"Hahaha!"
"Lucas, I am destiny!"
"What if you have two more Infinity Stones than mine? My two Infinity Stones work together to attract the power of the Phoenix wandering in the universe."
Thanos laughed wildly. As a learned and versatile universe overlord, he knew all about the power of the Phoenix.
"I see!"
"The power of the Phoenix… it is the embodiment of life and spiritual energy within the primordial universe," Thanos murmured, his voice filled with reverence. "It symbolizes vitality, emotion—connecting all souls, past and future. It is the origin... the very source of all spiritual power."
His eyes burned with fervor.
"The Phoenix Force prefers powerful vessels," he continued. "And I… I meet its standards perfectly. The Soul Stone and Mind Stone have drastically amplified my spiritual energy, drawing it forth from the far reaches of the cosmos."
A manic grin spread across his face as his body began to radiate with surging soul and mental energy. Thanos unleashed it wildly, desperately trying to resonate with the incoming Phoenix Force, reaching toward it like a mad prophet chasing divinity.
"With the Phoenix, my power will rise far beyond the difference of two Infinity Stones. No—I will surpass even you, Lucas."
He glared at Lucas, eyes blazing with ambition and bloodlust, already envisioning the crushing defeat he was about to deal.
But Lucas only smiled—calm, unfazed, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.
"You think claiming the Phoenix will turn this battle around?"
He tilted his head, that smug grin spreading.
"It's not going to be that easy."
The Space Stone in his hand ignited in a burst of blinding blue light. Space itself began to twist around Thanos, the battlefield bending, trying to forcefully relocate him.
But Thanos laughed—a deep, rumbling sound as his body pulsed with the combined energy of the Soul and Mind Stones. He poured everything into resisting, using Infinity Stone against Infinity Stone to lock himself in place.
"Trying to teleport me out?" he sneered.
"How naïve."
But Lucas hadn't planned to send him anywhere.
In that precise moment—while Thanos was focused entirely on resisting the spatial shift—the Reality Stone in Lucas's other hand flared a deep crimson.
And then...
The Infinity Gauntlet on Thanos's hand shimmered—twisted—and in an instant, crumbled into red dust. Foam.
Thanos froze, eyes wide in disbelief as the legendary weapon dissolved before him.
Swoosh!
After the Infinity Gauntlet disappeared, Thanos lost the tool to extract the Infinity Gem energy, and the surging soul power and spiritual power all over his body suddenly wilted.
"This..."
Thanos was dumbfounded. He didn't expect Lucas to trick him like this.
The Infinity Gauntlet is the key to Thanos' control of the Infinity Stones. Without the Infinity Gauntlet, he can't even use the power of two Infinity Stones.
Lucas feinted a shot before, making Thanos think Lucas was trying to move him away and prevent him from contacting the Phoenix Force.
Seeing that he was about to get the power of the Phoenix and then kill Lucas, Thanos would naturally not allow such a thing to happen, so he used all his strength to prevent himself from being transferred. Who would have thought that Lucas's space transfer was just a feint? The real purpose was to target his Infinity Gauntlet, which made him lose the ability to control two Infinity Stones.
In the final analysis, there is still a gap between Lucas and Thanos, and the gap brought by the two Infinity Stones is a bit big. Not to mention Lucas also has the Power Stone, the Infinity Stone that enhances the power of other Infinity Stones.
Thanos was deliberately calculated when his strength was insufficient, and it was reasonable to lose the Infinity Gauntlet. But for Thanos, the price of this failure was a bit painful, and it directly made him lose the possibility of winning.
Without the blessing of the Mind stone and Soul stone, Thanos' attraction to the Phoenix Force plummeted. Thanos felt some regrets in his heart, not only for his carelessness but also for not using the two Infinity Stones properly before.
"Well it looks like its time for you to die"
Lucas looked at Thanos indifferently. The four Infinity Stones glowed at the same time, and the incomparable power exploded with Lucas's fist.
"Ha ha!"
Thanos smiled generously, gritted his teeth and endured the energy backlash from the Infinity Stones, grabbed the two Infinity Stones in his hands, and threw a punch at Lucas.
BOOM!
Thanos was directly blown up by Lucas, leaving only the two Infinity Gems, the Mind and the Soul, floating in mid-air. Lucas waved his hand and held them in his grasp.
The six Infinity Stones were all made into ring gems by Lucas. When they were all worn on his hands, the six Infinity Stones began to resonate, and the incomparable power acted on Lucas's body.
"What a strong backlash!"
"Fortunately, I divided the six Infinity Stones between two hands, otherwise this backlash alone would have ruined me."
Lucas clicked his tongue secretly, thankful for his foresight.
The Hulk's physical quality was so strong, yet he was tortured by the backlash when he wore the Six-Gem Infinity Gauntlet, and he could hardly clench his fist. Although Lucas was very confident about his physique, he didn't want to take chances
"Phoenix Force—come to me!"
The Mind Stone and Soul Stone in Lucas's hands pulsed in unison, radiating waves of overwhelming spiritual and mental energy. The surge created a gravitational pull on a cosmic scale, a deadly allure that reached deep into the universe—straight toward the approaching Phoenix.
