Dante observed the battle. Laura hadn’t wasted time jumping on the demon’s back and stabbing her adamantium claws deep into its scales. The blades sank in, but not nearly deep enough to injure it. Her claws were too short to do anything beyond a surface-level injury to the massive beast.
“So hot!” Laura snarled as the beast unleashed a roaring torrent of scorching flames from the fissures in its body. “Damn it. I’m gonna cut you to pieces.”
She ducked under a tail whip attack and slid down with her claws still deep in its scales. The beast roared in pain as a pair of three long, smoking cuts were opened on its side.
Laura jumped away, dodging a burst of flame just in time. The furious lizard wasn’t done with her. It chased after her and spewed bursts of fire from its maw.
Felicia wasn’t having better luck either. Despite having symbiote-enhanced strength, her baseline was still quite low compared to Gwen and Laura. Simply put, she lacked the raw power to pierce through the demon’s thick defenses. She flipped, cartwheeled, and dashed around the battlefield, narrowly avoiding jets of flame and powerful tail swipes. Her strategy was observing how everyone dealt with their demon beasts.
“Taste Mama Death’s power!” Sharon shouted enthusiastically. “Death Claw!”
In her humanoid beast form, Sharon let the dark Death Aura completely envelop her. The lava lizard’s flames spread out around her like it hit a wall.
The demon tilted its massive head, visibly confused by the strange energy. “Kraawr! What are you?!)”
“Sharon is Sharon, stupid lizard.”
Sharon dropped into a low stance and slammed her hand against the ground. The Death Aura in her left arm flared violently and formed a spectral claw as an extension of her hand. In the next instant, she exploded forward, instantly arriving behind the lava lizard. She had moved so incredibly fast that ordinary people would only see a blurred lavender line cutting across the battlefield.
She didn’t even glance back at her opponent. She kept walking toward Dante as her fur receded and her body shifted back to human form, cute and cheerful as ever.
Behind her, the massive lava lizard stood frozen for a few more seconds before it split cleanly in half down the middle. Both enormous halves collapsed with a ground-shaking thud, stirring a cloud of dust.
Illyana couldn’t hide her surprise this time. “What was that energy? What the hell are you feeding her?”
“You should ask her adoptive mother,” he replied with a chuckle and beckoned his daughter. “Sharon.”
Sharon shifted into her cat form and jumped into his arms, nuzzling against him happily. “Sharon’s parents are the best!”
He patted her head fondly. “That’s because Sharon is the best daughter.”
An invisible finger suddenly pinched his cheek hard. Death was clearly watching, but she was too embarrassed to appear in person.
He shifted his attention to Gwen’s fight. The lava lizard’s flames had no effect on her symbiote suit. The Anti-Venom was immune to fire and sound, which forced the frustrated lava lizard to rely on brute force. Every thunderous stomp flattened the ground beneath. Every tail whip made the air shriek. Still, it was too slow to land a hit on Gwen since he had Spidey-Sense aiding her every moment.
With a webline, she swung to the lava lizard’s back and ripped off one of the large red spikes protruding from its spine. The beast shrieked in pain and lashed out with its tail. Gwen dodged the attack without even looking and nimbly moved to the demon’s head. She slammed the sharp spike into the demon’s thick skull, only for it to bounce right off with a shower of sparks.
“Not enough room to put my full strength into it…” Gwen muttered and her gaze flicked toward a distant hill. “That could work.”
She tore off two more spikes and swung over to the hill. Both spikes were planted deeply a few meters away from each other like two anchors. A thick symbiote tendril stretched from her chest and held the third spike secure. She fired two webs onto the planted spikes and pulled back, stretching the webs to build tension like a slingshot.
The furious lava lizard stomped over to her position. However, her preparations were already complete.
Gwen released her webs at the perfect moment, and the improvised web slingshot launched her at a terrifying speed. In the middle of her flight, she grabbed the heavy spike securely with both hands. The thick-headed demon couldn’t even react in time as its own razor-sharp spike punched through its skull with a suckering crunch. It roared one last time and collapsed.
She dusted her hands off and gracefully swung over to Dante’s side. “That was kind of fun. Made me think like a tactician.”
Illyana looked even more impressed this time. Gwen might have relied on boost from Anti-Venom, but that quick thinking to weaponize the lizard demon’s spikes against its armor was a brilliant move.
“Can I beat her up now?”
Dante couldn’t help but smile. “Nah. She’d win.”
