Lock's Infinite Divine Fist was mighty—an art born from infinite gems and divine power—but it was not without its limits. Without the Infinity Stones to draw upon, his raw strength alone couldn't match what now stood before him.
Cross's "nuclear fists" were something entirely new. If a single gram of his mass could unleash a blast equal to four tons of TNT, then every strike he threw was a miniature apocalypse. A terrifying power—one that, in sheer destructive output, might even rival Lock's own.
Lock's gaze hardened. No more civilians will die today.
"Hope," he said evenly, "your suit can fly. Get everyone to safety."
"Got it."
Hope didn't argue. She grabbed Scott, Bill, and Ava, readying her suit's thrusters.
Even with Lock shielding them, the air around them shimmered with the radiation of barely-contained explosions. Each surge of energy crawled close enough to burn their skin before his barriers diffused it. The idea of staying any longer was madness.
Scott shrank down onto Hope's shoulder to lighten her load. With a burst of light, she took off, Lock giving them an added push—teleporting them toward the city below. Beneath the vast dome of spatial energy he'd raised earlier, the city was still the safest place on Earth.
Cross watched them leave, his lips curling into a mocking grin. "Sending your little mortals away, King Lock? Afraid to let them see you lose?"
Lock's eyes flashed. "You've done enough damage, Cross. I'll make sure this ends here."
Cross spread his arms, unbothered. "Then lower the barrier. Let's finish this, god to god."
He couldn't fly, but Lock's spatial field held him aloft, the air itself bending into invisible platforms beneath his feet. The two men stood across from one another above the endless storm clouds, suspended between earth and void.
Cross smiled faintly. "You know, I should thank you. When I first began, I only wanted to copy Pym Particles—to surpass Hank Pym. But then I saw you. I realized what true power looked like."
His grin widened, eyes glowing with mania. "So I pushed further. I explored the quantum realm, expanded the scale, multiplied the strength. I learned that Pym Particles don't just shrink and grow matter—they can reinforce it infinitely. Until one day, I struck a punch strong enough to cause a nuclear explosion."
Lock's voice was calm but edged with regret. "If you hadn't hit the ground earlier, there might've been a chance to save you."
Cross laughed. "Save me? I've never wanted to save! A man's worth is measured in how brightly he burns. My mentor lived like a coward. I'd rather explode in glory than rot in mediocrity."
His body ignited in golden light. "Besides, who lives or dies today isn't decided yet!"
He swung.
The air split. A column of atomic fire roared across the sky.
Lock dodged, letting the blast tear into the upper atmosphere, bending away into space. For the first time, he didn't deflect—it was faster to evade.
Cross noticed. A faint smile crossed his lips.
Lock countered immediately, flashing forward at hypersonic speed. His punch hit Cross square in the chest, launching him hundreds of meters through the clouds.
Cross steadied himself, coughing blood—but he grinned through it.
Lock frowned. Three times Hulk-level power, and he's still standing…
He moved again—five times Hulk's strength. The second blow sent Cross tumbling through a thunderhead.
Still alive.
Lock's brow furrowed. His opponent's speed lagged far behind his own, but his endurance was monstrous. The Pym-particle enhancement had rewritten Cross's biology—his body could withstand impossible forces.
So that's his limit, Lock calculated. Thirteen times Hulk's output at most.
He relaxed slightly. His Ninefold Divine Body was stronger still. He wouldn't accidentally destroy himself trying to imitate Cross's nuclear fist later.
Cross wiped blood from his mouth, a crimson smear across his cheek. "Not bad, god. But if you've got any real courage, face me head-on!"
Lock's eyes narrowed. "As you wish."
He summoned the energy of the cosmos into his palm. "Infinite Divine Fist!"
Cross laughed madly. "Perfect! Let's see whose godhood burns brighter—my tenfold nuclear explosion or your divine power!"
They struck.
Two suns collided in midair.
The sky split apart.
A shockwave ripped through the upper atmosphere, waves of energy rolling out across the heavens. Storms detonated across the hemisphere, lightning forking downward in endless chains. From the ground, it looked as though the sky itself had collapsed, pressing down upon the city in a roaring inferno.
Inside the protective dome, people screamed and fell to their knees. Some cried out Lock's name. Others simply froze, breathless before the end of the world.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then, slowly, the clouds thinned. Shafts of light pierced the haze.
The city was still there. The people were still alive.
But in the burning sky above, a lone figure had been hurled backward—driven kilometers away by the explosion.
Lock.
Every eye on Earth that could see the feed went wide.
"Impossible," Hill whispered.
Fury's jaw tightened. Sweat slicked his palm as he reached for the alien pager hidden in his coat. "If he can knock Lock back…"
He didn't finish the sentence. The implication hung heavy in the air.
If Lock could be defeated, what chance did anyone else have?
On the battlefield above, Lock steadied himself. His Asgardian-forged armor hung in tatters, the once-divine metal scorched and smoking. He exhaled, half in exhaustion, half in wry amusement.
Even these can't take it, he thought grimly. Should've asked Eitri for r better thread.
Cross's laughter echoed through the storm. "Ha! The great King of Apocalypse—forced to retreat!"
Lock met his gaze, his expression calm despite the blood at the corner of his mouth. He'd underestimated the man. Cross had spent the entire fight laying a trap—hitting with consistent strength, training Lock's senses to expect it, until the moment he multiplied his output tenfold in a single strike.
A cunning mind, and now a living warhead.
If I hadn't reinforced my body at the last second, Lock realized, I'd be vaporized.
Cross raised his fists again, mad delight dancing in his eyes. "Come, King Lock! Let's see if your godhood can stand another!"
"Come again!" he roared—and swung.
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