Chapter 51

Las Vegas

In a casino, you can see three people fighting the monsters, one is fighting hand-to-hand with some weird shape brass knuckles, the other is using an ax, and ninja stars, and the last one is using a shotgun.

It was Panda, ice bear, and Ted.

Boom!

Ted blew away another monster with his shotgun. It wasn't a normal one, it was high tech.

"For the rest of our lives, I don't want to see any of you complaining that I'm bringing a shotgun, and saying it's overkill, because it's doing wonders now!" Ted shouted at ice bear and panda.

"Ted, this is not the time, let's try to survive this, then you can brag about being right for once," Panda said, blowing off heads with one punch.

"Ice bear still thinks it's Overkill, " ice bear said, jumping around, and chopping off multiple monsters' heads with ease

"says the guy who always has an ax and somehow has a dozen ninja stars," Ted said, blowing away another monster.

Nepal

Sabrina is doing her best to protect the people and to fight off the monsters; every dozen monsters she cuts down, another doesn't come to take their place. But she always made sure no citizens got hurt, but she was being overwhelmed.

"Go out and see the world he said." Sabrina threw a massive Fireball at a group of monsters, burning them to Ash. "There's so much you haven't seen he said." She controlled the Earth under her and made a giant sinkhole towards another group of monsters. After they all fell, she closed it, crushing them to death.

"Ed, as soon as I get my hands around your stupid neck," Sabrina says, distracted by the monster that was coming above her, she looked up, but it was too late for her to do anything but a bright yellow blast destroyed the monster.

"You're a powerful young witch, but that doesn't mean you let your guard down," a voice came behind her.

When Sabrina turned around, she saw a bald-headed woman wearing some robes. She looked at her and felt the wave of magic coming from her.

"Who are you?" Sabrina asks.

"You can call me the ancient one, and we are not done." The ancient one said.

More monsters started to appear surrounding them, and both Sabrina and the ancient one got ready for the next round of monsters.

New York

Amid the chaos and destruction in the city, a small group moved undisturbed. Monsters rampaged in the distance, tearing through concrete and steel, but none of them even noticed this group. It was as if they weren't even there.

These weren't ordinary people; they were time travelers, and they moved under the cloak of a powerful invisibility spell, courtesy of Eve. They were the future children of Ed, still stuck in the past, making their way back to the TARDIS to finally head home.

Kyra was not happy about it.

"Mom, please just let me help a little," she begged. "People are getting hurt, maybe even dying. Where is Dad? Why isn't he here yet?"

"It would be very unwise," Ultron said calmly, leading the group through a crumbling alley. "We can't interfere. Changing the past will affect our future. And as for Father, he's still in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He'll be out soon enough… and when he is, this madness will end."

Kyra squinted. "Wait a minute. I thought it was called the Room of Spirit and Time?"

Ultron raised an eyebrow. "That's what we told you because you kept mispronouncing it. When you were a child, I'm pretty sure you still can't say it right."

"Oh come on," Kyra groaned. "I'm not a kid anymore. I can say it now."

"Then go ahead," Ultron said, deadpan.

Kyra took a deep breath. "Hypebola mind chamber."

"No."

"Hyperglycemic crine chamber."

"Not even close."

"Hypebonics rine chamber?"

Ultron looked at her. "Are you making these up now?"

They kept that up for two full minutes, with Eve, Cell, and Stratos quietly watching the ridiculous back-and-forth like it was an episode of their favorite sitcom.

What Kyra didn't know was that Ultron was doing this on purpose. He was provoking her, distracting her, because if she tried to go out there and fight, she could die. These monsters weren't the real threat. They were just drones, an opening act for something much worse that was on the way.

Kyra wasn't strong enough to handle that yet. She was powerful, yes. Brave, definitely. But she was still young, still growing. And while Ultron might seem cold and logical, the truth was, he cared deeply for his family.

And sometimes the best way to protect them... was to make them laugh.

MODOK POV

"Hahaha… yes. Yes," I said, eyes glued to the screen as chaos unfolded across the world.

