Chapter 10

Ax-el floated above the city, watching the chaos unfold below as the Guardians of the Globe struggled to contain the rampaging creature. It was an impressive display by Earth's standards, but he could tell they were reaching their limits. The creature, a hulking mass of muscle and fury, slammed into buildings, crushing anything in its path, while the Guardians coordinated their efforts to minimize the damage.

Anissa flew up beside him, arms crossed, her tone laced with amusement. "They're putting up a decent fight," she said, watching as the Guardians attacked in tandem. "But let's be honest—they're not going to win this one without heavy losses."

Ax-el kept his gaze locked on the battle below. The Guardians were resourceful, but they lacked the power necessary to deal with such a threat. If Nolan was delaying the conquest of Earth because of these people, he must have been holding back for personal reasons.

"Do you think it's worth stepping in?" Anissa asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or do we just sit back and watch the fireworks?"

Ax-el lowered himself slightly, hovering just above the battlefield. The speedster of the Guardians darted in and out, landing blow after blow, but the creature seemed to shrug off every hit. The rest were desperately trying to contain the creature, but it was clearly a losing battle.

"They're not my concern," Ax-el muttered. "I'm only here for information."

Anissa grinned. "Cold as always. But you know what? I think you should make an appearance. Maybe show these weaklings what real power looks like."

Ax-el floated down closer, standing on air just above the creature. "Fine. I'll handle it."

With a surge of power, Ax-el descended to the ground in front of the creature. His impact shook the city block as cracks spread from his feet. The creature, sensing his presence, roared and charged at him without hesitation, raising a massive fist to strike.

Ax-el's eyes narrowed. Without thinking, he activated his heat vision, beams of intense red energy shooting from his eyes toward the charging monster. However, something went wrong. Whether it was the rage simmering in his subconscious or his underestimation of his own strength, Ax-el poured too much power into the attack.

The heat vision hit the creature with devastating force, but it didn't stop there. The beams burned through the creature, vaporizing its body in an instant. The excess energy tore through the city, warping space as it ripped through buildings and tore the fabric of reality itself.

Time seemed to slow as Ax-el watched in horror. The beams carved through the landscape, buildings evaporating in their path as civilians disintegrated into dust. The sky itself seemed to ripple as the immense energy bent the laws of physics. A cacophony of screams filled the air for a split second before they were silenced, the entire city block reduced to nothing.

Millions of people—gone.

Ax-el's heart sank as the reality of what he had just done hit him. He hadn't meant to unleash so much power. The devastation spread further than he anticipated, spiraling out of control. His body froze as he saw the destruction, his mind racing in shock.

Anissa's eyes widened. "Ax-el... what the hell did you do?"

He didn't answer. He couldn't. He felt an unfamiliar sensation clawing at him—panic. His mind scrambled for a solution, for any way to reverse what had happened, but no idea came. The city lay in ruins, millions dead in an instant, and time itself seemed to stutter as the energy of his attack warped reality around him.

His hands clenched into fists as he floated in place, his mind racing. "I have to fix this," he whispered, the weight of his actions crushing him. "I... I didn't mean to—"

As his thoughts spun, something strange began to happen. Reality around him wavered, the air thick with tension. He could feel it, a surge of power rising within him, a power he hadn't tapped into before. His mind reached out, focusing on a single thought: undo it. Fix it.

Suddenly, the world around him began to rewind. Buildings reformed, dust turned back into people, and the chaos reversed itself. The screams he'd heard moments ago echoed once more before falling silent as the city returned to the state it had been in before his attack.

It was as if nothing had happened at all.

Ax-el blinked, staring at the city in disbelief. The damage was completely undone. The civilians who had been reduced to ash moments ago were walking around, oblivious to what had just transpired. The Guardians, still mid-fight with the creature moments earlier, stood frozen in awe, their confusion evident.

Anissa hovered beside him, her expression shifting from shock to intrigue. "What... did you just do?"

"I don't know," Ax-el said, his voice shaky as he looked down at his hands. He had no idea how he had reversed such devastation, but the power had come to him instinctively. He hadn't even thought it was possible.

The creature lay unconscious, its rampage over, but the Guardians didn't move. They were too busy staring at him, their faces pale with disbelief. They had all witnessed what should have been irreversible destruction, only to see the impossible happen right before their eyes.

"Who the hell is this guy?" one of the Guardians muttered under his breath, his eyes wide in awe.

Ax-el ignored them, his mind still reeling from the realization of what he had just done. He hadn't known he possessed such power, and it frightened him. What else was he capable of?

Anissa drifted closer, her voice softer now. "Looks like you've got a few more tricks up your sleeve than you realized."

Ax-el didn't respond. He was too deep in thought, still processing the magnitude of his actions. He hadn't meant to kill millions of people, but he had, and then—somehow—he'd undone it all. What kind of power was this?

"I need to be careful," he muttered to himself, more as a warning than anything else.

Anissa chuckled, crossing her arms. "Careful? You just erased millions of deaths like it was nothing. Maybe you should stop holding back so much. You might find out what else you can do."

Ax-el turned to her, his expression hardening. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I'm not here to destroy or to test my limits. I just want to know what's going on with Nolan and Earth."

Anissa raised an eyebrow but nodded, a faint smile still on her lips. "Fair enough. But next time you decide to warp reality, maybe give me a heads-up."

Ax-el's eyes shifted toward the horizon, his thoughts heavy. "Let's just find Nolan. I don't have time for distractions."

With that, he and Anissa flew off, leaving the Guardians of the Globe standing in stunned silence below, wondering who—no, what—they had just encountered.