"Long time no see, Vers."
The man descending from the sky glanced at Captain Marvel, then at the Avengers.
Captain Marvel frowned. "Korath? You're not dead?"
Korath wore a strange robe, with a red gemstone embedded in his chest. It looked as if liquid was flowing inside it.
"Money-saving trick!" Korath said, pointing at the red gem on his chest.
Captain Marvel felt that Korath was completely different from before—something about him was unsettling, as if he had somehow slipped out of her perception.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Korath looked around, as if he were in control of everything. "Listen, Thanos—the Earth has encountered a very powerful opponent."
He glanced at the Avengers. "But it seems like you've already restrained him?" Then he added casually, "It's actually quite simple—just a small trick."
The Avengers' expressions darkened. They all knew Karl wasn't a murderer, but the world didn't revolve around them, and many things were beyond their control.
Captain Marvel said coldly, "Whatever you're planning, this planet isn't for you. I warned you long ago."
Korath shook his head with regret. "I'm not interested in this planet. I just came here to kill someone…"
He pointed at the Mind Stone on Vision's forehead. "And take that, while I'm at it."
"You can't have it."
Before her words had even faded, Captain Marvel burst into radiant light and instantly appeared before Korath, punching him square in the face.
Korath was sent flying thirty or forty meters.
He got back up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, and laughed. "Vers! Your punch doesn't hurt as much as it used to!!"
Captain Marvel hesitated slightly. "With your current strength, you shouldn't dare come here. What's your trump card?"
Korath stood up, completely unconcerned about his injuries. "You can try to force it out of me—maybe I won't be able to resist telling you."
"You asked for this!"
"Boom!"
Korath was blasted away again.
Yet he stood up once more, covered in blood.
"Not bad… I'm about to die!"
Seeing his cold expression, Captain Marvel felt a chill rise in her heart.
She said nothing more. In a flash, she closed the distance and ended his life with a single punch.
The Avengers watched everything in silence.
Since someone had already died, there was no point in staying. Captain Marvel rose into the sky and left.
"Bang!"
Before she could get far, she was suddenly knocked back, landing on the ground unharmed.
She stood up and looked toward the sky, frowning.
The sky in her view began to part like a curtain being drawn open.
Everything changed.
The Avengers were all lying on the ground, Manhattan was only partially destroyed, and small spacecraft surrounded the city's civilians.
Across from her stood a figure—Korath. The same Korath she had just killed.
Korath smiled at the stunned Captain Marvel. "See? Isn't this performance wonderful?"
Captain Marvel looked around. The scene before her was completely different from what she had seen before. Even she couldn't tell what was real anymore.
Korath, who had been bound by a red energy rope, walked forward and reached for the Mind Stone on Vision's forehead.
"Boom!!"
A powerful surge erupted from Vision's body, shattering the red energy bindings and freeing him.
Vision looked around in confusion. This scene was entirely different from what he had seen before. Why were all his teammates captured?
"So… you also possess an Infinity Stone?" Vision said, looking at Korath, who had already retreated into the distance.
At this moment, the other Avengers regained consciousness as well, looking around at the drastically changed environment.
Steve scanned the area. "What's going on? Wasn't Manhattan destroyed?"
Tony flew up and looked around. "At least things look better now. I prefer this version!"
"You like it? Don't you?" Korath smiled at Tony. "I can give you any reality you want. So—which one do you choose?"
With a casual wave of his hand, the environment changed again—returning to a perfectly prosperous Manhattan, with no trace of war.
Then it shifted once more.
The surroundings turned into a hellscape—lava erupted everywhere, meteors rained down, the ground collapsed, and humans fell into molten rivers one after another, screaming in agony.
Korath looked around with satisfaction. "Isn't this great? Something like this?"
"Your taste is terrible—completely unbearable," Tony said. "Is this an illusion? Like Wanda's powers?"
He glanced at Wanda, who shot him an annoyed look.
"Oh—hey! Don't do that! You can't hit me!"
Korath suddenly noticed Captain Marvel passing by him.
She turned to look at him—he was standing right there.
She didn't understand. She had clearly killed him before—physically struck him. And yet now he was here, untouchable.
"Tricks? I don't like magic."
Captain Marvel fired two beams of energy from her hands, blasting Korath apart where he stood.
"That's interesting. You can hit me as many times as you like."
Korath reappeared behind her, completely unharmed.
She turned sharply, watching him with caution, ready to strike again.
Korath spread his hands calmly. "It took me a month to fully unlock the Reality Stone's power. It truly can reshape reality. And now… it's finally working."
He continued, almost experimentally, "I'll reshape this planet with blood—make them truly understand that I am their king. I will protect them. As long as I exist, anyone who steps onto this planet will become my slave."
He tilted his head slightly. "Don't you think that's good for them? As long as they submit to me, I'll protect them."
With another wave, the surroundings gradually dissolved, returning to pre-war Manhattan.
Quicksilver dodged pedestrians passing by him. "I can't tell which one is real."
Natasha crouched down and touched a dog under a streetlamp, then looked around uncertainly. "Neither can I."
Tony ran several scans through Friday, but detected nothing unusual.
Everyone else was the same—they couldn't distinguish reality from illusion.
Vision hovered in the air and said, "No… this is both real and false. If he wants it to be real, then it is. But if he doesn't… everything here becomes an illusion."
Tony stared at Korath. "This feels like that Italian movie—reality being rewritten, and he's the one behind it."
"That woman looks pretty strong. She should be able to handle it, right?" Scott (Ant-Man) muttered.
Steve shot him a glance. "Don't rely on others. We need to act too."
With that, Steve charged toward Korath, and the others followed.
Scott sighed and shook his head. "Hey, come on—I haven't even slowed down yet. I just wanted a short break."
Even so, his body honestly followed along as he rushed after them.
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