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Chapter 133 - Chapter 135

The room exploded in light.

Wanda shielded her eyes, staggering backward. The hum of the Gauntlet consumed everything—the air, the light, the sound. It was a soundless roar that made the walls tremble and the floor fracture. The sheer weight of power from the Infinity Stones bent the very space around them, warping colors and warping breath.

When the radiance faded, Thanos stood in the center of the lab. Wong was on the ground, his shields shattered and fading like golden mist. Noctis lay slumped against the far wall, his armor cracked and his spear flickering with unstable shadow.

Only Wanda remained standing.

She stepped in front of Vision, her arms shaking, her breathing uneven. The tips of her fingers glowed with chaos energy, weaving arcs of crimson around her. "I won't let you touch him."

Thanos stared at her, expression unreadable. "You are strong. But you are not stronger than time."

Behind her, Vision coughed, voice barely audible. "Wanda…"

Her head turned slightly. "Don't speak."

He did anyway. "You have to do it. Now."

Wanda's eyes welled with tears. The Mind Stone pulsed brightly, resonating with her power and his. She looked down at Vision. His expression was calm. Gentle. He knew.

"I can't," she whispered.

"You must."

Wanda's hands raised, crackling with red chaos magic. The energy surged upward and swirled around the Stone. Thanos advanced slowly, walking through the rippling wall of her magic. Each step pressed against the raw force of her power, his armor groaning as it resisted.

The air shook with opposing energies.

The Mind Stone cracked.

Vision gritted his teeth but didn't scream. Wanda sobbed as she held the magic steady, the Stone fracturing beneath her trembling fingers. Her screams joined the vibrating tension as her chaos magic consumed the golden light.

"I love you," she said.

"I know."

The Stone shattered.

A golden pulse erupted outward. The wave of energy rippled through the walls, disrupting Thanos's advance. Vision collapsed into Wanda's arms, his body limp, the spark gone from his eyes.

Thanos paused. For a brief second, he stared at the empty space where the Stone had been. The silence returned, heavier now. Then he raised the Time Stone.

Green light enveloped the debris.

With a circular motion of his hand, he rewound time.

The pieces of the Stone pulled back together. The air filled with the sound of reality reversing. Wanda's scream was silenced mid-breath. The Mind Stone reformed.

Vision's body rewound to the moment before his death.

His eyes opened.

Thanos reached forward, without hesitation, and plucked the Stone from his head.

Vision died a second time.

Wanda collapsed in anguish, silent tears streaming down her face. Her hands fell to the floor, lifeless and trembling.

Outside, buried beneath rubble at the edge of the battlefield, Alexander stirred.

His system reactivated weakly, blinking red.

[EMERGENCY MODE ENGAGED — CORE FAILURE PENDING]

[HEART RATE: CRITICAL — SHADOW SYNCHRONIZATION: 17%]

He coughed blood and pushed off the wreckage. Every movement sent lances of pain through his limbs. Dust caked his hair, blood coated his armor.

He felt it—the rupture in space-time. The bending of reality. The pull of the Time Stone.

He stood slowly, swaying. His armor sparked and flickered. Shadows clung to him loosely, like tattered smoke.

[STABILITY: 6% — SHADOW CORE UNSTABLE]

[SYSTEM POWER: 4% REMAINING]

Still, he moved.

He limped to a clear patch of land and opened a gate. The effort made him fall to one knee. The portal screeched with instability, trembling as he forced it open through willpower alone.

He stepped through.

He emerged inside the lab just as Thanos stood over Vision's body.

Wanda lay on the ground, broken. Shuri was silent, frozen in disbelief. Noctis couldn't rise. Wong's hand twitched faintly but he remained unconscious.

Thanos held the Gauntlet aloft—six Stones now shining in place. A quiet hum reverberated around the room. The glow bathed the lab in kaleidoscopic hues.

Alexander's voice came from the smoke.

"Not while I breathe."

Thanos turned slowly.

He was surprised.

Alexander's body was cracked, his face pale, his shadows twitching uncontrollably. He could barely remain upright, but his eyes were lit with defiance.

"You should be dead," Thanos said.

"Get in line," Alexander growled, teeth bloodied but still clenched.

He summoned every last drop of shadow he could muster. Darkness surged from his chest, forming jagged armor across his shoulders, back, and arms.

[OVERCLOCK ENGAGED — FINAL LIMIT BREACHED]

[WARNING: NEURAL FEEDBACK LOOP IMMINENT]

His body ignited in a storm of black fire. The lab filled with the sound of his system screaming. Red and black arcs of energy raced across the walls.

The shadows howled like beasts. They encased his limbs, snaked up his spine, formed a mantle behind his shoulders. His voice deepened, distorted by the raw energy.

Thanos raised the Gauntlet.

Alexander ran.

One final charge.

The lab trembled as darkness met infinity. The screen of light and shadow enveloped them both.

To be continued.

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