Not So Friendly Anymore

Chapter 46: The Battle Continues

The tear pulsed like a fresh wound, black tendrils creeping along its edges as something massive shifted behind the veil, pressing harder against the fragile seal Peter had barely managed to close.

Odin noticed it immediately.

With a thunderous battle cry, the All-Father charged forward, Gungnir blazing with blinding solar fire. He met Gorr head-on, their weapons colliding in a cataclysmic explosion of gold and shadow that lit up the shattered bridge like a second sunrise. Every strike shook the entire realm, Gungnir piercing through waves of darkness, only for the Necrosword to lash back viciously, carving deep gashes across Odin's armor and drawing divine blood that smoked on contact.

Malice threw herself into the fight without a second's hesitation.

She moved like vengeance given form, silver hair whipping wildly behind her as crimson force fields slammed into Gorr from the flank, crushing and tearing at his shadowy body. Her power felt raw and unfiltered, fueled by a grief so deep it had finally broken free. Where Susan would have shielded and protected, Malice attacked with terrifying precision, compressing the air around Gorr into violent spheres that tried to pulp him where he stood.

"You don't get to take him from me!" she snarled, her voice layered with something ancient and vicious. "Not him. Not ever."

Gorr laughed through the onslaught, a dry, broken sound that somehow made the chaos feel even colder. He twisted, the Necrosword morphing into a massive scythe that sliced through one of Malice's fields and forced Odin to leap back. Black tendrils erupted from the ground, trying to ensnare them both, but Malice shattered them with a scream of red energy while Odin burned them away with a thrust of his spear.

The two of them, the All-Father and the crimson storm wearing Susan's face,  fought like they'd been doing it for centuries, their attacks weaving together in brutal, instinctive harmony.

Meanwhile, Thor landed heavily beside Peter, armor scorched and streaked with blood. Without wasting a word, he scooped Peter up in one massive arm, holding him carefully.

"Easy, Brother," Thor murmured, voice rough with worry. "I've got you. Just hold on."

Peter groaned, head lolling against Thor's shoulder as the symbiote worked frantically to keep his chest wound from spilling out the last of his life. "Don't... let them fight alone..."

"You've done enough," Thor said firmly, already launching into the air, Mjolnir spinning to carry them both toward the rear lines.

Sable was waiting there, having dragged herself behind a partially collapsed wall. The moment Thor landed and gently lowered Peter to the ground, she dropped to her knees beside him, one hand pressing firmly against the worst of the wounds while the other checked his pulse. The symbiote's black tendrils shifted under her touch, making room but never retreating.

"Go," she told Thor, her voice tight but steady. "We'll hold here. Just... go help them."

Thor hesitated for half a second, eyes flicking between Peter and the raging battle, then nodded. Lightning crackled around him as he launched back into the fray with a roar that shook the sky.

Sable looked down at Peter. His face was deathly pale, breathing shallow and ragged, but his eyes were still open, still fighting to stay focused.

"You absolute idiot," she whispered, brushing blood from his cheek with surprising gentleness. Her hand was shaking. "You don't get to do this to us. Not now."

Peter managed a weak, pained smile, his voice barely a whisper. "Love you too..."

She let out a shaky breath and pulled him closer, shielding his body with her own while keeping her pistols ready, eyes scanning the chaos around them.