Stephen Strange's expression darkened.
Nolan was right.
The future Strange had witnessed truly was a tragic one.
But he simply could not believe what Nolan had said.
Anyone who had never seen that future firsthand could never understand just how difficult it was to change destiny.
The future was already set.
Among the countless futures he had witnessed, only one held even the slightest possibility of victory.
Only one.
Even if that path demanded countless sacrifices, he had no other choice.
"I will do everything I can to secure the greatest possible victory for humanity."
Stephen Strange forced those words out against his own conscience.
Nolan merely shook his head.
He held little hope in Strange's confidence.
As someone who had crossed into this world, Nolan understood better than anyone what they were truly about to face.
And even what he knew was only part of the truth.
Reality was far crueler than anything shown in the movies.
What had the films portrayed?
Nothing more than an army of thousands upon thousands charging forward like wild beasts.
There were barely any advanced weapons.
No overwhelming technology.
How could an army like that dominate the universe?
How could it make Thanos one of the greatest overlords in existence?
The real Thanos Legion was vastly stronger than anything the films had ever depicted.
And beyond that...
Thanos himself was far more terrifying than Nolan had expected.
In the Avengers movies, even Steve Rogers could stand toe-to-toe with Thanos for a while using nothing but his shield.
Natasha could even interfere during the battle.
But reality was completely different.
The Mjolnir Armor Nolan had created allowed any Avenger who wore it to surpass the original Iron Man from the films.
Tony Stark himself now possessed a Vibranium Armor personally developed with Nolan's help.
Its performance had long surpassed every Iron Man suit ever shown in the movies.
Even so...
Tony had still admitted one thing after facing Thanos.
Helplessness.
Such a terrifying Thanos.
Such a terrifying army.
How could the current Avengers possibly defeat them?
Not to mention the existence of the dimensional entities.
Every Dimension Lord was an absolute ruler within its own realm.
Take Dormammu, for example.
He alone had once fought Nolan, Stephen Strange, countless superheroes, and every sorcerer on Earth.
And that had only been Dormammu.
There were multiple Dimension Lords whose power rivaled his.
These beings were never truly isolated from Earth.
The Ancient One herself had once borrowed power from one of them.
There were countless other examples proving that the Dimension Lords had always kept their eyes on Earth.
Normally, Earth's mystical barriers weakened them enough to prevent a full-scale invasion.
But when Thanos attacked Earth...
Would they simply stand by and watch?
Would they avoid Earth because they feared Thanos?
In Nolan's eyes, that was impossible.
When the war began, there would likely be more than one Dimension Lord joining the battlefield.
With everything combined...
Nolan simply couldn't place much faith in the future Stephen Strange had seen.
"Thanos should be invading Earth very soon."
"But Earth still isn't ready."
"I think it's time to notify the World Council."
"Only if the entire planet mobilizes will we have even the slightest chance of defeating Thanos."
"And..."
He glanced toward Stephen Strange.
"We also have to stop those damned Dimension Lords."
Strange offered no objection.
This had always been the plan.
To fight Thanos, the entire strength of Earth had to unite.
Not just Earth.
Yondu's fleet.
The full might of Asgard.
Only by gathering every available force would they gain even the smallest chance of survival.
That was precisely why he had sent Tony, Thor, and the others into space to seek reinforcements.
And even then...
Their lineup was still incomplete.
His gaze shifted toward Natasha.
There was still one incredibly powerful ally left on Earth.
Natasha spoke.
"Director Fury has already contacted Captain Marvel."
Strange nodded.
Now their forces were nearly assembled.
All that remained was making the final preparations.
Once Earth was fully prepared...
The war would begin.
And he had to ensure events unfolded exactly as they had in the future he had witnessed.
They would never have a second chance.
The Time Stone had allowed him to glimpse countless futures.
But it could not send him back to rewrite the past.
What had already happened could not be changed.
At least, not with a single Time Stone.
He sighed inwardly.
If only the original future had never changed.
That future had demanded enormous sacrifices.
But in the end, the Infinity Gauntlet could restore everyone who had died.
The only price was borrowing another Infinity Gauntlet from a different universe.
That had been the path with the smallest sacrifice.
But now...
That future no longer existed.
They had no alternative.
Only the cruelest future remained.
Nolan looked around at everyone before speaking.
"I'll notify the World Council."
"Judging from Thanos' speed, I doubt we have more than a week before the war begins."
He turned toward Peter Quill.
"How long until Yondu arrives?"
Peter shrugged.
"I don't know."
"But he promised he'd be here before the battle starts."
Nolan nodded before turning to Thor.
"Is Asgard ready for war?"
"Of course."
Thor gripped Stormbreaker tightly and answered without hesitation.
"This isn't just Earth's crisis."
"It's a crisis for the entire universe."
"Asgard will answer the call."
"And not just Asgard."
"The Nine Realms will all be mobilized."
"We will win this war."
"Good."
Nolan nodded.
"In that case, everyone should begin preparing."
"I hope that after this war..."
"We'll all be able to gather here again."
"We will."
Tony answered firmly.
Bruce Banner smiled.
"I'm already looking forward to having a barbecue in your backyard."
Nolan rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry."
