more than twenty Outriders alive on this side of the dome.
Thor and Hela moved to bottle up the Outriders exiting through the purple hole in the shield, but Kaine called them.
"Sif, you're next." Kaine said as the next wave of Outriders went through the hole. "Change reality. There will no longer be any Outriders on this side of the dome when I give the order."
Sif nodded.
"Now." Kaine ordered when there were several thousand Outriders on this side of the dome, and a pulse of red spread and all the Outriders disappeared.
The third wave of Outriders started entering, and Kaine had not yet looked away from Thanos. "Sorcerer, freeze them and slowly age them to dust."
"As Sorcerer Supreme, I am not supposed to use the Time Stone unless I must." Stephen protested.
"And am I not superior to you?" Kaine asked. "Are you not required to obey my orders?"
Strange swallowed. "Yes, Milord."
"Then when I say to act, do it." Kaine said, revelling in the fear in Thanos' eyes.
"Now." Kaine ordered, and all the Outriders suddenly froze in time, then they slowly aged until they were old and emaciated, then they aged into bones, then they turned into fine dust.
"Maximoff." Kaine said. "When I say so, you'll turn the next wave of Outriders into nothing."
Wanda nodded.
"Now." Kaine ordered, and Chaos Magic covered the field and turned the Outriders into nothing.
"T'Challa, make them kill each other." Kaine said. "Now."
T'Challa focused, and then the Outriders stopped running towards them, and then they turned and started killing each other.
Minutes later, there was nothing left of the Outriders except for their blue blood and mutilated bodies.
Another wave attacked, and when they covered the field, a portal opened under them and deposited them in space, disposing of them.
Kaine still hadn't turned his eyes away from Thanos, and Thanos raised his own hand, stopping more of his army from sacrificing themselves.
"Well?" Kaine called out. "Will you attack, or will you continue to sit on the other side of the dome?"
Thanos made a sound of anger, and with a large blast, the Power Stone obliterated the shield dome.
"An incredible show of power." Kaine said, inwardly feeling proud of his dad joke. "But I'm afraid that's all that will be coming from you."
"I am inevitable!" Thanos said, then he charged, the Outriders following him.
"Now, we fight." Kaine said, then he charged forward, and everyone followed him.
Kaine, Wanda, and the other Stone wielders charged at Thanos, while the others obliterated the remainder of Thanos' army.
Thanos shot a blast of concussive power at Kaine, who dodged the purple attack and sent a blast out of the Space Stone.
Thanos didn't bother blocking or dodging the blast, Instead when it hit him a purple kinetic body armor shielded him.
Kaine grinned, and sped up, throwing a lethal punch empowered by the Web at Thanos' solar plexus.
Thanos expected a normal punch that his kinetic shield could absorb, but instead he was thrown into the trees, making a row of fallen trees in his wake.
Thanos groggily stood up and wiped away some blood that he coughed up.
"What… are…you?" Thanos asked.
"Your end." Kaine said.
Thanos waved his sword, and a humongous blast of purple kinetic energy headed their way.
Each of the Stone Wielders created a barrier, but the power just shredded through the barriers.
As the energy neared, they all closed their eyes to avoid seeing themselves turn into shreds like their barriers, but when they were still alive, they opened their eyes to see a golden and red barrier blocking the purple blast.
They looked and saw that Kaine and Wanda were straining to hold the barriers.
Thanos put more strength into his attack, and Wanda and Kaine slid several feet back, until their shields were only inches away from the others.
"Witch, we need to assimilate our barriers." Kaine grunted. "Our powers are… related, it seems."
Wanda didn't know what he meant by that, but she tried to merge her barrier with Kaine's.
In a show of color, the golden of the Web of Order and Life merged with the red of Wanda's Chaos Magic.
Both magic wielders breathed in relief as the strain on themselves lessened.
Kaine drew some energy from the Chaos part of the barrier, then he mirrored its aspects in himself and the golden part of the barrier, and the golden became infused with red and silver, and his eyes went on fire.
"Close him in." Kaine ordered, his voice taking a slight demonic tone.
Wanda swallowed, then as one, she and Kaine pushed the barrier towards Thanos.
Thanos put more energy into his blast in an attempt to hold the barrier back, but to no avail.
The barrier neared Thanos, then when it hit him, it blasted him away, landing him on his back, his sword broken into shards next to him.
The barrier dissolved, and Kaine dashed to Thanos, getting to him in a millisecond.
Before Thanos could react, Kaine dug his sharp legs into Thanos' palm, drawing a cry of pain from the Mad Titan.
Then Kaine bared his Wolverine claws, and with one swoop, he cut Thanos' right hand off.
"Father, this better show in my Thanos' dreams." Kaine whispered, then he leaned down to look Thanos in the eyes. "Fate has caught up with you, hasn't it?"
