Chapter 401 Successfully Arrived on Earth!
Drax sat in the corner, eyes closed. The injury on his abdomen made his complexion somewhat pale, but his breathing was much steadier than before.
Mantis sat beside him, one hand resting on his shoulder, using her powers to ease his pain.
Her antennae swayed gently in the breeze of the energy field, and the expression on her face was calm.
It was not that she lacked emotions, but rather that she had converted all her emotions into healing for Drax.
Groot lay at the doorway of the engine room, and new tender shoots began to grow from the wound of his severed arm.
Very small, very thin, and tender green, they looked exceptionally fragile in the golden energy light, but they were growing.
Groot's vitality was stronger than that of any tree; as long as even a single branch remained alive, he would grow back.
Quill looked at the flowing colors outside the window, thinking of Gamora.
She had once sat in the pilot's seat of the benatar, looking at a starlit sky like this with him countless times.
Not the colored lines during faster-than-light travel, but the quiet, slowly moving starlit sky during ordinary navigation.
She always sat in the copilot's seat, her legs propped up on the console.
Holding a cup of alien drink of unknown origin in her hand, her green face bore no expression.
He asked her, "What are you thinking about?"
She said, "Nothing at all."
He said, "Impossible, you're always thinking about things."
She said, "I'm wondering where I will go if one day I don't have to fight anymore."
He said, "You can stay here."
She turned her head to look at him, something flashing in her black eyes.
She said, "This isn't'somewhere', this is a spaceship."
He said, "To me, this is home."
She didn't speak again, but the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.
It wasn't a smile, but rather the expression of "you said something stupid, but I couldn't be bothered to refute you".
He loved that expression to death.
Quill closed his eyes.
"Gamora," he said inwardly, "wait for me."
The golden energy field lit up for a moment, then dimmed again.
Carol's voice came from outside, as clear as if she were speaking right beside his ear.
"About to enter the Solar System, decelerating."
The spaceship shook violently, and Quill's body was thrown forward by inertia.
But the energy field supported him like a giant hand, gently placing him back in his original position.
The colored lines outside the window began to slow down, turning from lines into dots, and from dots into the familiar starlit sky.
The Sun, Mars, the asteroid belt, and then Earth.
When that blue Planet appeared in his field of vision, Quillheard Rocket gasp.
Not out of surprise or admiration; Rocket wasn't the kind of person who would be moved by a Planet's beautiful scenery.
His gasp was because he saw Earth's energy signature from space.
Countless energy signals rose from Earth's surface, emanating from cities and facilities hidden within the mountains.
Forming a complex, multi-layered energy network around Earth.
"This Planet," Rocket said, "is very well protected."
"Yes," Carol's voice came.
"There are many powerful beings on Earth, the Avengers, the Sorcerer Supreme, and also..."
She paused for a moment.
"Loren Morgan."
Quill had never heard this name before.
But when Carol said this name, her tone underwent a subtle change.
"Who is he?" Quill asked.
"The most powerful being on Earth.
Some say he is a Godfather-level powerhouse of this era, and some say his power has already surpassed Odin and Ancient One.
He collected five Infinity Stones in the past year, two more than Thanos."
Quill's eyes widened.
"Four Infinity Stones? By himself?"
"By himself, but he isn't our enemy, at least not for now.
He resisted the Skrulls' invasion, stopped one of Thanos's minions, and protected Earth.
But he also hasn't joined the Avengers, hasn't sworn allegiance to anyone, and hasn't accepted command from any organization.
He is an independent, unpredictable force controlled by no one."
The energy field began to contract, the golden light gradually faded, and the benatar was re-exposed to the vacuum of space.
Earth rotated below, its blue atmosphere casting a soft halo under the sunlight.
Carol flew to the side of the benatar, reached out, and gently pushed the spaceship toward Earth.
The spaceship began to enter the atmosphere, and the heat generated by friction turned the spaceship's hull glowing red.
But Carol kept flying alongside it, her energy field protecting the spaceship to prevent it from disintegrating in the atmosphere.
"Prepare for landing," Carol said.
The benatar passed through the clouds, seeing the ocean below.
Blue, boundless blue, different from the blue in space.
The blue in space was cold, dead, and devoid of temperature.
The blue of this ocean was alive, flowing, and shimmering with countless spots of light under the sunlight.
Quill stared at that ocean for a few seconds, then withdrew his gaze, because he couldn't keep looking.
If he kept looking, he would think of Gamora's eyes, and Gamora's eyes were a different color from this ocean.
Carol guided the spaceship to fly toward land.
She chose New York, not because it was the safest landing spot, but because it was the stronghold of the Avengers.
If Thanos was going to come to Earth, he would come here, because the Infinity Stones were here.
And if Thanos was going to come here, the Avengersneeded to know what they were facing.
The benatar landed in an open space, its landing gear crushing a few floor tiles, and the stirred-up dust formed a golden mist in the sunlight.
The engines died, and this time they were truly dead.
Not because energy was exhausted, but because this spaceship had finally completed its mission and needed to rest.
The hatch opened.
Quill was the first to walk out.
His right leg still hurt a bit, but he didn't use a cane and didn't let anyone help him.
He limped down the gangway and stepped onto Earth's soil.
The scent of soil rushed into his nasal cavity—not the soil of an alien Planet, nor the recirculated air inside the spaceship.
It was the genuine scent of soil belonging to a living Planet.
Damp, warm, carrying the fragrance of grass and flowers.
He was born on Earth, grew up on Earth, and was then taken away from Earth, drifting in the Universe for more than thirty years.
He thought he would never return.
Rocket walked out behind him, dust staining the bandage on his severed arm, his black eyes curiously appraising everything around him.
When Groot walked out, his tender shoots swayed gently in the breeze, as if greeting Earth's wind.
When Drax walked out, he took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
The expression on his face was like he was tasting some flavor he didn't know how to evaluate.
When Mantis walked out, her antennae trembled violently.
She was sensing the emotional states of all life on this Planet; there were so, so many, so many that she felt a bit dizzy.
Carol walked out last.
Her red and blue uniform appeared exceptionally bright under Earth's sunlight.
Her golden hair fluttered in the breeze, her blue eyes sweeping over the surrounding buildings and streets.
In the distance, several cars were driving over.
Black SUVs, unmarked, with dark windows, making it impossible to see the people inside.
The cars stopped around the benatar, the doors opened, and a group of people stepped out.
Leading them was a one-eyed man wearing a black suit.
Nick Fury.
Chapter 402: A Rather Bad Piece of News
He walked over to Carol, his single eye gazing at her with no change in expression on his face.
There was no welcome, no hostility, only a calm that seemed to say, "You've finally arrived."
"Captain Marvel," Fury said.
"Fury," Carol said.
"You brought a ship full of aliens to Earth."
"They are the Guardians of the Galaxy, and they're here to help."
Fury's single eye turned to Quill, looking him up and down.
Quill instinctively puffed out his chest, wanting to make himself look more like a hero?
He didn't know.
But in front of Nick Fury, he felt like a child caught stealing something.
"Peter Quill, Star-Lord, Earthling, taken away from Earthover thirty years ago, I didn't expect to see you come back."
Quill's mouth opened, then closed.
"You... how do you know all this?"
"I am Nick Fury, and I know many things."
He turned around and walked toward the SUV.
"Follow me, the Avengers are waiting for you, and there are many things that need to be explained, while time is running out."
Quill stood in place, watching Fury's retreating figure, looking at those black SUVs, and looking at the distant New York skyline.
Those towering buildings, those glass curtain walls glittering in the Sun, those landmarks that had existed when he left over thirty years ago.
He was back.
Earth.
His home.
But Gamora was not here.
He turned around, looking at the benatar, looking at that scarred spaceship that had accompanied him for many years.
Its engines still radiated residual warmth, its hull still bore the marks of Thanos's fingers, and its cabin still echoed with Gamora's last words.
"I'm sorry."
Quill closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Then he opened his eyes and walked toward the SUV.
Carol watched his retreating figure, something flashing in her blue eyes.
