The heroes' civil war raged unchecked, thunder and fire tearing the battlefield apart. Allies struck allies, gods clashed midair, and the ground was stained with the blood of those who had once stood side by side.
And in the shadows of that chaos, the tyrants moved.
Thanos raised the Gauntlet, its stones glowing like suns in his grip. "They are weaker divided. Their fury feeds the rift… and the rift feeds us."Darkseid's voice was iron and inevitability. "Then let the harvest begin."
With a single command, the ground trembled. Parademons swarmed from the skies, blotting out the broken sun. From portals twisted by the Reality Stone, the Chitauri, Outriders, and Black Order marched forth, their roars mingling with the screeches of Apokolips' war engines.
The heroes, locked in their own battles, were caught off guard. Captain America's shield deflected Batman's strike—only to take the blast of a Parademon seconds later.Spider-Man spun desperately through collapsing rubble, dragging civilians out of Chitauri fire. His mask was torn, his voice cracking: "We're fighting the wrong war!"
Above, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel paused mid-duel as they realized the scope of the invasion. Thousands of ships burned through the skies, while Darkseid himself advanced, Omega Beams carving lines of fire.
Thanos stepped into the ruins, his voice carrying across the battlefield. "You have spent your strength fighting one another. Now you will kneel—not to choice, but to inevitability."
Superman and Thor, bloodied but unbroken, turned their eyes from Strange and Iron Man, their feud eclipsed by the greater threat. The storm of division was over—because a greater storm had arrived.
The tyrants had struck at the perfect moment. And now, for the first time, the heroes faced the possibility that it might already be too late.