"Tony, I need you to come with me right now. It's important."
Strange wasn't in the mood for jokes. This was an emergency.
"Fine~~"
Tony sighed helplessly. He could hear the urgency in Strange's voice.
"Go home and wait for me~~"
Tony kissed Pepper on the forehead, then followed Strange through the portal.
"Tony, the entire universe is on the brink of disaster."
Right before stepping through, Strange suddenly said that.
The moment they entered the New York Sanctum, Tony immediately spotted Bruce Banner, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Bruce, where the hell have you been all this time?"
Tony walked over and gave Bruce a hug.
Bruce looked pale and was wearing clothes that clearly didn't fit him—probably Strange's.
"We've got a huge problem, Tony."
Bruce had no time to explain everything he'd been through. Earth was about to face an unprecedented crisis.
"Wong, begin."
Strange gestured toward Wong.
Wong nodded. Golden sparks appeared at his fingertips, forming a magical projection in the air.
"In the beginning, the universe was nothing but chaos and void. Then came the Big Bang, which created the universe we know today."
As Wong spoke, the scene above them shifted accordingly.
"From that explosion and compression, six stones were born into the universe. The beings who discovered them named them the Infinity Stones."
The projection shifted again, revealing six gems of different colors.
"Each of these stones represents a fundamental force necessary for the universe to function."
Wong paused, and Strange continued.
"Space, Reality, Power, Soul, Mind, and Time."
As he spoke, he opened the Eye of Agamotto, green light instantly blooming outward.
Tony stared at the six stones above them, deep in thought. He had already encountered five of them personally. Aside from the orange Soul Stone and the purple Power Stone, every other one had appeared on Earth.
The implication was obvious.
Earth was in trouble.
"Say that name again."
Tony looked at Bruce, his expression extremely grim.
"Thanos. They call him the Mad Titan."
Bruce had seen Thanos with his own eyes. He knew exactly how terrifying he was. Even the Hulk had lost to him. Thanos was the strongest being Bruce had ever encountered.
"He's like a plague, Tony. Every planet he invades ends up drenched in blood, with half its population wiped out."
Sweat slid down Bruce's face. He could feel Hulk's fear deep inside him—something he had never sensed before.
"He was the one behind Loki and the Chitauri invasion. The Battle of New York? He orchestrated all of it. And now he knows there are two Infinity Stones on Earth. He's definitely coming here next!"
"How much time do we have?"
Tony immediately pulled out his phone and asked Bruce.
"I don't know. He already has the Power Stone and the Space Stone. You know what the Space Stone can do. We need to prepare immediately!"
Bruce had once participated in research on the Tesseract himself. He understood the Space Stone's capabilities all too well.
"If he obtains all six stones, he'll gain the power to destroy all life in the universe in ways we can't even imagine."
Strange said solemnly.
"We're going to Avengers Tower now. Strange, open a portal."
Tony immediately realized how serious the situation was. Fury needed to know at once.
At the same time, Tony pressed a hidden button on his phone. A red emergency icon appeared on the screen, and he hit it without hesitation.
Across the world, every Avenger instantly received an emergency alert.
Tony had activated the highest-level danger protocol.
The signal was transmitted via satellite. No matter where they were—even underground or without reception—they would receive it.
At the same time, Level 10 alarms began blaring throughout Avengers Headquarters. Fury confirmed the signal had come from Tony and immediately mobilized all agents. Any off-duty personnel were ordered to report back within three hours.
"Coulson, what's happening?"
Fury strode into the command center and had barely asked the question when a spark-filled portal opened behind him. Tony and the others stepped through.
"We've got a massive problem. A really massive one."
Tony's expression had never looked more serious.
Meanwhile, in London, Steve and Natasha were carrying out a mission when they received the emergency alert. The two regrouped at a safe house and immediately sent their coordinates. Moments later, a portal opened before them with Wong standing on the other side.
"No time to explain. Come quickly."
Steve and Natasha recognized Wong immediately and stepped through without hesitation.
The same thing happened in Tokyo. Barton and Maria Hill had been infiltrating a Japanese estate when they received the alert. Seconds later, a portal opened behind them.
Within a single minute, nearly all the Avengers had assembled in the conference room.
Even Peter and Felicia had arrived, along with Daredevil Matt Murdock and the Punisher Frank Castle.
The only ones missing were Karl and his girls.
And what was Karl doing?
At that very moment, the four of them were soaking in a hot spring together, playing mahjong with punishment rules for the loser. Just as Karl's sinful hand was about to reach toward Skye's ample chest, Tony's phone call instantly ruined everything.
"Karl, emergency situation. Get to Avengers Tower immediately."
One short sentence. Then Tony hung up.
"Damn it! I'm gonna kill that guy!!"
Karl's hand froze midair before Skye mercilessly slapped it away.
"Looks like fate says we stop here for today~~"
Skye grinned smugly at Karl.
By the time Karl finally dragged himself to Avengers Tower, twenty minutes had already passed.
"Karl, do you know Thanos?"
Tony's very first sentence instantly stunned him.
Oh, he knew Thanos all right.
"Where did you hear that name?!"
Karl's expression changed immediately. His desire to get revenge on Tony vanished on the spot.
"Bruce told us. He said Thanos is coming for the Infinity Stones. He already killed Loki."
Tony's face was grim beyond words. Loki was no weakling, especially with all his cunning magic. The fact that Thanos had killed him proved just how terrifying he was.
"So... he's finally coming?"
Karl looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows toward the sky, as if trying to see Thanos's ship beyond Earth's atmosphere.
"You know him?"
Strange instantly caught the implication in Karl's words.
"I do~~"
Karl nodded, then began telling everyone everything he knew about Thanos.
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