Ch: 336-338 (FINAL)
Chapter 336: War
Just as the alien soldiers and monsters charged at them, numerous golden-red magic circles suddenly appeared around Meng Ran.
These circles were created by the Masters of the Mystic Arts from Kamar-Taj, and from them emerged many heroes from Earth's side, as well as the Iron Legion.
These heroes included the Avengers, the Six-pointed Star Alliance, Black Panther leading the Wakandan forces, and Thor leading the Asgardian army.
The first to engage with these alien soldiers and monsters were various types of Iron Soldiers.
The ground forces of Iron Soldiers had extremely heavy armor; one could withstand the attacks of three or four alien monsters.
The aerial forces of Iron Soldiers were agile and flexible; although their defense wasn't as strong as the ground forces, they could fly nimbly and eliminate enemies with fierce firepower.
In addition to the Iron Legion, the armies of Wakanda and Asgard also engaged in close combat with Thanos's forces, beginning a fierce battle.
Beyond the clashes between large armies, Earth's various superheroes also delved into the enemy ranks, using their abilities to wipe out the foes.
Meng Ran first teleported to the densest area of alien soldiers and monsters, then activated Thorn Hell.
Countless sharp black spikes suddenly extended from the ground, impaling all the running enemies above them through and through.
As the spikes pierced these enemies, dark, gloomy clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, and countless gloomy raindrops, like sharp needles, fell upon these alien soldiers, instantly riddling them like sieves.
Seeing the terrifying power of these gloomy raindrops, Ebony Maw narrowed his eyes, then waved his arm to control the already landed spacecraft nearby, making them float above Thanos's army to block the raindrops, preventing them from causing further harm to the soldiers.
Seeing Ebony Maw's actions, Meng Ran looked over at him, his narrow, pale eyes revealing a cold gaze that made Ebony Maw suddenly feel a chill run down his spine.
Seemingly sensing danger, Ebony Maw controlled the scattered metal and stones nearby to revolve around him, forming an impenetrable defensive barrier.
Just as he finished creating this defensive barrier, Meng Ran's black figure suddenly appeared outside that circle of stones.
Seeing Ebony Maw's wide eyes, Meng Ran grinned with a terrifying smile.
His figure did not linger there but flashed away, heading directly towards Corvus Glaive not far away.
The blade of Qieyun glinted with a cold light, and before Corvus Glaive could react, his body was directly split in two.
After instantly eliminating Corvus Glaive, Meng Ran's figure flashed away again, disappearing from his original spot.
At the same time, Ebony Maw, surrounded by rubble and metal, suddenly felt danger approaching from behind him; a cold killing intent locked onto him, making him almost unable to move.
He even felt his neck had been targeted, and in the next second, his head would be separated from his body.
Just then, a purple light suddenly surged around him, and Meng Ran, who was about to sever Ebony Maw's neck, was blasted backward by this energy.
Thanos, not far away, had just descended from his spaceship to the ground; his left hand, adorned with the Infinity Gauntlet, was embedded with three Infinity Stones, and that purple energy light had just been emitted by the Power Stone.
Looking at the suddenly appearing Thanos, Ebony Maw quickly walked behind him and said in a deep voice, "Lord Thanos."
"You go command the army; this one is mine," Thanos told Ebony Maw.
Hearing Thanos's command, Ebony Maw bowed and hurried towards the location of the army.
"It seems you're a bit short-handed, but it doesn't matter; they'll all be staying here today anyway," Meng Ran said in a deep voice, looking at the appearing Thanos.
Upon hearing Meng Ran's words, Thanos spoke, "I saw footage of your battle on Nidavellir. It is an honor for my two pathetic subordinates to die at the hands of a powerful opponent."
"Similarly, today I will bestow this honor upon you. Are you ready to accept death?"
Hearing Thanos's threat, Meng Ran grinned broadly and said in a deep voice, "I like your arrogance. Perhaps the Infinity Stones have inflated your confidence a bit."
"But it doesn't matter. In a moment, you will realize that any flashy tricks are meaningless in the face of absolute power."
After speaking, Meng Ran flashed and disappeared from his spot. He instantly appeared behind Thanos, with violent purple lightning coiling around Qieyun, and slashed fiercely towards Thanos's head.
