"In the Battle of Wakanda, many of Thanos' men died." In the Administration, the Director heaved a sigh of relief. The deaths of the three subordinates, there must have a significant impact on Thanos.
Tonio said, "At least until the real fight against Thanos, this group of people will not come out to obstruct."
The crowd nodded.
The Director said solemnly, "It's just that the current situation is still very unclear."
Pointing to the blackboard, the Director said, "We could all see it before. Every time Thanos gets a new Infinity Stone, his power increases tremendously. Especially the Space Stone, which allows him to quickly reach any place in the universe. That's the biggest trouble."
Four Infinity Stones are taken, so there are still two Infinity Stones left to collect. If Thanos really snaps his fingers, what exactly will happen? Will Terra be affected? Can current measures prevent it? Various questions swirled in the Director's mind. These are all uncertain factors.
In the High Council, several Councilors were having a heated discussion. Now it was about how to deal with Thanos' finger snap that might affect Terra. There was disagreement over whether it was necessary to enter the prevention and control fortress.
Sith frowned and said, "I don't think it's necessary. That's just physical defense, trying to contain something so intangible. If it really has an impact on the present, it must come through some other means. There is no need to use such a time-consuming and unreliable method."
Some Councilors defended the proposal.
Evonne waved her hand and said, "Enough. Stop arguing and be ready at any time. How is the Network? Is it still stable?"
Gladwin said, "It's stable. Everything is no different from before. It may take the actual moment of occurrence before any changes appear."
Evonne nodded. Before, everyone had considered the true meaning of the Network's existence, including the previous phenomena that occurred. They boldly speculated that it existed to prevent powerful beings from previous lives from affecting the present by maintaining a protective barrier against abnormalities. Today, most of their hope was still pinned on the Network's protective response.
"Thanos is back on Titan." Evonne narrowed her eyes and looked at the screen. "The Time Stone is on Titan, and Tony is there. Will there be a miracle? And our one remaining hope is that Thor has yet to face Thanos."
The Councilors had mixed feelings.
On the screen, Thanos returned to his home planet through the Space Stone. At a glance, he saw a crashed spaceship. He immediately understood what had happened, and he sighed heavily. Then, there was a sudden movement not far away, and Thanos looked up.
Strange was looking at Thanos with a playful expression. "You're much more of a Thanos."
Thanos looked at the broken spaceship and said calmly, "I take it the Maw is dead. This day extracts a heavy toll."
Thanos looked at the Eye of Agamotto hanging around Strange's neck. "Still, he accomplished his mission."
Strange replied calmly, "You may regret that. He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts."
Around them, Quill and the others were lying in ambush.
Thanos looked at Strange and asked, "And where do you think he brought you?"
Strange replied mischievously, "Let me guess. Your home?"
The Titan paused before the Reality Stone on the Infinity Gauntlet glowed. A flash of crimson light swept across the land, and the scars and ruins disappeared. In their place appeared green mountains, clear waters, and a world filled with birds and blooming flowers.
Thanos looked at the beautiful illusion. "It was. And it was beautiful. Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution."
Strange looked around at the former Titan. Life was everywhere, which was completely different from the wasteland before them. "Genocide."
Thanos' voice remained emotionless. "But random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike."
Thanos looked at Strange. "They called me a madman. And what I predicted came to pass."
The illusion faded, and the ruined Titan returned.
Strange sneered. "Congratulations, you're a prophet."
Thanos ignored the sarcasm. "I'm a survivor."
Strange said solemnly, "Who wants to murder trillions."
Thanos answered slowly, "With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers."
Thanos snapped his fingers. "They would all cease to exist. I call that mercy."
Strange stood up and sneered. "And then what?"
Thanos looked into the distance. "I'd finally rest... and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe."
Once again, Thanos explained his purpose. But to the people of Terra, it was completely unacceptable.
"What the hell! Thanos actually thinks he's a savior!"
"Damn it! Take care of your own planet! Leave us alone!"
"What an idiot! Still pretending!"
"You even killed your own daughter just for an Infinity Stone! Don't you think you deserve to die?"
"Every life deserves respect. Everything you've done goes against life itself."
"You really have a way with words. How can murdering half the universe be considered mercy?"
"Oh, thank you so much for allowing humanity to die under your so-called mercy!"
"It was definitely Thanos! Absolutely, Thanos caused all of this! The catastrophe of the Earth Age was all because of Thanos!"
