The gray mist surged like a violent ocean, its churning form expanding with terrifying momentum. It swept across the land faster than before, rolling forward in a wave of decay and death.
What unsettled everyone most wasn't just the speed—it was the sky. The ominous fog had reached so high that it infected the heavens themselves. A veil of malevolent darkness now cloaked the firmament.
Countless shadowy silhouettes flitted through the mist, like wandering ghosts. Everything the fog touched began to wither—trees curled in on themselves, country homes cracked and crumbled, and even abandoned cars seemed to rust and rot within seconds. The world itself was being eroded.
"How is this happening?" one of the demon hunters murmured.
"Damn it…" a priest gasped, his voice shaking.
To those who had dedicated their lives to hunting demons, this scene was unthinkable. It defied the known rules of darkness. Even centuries of lore couldn't explain such a phenomenon.
Tony Stark, the other superheroes, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents all grasped the gravity of the situation. None of them needed to be mystics to understand what they were facing—this was an extinction-level threat.
Fury narrowed his one good eye, gazing toward the oncoming mist from a hundred kilometers away. It moved with purpose, not randomness. This was no natural phenomenon—it was intelligent, malevolent, alive.
On the roof, Bella remained still. She had seen something—felt something—in the heart of the fog. A brief vision, or perhaps a psychic echo. Something was buried at the center of Nabasai—Basel's corrupted core. It wasn't just another town. It was the key.
She closed her eyes, inhaled once, and let a small smirk touch her lips.
So be it.
Without hesitation, Bella leapt from the rooftop. She landed with grace and precision beside a sleek, black motorcycle forged from composite materials laced with Holy Light Stone. The bike thrummed with energy—her own design, capable of amplifying and storing her magical power.
Hum...
The machine roared to life. Its body was armored in dark metal, extended in a streamlined shape for high-speed combat. A curved black glass visor shielded the front, and dual exhausts flanked the rear wheel like the fangs of a beast ready to pounce.
It was a masterpiece.
With a twist of the throttle, the bike screamed forward, shooting toward the creeping wall of fog without a single moment of doubt.
"What is she doing?" someone shouted in shock.
The gathered group turned as one.
Bella's sudden action had stunned everyone.
The Punisher narrowed his eyes, watching her disappearing silhouette with a soldier's clarity. "She's going to buy us time," he said. "Maybe for us. Maybe for the world."
Silence followed his words.
They had all come with courage in their hearts. They were willing to fight. To protect. But not one of them had charged into the abyss alone—until now.
Bella, the strongest among them, had chosen to meet hell head-on. Without backup. Without hesitation. Without fear.
It was… humbling.
"Damn it," Tony muttered. He turned on his heel and stormed into the base. He hadn't planned to fight tonight. But plans no longer mattered.
Fortunately, he had already prepared an anti-demon armor—crafted using Holy Light Stone and designed specifically for this battle.
There weren't many Holy Light weapons yet. But there were enough.
He wouldn't let her face that darkness alone. Not a girl who had chosen to shoulder the weight of the world.
Not tonight.
Fury watched Tony depart, silently admiring Bella's resolve. His usual skepticism—his deeply ingrained habit of distrusting everyone—wavered. For once, he relaxed.
After all, how could you mistrust someone willing to die for others?
He raised his comm.
"Rhodes, get the rear factory online. I want the first batch of Holy Light Stone weapons within thirty minutes."
"Copy that," Rhodes replied instantly.
He didn't have to listen to Fury. The operation had been jointly authorized by the World Security Council and the U.S. military. But Rhodes didn't hesitate. He'd seen Bella rush into the mist.
That was enough.
"Damn bastards!" Barton cursed, slamming his fist into a crate.
Daredevil's hands clenched into fists. Luke Cage growled under his breath. Jessica Jones's eyes were wild with fury.
"She just ran in there—into that death trap!" she snapped. "I swear, I'm going to rip those demons apart piece by piece!"
Boom!
Everyone turned upward. A sonic boom echoed overhead.
From the skies, a streak of gold and red tore through the clouds—Tony, clad in his latest Nova MK armor, launching toward the mist after Bella.
Blade, silent and brooding, unsheathed his sword and ran a cloth along its edge. He said nothing, but the ice in his gaze beneath his sunglasses said everything.
Boom!
The road blurred beneath her.
Trees and homes flashed by. The decayed remnants of civilization passed like ghosts as Bella sped forward on her bike.
She didn't know what the others were thinking. And frankly, she didn't care.
She wasn't noble. She wasn't selfless.
She just knew her own strength.
Unlike the others who would grow tired and bleed to death fighting hordes of undead, Bella thrived in battle. She was like a Valkyrie—each enemy she destroyed made her stronger.
This cursed fog wasn't a death zone.
It was an opportunity.
This was her battlefield. Her proving ground.
The demons and undead within would become fuel for her evolution—stepping stones on her path to ascendancy. She had crafted the motorcycle and her two weapons precisely for this moment. Together, they let her wield her magic freely, without suppression or limitation.
Her power had never felt more focused.
And if she ever did find herself outmatched? She could vanish in a blink.
No one could stop her from retreating—if that's what she chose.
But she wouldn't.
Ahead, the mist loomed larger. Towering. Consuming.
Bella's golden eyes burned with fire beneath the mask.
Behind her, Tony Stark soared through the clouds, watching her ride with jaw-clenched admiration. That unshakable will, that fearless charge—it etched itself into his memory forever.
She didn't flinch. Didn't turn.
She raced straight into oblivion.
Tony's voice whispered through his helmet: "Iron Man doesn't retreat."
Bang!
With a thunderous roar, he dove into the mist after her.
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