Having fought across the universe for many years, Thanos's combat experience was extensive. He quickly turned around and directly gripped the blade of Qieyun with his left hand, which wore the Infinity Gauntlet.
As he gripped Qieyun, the red and purple gems on the gauntlet glowed together, neutralizing the violent purple lightning carried by the blade.
"A good attack. The force could be a bit stronger," Thanos chuckled softly after parrying Meng Ran's attack.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Meng Ran snorted coldly. The violent purple lightning on the blade of Qieyun, which had been neutralized, once again flared up fiercely.
Accompanied by the flashing lightning, Thanos was directly blasted backward, then slid back over ten meters on the ground before regaining his balance.
After he stabilized himself, he noticed something unusual on his left hand. He looked down at the Infinity Gauntlet on his hand, only to see that Meng Ran had actually cut a notch into the tiger's mouth area.
Seeing this, Thanos realized he had underestimated his enemy, and at the same time, he sensed the extraordinary nature of the weapon in Meng Ran's hand.
"What is its name?" Thanos asked in a deep voice, looking at Qieyun in Meng Ran's hand.
Hearing Thanos's question, Meng Ran twirled the blade and then said in a deep voice, "You are not worthy to know its name, but I can grant you the honor of being personally cut down by it."
Hearing Meng Ran's arrogant words, Thanos stopped speaking. His eyes were cold, and this time he directly launched the first attack.
He lightly clenched his left hand, and then red energy rippled out.
As this energy rippled, the spacecraft that had been shattered in the battle instantly condensed into several massive iron spheres, which then rapidly flew towards Meng Ran.
Meng Ran faced these incoming large iron spheres without the slightest panic, directly slashing out several blade lights with Qieyun, splitting all of them into fragments.
Chapter 337 Infinity Gauntlet
Seeing that the iron ball's attack didn't put any pressure on Meng Ran, Thanos immediately raised his left hand as Meng Ran split the iron ball, then used the power of the Infinity Stones to pull something in space.
Moments later, a giant meteor slowly descended from the sky, its flames wrapping around it after passing through the atmosphere, doubling its power.
Just as this meteor was about to land on the ground, Thanos clenched his left hand again, directly dispersing the large meteor into several medium-sized meteors carrying intense flames.
After dispersing into medium-sized meteors, these meteors no longer targeted only Meng Ran; Thanosdirectly encompassed all the Earth's forces currently in battle within their range.
Seeing this, Meng Ran couldn't help but admire Thanos's combat awareness. Knowing that this meteor wouldn't cause him much harm, Thanos included others within the attack range.
Even if he wouldn't be harmed, the other superheroes on Earth didn't all possess the ability to evade or resist these meteors.
"Is it amazing to have Infinity Stones? You have them, and so do I," Meng Ran said in a deep voice, taking out a blue and a yellow Infinity Stone.
Under the influence of Venom, these two Infinity Stones shifted positions on Meng Ran's right hand, then settled on his palm.
This was the Venomized Infinity Gauntlet. Although it didn't look as dazzlingly golden as Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet, the black claws paired with the Infinity Stones clearly looked more menacing and cool.
What was even more peculiar was that Meng Ran's Venomized Infinity Gauntlet could also perfectly carry the power of the Infinity Stones and flexibly apply their abilities.
These were not Venom's inherent characteristics but abilities it acquired after being transformed and fused with cosmic fire.
cosmic fire is the supreme treasure of the universe; in the multiverse, it is even more miraculous than the Infinity Stones.
There are six Infinity Stones in each parallel universe, and these corresponding Infinity Stones lose their function after leaving that parallel universe.
However, cosmic fire does not have such restrictions; there is only one cosmic fire in each parallel universe, and it can still function when leaving other parallel universes.
Moreover, gaining the recognition of one cosmic fire means gaining the recognition of cosmic fire in all universes.
This is also where cosmic fire is more miraculous than the Infinity Stones; it is a more precious and rare supreme treasure than the Infinity Stones.
The Space Stone on the back of Meng Ran's right hand flickered, and at the same time, a strange blue energy surged from his hand.
The blue energy passed through the rapidly descending flaming meteors, making them instantly disappear without a trace.
