(Marvel, DC, images, manhuas, and every anime that will be mentioned and used in this story are not mine. They all belong to their respective owners. The main character "Karito Josue Valdez" and the story are mine)
Ace Pov
I stood in the middle of a crater formed by the Original Guardian. I didn't think the mad lad was actually going to pull a Seven Deadly Sins move and throw a symbiotic spear from an entirely different continent with the precision of a damn god. He hit the darkenstine chains perfectly, causing an explosion that obliterated the dungeon I was in.
Now, I was surrounded by all the champions of the Shadow Isles—minus one, who was obliterated by the explosion. The Original Guardian one-shotted the poor wraith. Though, "poor" is nothing—the bastard was going to torture me and peek into my brain, so good riddance.
If looks could kill, I'd be dead nine times over, especially from the glare Vex was giving me. I knew she was sassy, but goddamn, that was an understatement. In the blink of an eye, seven out of the nine champions fired their attacks and magic at me. Elise shot a spider web in an attempt to trap me. Gwen launched a barrage of needles from behind. Kalista hurled her spear with great velocity. Karthus raised his hand, summoning a blue glow beneath me. Maokai threw saplings that summoned small minions. Vex fired a wave of purple energy, threatening to blow me away. The last two, Hecarim and Yorick, dashed forward, right behind the volleys of magic and minions.
Everything went into slow motion for me, my Observation Haki going full throttle. I dashed forward, and Elise's webs melted before they could reach me. I coated my arms in fire and deflected Gwen's spectral needles. Tilting to the side, Kalista's spear flew right past me. Karthus attempted to explode the ground beneath me, but I was moving too fast, evading his magical mines. I charged a fireball and blasted it right at Vex's wave of magic, causing it to explode and forming a large dust cloud.
Hecarim charged forward with his war axe, gaining speed with every step. He raised his weapon and smashed it down on my last known location, but he missed. Right beside him, there I was, my fist ablaze and ready to strike his stomach. But before I could, Yorick charged his attack and was right behind me, nearly close enough to catch me. I crouched to the ground, causing him to fly over me. As he realized he had missed, I grabbed his foot and, using his own body, slammed him right into Hecarim's chest.
No Pov
The two champions grunted in pain as they were blown away like a baseball and bat.
Vex and Gwen launched a flurry of long-range attacks, but Ace, with his Observation Haki, managed to dodge them effortlessly. With a wave of his hand, a pillar of flames erupted from the floor beneath them. The flames consumed them as they screamed in agony, and with a snap of his fingers, he caused an explosion that blew all the combatants away.
Ace rocketed toward Elise as she crashed into a wall. Sensing Ace coming for her, she quickly summoned mini spiders to attack, but Ace flew past them, the mere heat radiating from his body melting them instantly. "You're gonna have to try harder than that, Elise!"
In a desperate attempt to gain distance, Elise released a neurotoxin from her mouth, firing it at Ace. But with a wave of his hand, he summoned a wall of fire that evaporated the toxin. Ace's hands parted the flames, creating a clear view of Elise, who was now frozen in terror. But his senses rang out as he heard galloping from his right side. Ace saw Hecarim charging at him, spectral versions of the horseman sprinting alongside. Ace smirked, "You think you can catch me off guard?!" He raised both arms, flames violently circling his palms. "Think again!"
SMASH!
Ace slammed his fists into the ground, which melted upon impact. The resulting shockwave engulfed Elise in flames and pushed Hecarim back as pillars of fire erupted from the floor across the Isles. The fiery pillars reached the skies like flaming mountains, lighting up the entire area like a second sun. The temperature soared, causing structures to melt away.
Maokai screamed in agony, his body engulfed in flames. He swirled around, trying to dispel the fire, but these were no ordinary flames; they were the primordial flames of the Guardian of Prometheus Fire—a Dark's kryptonite. Maokai didn't stand a chance as he melted into the ground, the temperature continuing to rise.
"Maokai!" screamed Viego, sweating profusely from the intense heat radiating off Ace. "You monster! You'll pay for that!"