Gwen clicked her tongue. “Boyfriend, can you punch her in the face?”
Illyana planted her Soulsword deep into the ground and leaned on its hilt. “I’m always ready for a fight, Dante.”
“I can’t,” he whispered. “I don’t bully children.”
“...”
Psylocke’s fight was the cleanest and most elegant to watch. She dashed gracefully around the battlefield and relentlessly slashed at the lizard with her katana. The massive demon couldn’t keep up with her lightning-fast movements. Unfortunately, it didn’t really need to. Her blade simply couldn’t penetrate the reinforced scales no matter how perfect her attacks were.
“Her sword is useless here,” Illyana said. “My brother is doing great, though.”
Piotr was… he was just being Piotr. He had leapt onto the demon’s head and pummeled down with his steel fists like a maniac. The lizard bucked and thrashed wildly, using everything to throw Piotr off, but his balance was steel-solid. He focused every punch on the exact same spot, cracking the thick scales wider and wider until dark blood began pouring down the creature’s face. It was clearly only a matter of time before he won.
Jean’s approach was on an entirely different scale. She lifted the twenty-plus-ton demon into the air with raw telekinesis, making the massive beast squirm and roar helplessly. Higher and higher it soared until it hovered a full hundred meters above the battlefield. Jean clenched her fist and flickered it down. The demon slammed down on the ground in an instant like a heavy missile.
The impact was earth-shattering.
Jean repeated the same step a few more times.
By the end, Illyana’s unfortunate demon had massive, fatal cracks all over its giant body, from which dark blood poured endlessly.
The satisfaction vanished from Jean’s face when she heard its painful groans. She flew toward Dante with a troubled look. “I went too far... Can you please heal it? It’s suffering a lot.”
The time under SHIELD’s control had dulled some of her empathy, but it clearly hadn’t erased it. At her core, Jean still was an empath.
He nodded. “I’ll revive them together.”
“Sorry about it.” She scratched her face, embarrassed. “Using my powers without restriction was really fun. I got lost…”
“Was your telekinesis always this strong?”
The demon creature weighed over twenty tons. She had lifted it and slammed it down over and over without breaking a sweat.
“I could barely lift a car back at the mansion… things changed when I left.”
Complete freedom from SHIELD might be behind her explosive growth. After all, her powers were deeply tied to her mind. A positive change in her mental mindset clearly did wonders for her.
“That’s three out of seven, Illya,” he said with a smirk. “The other four aren’t going to fail either.”
Illyana had seriously underestimated just how ridiculously talented this group really was. Gwen had only been operating as Ghost Spider for a short time, yet her combat instincts were sharp. Sharon carried Death’s blessing. Nobody could come close to hurting her in this universe as long as Death loved her. Laura and Psylocke had been raised as a living weapon and killing was in their blood. Jean, the perfect host of Phoenix Force, had the potential to be near-cosmic level in every universe. Piotr’s defense was nearly unbreakable. And Felicia, while more street-level in power level, had sharp observation skills that let her out-think opponents far stronger than her.
The blonde swordswoman crossed her arms and made a pouty face. “I should’ve gone with humanoid demons instead.”
“Well, too late for regrets now.”
He glanced over toward the demon Laura had been fighting, but she was nowhere in sight. The massive lava lizard was writhing violently on the ground, roaring in obvious agony as it twisted and thrashed.
‘Don’t tell me…’
He circled around to the beast’s side just as the demon suddenly went rigid. A moment later, its head drooped lifelessly. He watched a gash tore open along the lizard’s side, where Laura had previously cut it open. Dark blood poured out like a river. Then, from inside the wound, Laura stepped out, completely covered head to toe in a bloody symbiote suit. The white eyes of the suit glowed brightly in contrast to the crimson mess.
She beamed a grin that was borderline scary with her current appearance.
“Piece of cake.” She paused then tilted her head. “Now I’m craving some warm pancakes.”
“You’re so reckless.” Dante sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t you know symbiotes are weak to fire? That thing was lava inside.”
Laura spread her arms helplessly. “I’ll do anything to stop being a leech. Whatever threat you’re fighting, you won’t be facing it alone.”
He moved closer to hug this adorable creature, only for her to step away. “Why are you running?”
“I stink. Like, really bad.” She kicked the demon for no particular reason. “Can you send me back?”
He opened a portal right away. “Wait for me in the room.”
The white dewdrop-like eyes of her symbiote suit flickered playfully. “I’ll wait like a good girl.”
