The battle between Malekith and Thor had already erupted.
One wielded a weapon forged from the Aether, the Reality Stone itself, raw and unstable yet devastating in its power. The other carried Stormbreaker, though not on the same level as an Infinity Stone, it was still one of the most formidable weapons the universe had ever produced.
When the two clashed, the air itself trembled. Waves of energy rippled through the battlefield, splitting stone and tearing apart the ground beneath their feet.
Luke, watching from the sky above, narrowed his eyes. He gave Doggo a nudge forward, not that the husky needed much encouragement. The beast was practically quivering with excitement, his jaws parting as thick ropes of saliva dripped onto the wind.
Ever since fusing with the symbiote, Doggo's appetite had grown unnaturally. Just the sight of living beings was enough to make him drool.
Luke pinched the bridge of his nose in disgust. Thank god he only drools when it comes to strangers. If he did that every time he looked at him or anyone on the helicarrier, he'd have tossed him out long ago.
Down below, Thor and Malekith suddenly froze mid-swing. Their heads tilted back in unison, sensing the shift above them. Something was clearly plummeting straight toward them. They staggered back, boots scraping stone, preparing themselves.
And then it happened.
Doggo's body warped grotesquely in midair. His frame swelled, bones stretching, fur bristling. With a sickening crack, two new heads burst from his thick neck. The yellow symbiote coating his body pulsed and writhed, devouring his fur and skin until he was fully encased in glistening, alien armor.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, his body split cleanly into three.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground quaked with each landing, dust exploding upward. Three identical hulking beasts stood where one had fallen, each head snarling, each body radiating hunger.
Luke's voice echoed in Doggo's mind: Only dark elves. No humans, no Thor.
Doggo obeyed without hesitation. His yellow eyes flickered with bloodlust as the three beasts fanned out, encircling Malekith like predators closing in on prey.
The dark elf leader scowled, his sharp features hardening. He had fought numerous gods and monsters, but this thing… this creature with the power to multiply and radiate such vile strength, was unlike anything he had seen.
Thor, meanwhile, felt a chill crawl down his spine. He recognized the beast immediately.
"…Luke."
The name slipped out like a curse. Thor knew the dog was Luke's companion, which meant that man had to be nearby. He scanned the skies, feeling the strange breeze on his skin. Yes, he was being watched.
His grip on Stormbreaker tightened. Fear flickered in his blue eyes, unbidden and unwanted. That man has never once raised a hand against him, yet every misfortune, every humiliation, he felt that somehow, it all tied back to him.
He swallowed, stepping back again. For the first time in a long while, Thor Odinson, God of Thunder, former God of Hammer, braced himself not for glory but for survival.
While the monstrous Doggos circled Malekith, another presence stirred.
The Ancient One, observing the chaos from afar, stiffened. Her sharp eyes narrowed as ripples shimmered faintly in the air behind her. The distortion looked harmless at first, like sunlight bending off water, but her instincts screamed otherwise.
"What is this?" she whispered, her voice taut with unease.
Then it happened.
The hidden green energy within her, the very force she had worked tirelessly to conceal, suddenly surged outward. No longer restrained, it clawed its way up from her core, spilling into her veins, staining her skin with faint glowing cracks. Her eyes flickered an unnatural green.
The Ancient One's breath caught in her throat. Horror etched itself across her face as the rippling air tore open. From within stepped a towering figure, twisted and ancient, radiating malice so dense it seemed to warp the very world around him.
Gul'dan.
The warlock who had once terrorized the Chitauri army in New York, called forth by Luke's strange system… and yet this time, he was not summoned by his computer. He came of his own accord.
Gul'dan did not immediately face her. Instead, his glowing eyes lifted toward the distant heavens. Slowly, deliberately, he nodded, as though acknowledging someone unseen.
Far above, on the deck of the helicarrier, Luke caught the gesture. The moment their eyes met across distance, he felt it, a strange tether, an invisible thread linking him to the fel warlock. A thought struck him, 'Is his life bound to me now?' He realized that with a single command, he could erase him.
Excitement surged in Luke's chest. Last time, Gul'dan's presence had unsettled him, even frightened him. But now? Now there was no fear, no pressure. Gul'dan stood not as a threat but as his most loyal subordinate.
Luke smirked faintly. He clapped Bumblebee's hood. "Take us down. Let's see what our warlock friend is up to."
The helicarrier adjusted course, thrusters roaring as it swept toward London.
The Ancient One could no longer focus on the monstrous dogs, Malekith, or Thor. Her gaze was fixed on Gul'dan, dread tightening around her heart.
This wasn't like facing Dormammu, whose power was infinite within his own dimension yet distant here. No, this was far worse. Gul'dan's very being radiated evil so pure it gnawed at her soul.
Her body trembled as she realized the truth: his presence had awakened the very corruption she had tried to bury. The evil energy within her pulsed eagerly, as if called to its master.
The Ancient One stumbled back, her voice faltering. "You… what do you want from me?"
Gul'dan's lips twisted into a grotesque smile, his tusks glinting. He lifted his twisted staff, stepping forward with deliberate menace.
…