Countless people across the internet condemned Thanos' ideology, even those who had once believed he was right. They changed their minds. No matter what, it was never Thanos' place to decide who lived or died. Even parents have no right to decide the life and death of their own children.
At the same time, on the Forum, many new discussions appeared. Posts supporting environmental protection and sustainable resource management quickly rose to the top. Their popularity was only slightly lower than discussions about the Mortal Body, the Gods, and advanced technology.
Many people had already realized. If a planet's resources are exploited without restraint, it will eventually suffer enormous damage. Of course, this is a realization that takes a very long time, and different people will respond to it in different ways.
In Apollo Research Center, Eliott squinted as he watched the broadcast. Glancing at the computer, the progress of the link to the network has reached 76%. At the speed now, the time for complete integration is not far off.
In the training ground, Ren looked back at the gate. Not long ago, the federation required almost all of them to carry out previous life captures. The number of various superhumans is rapidly increasing. This will work. A dozen more people were arranged to come over.
Louis blinked and said, "Brother, there are still many people who haven't stated their status as superhumans."
Ren nodded. "Yes. But it looks like something big could happen."
Ren was thoughtful while he kept staring at the screen.
Thanos said indifferently, "The hardest choices require the strongest wills."
When Strange heard the words, he angrily clapped his hands, and a red magic circle appeared in his palm. With a pull, it formed a shield. "I think you'll find our will equal to yours."
Thanos said lightly, "Our?"
He suddenly looked up. Directly above, Tony pushed a huge metal structure and smashed it toward his head. Thanos simply reached out, but there was a loud bang, and dust rolled everywhere. The pillar-like structure pinned Thanos beneath it.
Tony laughed. "Piece of cake, Quill."
Quill emerged from a hidden position in the distance. Then, he activated his mask and boot thrusters. "Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off."
The battle immediately began while the viewers watched intently.
Tony banked through the air with four mechanical appendages extended from his back, helping him maneuver with incredible agility.
Bang-! The giant steel pillar burst apart, and the Power Stone in Thanos' hand glowed. He glared angrily at Tony.
At the same time, the Reality Stone released strange fluctuations, and they instantly swept over the shattered steel pillar. The next moment, every fragment transformed into a swarm of bats. They frantically bit everyone nearby.
Just as Thanos was about to activate the Infinity Stone again, a mass of spider web covered his eyes. Parker swung in from the side, and one punch struck Thanos in the head while Drax slid in. Pulling out his dagger, he slashed at Thanos' calf.
Clang-! Sparks flew as Drax attacked relentlessly while Thanos parried. Strange opened a portal beside him and charged through. A magical blade formed in his hand, and he clashed directly with Thanos.
Thanos kicked Drax away with one blow, and he caught Strange's magic blade with his bare hand. Strange looked surprised before the magical sword instantly shattered. He crossed his arms before him, and a magic shield appeared.
Bang-! Thanos ripped the webbing from his face, and one punch smashed into the shield, sending Strange flying.
Everyone was shocked by Thanos' overwhelming power.
The Cloak of Levitation stopped Strange's pullback and suspended him in midair. A magical glow appeared in Strange's hands once again as he condensed several circular spell platforms, then hurled them behind him.
Quill rushed forward, the blaster in his hand firing. He stepped onto the floating magical platforms created by Strange, quickly closing in on Thanos. With an aerial roll, he landed behind Thanos, and he attached a bomb to Thanos' shoulder.
Quill raised his middle finger at Thanos. "Boom!"
Then he leaned backward, and a portal teleported him away. The bomb exploded behind Thanos, and arcs of electricity surged across Thanos' body.
"Damn, Doctor Strange's magic is amazing."
"It's incredibly practical! It works perfectly with teamwork."
"I thought it was all flashy effects, but it's actually incredibly useful."
"Still, Thanos is just too strong! Once he uses an Infinity Stone, no one can stop him."
"The tyrant's twisted logic destroys humanity. His premise may sound reasonable, but his methods are completely wrong."
"Kill Thanos! We have to kill him! We can't let him do whatever he wants!"
Strange whispered to the Cloak of Levitation behind him, "Don't let him close his fist."
Thanos had just shaken off the bombs when the Cloak of Levitation immediately flew to his left arm, wrapping itself tightly around the Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos pulled hard, but he couldn't tear it off immediately.
Strange stretched out his hand; a portal suddenly opened beside Thanos, and Parker leaped out. "Magic."
Bang-! He kicked Thanos in the head. The moment he landed, he was teleported away. He instantly appeared behind Thanos again, like a prank. Forcing Thanos to keep turning around as multiple portals flashed around him.
