Ch.31 Captain Marvel...oneesan?

Tony Stark walked away.

Physically, not metaphorically.

Because he didn't really understand what Ronan was trying to say, nor could he grasp who the "box opener" or the "box" was supposed to be.

So, he simply returned to the battlefield.

In truth, Ronan could have revealed what the future held.

But just as Doctor Strange had said, once you speak about the future, it might not come to pass.

For example, if you told Tony Stark from the start that his fate was to die, it would create a new Schrödinger's cat dilemma.

Either Tony would back out of the mission, thus changing his fate—but in doing so, Thanos might not be stopped, and the future of the world would be completely altered.

Or Tony would continue the mission, and his future would unfold as intended.

Of course, if he got the Infinity Gauntlet and didn't choose to snap his fingers, the future would change again.

No matter how it played out, revealing the future had massive implications.

Even though Black Widow hadn't died in this timeline and was still fighting Thanos' army, her fate wasn't as crucial to the future.

In simple terms, the impact on the future only truly hinges on specific individuals at specific key moments.

In this case, the only person who could truly alter the future was Tony Stark.

Of course, there was a tiny chance that Black Widow, who hadn't died, might somehow end up with the Infinity Gauntlet and snap her fingers instead of Tony.

But the odds of that were extremely slim. The higher powers didn't care about such minuscule probabilities.

The old adage "The Great Way gives fifty paths, Heaven takes forty-nine, and one is released to humans" sums it up pretty well.

Ronan only had a rough understanding of these concepts. Most of his head was filled with science and math, much like Strange when he first joined Kamar-Taj.

The difference was, Ronan could accept both ideologies.

As they spoke, Thanos' ship finally lost its ability to stay in the air. Under the eyes of everyone watching, it crashed heavily into the ocean, raising a massive tidal wave.

Once again, Strange found himself with a new task of water management, this time with the help of the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj.

Meanwhile, Thanos gazed at his crashing ship with a look of deep sorrow, as though he had bought it on a loan.

Without the ship, his chances of returning to his original timeline were slim. His hope of going home was gone.

And the one responsible for it all, the demolition crew leader and makeover-ruiner, Captain Marvel, hovered in midair, looking down at Thanos on the ground.

Her entire aura radiated one phrase: "Hey, wanna buy a cheat plug-in?"

Whether Thanos wanted a cheat plug-in or not, Ronan definitely did.

If he had her power, wouldn't he be able to handle Thanos in no time?

"Danvers, we need help!" someone shouted, finally remembering the main goal—returning the Infinity Gauntlet to its original timeline.

Without the stones and the Gauntlet, Thanos' plans would be ruined.

Captain Marvel descended from the sky, landing beside Peter Parker.

At the same time, Ronan flashed over to join them.

"Who are you?" Captain Marvel asked, her eyes flashing with caution as she looked at Ronan.

Ronan just shrugged and pointed to Steve Rogers, indicating that he should explain.

Soon, Steve's voice rang out.

"Danvers, he brought the Time Stone. He's one of us."

With that simple explanation, the tension in Captain Marvel's stance dissolved.

She turned her attention to Peter Parker, who lay on the ground, clutching the Infinity Gauntlet, with blood still trickling from his nose.

"Hey, I'm Peter Parker," Peter said, still holding the Gauntlet. His eyes were wide, as if awestruck by the presence of Captain Marvel.

Maybe he had a thing for older women at this age?

"Hello, Peter Parker. Do you have something for me?" Captain Marvel smiled, radiating that older sister energy.

Ronan raised an eyebrow.

No wonder this world's Peter Parker eventually ends up with MJ, Michelle Jones. Honestly, MJ had some traits that were quite similar to Captain Marvel. Both had the kind of aura that could easily handle Peter.

"So, uh... can you guys handle this?" Peter asked, glancing nervously at the overwhelming army of Thanos behind them and swallowing hard.

But just as he spoke, Valkyrie and Scarlet Witch descended from the sky.

Oh, and there was also Pepper Potts and a Wakandan warrior woman whom Ronan didn't recognize.

Whoa, now this was the real "A-Force," wasn't it?

Ronan squinted. He had just been thinking earlier that the female heroes were way more powerful than the male ones. And looking at this lineup, he was absolutely right.

With Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch, the team's power ceiling was raised significantly. Not to mention Valkyrie and Iron Woman.

This squad was terrifying just thinking about it.

"Wait," Ronan suddenly called out just as Captain Marvel was about to take the Infinity Gauntlet and leave.

She looked at him, puzzled, with a frown.

"I don't mean anything by it. I just want to make sure the Time Stone is intact," Ronan said, shrugging and pointing to the Time Stone embedded in the Gauntlet.

Though his words sounded strange, Steve had already vouched for him, stating that the Time Stone belonged to Ronan.

So, Captain Marvel handed the Gauntlet to Ronan, but she remained on alert, having experienced betrayals from allies before.

Ronan didn't mind her wariness. It wasn't because he was magnanimous—he just didn't stand a chance against her.

Yeah, it was as simple as that.

Ronan took the Gauntlet and carefully removed the Time Stone.

It was intact.

Under the watchful eyes of the A-Force, Ronan didn't make any suspicious moves and calmly returned the Time Stone to its place.

"All set. It's fine," he said, smiling. "Just make sure Scott delivers it directly to my master."

Captain Marvel nodded. With that, the A-Force turned and charged toward their destination—Scott Lang's van.

Ronan tilted his head, knowing that the heart-wrenching moment for countless fans was about to unfold.