The group watched as the outside of the God Cube turned white while Vermont sped off, his staff pulsing as they moved. "Your thread leads this way. Strangely, it's in the same direction as the anomaly."
"What does that mean?" Rhodey asked.
"You might be able to return home after all," the angel explained, restoring some hope in their hearts. "If we continue in this direction, we should find it eventually."
Tony glanced around. "Friday, can you tell where we are?"
"Negative, sir. None of the suit's sensors can detect anything beyond this cube," Friday reported. "It's as if the laws of physics only exist inside here."
The Cube suddenly stopped. Vermont's expression slowly changed as Gohan turned to him, confused."Is there a reason why you stopped?"
"…"
"Something wrong?" Steve asked as he approached. Vermont gripped his staff, and the Cube immediately shot in the opposite direction.
"W-wha—?" Hawkeye stammered. "It feels like we're moving backwards!"
Steve glanced at the destroyer. He seems just as confused.
Gohan noticed the cold sweat running down Vermont's temple."It almost tricked me," Vermont admitted as he tapped his staff, ending the gentle pulse that had been leading them.
"We would have had no chance if we were caught by it! It is a phantom, but far beyond the ones we've encountered before. You learned its name during your training, my lord."
"I don't recall a phantom ever reaching—" His eyes widened. "A Phantom Sovereign? We were heading toward a Sovereign's domain."
"Does that mean we can't go back?" Steve asked, while Tony frowned.
"For that to happen, we'd need to pass through the Phantom Sovereign's influence. As powerful as I am, I would not be able to stop it from devouring us all," Gohan explained. Privately, he had no idea how powerful they really were, but— 'I have never seen Vermont so rattled before.'
The Cube hummed with restrained power, its glow trembling faintly like a heartbeat. The silence that followed pressed on everyone heavier than the Abyss itself.
"So, what—you're saying we're boxed in?" Natasha's voice was low, sharp, cutting through the quiet. Her hand hovered close to her sidearm due to instinct, though deep down she knew it wouldn't matter.
"Not boxed in," Vermont corrected tightly, eyes still fixed on the void. "Hunted."
Thor leaned forward, gripping Mjolnir tighter. "Then let it come! A sovereign or no, no beast may cow Asgard's prince." His bravado rang loud, but even he eyed Vermont's sweat with unease.
"Easy, Point Break," Tony muttered, the sound of his metallic steps faintly echoing. "If Mr. Composure over there is losing his cool, I'm thinking swinging the hammer at this thing isn't going to cut it."
Steve glanced at Gohan, then Vermont. His tone was steady, but there was an edge of steel in it. "If this Sovereign is between us and home, then we need more than half-answers. What exactly are we dealing with?"
Vermont hesitated, and for the first time since their arrival, he looked—human. "A Phantom Sovereign is not merely a consumer. It is will given hunger. It doesn't just drain realities, it swallows them whole, bending their foundations into its own design. Where it rules, creation itself forgets how to exist."
A ripple passed through the Abyss, like a slow exhale from something impossibly vast. The Cube's walls flickered.
Rhodey's jaw tightened. "And that's what almost tricked you into steering us right into it?"
"Yes," Vermont admitted, his voice quiet but edged with shame. "Even gods are prey before a Sovereign."
The Avengers exchanged uneasy looks. For all their battles—armies, aliens, tyrants—this was something different.
Gohan's aura flared faintly, a rose-tinted glow cutting through the darkness. "We turn back for now. Whatever this anomaly is, it's likely bait. The Sovereign wants us in its domain."
"And if we already are?" Natasha asked flatly.
For a long moment, no one spoke. Then Vermont lifted his staff. The Cube lurched forward, faster than before.
"Then we pray its attention drifts elsewhere. It's unlikely we are inside its domain already—otherwise, we'd be dead. But sooner or later, it will grow strong enough. Then… it could wrap us in its domain. Clearly, it's luring gods from across the Abyss, gathering power for itself."
"Some gods you are…" Hawkeye muttered, only to wince instantly as Natasha drove her elbow into his ribs. He shot her a glare, but said nothing more.
Vermont didn't react to the jab, his expression calm as his voice carried through the Cube. "We are gods, yes. And we are far more powerful than anything that exists in most living worlds. But we are not without limits. We are merely the hands of the Grand Presence. Without the King of Gods' influence, the Abyss is nothing but a survival game."
Hawkeye was about to scoff again when Gohan spoke, his tone softer than they expected. "Don't stress. I was once in the exact same position you're in. I know what it's like to feel hopeless—to know you might never go home again. To never see your family or friends… or, in your case, to protect the world you care about."
The words landed heavier than anyone anticipated. Even Vermont, who had been uneasy only moments ago, seemed steadier now. A faint smile ghosted across his lips, almost proud.
"It might not look like it, but I am still growing stronger," Gohan continued, his gaze distant, but resolute. "I am the most recent and youngest Destroyer God… and yet I am already more powerful than half of them."
"Not exactly, Lord Gohan," Vermont interjected, his voice cutting through with surprising confidence. Gohan turned his head, caught off guard.
"Okay… maybe just below the halfway line," Gohan muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Quite the contrary. If I am not mistaken, you are nearly twice as powerful as Lord Ramton."
Gohan blinked, his composure faltering for the first time. "That… that can't be possible…"
Vermont raised a hand to his cheek, tapping the spot where Gohan's strike had cut earlier. His smile widened, warm but edged with pride. "You are the only God of Destruction to ever land a hit on me. Not even Lady Perpetua has managed it. The list of Destroyers who've come close to matching—let alone surpassing—an Angel's strength? Could be counted on two hands at most."
"And a Lord Ramton is… who, exactly?" Tony asked, one brow arched. "Because with all this name-dropping, I'm starting to feel like I missed a couple seasons of the show."
Vermont chuckled lightly, then turned to the Avengers. "For reference, Lord Ramton is the Grand Destroyer God. He was Lord Gohan's direct superior. But with the shift… all of the gods have been scattered."