In response, the fiery avatar of the Phoenix let out a piercing cry that echoed through reality itself. Without hesitation, it dove toward Lucas, plunging into his body in a blinding blaze of golden-red light.
Lucas's eyes widened, and a low, awestruck breath escaped him.
"So this is the Phoenix Force... A power pushed to the absolute extreme."
As the energy coursed through him, Lucas could feel it—life itself burning in his veins, a firestorm of emotion and spirit that threatened to consume all reason. His very soul ignited with passion, and for a moment, the world seemed to blur beneath the sheer vitality of the force within him.
Though the Phoenix Force was a multiversal entity, what Lucas had absorbed was merely a shard—a fragment of its totality. But even this sliver, when fully awakened, held enough power to rival three Infinity Stones.
He clenched his fist slowly, letting the power settle into him, his aura blazing like a dying star.
A flicker of realization passed through him.
If Thanos had gotten this instead... things might've turned out very differently.
Of course, Thanos wouldn't have been able to kill Lucas outright. Lucas always had the option to flee into another world. But even so—being forced to escape would've been humiliating. And that was something Lucas couldn't accept.
He turned his gaze toward the distance, where the Dark Order's fleet still hovered cautiously.
"Why aren't they running?"
He asked the question aloud, more curious than hostile.
Though they hadn't dared to interfere in the clash between two godlike beings, they hadn't fled either. Even after Lucas had obliterated their master, Thanos, they simply kept their distance—watching, waiting.
Then, a few of Thanos's top subordinates slowly flew forward. One by one, they bowed their heads, offering their surrender.
Their reason was simple: they needed protection.
It was the brutal logic of the universe. They had once followed Thanos because he was powerful enough to shield them from annihilation. In doing so, they'd earned the enmity of countless other forces across the cosmos. Now that he was gone, they were vulnerable—and survival demanded they swear loyalty to another overwhelming force.
To Lucas.
He stared at them in silence for a moment before replying, voice calm and unreadable.
"Is that so? Very well."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Thanos was a madman... but I'm not foolish enough to waste time getting angry at a bunch of tools."
His gaze swept across the remnants of Thanos's army—cold, commanding, and absolute.
Howard Stark: So… that's the end of Thanos?
Lucas: What more do you want?
Sebastian Shaw: A bit of emotion, maybe? Come on, the guy's original goal wasn't all bad. Just a madman chasing his own brand of idealism like it's some kind of cosmic game.
Lucas: Madman? No—he's a pervert. Wiping out half the population to solve a universal crisis? He clearly never studied how insane population growth rates are.
Lo Pei: I've wanted to ask this for a while—was Thanos just brain-dead? If population growth is exponential, then in 20 years it would've doubled anyway. He snaps now, and in two decades, we're right back where we started.
Howard Stark: I just ran the numbers. The growth rate is terrifying. So yeah, unless he planned to snap his fingers every 20 years, his idea was doomed from the start.
Sebastian Shaw:No lasting peace—just a 20-year truce. That's… hilariously shortsighted.
Gengetsu Hōzuki: A 20-year recovery cycle, huh? Seems like a lot of worlds follow that pattern. But wait—didn't the Group Leader say Thanos destroyed the Infinity Stones after snapping?
Thomas Wayne: Then he's an idiot. If he lived even twenty more years, he'd regret it. What kind of so-called universal overlord doesn't even understand basic consequences?
Howard Stark: The "overlord of the universe" is sounding more like a cosmic fool by the second.
Lucas: Foolish? Maybe. But there's another explanation: arrogance... and blind fanaticism.
Howard Stark: Right. The arrogant never seek truth, and the paranoid reject every explanation. When ordinary people are arrogant or paranoid, it's annoying. But when the powerful are like that—it's dangerous. Speaking of which, Group Leader... you're really keeping Thanos's crew?
Lucas: Of course. A few loyal subordinates out in the cosmos won't hurt. At the very least, they can handle the grunt work.
BUZZ!
Suddenly, Lucas in the outside world received a message from Kamar-Taj, which was a signal that a powerful dimensional demon had invaded the Earth.
Lucas used the Space stone without saying a word, appeared directly in Kamar-Taj, and entered the barrier that the dimensional demon was attacking.
Within the dimensional space, Lucas unleashed a devastating punch, shattering the dark energy that had seeped into reality like a festering wound. As the ripples faded, he quickly identified the presence behind the incursion—Dormammu, the demon god of the Dark Dimension, a frequent intruder in this universe.
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
"Where's the Ancient One?"
"Why didn't she come herself this time? Instead, she sends a little pest like you to stop me? Tch... how pathetic. Has she truly fallen so low she's sending you off to die in her place?"
Dormammu's voice boomed with arrogance as his phantom form loomed above Lucas, laughter echoing through the rift.
But Lucas merely smirked, unfazed.
"Dormammu... what a disgusting little fly."
"Looks like I'll be using you today—to show of my power and make the other think twice before attacking."
Without another word, he launched a punch that tore through the dimensional veil, blasting Dormammu's projection back into the Dark Dimension.
And then, without hesitation, Lucas stepped through the breach, his body igniting with power as he stormed into the Dark Dimension itself.
The tower dive had begun.