In truth, anything that contained energy emitted some form of radiation frequency. It was usually so weak that it could be ignored.
Tony's arc reactor did it.
Thor's Stormbreaker did it as well.
Neither was unusual.
The strange thing about the Ten Rings was that the signal they emitted had a separate frequency node that was distinct from the Rings' own energy fluctuations.
Peter had happened to catch that tiny discrepancy.
"Where are the Rings transmitting the signal to?"
Shang-Chi stepped over to join the group, equally curious.
After all, the Ten Rings had been passed down to him by Wenwu, and his father had never mentioned anything about a signal.
"We don't know yet."
Shuri frowned.
"The transmission frequency is incredibly weak. Honestly, I'm not even sure it could make it out of this room."
The signal was so faint that it likely couldn't travel very far at all.
It might not even be capable of leaving the laboratory.
After a lengthy investigation, Shuri's team still failed to uncover the source of the signal.
What they did discover was the unusual nature of the Rings' material.
Like Uru metal, the Ten Rings were capable of storing and conducting energy.
However, unlike Uru, the power within the Rings wasn't magical in nature.
It felt more like a supernatural ability that had been bestowed upon them.
"Where exactly did Wenwu find these things?"
Tony knew Wenwu, but the two had never gotten along well enough to have a real conversation.
He certainly wasn't the type to sit down and chat with an immortal old man who had spent centuries conquering kingdoms.
"I don't know either."
Shang-Chi shook his head.
"My father only ever said that the Rings had always been in his possession."
Xialing shook her head as well.
Wenwu had never told her anything about their origins.
Since they couldn't reach any meaningful conclusions, Shuri and the others eventually gave up.
The Rings were starting to resemble Karl's Ultimate Divine Weapon—something that simply defied scientific analysis.
At some point, it was healthier to stop obsessing over it.
---
Several days later.
Everyone gathered once again in the conference hall.
The atmosphere had sunk to freezing levels.
A grim determination filled the room.
Every face was serious.
"Everyone, we have no way out anymore."
Steve's voice echoed through the hall.
"This time, we have to succeed."
"Behind us stands every living thing on Earth."
"We are the planet's final line of defense."
"We cannot fall!"
The room fell silent.
This was truly their last stand.
There would be no retreat.
No second chance.
They had to win.
Because they simply could not afford to lose.
Outside, the plaza was packed with Quinjet fighters and Wakandan aircraft.
Even Quill's ship had been fully repaired.
"Move out!"
The glass walls of the hall lowered.
Everyone stepped outside.
The force assembled here represented nearly half of Earth's superheroes.
More than a hundred Masters of the Mystic Arts had also arrived from the Sanctums.
Portals opened.
In an instant, they crossed half the globe and arrived in the Australian Desert.
Endless sand stretched to the horizon.
Nothing existed here but barren wasteland.
The killing intent radiating from the assembled heroes was so intense that even the local wildlife fled.
"Avengers agents and Wakandan forces are already in position."
Nick Fury's voice came through the communications channel.
"Residents around the desert perimeter are currently being evacuated to shelters."
The Helicarrier hovered fifty kilometers away.
Fury sat inside the command center, surrounded by countless holographic displays.
"Understood."
Karl replied.
"We're starting on our end too."
He glanced around.
Everyone stood ready.
Nobody spoke.
Karl slowly raised his hand.
A yellow gemstone appeared in his palm.
The Mind Stone.
With a casual motion, he removed the seal surrounding it.
At the same time, magical power poured from his body into the Stone.
Immediately, violent waves of energy burst forth.
Visible ripples spread outward in every direction.
---
Somewhere deep in space.
Proxima Midnight—the last surviving member of the Black Order—suddenly received a signal.
Beside her rested a gauntlet embedded with five Infinity Stones.
The six Stones were inherently connected.
To locate one, you needed another.
The more Stones you possessed, the more precise the tracking became.
Proxima immediately began tracing the source.
After scanning across vast stretches of the universe, the signal finally locked onto a single location.
Earth.
"That place again!"
Proxima gritted her teeth.
Earth had become a nightmare she would never forget.
Three members of the Black Order had fallen because of that planet.
Three.
The once-invincible Black Order had been reduced to a single survivor.
Even Corvus Glaive, who had escaped gravely wounded, had eventually died aboard their ship.
Her hatred for Earth—and for humanity—ran deep.
"My lord."
She immediately reported to Thanos.
"We've located the final Stone."
---
Thanos sat silently upon his throne.
No one knew what he was thinking.
No one dared ask.
To his followers, Thanos was an untouchable existence.
"Where?"
His eyes lit up.
"On Earth, my lord."
Proxima lowered her head.
"The same world we visited before."
"Depart immediately."
Thanos waved his hand.
He didn't care where the Stone was.
Only that it had been found.
"At once, my lord."
Proxima bowed and immediately issued the command.
The fleet mobilized.
Space folded around them.
After several jumps, they arrived outside Earth's orbit.
The blue planet reflected in Thanos' eyes.
"I want the exact location."
He stared at Earth expressionlessly.
Once upon a time, Titan had been just as beautiful.
Now it was a dead world.
Soon, Proxima identified the Mind Stone's precise location and projected it before him.
"Take us there."
Thanos rose from his throne.
He strode over and picked up the Infinity Gauntlet.
Five Stones glimmered across its surface as he pulled it onto his left hand.
---
Back on Earth.
The moment Thanos' fleet appeared in near-Earth orbit, Karl and the others were already aware.
Satellites across the planet continuously monitored incoming objects.
A fleet of that size was impossible to hide.
"He's here."
Carol Danvers looked up at the sky and spoke softly.
Her voice was quiet.
Yet everyone heard it clearly.
Even the wind seemed to freeze.
Whoosh—
Thanos' flagship appeared above the desert almost instantly.
The colossal vessel blotted out the sky.
Countless Leviathans circled around it like predators.
Inside the ship, Thanos immediately spotted the Mind Stone in Karl's hand.
A spark of excitement flashed across his eyes.
Then, in the blink of an eye—
The Mind Stone vanished.
Karl simply flipped his wrist.
Gone.
Not only was it no longer visible—
Even the other five Infinity Stones could no longer sense its presence.
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