She turned and looked at the sky, Earth's sky, blue, with white clouds, flying birds, and the Sun.
It was very beautiful.
But she knew that beyond that blue, deep within that starry sky, Thanos was flying toward here.
Carol walked into the SUV and closed the car door.
The motorcade started up and drove toward the Avengersheadquarters.
On the other side of Earth, in the study of Morgan Manor, Loren put down the book in his hand, his gray eyes looking out the window.
His gaze pierced through the walls, through the trees, and through the city.
Landing on that black SUV driving toward the Avengersheadquarters.
"It looks like another storm is coming," he said.
Alice stood behind him, the gemstone between her eyebrows flashing with blue light.
"Master, do we need to make a move?" she asked.
Loren was silent for a moment before speaking, "Not for now, let's wait and see how things develop!"
The Avengers headquarters was located in upstate New York, on a land surrounded by forests and lakes.
From the outside, it looked like an ordinary industrial park.
Low-key gray buildings, inconspicuous walls, and a gate without any logo.
But behind that door, in the multi-story underground structure.
It hid Earth's most advanced defense systems and the operational Base of the most powerful heroes.
The black SUV passed through the gate and drove into the underground parking lot.
The car door opened, and Quill stepped down, his feet stepping on the cement floor with a dull sound.
He looked around, and various models of vehicles were parked in the parking lot.
From ordinary sedans to military armored vehicles, the tails of a few quinjets were also visible protruding from a hangar in the distance.
Fury walked at the very front, his pace so fast as if he were catching a train.
Carol followed behind him, her blue eyes sweeping over every door, every camera, and every sensor on both sides of the corridor.
Her perception told her that there were over two hundred armed personnel and dozens of energy sources in this building.
As well as at least three presences she could not immediately analyze clearly.
"Your weapons must be temporarily surrendered," Furysaid without turning his head.
"No way, this is my gun, I built it with my own hands, no one is taking it away," Rocket instantly bristled.
"Then don't go in." Fury stopped, turned around, and looked at Rocket with his single eye.
Rocket opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but Carolglanced at him.
That gaze carried no threat, no command, just a calm and objective expression of a fact: listen to him.
Rocket snorted and placed his energy rifle on the weapon rack at the door.
He then unbuckled the grenades, daggers, and energy magazines from his waist one by one, piling them into a small hill.
Groot spread his empty palms, indicating that he didn't bring any weapons.
Drax placed his dual blades—one of which had been broken by Thanos, leaving only one intact—
on the weapon rack, his movements very slow, as if saying goodbye to an old friend.
Mantis had no weapons.
Quill placed his two elemental blasters on the weapon rack, then pulled out the dagger in his boot and placed it on top.
Then he placed the micro energy projector on his lower back, and the built-in communicator on his collar.
Fury looked at that pile of things, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
At the end of the corridor was a heavy metal door.
Fury pressed his fingerprint on the panel by the door, entered the password, passed the iris scan, and the door slowly opened.
The conference room was large, but at the moment it appeared a bit crowded.
Sitting on one side of the long table was Tony Stark.
He wasn't wearing armor, wearing only a gray T-shirt and jeans, holding a cup of coffee in his hand, with deep dark circles under his eyes.
His gaze moved from Fury to Carol, from Carol to Quill, and finally landed on Rocket.
A talking raccoon.
His eyebrow twitched, but he didn't say anything.
Steve Rogers stood at the other end of the long table, his hands resting on the tabletop, his blue eyes watching every person who walked in.
His right shoulder was still wrapped in bandages; the injuries left from the last battle with the Skrulls had not fully healed.
But his posture remained that characteristic uprightness of a soldier, like a pine tree that couldn't be blown down by the wind.
Natasha Romanoff sat in the corner, her red hair hanging over her shoulders.
She looked at Quill, her green eyes narrowing slightly; she was evaluating this person, evaluating his combat power and his weaknesses.
This was her instinct, as natural as breathing.
Bruce Banner stood in front of the window, his back to the crowd, looking at the woods outside the window.
His physique was much more muscular than before, and he had reached some kind of reconciliation with Hulk.
Now he could control Hulk's body with human consciousness, becoming a perfect The Composite Being.
He didn't turn around, but his ears were listening, not missing a single word.
Sam Wilson leaned against the wall, arms crossed, wearing those iconic flight goggles on his head.
He looked at Quill, then at Rocket, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
It wasn't mockery, but a kind of helplessness that "the World is getting weirder and weirder."
There were a few others: War Machine Rhodes, Okoye (representative of Wakanda).
Fury walked to the head of the long table, didn't sit down, just stood there, looking at everyone with his single eye.
"This is Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel," he pointed at Carol.
"This is Peter Quill, Star-Lord, and his Guardians of the Galaxy."
"They just came back from the depths of the Universe, bringing some rather bad news."
Carol stepped forward, standing at one end of the long table, her blue eyes sweeping over everyone present.
She made no small talk, no self-introduction, not a single word of nonsense.
"Thanos is rushing toward Earth, and he has two Infinity Stones in his hands," she said.
The air in the conference room froze.
Chapter 403: Since Loren is willing to make a move, there is no need to worry!
"The Power Stone and the Soul Stone," Carol continued.
"He seized the Power Stone from Quill's hands, and then traded the life of his adopted daughter Gamora for the Soul Stone.
He is currently on his way to Earth, and his target is the remaining four Infinity Stones: Space, Reality, Time, and Mind."
Tony put down his coffee cup.
"You said he traded his adopted daughter's life for the Soul Stone. Does that mean to get the Soul Stone, one must kill the person they love most?"
"Yes."
Tony fell silent. He looked at his hand resting on the desk, his fingers curling slightly before straightening out.
Steve looked at him with a complex expression in his blue eyes; he knew what Tony was thinking.
If one day he had to face that kind of choice, could he do it?
Could he sacrifice Pepper?
Could he sacrifice anyone he cared about?
"That maniac," Tony finally spoke, his voice very soft, yet every word nailed itself into the air.
"He wants to kill half of the Universe's population?"
"Yes," Carol said. "He believes the Universe has limited resources and overpopulation, and the only solution is to randomly eradicate half of all life.
The Infinity Stones allow him to accomplish this in an instant—with a snap of his fingers, half of all life turns to ashes."
"Then why doesn't he just double the resources?" Samasked. "With the Infinity Stones, what can't be done?"
"Because he's a madman. A madman's logic doesn't need to be reasonable, it only needs to be self-consistent."
"Now is not the time to delve into these things. The current focus is how to deal with this madman.
He has a powerful interstellar fleet called the Black Order, and his subordinates also include the Black Ordergenerals.
Supergiant, Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, Black Dwarf, and Corvus Glaive—each of them is a powerhouse in the Universe.
His army is one of the most powerful military forces in the Universe, and the civilizations of countless Planets have perished at the hands of his subordinates."
Carol said with a solemn expression.
"We are not those Planets," Tony said.
Quill stood at the doorway, having remained silent all along.
His hands were shoved into his pockets, and the pain in his right leg made his body tilt slightly.
But his eyes remained fixed on the large screen on the wall, which was playing Thanos's profile files.
A purple face, amber eyes, and a golden gauntlet.
His fingers clenched into fists inside his pockets, his nails sinking into his palms.
"I have a question," Quill said.
Everyone's gazes turned toward him.
"How do you plan to fight?"
The conference room fell silent for a second.
"Strategic defense. Thanos is coming to Earth, and he must pass through outside the atmosphere.
We have orbital defense platforms and starships; we can intercept him before he enters the atmosphere."
"What if you can't intercept him?" Quill asked.
"Then ground defense. Wakanda's energy shield is the strongest in the World—no, the strongest defense system on Earth.
We can set the battlefield in Wakanda, use the shield to block his army, and concentrate our forces to deal with Thanos himself."
"Can you deal with Thanos himself?" Quill's voice was not loud, but the question pierced the center of the meeting like a knife.
Silence.
Carol spoke up: "I can."
Everyone looked at her.
"One person is not enough. The power of the Infinity Stones is no small matter," Tony said, shaking his head.