"He's dead," Yorick muttered beside Viego. The two dashed toward Ace, squinting against the increasing heat that enveloped them. Yorick summoned the Maiden of the Mist along with four skeletons, while Viego led the charge. Ace faced Viego, deflecting a downward slash with his Armament Haki and blasting one of the skeletons away with a fireball. Suddenly, Ace started to feel dizzy, noticing a dark and blue hue stretching from him all the way to the Maiden.
With a clenched fist, Ace parried another attack from Viego, who attempted to stab him. Quickly, Ace placed his palm on Viego's chest, fire circling within it, and launched a point-blank fire blast at Viego's stomach, sending him flying into the Maiden. The Maiden vanished upon Viego's impact.
"Viego! Are you—" Yorick began, but then paused. "Oh no..." he said, his voice filled with shock. Viego, noticing his comrade's expression, looked down and saw the gaping hole in his stomach. "S-Shit..." As the realization hit, Viego's eyes glazed over, and he stopped breathing.
Yorick clenched his fist in rage. "YOU DAMNED GUARDIAN!!!"
"You called?"
"Huh?"
PIERCE!
Ace had plunged his flaming fist through Yorick's chest. "Five down..." he mumbled. Surveying his surroundings, he began searching for the remaining Dark Champions when he sensed another spear flying toward his head. He caught the weapon and threw it to the ground. "That direction," he muttered, before rocketing himself toward the location the spear had been thrown from.
Hiding behind melting boulders, Kalista and Karthus breathed heavily. They couldn't comprehend what was happening to their bodies. They were spirits, wraiths, yet it felt like their very essence was burning. Kalista stared at her hands, faint orange flames flickering around them. "How the hell is he 'burning' us?" she asked, disbelief clear in her voice.
"Tch... I don't know. But Guardians are known to defy any logic applied to a verse. Trying to understand what he's doing is like trying to understand Toon Force," Karthus attempted to explain, grasping at what he assumed was the reason for Ace's abnormalities.
"Buddy, I think it's a lot more complicated than that," a voice interrupted.
Without hesitation, Kalista spun around, materializing a spear out of thin air. But before she could throw it, Ace halted her. Karthus attempted to blast Ace to gain some distance, but the floor beneath Ace began to melt. "Enkai," he muttered. A large number of flames surrounded his body in preparation for an attack.
A pillar of blue flame surrounded Ace as Karthus charged his attack. As they locked eyes, Ace, with his immense strength, pushed Kalista to the ground, creating a web of cracks on the surface. "Ack!" she screamed in pain as Ace smirked and shouted, "Hibashira!"
"Requiem!" Karthus shouted in response.
Karthus rained down a blue light on Ace, his attack almost landing, but it shattered against the collected flames as Ace shot a massive pillar of fire skyward, destroying any target near him. The explosion resembled a volcanic eruption, with shockwaves pushing everything away. The clouds above parted, and the entirety of the Shadow Isles shone so brightly that it seemed a second sun had emerged. The waters surrounding the Shadow Isles evaporated, extending for miles.
Ace emerged from the melted ground, his body still ablaze. He surveyed the surroundings; it was as if a volcano had erupted. He tried to sense the remaining Dark Champions but realized they had been caught in his eruption.
"I guess I killed them," he thought. "Now I've got to find the core of this place and liberate it. Hopefully, whoever is protecting it isn't a major pain in my ass."
He began walking on the molten ground, spotting an edifice in the distance that was still intact. A visible black aura surrounded it, which Ace assumed was how it remained unharmed. The entire Isle used to glow with a blue mist in its cracks and around sacred buildings, but after the cosmology was corrupted, it now glowed an eerie black and purple. However, Ace had contributed to its change; the area now glowed orange, like fire, the closer he got to the last edifice. He assumed that his mere presence was "rewriting" its surroundings, purifying it of its corruption. Once close to the shadow barrier, he lit his hand ablaze and touched it, "burning" the barrier away.
Upon entering, he was met with a large room adorned with starlike patterns and small pillars filled with darkness. In the middle was an orb, more specifically, a Dark Orb. This was how Darks "claimed" territory from an ally's dimension if they were "invited" to enter the premise. All Ace needed to do was shatter it, and the Shadow Isles would return to normal. But he knew things were never that simple—it was only a matter of time before he encountered whoever had claimed such a dead area of the League of Legends universe.
