Sorry for the late post, I caught Covid and have been stuck in bed for like a week 3. I still have this crazy brain fog too but atleast I won't die lol. Enjoy!
Kamala Khan ducked behind a fractured pillar as a repulsor blast vaporized the stone beside her head.
"That one almost took my curls off!" she hissed, heart hammering.
Justin Hammer hovered overhead, lopsided and sputtering. The Iron Patriot armor glowed in fits and spurts, smoke pouring from one shoulder vent. His left boot barely fired. One of his gauntlets sparked like a short-circuited kitchen appliance.
And still, he smiled like he was winning.
"Give it up, Night Light!" he called through the modulator. "You're outgunned, outclassed, and underfunded!"
Kamala peeked around the ruin, teeth gritted.
"Outgunned?" she muttered. "Maybe."
Her fingers curled into fists. Noor energy flared around her hands, glowing violet-blue.
"Outclassed? Never."
She launched from cover, hard-light platforms forming beneath each step as she zigzagged into the air.
Hammer fired a missile.
She dodged left. It whistled past and exploded against a broken column.
She hurled a spear of Noor light. It struck his thigh, shattered the armor plating, and sent sparks flying from the joint. Hammer went into a slow, clumsy spin.
"Hey! That was military-grade titanium!" he shouted.
"Then you should've bought Stark tech instead!" Kamala shouted back.
She slammed a glowing fist into his chestplate. The impact jolted his systems. He crashed into a ruined wall and slid down, groaning.
Kamala landed a few feet away, arms raised, light humming from her fingertips.
Hammer tried to stand, but his legs buckled.
"You don't look so Iron to me," she said, walking forward.
The chestplate hissed and began to open.
"Okay, okay, timeout!" he wheezed, hands raised as the suit peeled back. "You win, kid. You got me. Just… let's talk about this."
Kamala hesitated. The light around her hands dimmed slightly.
"That easy?" she asked.
Hammer smiled.
Then fired a dart from a concealed launcher in his wrist.
It hit her shoulder.
Electric current surged through her body. Kamala screamed, crumpling to her knees.
"Never hesitate," he muttered, limping toward her.
He reached for the override latch on her bangle, eyes glinting with greed.
Her eyes snapped open, blazing.
She grabbed his wrist with a hard-light gauntlet and crushed the weaponized bracer in her grip.
"You first," she growled.
Then she launched a flurry of constructs, strikes shaped like glowing fists, overlapping in a blinding chain reaction. Hammer's armor buckled. His helmet cracked. The repulsors died with a weak fizz.
By the time he hit the ground, he was unconscious, moaning something about product recall.
Kamala stood over him, chest heaving.
Her bangles hissed with residual energy. She turned slowly, surveying the ruined courtyard.
And spotted Kate Bishop leaning against a cracked statue, limping and clutching her ribs. Bullseye was down nearby, out cold. Kate's quiver was empty. Blood streaked down her temple, but she still had that stubborn, post-fight grin.
They met halfway across the rubble.
"Took you long enough," Kate said, voice hoarse.
"I got electrocuted by a guy with Stark Tech obsession," Kamala replied, wincing. "What's your excuse?"
Kate looked at the two broken bodies sprawled behind them.
"Eh, I was just waiting for the dramatic music to kick in."
Kamala laughed once, then winced again. "Ow. Okay, but joking hurts."
Kate looked her over. "You good?"
"Bruised. A little crispy. Hair's probably fried on one side. But yeahhh."
They both looked up.
The air above New Asgard was on fire.
Naruto and Ares clashed in mid-air, their figures locked in a brutal ballet of light and flame. Every hit sent shockwaves down through the air.
Ares's wings flared like solar flares. Naruto's chakra cloak blazed around him, burning gold in the evening sky.
Kamala's breath caught.
Kate lowered her bow, watching in silence.
"We can't help him," Kate said after a moment.
"No," Kamala agreed softly. "That's… That's not our fight."
