It all happened too fast, everything unfolded in the space of a single breath.
Captain America was still trapped in the moment when Thanos had declared his intent to destroy Earth.
He had taken only two steps forward with Mjolnir in hand.
Then Thanos, like a soul reaping demon frozen in time, shattered into pieces and scattered across the ground.
A splash of purple blood even landed on Captain America's cheek.
The ruins of the Avengers Base burned fiercely.
The firelight painted his profile in deep red.
Yet in his heart, beyond the brief sense of relief, beyond the feeling that a mountain of pressure had finally been lifted, he felt no joy.
Instead, his emotions cooled rapidly, just like the corpse of Thanos lying in pieces before him.
Who were they?
Captain America watched the newcomers with intense caution.
Thanos had been overwhelming. Even Thor, Banner, Iron Man, and himself attacking together had been utterly defeated.
But these three…
Any one of them alone seemed to possess the strength to crush Thanos with ease.
Were they from the Earth hanging in the sky?
What was their true purpose here?
While Thanos lived, everyone fighting him stood on the same front.
Now that Thanos was dead, Captain America had far more to consider.
"Thanos's strength seems weaker compared to Darkseid."
Before Captain America could even begin to think about negotiations, the red and gold Mark Armor that had landed on the ground spoke first.
The voice was unmistakably Tony's.
Using his thrusters, he landed steadily beside Thanos's remains. He stepped forward and opened his faceplate.
A familiar face appeared beneath the armor, perfectly matching the voice.
"No wonder Malrick said these two are counterparts. One is a purple sweet potato spirit, the other is a black charcoal spirit. They really are similar."
Tony looked down at Thanos.
Although the victory had been overwhelming, he strangely felt a sense of emptiness, as if something important was missing.
He had expected an intense, world shaking battle.
Just like when Malrick fought Darkseid, when the planet itself had nearly been torn apart.
Instead, the Anti Superman Armor had performed far beyond expectations.
So much so that Thanos had not even been given a chance to fight back.
"It seems the Anti Superman Armor technology is fully mature now," Tony thought. "At this stage, I might even be able to fight Malrick again."
Nearby, Diana and Kara both heard his quiet muttering and showed looks of pure disbelief.
Why did Malrick and his brother always think about suppressing each other every single day?
Kara found it impossible to understand. She would never compete with her cousin Kal El like that.
"Tony…?" Captain America stepped forward cautiously, shield and Mjolnir still in hand, staring at him in disbelief.
In the distance, his own Iron Man was slowly struggling to his feet while clutching his chest.
Then he turned his gaze back to the Tony standing before him.
The two looked almost identical.
But the Tony in front of him appeared far younger, no more than thirty years old, standing in the prime of his life.
"You do not look too good, Captain."
Tony looked around casually. "Actually, none of you do. Seems we made it just in time."
The area where the four Avengers had fought Thanos had become scorched wasteland.
Thor and Banner from Universe b2 were only now beginning to regain consciousness.
Even a few seconds of unconsciousness on a battlefield was fatal.
If Tony and the other two had not arrived when they did, the four giants of this universe would have died right here.
Captain America nodded slowly. "You saved the Earth. Everyone here owes you our thanks."
"Tony, and the other two, thank you for saving all of us."
"Without you, Thanos might have carried out his threat and destroyed not only this Earth, but the entire universe."
He paused, then lifted his eyes toward the vast blue planet suspended in the sky.
The oppressive presence of that world pressed down like a giant hovering above them, making it hard to breathe.
"But I do not believe your true purpose for coming here was only Thanos."
"You are from that Earth, aren't you? Can you tell me what is really happening?"
Captain America looked at Tony with burning intensity.
"Saying we are from the Earth above your heads is accurate," Tony nodded.
"But you seem to know me very well. Is it because, in your world, I am the strongest superhero?" he added with a sudden change of tone.
While casually speaking, his eyes scanned the battlefield.
Jarvis had already located the energy fluctuations of the Infinity Stones through the Mark Armor's sensors.
Strong gamma radiation signatures were moving rapidly beneath the ruins of the Avengers Base, somewhere within the underground structure.
Someone was carrying the Stones and fleeing.
According to Jarvis's calculations, that person would surface soon.
That was their moment.
Their moment to take the Infinity Stones.
Yes, take them.
Tony preferred to act swiftly and decisively.
They were not only here to kill Thanos and aid another group of Avengers.