Behind me, one of the trembling scientists dared to speak."Sir, don't you think we should stop now? The drones have already done enough damage. Maybe it's time we announce ourselves, show the world their new ruler, now that they've seen your power—"

I slowly turned toward the idiot who opened his mouth.

"You fool…" I growled. "Have you noticed Arsenal is nowhere to be seen? And Superman is still alive. We haven't won, not yet. Prepared the Alpha for release."

A wave of fear passed over the room. Not just the one who spoke—all of them. They all knew what that meant.

"Sir…" another scientist spoke up, more cautiously. "The Alpha… it's not fully under our control. If we unleash it now, there's a strong chance it'll wipe out an entire country, before we can even think about putting it back to sleep."

"Sacrifices must be made… for the greater good," I said with a twisted grin. "The Alpha is designed to kill Arsenal and Superman. With them out of the way, I'll reshape this world in my image. A world ruled by science and intellect. It doesn't matter how many so-called heroes stand in our way, they'll all fall."

"I'm begging you, sir," the scientist said, voice trembling, hands shaking. "Please, just give us more time, we can stabilize it—"

I rolled my eyes and pressed a button.

BZZZTT—CRACK!

The collar around his neck activated with a flash of red, followed by the wet snap of bone and sinew. His head hit the floor with a sickening thud.

I turned to the others, voice calm but thunderous.

"I said… prepare the Alpha to be released. NOW."

They scrambled, terrified, as they rushed to obey.

And I? I simply turned back to the screen, watching the world burn with a wicked smile.

"Soon," I whispered. "Soon, the age of heroes will end."

Third person pov

National City – CatCo Worldwide Media

"Oh my god," Winn said, eyes wide as he looked out the window and saw chaos in the streets. "We're safe up here, right? They're not coming up here?"

"I don't know," April said, reaching under her desk. "But I do know I'm not about to be defenseless."

She pulled out a handgun and cocked it.

"Is that a gun?! Why do you have a gun?" Winn asked, stumbling back.

"Old habits die hard."

"Old habits from what, living in New York? Why would you need a gun in New York?!"

April smirked. "Let's just say… before I became a journalist, I used to walk home alone after a very different kind of job. Now take this." She pulled out a second gun and offered it to him.

Winn looked at the gun like it might bite. "How many of those do you have? And how the hell did you get them into this building?! We've got security!"

"Not very good security," April said with a shrug. "It was crazy easy getting these four in."

"Four?!" Winn yelped.

Before April could say more, she saw cat coming out of her office with two bodyguards. Cat Grant strode out like a woman on a mission. Kara was right behind her, trying to stop her.

"Miss Grant, please, reconsider. There are dozens of monsters out there!" Kara pleaded.

"You know what else is out there, Keira? My son. And he's not answering his phone. Monsters or not, I'm going." Cat's voice was sharp, filled with anger and fear.

Kara stepped forward. "I'm sure he's fine. There are reports of heroes already showing up—"

"I'm not waiting!" Cat snapped, louder than anyone in the room had ever heard her.

The whole floor went quiet. They'd never seen her show this much emotion before.

Cat took a deep breath, eyes closed for a moment to steady herself. Then she looked Kara dead in the eyes.

"Look, Kara. I love that you're loyal and trying to keep me safe. But I can't sit here hoping someone saves my son. I won't. And there is nothing on this Earth that can stop me."

April stepped forward.

"Miss Grant," she said.

Everyone turned.

"If you're heading out there into chaos… then I'm coming with you."

"No. You're a reporter. I'm not putting my employees in danger just because of my choices," Cat said, already shaking her head.

"I'm a reporter with a gun. And I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not," April replied.

"I don't care if you have a gun. You're not coming. That's an order."

"Well then… I quit," April said, walking past Kara. "Now you can't order me around."

Cat sighed. "…Stay close to us at all times. Understand?"

"You got it, Cat." April joined her, standing tall next to the guards like she'd always belonged there.

Just as they were about to leave, Kara reached out and grabbed April's hand.

"April…"

"Don't worry," April said with a small smile. "There's another gun under my desk. Use it. Stay up here. Stay safe."

"You could die out there."

