"Oh, hell yeah, that's awesome!"
Watching Thor surrounded by roaring lightning, Axel raised a hand and shouted across the battlefield.
As his voice rang out, the ground beneath Thor exploded apart, launching him forward with tremendous force.
He skipped across the sea of lightning like a stone gliding over water. Every landing sent massive ripples of electricity racing outward.
After only a few leaps, Stormbreaker erupted with brilliant rainbow light.
Wrapped in the power of the Bifrost, the axe cleaved straight through Thanos's spatial barrier, allowing Thor to burst inside.
Seeing Thor charge toward him with glowing eyes overflowing with lightning, Thanos finally became serious.
"Thor."
He quietly raised his right fist.
"The power of Asgard."
As the words left his mouth, his fist collided directly with Stormbreaker's blade.
Boom!
The impact echoed across the battlefield.
Thor was instantly launched backward, flying away more than a hundred times faster than he had arrived.
Watching Thor vanish like a shooting star, Axel curled his lips.
"Well... after all that effort, he really got sent flying."
Chuckling to himself, Axel flexed his right hand before looking at Thanos.
"So, was that punch powered by the Power Stone?
If it was, then come on, let me experience it too."
A look of excitement spread across his face.
"Not long ago, thanks to a few helpful people, my physical strength reached... ridiculous levels.
Now I honestly don't know how strong I am when I fight seriously.
There are still plenty of people who can beat me.
The problem is that they're either far stronger than I am or far weaker.
You're different.
Without the Infinity Stones, you're weaker than me.
The complete power behind the Stones is beyond anything I can handle.
But you, unable to draw out all of their power, are the perfect opponent.
So give me the same punch you just used.
If you satisfy me, I might even help you fulfill your dream."
Axel clenched both fists eagerly.
Across from him, Thanos narrowed his eyes.
"Arrogant."
He charged forward without another word.
Even for him, using the Infinity Stones came at a heavy cost. The faster this battle ended, the better.
His enormous stride shook the earth.
In an instant, he stood before Axel.
His massive fist crashed toward Axel's chest.
Around them, Captain America and the others finally struggled free from the collapsed earth.
None of them had time to mourn those buried beneath the debris.
Their attention was fixed entirely on Axel.
When the tidal wave had swept across the battlefield, Clark had carried Selina to safety.
Now, as he set her down, she watched Axel calmly raise his own fist.
She smiled faintly.
"Do you know when he's at his coolest?"
At that exact moment, Axel's fist met Thanos's.
Boom!
The collision unleashed an earth-shattering shockwave, creating an even larger wave of debris than before.
Before the shockwave had even finished spreading, cracks appeared throughout Thanos's armor.
Several pieces shattered completely and fell to the ground.
Axel, however, only resisted the purple energy erupting from the Power Stone for an instant.
The next moment, he was blasted away like a meteor, becoming the second blazing streak to disappear into the sky above Wakanda.
While flying backward, he stared at his shattered fist.
"Damn...
The Infinity Stones really aren't something you can take lightly.
I'm still nowhere near that level.
Still... I managed to crack a little of his armor."
As he muttered to himself, he noticed an unconscious figure tumbling through space ahead of him.
Since he was moving even faster, Axel quickly caught the figure by the shoulder armor.
Then he slapped him across the face.
"Hey!"
Smack. Smack. Smack.
After several slaps, Thor finally opened his eyes.
"This is... where are we?"
Axel laughed.
"I thought you'd ask where I dragged you.
Anyway, we're not even in the Solar System anymore.
No idea which part of the galaxy we're in, but we're still inside it.
At our current speed, though, we'll probably leave the galaxy in less than ten minutes."
He gave Thor another impatient pat on the cheek.
"Seriously, you're disappointing.
Thanos doesn't even have all six Stones yet, and you're already out cold.
You're nowhere near your father.
Don't fool yourself into thinking you're on Odin's level.
Odin wouldn't charge straight at the Infinity Stones swinging an axe.
He'd wear the Destroyer armor and bring every divine weapon Asgard possessed.
Especially Gungnir.
That spear never misses.
If Odin were here, he'd make full use of it instead of charging in like a berserker."
Thor finally recovered completely.
He stared at Axel in disbelief.
"Wait... you knew my father?
No... that's not important.
Were you one of his comrades during the conquest of the Nine Realms?
No... that doesn't make sense either.
The Destroyer was destroyed.
Asgard's treasury was lost when Surtur destroyed the realm.
If I still had those weapons, I'd have made Thanos suffer instead of watching him slaughter my people...
...and kill my brother!"
His grief exploded into rage.
Still flying through space, Thor raised Stormbreaker high.
