Peter Quill looked at Tony Stark and asked,
"Didn't you say there would be reinforcements? Where are they?"
Right now, he desperately wanted backup to show up. Otherwise, he had absolutely no confidence in this fight.
Tony Stark took a deep breath and replied,
"In our last contact, they were already heading here. They should be close now. Maybe even ahead of us."
Stark pulled out the communicator with a hint of frustration.
The device was good, but space travel had severely limited its signal stability.
After their last transmission, it developed a one-way communication failure. Even though he repaired it in time, he still couldn't reconnect with Bruce Banner and the others.
Now they could only receive messages, not send them.
There was no telling when full communication could be restored.
It was all down to luck now. Maybe Banner would contact him the next second.
Just then, the communicator suddenly rang.
Stark's expression changed in surprise, and he immediately answered.
"Tony, we've arrived on Vormir. Are you here yet?"
"Of course. We've been here for a while," Stark replied quickly.
"And the worst part is Thanos arrived earlier than expected. He's already gone toward the location of the Soul Stone."
"You need to hurry, or it'll be too late."
Bruce Banner and Thor both changed expressions instantly upon hearing this.
Their goal was to join Stark's group and stop Thanos together. If they were late, everything would be meaningless.
"Don't worry. We're almost there," Banner said seriously, immediately increasing the ship's speed.
After the call ended, Stark finally relaxed slightly.
"You heard that. Our reinforcements are on the way."
The reason he felt relieved wasn't only because they were coming, but also because the communication had re-synced, allowing two-way contact again.
"We should move. Waiting here is just stupid," Stark said.
Although he wanted Banner and Thor's strength in the final battle, their priority was ensuring Thanos did not get the Soul Stone first.
Nebula hesitated and said,
"I don't think Thanos can actually obtain the Soul Stone. He doesn't have anyone he truly loves."
"In the end, he'll probably just kill my sister and gain nothing."
Stark said nothing, silently hoping she was right.
Peter Quill, however, did not look relieved at all.
He didn't care about the Soul Stone. He only cared about saving Gamora.
If she couldn't be saved, then what was the point of killing Thanos?
Gamora was everything to him. Nothing else mattered.
At that moment, Thanos had already arrived at the location of the Soul Stone with Gamora.
"This is it," Thanos said, looking at her with a complicated expression.
Gamora's face was tense, but she still spoke.
"Thanos, you can't succeed. You don't have any love in your heart. Even if you throw me down there, you won't get the Soul Stone. Everything you're doing is pointless."
Thanos did not respond. He simply looked toward the abyss ahead.
Below was only thick mist. Nothing could be seen.
But he knew even if he went down there, he still wouldn't obtain the Soul Stone directly.
The Soul Stone existed on a spiritual level. Without offering a sacrifice of true love, it would not manifest in reality.
It required a soul to awaken it, to draw it out.
That was the only way.
And Thanos believed he could do it.
Because he did have someone he loved.
Proxima Midnight stood silently nearby. She knew this was not a moment for her to speak.
Gamora's expression slowly calmed after a brief moment of despair.
"Go on then. Throw me down. And you'll see that everything you're doing means nothing."
Thanos said nothing more.
He walked to the edge of the cliff with Gamora.
"Sorry, Gamora," he said softly.
Then he pushed her off.
Gamora fell into the abyss, her eyes filled with despair.
She did not notice that, not far away, Peter Quill and the others had just arrived.
They saw everything.
"No… Gamora!"
Peter Quill roared in despair.
Too late.
Everything was too late.
Gamora had already been thrown into the abyss.
His despair instantly turned into fury.
"Thanos!!!"
He screamed and charged forward like a madman.
Thanos remained calm.
Even as tears formed faintly at the corner of his eyes.
He did not cry often.
But this time, even he could not fully suppress the emotion within him.
He truly loved Gamora.
But love did not stop what had to be done.
Peter Quill unleashed all his power in a blind rage.
But Thanos simply picked up the blade embedded in the ground and struck back with brutal precision.
The clash sent Quill flying back, coughing blood, collapsing unconscious.
"Damn it!" Stark arrived a moment too late.
Because of Gamora, Quill had rushed ahead of them.
Now one of their main fighters was down.
Thanos, meanwhile, looked toward the abyss.
A golden-orange light slowly rose from the depths.
It ascended like a soul being reborn.
The Soul Stone.
It floated directly in front of him.
Without hesitation, Thanos reached out and grabbed it.
The third Infinity Stone.
And if his information was correct, the remaining three were all on Earth.
The Time Stone was held by the Sorcerer Supreme.
The Mind Stone had once been taken to Earth by Loki.
And the Space Stone was under Asgard's protection.
All of them were effectively tied to Earth's vicinity.
That meant his next destination was clear.
Earth.
As Stark and the others stared in shock, Thanos turned his gaze toward them.
Before they could react, he had already completed his task.
Gamora was gone.
And the Soul Stone was his.
Nebula looked shaken, unable to believe it.
Even Proxima Midnight was stunned.
Not because Thanos had succeeded, but because he had done it through sacrifice.
It proved something she had never considered.
Thanos was not emotionless.
He was a being of flesh, blood, and feeling.
Before anyone could process it further, Drax charged in roaring.
His usual recklessness broke the frozen moment.
"Everyone, attack!" Stark shouted.
All of them rushed forward together.
But Thanos was already ready.
Calm, unstoppable.
He swept them aside with overwhelming force, just like before.
Then he looked at them and said coldly,
"I promised Gamora I would not kill you… if you did not come looking for death."
"So I will give you one last chance. Leave now, and I will spare you."
Peter Quill had just regained consciousness.
His rage exploded again.
"I will kill you!"
Thanos raised his blade once more.
This time, he would not hold back.
But before the strike could land—
CLANG!
A massive weapon slammed down, deflecting the attack.
A giant axe buried itself into the ground.
A voice rang out.
"Hey, big guy. What are you doing?"
"Even if I don't know this guy, if you want to kill him, you'll have to ask my axe first."
Thor had arrived.
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