"Well, I never thought I'd see another character from One Piece again," a figure emerged from the shadows, eyes glowing red.
Ace quirked an eyebrow. "I feel like I know you. Where are you from again?" he asked.
"Well, I'm from Marvel. A good chunk of us are present in this dimension."
"X-Men?"
"Getting cold," the figure chuckled.
"Well, with those oversized sunglasses... Cyclops, right?"
"Bingo. Though, not just your ordinary one."
"Please, tell me you don't have the Phoenix Force with you..."
"Do you want to find out?" His clothes turned black with red patterns, his visor turned gold, and he crossed his arms with a smirk.
"Shit... I hope you're the 1/5th version," Ace muttered, clenching his fists as flames erupted around him.
"HAAAAA!" Dark Cyclops shot a powerful optic blast toward Ace, who didn't expect the attack to travel at light speed. Ace barely dodged, but a small part of his shoulder was peeled off by the blast.
The optic blast consumed a quarter of the Shadow Isles, destroying everything in its path. Once it gained enough distance, an atomic explosion occurred, sending shockwaves that caused a small earthquake on the Isles.
Ace looked at the devastation in shock. "Fuck, that would've atomized me. I can probably survive a few hits with my Armament Haki, but I can't risk getting hit unless I want to be in a world of pain," he thought.
"Hmph," Cyclops looked slightly amused. "Good reaction speed. Usually, I would've taken down most One Piece characters with an MFTL+ attack, with some exceptions, but I guess that fight with Godzilla did help make you stronger. Tell me, how does it feel to be Universal Level? I imagine you never thought of reaching such heights if your 'story' hadn't been altered," he asked curiously.
Ace decided to oblige. "Never in my wildest dreams. Opening rifts between dimensions, creating black holes with my flames? Becoming a Guardian? A protector of fictional stories from the corruption of mankind's negativity? Who would've thought my life would turn out like this," he said, narrowing his eyes. "So answer me this. Why are you doing this?"
The Guardian of Prometheus Fire, though fed an ungodly amount of information about his new "life," couldn't help but have lingering questions. Why him? Why are these Darks like this? Why is humanity becoming more fragile, sensitive, and negative?
Of course, questions like these are answered only by those who live in the Real World—or those who once did, like Adriel.
"Why?" Cyclops repeated. "Because we are every bad decision, negative thought, twisted perception, toxicity, and unacceptable part of humanity. And by the minute, more and more Darks are born because the minds of today's generation are so laughably fragile. Liars, manipulators, victimizers, toxicity, abuse, assault, narcissism, psychopathy," he paused, "how girls these days live in a fantasy world and expect the world around them to be as such. How boys live in constant contradictions and are forced to accept people's bullshit just because. It is so easy... to do something that will make a person's emotions go... Dark. That's how fragile this generation is. And funny enough, it'll just keep getting worse," he looked at Ace, "So you ask why? Because we are born, made, and molded to be cruel, to be evil. Just like how good can turn evil... and how evil can turn good."
"So that's how the 'real people' are?" Ace asked, his tone lowered.
"The real world is full of disappointments. Just like fiction."
"And my creator... Who is he? As a person? Is he cruel, like you claim the 'Real World' to be?"
"Eiichiro Oda... Ahh," Cyclops sighed with a smirk.
"Oda... is that his name?"
"If you want to know more, I'm sure the Original can feed your curiosity."
"..." Ace cast his gaze downward with a frown.
"So, are you ready? Guardian of Prometheus Fire?"
"Yeah... enough chitchat," he glared at Cyclops.
Without hesitation, Cyclops fired another optic blast, but this time Ace was ready. He dodged it as he dashed toward his enemy. The mutant smirked and unleashed a rapid barrage of optic blasts, forcing the pirate to dodge desperately. Eventually, Ace began firing his own blasts of flame, but as expected, Cyclops easily dispelled each one before they could get too close.