"I have the ability to help someone, Kara. I can't turn my back on people in need. I'm not going to make promises I can't keep, but I will promise to try my best to come back to you, two."

Kara slowly let go.

April nodded, then turned and walked away with Cat and her bodyguards.

Winn came up beside Kara.

"She'll be okay, Kara. She's a badass. I know a place we can hide."

But Kara didn't respond.

All she could hear was what April had just said echoing in her mind:

'I have the ability to help someone. I can't turn my back on people in need.'

Metropolis

In the heart of Metropolis, chaos reigned.

Five monsters the size of skyscrapers rampaged through the city, each one with its own terrifying power. One unleashed torrents of fire, another sprayed freezing blasts of ice. A third sent out devastating sound waves, while the fourth spewed molten lava. The last one oozed a thick, black tar-like substance that burned and blinded anything it touched.

In the middle of it all, Superman fought alone, holding his own, but barely.

He zipped between them, slamming into one before dodging a beam of ice, only to get knocked back by a blast of sound. Buildings crumbled around him. Civilians screamed in the distance. He was strong… but this was too much, even for him.

Then, there was a sonic boom.

Superman turned his head just in time to see a man in battle armor flying through the air, launched like a missile. The man slammed into one monster, tearing straight through it, then spun mid-air and sliced through another with his claws, killing both instantly.

Right behind him came a woman, flying under her own power.

She crashed through two more monsters like a human wrecking ball, tearing them apart before landing gracefully next to Superman, her fist still covered in their blood.

"I believe I'm at 164 now," Battle Beast said, landing beside her and shaking blood off his claws.

"Good for you. I'm at 251," Anissa replied, not even looking at him.

"What?!"

"It helps that I can fly, and I'm not relying on a teleporter," Anissa smirked.

Superman stared at the two of them, blinking. "Who… who are you two?"

"Not the best time for introductions, Man of Steel," Anissa said, pointing past him. "We've still got one more problem."

ROAR!!!

The last monster, the biggest of them all, charged forward. The three of them nodded at each other, then moved in sync.

Superman hit it with a thunderous punch to the gut.

Anissa slammed into its head from above, cracking its skull.

And Battle Beast jumped off Superman's back, ripped into the beast's chest, and tore out something vital.

It dropped dead.

Finally, silence.

Superman turned to them again. "Now, it's time. Who are you?"

The man wiped some black tar off his armor. "I'm called Battle Beast."

The woman nodded. "And I'm not giving you my real name. No hero name either. For now… just call me Vilt. We work with Arsenal."

Superman raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Good to know Arsenal's been recruiting powerful mutants. That's a lot of power you two are packing."

Battle Beast gave a toothy grin. "We're not mutants, Kryptonian."

Anissa crossed her arms. "We're aliens. Just like you."

"Wait a minute, Arsenal knows aliens?" Superman asked, still catching his breath.

Vilt didn't even stop to look back. "Not important right now. What is important is we split up and hit the next monster zones. I'm heading to Russia. Battle Beast is going to Greenland. What's your next location?"

Superman's eyes narrowed as he focused on his hearing. "Canada. There's a monster tearing through Ottawa as we speak."

"Perfect," Vilt said, floating a few inches off the ground. "Don't worry about the civilians or the cleanup here, we've got that covered."

Before Superman could ask what she meant, a swirling blue portal opened behind them, and a dozen humanoid robots stepped through, sleek and efficient.

Superman turned, eyebrows raised.

The robots immediately began organizing the area, pulling survivors from rubble, carrying the wounded to makeshift triage zones, and stacking destroyed debris into neat, hazard-free piles.

One of them even saluted him.

Vilt smirked. "That's Arsenal's tech. Vanguard Initiative bots. Fully equipped for rescue, recovery, and crowd control. You can focus on the fight. We'll handle the rest."

Superman gave her a small nod of respect. "Alright then. Good luck."

Vilt shot into the sky with a sonic boom.

Battle Beast cracked his knuckles and muttered, "Time to rank up some more points." a portal open, and took him away to his next location.

Superman took one more look around at the chaos, now swiftly becoming order, and rocketed off toward Canada.

The war wasn't over.

But Earth was finally fighting back.