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Chapter 372: The Reality Stone, Perhaps the Best Gift... If There's Still a Chance
The power of three Infinity Stones, unprecedentedly, was wielded by a single person!
With the Infinity Gauntlet as the nexus, concentrated in one body!
At that moment, right on Asgard's Rainbow Bridge, a terrifying storm of unprecedented scale erupted violently. The incomparably sturdy Rainbow Bridge under his feet actually developed a dense network of cracks!
At that moment, the entire Universe experienced a momentary tremor!
At that moment, the entire world seemed to gasp in awe!
The powers of Time, Space, and Mind augmented everything under Tony's control in every aspect, constantly elevating it! Elevating it!
His cells roared, the surging power making them howl hysterically. The genes deep within his body were also wildly strengthened by the suddenly sweeping power, becoming solid, powerful, and transcendent!
A terrifying energy wave spread out violently with Tony at its center!
Before everyone's eyes, the Rainbow Bridge shattered bit by bit, and then... collapsed!
In just a few seconds, the spreading energy easily destroyed more than half of the Rainbow Bridge. The aftershock also covered half of Asgard, causing a large number of precision instruments to malfunction and fail.
Tony, standing at the center of the storm, was like a true god, wielding power far beyond his level in the body of a demigod.
The rules of the Universe opened their gates to him. Tony even had an illusion that the intricate rules before him were no different from visible threads, as if he could reach out, pluck them, and modify the Universe's existing constants and parameters.
The violent winds gradually subsided, leaving a scene of utter devastation before Tony.
If Tony hadn't intentionally controlled the range of the energy radiation, the twelve Knights behind him would have likely been affected.
"Are you going to use this power to face the enemy?" Loki, his face pale, forced a smile and spoke with a relaxed tone.
A Knight pulled up his greatsword and slammed it down in front of Loki, the blade scraping past his nose by a hair's breadth.
"Whoa, whoa, don't get excited..."
Before he could finish, the section of the Rainbow Bridge beneath Loki's feet shattered, and he fell directly into the sea.
Tony turned and left as if he were swatting away an ant.
As he stepped forward, he slightly clenched his right hand. The Space Stone on the gauntlet suddenly lit up, and a spatial vortex appeared, successively swallowing Tony and the twelve Iron Knights he had brought with him.
Everything returned to silence, leaving only a vast scene of wreckage.
Deep within the royal palace, the slumbering Odin let out a sigh.
Even if Tony hadn't threatened him with Loki, Odin would have handed over the gauntlet. Returning Loki was merely a final gesture of goodwill.
Tony knew, and Odin also knew, that if they couldn't overcome this crisis, no amount of hatred would be of any use.
Everything would end.
"Three Infinity Stones... how can he possibly win? Even with the twelve divine power warriors converted from the Destroyer Armor, he is far from being a match for Trigon..."
Unless... he could find the remaining three Infinity Stones...
But who knew where those damned things were hidden?!
It wasn't that no one had ever tried to collect all six Infinity Stones, but to this day, no one had succeeded.
All six Infinity Stones lay dormant within their respective carriers. Even if someone obtained one, they would only treat it as a powerful artifact, never imagining that something like an Infinity Stone existed inside the carrier.
Moreover, the most troublesome part was that no one had ever been able to confirm the locations of all six Infinity Stones. There wasn't even the slightest clue; they were completely in the dark.
Odin sighed and returned to his slumber. He hoped for a brand-new beginning when he next awoke... or perhaps, he would never wake again.
He was too old, having already reached the end of his lifespan.
But just as his soul sank into slumber, a terrifying force of time enveloped the Nine Realms!
A green radiance pressed down from a higher dimension. All nine realms on Yggdrasil were completely covered by the power of the Time Stone. Everything within Yggdrasil, be it life or matter, was all controlled by Tony, enveloped by the force of time.
Then, to the fury and panic of a select few, and completely unnoticed by the vast majority, he began to warp time, bit by bit.
The progression of the timeline suddenly accelerated!
The first thing Tony did after leaving Asgard was to warp time!
Odin felt the erosion of the time force. His eyelids twitched, wanting to open, but he ultimately gave up. He was one of the very few who could sense the passage of time. This power was most damaging to him, but what could he do?
"What a grand move. Truly an incredible young man..."
Odin sighed internally. He had already guessed what Tony intended to do.
...
At the apex of Yggdrasil, Tony stood in space, watching everything with a cold gaze. On his Infinity Gauntlet, the Time Stone shone brightly, casting its green brilliance downward.
Tony had directly warped the timeline of the Nine Realms!
He accelerated the progression of time, separating the time of the Nine Realms from that of the entire Universe, instantly arriving several years in the future!
This point in time was... when the Nine Realms align.
When the Nine Realms align, the Aether appears!
