AVENGERS Incursion War (Secret Wars Saga)

Chapter 23: Harbinger of Hope

After much searching, they found their candidate in Wanda. But before they could act, Wanda was still fighting for her loved ones, her friends, and her world. She was battling alongside her fellow heroes, including the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Guardians of the Galaxy, against the original Kang who had started the war, Prime Kang. (The same one who is currently in the quantum realm, the main antagonist of the story.)

Their combined strength was formidable, and for a time, they managed to hold their ground against Kang. But 4 other Kangs soon realized the threat that the heroes posed and began to flank them on all sides. They were called the council, and consisted of 4 of the most dangerous Kang variants in the multiverse, along with Prime Kang. The four went by the names of Farao Rama Tut, Immortus, The Conqueror and Scarlet Centurion. As the council of Kangs closed in, Wanda decided to act, determined to prevent any more of her friends from getting hurt or killed, putting herself in the line of fire to protect them from their inevitable deaths.

(Remember that this is a flashback to the original multiversal war years ago, it already happened.)

She created a red forcefield around the group of heroes with a swift motion, her telepathic abilities allowing her to momentarily strip them of their powers. The Five Kangs that surrounded them turned their attention towards her as she turned back to face them. Captain America pounded the forcefield with a punch, clearly distressed and worried for her safety.

Captain America: Wanda! What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!

Wanda: I'm sorry, Steve, but I can't lose another friend today.

Vision appealed to her, his voice brimming with urgency.

Vision: Wanda! Please, let us out of here! You're making a mistake!

Pietro, her twin brother, spoke up, his words thick with anxiety and dread.

Quicksilver: They'll kill you! You can't fight them alone!

Wanda's eyes glimmered with determination as she addressed her friends and family.

Wanda: I'm sorry. But I have to try.

Thor: This is madness!

The Kangs began to advance upon her, their formidable presence filling the air with an almost palpable tension. Wanda fought back fiercely, using her powers to hurl massive rocks at them with the strength of her telekinesis. With her crimson energy, she managed to rip the armor off of one of the Kangs, her telepathy taking hold of another momentarily, causing him to turn on his allies.

But the Kangs were no ordinary foes, their minds too strong for her abilities to work on them for long, but holding off five of the most powerful beings in the multiverse was no mean feat. Wanda realized in that moment how incredibly powerful she was, even before becoming a Nexus being, before she was gifted the power of the Celestials.

Despite her valiant efforts, Wanda began to falter against the Kangs, but she refused to let the forcefield down, unwilling to put her friends in harm's way. Suddenly, the clouds above them parted, revealing a colossal Celestial head looming in space. It was Arishem, the Prime Celestial, his enormous body eclipsing that of Earth itself. His robotic face was adorned with six glowing orbs that served as his eyes.