While rotund Thor battled Thanos, wielding three Infinity Stones, the other Thor's fight had also reached a fever pitch.
This universe's Thor was significantly different from his overweight counterpart. Even at the tenth stage with ample combat experience, he couldn't match the other Thor in pure power application. That Thor had refined his lightning through trauma and emotional extremes, reaching near-perfect synchronicity with his strength-capable of nearly killing his own universe's Thanos with a single axe blow.
The local Thor hadn't had such opportunities. Though a tenth-stage demigod, he hadn't traversed the deepest reaches of the universe in absolute clarity, nor had he witnessed the golden sphere at its heart. His mastery of lightning was less refined. Time could bridge the gap, but for now, he was inferior.
Yet he was not without advantage: he possessed the Power Stone.
His affinity with it wasn't as perfect as Wanda's with the Mind Stone, but he could still wield its might. Even if he couldn't dispatch foes as effortlessly as Fat Thor, he was confident-after all, he was the King of Asgard.
With that thought, Thor surged with power. He had held back before, but now he went all out.
Sensing the terrifying lightning erupt nearby, he knew his other self was at full capacity. A spark of irritation flickered. Thor bore no ill will toward his portly counterpart, but he viewed him as a rival-a healthy competition. He refused to lose to himself. If he didn't act, he would be the loser of this race.
The Power Stone flooded his body, a daunting aura sweeping the battlefield. Thor was unleashed.
Grasping Stormbreaker, he stood like a God of War. His majesty reminded Asgardian veterans-and even Hela-of All-Father Odin at his peak, invincible and peerless.
"Such terrifying power. Is this the Power Stone?" Thanos watched, uneasy. Yellow energy flickered across his body-the Soul Stone.
It boosted him, but imperfectly. The power caused him pain; it didn't match him. Compared to Thor, it was weak. Yet without it, he would be doomed.
Then, the distant lightning abruptly vanished, along with an aura similar to his own.
Thanos's heart sank. Had his ally been defeated so easily?
Meanwhile, Thor's mood soured-he had lost the "race."
Damn that fat version of me! he cursed inwardly.
He launched a devastating offensive. He didn't care if Thanos blocked-he only wanted to end him, using everything he had. He refused further embarrassment.
Thanos regained focus, believing if he could eliminate this opponent, the tide might turn.
Two fearsome weapons clashed in the sky, tearing the heavens asunder.
Thanos was formidable. Even without the Gauntlet, his Tyrant Blade, forged from unique materials, could reduce Captain America's shield to scrap.
But he faced an enhanced Thor with Stormbreaker and the Power Stone. Stormbreaker alone couldn't kill Thanos quickly, but combined with the Stone, Thor had an advantage.
As the weapons locked, Thor's body glowed crimson. A suffocating force surged into his left hand, silver lightning converging instantly.
Thor threw a punch, brimming with divine might and Infinity Stone power.
Instinctively, Thanos blocked with his left hand-but immediately regretted it. Failing to block meant certain death.
An aurora flared, blinding the battlefield. Armies froze.
"AAAGH!"
A piercing scream echoed.
When the light faded, Thor hovered calmly. His black armor intact, red cape snapping in the wind.
Thanos's armor was shattered; his left arm was gone. Purple blood streamed, residual lightning and Stone energy coursed through him.
"It's over."
Thor looked at him. He was fine internally, though he knew Thanos had suffered.
Thanos touched the stump, a faint smile forming. "I never imagined I would fall by your hand."
"Your failure was written in the stars," Thor said. "From the moment you attacked Asgard, chased impossible dreams... and made Noah your enemy."
"Noah?" Thanos asked. "The child of destiny, the Black Dragon who shouldn't exist. To lose to such a thing..."
"He isn't a dragon. He's human. And you're wrong about one thing-you are the one who shouldn't exist. Noah is my friend. He belongs here."
"Ha. With him around, there is no place for me. So... will you kill me?"
"Yes. I'll do what your other self intended for my other self. I'm going... for the head!"
...
"I'm curious. How does it feel to have what belonged to you taken away?"
Elsewhere, Stephen Strange intercepted another Thanos.
They faced each other in the sky. Strange was nervous but firm. He knew exactly the kind of being he faced.
He acted for Earth, for the magical world, and for those he loved.
Strange met Thanos's provocation with a sneer. Such low-level tactics were beneath him.
Over the last five years, he had grown close to Bro Thor and understood his counterpart's status in that universe. So what?
From the mundane world, he understood competition. Talent and opportunity were needed to claim a position. He had neither, and forcing it was futile.
He also knew the weight of being Sorcerer Supreme. He wasn't ready for that burden and was content with his current life.
"I don't think like that. My life is great. 'Belonged to me'? No, it belongs to whoever is capable."