She jumped inside the portal and dashed inside into the bathroom.
He turned to watch the last three battles.
Piotr dusted his steel hands as he stood over his demon. Its head was completely smashed into a pulpy mess of bone and scales. No surprises here.
Felicia had covered her symbiote suit in Death Aura some time during his conversation with Laura. She dashed around the massive lizard, each pass breaking open its scales. Both of her razor-sharp claws, currently surrounded completely in Death Aura, cut deeply into the demon lizard’s thick scales.
She had finally realized how to use Death’s powers, but she hadn’t gone for swift execution like Sharon. Rather, she chose death by a thousand cuts method, using the demon as a dummy to practice her new power.
Before, she had been desperately dodging the lava lizard’s attacks. Now, the roles were reversed. The once-fearsome lava demon whimpered and staggered, desperately trying to move out of her relentless slashes, desperately hoping to land a lucky strike with its whip tail.
It was futile, however.
The giant demon slowly bled out and collapsed into the dust.
Felicia wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, breathing a little hard. The battle had nearly exhausted her.
“Phew. Death turned me into a kitty monster,” she muttered looking down at her glowing claws. “Pardon me, Gwen. Death is really my best friend.”
Only Psylocke’s battle was left. While Felicia had bled her opponent to death, Psylocke had yet to draw a single drop of blood from hers.
The ninja lady moved with deadly precision and sparks flew with every strike, but the lizard barely seemed to feel them. It roared in frustration and kept trying to bodyslam her, swinging its massive tail, breathing jets of flames, and wanting to stomp her to death.
Neither side seemed to have an edge.
***
Psylocke POV
Psylocke could feel her body starting to slow down. Every movement took just a fraction more effort than the last. She had to compensate harder with telekinesis to keep up her speed, but even that wouldn’t last much longer.
She had to finish this fight soon.
Her gaze dropped to the beautiful katana in her hands, and a sharp pang hit her chest. Kotetsu, the treasure blade forged in the inspiration of legendary Nagasone Kotetsu’s beautiful sword, wouldn’t survive the very first battle after it had been named. The blade wasn’t forged to cut through demons with scales this thick. Even the softest part of the beast—its eyes—were unaffected by her blade.
Her trump card—telepathy—failed as well. Either the demon was naturally resistant to telepathy or Illyana had reinforced the demon’s mind when she had enhanced them with her blood. To break through, she would need time to concentrate. But the moment she slowed down, the lava lizard would turn her into charred meat.
‘I’m still so weak.’
Everyone else had already finished their opponents. She was the only one left, and she hadn’t even scratched hers. If she couldn’t kill one opponent, how else was she supposed to help in this great calamity Illyana kept harping about?
‘No. I have to use that state.’
Psylocke dashed a hundred meters back to create space, took a deep breath, and surrendered her body to slip into that dangerous new state. The world around her drained of color. Everything turned grayscale except for the lava lizard, which burned bright, blood-red in her vision. The color that triggered the most primal response in the human mind.
Her body moved on pure instinct, faster than ever, leaving afterimages behind. Yet her sword had not been used a single time to attack the demon in this state. Both her mind and body knew what would happen if she did.
Even her most powerful state was unable to help her against this monstrous lizard.
Psylocke seized back control and faced the giant demon. Was there nothing she could do to defeat it? Was she supposed to stay a parasite, never to repay Emma and Dante?
It threw its head back and roared before raining down a torrent of intense flames. She tried to dash right, but her body was too sluggish now. The fire caught her left leg, searing through skin and muscle in an instant and leaving nothing but charred bone.
The pain was brutal. Even with all her childhood training in enduring torture, she wanted to scream. She would’ve cried if not for the strange strength flowing through her veins. Her katana suddenly felt as light as a feather.
She had a hunch that this boost in physical strength was caused by the intense pain.
‘With this, I have a chance.’
The demon leaned down, trying to eat her alive.
Psylocke manifested her mastery of telekinesis, violet butterfly wings on her back, and flew out of the demon beast’s reach. The singed injury burned, but her will to win burned even hotter. And the emotions empowered her intensely.
Her strength amplified even more when she noticed everyone watching her. Nobody had pity or disappointment in their eyes at her current state. Rather, they were looking forward to her next move.
Even Illyana revealed a smirk, which Psylocke returned with a determined smile of her own.
