The white light faded.
A battle axe floated in the air. Its blade was pitch black, like a miniature black hole, devouring all surrounding light. The handle was a deep, ancient wood tone, wrapped with patterns that seemed almost alive.
Thor's body was charred black, wisps of smoke still rising from him. He staggered to his feet, each step leaving an electrified footprint on the metal floor. Reaching out with a trembling hand, he grasped the wooden handle.
A violent surge of energy flooded into his body.
"Try the Bifrost," Levi's voice came from nearby.
Almost instinctively, Thor obeyed. With a roar, he raised the axe high.
He himself became a beacon for lightning. Cosmic dust in the sky ionized, and blue-white arcs of electricity coiled wildly around the axe. At its tip, a rainbow-colored vortex began to twist into shape, radiating the power to tear through space.
"Not here." Levi casually waved his hand.
The surrounding space instantly turned viscous, as if frozen in amber. The Bifrost energy that was about to erupt was forcibly suppressed, dissipating into nothingness.
"You'll tear this place apart," Levi added.
Thor panted heavily. He could feel the axe humming with dissatisfaction in his grip, like a caged beast.
He needed a target—a worthy one.
Turning his head, his gaze locked onto a massive meteor in the distance, several kilometers across.
Without hesitation, he hurled the axe with all his strength.
The moment it left his hand, it vanished.
In the next instant, it appeared directly in front of the meteor.
No sound. No explosion. Not even a ripple of energy.
A clean cut appeared across the ancient rock. The meteor, which had drifted through space for billions of years, silently split into two halves. The cut was smooth as a mirror, reflecting the distant starlight.
The axe vanished again—and reappeared in Thor's hand the next moment, emitting a satisfied low hum.
Thor couldn't help but smile.
This was the power he wanted—absolute, unreasonable power.
"Stormbreaker," Levi said, now standing beside him. "If you can fully wield it, you won't be inferior to Odin."
Thor ran his hand along the rough handle. He could feel a higher-level power within it—something he couldn't fully comprehend. The six shallow grooves seemed to whisper, calling for something.
"With this, I can kill Thanos," Thor said, his voice burning with vengeance.
"Don't be naive." Levi's words were like cold water poured over his head. "Thanos wants the six Infinity Stones. This axe at best gives you a seat at the table—not the power to flip it."
Levi tapped lightly on the six grooves in the handle.
"I left you some slots. If you manage to take one or two Stones from Thanos, embed them. It'll help bear most of the backlash so you won't be completely overwhelmed."
Thor's pupils shrank as he looked down.
Only now did he understand—this wasn't just a weapon.
It was a vessel capable of holding Infinity-level power. A simplified Infinity Gauntlet.
"Time to head back." Levi didn't elaborate further. With a casual motion, he tore open another dark spatial rift. "The show on Earth is about to begin."
The two stepped through.
---
Blinding sunlight and fresh air greeted them.
They stood on the training field of the Avengers' new base. The grass was neatly trimmed.
But it was too quiet.
"Where is everyone?" Thor frowned. "Weren't they supposed to be training here?"
Before he finished speaking, a figure in a red leather jacket rushed out of the building.
Wanda.
The moment she saw Levi, her eyes lit up. All her anxiety and waiting turned into a sprint. Like a fired bullet, she threw herself into his arms,撞得 him take a step back.
"You're back…" Her voice trembled, thick with emotion.
Levi paused, then gently patted her back, his tone softening slightly. "I'm back. What happened here? Where are Tony and Steve?"
Wanda lifted her head from his chest. The light in her eyes dimmed, replaced with exhaustion and disappointment.
"They fought. Over some agreement… and Sergeant Barnes…" she said quietly. "Tony stayed. Steve left with his people. I didn't go anywhere. I told you—I'd wait for you."
Thor stood to the side, stunned.
When he left, these people were still fighting side by side.
Now the Avengers had split apart… over a document and one man?
At that moment, Levi's expression darkened. He released Wanda and looked sharply toward a distant direction.
He felt a familiar energy being violently torn—the Mind Stone crying out.
"Vision is asking for help."
"They're here."
Before the words fully fell, Levi vanished, leaving only a faint ripple in space. Wanda disappeared with him.
---
Edinburgh, Scotland.
Rain poured endlessly over muddy stone streets.
Vision lay on the ground, a massive hole torn through his vibranium chest, sparks flickering. The Mind Stone on his forehead was pinned by a glowing blue spear, its energy being violently extracted.
Corvus Glaive grinned viciously, preparing the final strike.
Nearby, Proxima Midnight held her trident, keeping Steve, Natasha, and Sam at bay.
Steve's shield was scorched. Natasha couldn't get close. One of Sam's mechanical wings was broken, leaving him struggling to evade.
Just as the spear was about to pierce the core of the Mind Stone—
A hand appeared out of nowhere.
Two fingers casually pinched the tip of the spear.
Corvus froze. He hadn't even seen how the man arrived. He pushed with all his strength, but the weapon—formed from his own will—wouldn't budge, as if trapped between mountains.
Levi's figure solidified in the rain.
He glanced at the half-dead Vision and frowned.
"While I'm gone, even trash like you gets bold?"
With a slight twist of his fingers—
Crack!
The indestructible spear snapped in two.
Corvus and Proxima both froze in shock.
Levi casually tossed aside the broken half, then bent down and tapped the Mind Stone lightly.
A gentle life force flowed in. The gaping wound in Vision's chest began healing at a visible rate.
"Die!"
Corvus roared, lunging forward with the broken weapon toward Levi's back.
Levi didn't even turn around.
A ripple appeared in the air behind him. Corvus's weapon—and half his arm—sank into it, as if plunging into another dimension.
The next second, a matching ripple appeared above his head.
His own weapon emerged—from above—aimed directly at his skull.
Corvus panicked, trying to pull back, but his arm was stuck, immovable.
All he could do was watch his own strike descend upon him.
Thud.
The blade pierced upward from his jaw, through his skull.
His body froze, eyes wide with disbelief.
"I don't kill idiots," Levi said flatly, standing up without sparing him a glance. "Go tell your master—the rules have changed. If he wants the Stones, he can come himself."
With a flick of his hand, Corvus's corpse was flung aside like a ragdoll, slamming into a wet wall before collapsing.
On the other side, Proxima let out a shrill scream upon seeing her husband die. Instead of attacking Levi, she turned her weapon toward Wanda.
Three lethal energy beams shot toward her.
She knew Levi was the real threat—but chose to strike the weakest link.
The beams stopped midair, half a meter from Wanda.
Levi stood in front of her.
With two fingers, he casually caught the central beam—like pinching a lit matchstick.
With a slight motion—
All three beams vanished instantly.
No trace left.
Fear finally overtook Proxima. This man's power was beyond comprehension. She dropped her weapon and fled skyward, escaping into a cloaked ship that vanished into the clouds.
The battle was over.
Steve retrieved his shield and walked over with Natasha and Sam, their expressions complicated.
"Levi…" Steve began, his voice dry. After so long, there was too much to say—but no clear place to start.
Levi ignored him.
He simply turned to look at Wanda.
There was no relief in her eyes.
Only something deeper—something heavy and unspoken.
A mix of grievance… and quiet reproach.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~