"It's over."
Thanos swung his blade with all his might. Space shattered instantly, massive fissures ripping across the nameless planet.
The cracks stretched skyward, surrounded by countless shards like broken glass. Thanos recognized them immediately-spatial fragments. Beyond them lay the Mirror Dimension where the mage had been trapped.
With such destruction and the mage's depleted mana, Thanos was certain he was dead.
Planting the Tyrant's Blade into the ground, he removed his helmet. He had to admit-this opponent had pressured him. But only the victor remembered the rival; the loser belonged in the world of the dead.
Thanos was clearly the victor. The mage and his dimension had vanished.
"A fine opponent, though a nuisance," he muttered. "Several of 'me' died just now. This trip has been troublesome; best to leave quickly."
"I'm afraid you're next. I can't let you leave." Strange's voice echoed.
Thanos' pupils dilated. How could he hear the mage who should be dead?
He grabbed his weapon, scanning the battlefield. Battles raged, and the pitch-black rift still stretched skyward.
Then he noticed it. Space itself was compressing, shrinking.
"This is-" Thanos whispered. Things had gone badly.
"This is inside the Mirror Dimension." Strange appeared, ethereal and battered. A long gash ran across his chest, bleeding steadily, yet his left hand glowed golden, the wound slowly healing.
Thanos' nerves tightened. His situation was far from favorable.
"Why?" Thanos asked. "When did you set all this up?"
"When you were at your most confident."
Strange's voice was weak, yet he grinned. "I know the gap between us. I knew defeating you would be difficult. I knew you discovered my weakness, so you stayed close, waiting for a chance to strike."
He sat, exhausted. His mana was failing.
"But you only had two chances to kill me: while I was casting, and when I entered the Mirror Dimension where the spatial forces could destroy me."
"Correct," Thanos nodded. "But how did you bring me here?"
"Simple. I anticipated your intent and planned accordingly. I allowed you to hit me." Strange glanced at his wound.
"But you have Holy Light. You believed you wouldn't die." Thanos' eyes narrowed. "You're confident... and lucky."
Indeed, Strange had used Holy Light to bait the attack. Thanos had seen only its offensive applications and ignored other effects-like healing.
"My luck was good," Strange said. "I coated my body with Holy Light to heal instantly. When you struck, I used spatial power to redirect the blow. Your attack was terrifyingly strong, and even dumping the energy into the void, I was still badly wounded. Fortunately..."
"Fortunately, the portal you opened let me walk right in," Thanos muttered. He had charged blindly into Strange's Mirror Dimension.
The space had been fragile, yet Strange dared gamble with his life-and could redirect attacks. Thanos had no choice. Without mastery of spatial magic, escape was impossible.
"Do you intend to seal me here forever?" Thanos asked. "Aren't you afraid I'll break out and kill you?"
"I am," Strange replied calmly. "But I won't give you the chance. My mentor said: show no mercy. And I want to test my new magic-I haven't had the chance."
"Your mentor... a child of pure chaos," Thanos said, laughing, gripping the Tyrant's Blade. "Come then! Show me your magic. Give no openings, or I will kill you!"
"I know. You are formidable. However..."
Strange's mana erupted violently. "Goodbye, Thanos."
The Mirror Dimension collapsed. Space shattered violently. Thanos screamed silently as the void imploded, reducing him to a million broken shards.
Noah never wanted to see Thanos again. In five years of waiting, he had seen him more often than Hermione. Imagine closing your eyes and seeing a purple potato-head every single time. Who could stand that?
If Noah had been unsure of Thanos' plan, he would have attacked long ago. Fortunately, after all his preparation, victory was certain. He chuckled, slowly closing his Domain.
Thanos was a dead man walking. Noah was no longer who he had been years ago. Escaping the bonds of time and space within Noah's Domain was impossible, even for a strong Thanos.
Of course, Thanos wasn't incompetent. If he hadn't been pulled into the Domain early, he might not have lost so quickly. And even inside, he still had the Reality Stone.
As the silver sword pierced his chest, Thanos tried to channel the Reality Stone. Seeing the "independent universe" fade, a smile touched his lips.
This silver universe was suffocating. It pressed on him, as if drowning him on dry land. A Tenth-tier being would feel it.
Thanos thought the power was too great to maintain. Survive, and he could turn the tables.
Then his face froze. The silver sword-slow, lacking tricks-simply struck him. The Reality Stone couldn't warp it.
"How is this possible... how is this possible!"
Thanos looked at his chest. Pierced through completely, he could see through to what lay behind. Healing was useless-even the Reality Stone couldn't help.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Noah laughed softly. "Did you think I didn't know your abilities? My power is beyond imagination... even beyond mine."
Noah wasn't lying. This power smoothed out reality itself, nullifying the stone's effects.
"You..." Thanos fell to his knees, strength fading. The silver Domain vanished, yet the suffocating sensation remained, feasting on his energy.
"Terrifying, isn't it?" Noah sighed. "I was shocked too. But at least the power is in my hands."
"You..." Thanos coughed purple blood. "Sooner or later... you'll be consumed by it too!"
"Maybe," Noah said. "Power is double-edged. But I intend to master it. Goodbye, Thanos. From the universe's perspective, you're right. From life's perspective, you're wrong. I view things from the perspective of living beings."
"Is that so..." Thanos smiled faintly. "To think the one who understands me is the one who kills me. One day... you'll have a universe of your own. I wonder how you'll handle it."
Noah smiled but said nothing. Life was already budding in his Domain, slowly integrating after five years. Development had begun-but the life was weak. Billions of years would pass before it could threaten a universe. Noah didn't need to worry yet.
He shook his head, leaving such thoughts behind. Pointing a finger, spatial power bloomed across the nameless planet. Thanos shattered silently, like glass into a thousand pieces.
A galactic overlord with grand ambitions fell. From beginning to end, Thanos never held the advantage.
"Goodbye. Forever." Noah smiled, then turned to check on the others.
While he and his companions fought the primary targets, the war had fully erupted. Battles between champions signaled the final assault. Without further orders, Asgardians, Earth mages, and human soldiers advanced to wipe out the enemy.
They had absolute faith in their King and Sorcerer Supreme, confident that all following them could handle their opponents.
Thanos' lieutenants? Talented, but insufficient to turn the tide. They weren't even sure they could survive.
No matter how many Black Order members there were, they were no match for the mages-especially with Kamar-Taj's Archmages on the field.
The elites from the various Magic Ministries had been arriving for five years. One could imagine the terror of the Black Order, especially seeing giants flying through the sky. Despair filled them.
The Chitauri and Kree tried to push past their fear. Advanced technology and numbers made them dangerous, but the overwhelming power of the mages and Tony's ships cleared the way.
Wong and Mordo patrolled the skies, having dispatched several identical enemies. They and the Archmages handled the threats others couldn't. Their skill had grown immensely from studying Domain knowledge.
"How many did you get?" Wong, transformed into a golden Eastern dragon, asked Mordo.
"Three," Mordo replied. "About the same. But we're far behind Noah and the others. Those spatial rifts... terrifying."
"Maybe one day we'll catch up," Victor said, using Guardian magic. "That lightning earlier almost got me. Good thing I moved fast."
"We won't be behind them forever," Wong said. "Now, let's clear these bastards and end this war for good."