Another impact split the sky. Ares crashed downward, Naruto close behind. The entire cliffside quaked. In the distance, a section of the Bifrost landing platform collapsed into the sea.
Kamala sat down on a broken step. "We so totally need a vacation after this."
Kate dropped beside her. "Agreed. Something with smoothies. And zero gods."
"No gods," Kamala nodded. "No aliens. No assassins. Just… like, a beach maybe?"
"A boring beach," Kate said. "Where nothing explodes."
They leaned back, watching the sky burn.
The air inside the vault was dense with magic and the scent of gods. Smoke curled in lazy spirals from shattered runes and scorched wards. Dragonfang trembled in Valkyrie's grip like a living thing, hungry for the final strike.
Across from her, Loki crouched, one knee on the ground, blood dripping from his jawline, twin blades of glowing chaos still humming in his hands.
"Impressive," he said, breathing hard. "You're definitely better than your counterpart."
She didn't smile. "You've gotten sloppier."
He chuckled, though it sounded more like a cough. "Or more generous. I could've ended this ages ago."
"But you didn't," she said, circling him. "Because deep down, you don't actually want to win. You just want to cause chaos."
Loki's face twitched. She had hit a nerve.
He moved, fast, his blades arcing in a storm of green light. She ducked the first swing, parried the second, and pivoted under the third. He cast a ward mid-spin, a pulse of magic aimed to crush her against the far wall. She slid under it, then kicked off the ground and launched herself into a rising slash.
Dragonfang met his blade and shattered it.
Loki recoiled, stunned. Sparks scattered between them. She landed, spun, and drove the pommel into his ribs. He stumbled.
She pressed the advantage.
He tried to summon another weapon, but she knocked his hand away with a wrist strike. His magic fizzled. He snarled and punched instead, sloppy, desperate.
She caught it.
"You're not used to people getting in close," she said.
Then she twisted his wrist, flipped him over her hip, and drove her knee into his chest before he hit the ground.
He wheezed, breath stolen from his lungs.
"You fight like a sorcerer," she said. "I fight like someone who doesn't mind dying in battle."
He teleported again but slower now. Tired. She counted the blink, turned toward where he reappeared, and hurled her sword. It flew end over end, silver edge gleaming.
He barely raised a shield in time.
Dragonfang punched through it like paper and clipped his shoulder. He shrieked and vanished in another flash, reappearing across the room, clutching a gushing wound of golden blood.
"I tire of this," Loki spat, his voice cracking.
"So do I."
Loki raised both hands. His whole body ignited with magic now, raw, golden-green chaos. Veins glowed beneath his skin. Symbols from ancient tomes spiraled up his arms.
"You're not strong enough to stop me," he said. "I am the rightful heir to Asgard's magic. I was made to command the stones, the runes, the very breath of Yggdrasil.."
She threw a chunk of rubble at his head.
It hit him square between the eyes.
Loki staggered, sputtered, and blinked.
"How dare yo-"
"That was for talking too much," Valkyrie said, already sprinting.
He lashed out with a wave of force but she leapt over it. And another blast that she rolled under. She was in his space before he could cast again. She feinted left, ducked right, and swept his legs out from under him.
He went down hard.
She landed on top of him and drove her elbow into his temple. His spell fizzled and he groaned.
"Here's the thing," she said, grabbing Dragonfang as it returned to her hand like a loyal hound.
"You always assume you're the smartest person in the room."
"I usually am," he hissed, eyes dazed.
"Not from this position you aren't"
She stabbed not at his heart, but into the stone beneath his shoulder, pinning his cape.
Loki tried to rise. The fabric held him fast. He twisted to teleport again and faltered.
Runes flared on the ground beneath him. Valkyrie stepped back, breath ragged but eyes burning.
"You're not the only one who can use spells," she said. "This vault was built by Odin's design. Every tile etched with binding marks. You just had to be standing in the right place."
Loki looked up, realization dawning too late.