"It would be great if that guy was willing to make a move!" At this time, Nick Fury said meaningfully.
"Don't worry, his people will make a move," Carol suddenly spoke up.
"How do you know?" Nick Fury looked at Carol with curiosity on his face.
"Because they are already here."
Just as Carol's voice fell, a dimensional portal suddenly appeared in front of them.
Then, a young blonde woman walked out of the portal.
She was wearing a black jacket and jeans, her blue eyes as calm as two mirrors.
Behind her followed a blue-haired young girl, barefoot, wearing a white dress, with no emotion in her golden eyes.
The arrivals were none other than 18 and Nymph.
Seeing the two descend, the Avengers members present all took a step back together, because the sense of oppression 18 gave them was simply too strong.
18 glanced at everyone in the conference room, then expressionlessly pulled a small device out of her pocket and placed it on the desktop.
The device automatically unfolded, projecting a holographic star map—a star map of the Solar System.
In the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, dense red dots were moving.
That was Thanos's fleet, hundreds of warships, closing in on Earth.
"In three days, Thanos's fleet will arrive in Earth's orbit. By then, the war will begin, you better get ready!"
Tony stood up from his chair.
"May I ask, will Loren make a move?"
"My Master has more important things to do, and he doesn't have time to deal with this matter.
However, a mere Thanos is enough for me alone to handle!"
18 said with a calm expression, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.
"!!!" Hearing 18's words, everyone present was shocked.
They never expected that the woman in front of them would be so confident.
You must know that the other party is a cosmic overlord who has destroyed countless Planets!
Yet right now, in her mouth, he was like an insignificant figure—this was simply baffling!
After finishing, 18 didn't care about their reaction and turned around to walk directly into the portal. She seemed to have come specifically to deliver the message.
At this time, Nymph looked at them with a smile and said, "We came over just to tell you guys to relax.
A mere Thanos can't stir up any big waves, no need to worry. What you should really worry about are existences even stronger than him."
Finished speaking, Nymph followed 18's footsteps and walked into the portal, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
From their appearance to their departure, the whole process took no more than one minute, leaving the S.H.I.E.L.D. members present unable to react in time.
Watching the so arrogant 18 and Nymph, Quill looked at Nick Fury with a curious expression.
"These two women, are they very strong?"
"More than just simple strength, they are a bunch of monsters. Since they are making a move, then I can rest easy. This meeting doesn't need to continue."
"What do you mean? Can they beat Thanos, who has two stones?"
"Rest assured, by then they will definitely beat the crap out of Thanos!"
Natasha looked relaxed and wasn't worried at all anymore.
Tony sat back down in his chair, picked up his coffee cup, and took a sip.
"Although Loren's people are willing to make a move, we still need to prepare well, at least to deal with those small fries!"
Fury nodded. "That's right, Tony, is your armor upgrade finished?"
"Still working on it. That EMP device the Skrulls used made me realize my electromagnetic shielding is way too outdated.
I'm redesigning the entire power distribution system; three days will be enough!"
Chapter 404: The Calm Before the Storm!
"Natasha, you and Clint are in charge of communicating with the World's defense systems."
Natasha nodded.
"Steve, you will formulate the ground combat plan.
Wakanda's shield is our last line of defense, but if the shield is breached, we will need multiple retreat routes and backup positions."
"Carol, you are in space; your mission is to delay the fleet for as long as possible.
If possible, find Thanos's flagship and launch a direct attack."
Carol nodded.
"Quill." Fury turned around and looked at Quill. "You will fight on the ground with the Avengers.
You have experience in cosmic combat and firsthand knowledge of Thanos's tactics. I need you to turn this experience into concrete tactical advice."
Quill did not speak, simply nodding.
"Three days." Fury repeated, his single eye sweeping across everyone.
"In three days, let them truly witness what we are capable of!"
He turned and walked out of the conference room.
The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor, growing fainter and fainter.
Over the next three days, Avengers Headquartersoperated like a tightly wound machine, with every single part running at high speed.
Tony never left the laboratory.
His Mark L armor was disassembled into nanoparticles, hovering above the holographic workbench like a flowing cloud of red and gold.
His fingers swiped through the air, and every component of the armor reorganized and reorganized again under his command.
His dark circles were deeper than three days ago, and next to his coffee cup were a dozen empty cups and a few half-eaten sandwiches.
His hair was as messy as a bird's nest, but his eyes were bright—that kind of brightness that only appeared in the excitement of creation.
Jarvis's voice echoed in the laboratory, calmly reporting each test result.
"Electromagnetic shielding efficiency increased by three hundred percent, and dynamic frequency switching reached twelve hundred times per second.
Resistance to EMP attacks has been raised to the theoretical maximum, thruster energy efficiency increased by fifteen percent, and top speed increased by eight percent."
"Enough." Tony interrupted Jarvis, his voice hoarse.
"Tell me the most crucial thing: how many punches from Thanos can this new armor withstand?"
Jarvis fell silent for half a second.
"Based on existing combat power data models for Thanos, the impact resistance of the Mark LII armor is approximately twice that of the Mark L model.
But Thanos possesses the Power Stone. According to comprehensive calculations, Sir, your survival probability in front of Thanos is..."
"I don't want to hear probabilities," Tony said.
He turned off Jarvis's voice feedback and continued working.
Steve was in the training room.
He didn't use punching bags or any training equipment.
He just stood there, holding the shield straps with both hands, his eyes closed.
His breathing was slow and steady, synchronized with his heartbeat.
He was meditating—not meditation in the sense of Eastern philosophy, but a warrior's meditation.
He was clearing his mind, pushing all distracting thoughts aside.
Bucky's death, the rift with Tony, and the fear of the future were all pushed aside, leaving only the consciousness of a pure warrior.
He opened his eyes, took the shield off his back, and held it in his left hand.
He went through a series of movements.
The shield spun in his hand, flew out, and bounced back.
Changing direction in mid-air, landing on his arm, and flying out again.
His body moved along the trajectory of the shield, his footsteps as light as gliding on ice.
Every turn, every jump, and every landing was precise down to the centimeter.
When he performed these movements, he didn't think about anything.
His body knew what to do.
Decades of combat experience, from the alleys of Brooklynto the battlefields of Europe, from Washington to Siberia.
From Earth to outer space, had carved every movement into his bones.
What he needed to do now wasn't to learn something new, but to let his body remember what it already knew.
Natasha was not at headquarters.
She was in a safehouse in Moscow, sitting in front of an old computer, her fingers tapping on the keyboard.
Countless windows flashed across the screen, each window representing a piece of intelligence—some analyzed from satellite imagery.
Some bought from black-market intelligence brokers.
And some stolen from the internal database of some intelligence agency whose name she had already forgotten.
Rocket was in the underground armory.
The armory at Avengers Headquarters was one of the largest collections of paranormal weapons and advanced technology in the World.
There were alien energy rifles, experimental weapons left behind by HYDRA, and wreckage of early model armor belonging to Iron Man.
There were design blueprints for Captain America's shield and an upgraded version of Black Widow's baton.
Rocket squatted in the center of the armory, surrounded by weapons he had taken apart or was preparing to take apart.
His severed arm had been completely healed by a medical spray produced in Wakanda.
This spray could heal bone cracks and fractures within twenty-four hours, making it a scarce commodity even in Wakanda.
His left arm was wrapped in blue bandages, but he could already move it.
His claws shuttled through the internal wiring of an energy rifle, soldering a wire to another spot where it shouldn't be welded.
Then he clamped down on a new wire with his mouth, connecting it to a third position.
At this moment, he was more focused than ever, staring at the weapon he was modifying, the sparks of electric welding reflecting in his pupils.
"I am Groot."
Groot sat in the corner of the armory, new tender shoots already growing from his severed arm—tender green, small, but full of vitality.
He held a small knife in his hand, carving something into a piece of wood.
Not a weapon, but a small humanoid wooden carving.
"What are you carving?" Rocket asked without raising his head.
"I am Groot," Groot said.