"I'll send you an invitation."
With that, everyone departed to prepare for the coming battle.
Nolan opened a portal.
Its destination was the headquarters of the World Council.
Since Thanos was almost here, he had no time for endless political arguments.
He only needed to accomplish one thing.
Make every member of the World Council understand that Thanos was coming.
And that Earth had no choice but to commit every last ounce of its strength.
When Nolan suddenly appeared, every council member's expression changed dramatically.
They had been in the middle of an emergency meeting.
The topic was Thanos.
The World Council wasn't made up of fools.
They had already received intelligence that Thanos was heading for Earth.
Preparations had begun.
Troops were being mobilized from across the globe.
The entire planet was preparing for an all-out war.
However...
They still hoped to keep the conflict under control.
Their ideal plan was to lure Thanos' forces into a single battlefield, destroy them there, and prevent any nation from suffering catastrophic damage.
"Good day, everyone."
"I believe you all know who I am."
"My name is Nolan."
"I came here today for one reason."
"Thanos."
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere grew tense.
"Nolan!"
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
"This is the World Council, not one of your companies!"
"If you make any dangerous moves, the entire world will declare you an enemy and eliminate you by force!"
One council member roared angrily.
Nolan sighed helplessly.
The world respected him.
But respect wasn't authority.
In the world of the Fantastic Four, he had overturned the existing order through absolute strength.
He had crushed the council beneath his feet and become Earth's unquestioned ruler.
Back then, he had reshaped the world however he pleased.
No one dared oppose him.
But this Earth was different.
He had never seized political power.
To most people, he was simply an extraordinarily powerful businessman.
The members of the World Council still believed they held the real authority over the planet.
They couldn't imagine Nolan daring to go too far.
He didn't have the nerve.
At least...
That was what they believed.
Nolan smiled faintly.
Perhaps they had underestimated him.
And he didn't have time to waste arguing.
"So..."
"What is your name?"
He paused for a moment before shaking his head.
"Actually, never mind."
"It doesn't matter."
He answered his own question.
He didn't care about the man's identity.
Nor his position.
He only knew one thing.
The man had crossed a line.
Nolan had no intention of killing anyone.
He didn't have time to deal with the consequences.
A demonstration of strength would be enough.
In an instant...
He disappeared.
The next second, he stood directly in front of the council member.
His hand shot out and wrapped around the man's throat.
"I suggest you remember who you're speaking to."
"I haven't killed many people."
"But that doesn't mean I can't."
"And right now..."
"My patience is wearing very thin because of Thanos."
"I don't care who stands behind you."
"But if you continue to provoke me..."
"I promise..."
"I will kill you."
His voice was ice cold.
A suffocating killing intent filled the room.
The council member instantly fell silent.
He no longer dared speak.
He wasn't fearless.
He feared death like anyone else.
Once the authority he relied upon failed to intimidate Nolan...
He was nothing more than an ordinary man standing before a monster.
Nolan wasn't finished.
"Perhaps you're brave enough."
"Perhaps you're willing to sacrifice your own life to start a war between your country and me."
"If that's truly your choice..."
"Go ahead."
"Maybe you'll actually manage to kill me."
"After all..."
"I'm just a businessman."
Those words only made the man's legs tremble harder.
A businessman?
What a joke.
No one on Earth believed that anymore.
If Nolan counted as a businessman...
Then what did that make everyone else?
Every member of the council stared at him as though they were looking at a demon.
Finally, another council member broke the silence.
"Nolan..."
"Tell us."
"Why are you really here?"
Nolan released the terrified man and looked toward the speaker.
"I already told you."
"I'm here because of Thanos."
"I'm sure you've all heard his name."
"And I'm equally sure you've already begun preparing for war."
"But I came here to tell you something."
"No matter what preparations you've made..."
"Abandon every last bit of wishful thinking."
"Thanos rules the universe."
"You may believe Earth's military has become incredibly powerful."
"But I can tell you with certainty..."
"If Earth fights Thanos head-on as it is now..."
"We will lose."
"Badly."
"And one more thing."
"You may still be counting on the sorcerers."
"I'm sure you've already received reports about them."
"And about the Dimension Lords."
"But let me make this perfectly clear."
"The sorcerers will not be joining the battle against Thanos."
"The reason is simple."
"If Thanos invades Earth..."
"What do you think the Dimension Lords will do?"
His words instantly drenched the council chamber in cold sweat.
"They're going to attack too?"
one council member asked in disbelief.
They didn't truly understand Thanos' power.
But they had seen the devastation caused during the battle against the Dimension Lords.
Earth had paid an enormous price.
"Of course they will."
"The Dimension Lords aren't idiots."
"They have agents on Earth."
"The moment this planet descends into war, they won't simply sit back and watch."
"So stop treating this like some military exercise."
"This is a war against the greatest conqueror in the universe..."
"And the greatest rulers of the dimensional realms."
"We have nowhere left to retreat."
"So I suggest you bring out every weapon you possess."
"Mobilize every soldier."
"Every machine."
"Every resource."
"Because if we lose this war..."
"Earth will cease to exist."
His gaze swept across every member of the council.
It was cold.
Merciless.
"And every single person in this room..."
"No one will survive."
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