Ch.25 Thanos, Your Opponents Are Them

Compared to the shock on the faces of Tony Stark and the others, Ronan remained unusually calm. He casually lowered his right hand and tilted his head toward Thanos.

"Thanos, your weapon has been confiscated by me," Ronan said, his voice steady. "Feeling the pain yet?"

Even though Ronan appeared calm and dignified, inside, he was panicking.

Phew! That was close!

Thankfully, he activated the Mirror Dimension just in time; otherwise, he wouldn't have avoided that massive blade.

Glancing at his system panel again, Ronan saw a glowing dot next to the ability [Mirror Dimension].

[Mirror Dimension +1: Creates a mirrored space that replicates the real world but is completely separate. It can trap objects or people within it. The strength of the dimension is based on the caster's skill and the spell's power.]

[+1 Feature: Increases casting speed, slightly strengthens the dimension, and enemies inside may be confused, mistaking the mirrored dimension for reality.]

It was this ability that allowed Ronan to trap Thanos' weapon in the Mirror Dimension. This was exactly why he had insisted on mastering this skill.

At least when facing Thanos, he now had a way to protect himself.

Initially, Ronan had thought about bringing along the Space Stone he took from Loki. After all, the Space Stone had immense power—while it wasn't much use in combat, it was perfect for escaping.

But the Ancient One had informed Ronan of a crucial fact: at any given point in time, only six different Infinity Stones could exist. If duplicates appeared, best case, one stone would lose its effect; worst case, it could cause catastrophic changes in the universe.

Most likely, the second stone to appear would simply shatter.

Imagining what would happen if an Infinity Stone exploded, Ronan quickly dropped the idea. Even with his limited knowledge, he understood that his Space Stone was no match for the one the Avengers had.

After all, they were the original owners; he was just a visitor.

So, he left the Space Stone at home.

"It seems Nebula was right to warn me about you," Thanos said, his eyes narrowing. "Someone unfamiliar like you, much like me, comes from another universe."

"Are you also a sorcerer guarding the Time Stone?"

It was clear that Thanos had reviewed Nebula's memories.

Ronan, however, had no intention of answering. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the three heroes watching from the sidelines.

"Hey, I've already disarmed him for you," Ronan called out. "Aren't you going to make a move?"

"Thor, god of Asgard; Steve Rogers, protector of America; Tony Stark, creator of the Iron Heart—don't tell me you're all going to let a high schooler outshine you?"

Ronan was blatantly using reverse psychology.

Though it was obvious and poorly executed, it worked.

Thor raised his hands, and lightning struck from the sky, summoning both Stormbreaker and Mjolnir into his hands. His casual attire instantly transformed into his battle armor.

Wow, that was fast!

"Woohoo! Thor, you look awesome! I'd give that outfit a solid 9 out of 10!" Ronan shouted, his hands cupped around his mouth like a cheerleader.

Perhaps inspired by Ronan's antics, Tony Stark was quick to follow suit, tapping his chest to summon his Iron Man suit.

"Yo! Tony, you look great too! Go on, take down that purple potato!" Ronan yelled.

But neither Thor nor Tony paid Ronan much attention. Instead, they turned their eyes toward Steve Rogers.

The message was clear: we've suited up—what about you?

Steve Rogers glanced at them, then cast an annoyed glare at Ronan before throwing his shield straight at Thanos.

Thanos deflected the shield with a punch, watching it return to Steve's hand.

That was the signal.

The three heroes stepped down from the rubble, slowly advancing toward Thanos.

Yes! Finally, the epic battle of the three heroes against Thanos is about to begin!

Ronan's excitement grew as he watched. The three seemed filled with confidence, their movements charged with determination.

From their strides to their poised hands, everything screamed style.

Ronan casually waved his hand, pulling a chair out of an Interdimensional Portal, settling in for the show. Wong might soon realize he was missing an apple and a chair.

"You refuse to accept defeat," Thanos said, his deep voice carrying the weight of a villain's monologue. "But what difference will it make?"

If Thanos ever decided to quit being a galactic tyrant, he'd definitely have a future as a voice actor.

"You're still going to face me."

Thanos raised his head, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the three Avengers standing before him, a smirk playing on his lips.

He had already reviewed the memories of what had happened. He knew how it all played out.

"I thought that by eliminating half the life in the universe, the other half would flourish."

"But you proved me wrong," he continued.

Thanos was talking to himself at this point, voicing his inner thoughts. His grand ambition to wipe out half the universe with the Infinity Stones had succeeded, but in the end, it had also failed.

Now, he was determined to finish what he started.

"Yeah, we're pretty stubborn," Tony quipped, interrupting Thanos' monologue.

It would have been awkward if Thanos had just kept talking to himself.

"So, I've come up with a new plan," Thanos said, bending down to pick up his helmet. Dusting it off, he placed it on his head.

"I'm going to reduce this universe to atoms and use the stones you helped me find to create a new one."

Thanos stood up from the rock.

Thor's hands crackled with electricity, lightning flashing in his eyes.

"Unfortunately," Thanos said, "you won't be there to see it."

With that, he raised his right hand.

Ronan suddenly felt a disturbance in the air. A visible layer of mirror-like material appeared before him, cracking under immense pressure.

"Uh-oh!" Ronan's eyes widened, but his hands moved swiftly.

He tossed his apple core aside and extended his hands, releasing his magical power to reinforce the shattered mirror.

Despite his efforts, Thanos' weapon continued to relentlessly hammer against the Mirror Dimension.

Ronan had almost forgotten that Thanos' sword was also a weapon forged by the Dwarven King.

If it were that easy to trap in the Mirror Dimension, it wouldn't be called a divine weapon!

"Hey, are you guys going to just stand there and watch me get sliced up?" Ronan shouted, abandoning all pretense of calm.

Who could have predicted that Thanos had such a trick up his sleeve?

With Ronan's call, the final battle was triggered.

The clash was inevitable!