Strange did not answer. The answer was already obvious.
"It's a pity, but they fulfilled their mission."
Thanos's gaze fell on the Eye of Agamotto hanging on Strange's chest. Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian might be dead, but they had still succeeded in bringing the Time Stone here.
Thanos began walking toward Strange. Around him, Tony and the others were already lying in wait.
"Do you know where this place is?"
Thanos did not attack immediately. Instead, he asked a question.
"Titan. And if I'm not mistaken, it's your homeworld."
Strange remained seated and even tossed a small stone toward Thanos.
"Yes... this was once my home. It used to be beautiful."
A red glow flashed from the gauntlet. The scenery around them began to change. The ruins vanished, replaced by towering buildings beneath blue skies dotted with white clouds. Carefully maintained greenery stretched into the distance, where vibrant mountain ranges rose beyond a highly advanced city filled with smiling children.
Looking around, Thanos's eyes were filled with nostalgia.
"It was beautiful. There was no war here. But unfortunately..."
His tone suddenly shifted.
"There were too many people. Far more than the planet could sustain. Food production could no longer keep pace with consumption. Every day, countless people starved to death."
Thanos let out a mocking laugh.
"Isn't it ironic? Such a highly advanced world, yet people still died of famine."
Strange remained silent. Looking at the scene around him, it was hard to imagine a civilization this advanced suffering from starvation.
"Later, I came up with a solution. A random one. No favoritism. Regardless of status or wealth. Completely fair."
His expression darkened.
"And they called me insane."
"If you came up with genocide as a solution, what else would you be?"
Strange had already guessed Thanos's so-called fair solution—indiscriminately wiping out half of his own people.
Thanos merely smiled.
"And now you've seen the result. To be honest, I never wanted war. All of this happened because they refused to listen."
With a wave of his hand, the illusion vanished. The ruined landscape returned.
"Once I possess all six Stones, war will no longer be necessary. With a simple snap of my fingers, the entire universe will never again have to worry about overpopulation and resource shortages."
"Interesting idea. We happen to have a different one."
Strange rose to his feet. He clenched his fists, and magical shields immediately unfolded around him.
"We?"
A massive shadow suddenly appeared overhead.
A boulder the size of a small hill plummeted from the sky. Behind it, Tony's thrusters roared at full power as he pushed it downward.
BOOM!
The gigantic rock slammed directly into Thanos's head.
But at the moment of impact, a flash of purple light streaked through the air.
"See, Quill? Told you it was easy."
Tony descended from above while Quill and the others sprang from hiding.
Suddenly, violet energy erupted.
The boulder shattered instantly, and Thanos emerged from the center completely unharmed.
A red flash followed.
The fragments of the shattered rock transformed into countless spikes and shot toward everyone.
At the same time, Peter dodged the spikes and fired a web directly into Thanos's eyes, temporarily blinding him. Without his vision, the barrage of spikes immediately collapsed and vanished.
"Thanos! Take this!"
Drax leapt high into the air, swinging his twin knives down at Thanos.
Thanos twisted aside, but the blade still cut into his thigh, causing him to lose his balance.
At that moment, Strange's binding whip arrived.
The magical lash wrapped tightly around Thanos's legs while his hands remained occupied dealing with Drax's assault.
For a brief moment, they actually managed to suppress him.
But it didn't last long.
They had merely caught Thanos off guard.
He quickly adapted.
One punch sent Drax flying.
Then he grabbed the whip around his legs and tore it apart. Under his overwhelming strength, the magically constructed binding shattered inch by inch.
At that moment, Quill opened fire from behind him.
His blasters lacked the power to kill Thanos, but they could still inflict damage.
The shots staggered him slightly.
Meanwhile, Strange created a series of magical platforms in front of Quill.
Using them as stepping stones, Quill rushed forward at incredible speed. Before Thanos could react, several charges had already been slapped onto his back.
BOOM!
The explosives detonated.
Instead of flames and smoke, torrents of electricity erupted.
They were electro-shock bombs designed to incapacitate targets with high-voltage currents.
"Cloak, don't let him make a fist with his left hand."
Strange spoke quietly.
The Cloak of Levitation immediately flew out and wrapped itself around Thanos's left arm, preventing him from using the Stones.
Strange had already noticed that Thanos clenched his left fist every time he activated an Infinity Stone.
Next, Strange opened a series of portals around him.
Peter suddenly leapt out of one portal and punched Thanos square in the face.
Spider-Man's strength was tremendous. The blow nearly stunned him.
Peter immediately dove back through another portal, reappearing beside Thanos and kicking him in the face before disappearing again.
Portal after portal.
Attack after attack.
With his agility and Strange's portals, Peter unleashed a relentless barrage that left Thanos struggling to respond.
But only temporarily.
Thanos adapted again.
The moment Peter emerged from another portal, Thanos grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground.
"You annoying insect."
He then hurled Peter away.
Peter crashed into Strange, sending both of them tumbling across the ground.
"You think this can restrain me?"
Thanos glanced at the blue cloak wrapped around his arm.
With a single pull, he tore it apart.
A large hole ripped through the cloak as it fluttered pitifully back toward Strange.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
High above, more than a dozen energy beams rained down.
Floating cannons hovered around Tony while both palms and the arc reactor on his chest unleashed a relentless barrage of firepower toward Thanos below.
Yet before the attacks could reach him, a red flash appeared.
Every energy blast transformed into flower petals drifting through the air.
Then purple light flashed in Thanos's hand.
The petals immediately became infused with the Power Stone's energy and shot toward Tony like deadly blades.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Not only were the petals razor-sharp, but they also exploded as they approached him.
In an instant, Tony was engulfed by countless explosions.
Clearly, he had not anticipated this.
Protected by his armor, he survived, but the Power Stone-enhanced blasts still dealt significant damage.
Even the armor itself began to crack and break apart.
With a loud crash, Tony fell from the sky and slammed into the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
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