"How is this possible? What kind of place is this? The Solar System? How can such a backward, remote star system have such powerful entities?"
In the Sovereign's control hub, operators stepped away from their remote consoles one by one, their faces a mix of bewilderment and fear. Though Ego's previous display of strength had been intimidating, their anger and High Priestess Ayesha's manipulation had overshadowed their fear, leaving them blind to the stark disparity between their capabilities and Ego's.
The Sovereign's scientists had convinced themselves that improved ships would stand a chance. They firmly believed that no individual power could rival the pinnacle of technological might. And while this assumption wasn't entirely wrong—after all, even the Guardians of the Galaxy lacked the means to destroy Sovereign ships—it failed to account for the overwhelming strength of the Avengers.
Unlike the nascent Avengers of years past, the team had grown immensely in power and resources. Their technological advancements were on par with, if not superior to, those of the Sovereign. Furthermore, many Avengers were individuals of extraordinary power, capable of standing as titans in the cosmos.
Take Captain Marvel, for example. Before her ambush by the Skrulls, her sub-Celestial combat strength had allowed her to dominate countless civilizations. Even Ronan the Accuser, the mightiest individual within the Kree Empire, could do little but flee when faced with her might.
Though only Kara and Hulk currently boasted sub-Celestial combat power within the Avengers, the rest of the team wasn't far behind. Each member was strong enough to single-handedly defeat Ronan, with only minimal reliance on Stark's advanced mechs.
In short, it wasn't that the Sovereign fleet was weak. The Avengers were simply too strong.
As the Sovereign's ships were systematically obliterated, the grim reality of their losses began to dawn on them. Their aggressive pursuit of vengeance had become a reckless gamble, one where they stood to lose everything.
"High Priestess, what should we do now?" Sovereign operators turned to Ayesha, hoping she could devise a solution.
But Ayesha was just as lost. Despite her authoritative demeanor, she lacked any extraordinary power or insight. The Sovereign, as a species, had no real experience with supernatural forces. Their reliance on technology left them ill-prepared for a conflict of this scale.
"..." Ayesha struggled to mask her fear. She knew that if she showed any weakness, the morale and fighting spirit of the entire Sovereign force would crumble.
"Why panic? They can't possibly reach us here! We're safe behind our consoles. Focus our firepower and take at least one of them down—that's a win for us!" Ayesha barked her orders with false confidence. "Target that winged creature!"
Her directive caused initial confusion. The Avengers' battlefield included two winged combatants: the enigmatic Morbius and the armored Hawkman, Carter Hall.
Though Carter lacked the screen time of other Avengers, his strength was undeniable. His Nth-metal-enhanced armor, combined with his mech, made him more formidable than many others, even surpassing fighters like Bucky Barnes or various vampires and werewolves.
Nth metal far outclassed vibranium in rarity and capability. While vibranium had been integrated into many of Stark's creations, Nth metal remained nearly impossible to replicate. Stark had only managed to create secondary alloys mimicking some of its properties.
However, Ayesha's true target wasn't Hawkman but Morbius. She observed that while Hawkman's defenses were exceptional, Morbius relied more on speed and exhibited slower ship-dismantling capabilities.
Morbius, though incredibly powerful, had a glaring weakness: his abilities were less effective against enemies without blood. This limited him to physical attacks, making him a slower threat compared to the energy-based assaults of others.
"That gray-winged one! Not the one with the hammer!" Ayesha snapped, prompting her operators to unleash a barrage of energy beams at Morbius.
The Avengers' numbers, even bolstered by Stark's mech army, were still dwarfed by the Sovereign fleet. Despite sustaining massive losses, the Sovereign ships maintained their capacity for counterattack. A concentrated volley broke through the Avengers' defensive line and targeted Morbius.
Though a speedster, Morbius struggled against the energy beams, which tracked him relentlessly.
"They're ganging up on me? Do I look like an easy target?" Morbius's crimson eyes flared with rage. A blood-red aura enveloped him, forming a defensive shield.
"Boom!"
The devastating blasts struck Morbius repeatedly. Despite his power, the sheer volume of attacks overwhelmed him. When the dust settled, his body was battered, and blood poured from his wounds—only to eerily flow back into him as his regenerative abilities activated.
"Morbius! Are you alright?" Concern filled the Avengers' voices as they noticed his armor in tatters.
Unsure of his ability to survive unaided in space, Susan Storm quickly created a force field around him, offering immediate protection.
"I'm fine. Keep fighting! These bastards dared to target me—I'm not letting this go! I'll chase them back to their planet if I have to!" Morbius growled, his voice crackling with anger over the comms as his blood worked to heal him.
"Keep up the attack! No more splitting up! Avengers who rely solely on mechs, fall back and regroup with the mech army!" Steve Rogers issued new orders, his tone firm.
If even someone as powerful as Morbius nearly fell to concentrated fire, the rest of the team couldn't afford to take similar risks. The mech army, though costly, was expendable compared to the Avengers' lives. Even Tony Stark agreed wholeheartedly with this strategy, as the mechs were designed to shield Earth's defenders from unnecessary casualties.
"Hulk is angry!"
"If anything happens to the Avengers while the Saiyans are away, I'll be to blame!"
Fueled by rage, Hulk and Kara unleashed their full fury. Hulk's burning wrath incinerated swathes of Sovereign ships, while Kara's heat vision cut through them like a scorching blade.
In the midst of this chaos, Wonder Woman, Diana, joined the fray. Her divine aura radiated across the battlefield. Though she preferred close combat, she wisely relied on ranged divine strikes to avoid unnecessary risks.
"Where did all these golden ships come from? And what kind of aesthetic is that?" Diana muttered as she destroyed another vessel.
"They're trouble brought to Earth by our 'freelancers.' Try not to get too messy…" Kara's voice teased over the comms. Rocket Raccoon and Nebula, hearing themselves labeled as freelancers, started to protest. But upon witnessing Kara obliterate a row of ships with ease, they wisely held their tongues.
"Shhhhk!"
Another fiery portal opened, and the mages of Kamar-Taj joined the battle. Their spells, cast from the safety of the portal, rained destruction upon the Sovereign fleet. Though their magic was formidable, the mages' mortal bodies required them to fight remotely.
Led by Constantine and Doom, the Kamar-Taj mages dealt a crippling blow to the Sovereign forces. Their spells, combined with portals that redirected enemy fire back at their ships, turned the tide decisively in favor of Earth's defenders.
"Why does such a powerful planet remain in this backwater star system?" Nebula muttered, watching the battle's conclusion.
Her mindset, shaped by Thanos, couldn't comprehend why the Avengers hadn't built a galactic empire. With their power, they could conquer civilizations and establish dominance across the universe.
"We're Avengers, not conquerors," Tony Stark responded firmly over the comms, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"They have their principles and goals. Perhaps that's what sets true strength apart," Gamora reflected. Her voice carried a weight of understanding, as if recalling lessons from her past.
As Gamora's words faded, the final explosions marked the Sovereign fleet's end. Only a handful of their ships remained, scattered and powerless.
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