"What's going on, Alex Ray? Have you completely eliminated the threat of Thanos?" Wanda and her group flew down anxiously into the massive crater formed by the explosion.
Smoke and debris filled the pit, making visibility difficult. Through the haze, they could just make out the silhouette at the bottom. When they saw that only Alex Ray remained standing, unease and expectation grew in their hearts.
Alex stood silently, surrounded by the wreckage of battle. His expression was grave, burdened by more than just fatigue.
He slowly lifted his head and said quietly, "Thanos... is indeed dead."
Strange furrowed his brows in confusion. "Then why do you look so grim? This should be our moment of victory."
Fat Thor gave Alex a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Come on, man, lighten up! You're our hero! Not only did you defeat one Thanos—you took out a second one from another universe. That's badass, warrior!"
He pumped his fist in celebration, trying to lift Alex's spirits.
Bruce Banner stepped forward, eyes full of genuine gratitude. "Alex, you're a godsend. You saved our world—thank you." He reached out for a hug, but Alex subtly sidestepped it.
Without another word, Alex turned and began leading them out of the pit.
At the top, a crowd of Avengers awaited their return.
The moment Alex emerged, the team gathered around him, expressions filled with admiration and respect. Several Wakandan warriors, their gazes glowing with awe, looked at him like a living legend—some even winked playfully at him.
Meanwhile, system notifications flooded his mind:
"Congratulations, host. T'Challa has successfully added you as a friend."
"Congratulations, host. The Wong has successfully added you as a friend."
"Congratulations, host. Stephen Strange's favorability has reached maximum level."
"Congratulations, host. Tony Stark's friendship level has reached 5 stars."
"Congratulations, host..."
Alex, however, was oblivious to all of it. His mind was elsewhere.
Had he seen those notifications, he might have snapped and gone on a killing spree again.
His thoughts were consumed by a much more troubling issue—someone had stolen the Infinity Stone from their universe. And that someone was powerful. Too powerful.
He had to admit—this mysterious individual outclassed him. Even at full throttle, Alex couldn't keep up with them.
And in this universe, very few beings were faster or stronger than him.
He asked himself again and again—had he offended anyone powerful enough to pull this off? Or was this not about him, but rather the Infinity Stones?
But the Infinity Stones weren't all-powerful—not to those operating at the multiversal level. To them, the Stones were toys.
If multiversal titans truly desired the Stones, there would never have been a Thanos to begin with—and the TVA wouldn't have drawers full of them like discarded trinkets.
What worried Alex more was the possibility that the thief wasn't from their universe at all. That would make tracking the last two Stones exponentially more difficult.
Thanks to the Power Stone now in his possession, he only needed one more—the Soul Stone. The system had already collected the energy of five Stones.
If things had gone as planned, the system upgrade would have been complete by now with just two more in hand.
But this abrupt twist had derailed everything. For the first time, Alex had been caught off guard.
He kept this loss hidden from the Avengers and his allies in Hell's Kitchen. Telling them about a multiverse-level threat would only sow panic—they had no means to deal with such a being.
He needed to investigate alone. Whoever dared steal from him had violated the most sacred rule of Hell's Kitchen:
"Steal from me, and you'll pay back tenfold—with blood."
At that moment, Spider-Man 2099—leader of the Spider-Man Alliance—walked over and clapped Alex on the shoulder. "Alright, our job's done. Time for us to head back—the Spider-Verse still needs us."
Behind him stood more than 200 Spider-People: Penny Parker, Aunt May (Spider-Verse version), Iron Spider, Zhang Parker, and countless others.
Alex looked at them, overwhelmed with gratitude. He repressed the fury boiling within him over the theft and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, all of you. It's your courage that helped us survive this. As a token of our appreciation, each of you will receive a gold bar—courtesy of Tony Stark and King T'Challa. I doubt they'll object."
The older Tony Stark and T'Challa exchanged a glance, then nodded in agreement.
They understood that these Spider-Men had risked everything. Their help had been invaluable.
A gold bar might sound extravagant—but to Tony Stark, it was pocket change. And to Black Panther, king of a nation rich in vibranium, it was less than a pittance. Honestly, had Alex not insisted on gold, T'Challa might have handed out vibranium bars instead.
When the Spider-Men heard the news, the cheers erupted. Most of them were broke—this was a massive windfall.
Wong stepped forward and opened a portal, allowing Tony and T'Challa to retrieve the gold.
When the Spider-Men held the bars in their hands, their faces lit up like children on Christmas morning.
This wasn't just a reward—it was recognition of their bravery, their selflessness.
Then Spider-Man 2099 turned to Doctor Strange.
His eyes were sharp, full of warning. "Doctor Strange, remember what I said—don't mess with the multiverse. Every universe matters. We can't risk destroying one because of our own pride or desires."
With that, he led his Spider-Men back through the portal to their respective universes, leaving Strange standing there—silent, contemplative.
"...So, are we leaving too?" someone finally asked.
"Not yet," Alex said. "There's still something I need to do... and someone I need to talk to—me, in another universe."
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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