As James's soul locked onto the Soul Gem, its orange light exploded, a greedy, ancient will surging to consume him. "Such a powerful soul—better than past prey!" it hissed, invading his consciousness.
It had devoured countless souls, even Celestial minds. But as it neared James's core:
[Ding! High-level soul invasion detected!]
[System defense protocol activated. Soul firewall engaged!]
Buzz! A golden barrier formed in James's mind, melting the gem's energy like snow in sunlight.
"What?! What power is this?!" the gem's will screamed, panicked.
James's soul manifested, staring coldly. "You thought you could consume me?"
The gem struggled, its energy coiling like vipers, but the system's firewall held. [Ding! High-level energy entity detected. Initiate forced containment?]
"Yes," James commanded.
[Command confirmed. Initiating containment.]
Golden runes appeared, chaining the gem with transcendent force. Its light flickered, shrieking, "No! Impossible! What are you?!"
The chains tightened, its light dimming, submitting fully. James held the tamed gem, now docile.
Cliff Above
Wanda and Kara waited anxiously as light erupted below, the planet quaking. BOOM! Golden light shot up, James reappearing, gem in hand, its glow subdued.
Red Skull collapsed, trembling. "Impossible! The Soul Gem, forcibly conquered!"
Wanda rushed forward. "James, you okay?"
"It tried to eat me," James said. "Bad choice."
Kara chuckled. "So the 'sacrifice loved one' rule doesn't apply to you?"
"Rules are for rule-followers," James replied.
Red Skull stammered, "Who are you?"
James ignored him, heading to the Golden Crow. "Next stop."
They boarded, the ship piercing Vormir's atmosphere, vanishing. Behind, the planet's peaks collapsed, burying Red Skull forever.
Deep Space, Golden Crow
The ship cruised through starry expanses. Wanda lounged, gazing at the cosmos. Kara scanned the star map. "Where to next? We can't just drift."
James, silent, waved. Buzz! A dark gold Infinity Gauntlet appeared—the one taken from Doom. Wanda and Kara stared.
"You're using it?" Wanda asked.
James donned it, summoning six gems: two Power, two Mind, one Space, one Soul. Their energy warped the cabin's light. Kara frowned. "Unmatched power."
James embedded four gems—Power, Soul, Mind, Space. Click! Energy surged, his arm glowing with four-colored veins, infinite rules flowing. Wanda and Kara stepped back, awed.
James clenched his fist, containing the power. "Not bad." He pulled another silver gauntlet, tossing it with a Power Gem to Kara. "Your Kryptonian physique plus this should pack a punch."
Kara caught it, embedding the gem. BOOM! Purple energy flooded her, evolving her cells. Her eyes glowed purple, air twisting. "I could punch out a sun!" she grinned.
Wanda teased, "Try it?"
Kara laughed, eyeing a barren planet, but James stopped her. "Save it. The gems' power is near-infinite."
Wanda, twirling her Mind Gem, asked, "Are we the Infinity Squad now?"
James took the second gauntlet, embedding the remaining gems. "Not quite." His gaze pierced the stars. "Gems are tools. True strength isn't external."
Elsewhere, in a dark hall, a purple-skinned figure rose—Thanos. His device flickered, sensing the gems. "Someone's collecting them," he growled.
Darkseid's Proxima knelt. "Master, our scouts report the Kree Empire's fall. Hala's destroyed."
Ebony Maw added, "Vormir's energy spiked. The Soul Gem's likely taken."
Thanos clenched his fist. "Find them. The Infinity Gems are mine."
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