It was no wonder Odin called it a grand move. The previous God-King had defeated the Dark Elves and personally hidden the Aether. No one knew where this weapon was buried.
Even Odin only had a vague idea.
But Tony had directly pushed the timeline forward by several years, forcing the Nine Realms to align. The immense spatial distortion stimulated the Aether.
Everything was as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button; the changes of the nine worlds were completed in a single second.
A hidden rift was revealed, a dim world filled with raging sands. Inside, the Aether was easily claimed by Tony.
The Time Stone was activated once more. Time began to flow in reverse, returning to the exact moment he had just left Asgard.
Aside from beings on Odin's level, no one else in the entire Nine Realms would feel a thing. They were all beings who exist within time; everything is inscribed by time, so they would not feel the slightest bit of strangeness.
"The fourth Infinity Stone..."
Tony looked at the red particle flow in his left hand, churning like a viscous liquid. This was the Aether, the carrier for the Reality Stone.
He clenched his fist abruptly, and the numerous particles began to destabilize. An unsettling red light began to descend into chaos. A large number of particles were annihilated, but the vast majority quickly gathered under the influence of some force.
The red Reality Stone lay quietly in the palm of Tony's hand.
The beautiful gem, like a treasure, lay there quietly, seemingly devoid of any power. But Tony could clearly feel the power of the rules within it.
"What a beautiful ruby... just like Wanda..."
Tony was lost in a daze, staring mesmerized at the gem in his hand.
The intoxicating red, just like Wanda, who loves to wear red dresses...
The ability to alter matter and warp reality, it's just like Wanda's Chaos Magic...
If he still had a chance, this might be the best gift...
If he still had a chance...
Silently, Tony slowly placed the Reality Stone onto the Infinity Gauntlet. With a click, a suction force pulled the Reality Stone in, setting it into the slot corresponding to the little finger.
A surge of red power erupted, flowing through the gauntlet and into Tony's body. Tony grunted, suppressing the discomfort. He looked up at the sky, then silently opened a spatial tunnel and stepped through.
...
Earth, New York.
Night still reigned, but a hint of dawn was breaking on the horizon.
"Tony!"
Wanda abruptly awoke from a dream, looking around the room in a daze.
She was alone. She touched the quilt; it was cold to the touch.
"Where did you go?"
Wanda sat up numbly, curling into a helpless ball.
The home that had once made her feel warm was now incomparably cold.
(end of chapter)
The power of three Infinity Stones, unprecedentedly, was wielded by a single person!
With the Infinity Gauntlet as the nexus, concentrated in one body!
At that moment, right on Asgard's Rainbow Bridge, a terrifying storm of unprecedented scale erupted violently. The incomparably sturdy Rainbow Bridge under his feet actually developed a dense network of cracks!
At that moment, the entire Universe experienced a momentary tremor!
At that moment, the entire world seemed to gasp in awe!
The powers of Time, Space, and Mind augmented everything under Tony's control in every aspect, constantly elevating it! Elevating it!
His cells roared, the surging power making them howl hysterically. The genes deep within his body were also wildly strengthened by the suddenly sweeping power, becoming solid, powerful, and transcendent!
A terrifying energy wave spread out violently with Tony at its center!
Before everyone's eyes, the Rainbow Bridge shattered bit by bit, and then... collapsed!
In just a few seconds, the spreading energy easily destroyed more than half of the Rainbow Bridge. The aftershock also covered half of Asgard, causing a large number of precision instruments to malfunction and fail.
Tony, standing at the center of the storm, was like a true god, wielding power far beyond his level in the body of a demigod.
The rules of the Universe opened their gates to him. Tony even had an illusion that the intricate rules before him were no different from visible threads, as if he could reach out, pluck them, and modify the Universe's existing constants and parameters.
The violent winds gradually subsided, leaving a scene of utter devastation before Tony.
If Tony hadn't intentionally controlled the range of the energy radiation, the twelve Knights behind him would have likely been affected.
"Are you going to use this power to face the enemy?" Loki, his face pale, forced a smile and spoke with a relaxed tone.
A Knight pulled up his greatsword and slammed it down in front of Loki, the blade scraping past his nose by a hair's breadth.
"Whoa, whoa, don't get excited..."
Before he could finish, the section of the Rainbow Bridge beneath Loki's feet shattered, and he fell directly into the sea.
Tony turned and left as if he were swatting away an ant.
As he stepped forward, he slightly clenched his right hand. The Space Stone on the gauntlet suddenly lit up, and a spatial vortex appeared, successively swallowing Tony and the twelve Iron Knights he had brought with him.
Everything returned to silence, leaving only a vast scene of wreckage.
Deep within the royal palace, the slumbering Odin let out a sigh.