Rocket's hand paused for a moment.
Then he continued working, his voice growing a bit softer.
"She'll like it," he said.
Groot didn't speak, just continued carving.
Drax was in the training room with Steve.
He didn't use weapons; one of his double blades had already broken, and he didn't plan to use the remaining one either.
He was using his fists.
He stood opposite Steve, his body over two meters tall acting like a wall.
His hands clenched into fists, a nearly fanatical fighting spirit burning in his grey eyes.
"Come," he said.
Steve did not stand on ceremony.
He rushed forward, the shield spinning in his hand as he slashed toward Drax's side ribs.
Drax didn't dodge, taking the blow head-on with his abdomen.
The edge of the shield cut about a centimeter into his skin, and blood flowed out, but he didn't retreat.
He grabbed the edge of the shield, pulled hard to draw Steve toward him, and then smashed his other fist toward Steve's head.
Steve tilted his head to dodge, the fist brushing past his ear, the rush of wind making his eardrums ring.
He let go of the shield, grabbed Drax's arms with both hands, and used the leverage to flip over.
He clamped his legs around Drax's neck, then twisted with all his might.
Drax's body was thrown off balance by the twist, falling toward the ground, but he didn't fall over.
He propped himself up on the ground with his other hand, flinging Steve off his neck.
Steve flipped in mid-air, landing on one knee with one hand braced on the ground.
He raised his head and looked at Drax.
Drax's abdomen was bleeding, and the skin on his neck was bruised purple from Steve's legs.
But his breathing was steady, his gaze was stable, and his body was as hard as rock.
"Your strength is greater than the data shows," Drax said.
"Your impact resistance is stronger than the data shows," Steve said.
Drax laughed.
That was the first time Steve had seen him smile—a pure smile, bordering on ecstatic joy regarding combat itself.
"Again," Drax said.
Steve stood up and picked up the shield.
"Again."
Chapter 405: They Are Coming!
Mantis was in the garden.
There was a small garden on the grounds of Avengers Headquarters, planted by Bruce Banner.
It wasn't because he liked gardening, but because he found that staying with plants could lower his heart rate.
Mantis crouched in the center of the garden, her antennae swaying gently in the breeze, her fingers touching the soil, feeling the emotions of the plants.
Do plants have emotions?
Most people would say no.
But Mantis knew that plants had emotions.
Not the complex emotions of humans, but a more primitive, purer emotion, like a heartbeat.
They knew that the Sun was good, knew that Water was good, and knew that being trampled was bad.
They couldn't speak or think, but they could feel.
Mantis closed her eyes, letting the emotions of those plants flood into her body.
Not to soothe, not to heal, but to synchronize her own emotions with the emotions of the plants.
Synchronizing her heart rate with the growth cycle of the plants, and synchronizing her consciousness with the breath of Earth.
She was preparing.
She didn't know what she could do after Thanos came.
She was not a warrior, her body was weak, and her abilities were of almost no use in battle.
But she knew that if anyone was still bleeding, still in pain, and still fearful after the battle ended,
she would need all her power to help them.
So she was here, crouching in the garden, touching the soil, making her power deeper, wider, and closer to the essence of Earth.
Carol was in space.
She hovered in Earth's orbit, about four hundred kilometers above the ground, with the blue and white Planet rotating slowly beneath her feet.
She closed her eyes, her hands hanging naturally, her body rotating slowly in the microgravity environment.
Her consciousness extended deep into the Universe, passing through the asteroid belt, through Jupiter's orbit, and through Saturn's rings.
Extending all the way to the location where Thanos's fleet was located.
She saw them.
Hundreds of warships, black and cone-shaped, arranged in a huge arrowhead formation, were pushing towards the interior of the Solar System.
They were moving very fast, faster than most spaceships; at this speed, they would reach Earth in two days.
In the center of the fleet was a flagship several times larger than all the warships combined; that was Thanos's throne.
Carol opened her eyes.
Her blue eyes lit up in space, and golden energy flowed beneath her skin like magma flowing beneath the Earth's crust.
Her body emitted a glow, not reflecting the sunlight, but becoming a light source herself.
A small but incomparably bright star.
She clenched her fists.
"Come on," she whispered.
Sound could not travel in a vacuum, but her will resonated across the Universe.
Three days passed in a flash.
On the morning of the third day.
The sky over northern New York was gray-blue, and the low clouds pressed down on the hills like an unmade quilt.
The wind was strong, blowing the woods to rustle like tens of millions of palms clapping against each other.
The alarm sounded at Avengers Headquarters.
It was not a test, not an exercise, but a real, red, full-power alarm.
The lights flickered in the corridor, red light dancing on the white walls like a heartbeat.
Everyone's communicators rang at the same time, not with a sound, but with a message consisting of only four words.
"They are coming."
Carol's voice rang out in the communication channel, cold, hard, and clear like a scalpel.
"The fleet has crossed Mars's orbit, and the vanguard is entering the atmosphere in large numbers."
Tony rushed out of the laboratory, the armor already worn on his body.
Not Mark L, but the new Mark LII.
Red and gold nanoparticles covered his entire body, the mask closed, and his red eyes lit up.
He didn't speak, but just rushed to the hangar and jumped onto a quinjet.
Steve ran out of the training room with his shield on his back, sweat soaking his T-shirt.
He didn't change clothes; there was no time.
He put on his combat suit, blue, white, and red, with the Stars and Stripes on his chest.
His blue eyes looked at the door at the end of the corridor, and behind the door was the sky.
Natasha rushed out from the communication room, still holding an unhung satellite phone.
Her red hair was blown messy by the wind, and there were traces of staying up late on her face, but her eyes were bright.
The kind of blade-like brightness that only appeared before a battle.
"The global defense system has been activated," she said in the communication channel.
Rocket ran out of the armory, carrying an energy cannon three times larger than his body on his back.
That was the ultimate weapon he pieced together using all available parts in the armory.
His paws gripped the handle of the cannon, and the blue bandage on his severed arm fluttered in the wind.
"Who wants to try this?" he shouted, the sharpness in his voice replaced by a nearly frantic excitement.
Groot followed behind him, holding a wooden spear grown from his own branches.
The spearhead was a sharp wooden tip with a layer of resin-like mucus secreted by him on the surface.
His black eyes looked at the sky, and his lips moved.
"I am Groot," he said.
"Yes," Rocket replied to him, "today is a good day."
Drax walked out of the training room, his bare upper body covered with new scars.
Steve's shield had left a few deep marks on his abdomen.
But his muscles bulged beneath those scars like blocks of tightened steel.
His hands were clenched into fists, his gray eyes looking at the sky.
"Thanos," he said, his voice low, as if calling out to an old friend.
Mantis stood up from the garden, patted the soil off her skirt, and her antennae swayed gently in the wind.
There was no fear on her face, only a serene, almost pious focus.
She followed the others into the quinjet, sat in the corner, placed her hands on her knees, and closed her eyes.
Quill stood at the door of the hangar, watching the quinjets take off one by one.
He held the element blasters in his hand, spun the gun, and looked at its sheen reflected under the light.
"Gamora," he said, his voice very soft, so soft only he could hear, "wait for me."
He jumped onto the last quinjet.
Over New York, the sky split open.
This was not a metaphor; it split open literally.
The clouds were torn apart by some huge force, revealing the deep blue, burning sky behind them.
From that gap, black warship after black warship drilled out, like a swarm of insects pouring out from a nest, covering half the sky.
Wakanda's energy shield lit up on the ground, and a huge golden hemispherical energy field covered the entire city.
Enveloping Wakanda and the surrounding land within it.
Energy flowed on the surface of the shield, like ripples on the surface of Water, spreading outward wave after wave.
Chapter 406: What Kind of Ants?
The Avengers quinjet landed inside the shield, and the heroes jumped out of the cabin, standing on the soil of Wakanda.
On the ground, the army of Wakanda had already formed ranks, not an ordinary army.
It was the Dora Milaje, the border tribe, every single Wakandan who could fight with Vibranium weapons.
