After introducing himself, Lex smiled and extended his hand, touching Rocket's raised paw.
After their high-five, Lex pointed toward the two people beside him.
"They're Clark and Bruce. We're all Axel's friends.
"Although our arrival in your world was an accident during our journey, that's not important. We're willing to dedicate our efforts to protecting the development and continuation of human civilization across every universe.
"Even if you're not human, Rocket, you're still a friend to humanity, aren't you?
"At least compared to that purple guy, I trust your fur more, buddy."
As he finished speaking, Lex gestured for Bruce and Clark to step closer.
Clark immediately nodded, then crouched in front of Rocket and gently rubbed his head.
"I like your Marv..."
"Hey! Get your hands off me, you idiot!"
Before Clark could finish, Rocket slapped his hand away.
He even stepped backward and pointed his weapon directly at Clark's head.
The gun barrel began charging with energy.
Clark's expression stiffened, and he awkwardly looked up.
"Uh, Lex, he's still pretty aggressive, isn't he?"
"That's because you, you idiot, treated him like an animal. I respect his intelligence, and his intelligence has already surpassed ninety-nine point nine nine percent of humans!
"So I made him feel respected, while you made him feel superior!
"Buddy, even though you're an alien, you're really as proud as an American, right down to the foolishness."
Lex lightly kicked Clark before giving Bruce the opportunity to introduce himself.
Looking at the snarling little raccoon, Bruce remained silent for a moment before taking a breath.
"I am... Bruce."
"Uh-huh. Bruce, your intimidating presence is very similar to Gamora's!
"I'm Rocket, Rocket the Raccoon!
"As for them, Groot, say hello."
"I am Groot!"
Groot stepped out from behind Rocket and raised his chin toward Bruce with a smug smile.
At the same time, the two Tonys had also gathered together and were discussing the current situation.
Looking toward Axel, who was casually sitting on the distant grass while playing with the six Infinity Stones in his hand despite half his body having been reduced to a skeleton, the older Tony couldn't help saying to his younger counterpart,
"Six Infinity Stones must be incredibly powerful. Look at Thanos. He's completely given up resisting.
"So, Tony... damn it, saying that name while looking at you is really awkward.
"Anyway, can you guarantee that your friend won't use the Infinity Stones to do something that could throw the universe into chaos?
"What kind of person is he? How did you meet him? Does he really have feelings for Pepper... ahem, I mean, what did you feel at the time?"
"There was absolutely no so-called pleasure in being cuckolded, you idiot. Have I become a pervert just because I got old?"
The younger Tony glared at the older version of himself.
Afterward, he pursed his lips and thought for a moment.
"As for Axel... damn, how am I supposed to describe him?
"Let's put it this way. You don't need to worry about him using the Infinity Stones to do anything particularly terrible, because even without them, nobody can stop him.
"As for the others who came with me... before I introduce them, you need to prepare yourself."
"Prepare?"
The older Tony was slightly stunned.
"What preparation do I need? Do I know them?
"Are they friends we met when we were younger, but who experienced different lives in different universes?
"I can see they're all wearing armor, so is your relationship with them similar to mine with Rhodey?
"But why didn't Rhodey come with you? Did the two of you fall out in your universe?"
"No. And the answer isn't as simple as you think."
The younger Tony patted the older Tony's shoulder. When their armor came into contact, different particle reactions collided between the two suits.
"You've already noticed that although both of our armors use nanotechnology, our nano systems are completely different.
"In my universe, I haven't even advanced my armor to this level of nanotechnology. The armor I'm wearing now was made for me by them. This particular nanotech system was developed by Lex.
"As for their identities... haven't you already guessed from their names?
"If their names aren't enough, then listen to their full names.
"They're Lex Luthor, Clark Kent, and Bruce Wayne."
"What? You mean I just got saved by a bunch of comic book characters from another universe?
"But none of them are bald!"
"Bullshit!"
The moment Lex heard the word "bald," he immediately looked irritated and instinctively raised his middle finger toward the older Tony.
