Thor pointed toward the gauntlet in the distance.
"How did that thing end up here?"
A look of pain crossed Eitri's face. He slumped down among a pile of scrap metal.
"There used to be three hundred dwarves here forging weapons. Then one day, they came. To save my people, I agreed to forge a gauntlet capable of wielding the Infinity Stones."
Eitri began recounting the story.
"But on the day the gauntlet was completed, he slaughtered every dwarf here. I was the only one left alive."
Thor, Rocket, and Groot all knew exactly who he was talking about.
Thanos.
"Except..."
Eitri raised his hands.
Both had been encased in metal, transformed into lifeless metal palms. One glance was enough to tell they were ruined.
"He crippled my hands. I can no longer forge anything."
"Losing your hands isn't the problem, Eitri. Everything you've ever forged is still here."
Thor pointed at Eitri's head.
"Not in your hands."
Then he continued,
"I need your help. Together, we can forge a weapon capable of killing Thanos. Together, we'll kill him."
Lightning surged within Thor's remaining eye. Divine power crackled around his body in waves.
---
Earth – Avengers Headquarters
No one had slept in two days.
They had been searching nonstop for Tony's signal, but without success.
Even with Wakandan technology assisting them, Earth's scientific capabilities were still too primitive. Humanity simply lacked the means to reach beyond the Solar System.
"Director, we still haven't found any signal from Tony Stark."
Coulson entered the conference room looking dejected.
"It seems we'll have to wait for Wong's side."
The worst part was that there was nothing they could do but wait.
And endless waiting was torture.
"Contact Carl. Ask whether they've made any progress."
Nick Fury didn't even look up.
He continued absentmindedly turning over the pager in his hand.
The signal had been sent days ago.
He was certain Carol had received it.
The question was how long it would take her to get here.
---
Kamar-Taj
Wong, Carl, and a group of sorcerers sat cross-legged in the courtyard.
A massive magic circle spread beneath them, encompassing everyone present.
Above them floated a mystical artifact capable of locating nodes within the universe-wide teleportation network.
Wong intended to use it to find Stephen Strange.
Yet despite several days of searching, they still had no clue where Strange was.
The universe was simply too vast.
Wong could only use the Solar System as a starting point and gradually expand the search outward.
In a corner of the courtyard, Wanda sat cross-legged as well.
Her eyes were closed.
A black tome floated before her.
Scarlet energy swirled endlessly around her body, turning pages on its own.
The book was none other than the Darkhold.
Because Wanda possessed the purest and most primordial form of Chaos Magic, she was naturally the Darkhold's rightful master.
Learning its spells came effortlessly to her.
Suddenly, a third eye opened on Wanda's forehead.
The Darkhold's pages began flipping rapidly until they reached the final page.
There, a spell was recorded.
A summoning spell.
One capable of calling forth the master of Chaos Magic itself—the origin of all dark magic.
Chthon.
Of course, only an avatar could descend.
Because of the existence of the magical barriers protecting Earth, dimensional entities could not manifest their true forms there.
Even Chthon was no exception.
Yet even a mere avatar would be enough to terrify the entire Avengers Alliance.
Enough to leave them powerless.
Bang!
The Darkhold suddenly snapped shut.
It floated back toward Wanda's chest and rapidly shrank.
Black cords emerged from both sides of the spine, transforming it into a necklace.
The Darkhold itself became a tiny metal ornament no larger than a fingernail.
Wanda slowly opened her eyes.
The third eye on her forehead gradually closed.
Scarlet Chaos Magic erupted from her body and swept across the courtyard.
The surge was so powerful that it even disrupted the spell circle on the other side.
At that moment, Carl casually waved a hand behind him.
Black energy gathered in midair, forming a shield between Wanda and the other sorcerers.
The burst of Chaos Magic was completely blocked.
Hearing the commotion, Gwen and Skye immediately rushed over.
Seeing Wanda rise to her feet, they hurried to her side.
"How did it go, Wanda?"
Both asked with concern.
They had heard plenty about the dangers of the Darkhold.
One careless mistake could drag someone into darkness and twist them into a madman.
Wanda exhaled slowly.
The scarlet energy flowed back into her body.
She touched the miniature Darkhold hanging around her neck.
"I'm fine. I've basically mastered most of the Darkhold's spells."
"Do you feel any side effects?"
Skye asked.
Wong had previously warned them that anyone who studied the Darkhold would gradually draw closer to darkness.
"No."
Wanda shook her head.
"The Darkhold is extremely compatible with my Chaos Magic. Its dark spells can't corrupt my mind."
She truly wasn't worried.
After all, the book belonged to Chthon.
And she had been blessed by Chthon himself.
Naturally, the Darkhold couldn't influence her the way it did others.
"That's good."
Skye finally relaxed.
The three of them sat on a stone bench, watching the group of sorcerers continue searching for Strange's location.
Even Carl had joined in.
Maintaining both the artifact and the massive spell circle required an enormous amount of magical energy.
That was why Wong had gathered every sorcerer currently remaining at Kamar-Taj.
As for Carl, his body generated magical energy automatically.
His reserves were actually among the highest present, making things much easier for everyone else.
---
Titan
Far away on Titan, Strange, Tony, and Peter had successfully crash-landed.
The ship had been smashed to pieces, but Strange's magic had shielded them from the debris.
"Someone's coming!"
Before they even had time to assess their surroundings, Peter suddenly shouted.
His spider-sense was screaming a warning.
A sphere the size of a palm rolled toward them from the distance.
Then it exploded.
The blast hurled all three of them backward.
Fortunately, Tony and Peter had already suited up, while Strange's Cloak of Levitation shielded him from the explosion.
The next moment, Drax charged through the opening in the wreckage.
Shouting Thanos's name at the top of his lungs, he barreled straight forward.
Behind him came Quill and the others.
Quill wore his mask and had both blasters raised.
"Hey, big guy! Look carefully—it's us!"
Tony immediately flew into the air and cranked his speakers to maximum volume.
The shout instantly stopped everyone in their tracks.
"Tony?!"
Quill removed his mask at once.
"What are you doing here? And why are you in Thanos's ship?"
The entire group halted.
They had nearly started fighting each other.
---
Outside the wrecked ship, all they could see was devastation.
The planet was covered in ruins.
It looked like a dead world abandoned after a catastrophic war.
The group sat amid the wreckage.
Quill held a handheld scanner, waving it back and forth.
"What happened to this planet?"
He looked at the readings.
"The planet's rotational axis is tilted by eight degrees. Its gravity and magnetic field are wildly unstable—sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker."
He glanced around.
"The fact that none of us have passed out yet is honestly a miracle."
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