Iron Man's single-beam pulse attack was at full power, pouring energy directly from his arc reactor, while Thor's hammer was hitting with its maximum force. Either of these blows on their own would be enough to melt through steel or crush heavy armor, but together, with the added boost of the Avengers' team power, they became overwhelmingly powerful—almost unstoppable.
The envoy tried his hardest to defend himself, but the combined blasts were just too much. The massive beams of energy broke through his defenses, tearing right through his chest and sending his body flying backward. He crashed into the ground, creating a huge gap in the ranks of Cantel soldiers behind him.
He rolled twice before coming to a stop, lying limply on the ground. Though he was still breathing, he clearly didn't have the strength to get back up.
It was poetic justice in a way. The envoy had often used his own teammates as shields to protect himself, but now, in the end, he'd been used as a shield. It seemed like fate had turned against him.
Even with the envoy's strong body trying to shield him, the legion commander was still thrown back by the sheer force of the double attack. But with his last burst of energy, the envoy had absorbed some of the impact, protecting the commander from the worst of it. After a quick roll, the commander managed to stand back up.
All around, the remaining Cantel soldiers were frozen in shock.
Ant-Man and Spider-Man had managed to keep most of the Cantel soldiers away from the main battle, creating a barrier that blocked them from intervening. But the fortress held an endless number of Cantel soldiers, and it was impossible to defeat them all in a single battle. At first, these soldiers had charged fearlessly, but now, seeing their powerful commander so thoroughly beaten—and watching the incredible strength of the humans—they finally began to hesitate.
And there was another reason they'd stopped. Just moments earlier, they'd seen their commander use his own employer as a shield, and now, it looked like the employer was on the brink of death.
Without their employer, the Cantel soldiers had no reason to keep fighting. But, even beyond that, many of them felt uncomfortable about what they'd just witnessed: their commander using his own employer to take a hit meant for him.
The wounded envoy, lying on the ground with wide eyes, stared up at the legion commander in disbelief. With great effort, he gasped, "You… how dare… I serve… the Great…"
"Life and death," the legion commander replied coldly, dragging his injured arm as he straightened up, "don't leave much time to think about that."
"You've used my men as shields plenty of times. Now we're even."
The envoy, struggling to breathe, seemed like he wanted to respond, but the commander was no longer listening. Thor's hammer was already flying toward him, sparking with the last traces of thunder from the previous attack.
But the legion commander had already prepared for this moment. In his left hand, he clutched a small stone.
The envoy's eyes went wide with horror as he realized what it was. "You… the backtracking stone…!"
Before the envoy could say another word, the commander crushed the stone in his hand. Immediately, an unknown but powerful energy exploded from the shattered stone, surrounding the commander and enveloping him in a shimmering light.
Thor's hammer passed through the spot where the commander had just been, hitting only empty air. The hammer seemed to pause, almost surprised, before it turned around and flew back to Thor's waiting hand.
The envoy, lying on the ground, let out a bitter curse. His voice weakened, and the last words he'd wanted to say faded as he finally ran out of breath.
With their employer dead, their leader gone, and the humans proving to be far stronger than they'd expected, the Cantel soldiers were left with no reason to keep fighting. Slowly, one of them lowered himself to the ground in surrender, followed by another, and then another, until all the remaining Cantels lay motionless in defeat.
"Well, looks like you're not as dumb as I thought," Stark said, watching them surrender. "Smart move."
The envoy, meanwhile, lay motionless, a huge hole torn through his chest. Normally, such an injury would mean instant death, but his life force was incredibly strong, keeping him alive for a little while longer. Charlie, seeing an opportunity to get answers, wasn't going to let him die just yet.
"You must… think you've won," the envoy rasped. Even as he lay there defeated, his voice still held a mocking tone.
"Fools. Your resistance only makes things worse… for yourselves." His green eyes flickered, and there was a trace of cruel satisfaction in his expression. "You… you really surprised me with these powers… but it won't change anything."
Spider-Man, glancing at his teammates, muttered, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting a really bad feeling here."
The envoy, knowing his time was short, seemed almost insulted by the humans' confidence, as if he couldn't believe he was losing to them.
"I was the first envoy to discover your world outside the star realm's control. But I won't be the last," he said bitterly. "I underestimated you. I thought this mission would be simple. If I'd known, I would have called for reinforcements instead of acting on my own."
His breathing was shallow, yet he continued speaking with surprising strength.
"Because of my mistake… you've saved your planet… for now."
He glanced at the empty spot where the legion commander had disappeared, then gave a final, chilling warning.
"But that Cantel traitor—the one who fled—is your biggest threat now. He's the only one who knows your planet's location… and everything that happened here."
His voice grew weaker, but his words remained ominous. "No one has ever dared kill an envoy. You will know the cost…"
And with that, his voice faded entirely, and he breathed his last.
The envoy's final warning left Charlie and the others with an unsettling sense of dread.
Luckily, Ant-Man was part of the team, making it possible to communicate with alien species. Charlie, now controlling Thor, picked up a surrendered Cantel soldier nearby and started questioning him. Within minutes, Charlie's worst suspicions were confirmed.
Angels, or envoys, were powerful beings who served divine entities across the star realm. Their mission was to inspect planets, monitor their progress, and intervene if needed to keep them "in order."
These envoys had divine powers granted by their gods, making them strong enough to handle most situations alone. They almost never requested backup, except in the rarest circumstances.
This particular envoy had found Earth's location by accident. The "Descent Core" he'd mentioned was an ancient artifact left behind by gods who had visited Earth long ago, serving as both a marker and a portal if they ever needed to return. Envoys would inspect planets to make sure they stayed "in line." If a civilization evolved in ways that the gods didn't like, or if a species broke any cosmic laws, the envoys could activate the Descent Core to summon the gods and enforce judgment.
Earth had once been home to powerful dragons, a species that the gods had wiped out. But before the last dragons disappeared, they'd sealed away the Descent Core, making Earth's location invisible to the star realm.
That was, until now.
The envoy hadn't thought much of Earth's inhabitants. Like most envoys, he assumed he'd be able to handle the mission alone, so he didn't bother calling for support. Instead, he simply hired a mercenary army that happened to be nearby as a precaution.
But he had no idea what awaited him here.
If the Avengers could fully defeat the mercenaries and take down the envoy, Earth might have stayed hidden. In the vastness of the universe, news of an envoy's death might never reach the rest of the star realm. Earth would have remained a mystery.
Unfortunately, the legion commander had already taken his own precaution.
The "backtracking stone" he'd crushed was a rare item, possibly a one-time escape tool. Judging by the envoy's reaction, it was a powerful teleportation device. In mere moments, the legion commander had likely traveled beyond the solar system, with Earth's exact location in his memory.
Charlie quickly realized that if he could find a way to follow the commander and silence him, he might keep Earth's secret safe a little longer. But without a clear destination, the vastness of the universe made the task nearly impossible.
For now, Earth was safe. But the threat could return at any time, possibly even stronger than before.