Thanos weakly coughed up some blood.
"I don't know who you angered more, the Norns or the Morai." Kaine said with a chuckle. "You attacked Asgardians, angering the Norns, and you called yourself inevitable, something that really doesn't stand with the Morai ."
Kaine grabbed Thanos' arms and ripped them off, and purple blood gushed out of his shoulders.
"Say goodbye, Thanos." Kaine whispered.
Thanos' head fell off his neck, and rolled two feet away.
Everyone except for Kaine was confused, till Frigga shimmered into existence next to Kaine, her sword purple with Thanos' blood. "No one hurts my kids while I'm around."
~~ A Different, Superior Spider-Man ~~
Kaine, the Avengers, and the Asgardian royal family were all in T'Challa's throne room.
"What shall we do with the Stones?" T'Challa asked.
"I'd suggest you give Loki the Mind Stone, and take the Power Stone." Kaine told T'Challa.
"Excuse me?" Tony snarked. "You want to give the dude who attacked New York and started all of this the Mind Stone!?"
"It was mind control." Loki and Kaine said at the same time with a sigh.
"Still." Steve Rogers protested in his anally retentive tone. "We can't trust him."
"We can't, or you can't?" Kaine asked. "Because my Steve Rogers would have said the same thing in the same fucking tone… there's a reason my family dislikes you."
Strange, Frigga, and Thor looked particularly worried and shot looks at Steve as if they expected him to burst into nothing.
"Ok, before Capsicle has you pissed, explain something to me, please." Tony cut in. "Why should we trust him?"
"He's the God of Mischief, Deception, and Lies." Kaine said. "Not the god of Betrayal. Yes, his 'pranks' go too far sometimes, but there is no one you can trust to keep the Mind Stone safe more than Loki."
"The Legged One speaks the truth." Sif said. "Of all the people in my life, I doubt that I hate any more than Loki. However, I do agree that the Stone will be kept safe in his hands."
"I want to make sure you understand, when Sif says she doubts she hates anyone more than Loki, she means it." Kaine said amusedly. "She used to have long natural blonde hair that was known throughout the cosmos, until Loki cut it all off."
(A.N.: this is technically canon, the whole story is in the myths, but this event is mentioned in Loki, when Loki was stuck in the TemPad with Sif.)
Sif glared at Loki as the outrageous event was once again brought up. "I still haven't forgiven you for that."
Loki winced, but he nodded.
"Alright then." T'Challa said, then he handed Loki the Mind Stone.
"The Power Stone will go to T'Challa." Kaine said, handing him the stone. "The Reality Stone will stay with Sif, the Space Stone will go to Gamora, and the Time Stone will stay with Sorcerer Supreme. Any objections?"
"Why those four specifically?" Strange asked.
"Loki knows the Mind Stone better than any else." Kaine said. "If I didn't know that you all wouldn't accept it, all the Stones except for the Time Stone would stay with the Asgardians. As it is, only the Reality Stone will stay with Sif, she has previous experience with it. The Power Stone goes to T'Challa and Wakanda because I know that when they integrate it into the Black Panther suit, they will bring it to good use. The Space Stone stays with Gamora because she's part of the Guardians, who will go through the cosmos. The Space Stone will work as a fix for many situations, and will be put to most use there. You're keeping the Time Stone because you've the most experience regarding it."
"... That's fair." Tony said. "But I have an important question. Spider thing, do you have anything to do with Peter Parker?"
"I'm a clone of his from the main universe." Kaine said. "We'll continue this conversation about him later on. For now, I need to make sure you are keeping the Stones safe."
"If we need to keep them safe, you can keep them in the Avengers Compound." Vision suggested.
"That's just asking for Ultron to steal them." Kaine said. "No, each Stone says with someone, and I want it to be clarified that all of you Wielders must use them. If you don't use them now, you won't be able to use them when others attack. Is that clear?"
When he was answered with nods, Kaine grabbed Wanda, Tony, and Strange and walked away. "Good, now us four need to have a conversation about Peter Parker."
Kaine grabbed them and portaled them to a room in the Avengers Compound.
Then he took a USB drive out of his suit and dug it into the nearest port, and made a dome of Web energy above them.
"There, no one can hear us, not Ultron, not Vision, not Friday, not Chthon, not even the Vishanti." Kaine said. "This is important, the three of you. I want you to mentor the Peter Parker of this world."
"Who is he, and why would I do that?" Wanda asked.
"He's a major piece of our universe, famously known as Spider-Man." Strange said.
"Ok, can you back up for a minute here?" Tony asked. "Spider boy is essential to the universe!? The little teen that talks all the time?"
"Yes, that kid." Kaine said. "Tell me, how old is he, Tony?"
"He's 16." Tony said.
"Wanda here is 20, isn't she?" Kaine asked.
Wanda nodded.