They were also here for the Infinity Stones.
If they did not move immediately, Tony had no doubt that the Tony of this world would never agree to lend them the Stones easily.
Jarvis's voice echoed in his ear. "Sir, the Infinity Stones' energy source is moving upward at high speed. The target is about to emerge from the ruins."
Tony gave the slightest nod and continued speaking casually to Captain America.
"So, Captain, is it because in your world, after you thawed out from being a human popsicle, you and another me had a rather intense relationship?"
At the same time, Jarvis also sent the same data to Diana, Kara, and the others through the public channel.
Diana confirmed receipt and loosened the Truth Lasso at her waist, prepared to act at any moment.
Just then, the Iron Man of Universe b2 finally spoke from a distance.
"You guessed wrong, young man."
Using nanotechnology to stabilize his injuries, the older Iron Man began walking toward them. His steps were unsteady, and his eyes swept across the scattered, bisected corpses on the battlefield with deep shock.
In a single encounter, Thanos and his entire army had been annihilated.
The heroes from the other Earth were terrifyingly powerful.
"You are still too young," Iron Man said calmly. "You do not understand what it means to compromise after a breakup, or what it means to let go of the past."
"Captain understands me, just as I understand him. It was war that taught us that."
At fifty three years old, this Iron Man spoke with more sarcasm than sincerity.
He stopped in front of Tony, examined the red and gold armor carefully, then raised an eyebrow.
"Nice Mark Armor. The color scheme is especially well done."
Since he himself also wore red and gold, praising Tony was the same as praising himself.
"Is that so?" Tony replied, suddenly feeling annoyed as he stared at his older counterpart.
"My taste has always been good."
Then he added coldly, "And I do not understand anything about breakups and compromises. That kind of talk sounds like something only old men would say."
"Old man?" Iron Man's eyebrows shot upward.
"Kid, your parents probably died not long ago, and you just happened to build a Mark Armor. That is no excuse for this kind of arrogance."
Like Captain America, Iron Man assumed this Tony was still very young.
He remembered his own past clearly.
At this age, he had been reckless, arrogant, indulging in pleasure, and living without restraint.
If he had built a Mark Armor back then, he would have been even more unbearable.
Placing himself in young Tony's position, he silently labeled him as spoiled and unreliable.
As a result, he also grew wary of the other heroes who might exist on the Earth Tony came from.
This was the usual thinking of those who looked back at their past selves.
Iron Man and Captain America exchanged glances, both seeing concern in each other's eyes.
"Coincidence?" Tony snorted. "Old man, your Mark Armor technology has already been outdated for several years in my world."
He had already been using Nano Mark Armor years ago.
His current suit had reached Mark 39.
Iron Man's brows furrowed.
Captain America placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke first. "You came here as a representative to negotiate, did you not, Tony?"
"You must know more about this world shattering event. It might be best if we exchange information."
"Exchanging information is important," Tony replied slowly.
"But I am not the representative."
"All of us are here."
All of us.
Iron Man and Captain America felt as if a heavy hammer had slammed into their chests.
Especially Iron Man.
He found young Tony far too reckless.
If someone like this could still lead others, then the rest could not be any better.
And now, an entire group like that had arrived on their Earth.
No matter what their intentions were, Iron Man found it hard to believe they were here for anything good.
"Look, they are here now," Tony said, pointing toward the sky.
Several Quinjets tore through the atmosphere, broke through the clouds, and descended directly toward the ruins of the Avengers Base.
Alarm bells rang loudly in Iron Man and Captain America's minds.
But it was already too late to stop anything.
They could only watch as the Quinjets rapidly descended over the corpses of Thanos's army.
One by one, Wanda, Banner, the two Captains, Peggy Carter, General Ross, and Peter Parker disembarked.
They were stunned by the sight of bodies piled like mountains and blood soaking the ground.
"So many corpses. Is all of Thanos's army dead?"
"Did the battle end without us even doing anything?"
"Where is Thanos? Where is he?"
"Over there, he has already been split into several pieces!"
The group arrived with momentum.
Yet for a moment, they looked less like elite heroes and more like stunned tourists, searching the battlefield in disbelief.
The heroes of the Main Universe were deeply shaken by the terrifying power displayed by Tony and the other two.
But even as shock filled their hearts, their priority remained clear.
They immediately began searching the battlefield for the Infinity Gauntlet.
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