The Girl Who Killed Half the Universe | marvel [3] ✔

TWO

CHAPTER TWO
' RECLAIMED HER RANK. '

Astrid led the way towards Wakanda, Proxima Midnight and Obsidian Cole flanking her. A bodysuit covered her body, and gold armour sat over her chest. They stopped just before the force field. Proxima stepped forward to test the protective shield with her sword but struggled to beat it. Three figures descended the hill before them.

"Ash?"

Her gaze didn't wander to Steve, Natasha and T'Challa, she looked straight through them, and they shared a glance.

"Astrid is no longer the friend you once knew her as," Proxima replied, a twisted smirk on her face. "She has reclaimed her rank within the Black Order, and you shall suffer under her power."

Natasha looked between them. "Where's your other friend?"

"You will pay for his life with yours. Thanos will have that stone."

Steve shook his head. "That's not gonna happen."

"You are in Wakanda now," T'Challa declared. "Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."

"We-" Proxima glanced at Ash and then returned her gaze to them- "Have blood to spare."

Black mist formed in Astrid's palm, and three ships slammed into the ground behind them. The trio moved back to their army, and her fingers flickered, the ship doors opening and allowing the Outriders to escape as they sprinted towards the shield in a mad frenzy. They stopped for a moment behind Astrid, waiting for her command. Her magic disappeared, and the Outriders charged towards the forcefield.

They pushed through, squeezing limbs and body parts in, only to be decapitated. Their opponents destroyed them with their weapons as some managed to slip through. A section of the forcefield opened as the Outriders swarmed around the shield. Astrid's magic shot out before it could close, pushing against the opening.

The opposing army sprinted forward, meeting hers halfway. The black mist flowed through the opening and surrounded the edges. She moved her hands further apart, forcing the barrier to separate more.

Astrid started forward, her hands dropping to her sides, still swarmed by blackness as she made her way into Wakanda, the shield widening.

She blocked a group of Wakandans' pursuit and threw them to the ground. She blocked a spear and turned to grab their neck. Their eyes locked together, and the soldier's own widened at the black in hers. His veins turned black, and his eyes widened before she launched him to the ground. She reached into the air, summoning her magic, and hurled it to the ground, slamming her hands to the grass. The earth rose with her magic, throwing her pursuers to their deaths.

Astrid didn't turn as a black ribbon shot out and blocked a hit. Slowly, she turned to face Steve.

"We'll get you out of there, Ash," he promised.

She stared at him before she twisted her fingers and flung him across the battlefield. Tearing a ship from the sky, she manipulated it to crash into another, and they both exploded mid-air and cast a rain of fire to the ground.

Steve collided with her again, grabbing her hands and pinning them to the ground as he tackled her. One of his knees dug into her stomach, his superstrength overpowering her before she could realise he was back. She gasped, but magic shot from her palm and hit him in the face.

He rolled along the ground, and she pushed herself to her feet, black ribbons crawling along the dirt and pulling his arms and legs to the side. She stared at him as more veins curled around his chest and neck. Attempting to kick them off, they shifted to suspend him in the air before her.

Behind them, her magic continued to work, keeping anyone from aiding the super-soldier. He writhed before her, and she stared apathetically at him. Her eyes flickered, and she turned, eyebrows pulling into a furrow. She twirled her hands, magic following them as she lifted one before her.

Lighting erupted throughout the area, the Bi-Frost exploding a few distances away, and an axe flew towards her. She blocked the weapon and threw it in another direction. A burst of energy erupted from her, and Steve collapsed, her magic slithering away from him and returning to her.

Thor landed before her, axe flying back to his grip. He lifted his hands, lighting swarming around him as Ash lifted into the air, black manifesting around her. They charged at each other, clashing in the middle as their powers slammed together. An explosion created a sonic boom and caused them both to fly back from the force.

Astrid's head collided with a stone, and her limp body rolled with the continued momentum. She laid on her back to orientate herself, dazed but marbled eyes staring at the sky.