224

Chapter 224: After the War

The Phoenix Force blazed from Thor's axe, incinerating Thanos into ashes, ensuring that he was completely dead.

Thor watched as Thanos' body burned, but he felt little joy in the victory.

The nightmare that had once tormented him, Thanos—the enemy of his life—had finally become history.

After more than twenty years of struggle, Thor had finally changed his destiny.

The armor on Stark's body slowly opened, allowing him to step out.

Approaching Thor, Stark murmured, "Is this difficult war finally over? I've lost all my fortunes. The drones are malfunctioning, the Iron Legion is faltering, Mark 85 is incapacitated, and now even the last armor from the Celestial is gone... Oh, this is truly disheartening. I was going to use this to challenge you, but I didn't expect it to be dismantled by... hands..."

The more Stark spoke, the more animated he became, until Thor gave him a big bear hug.

"Yes, it's all over!"

Yes, it's over. After this battle, the entire Nine Realms would become a forbidden zone in the universe.

The true power hidden within Earth is among the greatest in the universe, which is why it has enjoyed peace for so many years.

The continuous disasters here are due to the passing of the Ancient One and Odin, the loss of the two major Guardians. And now, Thor's presence has filled that gap.

He would be the new uncrowned king of the universe!

"This is truly the best news I've heard today!"

A strange voice interrupted, and they turned to see a small man, less than 1.6 meters tall, with a somewhat familiar face.

The most notable feature was the half-star shield he tightly held in his hand.

"Uh... are you Steve's son? No, I don't recall hearing that Captain America had a son... No, no, this guy actually let a minor go to the battlefield?"

Stark's sharp tongue—well, despite his heroic deeds as Iron Man, Stark could be quite irritating...

Thor, however, displayed a nostalgic smile, "I suddenly find you more agreeable with this look, Steve."

Captain America, injected with the Super Soldier Serum, is also considered a super-powered individual.

Steve smiled warmly, "Maybe it's because the world no longer needs an old man like me to fight!"

Falcon Sam landed beside him, folding his wings. He looked Steve up and down and said, "Congratulations, Steve, you can finally retire. The only thing that saddens me is that in my world, there's no Captain America anymore."

Steve gave a faint smile, "Everyone can be a captain!"

"Hey, little guy from Brooklyn, how are you?"

Bucky, with his Vibranium arm, came running up...

Thor, unable to tolerate their display, turned away and glanced at Strange, who stood not far off. Even without his magical powers, Strange still looked somewhat flamboyant in his cloak.

Thor whispered, "Is this the ending you foresaw?"

Strange nodded, "Yes, if it was foretold, it wouldn't have happened."

Thor understood. If Doctor Strange had informed him in advance or taken other measures to prevent it, the outcome would have been different. For instance, Dormammu would likely not have arrived...

However, if Strange had dealt with Mordo in advance, stopping both Dormammu and Surtur simultaneously, it might have helped the battle, but it would also have made the war against Thanos even more difficult.

It's simple: without the enhancement from the dark dimension, without the combined power of Odin and the Phoenix Force, even if Thor could defeat Thanos, it wouldn't have been easy. After all, this isn't Blademaster 2014; it's Thanos the Emperor from the end of time.

This isn't a video game where following the strategy guarantees success. Even if you know a better ending, you might not dare to take the risk. Most would still prefer to play it safe and face gradual defeat...

Thor no longer concerned himself with Strange, as dealing with the sorcerer could lead to more complications.

As he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned back with a smile, "I just realized—I seem to have resolved two major problems for you, right? As far as I know, Dormammu and Nightmare should have been handled by Kamar-Taj?"

Strange shrugged, "It's wasn't done by you."

"What my lover has done is no different from what I have done. Shouldn't I get some reward?"

"An Infinity Gem?"