Then Meng Ran teleported behind Thanos and aimed his open right hand at him.
Blue energy spread from Meng Ran's right hand, and the flaming meteors that had just disappeared instantly passed through the circular space gates formed by this blue energy, then directly blasted towards Thanos.
"This move is called 'reaping what you sow'," Meng Ran said with a grin, watching the meteors blast Thanos.
The burning flaming meteors made Thanos too preoccupied to think about the Infinity Stones in Meng Ran's hand.
The Reality Stone and Power Stone simultaneously flickered in his hand, and red and purple energy instantly transmitted from the gauntlet, either blasting the incoming meteors into fragments or transforming them into soft petals.
While Thanos dealt with these meteors, Meng Ran also tightly gripped Cutting Cloud and instantly moved behind him.
With a swift swing, as the clear, cold blade light flashed, Thanos's thick purple arm instantly separated from his body.
After severing Thanos's arm, Meng Ran quickly took the golden Infinity Gauntlet from his left hand.
Losing Thanos's control, the original stones on the Infinity Gauntlet no longer glowed, merely sitting quietly embedded in the gauntlet, like beautiful ornaments.
"What beautiful gems. Thank you for bringing them to me," Meng Ran said softly, holding the Infinity Gauntlet and looking at Thanos, who was kneeling on one knee, clutching his shoulder, and gasping.
Thanos hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Why was such a powerful person completely unknown in the universe?
When did Earth, this low-level civilization planet, acquire such a powerful guardian? He knew of the Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One's existence and that Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One had embarked on the path of death some time ago.
This was also why he began collecting the Infinity Stones and implementing his plan. He couldn't take the Time Stone from the powerful Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One, but he could take it from the successor Sorcerer Supreme who had not yet become powerful.
After speaking, Meng Ran took the stones from the Infinity Gauntlet one by one, then gathered them all on the back of his right hand.
Five Infinity Stones of different colors shimmered with dazzling light, radiating brilliantly on Meng Ran's hand.
Thanos looked at his right hand, his eyes filled with envy and regret. How beautiful the Infinity Stoneswere; they should have been in his hand.
Looking at the five Infinity Stones now gathered on his hand, Meng Ran teleported away from his original spot and appeared beside Doctor Strange, who was currently fighting.
Upon arriving, Meng Ran first used Thorn Hell to clear out the miscellaneous soldiers for him.
Seeing all the miscellaneous soldiers cleared, Doctor Strange turned to look at Meng Ran.
The five shining Infinity Stones were simply too eye-catching; Doctor Strange's gaze was instantly drawn to them.
"You snatched Thanos's stones?" Doctor Strange said in disbelief, looking at the Infinity Stones in Meng Ran's hand.
Meng Ran heard him and said softly, "What's so strange about that? He was just flaunting the stones in front of me like that. Isn't it normal for me to take them and look?"
"Alright, no need for more nonsense. Lend me your Time Stone. With the power of six Infinity Stones, we can directly send Thanos and all his lackeys back home."
Hearing Meng Ran's request, Doctor Strange, unusually, hesitated.
Seeing his troubled expression, Meng Ran knew what he was worried about.
He was simply worried that Meng Ran, after gathering all six Infinity Stones, would do as he pleased, be misled by immense power, and disrupt the harmony and peace of the universe.
Thinking of this, Meng Ran chuckled and said to Doctor Strange, "What's there to hesitate about? I know what your worries are, but even if you don't give me the stone, isn't my power enough to walk sideways in this universe?"
"I already possess immense power; now, using the power of these six stones is just to save some trouble."
Chapter 338 Finale
Hearing Meng Ran's words, Doctor Strange also felt relieved. Even if he didn't hand over the Time Stone to Meng Ran now, Meng Ran would still be the most powerful being in this universe.
So, in that case, he might as well lend out the Stone quickly, otherwise, if he dragged his feet any longer, he might even get a beating.
Thinking of this, Doctor Strange clasped his hands into a magical gesture and slowly pulled them apart horizontally.
As he moved, the Eye of Agamotto, which he wore on his chest, slowly rotated, revealing the brilliant green Stone within.
Seeing this, Meng Ran also raised his right hand, which was adorned with Stones, and the Time Stone slowly floated out of the Eye of Agamotto, drawn by a force.