"You planned this," he whispered.
"Not all of it," she admitted. "But I'm very good at adapting."
He screamed, magic flaring. But the runes locked him in place. Every time he reached for power, it looped back inward, chaining him tighter.
"You… witch," he spat.
Loki writhed, pinned beneath the weight of his own power turned against him. Magic sparked and sputtered from his hands like a dying star trying to flare again. He pushed through it anyway, eyes alight with raw defiance.
Valkyrie stood tall above him, blood trailing down her cheek, her armor scorched, one shoulder slightly dislocated from their earlier exchange. She didn't flinch. Didn't gloat. Just watched.
"You can't hold me," he snarled. "I'm Loki. I am th-"
"Don't," she interrupted. "I've heard enough of your damned titles."
He strained against the rune-etched floor, but his limbs refused to obey. The magic loop held him like iron chains.
"You think this is victory?" he rasped.
"No," she said quietly. "This is you answering for your crimes."
With a flick of her wrist, Dragonfang returned to her hand. Its blade shimmered with residual energy, still hungry, still alive. She pointed it at him but did not strike.
Loki stared up at her, breathing heavy, and for the first time since their battle began, his smugness drained from his face.
The arrogance fractured like glass beneath a god's heel.
"Without me," he rasped, voice barely more than ash on the wind, "we'll always be chained to them… The Ones Who Sit Above in The Shadows…"
And then he fell silent.
The light dimmed.
Valkyrie staggered back a step, catching herself. Her breath came in shallow pulls. The runes beneath Loki were still glowing, holding him in a stasis lock.
He wouldn't be escaping soon.
She turned toward the vault doors and froze.
Something had changed.
The weight in the air shifted.
The clouds split as Ares crashed through them like a meteor, flaming axe skimming from his grip and spiraling into the void. Naruto met him midair, feet planted on a platform of nothingness, chakra flaring in streaks of gold around his fists. They'd been trading blows for what felt like forever with Naruto on the brink of exhaustion and Ares with his seemingly infinite stamina.
But something changed.
Ares didn't swing.
He blinked hard, eyes narrowing as if trying to shake something off, like a bad dream or a drunken fog. His body stuttered mid-flight, and for the first time since the fight began… he hesitated.
Naruto didn't.
His fist stopped inches from Ares' face, wind swirling violently from the momentum.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, breath even. "Forgot you left the stove on?"
Ares didn't answer immediately. His jaw clenched. His chest rose and fell, not from exhaustion, but restraint.
"…No," the god said slowly, voice suddenly low. "Something's wrong. I feel it! No, I see it now."
His eyes flashed, red and bloodshot.
"Loki."
That name curled from his lips like venom.
"Loki's magic. His tricks. His damn mind-games. He's been using me. Manipulating me. I've been fighting not as myself, but as his puppet."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Now's a hell of a time to get philosophical."
"I didn't choose this fight," Ares growled. "Not as I am. And war without will? That's not war. That's dishonor."
He straightened, floating level, but made no move to attack. His arms hung at his sides, fists no longer clenched.
"I am the God of War. Battle is sacred to me, my very domain. You-" he pointed at Naruto, "..deserve a fight. A real one. One warrior to another. But I won't raise my fists under a liar's leash."
Silence.
Even the wind seemed to pause, unsure of what came next.
Naruto's head tilted slightly, bangs shifting. Kurama's voice hummed in his mind, low and thoughtful.
"Tch. He's not lying.. I knew something was weird about him."
Naruto let the moment stretch and breathe.
Then, he lowered his stance.
"…Alright," he said quietly. "Talk."
Ares looked surprised, but only for a second. Then he gave a short, sharp nod.
"Loki. That serpent's tricks… he's been weaving his poison through my thoughts since this began. I thought I was making war. I wasn't."
He looked down at his own hands like they were foreign to him.
"I was a weapon. Not a warrior."
Naruto didn't move. His eyes flicked over Ares like he was trying to spot a lie hiding in the cracks.
