A shattered world? Endless desolation?
Was this the world's future, or... was there a deeper metaphor at play?
Suddenly, Arthur felt as if he had stepped into a dense fog. Six beams of light, each a different color, descended from above and hovered in mid-air.
They intertwined, swirled, and finally encircled Arthur, dancing behind him.
As the fog dissipated, the world's order began to restore itself, new cities rising from the ruins.
Arthur's body ascended higher and higher, suspended high in the heavens, gazing down upon all creation…
…
"Ah..."
A faint smile curved Arthur's lips. "So, this is what you wanted me to do?"
At first, Arthur hadn't noticed many things.
But as events unfolded, shifting little by little, the hidden patterns lurking in the corners and the inevitability disguised as chance gradually revealed themselves to his eyes.
Especially on that fateful day on Vormir, when the Soul Stone was actually obtained through sheer force of persuasion, all the seemingly irrational circumstances transformed into logical necessity!
Fate?
Perhaps fate existed, but in Arthur's eyes, it was more like a crude calculation!
Yes, utterly crude!
The kind of crude calculation that anyone with half a brain could figure out with a moment's thought!
Unfortunately, Arthur only realized this now... Not because he lacked intelligence, but because he never imagined such calculations could stem from one of the universe's most fundamental forces, the Infinity Gems!
Some gemstones could actually plot against people?
Who could have ever imagined such a thing?
Yet today, the undeniable truth was laid bare before his eyes.
The Infinity Gems orbited around him, willingly submitting to his command. Upon the ruins, a new city-state had been rebuilt, and he, like a celestial being, reigned supreme over the world!
What a glorious future!
Every step had been meticulously planned for him.
But... was it really so?
A previously incomprehensible phrase suddenly echoed in his mind:
It is both the beginning and the end. Facing annihilation, you ultimately cannot accept it, can you?
Who was it that couldn't accept it?
In truth, Arthur should have realized something when he first saw Natasha, who had crossed over from another dimension. Yet, for some reason, he had subconsciously dismissed the matter.
What had he dismissed?
After Thanos achieved his goal, annihilating half of all life in the universe with a snap of his fingers, the next thing he destroyed was the Infinity Gems themselves!
The gems, which embodied the fundamental forces of the universe... would they truly accept such a fate?
Perhaps this was the very motive behind everything!
"Even if things eventually change, even if the counterattack plan Natasha from another dimension spoke of ultimately succeeds, and the Avengers from other worlds use the power of the Infinity Gems to revive those who were lost and defeat Thanos... but..."
A faint smile flickered across Arthur's lips. "But would they allow these gems to remain in this world? Would they let them fall into the hands of other ambitious figures? This time it was Thanos, but what about next time? Heavenly Tyrant? Earthly Tyrant? Tua?"
"So, in the end, the only possible outcome is still destruction, isn't it?"
Arthur watched the Infinity Gems materialize behind him, their light flickering repeatedly as they vied to merge. A faint smile curled his lips. "If you chose me for self-preservation, you've made a terrible mistake."
With the Disassembler in his possession, Arthur was the ultimate nightmare for any non-living energy item in the world.
Once the Infinity Gems fell into his hands, and assuming the Disassembler functioned as intended, their fate was practically sealed.
The gemstone gate remained silent, but the surrounding darkness gradually reclaimed everything.
Darkness enveloped Arthur completely, like a curtain falling to end the scene... yet faintly, through the rolling darkness, flashes of light persisted, as if new scenes were unfolding before him, materializing!
What were these visions?
Only Arthur knew.
…
Opening his eyes, Arthur saw an enormous face that blinked and pulsated rhythmically.
The Infinity Gems floated around Arthur's body, eventually gathering behind his head. They blinked with six wondrous colors, ready to provide him with immense power at any moment.
When Arthur looked at Dormammu again, he felt a strange sensation. To him, the ruler of the Dark Dimension now seemed like a delectable feast!
"You..."
This gaze might not have angered a human, but Dormammu, who transcended humanity, felt a surge of fury when a mere mortal regarded him with such insolence.
Yet before he could utter another word, Arthur abruptly extended his hand.
An overwhelming, unreasonable force materialized with extreme exaggeration right beside Dormammu.
Silent, invisible, and utterly imperceptible!
Dormammu realized with horror that his body was losing power at an alarming rate.
Simultaneously, gem after gem materialized before Arthur.
These gems, which should have belonged to Dormammu, were the sole means by which he dominated the Dark Dimension and ruled as its supreme lord.
Yet now, they were being violently extracted from his body and deposited before Arthur.
With a wave of his hand, Arthur activated the Disassembler.
The gems appeared and vanished in rapid succession as messages flashed across Arthur's vision: Disassemble successful. Disassemble successful. Disassemble successful.
Dormammu erupted in a display of impotent rage!
"What have you done to me?!"
His furious roar echoed through the void, yet he was utterly helpless.
The entire realm was weakening in a bizarre manner, and the terrifying power swirling above him was beyond anything he had ever imagined!
He was paralyzed, unable to resist. All he could do was roar helplessly as his power was systematically stripped away and devoured before his eyes.
As this process continued, the tangible might of the entire realm visibly dissolved at an alarming rate.
Arthur glanced up at Dormammu, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Sorry about that. I made a deal with them. So, this time I'm going to call it 'cheating', but you should know I'm a man of integrity. I rarely cheat... Even though cheating feels great, constantly cheating feels even better, it's an easy way to get your account banned."