In the ruined universe, the black hole had finished its work.
Earth was gone.
Not shattered. Not burned.
Consumed.
Its event horizon expanded outward, swallowing everything that had once been a world. Matter, light, even the lingering traces of the infection—all dragged inward, compressed into silence.
Noah Vale floated in the vacuum, the Power Stone still glowing faintly in his hand.
He watched the expanding darkness without emotion.
This was containment.
Total, absolute containment.
Nothing would escape. Not a fragment. Not a single atom.
Far in the distance, the last desperate attempt at survival failed.
Rocket's ship strained against the pull, engines screaming at full output. It didn't matter.
The gravitational force tightened, inch by inch, until even the structure of the ship began to give way.
Metal twisted. Bodies followed.
And then—
They were gone.
Pulled into the endless dark.
Noah remained where he was, observing the black hole as it continued to grow.
Over time, it would consume everything in the solar system. Eventually, it might even rival the great gravitational giants at the center of galaxies.
But that was a distant problem.
Long before that, the universe itself would move on.
For now—
The threat was gone.
"That should do it."
He activated the time-travel device.
And disappeared.
Elsewhere, something had already noticed.
A figure in a red-and-blue suit stood in a vast, high-tech space, staring at a flickering display.
"Someone's been jumping between universes again," he muttered. "Do they have any idea what kind of mess that can cause?"
He forwarded the coordinates.
A moment later, another figure—blond, younger, wearing a similar suit—checked the assignment on his wrist device.
"Earth, Universe 593830," he read. "Got it. I'll take a look."
He pressed the button.
And vanished.
He reappeared exactly where the coordinates indicated.
Formerly Earth's orbit.
Now—
A black hole.
There was no time to react.
No time to think.
His body was caught instantly, stretched and compressed in a fraction of a second before being absorbed completely.
Gone before he could even understand what he'd stepped into.
Back at the organization, alarms flared.
"Signal lost?" the first man said, startled.
His expression hardened.
"Something's wrong."
He didn't hesitate.
This was no longer routine.
This was escalation.
Ten minutes later—
A third agent's voice crackled through the system, filled with panic.
"Who the hell puts a black hole at the entry point?!"
The transmission cut out.
Back in the White House—
Noah stepped out of the time jump as if returning from a short errand.
Both versions of Tony turned toward him immediately.
"Well?" they asked in unison.
Noah shrugged lightly. "Handled. Took a few minutes. The planet's gone."
Future Tony stiffened. "And—?"
Noah gestured casually.
Pepper and Morgan reappeared, unharmed.
"Mom!"
"Pepper!"
Future Tony crossed the room in an instant, pulling them both into a tight embrace. For the first time since everything had started, something in his expression softened.
They were alive.
That was enough.
Nearby, the younger Tony watched the reunion, his gaze drifting toward Morgan.
"…Huh," he muttered. "So that's my daughter."
There was a flicker of something complicated there.
Pride.
Curiosity.
A hint of jealousy.
He looked back at Noah. "So what now? Their Earth's gone."
Noah didn't even pause to think.
"Then he stays here," he said. "Give him a job. Let him settle in."
Simple.
Direct.
Effective.
Pepper and Morgan turned, startled, as they finally noticed the younger version of Tony.
"…Tony?" Pepper said slowly.
Morgan blinked. "You look… different."
Future Tony gave a small, tired smile. "That's me. Just… earlier."
It took a second to land.
Then their eyes widened.
Noah clapped a hand on Tony's shoulder.
"I'll leave this to you."
There was still one thing left to fix.
With a pulse of energy, the Space Stone and Power Stone activated together.
Far beyond Earth's displaced location, reality shifted.
The planet snapped back into its original orbit, seamlessly reintegrated into the solar system. Every trace of contamination was erased in the process.
Inside the White House, phones immediately erupted with notifications.
Calls. Messages. Alerts.
The world had noticed.
Noah didn't stay to watch the aftermath.
He returned to the villa.
Susan and Camila were waiting.
The moment they saw him—and the sun restored overhead—the tension in their shoulders finally eased.
"That was what you left for?" Susan asked, gesturing toward the sky.
Noah shook his head. "That? Just a side issue."
He stepped closer, a faint smile forming.
"Your emperor just saved the universe again. I think that earns me a little downtime."
Before either of them could respond—
Their clothes vanished.
All three of them blinked.
Then Noah laughed softly and pulled them toward the bedroom.
Somewhere in the background, unnoticed—
A notification appeared.
[Ordinary Citizen of Gotham] has joined the Interdimensional Chatroom.
Noah didn't even glance at it.
He muted the chat entirely.
Priorities.
Inside the chatroom, however, things were already moving.
Messages popped up one after another.
Kana Kimishima: Welcome!
The Noble Blade: Welcome.
Master Ronin: Welcome.
…
In Gotham City, inside a dim, modest apartment, a middle-aged man stared at the glowing interface in front of him.
His hands trembled slightly.
After a long pause, he typed:
Ordinary Citizen of Gotham: Hello… what is this place?
The replies came quickly.
Kana Kimishima: It's a network that connects different universes. We're all from different worlds.
Kana Kimishima: Start with the beginner guide, then the basic training materials. Follow the steps, and you should see results within a month.
The man hesitated.
Then opened the files.
As he read, his breathing quickened.
His heart began to pound.
Page after page, the impossible unfolded into something real.
Something attainable.
Something that could change everything.
He stared at the screen, eyes wide.
For the first time in decades—
His ordinary life no longer felt permanent.