Facing Lex's gesture, the older Tony swallowed.
"They seem to have terrible tempers, but for your sake, I'll acknowledge their abilities.
"But what next, buddy? Is that Axel guy the one calling the shots among you?
"What are we supposed to do now? As Axel said, fight Thanos properly while he doesn't have the Stones?"
As he spoke, the older Tony turned toward the Sorcerer Supreme, who was standing behind him in a daze.
"Strange, is this the only future you saw where Thanos is defeated?
"If so, I'm a little envious.
"You really can see far ahead..."
"Not exactly..."
Strange finally snapped out of his trance and shook his head.
"I can't see what I'm not supposed to see. But it's clear that even though my existence is already quite unusual, the universe is far more magnificent and incomprehensible than we imagined."
As he finished speaking, Strange moved his feet.
Golden light immediately surrounded his body, and he arrived in front of Axel in an instant.
After carefully examining Axel's constantly collapsing and regenerating skeletal body, Strange took a breath.
"Axel, even if you're enduring unimaginable pain, do you really have to continue this game?
"Wouldn't it be better to find another way, at least one that doesn't require your body to constantly break apart and regenerate?
"Look at Thanos. He has no power to fight back anymore. He knows that himself.
"Thanos has no Stones, no spaceship, and no reinforcements. He's standing right there. Dealing with him shouldn't be difficult, should it?"
"Yes. So why can't it happen now?
"Buddy, I know you were a gifted prodigy in medicine before becoming the Sorcerer Supreme. You have plenty of reasons to be proud.
"But could you stop showing off in front of me?
"The Ancient One wouldn't stand in front of me and give me advice like this. She lived for more than two thousand years, yet she wasn't nearly as confident as you.
"Where exactly did you get the confidence to lecture me?"
Axel looked at Strange with disdain.
Although Strange was somewhat wary, his pride remained obvious.
Axel merely rubbed the six Infinity Stones in his skeletal right hand as though polishing a set of walnuts.
Immediately, an ethereal force spread toward Strange.
The next moment, Strange froze.
The Cloak of Levitation suddenly detached itself from his body.
The beautiful red cloak swept through the air and, to Strange's astonishment, firmly settled across Bruce's shoulders.
"What?"
Bruce was surprised that the strange phenomenon involved him.
He immediately tried to pull the cloak away.
But the cloak seemed to have chosen him.
No matter how hard Bruce pulled, even when he used the strength of his armor, he couldn't remove it.
As the cloak remained on Bruce's shoulders, countless magical runes began emerging around his body.
When that power reached a certain threshold, countless runes suddenly enveloped Bruce's armor, carving themselves into the originally sleek black suit.
As the magical markings continued to form, Bruce's armor began changing as well.
Strange edges appeared along the elbows and joints, while the energy exhaust flames from the back of the armor changed from their original light blue to a deep crimson.
Feeling the changes taking place within his armor, Bruce immediately became vigilant.
"Axel, what's going on?
"Magic in the Marvel Universe isn't any different from magic in the DC Universe. It all requires a price, and you'll eventually attract the attention of whoever owns that power!
"I don't like magic. I..."
"Haha, don't worry, Bruce.
"It's rare that you've developed even the slightest desire to pursue greater power, so of course I'm going to give you a hand.
"Go ahead and use the magic granted by the cloak. The source of these spells doesn't require any repayment from you.
"They're connected to my soul, and I'm your future creditor, my little buddy Bruce."
Ignoring Bruce's stunned expression, Axel turned his attention back toward Strange.
Meeting Axel's teasing gaze, Strange inhaled sharply.
"So you know my teacher. You... you're actually a terrifying dimensional entity!"
"Tsk, tsk. Don't insult me by comparing me to those things.
"Dimensional entities aren't worthy of being compared with me.
"I admit that they're powerful, but they'll never be able to do anything to me. I always have a way to deal with them.
"For the sake of the Ancient One inviting me for tea, I won't take away your magical abilities. You're at least a capable sorcerer, and I can't bring myself to turn you back into a useless man with crippled hands.