"More magic. Magic with a kick. Magic with a..." Just as Parker charged from the front, Thanos reached out and grabbed Parker by the neck. He slammed Parker into the ground, then snarled, "Insect!"
With immense force, he hurled Parker away and crashed into Strange. Without further distractions, Thanos forcefully tore the Cloak of Levitation away.
Everyone in the broadcast turned pale.
"Once Thanos uses an Infinity Stone, his power increases dramatically!"
"With the Reality Stone, no one present can withstand him."
"This is making me so nervous!"
"The Avengers still feel a little too weak."
"It's not that the Avengers are weak. They're divided! Didn't you notice? There are still many heroes on Earth!"
"Yeah! Thor hasn't shown up yet! Stormbreaker can summon the Bifrost directly. If he arrives, taking down Thanos won't be a problem."
"Thor thought Thanos was heading for Earth. Otherwise, he would've come straight to Titan."
"It was probably Tony's impulsive decision to come to Titan. No one expected this."
"I think Strange is the key to this battle! He can do so much, and he still has the Time Stone."
"It's over! Thanos has torn off the Cloak of Levitation."
Suddenly, small bombs rained down around Thanos, and explosions echoed continuously. Tony hovered not far away, with nano-bombs continuing to launch from behind him.
Thanos was engulfed in blazing flames, and this completely enraged him. He clenched his left fist, and the Power Stone activated. The terrifying explosive flames were absorbed by him.
The next instant, he aimed at Tony. Intense flames erupted from his hand, racing toward Tony in a straight line. The terrifying beam of fire tore through the sky, and it blasted Tony into the massive wreckage of the ship.
Parker swung down from above, and spider silk wrapped around Thanos' gauntlet, stopping the continuous stream of fire. Thanos flung Parker away, then tore the webbing from his hand. A massive whale-like spaceship crashed into Thanos from behind.
Boom-! Amid the explosion, Thanos was knocked to the ground, and a huge amount of wreckage collapsed onto him. For the first time in the battle, Thanos had been seriously battered.
As he struggled to his feet, not far away, Nebula charged forward, and she threw a punch at Thanos. With agile footwork, the sword in her hand slashed toward Thanos.
Thanos said lightly, "Well, well."
Nebula said angrily, "You should've killed me."
Thanos sneered, "It would've been a waste of parts!"
Nebula shouted desperately, "Where's Gamora?"
But she was no match for Thanos at all. She was blasted away by a single punch from Thanos, and the mechanical parts on her body shattered.
Suddenly, a red light flickered through the air. Strange hovered in the sky. With both hands, he released dark red magical bindings, and they instantly restrained Thanos' left arm. These magical restraints were completely different from the previous ones; their power had increased several times over.
Thanos tried to tear them apart, but Drax instinctively slid forward and locked Thanos' legs in place. Quill emerged from the ruins and fired a gravity device at Thanos' feet. An electric current surged through it before Thanos' right arm was pulled downward. His entire body was forced wide open.
From a distance, Parker swung in before spider silk wrapped around Thanos again and again. Tony was even more direct as he grabbed the Infinity Gauntlet with both hands and pulled with all his strength.
Thanos refused to stop struggling, so Parker was dragged forward by Thanos' immense strength. He quickly braced himself with his spider legs, but the Cloak of Levitation helped stop his momentum. Strange cast another magical restraint, and the pulling force on Thanos' arms increased even further.
Amid the ruins of Titan, Thanos' left arm, wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, was firmly held by Tony. His right arm was pinned by the gravity device. His entire body was wrapped in spider silk. Strange's magical restraints continued pulling him back. Meanwhile, Drax kept his legs locked in place.
Everyone worked together to restrain Thanos. No matter how fiercely he roared, he could not break free immediately.
Watching Thanos stretched out helplessly, the audience in the livestream burst into applause.
"Yes! That's it!"
"F**k! Kill him already!"
"Doctor Strange is awesome!"
"Tony, hurry up and take the Stones!"
"Haha! Parker's spider legs are incredible!"
"They don't even need Thor's Stormbreaker!"
"Don't celebrate too early. As long as Thanos is alive, the threat remains."
"I took a screenshot! This is going to be my desktop wallpaper!"
The scene was truly inspiring. Everyone had thought they were no match for Thanos. Unexpectedly, the Mad Titan had been completely restrained.
