Marvel MK: CH 169 – The Stage is Set

The sky over Japan bled black. Amidst the chaos of the ongoing rescue, Shiro Yoshida, Sunfire, hovered beside the Jack clone dressed as a monk, his flames a stark contrast to the oppressive darkness. They both stared up at the monstrous form descending from the void.

"What the fuck is that?!" Shiro breathed, the words a mixture of awe and pure terror.

The monk clone's face was grim. "The thing I was afraid of."

"Didn't you say this invasion would only hit New York, London, and Hong Kong?" Shiro demanded, his voice tight with accusation.

"Yes," the monk clone confirmed, his gaze fixed on the approaching Leviathan. "That was in Loki's head. His plan. But it didn't account for Amatsu's plan. Amatsu is not Loki's subordinate. He has his own agenda."

He didn't wait for Shiro's response. With a grunt, he shot forward, a golden streak against the black sky, flying directly towards the massive, biomechanical serpent. He dove inside the Leviathan's gaping maw just as it closed.

Shiro watched, stunned. From the outside, the creature's armored body suddenly began to glow from within. Faint, intricate patterns of light, like celestial circuitry, pulsed beneath its metallic hide. It was Jack, moving through the beast's core, his fists and feet imbued with divine energy, striking vital points with the combined martial arts of the Seven Capital Cities.

Then—BOOM.

The Leviathan imploded, a silent, blinding flash of internal light followed by a shower of metal and alien viscera raining down into the already devastated city.

From the heart of the explosion, the monk clone descended gracefully, landing lightly on a shattered rooftop. He pressed his palms together, his saffron robes pristine despite the carnage.

"Namo Amitabha," he said, his voice a calm, serene thing.

Shiro's eyes widened.

The monk clone snapped his fingers, his usual manic energy returning. "That's it! The ones involved in the battle against Amatsu. It was me, the sorcerers, the X-Men, and Phoebe!"

"Sorcerers?" Shiro asked, landing beside him. "Magicians? Like… street magicians?"

"Don't concern yourself with that," the monk clone said dismissively. "Just help around. It's about to get more hectic."

"More hectic than that swarm?" Shiro gestured to the sky. From the void, a fresh wave of Amatsu's forces poured out—Oni, Shinma demons, and now, joining the fray, swarms of chittering Chitauri soldiers.

The monk clone sighed, plucked several hairs from his head, bit down, and blew. More clones popped into existence, identical saffron-robed figures spreading out across the city. As they were created, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through the monk clone's head, echoing through the original Jack and every other clone across the globe. He stumbled for a second, then shook it off.

…

Phoebe Aaron moved through the chaos of a makeshift bunker, her presence a small, steady point of calm amidst the terrified civilians. She saw the sky, the endless rain of monsters, and knew she couldn't just stand by. She reached out, touching the small, sword-shaped tattoo on her arm. From it, the ornate handle of the Kusanagi no Tsurugi materialized. She pulled, and the god-slaying blade emerged, humming with a dark, ancient power.

She stepped outside, raised the sword, and slashed. A wave of pure, divine energy, black laced with silver, tore through the sky, vaporizing a dozen Oni, demons, and Chitauri caught in its path.

"Aah, there you are."

She turned. The monk clone landed beside her.

"Jack?" Phoebe asked, her voice tight with urgency. "What happened? They're endless!"

"Remember the big black goo we lost?" the clone said grimly. "That's him."

"What can I do now?"

The clone reached up, touching the comma-shaped green jewel hanging from his mala beads. "This is the Yasakani no Magatama," he said. "We just need to seal him once again. Aarghh!" He clutched his head again as another wave of pain hit him. He gritted his teeth, forcing the words out. "We need to wait for one more clone. He has the mirror. We deal with Amatsu here, in Japan. Loki is in New York."

Shiro landed beside them, lending a hand to steady the pained clone. "I don't know what your plan is," he said, his voice firm, "but I will help. For the barrier you gave to my home country."