"No matter what, Thanos will pay!
Warrior of Earth, return with me.
Together, we'll bring him despair!"
As he roared, the power of the Bifrost erupted from Stormbreaker.
Long ago, Frigga had tried to teach him similar magic.
Thor had never appreciated those lessons.
Only now did he realize their value, and Eitri had ultimately forged that power into his new weapon.
Rainbow light engulfed both men.
Axel didn't resist at all.
He simply lay back and allowed the Bifrost to carry him home.
Back on Earth, the heroes had only just recovered from the earth wave.
A second earlier, they had expected Axel to overpower Thanos.
Instead, they watched him vanish into the atmosphere.
Selina smiled knowingly.
Turning to Clark, she said,
"The coolest Axel ever was when he was still weak.
The version of himself he admired most was the one covered in blood who still wanted to keep fighting.
Now that feeling is becoming harder and harder for him to find.
The stronger he gets, the fewer enemies can truly challenge him.
If he can't spend that energy fighting his enemies...
Well...
I usually end up dealing with it."
She grabbed Clark's wrist.
"What are you waiting for?
Another wave is coming.
Carry me."
"Right away, Big Sister Selina!"
Clark immediately lifted her and shot into the sky.
Across the battlefield, the remaining automated suits rescued as many people as they could.
Lex carried Captain America into the air.
Bruce hovered nearby while supporting Natasha.
Looking down at the spreading wave of earth, Lex smirked.
"Bruce, we're nowhere near that level yet.
Yesterday, when you were reading those comics, you saw my future counterpart.
What did you think of his ideas?
Should we start researching Kryptonian genetics?"
"Kryptonian genes?"
Bruce looked toward the purple figure still standing in the center of the battlefield before answering.
"It's certainly an incredible source of power.
But I don't like altering my own body.
There are many paths forward.
Neither of us can say the other's choice is wrong before reaching the end.
If you want Clark's cooperation, ask him yourself.
As for me...
I'd rather pursue power that doesn't fundamentally change who I am.
Something like a Green Lantern ring.
And besides...
Axel may eventually travel to worlds beyond our own.
If that happens, I'd rather pursue a power that can be cultivated naturally.
For example...
If he ever reaches the Dragon Ball universe, I'd gladly learn Ki instead of rewriting my own genetics."
As Bruce finished speaking, the Bifrost descended directly across from Thanos.
Before the rainbow light had fully faded, Thor charged out with Stormbreaker raised.
"Thanos!"
He roared as he rushed forward.
Thanos calmly prepared to receive the attack.
Then his expression suddenly changed.
A golden staff appeared behind Thor without warning.
Boom!
The staff slammed into Thor's back, sending him tumbling across the shattered battlefield dozens of times.
Finally stopping himself, Thor stared ahead in confusion.
"What... just happened?"
The confusion vanished almost immediately.
His gaze locked onto Axel with unmistakable anger.
To Thor, betrayal hurt far more than the injuries Thanos had inflicted.
Axel sneered.
"Why are you rushing in like an idiot?
You can't beat Thanos right now.
Five Infinity Stones aren't decorations.
Other than an army of Celestials, there are very few beings in the universe capable of fighting someone wielding that much power.
Not even Odin at his peak.
Right now, Thanos is simply playing his own game.
So...
I'll make it a little fairer."
Axel slowly raised his trembling right hand.
No matter how tightly he tried to clench it, it wouldn't stop shaking.
His entire right arm was steadily disintegrating.
Five different colors intertwined across his skin as overwhelming cosmic power tore his body apart.
Chunks of flesh peeled away, exposing muscle and bone beneath.
Blood poured continuously from his arm.
Yet Thor wasn't horrified.
Instead, his eyes widened with excitement.
"Those are...
The Infinity Stones!
How did they end up in your hand?"
Axel grinned.
"Because Thanos's game is over.
Now mine begins.
And who said there are only five?
Take another look.
Maybe you'll find six."
High above southern Africa, Vision weakly clung to Wanda.
"Wanda...
We can't keep running.
Thanos controls space itself.
We can't escape forever.
I'd rather spend my final moments fighting beside everyone else than watch them die while I flee.
I..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Mind Stone vanished from his forehead.
Vision instantly became nothing more than an ordinary synthetic body.
Back in Wakanda, everyone stared in disbelief.
The five Infinity Stones in Axel's hand were now joined by a sixth.
The moment all six came together, the backlash multiplied beyond imagination.
Axel's entire right hand was stripped to bloodstained bone.
He wasn't wearing an Infinity Gauntlet, nor had he arranged the Stones in any special way to lessen their burden.