T'Challa stood at the very front, the Black Panther suit shimmering with a dark golden luster under the Sun.
His hands, bearing Vibranium claws, rested at his sides, his eyes watching the enemy ships descending in the sky.
"They are coming." T'Challa said.
Steve walked up to him, shield in hand.
"We are ready."
The first wave of attacks was the Outriders falling from the sky.
Not spaceships, not energy weapons, but living creatures.
Thousands of four-legged crawling monsters, with no eyes on their heads, only a mouth filled with sharp fangs.
They were dropped from the bellies of the enemy ships, falling toward the ground like raindrops, crashing into the energy shield of Wakanda, and being burned to ashes.
Then more fell onto the shield, piling up layer by layer, using their bodies to consume the shield's energy.
"They are draining the shield!" Shuri's voice came through the communicator, sharp and urgent.
"The energy consumption rate exceeds the regeneration rate, the shield will collapse within an hour!"
"Then don't let them hit the shield, open a gap for me!" Tony said.
He flew up from the quinjet, the thrusters of the Mark LII armor dragging a trail of blue exhaust flame.
He flew out through the gap opened in the shield, and the moment before those Outriders were about to hit the shield, he fired the pulse cannon on his chest.
A thick blue energy column swept across the sky, turning hundreds of Outriders into ashes, but more Outriderssurged out from the enemy ships.
Falling into the territory of Wakanda along the gap.
Carol swooped down from the higher sky, her entire body like a golden meteor, crashing into the dense area of the Outriders.
The golden energy field around her body burned all living creatures it touched to ashes.
She wove through the wave of Outriders like a hot knife cutting through butter.
"Too many!" She shouted in the communicator.
Rocket climbed up the walls of Wakanda, placing that huge energy cannon on the battlements.
He aimed at the largest enemy ship in the sky and pressed the launch button.
An energy beam as thick as a tree trunk shot out from the muzzle, hitting the belly of the enemy ship, penetrating its armor, and piercing out from the bow.
The enemy ship exploded, and fragments fell like rain.
"One shot, dead on!" Rocket shouted, "Who is the best weapons expert in the Milky Way Galaxy?"
Groot stood beside him, a wooden spear spinning in his hand, piercing several Outriders falling from the fragments.
His movements were precise and powerful, every stab hitting the vital point, and every pulling action clean and neat.
Drax stood on the ground, fighting the Outriders bare-handed.
Every strike of his fist could smash the head of an Outrider, and every kick of his foot could send an Outrider's body flying.
His body was covered in the black blood of the Outriders, and his smile grew increasingly wild.
"Come on!" He shouted, "Come again! Let them all come!"
Mantis sat on the city wall, her hands placed on her knees, her antennae swaying in the air.
She did not directly participate in the battle, but her consciousness was scanning the entire battlefield, sensing the emotional state of every warrior.
She used her ability to soothe those who were injured, lessening their pain and making their fear recede.
Her power was not used on the enemy, but on her comrades.
Natasha and Hawkeye stood back-to-back on the streets of Wakanda, the two of them moving quickly amidst the wave of Outriders.
Their cooperation was seamless, like a precision machine that had been running for years.
Steve ran across the battlefield, his shield spinning in his hand, knocking down Outriders one by one.
He was not just killing enemies; he was looking for a breakthrough, a route that could allow him to rush in front of Thanos.
Because as long as Thanos was still around, these Outriders would keep pouring in endlessly, impossible to finish off.
Then, the sky grew darker.
Not more enemy ships, but something even larger.
Thanos's flagship pierced through the clouds, its huge hull blocking the Sun, casting a shadow on the ground that covered all of Wakanda.
The main cannon at the bow was charging, and the energy glow at the muzzle changed from blue to white, and from white to a dazzling white-gold that made people unable to look directly at it.
"Everyone take cover!" Carol shouted.
The main cannon fired.
The energy column hit the energy shield of Wakanda, and the shield flickered violently the moment it was hit, then shattered.
It did not slowly collapse or overload, but shattered into tens of millions of golden fragments like a piece of glass smashed by a hammer.
The fragments drifted in the air like a golden snow, then vanished into thin air.
The Outriders surged in through the gap in the shield.
This time, they were no longer raining from the sky, but were a flood.
A black, surging, boundless flood poured in from every gap in the shield, engulfing the walls, streets, and buildings of Wakanda.
The warriors of the Dora Milaje met them head-on, their Vibranium spears dancing amidst the wave of Outriders.
Every stab precisely killed a monster.
But there were too many Outriders; their corpses piled up like mountains, flesh and blood mixed with soil, and the battlefield was filled with a thick smell of blood.
Carol descended from the sky and stood at the very front line.
Her golden energy field expanded to a range of tens of meters in diameter, burning all the surrounding Outridersto ashes.
Her blue eyes looked at the flagship in the sky, seeing the figure stepping out from the hull.
Thanos.
He wore golden armor, the Infinity Gauntlet on his left hand, his purple skin shimmering with a dull luster under the Sun.
His steps were very slow, every step seeming as if he were stepping on invisible stairs, walking down from the sky toward the ground.
His eyes swept across the battlefield, sweeping past the heroes fighting, finally landing on Carol.
"Captain Marvel." Thanos's voice was not loud, but the entire battlefield heard it, like the distant echo of thunder.
"I have heard of you, the guardian of universal peace, the warrior who stepped out of Earth, your power comes from the Space Stone."
Carol rose to the same altitude as Thanos, golden energy burning all over her body.
"Your power comes from stolen stones." She said.
Thanos looked down at the two stones on his gauntlet, the purple Power Stone, the orange Soul Stone.
"Stolen? I paid a price greater than you can imagine."
He walked down from the sky, landing on the ground less than twenty meters away from Carol.
"Step aside." Thanos said, "I didn't come to Earth for you; I came to take back what belongs to me, the Infinity Stones."
"They don't belong to you." Carol said.
"They belong to anyone with the courage to use them, and you do not have that courage." Thanos said coldly.
He raised the Infinity Gauntlet.
Purple light surged out from the Power Stone, condensing on his fist.
He did not throw a punch, but merely clenched his fist, and energy erupted from his fist, forming an Impact that spread outward in all directions.
Carol blocked the core of the Impact, but the aftershock of the Impact blew everyone around flying away.
Tony flew past from the air, the repulsors and missiles of the Mark LII firing simultaneously, dozens of attacks hitting Thanos's back at the same time.
Thanos did not turn around; he merely tilted his head slightly, and there were a few charred spots on the armor of his back, nothing more.
"Where did these ants come from?" Thanos said with a look of disdain.
Chapter 407: "You'll kill everyone like this!"
He extended his left hand, spread his five fingers wide, and aimed at Tony.
The Power Stone emitted a purple glow, and an invisible force grabbed Tony's armor.
It pulled him down from the air and slammed him hard onto the ground.
Tony struggled to stand up.
But that force pressed down on his body like a mountain.
Steve rushed up from the side, his shield smashing toward Thanos's head.
Thanos used his left hand, the one wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, to easily catch the shield.
The Vibranium shield collided with his gauntlet, producing a loud metallic crash.
Thanos's fingers closed, grabbing the edge of the shield, and with a forceful yank, he flung Steve away from the shield.
Steve flew more than a dozen meters, slammed into the wall of a building, slid down, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Drax pounced from behind, wrapped his arms around Thanos's waist, and tried with all his might to throw him down.
Thanos looked down at Drax, his amber eyes devoid of any emotion.
He reached out his right hand, grabbed the back of Drax's neck, and ripped him off his body like tearing off a bug.
Drax was lifted into the air and then thrown out, crashing into a group of Outriders and rolling several times through blood and mud.
"None of you ants are a match for me, so stop making meaningless struggles." Thanos said coldly.
It was neither mockery nor contempt, merely a statement of fact.
Carol rushed up again, her fist wrapped in golden energy, slamming into Thanos's face.
Thanos's head tilted slightly, a split opened at the corner of his mouth, and green blood seeped out.
He turned his head to look at Carol, and for the first time, there was a change in his eyes—not anger, but approval.
