"Are you guys alright?"
Steve walked over to Tony and tried to help him up, but Tony was still weak all over. Not just him—everyone affected by the Power Stone was in the same condition.
"The Stone drained our strength. We can barely stand."
Tony gave a bitter smile. He at least had JARVIS fighting for him, but the others had no such luxury.
Wanda descended from the sky, Chaos Magic erupting outward like a crimson storm that swept across the entire battlefield. The dust clouds kicked up by the falling asteroid fragments were instantly blown away.
To everyone's surprise, the moment the scarlet energy washed over them, their strength began returning. The effects of the Power Stone had been nullified.
Quill and the others stared at the source of the miracle—Wanda.
As one of Marvel's three primordial forces, Chaos Magic had virtually no upper limit. It was powerful enough to reboot the Marvel Universe itself. Neutralizing the influence of the Power Stone was a trivial matter.
Of course, this level of power was only possible because Wanda had mastered the Darkhold. The Wanda from before would never have been able to contend with an Infinity Stone.
Everyone turned toward Thanos.
At that moment, a crimson glow—eerily similar to Chaos Magic—flashed.
The rubble and shattered terrain around him instantly changed. The debris vanished as if it had never existed, and the damaged ground returned to its original state.
Standing in the center, Thanos raised his left hand. The Reality Stone on the Infinity Gauntlet glowed brightly.
He had rewritten reality itself.
"No matter how many ants gather together, they remain ants."
As soon as he finished speaking, the purple light of the Power Stone erupted again.
Thanos shot forward like a cannonball.
"Avengers—attack!"
Steve roared and charged first.
His enhanced body moved with the speed of a panther. Aside from Erik Killmonger, everyone else was left behind by the two of them.
Steve's shield flew straight toward Thanos's chest while Erik leaped high into the air, his vibranium claws tearing toward Thanos's face.
Without slowing down, Thanos caught the shield with one hand and hurled it back.
The magnetic lock on Steve's forearm activated, pulling the shield back in a graceful arc.
The two sides finally clashed at close range.
One man against an army.
Erik's claws struck like a storm, repeatedly raking across Thanos's chest. Even Thanos hadn't expected so many opponents and could only defend himself hastily.
The others arrived moments later.
Even Thanos couldn't fight so many enemies at once. He had already begun considering retreat.
But the Time Stone remained out of his grasp.
He wasn't willing to leave yet.
Strange stayed at the rear of the formation. Knowing how important the Time Stone was, he didn't rush into battle.
Gwen and Skye stood guard in front of him while he formed hand seals and chanted under his breath.
The Eye of Agamotto slowly floated upward from his chest.
Runes appeared across its surface, transforming into layer upon layer of seals that locked the Time Stone away.
Meanwhile, the battle raged on.
Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, and Sam attacked from the air.
The assault from the ground was even fiercer.
Forced into a corner, Thanos finally relied on the Infinity Stones.
The Power Stone flashed.
A violent explosion erupted outward from Thanos as the epicenter.
Everyone was blown away.
Bzzzt—!
Suddenly, the sound of a sword ringing through the air echoed across the battlefield.
The shockwave split cleanly in two.
A pitch-black blade emerged from the divided explosion and thrust toward Thanos.
Thanos immediately raised the Infinity Gauntlet to block.
The Reality Stone glowed.
The surrounding dust vanished instantly.
And within that clearing, a blazing figure shot forward.
Karl.
Flames surrounded his body, his skin glowing like molten lava.
Limit Break!
His first strike failed to penetrate the Gauntlet.
Without hesitation, Karl twisted his body and swung again.
The sword's edge tore through space itself.
Odin Battle Arts!
A skill unique to his summon, Odin.
Every one of Karl's techniques transformed. Even the Ultimate Divine Weapon had become the jet-black Zhan Tie Sword.
His attacks grew faster and faster.
The groove along the blade gradually filled with crimson energy.
Thanos could only block with the Infinity Gauntlet.
After all, the Gauntlet had been forged by Eitri, King of the Dwarves. It was no ordinary artifact.
Even the Zhan Tie Sword couldn't cut through it.
The Power Stone flashed again.
Thanos launched a counterattack.
Everyone nearby suddenly felt their bodies weaken.
Purple streams of energy emerged from their chests and flowed into Thanos.
He was using the Power Stone to steal their strength.
Only people like Tony, whose armor could operate independently, were still able to move.
Inside their suits, Tony, Pepper, and Rhodey were completely drained.
Their armor continued fighting only because JARVIS and FRIDAY had taken control.
Karl, however, was unaffected.
His Limit Break burned away the Power Stone's energy before it could reach him.
That gave him the opening he needed.
The Zhan Tie Sword's blood groove had already gathered enough power.
But Karl didn't strike yet.
He was waiting.
Thanos still possessed four Infinity Stones.
Karl had never witnessed the true abilities of the Soul Stone.
He remained cautious.
As expected, under Karl's relentless assault, Thanos finally activated it.
Brilliant orange light burst forth.
"Zhan Tie Flurry!"
Karl roared.
The Zhan Tie Sword split into two blades.
His attacks became a blur.
Countless sword shadows slashed toward Thanos.
A storm erupted around them.
Karl's arms moved so quickly they became afterimages.
In contrast, Thanos simply raised one arm.
A solid orange barrier appeared before him, blocking every strike.
Only the immense force behind the attacks continued pushing him backward.
"Dimensional Slash!"
Now!
The orange glow around Thanos flickered for a split second.
Karl caught it instantly.
The twin blades merged back into one.
He slashed seven times in rapid succession.
Each strike froze the surrounding space.
When the seventh slash landed—
Space itself shifted.
Thanos's body looked like shattered glass.
Crack!
A crisp sound echoed.
The fractured space collapsed like a broken mirror.
Thanos's entire body erupted with wounds.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Even the Infinity Gauntlet had been sliced into several pieces.
"Did we do it?!"
High above, Tony looked down.
The purple energy draining him had disappeared.
Though still weak, he turned toward the others.
Just like him, the streams of Power Stone energy connected to Steve and the rest had vanished.
Everyone's strength was gradually returning.
A collective sigh of relief spread across the battlefield.
Even Karl relaxed slightly.
Then his gaze suddenly froze.
Before him lay Thanos's shattered body.
The four Infinity Stones had scattered across the ground.
And among them—
The mysterious Soul Stone.
It had been sliced cleanly in half.
"Strange! Watch out!!"
Flames exploded around Karl's body.
His figure vanished instantly.
"Huh?!"
A moment earlier, Strange had been celebrating.
The next instant—
A golden hand emerged from nowhere and seized the Eye of Agamotto hanging from his chest.
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