Infinity

Chapter 28 Unbroken

"You'll have to try a lot harder if you wish to kill me."

I've eaten those words. If not once, then a hundred times over.

My nose is broken, bent at a crooked angle and bleeding. Two of my teeth are loose, and my lip is split. I can feel the dull aches of bruises forming under my armor. I hock up another mouthful of blood and spit it onto the ground at my feet, where it soaks into the dry ground.

Thanos has the physical advantage. He's only a few inches taller than me, but that's the only similarity we share. His skin is thick and rough, resembling rocks, his shoulders are spread farther than mine; giving him more muscle mass and more power to strike with. His fists are at least three times the size of mine.

He throws another punch; I manage to throw the staff up in time to stop it from colliding with me. I'm getting tired.

I keep using the stones to protect me, but he's managed to slip a few punches between my defenses.

I gather my energy, enough to knock him back, and release it, the purple wave colliding with Thanos and pushing him back. He stumbles. I disappear and appear to his right, swinging the staff toward his face, where it collides. A thunderous crack echoes across the empty sky.

He grunts as he covers his face with his hands.

I quickly take the moment to crack my own nose back into place.

I charge, taking two long strides before hitting him, knocking him onto his side.

I use the stones to power my small attack, each strike taking the fight from both of us.

I manage to strike one of the stones, which comes free from the gauntlet. I gasp as it careens across the ground, rolling only a few inches before I grab for it madly.

"No!" Thanos bellows, throwing his massive hand up, hitting me in the stomach and knocking the air out me as I fall back.

I fall onto the ground next to him, gulping in air as if each breath were going to be my last. He stands, grabbing the stone and placing it back into its place on his knuckles.

I manage to get to my hands and knees, pulling myself up before he kicks me in the ribs, knocking me sideways.

"Only now that I've seen my own defeat that I realize what I need to do to win."

I'm struggling to get to my feet. My legs are shaking beneath me, "Y-y-you w-will nev-never win."

He laughs, "I believe I already have." He picks my staff up off the ground.

"You h-haven't w-won anything y-yet." I stammer, stepping forward clutching my ribs, "Not as lo-long as I'm a-alive."

He flips the staff over a few times, looking greedily at the stones in the middle, "I must thank you for bringing the stones to me. I would've hated having to go looking for them myself."

My air has managed to catch up with me, "I've not brought you anything."

"Determined to fight until the end?"

"I have no end." I say, standing tall with my back straight, "Not yet. I still have several thousand years to live."

"Big words for a broken woman."

"DO I LOOK BROKEN TO YOU?" I can feel my blood rushing through my veins.

He smiles, "I'll indulge your need to fight to the death." He throws me my staff.

I catch it in the air, giving it a small spin before readying it against him.

He moves first, giving me the chance to defend. He hits my side as slam the butt of the staff into his chest, sending small ripples of blue, green, white, and purple across his chest plate. He crumples under the pressure.