Match 21063 Casandra Nova vs. The Ancient One

[Culwych1]

The sky bled red.

That was the first thing I noticed when I crawled out of the wreckage of my car, clutching my camera like a lifeline. My name’s Ethan Ward, freelance journalist—or at least, I used to be. These days, I’m just a guy trying to make sense of the world falling apart around me.

It started three weeks ago. A rupture in the heavens—a tear that seemed to stretch beyond space and time. Scientists called it a "Void Incursion," but the name did little to convey the sheer terror of it. From the gaping blackness poured creatures of shadow and malice, their forms twisting and writhing as if they were made of nightmares given flesh. Cities burned. Governments collapsed. Humanity, for all its bravado, was woefully unprepared.

Today, I was in New York City, or what was left of it. Skyscrapers crumbled like sandcastles, their steel skeletons groaning under the weight of destruction. Fires raged unchecked, and the air was thick with ash and screams. The few people left were running, their faces masks of despair. I should have been running too, but I couldn’t. Not yet. Not when there was still a story to tell.

I raised my camera and focused on a nearby block where the shadows were thickest. That’s when I saw her.

She stepped out of the Void like a queen descending from her throne. Cassandra Nova. I recognized her from the news reports—the psychic terror who had allied with the invaders. She was impossibly pale, her skin almost translucent, and her eyes glowed with an otherworldly light. She wasn’t alone. Around her floated an army of dark tendrils, each one writhing as if eager to devour the world.

The crowd didn’t stand a chance. A man screamed as one of the tendrils wrapped around him, pulling him into the air. His body contorted, his skin turning gray as if the life were being drained from him. Others ran, but the shadows followed, consuming them one by one. Cassandra smiled, a cold, clinical smile that sent a shiver down my spine.

“This is what balance looks like,” she said, her voice echoing unnaturally. “Chaos, destruction, rebirth. You should thank me.”

I snapped a photo, my hands trembling. She turned her head, and for a moment, I thought she was looking directly at me. My breath caught in my throat. But then her attention shifted to something—or someone—behind me.

A golden light began to glow in the distance, growing brighter with each passing second. I turned to see a figure walking toward us, her flowing robes catching the firelight. The Ancient One. I’d seen her once before, years ago, when she’d helped fend off an attack on London. She moved with an otherworldly grace, her face serene despite the chaos around her.

“Cassandra Nova,” the Ancient One said, her voice calm but firm. “Your presence here disrupts the balance of this realm. I cannot allow it.”

Cassandra laughed, a sharp, brittle sound. “Balance? Is that what you call this mess? Look around you, Sorcerer Supreme. Your precious balance is already broken.”

The Ancient One didn’t respond. Instead, she raised her hand, and a golden mandala appeared, spinning in the air. The light from it pushed back the shadows, and for the first time in days, I felt a flicker of hope.

Cassandra’s smile faded. “You think your tricks can stop me? I’ve seen the heart of the Void. I am its chosen avatar.”

The Ancient One tilted her head, as if considering Cassandra’s words. “Power without purpose is destruction. I will teach you purpose.”

The ground beneath us began to tremble. The Ancient One’s mandala grew larger, its light spreading outward and forming a protective barrier around the block. Cassandra responded in kind, her tendrils lashing out at the barrier, testing its strength.

I should have run. Any sane person would have. But I was rooted to the spot, my camera clicking furiously as I documented the clash of titans. Around me, the remaining survivors took cover, their eyes wide with fear and wonder.

The two women stepped closer, the air between them crackling with energy. Cassandra’s tendrils coiled like serpents, ready to strike, while the Ancient One’s mandala spun faster, its edges glowing white-hot. The city seemed to hold its breath.

“You are but a flicker of light,” Cassandra said, her voice dripping with disdain. “And I am the abyss.”

The Ancient One smiled faintly. “Even the abyss fears the light.”

And then they moved.

Cassandra’s tendrils surged forward, a wall of shadow and fury. The Ancient One countered with a wave of golden energy, the two forces colliding with a deafening roar. The impact shattered windows for blocks around and sent shockwaves rippling through the ground. I was thrown off my feet, my camera clattering to the pavement.

When I looked up, the two figures were locked in combat, their powers twisting and colliding in a kaleidoscope of light and darkness. Cassandra’s tendrils darted and struck, but the Ancient One weaved through them effortlessly, her movements as fluid as water. Each strike she delivered sent ripples of light through the shadows, pushing them back.

I scrambled to my feet, my camera forgotten. All around me, the city was crumbling, its very foundations shaking under the weight of their battle. I didn’t know who would win, but one thing was clear: the fate of the world hung in the balance.

As the Ancient One raised her hands to summon another spell, Cassandra laughed, a sound that sent chills down my spine. “You can’t stop what’s coming,” she said. “The Void will consume everything.”

The Ancient One’s expression didn’t waver. “Perhaps,” she said. “But not today.”

Their powers clashed again, the light and shadow intertwining in a violent dance. I could feel the heat of their battle, the sheer intensity of their wills colliding. And as the world around me descended further into chaos, I couldn’t help but think: if this is the end, at least I’m witnessing it.

The last thing I saw before the dust enveloped me was the Ancient One stepping forward, her mandala blazing brighter than the sun, and Cassandra Nova meeting her with a grin of unyielding defiance.

The sky bled red, but for the first time, I dared to hope.

 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Casandra Nova
Read more about Casandra Nova at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel Comics Links: Wikipedia: Cassandra Nova UncannyXmen.net:Cassandra Nova Marvel.com: Cassandra Nova

The Ancient One
Read more about The Ancient One at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel Links: Wikipedia Marvel Comicvine

[Culwych1]

Created this purely on the fact I reckon they go to the same hairdresser...

[JohnnyChany]

Enjoyed this one. Since we are going with movie incarnations I am going with the Ancient One. Both are Incredibly powerful, but I feel like Ancient One can manipulate Cassandra through her emotions. 

[DSkillz]

Huh, Cassandra Nova's apparently one of the few older profiles the staff's missed out on making correction edits on. Lemme fix that.  

Anyways, good set-up of bald Marvel ladies, Culwych. The story seems to fit both Nova's and the Ancient One's M.O.'s. Gonna have to fully dive into the MCU very soon to get more familiar with its versions of Marvel characters, though. 

As for the match, Cassandra's telepathic power is on par with her twin brother Xavier's, so the Ancient One would need to be very careful not to let Nova get into her head. I think general telepathic shielding/protection is part of a Sorcerer Supreme's skill set, though, so the Ancient One could probably ward off Nova's mind control and use her vast magical power to eventually overcome Nova. 

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - Boratz
4.60 - DSkillz
5.00 - JohnnyChany

FPA Calculation:
3 Total Votes cast
14.60 Total Combined Score
14.60 / 3 = 4.87 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Cassandra Nova: 0
The Ancient One: 3