She answered their hopes by sliding Kotetsu back into sheath. Her fingers wrapped firmly around the middle of the scabbard as she dropped into a low iaido stance, one she hadn’t used in years.
The butterfly wings flapped behind her, keeping her float.
“Iai Technique: Kochō Getsuei (Butterfly Moonshadow).”
As she drew the katana, a metallic click rang through the oppressive air of Hel.
The katana left the sheath with such acceleration that the surrounding atmosphere became its first victim. A curved wave of compressed air formed around the edge. As her blade cut downward, that pressure followed the exact path of the swing like an invisible extension of the sword itself.
For a moment nothing seemed to happen, then a glowing line appeared from the beast’s shoulder to its hip. Its scales cracked apart an instant later as the force of the strike tore through its armor and flesh.
The floor detonated beneath the beast as the transmitted force carved through the ground of Hel and stone burst up in molten fountains. A diagonal trench formed across Hel for hundreds of meters deep into the realm.
The sound finally arrived as a deafening thunderclap that rolled across the crater and flattened clouds of ash against the cliffs. Then the delayed wind of her strike swept through the canyon. Dust spiraled up in enormous pale clouds, fluttering through the air like the wings of countless white butterflies.
The lava lizard remained standing for one moment, then its body slid apart in two enormous halves. Magma poured from the severed interior and spilled on the ground.
Psylocke wasn’t in the mood to celebrate her victory. Her eyes were filled with sorrow. Kotetsu’s blade turned into dust, its ashes carried by the wind. Only the sheath remained, and even that slipped from her trembling fingers. Veins bulged across her arms before rupturing as blood flowed without any signs of stopping.
She had pushed her body far beyond its limits.
Her arms had gone numb. Her mind turned foggy. She wasn’t able to maintain her butterfly wings. But as she began to fall, she wasn’t worried in the slightest.
As expected, he arrived without delay and caught her gently in princess-style, which she was undeserving of. The blood soaking into his clothes didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.
“Good grief, are you ladies trying to outdo each other in recklessness? My heart can only endure so much, you know?” Even though he was scolding her, he looked awfully proud of her victory. Even more than her. “Emma’s gonna kill me if something happens to you on my watch.”
The circumstances required her to be reckless. It was the only way to win this time.
He showed a troubled look, reading her thoughts through her eyes like he always did. “Don’t say a word. I’m gonna heal you first.”
He drifted down to the ground and began healing her. Warm energy flowed through her, knitting torn muscles and regenerating everything. Even her burned leg had been regenerated. He had fixed every bit of damage her recklessness had caused. If Dante hadn’t been here, she never would have taken such a risk. No one else in the world could have fixed the damage she had just done to herself.
“Were you trying to emulate Illyana’s technique?”
Even though she had been healed, she didn’t let go right away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck, indulging in this rare feeling of being held and protected. “So… was my execution better?”
Illyana had used demonic energy to fuel her slash, which Dante had informed her about yesterday. Meanwhile, she had to rely on pure physical strength.
Illyana had performed a brute slash while she had incorporated her sword draw technique.
Both yielded immense destruction.
He smiled, a cheeky glint in his eyes. “Yes. Your technique was beautiful. Does it have a name?”
“Nukitsuke: Shiroi Kochō,” she whispered, remembering the white butterflies swirling in the dust. “Draw-Cut: White Butterfly.”
“You sure love butterflies.”
Butterflies meant many things in Japanese folklore—transformation, rebirth, grace, femininity, and beauty. They were also symbols of the dead returning briefly. Butterflies were also short-lived creatures. For a long time, that had felt like her destiny in her quest for vengeance.
Now, she wasn’t so sure it still suited her.
Emma, Hellions, X-Men… so many had changed after meeting him, but both Emma and her had changed the most. Emma was no longer the selfish, survival-focused woman. She had grown into the protective, loving role of a mother, doing everything so the Hellions get to live a proud life.
As for herself… She still wanted revenge against the Hand, but she also wanted to use her blade to cut down true evil. More than anything, she wanted to stand beside this man who kept helping everyone around him without asking for anything in return.
‘After killing them… I’m coming back.’
He looked deeply into her eyes. “You still aren’t ready.”
It felt more like he didn’t want her to leave at all, which made her feel conflicted. On one hand, she was happy to be cared for. On the other hand… this was the man Emma and many others loved.
She hummed softly in her throat, feeling pleased with his protective response. “I know.”
Neither did she want to be… Not for a few more weeks, at least.