The clone stood, the pain subsiding, his golden eyes gleaming with a mad, brilliant idea. He looked up at the void-black sky. "Now… what would make an ancient, primordial force of the universe take offense? So much offense, he would manifest himself fully right here?"

Shiro's eyes widened. "You want to bring that… that void sky… down to the ground?"

Phoebe sliced through another Oni. "I'm in."

Shiro blasted a Chitauri soldier into ash. "I don't get a vote in this anyway, do I? I'm in."

…

The Jack clone tasked with maintaining the barrier felt the familiar, stabbing headache pulse behind his eyes – a psychic echo from his brothers fighting in Japan. He gritted his teeth, refocusing his energy on the golden shield protecting New York. Just then, a Chitauri Leviathan, ignoring the chaos in Manhattan, banked hard and flew directly at the barrier.

THUD.

It hit the shimmering wall like a fly hitting a bug zapper, its metallic hide crackling against the golden energy before being thrown back. Below, Tony Stark's Iron Legion swarmed it, their repulsor blasts bombarding its weakened armor.

"Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S.," the barrier clone muttered, giving a thumbs-up to one of the passing drones.

"You are welcome, sir," the drone's speaker replied in J.A.R.V.I.S.'s smooth, synthesized voice.

High above, the real Jack, still locked in his fiery phoenix form, flew towards Susanoo. He enlarged his staff to the size of a small building, a golden pillar against the void-black sky. Susanoo didn't meet the attack head-on. He ran up the length of the descending staff, his movements defying gravity, and met Jack at the peak. Jack slammed the colossal staff downward anyway, not caring if it hit his opponent, sending shattered pieces of skyscrapers raining down onto the streets below like deadly confetti.

On the ground, Hawkeye and Black Widow fought back-to-back, their arrows and Widow Bites finding their marks against the Chitauri footsoldiers. The shadowy Oni and Shinma demons, however, were proving more difficult.

"Hey," Natasha said, ducking under the swing of an Oni's club, "don't you think the demons are becoming… fewer?"

Clint loosed another arrow, this one embedding itself harmlessly in a Shinma's smoky form. "I think it's just the swarms of aliens making them look less numerous."

Just then, Captain America skidded to a halt beside them on his motorcycle, his shield already raised. He deflected a Chitauri blast, then kicked his bike, sending it tumbling into a group of soldiers. He joined the fight, his shield a blur of red, white, and blue, a perfect, kinetic counterpoint to Natasha's fluid grace and Clint's deadly precision.

An optic beam suddenly shot past Cap's head, vaporizing a Chitauri soldier about to flank him. The beam bounced off his shield, ricocheting and taking out several more. Steve looked up. Bruce Banner and Scott Summers had arrived, running from the direction of the crashed Helicarrier hangar.

"Sorry, Cap!" Scott yelled over the din. "Had to act fast!"

"We're at war, son!" Steve shouted back. "Where's Jack Hou?"

"He's around us," Banner said grimly.

"His real self is still holding off Susanoo," Scott added.

Iron Man flew down, landing beside them with a heavy thud. "Got more info from the X-Men. Hank's bringing Selvig to deal with that Tesseract."

Cap remembered the clone's words: Fight what's in front of you. Leave the Earth's safety to me and my other clones. He took command. "Stark, get airborne! Call out patterns and strays! Barton, up on that roof! Widow, you're with me! Summers keep the perimeter tight! And Banner…"

He looked at the doctor, who was already trembling, his eyes flickering green. "Smash."

A slow, predatory grin spread across Banner's face. "That's my secret, Cap," he growled, his voice deepening, distorting. "I'm always angry."

He transformed. The Hulk roared, a sound of pure, primal power, and with a single, impossible leap, he was on the nearest Leviathan, his green fists a blur as he began to punch the hell out of the colossal beast.

