Chapter 304: Uninvited Guests Arrive
"Alright, no time to hesitate. We need to move fast. One Stone's uptown, the other's hidden downtown. We split up, find them both as quickly as possible," Steve said decisively, his voice steady with resolve.
Remarkably, the instant he finished speaking, the plain white clothes he'd been wearing vanished, replaced instantly by that unmistakable blue-and-red suit — Captain America's uniform.
"Remember — we keep this low-profile," future-Steve added, his tone sharpening, eyes carrying real gravity and caution. "We came back from the future through the Quantum Realm. Our only mission is recovering those three Stones. Nothing else matters. Most important of all — we cannot be seen by our past selves, or by anyone else."
Iron Man Tony Stark, Dr. Banner, and Ant-Man Scott Lang all nodded, fully aware of the stakes riding on this mission.
All four of them had traveled back from the future through the Quantum Realm, with one shared goal: retrieve the past versions of the Time Stone, the Soul Stone, and the Space Stone.
"Hope nothing goes sideways," future-Ant-Man said, tilting his head.
"Something feels off, though. Honestly, I don't remember there being this many superheroes around back then," future-Tony muttered, frowning. What unsettled him even more was glancing up and spotting his own past self, suited up, soaring through the sky in a Mark armor. That was, technically, him — but Tony knew for a fact he hadn't had access to that advanced a suit back then.
His past self looked powerful up there. Confident. The strength on display looked practically on par with his current, future self.
What is going on here? Confusion churned in Tony's chest, and he began to genuinely wonder whether they'd stumbled into the wrong timeline entirely.
Just as they were about to move out, a massive crash tore through the battlefield, breaking the moment.
They turned to look — and found the Hulk, holding an entire car overhead in both hands, hurling it with wild abandon straight into the Chitauri ranks.
In the Hulk's grip, the car looked like nothing more than a toy, tossed effortlessly at the enemy.
Not satisfied even with that, he leaped up and stomped on the wreckage a few extra times for good measure.
More Chitauri had been closing in, but at the sight of the Hulk's sheer brutality, they scattered in terror instead.
Future-Steve glanced over at future-Banner, who buried his face in his hands, visibly mortified. Future-Banner, after all, could keep his mind intact even while transformed into the Hulk.
"Want to go smash a few things too? Get in the mood?" future-Steve offered.
"No, I do not. Let's just get moving," future-Banner said flatly, refusing outright — and promptly tore off his shirt to get on with the mission.
What future-Banner never realized was that, the moment he left, this universe's own Hulk suddenly blinked, his eyes clearing with a flash of lucidity. Did another Hulk just walk by? Nah, must've imagined it. Hulk, go on, keep smashing.
This world's own version of Banner could, in fact, keep his mind intact while transformed too — he just usually chose to hand full control over to the Hulk instead, letting him have his fun. Banner had genuinely glimpsed another Hulk's silhouette a moment ago, but chalked it up to his eyes playing tricks on him.
Elsewhere, Ethan and his group remained locked in fierce combat against the three Black Order members.
"These three Riders are unbelievable, right? I heard someone call this whole thing 'Kamen Rider'!"
"I already knew the Lord of Hell's Kitchen could turn into one of those Riders — but who are the other two? They look just as strong. Are they Hell's Kitchen's secret weapons or something?"
"Wait, that's not right — I saw that blue one fight Ethan before! Weren't they enemies? Why are they fighting together now?"
"Out of the three, I'm still partial to the pink one — he looks so cool! Man, I wish I could transform too."
"That gold one Ethan turned into is just gorgeous. Pure spectacle."
"Heard you can actually get one of those transformation belts from Hell's Kitchen — everybody, sign up now!"
"And here I thought these aliens were supposed to be terrifying. Turns out Ethan's crew just beat the absolute snot out of them."
"Come on, have you SEEN Captain America and the Illuminati people lying flat on the ground over there? These aliens aren't weak — Ethan's group is just THAT much stronger."
"There's just so many of these aliens, though — feels like it'll never end, it's terrifying."
"If these aliens have the power to destroy the whole planet, and Ethan's stronger than them... does that mean Ethan could just take over the world whenever he wants?"
"Not gonna lie, that logic checks out. And weirdly, that actually makes me feel kind of safe."
The whole world's attention was locked on this unprecedented battle. Satellites from countless nations pivoted like obedient children, angling every available lens toward the fight where Ethan stood.
Every one of Ethan's movements, every strike, left onlookers stunned. His strength, speed, and skill all defied belief. Every motion carried the grace of a dance, wrapped in an overwhelming, unstoppable presence.
But the ones most shaken by all this weren't the ordinary onlookers. It was the very enemies fighting him.
Ebony Maw had long since abandoned whatever elegance he'd started the fight with. His face — never particularly handsome to begin with — had been beaten even uglier under Decade's relentless assault.
Genuine fear had taken root in him now: these three Riders' combined strength seemed to rival Thanos himself. If these three actually have this kind of power, what are they even doing wasting away on this backwater planet instead of carving out a name for themselves across the cosmos?
Worse still, watching Ethan transform into such a magnificent, elegant Rider form only stoked Ebony Maw's jealousy further.
Proxima Midnight wasn't faring any better. She couldn't fathom how such a small frame could hold this much raw power. Her signature net — a weapon carrying the force of an entire star — had just been casually shattered by the golden warrior in front of her.
Had Ethan known what was actually running through Proxima Midnight's head, he'd have had some corrections to offer — his transformed Rider form on its own didn't actually carry that kind of raw power. He just had other things working in his favor.
"Just who ARE you people, to have this kind of strength? How has your existence gone completely unknown until now?" Corvus Glaive, uncharacteristically talkative for once, finally couldn't help but ask.
At his question, Ethan, Tsukasa, and Kaito all paused in perfect unison. They exchanged a look, shared a knowing smile, and each pulled a card from their pocket.
"I'm just a passing-through Kamen Rider. Remember that!" ×3
All three voices rang out together, thunderous, unshakable.
"FINAL ATTACKRIDE!" The mechanical voice cried out, and Tsukasa and Ethan launched their signature Rider Kicks in unison, their bodies transforming into twin streaks of light as they bore down on their enemies.
Kaito, meanwhile, raised his gun and fired straight at Corvus Glaive.
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