Only then did everyone finally come back to their senses and dismiss their battered, nearly shattered shields.
"Th-This... this is over?"
Rhodey stared at the completely transformed landscape.
He wasn't even sweating anymore.
It felt as though every drop of sweat had been vaporized alongside Bahamut's Megaflare.
No one could answer him.
The heroes looked at one another, unable to find words to describe what they had just witnessed.
Carol descended from the sky, still holding the Infinity Gauntlet.
She glanced around before asking,
"Where's Thanos?"
The question snapped everyone back to reality.
They immediately began searching the surroundings for any sign of him.
But everywhere they looked, there was nothing but dirt and rock.
Not a trace of that distinctive purple skin.
---
The Wakandans and Kamar-Taj sorcerers also gathered together.
Both sides had suffered casualties during the battle, especially Wakanda.
Unlike the superheroes, most Wakandan soldiers were ordinary humans. Aside from their vibranium equipment, they possessed no extraordinary abilities.
Leading the surviving warriors, T'Challa and Erik approached the group.
Both men still carried traces of shock—and a fleeting hint of fear—in their eyes.
With Wakanda's current strength, there was simply no way they could withstand Karl's full power.
Their energy shields were completely destroyed.
The cloaks worn by the warriors had long since disintegrated.
And that was while they had been stationed on the outer edge of the bombardment.
Had they been closer to the center...
None of them would have survived.
---
"Spread out and search for Thanos."
Steve looked around seriously.
"Be careful."
Everyone immediately dispersed.
Even if Thanos had been reduced to ashes, they intended to find those ashes.
---
In the distance, a hand protruded from the ground.
A purple hand.
It stood out conspicuously against the barren landscape.
"Over here!"
Nebula spotted it first and immediately called everyone over.
Carol, still carrying the Infinity Gauntlet, arrived beside her first.
What no one noticed was that the Gauntlet was missing two stones:
The orange Soul Stone.
And the red Reality Stone.
---
Carol punched the ground apart.
Dust exploded outward.
As the dirt cleared, Thanos's body was revealed beneath.
Blood covered his mouth and nose.
His pale, lifeless eyes indicated that his life had already left him.
Nebula kicked the corpse.
After confirming that Thanos was truly dead, she slowly sank to her knees before him.
Her gaze became vacant.
For years after being adopted by Thanos, she had suffered endlessly under his abuse.
The cybernetic modifications.
The constant torment.
The breaking of her will.
Every moment had fueled her hatred.
Deep within her heart, she had always wanted to kill him.
Yet now that Thanos actually lay dead before her, she found herself unsure how she was supposed to feel.
Gamora was gone.
Thanos—the man who had raised her and tortured her—was gone too.
Now...
She was alone.
---
The others hurried over.
After confirming the corpse for themselves, the weight crushing their hearts finally eased.
Rhodey and Sam dropped onto the ground in relief.
Quill, however, raised his blaster.
He intended to continue shooting.
He wanted revenge for Gamora.
Even if Thanos was already dead.
Just as he aimed, Nebula gently pushed the barrel down.
"Let it go."
Her voice was calm and emotionless.
"I don't think Gamora would want your hands stained with his blood."
---
"My daughter."
A voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
"Because of those words, I will spare your life."
The voice belonged to Thanos.
Everyone's hearts instantly leapt back into their throats.
---
"WHO'S THERE?!"
Thor roared.
Lightning erupted around him.
At that moment, a crimson ripple swept through the air.
Thanos's figure slowly emerged from within it.
A golden Infinity Gauntlet rested upon his hand.
Five Infinity Stones gleamed from its knuckles.
---
Everyone immediately turned toward Carol.
The red wave passed over her.
The Infinity Gauntlet she had been holding vanished.
"What... when did that happen?!"
Carol stared at her empty hands.
A moment ago she had been holding the Gauntlet.
Now it was gone.
---
"The Reality Stone!"
Strange reacted instantly.
He knew the powers of every Infinity Stone.
Altering reality was precisely the Reality Stone's ability.
"Correct."
Thanos smiled.
"The Reality Stone."
The five gems shone brilliantly.
---
"As inhabitants of Earth, I admit that you are remarkably tenacious."
"I acknowledge your determination."
"But you are still no match for the power of the Infinity Stones."
---
The moment he finished speaking, streams of energy erupted from the gems.
The power coursed through his veins.
His muscles swelled like inflated balloons.
His body rapidly expanded.
RUMBLE—!
Dust exploded outward.
Within moments, Thanos grew larger and larger.
Until he rivaled a Leviathan in size.
A gigantic monster towering over the battlefield.
---
"THIS..."
"IS THE POWER OF THE STONES!"
His voice boomed like thunder across heaven and earth.
Empowered by five Infinity Stones, his strength had increased exponentially.
At this moment, he felt capable of shattering a meteor with a single punch.
---
Below, the Avengers stared upward at the skyscraper-sized Thanos.
A sense of helplessness crept into their hearts.
Even Carol's expression became grim.
But Thanos wasn't finished.
He slowly raised his hand.
Green light flashed from the Time Stone.
Another wave of energy spread outward.
Then—
The alien army that Bahamut had annihilated began reappearing.
---
"ROAAAR—!"
The resurrected alien hordes howled wildly.
Like a tidal wave, they surged toward the Avengers once more.
---
"FUCK THIS!"
Tony shouted furiously.
"Thanos can just kill me already!"
He had finally realized it.
The Time Stone was utterly broken.
No matter how many times they destroyed the enemy army, it didn't matter.
As long as Thanos held the Stones, everything could simply be reversed.
The heroes could fight forever and still accomplish nothing.
One casual gesture from Thanos could rewind time.
---
Strange's expression was equally grim.
When the Time Stone had been in his possession, it had never displayed such overwhelming power.
Then again, Kamar-Taj's sorcerers had always treated temporal manipulation as taboo.
The consequences of tampering with time were far too severe.
But Thanos didn't care.
His goal was wiping out half the life in the universe.
The integrity of timelines meant nothing to him.
---
"Strange."
Tony turned toward him.
"Got any ideas?"
"You know these damn rocks better than anyone."
Back on Titan, Tony had already suspected Strange had seen something.
A future.
A possibility.
But Strange had never explained.
---
"I can't tell you."
Strange shook his head.
"If I say it out loud, it won't happen."
He had indeed foreseen certain events.
But speaking of them would introduce variables.
The outcome would inevitably change.
---
"Fuck!"
Tony cursed again.
"Not even a hint?"
The arc reactor on his chest flickered.
Then he looked toward Karl and Thor.
"I need a recharge."
Unlike his other suits, the Destroyer Armor ran entirely on magical energy.
Ordinary arc reactors were useless.
Only magic could power it.