Even if Tony hadn't threatened him with Loki, Odin would have handed over the gauntlet. Returning Loki was merely a final gesture of goodwill.
Tony knew, and Odin also knew, that if they couldn't overcome this crisis, no amount of hatred would be of any use.
Everything would end.
"Three Infinity Stones... how can he possibly win? Even with the twelve divine power warriors converted from the Destroyer Armor, he is far from being a match for Trigon..."
Unless... he could find the remaining three Infinity Stones...
But who knew where those damned things were hidden?!
It wasn't that no one had ever tried to collect all six Infinity Stones, but to this day, no one had succeeded.
All six Infinity Stones lay dormant within their respective carriers. Even if someone obtained one, they would only treat it as a powerful artifact, never imagining that something like an Infinity Stone existed inside the carrier.
Moreover, the most troublesome part was that no one had ever been able to confirm the locations of all six Infinity Stones. There wasn't even the slightest clue; they were completely in the dark.
Odin sighed and returned to his slumber. He hoped for a brand-new beginning when he next awoke... or perhaps, he would never wake again.
He was too old, having already reached the end of his lifespan.
But just as his soul sank into slumber, a terrifying force of time enveloped the Nine Realms!
A green radiance pressed down from a higher dimension. All nine realms on Yggdrasil were completely covered by the power of the Time Stone. Everything within Yggdrasil, be it life or matter, was all controlled by Tony, enveloped by the force of time.
Then, to the fury and panic of a select few, and completely unnoticed by the vast majority, he began to warp time, bit by bit.
The progression of the timeline suddenly accelerated!
The first thing Tony did after leaving Asgard was to warp time!
Odin felt the erosion of the time force. His eyelids twitched, wanting to open, but he ultimately gave up. He was one of the very few who could sense the passage of time. This power was most damaging to him, but what could he do?
"What a grand move. Truly an incredible young man..."
Odin sighed internally. He had already guessed what Tony intended to do.
...
At the apex of Yggdrasil, Tony stood in space, watching everything with a cold gaze. On his Infinity Gauntlet, the Time Stone shone brightly, casting its green brilliance downward.
Tony had directly warped the timeline of the Nine Realms!
He accelerated the progression of time, separating the time of the Nine Realms from that of the entire Universe, instantly arriving several years in the future!
This point in time was... when the Nine Realms align.
When the Nine Realms align, the Aether appears!
It was no wonder Odin called it a grand move. The previous God-King had defeated the Dark Elves and personally hidden the Aether. No one knew where this weapon was buried.
Even Odin only had a vague idea.
But Tony had directly pushed the timeline forward by several years, forcing the Nine Realms to align. The immense spatial distortion stimulated the Aether.
Everything was as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button; the changes of the nine worlds were completed in a single second.
A hidden rift was revealed, a dim world filled with raging sands. Inside, the Aether was easily claimed by Tony.
The Time Stone was activated once more. Time began to flow in reverse, returning to the exact moment he had just left Asgard.
Aside from beings on Odin's level, no one else in the entire Nine Realms would feel a thing. They were all beings who exist within time; everything is inscribed by time, so they would not feel the slightest bit of strangeness.
"The fourth Infinity Stone..."
Tony looked at the red particle flow in his left hand, churning like a viscous liquid. This was the Aether, the carrier for the Reality Stone.
He clenched his fist abruptly, and the numerous particles began to destabilize. An unsettling red light began to descend into chaos. A large number of particles were annihilated, but the vast majority quickly gathered under the influence of some force.
The red Reality Stone lay quietly in the palm of Tony's hand.
The beautiful gem, like a treasure, lay there quietly, seemingly devoid of any power. But Tony could clearly feel the power of the rules within it.
"What a beautiful ruby... just like Wanda..."
Tony was lost in a daze, staring mesmerized at the gem in his hand.
The intoxicating red, just like Wanda, who loves to wear red dresses...
The ability to alter matter and warp reality, it's just like Wanda's Chaos Magic...
If he still had a chance, this might be the best gift...
If he still had a chance...
Silently, Tony slowly placed the Reality Stone onto the Infinity Gauntlet. With a click, a suction force pulled the Reality Stone in, setting it into the slot corresponding to the little finger.
A surge of red power erupted, flowing through the gauntlet and into Tony's body. Tony grunted, suppressing the discomfort. He looked up at the sky, then silently opened a spatial tunnel and stepped through.
...
Earth, New York.
Night still reigned, but a hint of dawn was breaking on the horizon.
"Tony!"
Wanda abruptly awoke from a dream, looking around the room in a daze.
She was alone. She touched the quilt; it was cold to the touch.
"Where did you go?"
Wanda sat up numbly, curling into a helpless ball.
The home that had once made her feel warm was now incomparably cold.
(end of chapter)