Ace propelled himself toward Cyclops with a flaming flying knee. Cyclops noticed the attack and managed to block it. Ace followed up with a flaming right hook aimed at Cyclops' cheek, but the mutant blocked that as well, countering with a liver punch. The pirate winced, slouching over—he hadn't expected the mutant to hit so hard. Without missing a beat, Cyclops tilted his visor downward, ready to blast Ace into the ground, but the pirate's senses kicked in, and he quickly delivered an upward elbow strike, making Cyclops miss. The optic blast cut the building in two, debris raining down as the blast parted the sky like a sword.
In a desperate attempt to gain distance, Ace delivered a front kick to the mutant's chest, landing the hit. Cyclops rolled across the broken ground but quickly recovered, landing on his feet.
"Good. Now let's turn up the heat," Cyclops said, a smirk forming on his lips.
"The fuck are you—!!!" Ace began, confused by the mutant's sudden comment, but before he could finish, Cyclops flew at him and tackled him through the entire building.
"AGH!" the pirate grunted. He quickly elbowed Cyclops' back, but the mutant remained steady. Cyclops then pushed Ace forward, separating the two. Ace's eyes widened as he realized Cyclops was about to fire a point-blank blast. "Crimson Lotus!" Ace fired his own attack at the same moment Cyclops did. Both blasts collided and exploded upon impact, sending both fighters flying. Cyclops crashed into a nearby melted mountain, while Ace skipped across the ground, crashing through boulders before stopping at a cliff.
Ace lifted himself up and threw himself off the cliff just as he sensed another optic blast. He narrowly evaded it, watching as the cliff was vaporized. Using his flames, he took flight and met Cyclops in the sky. "He recovers way too damn fast," the pirate thought. Both combatants fired their abilities at each other—fireballs and optic blasts exploded in the sky like continuous fireworks. But suddenly, Cyclops used his optic blast to propel himself toward Ace, tackling him in midair. The two traded blows as they fell to the ground, Cyclops proving to be the better combatant. With a loud crash, Cyclops pinned Ace down. He fired an optic blast, which Ace was forced to block with his Armament Haki. "HAAA!!!" the pirate screamed, backhanding the mutant with such strength that Cyclops flew through a boulder.
"Blazing Net!" Ace attempted to restrain the mutant, but much to his annoyance, it was dispelled. "Fuck your Phoenix Force powers! I can't even use my ranged attacks!" he angrily thought.
Deciding to engage in close combat instead, Ace rocketed himself toward Cyclops, lifting his leg high into the air. Using his flames as a propeller, he rocketed toward Cyclops at incredible speed. The mutant noticed and tried to block the attack but underestimated its power. "NGH! FUCK!" Cyclops grunted as he was pushed down into the ground.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ace roared, releasing a massive amount of flames directly onto Cyclops. The impact buried the mutant in the ground, but Ace didn't stop. Using every ounce of his strength, he split the entire Shadow Isles in two, creating a massive crack that separated the land into two sections, with the two combatants at the center. Water from the surrounding seas rushed into the newly formed crater, filling the gap.
"Ah....Ah...." Ace breathed heavily, still feeling Cyclops' body beneath him. The water evaporated as it got close to them. "I bet that hurt," the pirate smirked. But then, a red glow lit up the darkness around them. "Congrats, you've pissed me off," Cyclops mumbled under his breath.
Ace's eyes widened, and he was about to move, but Cyclops had a solid grip on his heel. "Dodge this."
BOOM!
For miles and miles, all light was replaced by red. The blast was so massive it could have been the size of a country. Even though it was shot upward, the power of the optic blast caused earthquakes. The clouds parted, and the sky turned red. The blast reached all the way to the moon, creating a gaping hole in the celestial body, visible even from Runeterra. In the empty vacuum of space, the blast exploded as if a planet had detonated.
"My optic blast can destroy planets, and I just hit you with one. Good luck recovering from that," the mutant sighed and stood up. He slowly flew into the air, hands behind his back, inspecting the damage the two had caused.