Kurama stirred in his chest.
"I knew something was different about him."
Ares met Naruto's gaze, and for the first time, there was no challenge in it. No bloodlust. Just truth.
"I didn't choose this fight. It was placed in my hands. That is not the same thing. Not for a god like me."
Naruto's fingers uncurled.
He lowered his stance, letting the tension ease.
"…Alright," he said quietly. "Talk."
Ares let out a slow breath, and nodded once.
THE COURTYARD OF NEW ASGARD
Stone was cracked. Statues shattered. Fires smoldered where they hadn't yet gone out.
Kate Bishop stood in the rubble, her bow resting against her shoulder, mouth slightly open as she watched the two descend. Her purple suit was scuffed, blood on her brow. Her expression was tight and unreadable.
Kamala Khan sat nearby, arms wrapped around her knees, her fists still glowing faintly with Noor light. Her hair clung to her face. She looked up as Naruto landed, eyes wide.
They didn't speak. They didn't have to.
Naruto gave a small nod to both of them. Ares landed just behind him, silent.
The wind shifted.
A deep breath of battle-worn air rushed through the ruins.
Valkyrie arrived.
She walked between the fallen columns like a ghost made of fury and fire, Dragonfang still in hand, her cloak trailing ash. She paused beside the others, her gaze flicking between Naruto and Ares.
Ares opened his mouth to speak.
But the air changed again.
This time it did not settle.
It bent.
It cracked.
The sky above shivered
And then he fell.
Sentry.
No longer golden. No longer composed.
He slammed into the courtyard like a meteor, carving a crater in the stone, and rose with a scream caught in his throat. His hands clutched at his skull. His whole body shook.
His lips moved. But not with words meant for anyone else.
"Stop. Stop. Get out of my head. Get OU.."
His fingers dug into his scalp. Blood welled beneath his nails. He spun, twitched, and twisted like a madman.
Everyone backed away.
Except Ares.
He took a single step forward.
"Reynolds."
Sentry's head jerked.
The shadows around him seemed darker now.
Ares approached slowly, hands open.
"I know that look. I've seen it in men before. In soldiers. In gods even. You're not alone in this. Yo-"
Sentry moved quickly.
Not like a man. Not like a god. But like something broken loose from the chains of reason.
His hand flashed out like lightning, faster than anyone could react.
He seized Ares by the throat.
The courtyard gasped.
Naruto's eyes widened. Kate reached for her bow. Kamala began to glow brighter with Noor energy.
But it was already too late.
Sentry's eyes were bottomless pits now. Black and infinite. The whites had vanished, swallowed by whatever darkness now piloted him.
A voice slithered through the air. Not from him, but through him.
"Even war must end."
Ares choked but didn't struggle. His lips moved. Maybe a plea. Maybe a prayer.
Sentry's other hand found Ares' waist and dug deep into his skin.
He pulled.
And tore the God of War in half.
Golden ichor sprayed like shattered sunlight. Intestines spilled in curling loops. Ribs cracked. Muscles ripped.
Ares didn't even have the chance to scream.
Half of him hit the ground. The other half was still clenched in Sentry's hand.
Valkyrie staggered. Kate's arrow trembled on the string. Kamala dropped to her knees, horrified.
Naruto did not move.
But something in him went still.
Sentry stood above the ruin, drenched in divinity, breathing like a beast. His cape billowed in a wind that wasn't there. His eyes gleamed like dead stars.
"This world is diseased," the voice said again.
"And I am the cure."
He turned his gaze toward New Asgard.
"Let it all burn."
And with that, the angel of death lifted from the blood-soaked stones… and flew toward the heart of the city.
Authors NOTE: If you want to read 10 more chapters ahead right now. Search for (banmido P atreon) in google and click the first link. Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16 ,17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24. are already available for patrons. We also will be doing a 20$ giftcard giveaway EVERY month, we just got done with our first one for hitting our very first milestone, so stay tuned for that!