"Your strength is not bad, but that's it." As Thanos spoke, he threw a punch back.
Carol blocked with her arms, and the power of that punch blasted her flying.
She flew across half the battlefield, crashed through Wakanda's city wall, and plowed a trench hundreds of meters long on the ground.
She lay among the rubble and dirt, her arms numb and blood at the corner of her mouth, but she had not lost consciousness.
She pushed away the rubble pressing on her body, stood up, and rose into the air once more.
Thanos watched her stand up, a hint of satisfaction and approval flashing in his amber eyes.
"You didn't disappoint me," Thanos said.
He raised the Infinity Gauntlet, and the purple and orange glows lit up simultaneously.
He clenched his fist, then loosened it.
A force—not an Impact, not an energy beam, but something more fundamental and terrifying—was released from his hand.
The earth of Wakanda split open.
It was not an earthquake, nor an explosion, but rather it shattered like a watermelon under Thanos's will.
A massive fissure extended from beneath Thanos's feet, cutting the entire battlefield in half.
The superheroes and Wakanda's warriors, everyone struggled at the edge of the fissure, trying not to fall into the bottomless abyss.
Carol flew over, pressing her hands on both sides of the fissure, golden energy surging from her hands as she tried to close the fissure back up.
She managed to do a little; the fissure stopped expanding, but it didn't shrink.
Her power and Thanos's formed a stalemate here. At the intersection of the two massive energy fields, the air burned and the earth trembled.
"You are strong, but you are only one person. You can't change anything!" Thanos looked at Carol and said in a low voice.
He began walking toward Carol, every step as heavy as measuring the end of an era.
Then, a red and gold light shot from the side, striking Thanos's shoulder—it was Tony Stark's energy beam.
He moved at high speed through space in his armor, the sound of the beam colliding with Thanos's skin as dense as rain, hundreds of times per minute.
Thanos stopped.
Yet his body was completely unharmed under Tony's storm-like attacks.
"You are overreaching!" Thanos said dismissively.
Tony didn't speak; he continued attacking, even faster.
Thanos extended his left hand, trying to grab him, but Tonyslid past his fingertips like a fish slipping out of a fishing net.
"Annoying bug!"
Thanos clenched his fist, the Power Stone and Soul Stonelighting up simultaneously—not an energy attack, but a suppression on a spatial level.
The force field generated by the Infinity Gauntletenveloped Tony in an invisible cage.
His speed was slowed, his movement restricted, and he could no longer shuttle freely around Thanos.
Tony stopped, hovering a few meters away from Thanos, his armor emitting a slight hum under the pressure of the force field.
"You can go die!" Thanos raised the Infinity Gauntlet once more.
The purple light and orange light intertwined to form a massive, spinning energy orb.
The energy orb grew larger, brighter, and increasingly unstable in Thanos's hand, like a star on the verge of exploding.
Carol flew up from the edge of the fissure, golden energy wrapping around her entire body.
She saw that energy orb and knew the power of that strike.
It was enough to wipe all of Wakanda off the map, enough to kill everyone on the battlefield.
"Everyone, retreat!" she shouted into the communicator, a trace of a crack finally appearing in the calmness of her voice.
But no one retreated.
Not because they didn't want to, but because it was too late.
Thanos held up the Infinity Gauntlet, the purple Power Stone and the orange Soul Stone glowing on the back of his hand.
The lights intertwined into a massive, spinning energy orb.
The energy orb hovered above his palm, growing larger and brighter, like a star about to be born.
Its light illuminated the entire battlefield, with Carol Danvers standing directly in front of the energy orb.
Golden energy burned around her body, and her blue eyes stared at the expanding star of death.
Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, her body leaning slightly forward, like someone walking against a gale in a storm.
Her golden hair fluttered backward under the Impact of the energy, and there were a few minor wounds on her face, left behind from her previous skirmish with Thanos.
"You lunatic, you will kill everyone like this."
Carol's voice seemed faint amidst the humming of energy, yet remained clear.
"I know, and that is the purpose," Thanos said, his voice low like distant thunder.
The energy orb broke away from Thanos's palm and fell toward the ground of Wakanda.
It was not a fast fall, but a slow, heavy, and unstoppable descent.
The bottom of the energy orb made contact with the ground, and at that instant, the earth let out a painful groan.
It was not an explosion, nor shattering, but evaporation.
The soil, rocks, Vibranium fragments, and Outriders' corpses on the ground—everything that touched the energy orb.
Silently and instantly turned into gas, then into plasma, and then into nothingness.
An annular Impact radiated outward from the landing point of the energy orb, and wherever it passed, everything was flattened.
City walls collapsed, buildings shattered, and trees were uprooted and then turned to ashes.
Wakanda's warriors, the heroes of the Avengers, everyone was desperately fleeing the edge of that ring of death.
But Carol charged forward instead.
Chapter 408: The Arrival of No. 18
She flew toward the energy sphere, extending her hands forward as golden energy surged from her palms, attempting to envelop the purple Sun that was devouring everything.
Her energy made contact with the surface of the energy sphere, and the two forces fiercely opposed each other at the boundary.
The golden light and purple light tore into each other, producing a series of deafening crackling sounds.
The air was ionized, and the scent of ozone permeated the entire battlefield.
Carol clenched her teeth tightly.
Her arms were trembling, her shoulders were trembling, and her entire body was trembling.
The energy of the Power Stone was stronger than hers, far stronger than hers.
She was not fighting Thanos; she was fighting an Infinity Stone.
The Infinity Stones had once granted her power, and now, that same power was passing through the hands of Thanos, attempting to destroy everything she protected.
"Your efforts are meaningless!"
The voice of Thanos came from behind her, devoid of mockery, devoid of anger, possessing only a cold, nearly scientific objectivity.
"That is not for you to decide," Carol said with a resolute expression on her face.
Her body began to emit light, not gold, but white—a dazzling white akin to the core of a star.
She was burning her own life, extracting every last shred of remaining energy from her body and converting it into power to resist the Power Stone.
Her hair was turning white, not from the gold fading, but turning grayish-white starting from the roots.
Her cells were aging at an accelerated rate, her life was slipping away rapidly, and the expansion speed of the energy sphere slowed down.
Yet the cracks on the ground were still widening, the Impact was still spreading, and death continued.
Tony flew up from the ruins, the left hand of his Mark LII armor already shattered.
Revealing the wires and sparks inside, but the repulsor in his right palm was still functioning.
He flew to Carol's side, turning the energy of his palm repulsor up to maximum.
The blue energy beam joined the golden light, jointly opposing the purple energy sphere.
"You can't hold out alone, add me to it!"
Tony said, his face beneath the mask illuminated pale white by the energy light.
"And me!"
Steve ran over from the ground, holding his shield before him, blocking the aftermath of the energy sphere outside his body.
He had no energy weapons, no flight capability, but he had a shield—a Vibranium, nearly indestructible shield.
He wedged the shield between the energy sphere and the ground, the edge of the shield cutting into the evaporating soil.
The surface of the Vibranium began to turn red and heat up, but it did not melt.
The shield became a barrier, blocking a portion of the energy sphere's downward radiation, buying a few seconds of escape time for the warriors on the ground.
Rocket jumped down from the city wall, carrying a massive energy cannon on his shoulder, and fired a shot at the energy sphere.
The energy beam struck the side of the energy sphere, like a pebble thrown into the vast sea, stirring up no ripples whatsoever.
"Useless!" Rocket shouted, the sharpness in his voice replaced by despair, "I can't dent it!"
Groot stood beside him, hurling the wooden spear in his hand toward the energy sphere.
The wooden spear turned to ash the moment it contacted the surface of the energy sphere, without even the process of burning.
Drax rushed back from the edge of the fissure, gripping the back of Steve's shield with both hands and bracing against the shield with his own body.
His muscles swelled to the limit under the force, and blood vessels bulged beneath his skin like twisted snakes.
His feet plowed two deep trenches into the soil, but he did not retreat.
"I cannot retreat!" Drax roared, "I cannot retreat any further!"