"At least it wasn't Spider-Man or his apprentice. Their suits could've tanked the attack. Even without them, they could still survive planetary-level attacks," Cyclops thought. "Still, I have a feeling he isn't dead yet. The Guardians have 'Fate Manipulation' as one of their base abilities, which is basically 'Plot Armor.' Ace might be a new addition to their group, but he did defeat Godzilla and obtained Cosmic Flames by using Space Godzilla's body as a source."
...
...
...
It hurts...
That bastard sent me into orbit with his optic blast. My arms feel so numb, I can barely move them. I feel so tired. Why? I fought a damn kaiju for 50 years, took on nine corrupted champions, and now an X-Men tires me out? Or is there something else at play?
...
Oh... that's why. Besides being weak to each other, some Darks have slightly different abilities depending on the "what ifs" in fiction they come from. Maybe some other author on Wattpad or Webnovel created them, or they're from anywhere else where people share their stories.
"Hey, hey, what the hell is wrong with you, Ace?" A voice echoed in the darkness.
My mind must be playing tricks on me after being on the receiving end of Cyclops' attack. But even if that's what's going on, I just... welcome it. I'm so tired. I haven't seen my family and friends in more than 50 years. I don't even know if my world is still alive or how things are going. How am I supposed to know when I'm not part of the story anymore? I'm just a memory now.
When I look back, the few good memories I have are slowly withering away. Immortality is a scary thing. Some people talk about how great it is, but is it really great when you outlive every person you've ever loved and eventually watch everything die while you're left alone?
I have all this power, yet I hesitate. Not in the way people think, but I wonder if it's even worth it. Cyclops mentioned how unhinged the real world is. I never considered myself the saving type, I guess. Sure, I like to help people... my friends and loved ones.
But just... what makes me so important that I was kept alive even after I died in my own story and lived on as a memory, which is what I assumed happened?
"Were you always the type to overthink things like this?" the same goofy voice echoed.
I guess I wasn't before. Now? I don't even know anymore. It's bad when the only number I can remember is 50—and that's how long I've been aware of being gone from that hellhole. Heck, maybe I've been gone longer, but I just can't seem to remember when so much... bullshit keeps happening. It's too hard to remember every single detail of how my life derailed from its original course.
What good am I now?
"Did you forget why you were given that title?" A shadowy figure with a straw hat looked down at my prone form.
The Prometheus Fire?
"Yeah," he answered.
Why should I care?
"There's a story about it. Use your new power to understand it."
I wasn't going to listen at first, but it's hard when the voice I'm hearing is Luffy's. I can't... I'm so tired... I just want to rest... forever...
I closed my eyes, expecting nothing but the cold void.
But the voice wouldn't let me rest. It was persistent.
"The Prometheus Fire," Luffy's shadowy figure said again. "It's not just about power. It's about enduring. Even when everything around you crumbles."
Enduring? Is that all there is? Just... existing for the sake of existing?
The darkness around me twisted. Flames erupted, but these weren't like my usual flames. They flickered with shades of blue and black, pulling at the edges of reality as if the stories themselves were catching fire.
"Prometheus didn't just give fire to humans," Luffy's figure continued. "He defied the gods. He suffered for it, over and over. But he never gave in."
Suddenly, my body felt heavier—not in a tired way, but as if I was grounded. Anchored to something deeper. The flames wrapped around me, not just on the outside, but within, merging with every fiber of my being.
"You're not just a memory, Ace. You're more than that," Luffy's voice became clearer, more real. "That fire inside you—it isn't just for destruction or protection. It's a reminder. A legacy. You carry a piece of every story you've touched, and now... you've got the power to create your own."
My muscles tightened. I could feel the weight of all those years, the battles, the lost memories—but now, they weren't chains. They were fuel.
The flames around me surged, roaring with renewed life. This wasn't just fire. It was Prometheus' rebellion. His defiance. His gift to mankind. I wasn't just burning brighter—I was burning with purpose.
I stood up slowly, my body igniting with flames that felt heavier yet more controlled. Every flicker was like a heartbeat, steady and alive.
"Luffy... why me?" I whispered into the flames.
"Because you're more than your past, Ace. You're part of every story now. And it's time to write your own."
