Chereads / reborn in mcu universe / Chapter 41 - ### **Chapter 41: The Battle for Time – Tactics Against Kang's Minions**

Chapter 41 - ### **Chapter 41: The Battle for Time – Tactics Against Kang's Minions**

**Setting: The Multiversal Rift – The Battlefield**

The multiversal rift was a chaotic, shifting realm—a place where time bent and fractured, where the laws of physics were not always reliable, and where Kang's minions waited in the shadows, ready to fight. The Avengers were scattered across this fractured landscape, each team working tirelessly to fulfill their role. Time was both their enemy and their ally, and every moment counted.

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**Team 1: The Temporal Disruptors – Jordan and Doctor Strange**

Jordan stood at the center of the rift, his hand outstretched, the glowing *Reality Stone* pulsing with immense power. The air around him shimmered as he felt the anchors' presence. They were everywhere—small, almost invisible threads scattered through the fabric of time itself, stretching and pulling reality in ways that made Jordan's mind ache. 

"Stay focused," Doctor Strange warned, his voice calm but urgent. "The anchors are alive, they react to disruption. The *Reality Stone* is powerful, but these anchors are designed to fight back against any alteration of their timeline."

Jordan nodded, feeling the pull of the stone inside him. The anchors weren't just fixed points in time—they were like sentient beings, designed to protect themselves at all costs. Every time he reached out to destabilize one, a wave of resistance surged through his body, trying to push him away.

The first anchor he encountered was a dark, twisting knot in time—almost like a black hole that twisted reality itself. It was located in the midst of the 22nd century, a moment when Kang had secured an important victory that had altered the course of history. He extended his hand, channeling the stone's power, trying to tear it apart.

But the anchor fought back. A sudden force exploded outward from the rift, throwing Jordan back several feet, crashing him into a barrier that materialized out of thin air. He groaned, trying to regain his footing as the stone continued to hum, pushing at his consciousness. He could hear strange, distorted voices in his head—echoes of the people whose lives had been twisted by Kang's interference with time.

"They're fighting you, Jordan," Strange called from behind him, his hands moving in the air as he cast defensive spells to protect them. "You have to think beyond the stone's raw power. You need to *understand* the anchors, not just fight them. They are *bonds*, not chains."

Jordan's mind reeled as he focused on the *Reality Stone*'s influence. He had been thinking of the anchors as enemies, as things to be destroyed. But Strange's words made him reconsider. These anchors were part of Kang's mastery of time, and if he could break them, he could rewrite reality. But to do so, he needed to change the anchor's purpose, not just erase it.

With a deep breath, Jordan closed his eyes. He reached out, not to destroy, but to *reshape*. He focused on the timeline attached to the anchor, visualizing the history that Kang had altered and seeing the threads that had been twisted. He could feel the power of the *Reality Stone* responding to him, and he allowed it to flow through him, rewiring the anchor's very essence.

The rift screamed in protest as the anchor began to flicker, its hold on time weakening. Then, with a flash, it *collapsed* in on itself, unraveling and disappearing into nothingness. 

"We did it," Jordan whispered, his breath shaky but relieved.

Strange stepped forward, watching the moment carefully. "Good. But don't get complacent. We need to keep moving."

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**Team 2: The Diversions – Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and Natasha Romanoff**

While Team 1 worked to destabilize the anchors, Team 2 was charged with a more immediate task—*diverting* Kang's forces. As Jordan and Strange worked in the heart of the rift, Steve, Sam, and Natasha were stationed near one of the more heavily guarded anchors. The rift itself had taken on a surreal, almost dreamlike quality, with the sky swirling in unnatural colors, landscapes shifting as though they were in a state of constant flux.

Their mission was simple on paper—distract Kang's minions, keeping them from noticing the work being done on the anchors. But as they soon found out, Kang's forces weren't just soldiers—they were versions of Kang himself, from different realities, each with the same ruthless intellect and strategic genius.