"Now, go do your job, buddy.
"I've seen hundreds, even thousands, of Sorcerer Supremes from different universes.
"Even Tony, Spider-Man, Vision, and Ultron have all possessed the qualifications to become Sorcerer Supreme.
"You're not as unique as you think.
"You're not as special as you think.
"And you're certainly not as great as you think.
"Most importantly, you have absolutely no right to give me advice, buddy!"
With that, Axel waved his hand and sent Strange flying toward Thanos.
Watching Strange approach, Thanos took a deep breath before roaring at Axel.
"Your so-called fairness is to strip me of my hope, then give that hope to people who are unworthy of carrying out my ideals!
"And then you turn me into what I am now, a primitive beast trapped in some foolish gladiatorial arena, forcing me to perform a magnificent struggle in despair!"
Thanos stepped forward and punched toward the approaching Strange.
Strange immediately began forming spells with his hands.
Then he suddenly realized something.
His Sling Ring was gone.
Meanwhile, in the distance, after the Crimson Cloak had transferred its magic to its new host, Batman, whom it seemed particularly pleased with, it immediately lifted one edge of its fabric and grabbed Bruce's right hand.
The cloak gently patted Bruce's fist with its hem.
Then, with an almost human-like motion, it pulled back the fabric as though removing a glove from Bruce's hand.
"You mean... you want me to show my hand?"
Bruce asked quietly while keeping his attention fixed on the distant battlefield.
There, after his momentary hesitation, Strange could only raise his right hand and activate several protective spells attached to his body.
Although Strange had only been Sorcerer Supreme for a few years, he was an exceptionally capable sorcerer. With the Time Stone, he had already learned an enormous amount of magical knowledge.
Even without the Sling Ring, he could still use many spells.
But the experience was completely different.
Losing the Sling Ring fundamentally changed the way Strange cast his magic.
His combat ability naturally changed with it.
The protective spells he hastily cast were completely incapable of stopping Thanos's fist.
Thanos's iron fist smashed directly into Strange's face.
Boom!
The impact sent Strange flying, splitting him into nine different projections, each suffering varying degrees of damage.
As Strange used his projections to distribute the damage, three ascetics at Kamar-Taj simultaneously spat out large mouthfuls of blood.
As had already been established, magic in the Marvel Universe not only involved drawing power from various sources, but also carried a price for its use.
Strange himself had often experienced bizarre transformations because of magic, such as growing an additional eye on his body beneath the cloak, developing another mouth in his stomach, or having tentacles emerge from his neck.
Kamar-Taj was well accustomed to this.
To preserve the combat power of the Sorcerer Supreme and prevent Earth from being consumed by dimensional entities, many elderly sorcerers at Kamar-Taj eventually chose the path of asceticism as their bodies aged.
They remained within magical formations day after day, helping bear the cost generated by the spells cast by the Sorcerer Supreme.
At this moment, Strange had lost the Sling Ring and Cloak of Levitation, and even the Time Stone was no longer available to him.
The price of using magic to resist Thanos's fist was therefore enormous.
But Strange had no time to worry about the ascetics' sacrifice.
Seeing Thanos charging toward him again, he immediately shouted toward Bruce in the distance.
"Buddy, I don't know why the cloak chose you, but don't waste my power or my artifact!
"There's only one final step before everything ends, defeating Thanos!
"Buddies, what are you waiting for?
"Are you waiting for Axel to show mercy and skip this final step so you can simply enjoy the fruits of victory?
"Come and save me!"
"Heh heh. So you just want to ask for help, right?
"Then why did you need to say so much?"
The older Tony teased as he flew toward Thanos.
As Tony took off, Star-Lord also climbed back to his feet.
Further away, Thor had regrouped as well.
With a roar, he charged toward Thanos, Stormbreaker in hand.
As for Bruce...
The moment Strange's words fell, Bruce removed the armor covering his hand.
The cloak quietly wrapped itself around his arm and placed an ornate Sling Ring onto Bruce's finger.