With that, the darkness faded. I wasn't done. Not yet.
It's time to use...
The Flames of Singularity.
...
...
...
The majority of the Shadow Isles were now underwater. The battle had nearly destroyed the entire island and all its intricacies. In the midst of the devastation, Cyclops hovered, arms crossed, floating steadily.
"Hmm... he's coming back," Cyclops mumbled. "I wonder if his fate manipulation has a time limit. If it does, I'll have to survive until it runs out. But that's easier said than done when the narrative is turning against me."
Suddenly, a few feet away from Cyclops, space itself 'burned' open as Ace stepped through. His once-orange flames had transformed into a black and purple hue, like dark matter, swirling around him in a protective aura. This intrigued Cyclops, who studied the Guardian's new power-up.
"I hope you're ready this time, Cyclops. I've got more tricks up my sleeve."
"I'm aware..." the mutant grumbled.
The two fighters locked eyes, their glares intense. The space between them seemed to warp and distort. And when Ace's finger twitched—
VHOOM!
The space around Ace twisted, and he disappeared. Cyclops' eyes widened in shock. "He's teleporting—!"
CRACK!
Cyclops' cheekbone cracked as Ace appeared instantly beside him, delivering a devastating haymaker. The impact created a shockwave, sending the X-Man rocketing toward the water. Upon impact, a massive explosion sent the sea surging upwards, revealing a large crater on the ocean floor.
"AGHH!" Cyclops screamed, his visor glowing with violent intensity as he fired a large energy blast. But something unexpected happened—Ace caught the blast. The energy began to spaghettify, twisting around Ace's arm like threads.
"What the fuck?" Cyclops muttered in disbelief.
"Hey! You can have this back!" Ace shouted, hurling the beam right back at him.
"Shit! Shit!" Cyclops' visor glowed again as he fired another blast.
The two attacks clashed, shaking the very foundations of the area. Red and purple hues filled the sky as the ocean retreated further from the sheer force of their struggle.
"NGHHHH!!!!" Ace grunted, pushing Cyclops' beam back.
"HAAAA!!!" Cyclops screamed, intent on ending it.
But as both fighters poured more power into their attacks, the energy began to warp under the strain. It couldn't contain the sheer force, and with one final push from both sides—
BOOM!
An explosion of nuclear proportions engulfed the entirety of the Isles. The shockwave was so immense that it almost reached Bilgewater and Ixtal, triggering a tsunami. But Spider-Man, who had been monitoring the Newbie Guardian from afar, quickly intervened. Using his magnetism and technological expertise, he stopped the tsunami from forming.
Meanwhile, Ace and Cyclops' battle raged in the sky, each clash of fire and optic blasts crackling like thunder. Black and purple flames exploded whenever they collided with Cyclops' laser beams.
Ace fired flaming tendrils toward Cyclops, who dodged and destroyed them with his optic blast. Grasping with his hand, Cyclops used his telekinesis—thanks to his connection to the Phoenix Force—to freeze Ace in place. Ace gritted his teeth, struggling to break free, but before he could, Cyclops fired another optic blast, sending him crashing into the remnants of the Shadow Isles.
Ace clutched his chest in pain but wasn't given time to recover as his Observation Haki warned him of another incoming attack. Forming a flaming shield, he blocked Cyclops' relentless optic blasts. But they kept coming—one after another.
"FUCKING DIE! DIE! DIE! I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU EVEN BREATHE! JUST GET PULVERIZED ALREADY!" Cyclops screamed in rage.
Ace persisted, grunting in agony as he held up his violet and dark shield. The ground beneath him crackled and crumbled under the pressure of Cyclops' unrelenting attack, pushing him deeper into the planet. Further and further they descended—past Runeterra's crust, mantle, outer core, and finally into the inner core.
Upon reaching the center, a volcanic eruption occurred. A supervolcano of unimaginable proportions erupted, its force stretching to the surface of Runeterra for miles upon miles.
Once again, Spider-Man had to step in, performing damage control from afar. He sighed in frustration, feeling more like a janitor for natural disasters than a hero.