While the Avengers officially made their debut, behind the curtains of glory, the sorcerers moved like ghosts. They stalked the edges of the battle, their spells silent, their targets specific. One by one, they captured every Oni, every Shinma demon, every stray fragment of Amatsu's power, sealing them within pocket dimensions, cleansing the battlefield without anyone noticing.

Kaecilius, his movements precise, trapped a shrieking Shinma in a cage of mirrored energy. As he closed the dimensional lock, he heard it. A familiar, unhinged cackle echoing from the sky. He looked up and saw the fiery, impossible battle between Jack Hou and Susanoo raging above.

"There is more we could do," he muttered, a flicker of his old ambition in his eyes.

Mordo appeared beside him, his expression stern. "Don't," he warned. "You'll just make it worse for the Ancient One and our order. We are walking on thin ice every time we step into a war that isn't ours."

Suddenly, the buildings around them began to twist and groan. Steel beams buckled. Concrete warped. Chunks of masonry floated into the air.

"Uh oh," Iron Man's voice crackled through the comms. "Clops, did you also call Magneto over?"

"It's a long story," Scott replied, "but yes. He's here to help."

High above, Magneto floated, his arms outstretched, the city's metallic skeleton his new weapon. He ripped the entire foundation from a destroyed building and hurled it at Susanoo.

It was a direct hit. The storm god roared as he was engulfed in a cloud of concrete and rebar.

"Kekeke!" Jack cackled, landing beside Magneto, his phoenix form flickering slightly. "Finally decided to show yourself, huh, bucket head?"

"He is my worst matchup," Magneto stated, his voice a low, resonant thing, amplified by his helmet. "His power disturbs my magnetic fields quite significantly."

Jack's grin widened. "Tag?"

Magneto turned, his gaze meeting Jack's. "No. We do this together."

The battle raged, a three-way clash of elemental fury, magnetic power, and divine chaos.

Jack, his phoenix form a blazing inferno, saw his opening. Mimicking a move he'd only recently witnessed, he commanded his two long, scarlet feathers. They shot out like Nezha's Universe Ring, twin ribbons of solidified fire that wrapped around Susanoo's torso, binding his arms. Jack gripped his staff, ready to follow up.

But Susanoo roared, flexing his divine muscles. The fiery ribbons strained, then snapped as the storm god broke free, his eyes burning with a cold, blue, empty light.

"Hold him steady!" Magneto's voice was a low, resonant command. He raised his hands, and the very air around Susanoo seemed to thicken, the magnetic fields warping, disrupting the storm god's ability to fully materialize his tempestuous power. The crackling lightning around Susanoo sputtered, weakened. "Is this the power of a god?" Magneto grunted, the effort straining even his immense control. "To fight the very elements…"

"You don't know the half of it!" Jack cackled. He seized the moment Magneto had created, yanking Susanoo towards him with an unseen tendril of fiery energy. As the storm god hurtled forward, Jack met him mid-air, driving both his knees, wreathed in golden flames, directly into Susanoo's face.

CRACK.

The sound of divine bone fracturing echoed even over the roar of the wind. Susanoo recoiled, but his mind-controlled body reacted instantly. He focused his remaining storm energy into a single, swirling ball of pure kinetic force beneath his feet, then kicked it with the force of a thunderclap, sending the tempestuous projectile hurtling not at Jack, but down towards the Avengers fighting on the streets below.

Jack leaped out to intercept it, leaving Magneto to deal with the momentarily stunned Susanoo. Magneto didn't hesitate. He summoned a barrage of twisted steel beams, girders ripped from the surrounding wreckage, and hurled them at the storm god like a volley of metallic javelins.

Meanwhile, Jack intercepted the storm ball. He didn't try to block it. He commanded his Peach Blossom Storm, the fiery petals swirling, coalescing, forming a massive, shimmering tube in the air, a track of pure, focused energy. He guided the storm ball into it, redirecting its devastating trajectory back towards the sky, back towards Susanoo.

"Magneto!" Jack roared.

