Wanda let out a sharp breath and collapsed to the ground. She glanced down into the abyss of unknown depth, then at Thanos standing nearby, his expression charged with excitement, and let out a quiet sigh.
She had won, but at a tremendous cost. Thanos was formidable; forcing him into an illusion while he was fully focused was no small feat. Fortunately, she had managed it-barely. Without her narrow escape, she might have ended up like her illusory self: dead, her Infinity Stone taken.
"But my head... it's spinning," Wanda muttered. She couldn't even sit, so she lay on the scorching ground near the planet's core, the heat intense. She didn't care. Using Arcane magic, her innate power, and the Infinity Stone in such a short burst had drained her completely.
Still, she knew reflection was necessary; analyzing the battle would help her grow.
"The power of an Infinity Stone... truly terrifying," Wanda murmured, staring at her glove. Her plan hadn't been especially complicated. First, she used Arcane magic to confuse Thanos. Then she leveraged her own power to make him believe her natural abilities were the Mind Stone's, while rocks and energy blasts were her real skills.
Finally, when Thanos thought he had victory, she unleashed the true power of the Mind Stone. Its ability to manipulate senses and subconscious beliefs made it incredibly dangerous.
If her innate power hadn't been augmented by an Infinity Stone, if her control hadn't been so precise, and if Noah hadn't trained her-she wouldn't have been able to mislead Thanos and, at the crucial moment, forcibly alter his thoughts.
"But it was far too dangerous," she sighed, utterly exhausted. "I probably don't even have the strength to stand. This... really isn't a comfortable place."
"Of course it's not, Wanda," a familiar voice said softly by her ear.
Her fatigue vanished instantly, replaced by a wide smile. "True. I'd much rather be back in London, lying in that big bed in the Sanctuary under the lavender-scented quilt, Master."
"You'll smell it soon enough," Noah said with a smile as he approached. After a pause, he knelt and lifted her. "Come on, I'll take you up."
"Mm," Wanda nodded, but quickly glanced back at Thanos. "What about him?"
Noah turned toward Thanos, chuckled softly, and in an instant, cracks spread across Thanos's body. Like shattered glass, he crumbled to dust.
He wasn't letting this Thanos live, even if he didn't belong to this universe. Simultaneously, an Infinity Stone drifted toward Noah. A glance revealed it was the Power Stone.
"An unexpected harvest," Noah said cheerfully, tossing it into the Mirror Dimension. Then he looked at Wanda. "Let's go. I'll get you out of here."
"Master... have you dealt with the other Thanoses?" Wanda asked. "There were so many of them."
"My targets were eliminated long ago," Noah replied. "The others are mostly handled too. The two Thors, Stephen, Hela... even Loki and Tony ran into minor trouble, but they're fine."
"Looks like I lost to Stephen, then," Wanda murmured. "Master, aren't you going to help?"
"No need. Tony has gone to Loki's side. Plenty of reinforcements have arrived, and some old acquaintances returned."
"Really?"
"Yes. Oh, and by the way... you performed wonderfully, Wanda."
"Look, we could talk this out instead of fighting, right?"
Elsewhere, Loki dodged a seemingly enraged Thanos while trying to persuade him with words. He hadn't intended to fight, but one by one, everyone around him had charged in, leaving him isolated.
Loki despised the situation. Just as he searched for a reliable ally, a Thanos landed beside him. He was trapped.
Sure enough, Thanos mocked Loki for still being "as cowardly as a mouse" and expressed delight at the thought of strangling him. Then the battle began.
Initially, Loki fought with resentment, intending to teach this Thanos a lesson. He had seen Noah take out a Thanos at the Ninth-tier. Now that he himself was Ninth-tier, why shouldn't he do the same?
It went well at first. This universe's Loki differed greatly from the one Thanos remembered. Using only frost powers, he caused the Titan considerable trouble.
But Thanos was no pushover. Once he saw Loki's patterns, he adapted. Loki was a descendant of the Frost Giants-he knew this-but Thanos adjusted his strategy and demonstrated overwhelming superiority.
As the fight continued, Thanos noticed something strange. He could no longer tell which Loki was real and which was an illusion.
He struck at one Loki and hit only air. Another Loki struck him while he assumed it was a fake.
Immediately, Thanos realized the culprit: this Loki had an Infinity Stone. The Reality Stone. Its power to make fakes real and the real unreal explained everything.
Thanos no longer hesitated. He used his own Infinity Stones-three in total. Loki panicked. He hadn't expected his opponent to be so overwhelmingly powerful.
Loki's will to fight wavered. He wasn't Noah; he couldn't win. His life as Regent of Asgard was valuable. He didn't want to die in some godforsaken place.
So Loki relied on his tongue. He dodged while babbling incessantly, hoping to persuade Thanos. It made no difference. Thanos's attacks grew faster, more violent, and berserk.
Loki realized how tiny he looked in comparison-like a fly. Nothing more. If roles were reversed, he'd probably feel the same.
There was no other way. He didn't want to repeat the fate of his other self-though that self had been brave. But this wasn't that universe; throwing away his life was pointless.
"Damn it! Are you mute?" Loki shouted, dodging another strike. "Haven't you noticed the anomalies? Your people are dead! Why won't you let me go?"
"Hmph!" Thanos paused briefly, then stared coldly. "Don't worry, I'll leave soon. But before that-I want your stone. Hand it over and I won't kill you. Otherwise..."
"Please... you're basically a stray dog now," Loki rolled his eyes, scrambling to avoid another heavy strike. "Honestly, stop dreaming. If you let me go, maybe you'll live. But..."
"There is no 'but'! You're dead!" Thanos roared. "You annoying fly! I'm going to strangle you like the Loki in my universe!"
Dodging once more, Loki scrambled to his feet. Thanos was too fast. Loki could only prepare to use the Infinity Stone again, turning the attack into an illusion. But transforming a Tenth-tier strike into illusion repeatedly was exhausting.
Just then, a bolt of thunder rang out. The next second, Thanos's head was severed from his shoulders.