Wakanda was burning.
The shimmering barrier that had protected the great nation from countless invasions for centuries now flickered with each devastating impact. Explosions rocked the earth, sending tremors through the once-serene plains. The sky overhead was streaked with fire and smoke, dotted with the silhouettes of drop ships and alien craft. The sound of war drums was now buried beneath the cacophony of screams, gunfire, and thunderous detonations.
On the ground, the war had begun. Outriders clawed madly at the energy dome, their screeches echoing across the battlefield. Vibranium spears flashed in the sun, Wakandan warriors pushing back wave after wave—but it was a tide too massive to stop. For every enemy that fell, more surged in from the perimeter.
Captain America stood at the forward line, shield raised, uniform torn, face lined with dirt and unyielding determination. Each breath he took was measured, and each command barked was crisp and immediate. Beside him, T'Challa stood regal and resolute, claws extended, issuing commands in Xhosa through his suit's interlink. Okoye, ever loyal and lethal, danced between enemies with fearsome grace. Rhodey soared above in the War Machine suit, raining down coordinated blasts to support the collapsing western flank.
And yet—it wasn't enough.
"Steve," Natasha's voice crackled over comms, urgency in every syllable, "they're breaching near the southeast. We've got maybe five minutes before they overrun the interior perimeter."
"Wanda?" Steve asked, already fearing the answer.
"Still inside with Shuri. She's trying to finish the extraction," came Wong's voice from within the lab, breathless and laced with concern.
Steve clenched his fists, wiped blood from his brow, and looked up to the sky, his gut twisting with dread.
Then—the world changed.
Not with light.
With shadow.
The battlefield stilled. Even the Outriders paused, snarling, their senses rattled by an unfamiliar force. Weapons lowered instinctively. Warriors turned their heads. Something ancient and immense approached.
Above them, the blue of the sky twisted and darkened, not with storm clouds, but with something deeper—something wrong. A crack tore through the heavens, not horizontal, but vertical, jagged like torn fabric. A sonic rumble followed, low and bone-deep, shaking loose dust from every stone and structure.
From it, a massive shadow gate erupted into view, its edges glowing with abyssal energy. The sky seemed to recoil around it. Soldiers backed away instinctively. The air turned cold. The ground shivered. A hush fell over the battlefield, like the pause before thunder.
And then—
Alexander descended.
He stepped from the gate mid-air, his cloak billowing in the ethereal wind, eyes glowing white like twin stars in the darkness. Flanking him on either side were Nortis and Noctis, cloaked in black flame, silent and poised, their weapons drawn and pulsing. Behind them, faint silhouettes of lesser shadows could be seen, flickering like smoke given form.
His presence was overwhelming. His arrival was not salvation—it was war incarnate.
As he hovered above the field, he raised a single hand.
The shadows answered.
A ring of darkness burst from him, surging outward across the battlefield like a tidal wave. Dozens of Outriders were vaporized instantly. Others fled in blind panic, howling as the shadows carved through them like wind through dust. Siege beasts crumbled, their forms shattered by the blast. The very earth moaned beneath the pressure.
He dropped to the ground.
The impact cratered the earth. A deep boom echoed for miles. Dust and bodies flew outward in a wide radius.
Steve shielded his eyes from the blast. When he looked up, Alexander was standing in the center of a new clearing, Outrider corpses strewn in a perfect circle around him, their blackened forms twitching. His cloak drifted slowly behind him, untouched by wind or blood.
Wakandan warriors erupted in cheers. Even Okoye allowed herself a tight smile.
"You took your time," Steve muttered under his breath, a mix of admiration and relief.
Alexander stepped forward, face unreadable. "Traffic."
T'Challa approached with a nod, regal as ever. "Welcome back, Shadow King."
Alexander's gaze scanned the field. "We're not done yet."
They regrouped quickly. Wong and M'Baku joined them near the rear command post, where a temporary defense map projected the ongoing positions in red and blue. Explosions punctuated their discussion as another wave struck the outer dome.
"Noctis," Alexander said, "the lab. Don't let anyone through that corridor."
Noctis bowed deeply and vanished into the shadows.
"Nortis, the east wall. Help them hold it."
Nortis cracked his knuckles and gave a short nod before stalking toward the fray, cleavers humming.
Alexander looked to Steve and T'Challa. "I'll take the breach."
Steve nodded. "You won't be alone."
As Alexander moved toward the front, Wanda passed him, her hands glowing faintly with red energy.
"They need me inside," she said quickly, her face pale.
"You're needed everywhere," he replied, offering a ghost of a smile.
The next wave hit harder.
Outriders screamed as they poured through a new breach in the dome. The energy field sparked wildly, nearly failing. Alexander surged forward, drawing his blades of shadow. T'Challa raced beside him, and together they crashed into the enemy lines.
Alexander moved like a tempest. Shadows danced from his fingertips, slicing, crushing, suffocating. Where his foot fell, enemies died. T'Challa matched him step for step, claws slashing through alien hide. They were precision and chaos combined.
Overhead, War Machine blasted siege beasts while Dora Milaje cut through the chaos with perfect discipline. Explosions rocked the outer wall as Wakandan defense cannons took aim at descending drop ships. Falcon streaked across the battlefield, guiding troops to critical positions.
And then—
A thunderbolt tore through the sky.
Not from a shadow gate—but from the Bifrost.
With a deafening roar, Thor landed in a crash of lightning and fury, Stormbreaker in hand. Rocket and Groot followed behind, unloading firepower and roots of death.
The battlefield roared with newfound hope.
But hope is brief.
The wind shifted.
A second portal opened.
Not gold. Not storm-born.
Dark. Ancient. Wide.
From it stepped Thanos.
Beside him, Proxima Midnight and Cull Obsidian emerged, their armor gleaming with anticipation, their eyes fixed ahead. Their presence was a thunderclap in silence.
The battlefield froze.
Even the Outriders paused.
And slowly, Alexander stepped forward again.
Eyes glowing.
Shadows rising.
The final battle had begun.
To be continued.
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