Magneto understood instantly. He seized a massive steel beam, coiling it around Susanoo's feet like a metallic serpent, and yanked. The storm god, caught off balance, was pulled directly into the path of his own attack.

BOOM.

The storm ball hit him squarely in the chest, the explosion a contained, brutal shockwave.

Just then, the sleek, black form of the Blackbird appeared, hovering nearby. Professor Xavier's voice, amplified telepathically, echoed in their minds. "Jack! Erik! We need him still! Just for a minute!"

"That's what we're trying to do!" Jack shouted back, his phoenix form flickering slightly from the strain.

"Use your flower thing again!" Magneto commanded.

"What do you need?"

"Make it denser! And you guide it!"

"Easy enough!"

Susanoo, though battered, rose again, his Visage of the Storm Body flaring back to life, the four extra arms of crackling energy reappearing. Jack gathered his petals, compressing them, forging them into a single, colossal sword of fiery pink and white, the size of a skyscraper. Magneto reached out, his power gripping every piece of metal debris within a mile radius, pulling it towards the giant petal sword, reinforcing it, adding weight and magnetic force.

"NOW!" Magneto roared.

Jack swished his hands forward, his voice a divine command. "HEAVENLY PIERCE!"

The giant sword launched, a beautiful, deadly missile aimed directly at Susanoo. The storm god reacted instantly, conjuring a swirling shield of pure storm energy. The sword hit the shield and stopped, its tip grinding against the tempestuous barrier. Magneto poured his power into it, pushing. Jack added his own fiery will, driving it forward.

From the Blackbird, Jean and Xavier focused their minds, a twin beam of pure psionic energy lancing out, diving into the momentarily still form of Susanoo.

Seconds stretched into an eternity. The sword groaned, cracking the storm shield. It pierced through. The tip slashed across Susanoo's neck. A thin line of golden ichor appeared.

SNAP! BOOM!

Jean and Xavier were in. They had breached his mind. But the psychic backlash, the sheer force of breaking through a god's mental defenses, erupted outward. A shockwave of pure, white psionic energy slammed into Jack and Magneto, sending them both hurtling backward through the void-black sky.

…

Jack opened his eyes. The jarring psychic backlash faded, replaced by the familiar, chaotic symphony of a bustling Chinatown night market. The air smelled of sizzling skewers, cheap cigarettes, and old magic. He turned. And there he was.

The same old seller, behind the same old stall covered in faded red cloth, filled with trinkets and ancient-looking antiques.

Jack dragged both hands down his face, a sound of pure, soul-deep frustration escaping his lips. "You again? FUUUCCKKK! Why are you obsessed with me? You were there the day before I died, you met me when I almost died last time, and now you're here again! Am I dead… again?!"

The old seller's expression was calm, almost serene. "Fathers cannot make lives without having any appreciation of life," he said, his voice a low, cryptic hum.

Jack's frustration turned to suspicion. "Is this about my clones?"

"Much sharper your mind has become, with the help of countless lives," the old seller observed, a faint, knowing smile on his lips.

"Three hundred forty-two," Jack corrected automatically. "It's 342 lives I've gone through. And I never saw you in any of them."

"Did you not?" the old seller countered softly. "Or were you simply not ready to see? Once you are ready, you see bright and clear."

Jack rolled his shoulders, a gesture of weary resignation. "Alright. At this point, I can't debate against you. Bring it to me. Tell me something about my original life as Sun Wukong that can actually help my situation."

The old seller's eyes, which had been pools of quiet wisdom, suddenly opened wide. A brilliant, swirling galaxy swam within them. "Alright, Hou Xingzhe."

Jack froze. "What? Hou Xingzhe? Why are you calling me that?"

The old seller simply smiled and snapped his fingers.

The night market dissolved around Jack, the sights and sounds warping, stretching, then shattering like glass. He was transported, once again, into the turbulent, fragmented memories of his past life as Wukong.