Loki hung by his collar, grief-stricken. "Don't you understand different power systems?!"
Tony realized, turning Loki another direction. "Can you do this kind?"
That direction—Kamar-Taj's mystics formed a line, opening portals to throw charging bio-soldiers to the rear.
Loki grew more aggrieved. "What I know is different! My magic's illusions! Should I make bio-soldier illusions?! Plus you know this! Why lecture me!"
Tony calmly switched hands, raising his right. His wrist revealed a wand tip. "Confringo!"
Explosions erupted across bio-soldiers. Smoke cleared—a gap blown through their ranks.
Loki angrily shut up.
"Bambi, what were you saying? Still busy here!" Tony asked irritably.
Loki pointed behind the bio-soldiers. "See that? Pretty reckless!"
Tony looked back, cursed, dropped Loki—letting him free-fall from ten meters—and rushed toward Proxima Midnight.
Loki screamed falling, instantly swallowed by bio-soldiers.
Red energy kept bursting from Proxima's direction. Corvus Glaive barely touched ground. Who else?
Tony cursed through comms while rushing. Those two didn't know limits—just them daring clash with universe-famous warriors. Didn't understand teamwork?
Other Guardians heard, discovering the Maximoffs had gone deep behind lines. Quickly abandoned tasks, rushing to the rear.
Gemini maintained altitude, controlling the blue phoenix. Behind, wizards guided falling Fiendfyre sparks—extinguishing larger fires, directing scattered ones to bio-soldiers. Even small sparks were Fiendfyre. Without control, this area would burn.
When Tony arrived, before acting, that flowing light landed. One punch buried Proxima in the ground.
"You okay? Where's Fury?" Carol floated a meter up, asking Tony.
"Uh, should be..." Tony stared at glowing Captain Marvel, stuck. What's the glow? Alien? How can she glow?
"Here!" Fury's voice came through comms.
Clouds dispersed. Five sky carriers floated there. Artillery fell on ships still spewing bio-soldiers.
Tony tossed Carol an earpiece. "Communicator. Wear it."
Carol put it on, grabbed Corvus from midair, punched hard. Already dizzy from Pietro, Corvus passed out.
"Sorry I'm late. Ships outside atmosphere handled. Where's the enemy?" Carol tossed Corvus like garbage, making Pietro look surprised. He'd fought half a day without much damage. She finished with one punch.
"Should arrive soon. First clear these minions." Tony said, looking at undamaged pointed ships.
Carol smiled. "Leave it to me. Familiar."
She vanished as light.
Distant ships exploded continuously.
Soon, Carol reappeared, clean as if strolling. "Solved. What else?"
Tony notified through comms—eliminate all bio-soldiers. This battle counts as victory. Ordinary soldiers retreat. Next was king versus king. They couldn't participate.
A rainbow fell, carrying lightning that cleared bio-soldiers.
"That the enemy?" Carol prepared to fight.
Tony stopped her. "No! Our ally!"
Rocket jumped from Thor, laughing while shooting bio-soldiers. Groot extended arms, skewering them.
Thor looked around, shouting: "Loki!"
"Cough!" Weak cough. Thor followed sound to his feet, embarrassed, moving aside. Grabbed what was underfoot, laughing while patting Loki's shoulder. "Loki! Grateful for Gemini's magic! You're alive! Landing felt soft. Thought this soil was different!"
Loki, half-dead, glared furiously. Shouldn't have come with this brute! Look what he did!
Thor had no sense being hated. Patted Loki's shoulder, set him standing, then turned cold. "Where's Thanos! Hasn't arrived?!"
Bio-soldiers mostly eliminated. Gemini descended. At Harry's Finite, blue Fiendfyre vanished.
Everyone gathered, looking at each other. "Over that simply?" Pietro asked.
"No. Just beginning. Who's fought Thanos?" Tony asked seriously.
"Strictly speaking, Hulk got beaten." Banner studied grass. Why so interesting?
Thor scratched head awkwardly. "Got beaten too."
Tony gasped. How fight? Only two who fought said beaten. Plus their combat power was top-tier.
As they spoke, golden portal appeared. Stephen flew backward, unconscious, carried by cloak.
"Oh no! Fred!" Gemini looked back horror toward Wakanda's palace. Dust rising.
When they rushed, blue light flashed. Tall figure holding yellow stone appeared.
No introductions needed. That was Thanos.
Thor roared, swinging Stormbreaker, charged.
Next moment—sent flying.