Then, a portal opened above Thanos' head, and Mantis landed directly on his shoulders. She pressed both hands against his temples. The antennae on her head glowed brightly, and Thanos' violent struggles suddenly slowed. Gradually, he began falling into a deep sleep.
Tony asked, "Is he under? Don't let up."
Mantis' antennae glowed even brighter, and she gritted her teeth. "Be quick. He is very strong."
Tony said solemnly, "Parker, help! Get over here."
Parker quickly grabbed the Infinity Gauntlet. Together with Tony, he tried to pull it off. "She can't hold him much longer. Let's go."
The people of the Terran Federation erupted into even louder cheers.
"Awesome! Perfect teamwork!"
"I think this is the one chance Strange saw! His magic has been absolutely incredible in this fight!"
"Just get the gauntlet off, and it's basically over!"
"Come on! Come on! Mantis is amazing too! She can even control someone as powerful as Thanos!"
"If she used that on me, I'd be unconscious instantly."
In the Administration, the Director and the experts were delighted as victory was within reach.
"As long as the gauntlet comes off... They've won."
Johan smiled at the Director. "Director, don't frown. I know you're worried that if Thanos wasn't the one who caused Terra's historical collapse, then something even more terrifying must still be waiting. But at least this crisis is over, isn't it?"
The Director's expression eased slightly.
Darwin laughed. "Old Johan is right. If Thanos fails, then Terra's era can obviously continue for a while longer. For them, it's the continuation of life. For us, it means uncovering even more historical truths. That's not a bad thing."
The Director smiled bitterly, accepting their attempt at reassurance.
Hawking said, "If it isn't Thanos, then it may be some terrifying existence from a higher dimension."
After Hawking raised this possibility, the concept of parallel universes had gradually been accepted by everyone. Many powerful beings had yet to appear, so they were very likely another cause of history's missing era.
"The Mad Titan is about to lose the Infinity Gauntlet. If the Avengers obtain the Infinity Stones... Could they use them to accomplish something even greater?" An expert slowly said, "Human weakness never changes. Is it possible someone later used the Infinity Gauntlet to do something that ultimately caused history's collapse?"
The Director frowned. "It's entirely possible. Every Infinity Stone that reached Earth has eventually been used by someone. Wanda and Pietro were transformed because of the Tesseract. But... huh?"
The Director suddenly stared at the screen, and his face immediately turned extremely ugly. The others quickly noticed something was wrong, so they hurriedly looked back.
Tony and Parker were still pulling on Thanos' gauntlet, trying to force it off. Quill flew over a distance and approached Thanos, but he was still under Mantis' control.
Tony muttered, "We gotta open his fingers to get it off."
Quill smiled sarcastically. "I thought you'd be hard to catch. For the record, this was my plan."
He walked up to Thanos. Mockingly, he said, "You're not so strong now, huh? Where is Gamora?"
Although Thanos couldn't move, he still retained a trace of consciousness. He quietly replied, "My Gamora."
Quill shouted angrily, "No, bullshit! Where is she?"
Tony and Parker still couldn't remove the gauntlet as Thanos' fingers refused to loosen.
Mantis cried, "He is in anguish."
Quill sneered. "Good."
But tears began filling Mantis' eyes. "He... He mourns."
Drax, still locking down Thanos' legs, frowned. "What does this monster have to mourn?"
Nebula slowly walked over. "Gamora."
Quill stared at her in confusion. "What?"
Nebula whispered, "He took her to Vormir. He came back with the Soul Stone. But she didn't."
The confusion on Quill's face instantly turned into overwhelming rage. The woman he loved, Gamora, had apparently died at Thanos' hands.
The audience watching immediately sensed something was terribly wrong.
Tony pulled off his helmet as he shouted at Quill, "Okay, Quill, you gotta cool it right now. You understand? Don't, don't. Don't engage. We almost got this off!"
Tony watched Quill slowly turn toward Thanos, as though he hadn't heard a single word. By the end, Tony was practically screaming. His voice was filled with panic.
Quill struggled to suppress his rage as he glared at Thanos. "Tell me she's lying. Asshole, tell me you didn't do it!"
Thanos slowly replied, "I had to."
Those words completely ignited the grief and fury buried inside Quill.
Tears instantly filled his eyes. "No, you didn't. No, you didn't. No, you didn't!"
Gamora's death ripped apart the final emotional barrier in Quill's heart. Tears streamed down his face, mixed with uncontrollable rage. Quill swung his fist and punched Thanos square in the head.
"Quill!"