"This definitely isn't a pre-death flashback," Tony gasped, wiping his face with his palm.
"Pre-death flashbacks are supposed to show the happiest moments. How could I possibly be seeing this scene?"
Amid the strangely intimate atmosphere, Tony looked past his younger self and saw the woman's face. She was beautiful, but only by the standard of a typical cover model. Tony had dated hundreds, maybe thousands, of women like her. Yet this face, he remembered clearly.
"Damn it, why am I seeing this, and from a bystander's perspective?" Tony muttered, wiping his face again. He hesitated, stepped forward, paused, then finally patted his younger self on the shoulder. "Stop it for now. Your little brother's about to come scare you."
But his call had no effect. The young Tony remained wild, full of energy. Even when Tony anxiously tried to intervene, nothing changed.
"Too late! Too late!" Tony cursed. He reached out to drag his younger self up. Then—
Boom!
Explosions thundered outside the Villa bedroom. Missiles detonated continuously, as if an intercontinental arsenal had struck all around the Villa. The deafening roar of fire and shattering glass was accompanied by gunfire and the sound of people being struck. It was as if a thousand-man army had emerged, carrying out indiscriminate slaughter.
"Ah! Ahhh! What the hell is that!?" Young Tony, once full of confidence, deflated instantly in the sudden chaos. He scrambled away and ran with Tony, on all fours, toward the bedroom door.
When they opened it, the chaos vanished. No army, no fire, no bombardment—only a two-year-old Malrick, leaning against a speaker, cackling mischievously.
Young Tony understood immediately. Furious, he grabbed a sofa pillow and lunged. "Malrick! You little brat!"
A frantic chase erupted through the Villa. The cover girl, whom young Tony had invited, quickly dressed and ran out as the two figures bounded around like madmen.
"This is absolute hell…" Tony muttered, covering his face. Even now, witnessing this memory again, he relived the chaos. Malrick's late-night antics had interrupted Tony's perfect fortune for the first time. The unexpected assault had left Tony drained for weeks, requiring multiple visits to doctors to regain his vigor. Yet Tony also knew he was partially at fault—compared to Malrick, who was barely two, Tony's own behavior had been reckless and unreliable.
"Damn Malrick. This isn't a pre-death flashback; it's some fantasy you made up!" Tony shouted, gritting his teeth. "You stinky brat, aren't you coming out yet? Fine, I'll deal with you!"
Tony grabbed another pillow and joined the chase. Since this long-forgotten memory had resurfaced, he had to set things right. Just as he threw the pillow—
Suddenly, the scene shifted.
Tony's vision blurred, and he was back in the initial bedroom, tangled once again on the bed.
"Hmm… a rewind? A restart?" Tony frowned, sensing something was wrong. He calmed himself and examined the situation carefully. After several repetitions, Tony realized:
"The same scene keeps repeating. I can't leave here. The Villa is surrounded by walls that appeared out of nowhere. Captain America said Sentinel didn't kill everyone on Earth, just moved them to another space. I'm probably in that space right now. This place causes pain—so Sentinel is forcing humanity to experience suffering here."
Tony studied the two figures on the bed. The scene was painful, but after enduring it repeatedly, a strange warmth crept over him. Was this punishment tied to desire? Lust?
"To escape, I need to see through desire? No wonder no one can escape this. But if it's a space, it can be broken," Tony reasoned.
Stretching his arms, he activated the Anti-Superman Armor at full power and charged the villa walls.
Bang!
The wall shattered. Jagged wooden splinters flew, revealing Tony had only crashed through a wooden facade. Confused, he looked around. He was actually on a quiet street at night. A person in a chicken mascot costume waved a propaganda sign nearby.
Before Tony could think further, continuous crashes erupted. Six wooden boards shattered, and Hulk, Hawkeye, Captain America, and others emerged.
"Tony!" they called, their eyes lighting up at the sight of him.
Tony noticed something strange. "Wait, you've broken through rooms and boards, and all of these… are my most painful memories?"
"Of course," Banner shrugged. "These are the scenes that hurt me the most, making me feel empty and lonely."
Yelena nodded. "According to the data, this is Sentinel's Void Space. It forces people to relive their most painful, loneliest moments."
Tony's lips moved, expression twisting. Banner relived his first transformation into Hulk; Captain America saw Bucky falling off a cliff; everyone confronted their deepest wounds. But Tony? He saw lust. A strange, agonizing kind of pain. Other hardships he had endured—his parents' death, capture by terrorists—had been alleviated by Malrick's presence. The most painful memory remaining was the night Malrick had interrupted him.
"Well, in that case… maybe I should even thank Malrick," Tony muttered, though he coughed lightly in discomfort.
"Since we understand the rules, Sentinel wants us to relive our pain. Fine, we'll fight our way out," Tony declared, lifting his face mask. "And as payment for this torment, we'll beat him black and blue!"
"I agree!" Hawkeye said, cocking his bow. Embedded in its handle were the Space Stone and Power Stone.
"I agree too!" Pietro added, tapping the soles of his shoes, which housed two more Infinity Stones.
Captain America raised his shield, Natasha revealed her wrist gauntlets, and Banner transformed into Hulk. Except for Hulk, everyone wielded two Infinity Stones each—equipment Malrick had casually prepared to handle Multiversal changes.
Tony was not to be outdone. His armor morphed into a white, tight-fitting suit. He swiped his hand across his World Ring, and a towering construct with six bright barrels on its head erupted into the sky. Tony entered the body, ready for battle.
"Avengers, assemble!" he commanded.
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