Steve and Tony rushed at Ace, who at that moment was nothing more than a mindless beast.Steve tried to strike with his shield, but Ace dodged at the last second. Taking advantage of the opening, Tony attacked from a distance, firing his lasers. The impact pushed Ace back, but caused no damage whatsoever.
Now just a few meters away, Ace charged. He grabbed Steve's shield and violently shoved it aside, leaving him defenseless. Flames began to gather in Ace's right hand, so dense they looked like a miniature star. He then struck Steve in the stomach, sending him flying backward into Tony. Both ended up in the same spot as before the charge.
Lying side by side, Steve and Tony exchanged a look before sighing in unison.— I told you we'd regret this… Tony muttered, sarcastic and exhausted.
At that instant, the wall to Ace's right exploded, raising a thick cloud of dust. When it settled, Ace had vanished. Relieved, Steve and Tony exhaled at the same time.
Meanwhile, a massive green giant nearly 7'6'' tall was crashing through concrete walls, Ace slung over his shoulder. It was Hulk. After smashing through nearly a dozen walls, Ace flapped his wings and freed himself from the giant's grip. A kick to Hulk's stomach stopped his charge, sending the colossus staggering back.
The two glared at each other with rage before charging head-on. Their fists collided, shattering the surrounding walls and hurling both of them in opposite directions.
Separated by about ten meters, Hulk prepared to charge again—when Ace suddenly vanished from his line of sight. In an instant, a fist wreathed in black and white flames appeared before his face. Despite his massive frame, Ace was far faster.
The blow landed. Hulk was sent flying backward, crashing through another wall. He lifted his head—only to see nothing. An instant later, a kick to the chin hurled him skyward. Hulk smashed through the bunker's ceiling and found himself suspended weightlessly in the air.
Still on the ground, Ace bent his knees and launched himself upward, wings beating. He reached Hulk before the green giant could even begin his descent. In the sky, Ace's wings spread wide, eclipsing the sun above him. He clasped his hands together, raised them high, then struck Hulk down like a meteor.
The green giant crashed violently into the ground, destroying everything within a thirty-meter radius. Staggered but not defeated, Hulk rose and leapt again. High above, Ace raised his right hand and began to condense flames.
At first they formed a tennis ball… then a football… until finally reaching the size of a house. Ace was about to hurl the massive fireball when lightning struck him.
The blazing sphere dissolved, and Ace was slammed by a mighty hammer. A blond man with long hair, clad in armor with broad pauldrons and a red cape, had entered the fray: Thor.
Seizing the chance, Hulk struck Ace, sending him hurtling into the forest surrounding the bunker. Ace tore a trench into the earth with his feet, hands, and wings before finally coming to a stop. The heat of his flames had turned snow into steam and the ground into molten earth. Nearby trees began to burn.
— By Odin… it's hot here, Thor said grimly.— Hulk smash fire angel! roared the colossus, charging ahead.— Wait for me! Thor shouted, rushing into battle at his side.
Inside the bunker, in the room Ace had escaped from, a young red-haired girl with green eyes slowly awoke. Her body was covered in runes. She sat up, puzzled by her hospital gown, then studied the chaos around her.
As she brushed against some debris, the runes on her body glowed with a bright blue light. Instantly, a vision overwhelmed her: a young man engulfed in black and white flames melting down several capsules. In one of them, she saw herself. Startled, she snapped out of the vision.
Still shaken, she turned her eyes toward two other bodies lying nearby, also freed. To her, that mysterious young man was a hero… and she felt a surge of admiration for him.
She approached the first body: a blond young man with tanned skin and blood-red eyes. A scar stretched from the corner of his lip across his cheek. When she woke him, he groaned:— Damn it…
Unfazed, she moved on to the second body: a strange creature, a gray wolf with white wings and a serpent of obsidian for a tail. The wolf opened its eyes—brilliant violet, like shining stars. The serpent's eyes, meanwhile, gleamed gold like the sun.
As she realized it was awake, the girl suddenly felt the ground tremble. The runes on her skin lit up again, this time a vivid green. Another vision consumed her:
The same young man who had freed her… but now transformed, feral. Drool dripped from his mouth, and the very same black-and-white flames consumed everything around him, sparing neither humans, animals, nor buildings.