Dante stood silently behind the cockpit door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, listening. His eyes stayed fixed on the floor while his ears took in every word. He didn't need to speak. Not yet.
Inside the cockpit, Kid Gladiator was starting to wake up, his voice groggy and confused.
"Waah…? Where am I? Don't tell me I'm late for math class again. I can't endure another detention with Quentin Quire."
Warbird sat in the pilot's seat, focused on her controls. "You won't need to worry about such things anymore, Lord Kubark," she said without looking back. "We're headed home."
Dante didn't move.
"Sorry I had to drug you," Warbird continued. "But there was no time to explain."
"Drug me?! I thought that blood sausage tasted funny."
"I also didn't want you culpable in my theft of the school's space vessel."
"So we're really going back… back to the Shi'ar Throneworld?"
"Yes. As fast as we can."
"The Phoenix is coming. What we Shi'ar call 'The End of All That Is.' Earth's days are most definitely numbered."
"And everyone else… back at the school?"
"They are not my concern, my young lord. Only you are."
There was a pause, followed by the sound of Kubark settling deeper into his chair.
"So… no more Earth school.
No more Danger Room exams in the middle of the night.
No more angry red-headed psychic ladies with spikes on their arms threatening to lobotomize me if I don't behave.
No more punching that little Brood person in the face." no more putting that white hair idiot in his place.
"Don't worry," Warbird said flatly. "We'll have you back in your Shi'ar hard labor learning institution by week's end. Just like you've wanted all along, right, my lord?"
"Yes… why yes, of course," Kid Gladiator muttered. "How great to finally be rid of these dreary Terrans. It's just…"
He didn't finish right away. Then:
"We're running from a fight, aren't we? Kid Gladiator has never run from a fight in his entire life."
"This is a fight for X-Men and Avengers," Warbird replied. "We are neither. We are going back where we belong."
"Just as your father would wish it."
That was when Dante stepped forward and entered the cockpit, prompting both of them to turn around.
Warbird stood immediately. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Dante didn't bother answering her. He walked past her like she wasn't there and stopped behind Kid Gladiator's seat.
He looked down at him.
"So… you ready?"
Kubark blinked up at him, then smiled. No words were needed. He slammed his hand on the emergency escape pod button.
The seats around them hissed and detached from the main ship, rapidly reshaping into a small two-man drop shuttle as it separated from the vessel. Warbird moved to stop them, but the pod launched before she could reach them.
"KUBARK!" she shouted after them, her voice echoing through the cockpit.
The pod shot through the upper atmosphere, fire licking the windows as they plummeted toward Earth.
Inside, Kid Gladiator grinned. "Let's see who can take down more enemies."
Dante's eyes stayed locked on the view below.
"Bring it on."
Wundagore Mountains.
The battlefield was a storm of chaos—blasts of energy lighting up the sky, dirt flying from shockwaves, bodies darting and colliding in bursts of motion. Mutants, Avengers, and other powered individuals clashed violently as the conflict over Hope Summers escalated.
In the midst of it all, Red Hulk and Iceman were locked in a brutal exchange. Bobby Drake, already in full ice form, was doing everything he could to hold his ground—but it was obvious who had the upper hand.
With a roar, Red Hulk slammed a massive, flaming foot into the side of an icy wall, sending a shockwave through the ground. Iceman was flung back several feet, skidding across frozen terrain.
"Ugh, come on," Bobby muttered, just managing to reform a chunk of ice under his feet before hitting a tree.
And then, a third figure landed nearby—clean, deliberate, calm.
Dante.
He stood in the middle of the chaos, red scarf fluttering slightly, jet pack now off and powered down. His eyes scanned the scene until he spotted Bobby.
"You've got to be kidding me," Iceman groaned. "Dante Diablo? What are you doing here?"
Dante gave him a brief glance. "Helping."
Before Iceman could say anything more, a shockwave from nearby sent Bobby toppling backward into another skirmish.
Dante looked ahead. Red Hulk had already turned to face him.
"You don't look like much," the Hulk said with a grin. "But if you're stepping up, you better be ready to get broken."
Dante cracked his knuckles. "You have no idea how excited I am to study you up close."
Red Hulk laughed, planting his feet firmly into the ground. "Then come and get it."
They launched toward each other at the same time. Fists. Blades. Power. Will.
CLASH.
Red Hulk's first punch came fast—way faster than Dante expected. He barely slipped to the side in time, the sheer force of the missed strike shaking the air behind him. If that had connected, it would've caved in his entire ribcage.
But Dante used the momentum—his own and Hulk's—and twisted his body mid-spin, slashing Ray across Red Hulk's arm. Sparks and a burst of static lit up the sky, but the wound barely slowed him down.
"You're fast," Red Hulk said with a chuckle. "Smart, too. But that won't save you."
He pivoted on one foot and delivered a crushing backhand. Dante caught it with both arms, but the impact sent him flying across the battlefield, crashing through a broken pillar of stone.