Natasha and Clint were further away, using their weapons to shoot at the Outriders surrounding the energy sphere.
Those monsters were taking advantage of the chaos to flank from both sides, attempting to surround the heroes.
Their ammunition was decreasing, while the enemy was increasing.
Carol's power was fading.
Her hair had turned from golden to grayish-white, and from grayish-white to silver-white.
Her skin grew pale, her lips turned purple, and her eyes—
Those blue eyes, which once resembled burning gas, grew dim, like two flames about to extinguish.
"Carol!" Tony shouted, "You can't keep going! You're going to die!"
"I know." Carol's voice was already very weak, but her willpower was not.
She was burning her final bit of energy, pushing that falling purple Sun upward bit by bit.
The energy sphere no longer sank, but neither did it rise.
It hung suspended in mid-air, like a disaster about to be born, waiting for the moment Carol's power exhausted itself.
Thanos stood in place, watching all of this.
There was no expression on his face, but his eyes were watching Carol, watching everyone who attempted to stop him.
He was calculating, evaluating, and waiting.
He knew Carol couldn't hold on much longer, he knew Tony's energy was not infinite either, and he knew Steve's shield would melt sooner or later.
He only needed to wait.
Yet right at that moment, a ray of golden light shot down from the crack in the sky.
Not an energy beam, not a spacecraft, but a person.
A woman with a head of blonde hair.
Her body dragged a white wake through the air, moving so fast that even the eyes of Thanos could only capture an afterimage.
She passed through the gap between the energy sphere and Carol, passing through the purple torrent of energy.
Passing through the death zone where everyone was desperately resisting, like a bullet passing through fire.
She stopped directly above the energy sphere.
Her right hand raised, palm open, five Vibranium fingers reflecting a cold light amidst the purple radiance.
Then she clenched her fist.
The energy sphere was crushed flat beneath her fist.
Not an explosion, not dissipation, but directly crushed from the outside by an even more powerful force.
Countless cracks appeared on the surface of the energy sphere, and purple light surged out from the cracks.
Then those cracks began to contract, and the energy sphere began to shrink.
Shrinking from a star down to an orange, from an orange down to a marble, from a marble down to a speck of light.
That speck of light flickered once in her palm, and then went out.
Everything fell silent.
The wind returned, the clouds began to move again, and rubble fell from the sky, striking the ground with dull thuds.
On the ground of Wakanda, a perfect hemispherical giant crater hundreds of meters in diameter was left behind.
The soil at the bottom of the pit had been vitrified, reflecting dazzling light under the Sun.
Carol fell from the air.
Tony flew over to catch her, placing her on the ground.
Her hair was silver-white, her face was covered in wrinkles, and her body was as thin as a long-ill elderly person.
Her eyes were half-closed, her breathing weak, but still present.
She was still alive, but she had burned away far, far too much of her life.
"Medical!" Tony shouted, "We need medical!"
Okoye rushed over with the medical soldiers of the Dora Milaje, lifting Carol onto a stretcher.
Carol's hand hung down from the edge of the stretcher, her fingers slightly curved, as if grasping something that no longer existed.
The golden figure descended from the sky, landing at the edge of the giant crater.
The newcomer was none other than No. 18.
Chapter 409: Your willpower is strong, so what?
Her golden long hair fluttered in the wind, and her blue eyes were as calm as two mirrors.
There were no scars on her black jacket and jeans, and not even a speck of dust.
She looked like she had just stepped out of a store, rather than having just crushed an energy ball condensed from the Power Stone with her bare hands.
Number 18's right hand was still maintaining a clenched fist posture. She slowly opened her fingers and looked at her palm.
There was a thin, reddish trace there, caused by the residual heat when the energy ball was compressed, but it was only reddened without any damage.
Thanos looked at her.
His body tightened slightly in that instant, not out of fear, but instinct.
His combat instinct told his body that the entity in front of him was not any of the previous opponents.
Not Carol, not Tony, not Steve, not anyone.
This was a completely different level.
"Who are you?" Thanos asked.
Number 18 raised her head, her blue eyes looking at him.
"You don't need to know," she said.
Thanos's left hand, the one wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, clenched into a fist.
The Power Stone and Soul Stone lit up simultaneously, purple and orange light condensing on his fist.
He did not intend to give Number 18 any time to react; he wanted to directly wipe her from this World with his strongest strike.
He threw a punch.
It was not an ordinary punch, but a strike that compressed the energy of the two Infinity Stones onto his fist.
The trajectory of the fist tore a black fissure in the air, a trace of space being torn apart by force.
Energy waves spread outward from the surface of the fist, pushing everything around outward and forming an invisible shock circle.
Number 18 did not dodge.
She extended her right hand and opened her palm.
Thanos's fist struck her palm, unexpectedly making no sound.
The sound wave generated by that strike was instantly suppressed by some force, and even the vibration was absorbed.
Thanos's fist stopped in Number 18's palm, the purple and orange light condensed on the fist flashing violently.
Like a Beast trapped in a cage, struggling to release its power.
But Number 18's palm was like a wall, blocking all the power back.
Thanos's eyes widened.
For the first time, a genuine, unmasked surprise appeared in his eyes.
His fist was caught.
Not blocked, not deflected, but steadily caught by someone with one hand.
The power of his Power Stone, the power of his Soul Stone, his physical striking force exceeding one million tons.
Were all blocked outside by the hand of this seemingly slender woman.
Number 18's feet did not move, her body did not sway, and even her expression did not change at all.
Her hand grasped Thanos's fist, her fingers closing to wrap his finger bones within her palm.
"Your strength," Number 18 began in a calm voice, "is smaller than I expected."
Her hand began to tighten, and Thanos felt his finger bones being compressed—not breaking, but being compressed.
Number 18's grip strength exceeded the tolerance limit of Vibranium, squeezing his fingers and palm inward together.
His Infinity Gauntlet was crafted from uru metal, forged by the Dwarf King with the heat of a neutron star.
But under Number 18's grip strength, tiny cracks began to appear on the surface of the gauntlet.
Thanos clenched his ungloved hand into a fist and smashed it toward Number 18's head.
The speed of this punch was even faster than the previous one, and the power was greater too.
Without the blessing of the Infinity Stones, Thanos's own physical strength was also top-tier in the Universe.
His fist struck the air, and the air was compressed into a white shockwave, cutting toward Number 18's face like an invisible blade.
Number 18 tilted her head slightly.
The shockwave brushed past her ear, struck the ground behind her, and cut out a deep trench dozens of meters long on the ground.
Her hair was blown by the shockwave, fluttered a few times, and then fell back into place.
She lowered her head and looked at the fist Thanossmashed toward her head.
That fist was still suspended in mid-air, less than ten centimeters from her face.
She reached out and grabbed Thanos's fist with her other hand.
One hand grasped his Infinity Gauntlet, and the other hand grasped his bare fist.
Two hands grabbed Thanos's two hands.
"You!!!"
Thanos spoke, but his voice cut off as soon as it came out.
Because Number 18 moved.
Her body rotated ninety degrees in place, her hands grasping Thanos's two wrists, swinging his body around like a stick.
Thanos's feet left the ground, his body tracing a huge arc in the air before Number 18 slammed him fiercely onto the ground.
The ground exploded.
Not a metaphor, but literally exploded.
Thanos's body crashed into Wakanda's vitrified ground, smashing the already existing giant crater another dozen meters deeper.
Impact raised all the dust hundreds of meters away.
Thanos lay at the bottom of the crater, his body embedded in broken glass and rocks, his amber eyes looking at the sky.
His armor was cracked, and the golden guard plate on his chest split open from the middle, revealing the purple skin underneath.
There was blood at the corners of his mouth, and blood droplets stained his lips.
He tried to stand up.
Number 18 stood at the edge of the crater, looking down at him.
Her hand was still grasping his wrist, not because she refused to let go, but because she simply hadn't let go at all.
She lifted Thanos up from the bottom of the crater, as effortlessly as picking up a dropped piece of clothing from the ground, so easily that no explanation was needed.