As soon as the Time Stone was embedded in his right hand, the dazzling Stones all began to flicker.
As the Stones flickered, colorful, strange energy rippled from Meng Ran's right hand, spreading throughout his entire body.
At this moment, Meng Ran felt a peculiar energy added to his body.
He felt as if he was the master of this universe, with countless rules converging on his right hand, allowing him to easily change anything and everything he desired.
Thanos also saw that Meng Ran had gathered all of the Infinity Stones. He looked up at Meng Ran, who seemed to be the center of the universe, his eyes filled with envy and unwillingness.
Meng Ran also saw Thanos's complex gaze, but he said nothing, merely slowly raised his right hand and snapped his fingers with a crisp sound.
"Snap!"
The light of the Infinity Stones flickered, and a gentle breeze emanated from Meng Ran's right hand.
At the same time the snap echoed, countless images appeared in Meng Ran's mind, from the Big Bang to the birth of the Infinity Stones, and the emergence of cosmic fire.
Countless pieces of information and images flashed in his mind. In that instant, Meng Ran felt as if he had seen through the entire universe, understanding the sole truth within the cosmic river of stars.
The next moment, Thanos's body slowly withered away, and his army disintegrated into dust.
In just an instant, all enemies were annihilated—such was the immense power of the Infinity Stones.
With the disappearance of the enemies, the Iron Legion and many heroes on Earth ceased their fighting.
Doctor Strange also witnessed the disappearance of these individuals. While marveling at the power of the Infinity Stones in his heart, he stealthily observed Meng Ran, who had just snapped his fingers.
Perhaps sensing Doctor Strange's gaze, Meng Ran also turned to look at him.
"You're staring a bit too intently, aren't you? It's not like I'm not giving it back to you," Meng Ran said with a smile, as he removed the green Time Stone from his right hand and tossed it to Doctor Strange.
Upon seeing Meng Ran's action, Doctor Strange quickly caught the Time Stone and placed it back into the Eye of Agamotto on his chest.
"You don't get the rest of these; they're my spoils of war," Meng Ran said with a smile, then flipped his hand and stored all the Stones back into his system space.
Thus, Earth's greatest crisis was resolved.
Many years later.
A sleek, cool spaceship was traversing the cosmic river of stars.
At the transparent glass in the bow of the ship, Meng Ran stood behind Gwen, embracing her, as the two watched the shimmering beauty of the star-filled river.
Meng Ran bent down, his face close to Gwen's, and softly said, "How is it? You should be used to your physical fitness and strength by now, shouldn't you?"
"Almost. Because I've had a few experiences before, I got used to it very quickly this time," Gwen said, giving Meng Ran a quick kiss on the cheek.
After years of research and growth, Venom's possession ability had reached a new level.
Now, it could transfer Meng Ran's physical attributes to others by possessing them, but because Meng Ran's physical attributes were too powerful, the possession and enhancement had to be done in stages.
After multiple enhancements over the years, Gwen's physical attributes had reached the same level as Meng Ran's.
Currently, Meng Ran and Gwen were journeying through the universe, exploring various interesting planets and races together.
Their current destination for this trip was Asgard. Tony, Thor, and a host of Earth heroes were already waiting for their arrival on Asgard; they were going to have a grand party on Asgard.
Thinking of the party, Meng Ran's lips curved slightly. He recalled the celebration feast after defeating Thanos.
At that banquet, he revealed his true identity, which almost made Tony and the others drop their jaws.
They had never imagined that beneath the Ghost's mask was such a young face.
Facing this face, they found it difficult to connect the Ghost's various actions with the handsome, sunny, and charming man before them.
"Darling, we've arrived. Is this Asgard? It's so beautiful ~"
Just as Meng Ran's thoughts were wandering, Gwen's voice pulled him out of them.
Looking at the magnificent Bifrost Bridge and the spectacular castle mountains in the distance, Meng Ran smiled and said to Gwen, "There are still many beautiful landscapes in this universe, and we have plenty of time to appreciate them in the future."
The spacecraft slowly flew towards Asgard's palace. Meng Ran and Gwen's cosmic adventure journey was temporarily paused, awaiting its next departure.