Dust settled.
Then the rubble shifted—and Dante stood back up.
His body was cracked, blood dripping from his nose, but he was healing. The embers of life were slow, but steady.
Thank God Dante created pain Tolerance skill and pain resistant skill before he came here
"Dammit… he hits harder than anything I've fought before," he muttered, wiping blood from his lip. "Ray, suggestions?"
"Actually," Ray replied in his head, "I have an idea. One that will put us in a whole other league."
"I'm listening."
Dante paused, then let out a slow grin. "Let's do it."
He placed Ray across his back, letting the blade anchor itself.
Then, without hesitation, he summoned the broken remains of Rebellion—the once-proud sword now nothing more than a jagged shard of its former self.
Red Hulk narrowed his eyes. "Are you seriously about to try stabbing me with a busted sword?"
Dante didn't answer.
Instead—he turned the blade toward himself.
"I'm not stabbing you," he said calmly. "I'm stabbing me."
And with one smooth motion, he drove Rebellion into his own chest.
Red Hulk's eyes widened. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Dante didn't answer.
Light surged.
Electricity crackled.
Ray's power merged with the remnants of Rebellion, the two weapons fusing into something new—something whole.
A massive pulse of black-and-blue lightning erupted from Dante's body, blinding everyone nearby. When the light faded, Dante stood tall—his eyes glowing, his clothes rippling with energy, and in his hand was a fully restored Rebellion, now coursing with black lightning.
He swung once, releasing an arc of lightning across the field.
Red Hulk was hit head-on, stumbling back with smoke rising from his chest.
"You think that's going to be enough?" he growled, flames licking up his arms.
"No," Dante said calmly. "But this will be."
He raised his free hand—and a burst of blue light shot out from his chest.
The burst of blue light around Dante dimmed—but what stood in its place wasn't the same young mutant who had entered the battlefield.
His form had changed.
Dark, clawed feet gripped the ground with unnatural ease. Black, armored legs twisted upward into a body lined with glowing blue veins that pulsed with energy. Jagged plates of obsidian armor shifted with every movement, part organic, part construct—each line of his body sharpened into something more monstrous, more primal.
His once-human skin was now a deep, shadowy blue-black, wrapped in flickering embers of power. Sharp, fang-like ribs protruded slightly from his sides like demonic armor grown from within.
But what caught everyone's attention were the wings.
Not feathery or angelic—they were inverted, bladed constructs, made of translucent energy that crackled with blue lightning. They curved upward unnaturally before sweeping back like scythes made of frozen light, giving him the silhouette of a fallen celestial reborn in steel and fire.
From his head, white hair spilled down like a silver mane, wild and unrestrained. Two curved horns jutted out from his skull, framing eyes that now burned with a steady, hellish glow.
This wasn't just power. This was transformation. Evolution.
Dante didn't say anything at first—he just stood there, breathing calmly, energy rippling off his body in silent waves..
"Say hello to my devil trigger," he said simply.
(Image)
His upsidedown ethereal wings got in the correct position and grew bigger and became constructs and he quickly used them to fly fast
He vanished in a blur.
Red Hulk barely had time to react before Dante was on him, sword clashing with a mighty punch. The shockwave split the ground below.
"One transformation," Dante said through gritted teeth. "And now I'm your equal."
That line made Red Hulk furious.
He roared and threw another punch—stronger, faster.
Dante twisted, dodging, but the edge of the strike grazed his shoulder and tore through his aura, sending him spiraling.
He recovered mid-air, catching himself with a flash of his wings. "He's adapting too fast…"
Red Hulk charged again, his fist reared back—only to be caught by a massive construct arm, identical to the demonic one Dante used to wield.
Another construct arm materialized, and Dante countered, slamming both into Red Hulk's chest and sending him flying backward.
Dante followed, wings flaring.
They clashed in the air—blow after blow, strike after strike—shaking the battlefield with each hit.
But even now… Red Hulk was gaining the edge.
He's too experienced, Dante thought. I need to end this fast.
Dante faked a left slash—but instead of blocking, Red Hulk punched straight through. Dante's construct arm dissipated at the last second, and Hulk's guard was completely down.
Dante slashed upward, catching him with a brutal uppercut from Rebellion that sent Red Hulk reeling.
Then—
Five blue construct swords spun into place around Dante, floating in formation.
He pointed at Red Hulk.
"Go."
The swords launched in unison and struck Red Hulk midair, exploding with timed detonations that pushed him even higher.
Dante raised Rebellion, now buzzing with black lightning.
A massive bolt launched skyward—then came crashing down like a divine hammer, striking Red Hulk from above and detonating on impact.
The battlefield went silent for a beat.
When the dust cleared, Red Hulk was down—temporarily.
Dante hovered midair, wings pulsing. His body still charged, his eyes scanning the battlefield below.
Another enemy was waiting.
Without a word, he turned and flew straight into the next fight.