Chapter 434: Infinity Stones
Gazing at the shield that felt both familiar and strange, Steve couldn't help but lower his head, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The fact that Tony had done this meant he had already forgiven him; he was likely just being stubborn about his pride.
Steve slowly reached out to brush his fingers over the shield, then gripped it firmly and stood up to leave.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Genji passed Nick Fury's tests, proving that the object in his forehead was indeed the Mind Stone.
"How was it? I did not deceive you, because it would not be worth the effort," Genji said indifferently.
"Yes, it is indeed the Mind Stone. However, you must stay here with us," Fury said, looking up to meet Genji's eyes directly. An object as intimidating as an Infinity Stone couldn't simply be left in the hands of a stranger. Moreover, the entity was an AI; who knew if he might eventually decide to wipe out humanity?
"And if I refuse?" Genji had long anticipated this. Nick Fury was the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., a cunning old fox; he would never simply trust someone for no reason—unless that person was Carol Danvers, whose sheer strength left him no choice but to believe.
"Carol." Fury's only leverage here was Captain Marvel.
Hearing Fury call her name again, Carol stepped forward with a hint of annoyance. "I am absolutely not coming back next time."
"Don't be like that. We're friends," Fury chuckled, knowing she was mostly joking.
"No, I feel like you're just using my strength," Carol grumbled. She then turned her gaze toward Genji. "Are you going to choose to stay, or do I have to take you apart?"
"You cannot keep me here," Genji smiled with absolute confidence. If he didn't have a way to escape, would he have obediently followed Fury for an examination in the first place?
"You're sure you can run from me?" Carol wasn't about to let Genji slip away under her nose. Aside from Silas Parker, she didn't think anyone else could evade her.
"Confidence is a virtue, but overconfidence is merely ignorance and shortsightedness," Genji said. As the last word left his lips, his body began to grow transparent, and the Mind Stone in his forehead glowed brilliantly.
"Stop him!" Fury shouted urgently.
Carol didn't need the reminder. She threw a rapid punch, firing a blast of pure rainbow-colored energy.
BOOM!
It was too late. Genji had vanished from the spot, leaving nothing behind but a smoking hole in the wall from Carol's blast.
Seeing this, Fury turned to look at Carol. Don't you feel like you just got slapped in the face? Carol's expression was awkward. She had just boasted that no one could escape her, only to have someone vanish instantly.
"Well... everyone makes mistakes, right?" Carol said, pursing her lips.
"...Mmhmm." Fury could only nod along. With Carol's current mood, he didn't dare talk back; one energy blast and he'd be history.
"Now that everything is resolved, don't call me again unless it's a dire emergency." Carol didn't have the face to stay on Earth anymore; she preferred traveling through the various star systems.
She walked out of the lab onto the grassy field outside. Fury chased after her, calling out, "Thanks for the help this time."
"No problem. We're friends," Carol smiled. Then, enveloped in a radiant cosmic glow, she rocketed into the sky. It was night, and her flight path carved a long streak through the dark heavens, as brilliant as a galaxy.
Fury watched her silhouette disappear into the depths of the universe and fell into deep thought. Because of his actions, Genji was likely hostile toward him now. Had he just gained another enemy? A terrifyingly powerful AI enemy at that?
"One step at a time," Fury sighed, letting it go. After all, he still had the Avengers...
Queens—
"Everything is settled, Master." Genji appeared beside Silas and gave a respectful report.
"That's expected. If that 'Cyclops' were actually easy to talk to, I'd suspect he was a Skrull in disguise," Silas said, lying back in a rocking chair and sipping juice with a relaxed expression.
"Then I shall return for now?" Genji knelt on the floor.
"Go ahead," Silas waved him off. Genji nodded, backed away slowly, and faded into a phantom before dissipating.
This was Genji's inherent ability, granted by the Mind Stone. Since he was created from its energy, he inherited some of its properties—specifically, phasing, spatial analysis, and personal spatial jumping. Furthermore, the "Mind Stone" in his forehead wasn't the actual stone, but a projected phantom. However, because Genji himself was a product of the stone, Fury's equipment couldn't tell the difference.
It had to be said that Carol Danvers was incredibly lucky. While Wanda and Pietro only gained Chaos Magic and super speed respectively, Carol had hit the jackpot with a wide array of powers, effectively becoming a humanoid Titan.
"The Civil War is finally over," Silas said, stretching. Since the Second Civil War had technically been sparked by him, it was only right that he ended it.
The only mystery remaining was the identity of the "Mysterious Man" Thor had mentioned. Also, according to Thor, Asgard was destroyed and he was leading his people toward Earth on a starship. In the original timeline, they would encounter Thanos shortly after departing. Thanos's appearance meant the events of Infinity War were officially beginning.
"What a headache..." Silas's Talismans weren't all unlocked yet, and Thanos was already on the way.
While Tony Stark had sacrificed himself in the original timeline to win, Silas didn't know how his presence as a "butterfly" would change the outcome. Doctor Strange had seen over 14 million endings and said they only won once. With Silas in the mix, what were the odds now?
Moreover, Thanos's snap would eliminate half of all life in the universe. Silas was part of the Marvel Universe now—would his presence change those 50/50 odds? Perhaps those who were meant to live would die, and those meant to die would live. If Tony, Scott, or Banner died, who would build the Time Machine? No one would know about Pym Particles or the Quantum Realm. That would be one less chance to turn the tide.
"If I die, what happens to my Shadow Generals and the Shadow Khan?" Silas wondered. Their power came from him. If he turned to ash, would they follow?
"This is tough." Silas had zero confidence in fighting Thanos right now. He had the Mind Stone but no Infinity Gauntlet, meaning he couldn't fully tap into its power. He was like Vision—walking around with a stone in his head just waiting to be plucked out.
He had already tasked his shadows with forging an Infinity Gauntlet, but he didn't know if it could withstand the power. As for testing it, he didn't want to risk it without the Dog Talisman.
"Carol's gone too. I should have found a way to keep her around," Silas muttered. If he hid in the Shadow Kingdom, could he avoid the effects of the Snap? He was racking his brain for a way to deal with the "Purple Sweet Potato."
"Silas! Your magic really worked! Gwen's fever is gone, and she's full of energy now!" Peter, unaware of the impending danger, approached Silas with a huge grin to report on Gwen's recovery.
"Good to hear she's better," Silas forced a smile. Forget it—rather than overthinking, he'd let nature take its course. He just had to speed up his acquisition of new power.
Specifically, the Rat Talisman, which had given him a rather baffling clue. The answer to that clue was the Reality Stone!
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