Banner desperately communicated with Hulk. Frightened Hulk refused. Gemini threw Avada Kedavra immediately.
All attacks, except Thor sent flying, Thanos didn't dodge. Took them all.
Looking at wounded Thanos, Tony confused. Legendary overlord—defeated like this?
Thor seized opening, chopped axe into Thanos's chest, leaving huge scar. Thanos crashed down.
"Over?" Everyone thought same. Something felt wrong. Anticlimactic, like joke.
Gemini tried removing ring from gauntlet. Fallen Thanos turned red bubbles, vanishing.
"Still here!" Gemini looked around alertly.
Everything bubbled red. Thanos stood aside perfectly fine, smiling, clapping.
"Truly excellent. Seen your resistance. But can't win. While I appreciate you, hand over last Time Stone." Thanos said gently.
Tony closed faceplate. "Dream on!"
Everyone attacked again. Artillery turned bubbles. Spells became sparkles. Lightning became fireworks. Nothing worked.
Even Carol's attacks rewritten by Reality Stone. Useless.
No one retreated. Still gritted teeth, attacking.
Pietro tried using speed grab stone, but as ordinary human, blasted away by stone's power.
Wanda's power offset part Reality Stone's power, but not enough.
Soon, everyone battered, wounded. Cloak carried unconscious Stephen hiding, not daring show.
Until Thanos's patience ran out. Started fighting back.
No one matched him. Everyone knocked down by Thanos using stone-enhanced power. Strangely, seriously injured but not dead.
Only Tony, relying armor's magic, fought Thanos several rounds. Still couldn't withstand. Thanos grabbed his unmasked head.
"Last chance. Hand over stone, or I'll kill him." Thanos smiled, as if holding tomato, not person's head.
Tony's forehead broken. Blood flowed down cheek, blurring eyes. Could only feel force on head slowly increasing.
Suddenly smiled, spitting blood onto Thanos's face. "Ptui! Dream on. No one agrees!"
"Then pity. Could have lived." Thanos casually wiped face, about to apply force.
"Wait!" Shout interrupted Thanos.
Thanos looked up. Stephen, struggling stand, stared hard at Tony in Thanos's hand. "I'll give! Let him go!"
Everyone looked Stephen disbelief. What doing?!
Ignoring gazes, Stephen removed jewelry, undoing magic on pendant, revealing Time Stone. "Let him go! Otherwise even kill everyone, won't get stone. Agamotto's seal very secure!"
"What doing?!" Tony fell ground, struggling look back Stephen. Too injured move, could only watch Thanos walk past.
Tony futilely reached grab Thanos's foot, stop him, but dodged. Didn't touch.
Stephen saw Tony on ground, quietly sighed relief. Took stone from pendant, resolutely handing over.
Thanos placed last stone in gauntlet's socket, showing satisfied smile. Raised hand, snapped fingers.
Blinding light flashed. Thanos vanished. Everyone glared angrily Stephen. "What did you do!"
Stephen looked apologetically. "Had to..."
Before finishing, Stephen turned black ash, scattering wind.
"Steve?" Bucky called. Steve hurriedly looked back. Bucky walked two steps before turning ash.
Gemini watched Harry, others rushing horror. Running while drifting toward sky, could only scream once before fainting.
Tony struggled stand, looking around blankly. Ash traces everywhere. Black Panther, Maximoffs, Peter, Ned, all Daoist members, wizards, ordinary soldiers. Whole world fell chaos.
Car accidents everywhere streets. Flying planes crashed. Even sky carriers—several fell.
Thor frowned looking toward Loki. "Brother, stop playing. Know your illusion magic. Stop hiding. Need talk properly."
Only wisps undispersed ash answered.
That moment felt lifetime.
Gemini sat blankly All-Purpose Shop's reception, mechanically lifting cup, drinking air before reacting. "Coby? Why no tea?"
Long while, Gemini slowly put down cup. "Oh, forgot. Vanished too."
After statistics, world's mysterious side almost completely disappeared, as if never existing. If not town at Greylock's foot, London's Diagon Alley still there, Gemini would think all dream. Couldn't understand why only she didn't vanish.
Even China's Daoist sect—except standing ladder, those elders, Sun Xiaoxiao, younger generation all disappeared. Gemini spent effort finding compass brought from Heavenly Court, wanting contact them, but discovered didn't know use. Could only silently put compass in bag.
Until month later, Guardians of Galaxy—only Nebula remaining—found, brought back Earth.
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