"Thor!"
Seeing Thor, Bruce Banner, and the unfamiliar woman beside them, Tony Stark's eyes lit up with excitement.
The identity of the woman did not matter. What mattered was that Banner and Thor had finally arrived.
These two were core members of the Avengers.
With them here or not here, the situation would be completely different. At this critical moment, their arrival brought a new turning point.
At the very least, they were no longer as helpless as before.
Bruce Banner glanced at Tony and smiled.
"Hey, Tony. You don't look so good. Your little trip through the universe hasn't been easy, has it?"
Tony chuckled at the sarcasm.
"Don't forget the last time we talked. If I remember correctly, you were the ones being hunted at that point."
Banner shrugged and did not respond further.
It was just their usual banter.
But now the real problem was in front of them.
Thanos.
Before leaving Earth, Stephen Strange had already briefed them on Thanos.
Without a doubt, this was Earth's greatest enemy, and perhaps the greatest threat in the entire universe.
A mad titan who planned to erase half of all life.
Banner said gravely,
"Guys, our opponent is extremely powerful."
Thor snorted coldly and summoned his weapon. Stormbreaker flew straight into his hand.
He gripped it tightly, confidence rising in his eyes.
"Even if it is Thanos, so what? I am far stronger now."
His fear of Thanos was real.
But when the moment of confrontation arrived, his warrior spirit refused to allow hesitation.
Thanos stood silently, watching them.
Then he casually placed the Soul Stone onto the Infinity Gauntlet.
As the stone settled into place, everyone's expression darkened.
Three stones.
There were already three Infinity Stones on the gauntlet.
That meant if Thanos reached Earth and obtained the remaining three, he would complete all six Infinity Stones.
And once that happened, half the universe would be wiped out.
A result none of them could accept.
Thor took a deep breath.
"Everyone, we don't have time. We end this now."
Hearing that, everyone's fighting spirit rose.
They still had a chance. It was far from over.
The three Infinity Stones on Earth had to be protected at all costs.
As long as they held them, Thanos could not succeed.
And if they could defeat him here, his plan would end as well.
Thor moved first without hesitation, charging forward with Stormbreaker.
Tony Stark activated his suit's maximum output.
The nanotech armor burst forward at extreme speed, rushing toward Thanos.
Stormbreaker came crashing down with terrifying force.
Even Thanos could not simply tank it head-on.
But he was not just powerful in strength.
His combat skill was among the best in the universe.
At the exact moment Stormbreaker descended, Thanos swung the Blade of the Mad Titan upward.
CLANG!
The impact rang out like thunder.
Stormbreaker was deflected aside.
Thor was sent flying by the force.
The sheer power gap was overwhelming.
Even at full strength, Thor was still at a disadvantage.
"Damn it!" Thor cursed.
He had once believed Hela was the strongest opponent he had ever faced.
But now, facing Thanos directly, he realized he had been wrong.
If Hela fought Thanos, she might not even be stronger than him.
Tony Stark barely lasted longer.
He narrowly dodged a devastating strike from the blade.
But Thanos immediately followed with a second attack.
Just as the Blade of the Mad Titan was about to hit the vibranium armor, the others arrived in time.
They joined forces and barely stabilized the situation.
Seeing this, Proxima Midnight's expression changed slightly.
"Master!"
Her voice carried concern.
But Thanos remained calm.
To him, these enemies posed no real threat.
Each strike of his blade forced them into life-threatening situations.
"This is not going to work," Banner shouted.
He had transformed into the Hulk.
His immense strength allowed him to barely match Thanos in raw power.
But only in strength.
Banner had nothing else. No technique. No speed.
Thanos, on the other hand, was perfect in all three.
The gap between them was a chasm.
Tony said quickly,
"We need another approach."
Now he finally understood why Stephen Strange had looked so serious.
Thanos himself was already this powerful, and his army was even more terrifying.
If they invaded Earth, there would be no force capable of stopping them.
Perhaps only Nolan Lock's technology could make a difference.
The two of them quickly exchanged ideas.
Then Tony said,
"Maybe we should remove the gauntlet from his hand."
Banner's eyes lit up.
"Infinity Stones emit energy radiation. If all three stones release their power at once, the backlash could seriously damage Thanos."
It was not certain.
But it was the only plan they had.
The Infinity Stones were cosmic artifacts. Their energy was not meant to be controlled by ordinary beings.
Even Thanos could not fully wield all six without the gauntlet.
So what about three?
If the stones overloaded him, they might win.
And breaking the gauntlet was not impossible.
It was powerful, but only as a containment device.
Outside of that function, it likely had weaknesses.
They quickly agreed.
From that moment on, all attacks focused on the gauntlet.
To destroy its energy transfer system.
To force the stones to erupt.
Thanos' expression darkened slightly.
He had heard everything.
And he knew they were not wrong.
Even he understood how dangerous the stones were.
Just one Power Stone had once obliterated entire armies.
Ronan the Accuser had been instantly destroyed by its force.
Even the Guardians of the Galaxy had barely contained its energy.
And that was only one stone.
Now there were three.
Even Thanos himself could not fully guarantee he could withstand it.
But he had confidence.
Otherwise, he would not have sought all six.
"If that is your plan," Thanos said calmly, "then try it."
He swung his blade, sending Drax flying and shattering his weapon.
"Everyone, attack!" Tony shouted.
All of them charged together.
Only Rocket Raccoon stayed back.
He aimed at Proxima Midnight.
"Hey, lady. I don't usually shoot women."
"So let's keep it simple. You don't move, and I don't shoot."
His finger hovered over the trigger.
But his intention was obvious.
He just wasn't confident he could kill her.
That was the only reason he hesitated.
Proxima Midnight said nothing.
She only obeyed Thanos.
In the chaos, no one noticed that Peter Quill had regained consciousness.
His eyes were filled with tears.
He still had not recovered from Gamora's death.
But he remembered one thing.
To defeat Thanos, they had to destroy the gauntlet.
His eyes locked onto it.
And he moved.
Fast.
Before anyone could react, he rushed forward.
Even Thanos did not anticipate it.
Proxima Midnight screamed and moved to intercept, but it was too late.
Quill pulled out a dagger and stabbed at the gauntlet with everything he had.
CRACK!
The dagger shattered.
But a dent appeared on the gauntlet.
Small, but enough.
The energy flow was disrupted.
Thanos' pupils contracted.
Everyone's expression changed.
"Run!" Tony Stark shouted.
They turned and fled immediately.
Quicksilver moved at extreme speed, carrying others away.
Wanda Maximoff raised a massive barrier with her full power.
Thanos' expression turned grim.
A terrifying light began forming on the gauntlet.
But he did not remove it.
He wanted to see it.
He wanted to know if he could endure it.
If he could not be certain in the future, then he would confirm it now.
A blinding flash erupted.
Light swallowed everything.
A shockwave tore through the land.
Far away, Red Skull stood silently, watching the devastation near the Soul Stone.
The forest was wiped out in an instant.
Even in his spiritual form, he felt the tremor of power.
He sighed softly.
"What a terrifying battle…"
"This is one hell of a damned universe."
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