"And these two people are the strongest people in this universe." Kaine said. "Wanda can change reality to the point that not even the Reality Stone can change back what she's changed. She's an Avatar of Chaos, an equal to the Chthon of this world."
Strange brought out his Tao Mandalas. "So why aren't we holding her down?"
"Because your Vishanti are just as bad as Chthon sometimes." Kaine said. "Agamotto, Oshtur, and Hoggoth are mostly well-wishing, but in their arrogance, their fanatical support of Order and Oshtur's hate for Chthon, they do not understand true free will, and they disrespect me and my older brother. Stand down, Sorcerer, before I prove to you the might of the next in line to being Sorcerer Superior."
(A.N.: I know many of you that don't read much comics are really confused, so I made an AN to explain. The Vishanti are the authors of the Book of Vishanti. They are three Elder/Primordial Gods, Oshtur, Hoggoth, and Agamotto. Oshtur is the sister of Gaea and Chthon, among other notable Primordials. Hoggoth is an unknown Elder Primordial with unknown origins whom Oshtur found during her travels. Agamotto was born out of a tear of Oshtur, similar to how the Primordial Sheep licked Bor into existence. Agamotto was the first Sorcerer Supreme. Chthon is a Primordial, specifically the Primordial of Chaos. If there are any other questions, I'll be there to answer them in the comments.)
Strange deactivated his Tao Mandalas.
"Thank you, Strange." Kaine said. "Now, let's explain something important. Tony, this won't go to anyone other than May, Peter, and Pepper, ok? Wanda, you too. I know the Sorcerers have a vague understanding of the truth, so I'm not too worried about Strange. But I cannot, and I repeat, I cannot let anyone think of using Peter to conquer this universe, or even beyond this universe. It would be laughably easy. Is that clear?"
Tony and Wanda nodded.
"Good." Kaine said. "Now, the universe of this multiverse, and possibly even several of the multiverses, are all connected by the Web of Order, Chaos, Life, and Death. This Web can be seen from two sides, the first side being the Web of Order and Life, the other being the Web of Chaos and Death. The Web is basically the network of roads connecting the various states in an empire, and those who draw power from the Web are basically the soldiers of the kingdom. My family is the royal family of the Web, but our power is not fully consolidated. The Vishanti and the Sorcerers draw much of their power from the Order aspect of the Web, while Chthon and Wanda draw their power from the Chaos aspect of the Web.
"I am still learning to draw more of my power from the Chaos and Death aspects of the Web, but I am doing it. Stephen and Wanda, you two draw from two major aspects of the Web. I want you to slowly teach him to draw power from the Web."
"How?" Stephen asked. "You want us to teach him Magic?"
"Yes." Kaine said. "I want you to teach him Magic. But don't teach him your magic, let him feel your magic and recreate it. Tony, you're his mentor. I want you to be his rock throughout this adventure. He will kill people, eventually. Teach him everything you can. And Tony, I want you to create a simulation attack room. Each time he faces a new enemy, add the enemy as a possible attacker on the room, and add your enemies to the simulations too. I want him to eventually be able to fight against things from every direction. I want to see you train him to fight against Hulk for at least two hours without a sweat. This is physically, not with magic. Is that okay with you?"
"Why are you doing this?" Tony asked.
"Call this a pet project of mine." Kaine said. "My family can't keep the multiverse safe with people who don't want to kill, and too many of the totems don't kill. I need powerful, willing people to help me. As powerful as we are, I know that we can't keep the whole world safe. Does that make sense?"
"It does." Tony said. "Alright, I'll go through with your operation, but I'm not hiding anything from the Parkers."
"That's good." Kaine said.
"How do you know this will be a successful venture, and that Peter won't just conquer the universe?" Strange said.
"That depends on how you teach him, and if anything happens to you." Kaine said. "I'm smart enough to understand that with power like that, losing the people close to him can be very detrimental."
"Why should we do this?" Wanda asked. "I mean, I see all of the benefits to you and Peter, but none to us, or this universe as a whole."
"This universe will be way safer." Kaine said. "None of your weaker versions of Elder Gods will attack without a lot of hesitation, as they will know this world is under my family's express sight. Also, the general strength of this world will increase, and the supernatural side of this world will increase in potency."
Stephen, Tony, and Wanda exchanged glances.
"I'll do it, if Stark is in." Wanda said. "Tony, the kid is your protege, correct?"
"Yeah." Tony said. "But I want this to be clarified beforehand that I'm spearheading this. If both of you are in, and if I say something doesn't go, it will not go. Capeesh?"
"That's fair." Wanda said.
Strange nodded. "I agree."
Suddenly, the ground shook, and they all looked at each other in shock.
Then a portal opened behind Kaine, and sucked him in before anyone could say a thing, and Kaine was gone from Earth-200027.