Thanos's body left the ground, lifted into the air by Number 18.
His feet hung two meters above the ground, his arms were straightened, and his body was spread out into the shape of the Chinese character "big".
He tried to struggle, but his strength in front of Number 18's grip strength was like an ant trying to push an elephant.
His muscles bulged, his blood vessels popped, his teeth gnashed audibly, but his body remained completely motionless.
"You don't understand, what I do is for the balance of the Universe, my willpower is stronger than yours." Thanossaid in a hoarse voice.
"Strong willpower, so what?" Number 18 looked disdainful, completely not putting Thanos in her eyes.
She released Thanos's hand that wasn't wearing the Infinity Gauntlet.
Thanos's right hand gained freedom, and he immediately threw a punch toward Number 18's face.
The fist carried all his anger and despair, faster than before and with greater power than before.
Number 18's left hand, which was still grasping his hand wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, still did not let go.
She just leaned slightly to the side, dodging that punch, and then her right elbow struck Thanos's chest.
It wasn't a violent strike, just a short elbow strike with a distance of no more than ten centimeters.
The armor on Thanos's chest shattered completely, fragments flying in all directions, revealing his purple, scarred chest.
He felt his heart skip a beat for half a second in that elbow strike.
The force of Number 18's elbow strike penetrated his skin, muscles, and bones, acting directly on his internal organs.
His mouth opened, making a muffled sound that was like a moan and like a cough.
Purple blood gushed from the corner of his mouth, dripping down his jaw onto his chest.
Chapter 410: "Who said you wouldn't die? Aren't you dead now?"
"You!" Thanos wanted to say something again.
No. 18 didn't let him finish.
Her right hand, the one that had caught his fist, released his left wrist and then clenched into a fist.
She threw a right punch, striking Thanos in the abdomen.
Thanos's body bent downward like a bent iron rod.
The contents of his stomach, the fluids remaining in his stomach after he had eaten,
surged out from his mouth, mixed with purple blood.
His eyes bulged, his pupils contracted to the extreme, and his body lost all its strength in that single punch.
No. 18's left hand released his left wrist.
Thanos fell from the air, crashed to the ground, bounced once, and then stopped moving.
He wasn't unconscious; every single strike from No. 18 was precisely controlled to a degree that wouldn't kill him.
But it was enough to plunge his nervous system into a temporary paralysis.
His eyes were still open, his consciousness was still clear, but his body no longer obeyed his commands.
His limbs sprawled on the ground as if their bones had been sucked out, and his fingers trembled slightly.
But he couldn't make a fist, couldn't lift them, couldn't do anything.
No. 18 squatted down and looked at him.
"Your Infinity Gauntlet," she said, "I'm taking it."
She reached out her right hand and grabbed the Infinity Gauntlet on Thanos's left hand.
The gauntlet was forged from uru metal, closely fitting against Thanos's skin, almost like a part of his body.
But No. 18 didn't care.
Her fingers inserted into the gap between the gauntlet and Thanos's skin, a gap only as thin as a hair.
But in front of No. 18's fingers, any gap was sufficient.
Her fingertips sliced through the adhered tissues like a scalpel, showing no mercy.
Thanos let out a low roar, not out of pain, but out of anger.
He could feel the Infinity Gauntlet detaching from his body.
He could feel the energies of the Power Stone and the Soul Stone fading from his consciousness.
He could feel himself turning from a god back to an ordinary—
No, not ordinary, but no longer that Thanos who possessed the Infinity Gauntlet.
His hand slipped out of the gauntlet.
No. 18 stood up, holding the Infinity Gauntlet and the two stones in her left hand.
The purple Power Stone and the orange Soul Stoneglowed quietly in the grooves on the back of the gauntlet.
She looked at the gauntlet, then at Thanos, and then temporarily tucked the gauntlet at her waist.
Thanos lay on the ground, looking at No. 18, looking at the woman who had snatched the Infinity Gauntlet from his hands.
His eyes were filled with despair; he had never imagined that the development of events would turn out like this.
He thought that by descending in person, he would be able to smoothly and easily get his hands on the remaining four Infinity Stones.
But what he never expected was that he didn't even catch a glimpse of Loren's figure, yet the opponent simply dispatched a woman and brutally thrashed him.
Now, not only did he fail to get the remaining four Infinity Stones, but he had also handed over two of his own stones with his own hands.
Why on Earth did he cross hundreds of light-years to come to Earth? Was he delivering express mail?
No, this wasn't the result he wanted; he struggled, trying to stand up.
Right at this moment, No. 18 stepped back a few paces to the edge of the giant crater.
She raised her head and looked at the sky.
There was another figure in the sky.
Alice.
Alice slowly descended from the sky.
Her body reflected a cold light in the sunlight, and the Mind Stone embedded in the center of her brow emitted a soft golden glow.
Her light-colored long hair fluttered in the wind, and her white dress looked translucent under the illumination of the light.
Her feet stepped on the vitrified ground at the edge of the crater, making no sound at all.
She looked at Thanos at the bottom of the crater, with no emotion whatsoever in her eyes.
Not hatred, not pity, not anger, not even indifference.
That was a state transcending these emotions, close to nothingness.
A life evolved from an Artificial Intelligence.
An existence possessing a Vibranium body and Infinity Stones, her emotional circuits were completely different from those of humans.
"My Master Loren sent me to tell you something," Alicesaid, her voice as calm as greeting an old friend.
"He watched your combat record and felt that No. 18 alone was enough; my purpose in coming is to ensure that you can be thoroughly eliminated."
Thanos lay at the bottom of the crater, purple blood flowing from the corner of his mouth to the ground, gathering into a small puddle on the vitrified surface.
His body hadn't regained control yet, but his voice had returned.
Hoarse and low, like a sound squeezed from the depths of his throat.
"Loren Morgan, he's not even willing to come in person?"
Thanos said, gritting his teeth, his words filled with the anger of being looked down upon.
"Yes, you are not worthy of my Master coming in person," Alice said.
Thanos laughed, laughing as if he had heard a very funny joke.
His laughter echoed in the giant crater, spread through the ruins, and vibrated in everyone's ears.
"Not worthy?" Thanos's laughter stopped, his amber eyes looking at Alice.
"I have traveled across half the Universe, conquered thousands of Planets, and killed hundreds of millions of lives.
Exchanged my beloved adopted daughter's life for the Soul Stone, sat upon my throne, and watched the entire Universe tremble beneath my feet.
And your Master actually thinks I am not worthy of him coming in person?"
He slowly sat up from the ground; his body was still in a paralyzed state, and his ability to sit up relied purely on the power of his will.
His muscles trembled, his bones made creaking sounds, and his blood vessels bulged beneath his skin, but he sat up.
He sat at the bottom of the crater, his hands braced on either side of his body, purple blood dripping onto the vitrified ground.
"Tell your Master that not coming in person is the biggest mistake he has made.
Because I will not die here, I will stand up again, I will find new stones, new power, and a new path.
I will complete my mission, and by that time, I will go find him in person.
I will stand in his manor, stand in his study, stand right in front of him, and let him see what true—"
Alice didn't let him finish.
The Mind Stone between her brows lit up.
Not the soft light from before, but a dazzling and scorching golden energy beam.
The energy beam shot out fiercely from between her brows, and the energy ray struck his body.
It shot in from the exact center of the top of his head and shot out from the exact center of his crotch.
It was not cutting, not burning, but a process similar to "separation".
Thanos's body was divided into two parts along the central axis: the left half and the right half.
Each half maintained its own integrity, but the connection between the two halves was completely destroyed.
Thanos's mouth stopped.
His amber eyes, located respectively on the two half-bodies, blinked for the last time simultaneously.
The pupil of the left eye contracted once, and the pupil of the right eye also contracted once, as if performing a final focus.
Then, his body fell to both sides.
The left half of the body fell to the left, and the right half of the body fell to the right.
"Who said you wouldn't die here? Aren't you dead now!"
Alice looked with utter disdain at Thanos's
corpse lying on the ground and said.