Meanwhile, Ace was inside the core of Runeterra, seemingly immune to the lava surrounding him. But instead of feeling pain, he smirked. His right hand shook with power, Haki-infused and glowing with purple veins coiling around it. He had absorbed every single attack from Cyclops and was now boosting them with his own energy. "Hehe... you're so fucked, Scott."
VHOOM!
At the surface, Scott Summers panted, exhaustion setting in. He had fired optic blast after optic blast at the Guardian, yet he wasn't satisfied. "I can still feel his presence. Where... WHERE IS HE?!" He growled, feeling Ace behind him. The X-Man violently turned around and fired an optic blast—but Ace wasn't there. He felt his presence again and swung a backhand—yet hit nothing.
VHOOM! VHOOM! VHOOM!
"COME AND FACE ME! OR IS RUNNING ALL YOU CAN DO?!"
"GAMMA!—"
VHOOM!
"SHOW YOURSELF, GUARDIAN!"
"RAY!—"
Desperation overtook Cyclops as he swung and fired in every direction, chasing the fleeting presence of Ace. Underestimating the Guardian's fate manipulation, Cyclops began to feel as though his sins were catching up to him—remorse for the Avengers he had killed during the Avengers vs. X-Men events, along with Emma, Namor, Colossus, and Magik.
He wasn't the same hero he used to be. In many eyes, he was more villain than hero now.
Cyclops felt a distortion below him. Ace was about to strike him down. Should he let him? End the perpetual cycle of suffering and conquest? Maybe he should. But if he was going down, he'd do it fighting.
"I'm not going down without a fight!" His visor glowed violently. "I'm giving it my all!" Cyclops charged his optic blast to its maximum, aiming where he knew Ace would be.
VHOOM!
"COMMANDMENT!"
The heavens quaked. The planet shook. Both energies clashed, twisting reality itself. Shockwaves pushed everything away from the sheer force of the collision.
"NGHH!!!!!"
"AHHH!!!"
Ace pushed forward, unleashing more and more power. He was winning the clash. As Cyclops saw his optic blast being consumed, a feeling of resignation washed over him.
"Charles... is it possible for me to be forgiven for what I did?"
"..."
"I'll take that as a no..."
"DIE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!"
With one final push, Ace's attack engulfed Cyclops. His GRB Commandment pierced the heavens and shot into space, glowing like a beacon of light visible across all of Runeterra, stretching for miles upon miles.
Ace vs. the Champions of the Shadow Isles... Winner:
Ace, the Guardian of Prometheus Fire.
...
Ahh...
Ahh...
Finally... that's one... out of ten...
I wonder how the other Guardians are doing...
Meanwhile...
"Uhhh... Braum?" Peter called out.
"Yes?"
"What in the actual fuck happened here?"
Braum scratched his head, looking around. "Well, the only explanation I can give you is that Freljord was conquered by robots."
"It's like Terminator all over again," Peter muttered, referencing the movie.
"Terminator?" Braum questioned, but before he could get an answer, his eyes widened as he saw a massive beam of light stretching into space. "HOLY SHI—"
"Forget about it." Peter's senses flared. "It seems Ace was able to finish off one of the territories."
"HOW ARE YOU SO CASUAL ABOUT THAT MASSIVE BEAM OF LIGHT?!"
"That's not light, it's a GRB."
"A WHAT?!"
"Gamma-ray burst," Peter clarified, shrugging casually. "Anyways—"
"What the hell are you people?! Is that a normal occurrence?!" Braum asked, still in disbelief.
"Kinda?" Peter shrugged again.
"Are you sure you're here to save us?" Braum asked, his skepticism growing.
"Of course we are. But these enemies are powerful, so yeah... we're gonna have to go overboard sometimes. To be honest, the guy I'm about to take down for you scares me a bit."
"Scares you? How so?"
"I've only barely read about it, so I'm not sure what to expect. Luckily, if I see it, I'll know."
Braum sighed, unsure how to feel about Peter's response. "Alright... let's go then. Our chances are better now that you're here."
Somewhere in the distance...
"Peter..." A robotic voice snarled, dripping with pure hatred at the mere mention of the Guardian apprentice's name. "Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"