Sam, clad in his Falcon suit, was the first to spot them. He tapped his comm device, signaling the others. "We've got incoming. Looks like Kang's personal guard. Let's make sure they don't get too comfortable."

"Stay sharp," Steve replied, tightening his grip on his shield. "They'll be expecting us. We need to draw their attention without giving away our position."

The first wave of Kang's minions arrived, and it was clear these weren't just random soldiers—they were elites, skilled in temporal warfare, able to phase in and out of different moments in time. They were already *invisible* to their surroundings, phasing between past and future versions of themselves.

Sam fired a burst of EMP from his wings, causing a temporary disruption in the field. For a brief moment, the minions lost their camouflage and materialized fully in the present moment.

"That's our cue!" Natasha shouted as she fired a series of explosive arrows toward the disoriented guards. The explosions lit up the battlefield as she sprinted forward, moving fluidly through the chaos.

Steve led the charge, his shield raised as he absorbed the blasts of energy fired by the Kang minions. The soldiers were fast, but Steve was faster. He had the advantage of experience, and with Sam and Natasha working in tandem, they formed a seamless unit that moved like a well-oiled machine. Steve's shield deflected the minions' energy blasts while Natasha took out their rear guard, her stealth and agility allowing her to slip past their defenses.

"Don't let them regroup!" Sam called, sending a series of blasts from his suit into the ranks of Kang's minions. The energy pulses hit with precision, sending soldiers tumbling back in surprise.

But these soldiers weren't just fighting for their survival—they were fighting for Kang's plan. They had knowledge of the Avengers' tactics, their weaknesses, and their strengths. It wasn't long before they adapted to the Avengers' movements, using their time-altering abilities to counterattack.

One of the minions phased in behind Natasha, and before she could react, she felt a cold grip around her throat. The Kang soldier snarled, using a device that manipulated the surrounding timeline to lock her in place. 

But Natasha wasn't one to be caught off guard. She slid a hidden knife from her boot and thrust it into the minion's side, causing him to falter long enough for her to break free. With a series of precise moves, she knocked him out, his form flickering and disappearing into a temporal fold.

"We've got this," Steve called out, his shield already deflecting another energy blast from a Kang soldier. "Just a few more minutes. We can hold them off."

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**Team 3: The Tactical Assault – Thor, Hulk, and Tony Stark**

Meanwhile, Team 3 was positioned to provide backup in case Kang himself entered the battlefield. This team's strategy was simple: *overwhelm* the enemy with raw power and force. With Thor's lightning, Hulk's might, and Tony Stark's weapons at their disposal, they were prepared for anything.

As the rift continued to twist and bend, a flicker of light appeared in the distance. Then, as if summoned by the chaos, a time portal opened, and Kang himself stepped out, flanked by two alternate versions of himself from different timelines. His armor glinted in the dim light of the rift, and his eyes glowed with an unnatural power.

"Here we go," Tony muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Big bad Kang, in the flesh."

Thor raised Mjolnir, a crackling bolt of lightning dancing around his hand. "This time, he will not escape."

Hulk roared, his muscles swelling as he prepared for battle. "HULK SMASH!"

Tony powered up his suit, his mind working overtime to calculate the optimal attack sequence. "Thor, take the left. Hulk, stay close. I'll draw his fire."

Kang and his alternate selves raised their hands in unison, and suddenly the battlefield shifted. Time bent around them, twisting and distorting the environment. The Avengers had to react fast.

Thor swung Mjolnir, calling down a bolt of lightning that crashed into one of Kang's versions. The force of the blow sent him stumbling back, but Kang's soldiers weren't so easily defeated. They phased through the attack, their time-altering abilities allowing them to move across multiple moments in the rift simultaneously.

Tony dove into the fray, unleashing a barrage of lasers and repulsor beams toward Kang. The blasts scattered, but Kang's force fields deflected most of them. The battle had only just begun.

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