The battlefield shifted again.
Thanos rose slowly from the crater carved into the earth by Captain Marvel's last strike.
Dust and broken concrete slid from his armor as he stood. His double-bladed sword lay half-buried beside him, its metal humming faintly.
He pulled it free and looked across the battlefield.
The war was ending.
And not in his favor.
He saw it clearly.
His troops were being cut down piece by piece.
The once unstoppable wave of Outriders, Chitauri, and Sakaaran soldiers was collapsing under the combined might of Earth's defenders.
His gaze hardened.
His generals were gone.
Ebony Maw.
Proxima Midnight.
Corvus Glaive.
Cull Obsidian.
All dead.
His daughters… fighting against him.
A flicker of something dark passed through his eyes.
Betrayal.
He had raised them. Trained them. Forged them into weapons meant to save the universe from itself.
And now they stood among his enemies.
In front of him floated another traitor.
A former soldier of the Kree Empire.
Carol Danvers.
Her golden aura flared brighter as she descended, hovering above the battlefield like a living star.
Thanos studied her with calm precision.
In experience, he surpassed her.
In combat discipline, he surpassed her.
But in raw power,
She eclipsed him.
Still, destiny had never favored the weak.
He tightened his grip on his weapon.
Then he charged.
Captain Marvel shot forward at the same instant.
The collision was explosive.
Her glowing fist slammed against his blade, the impact sending a shockwave tearing through the battlefield.
The ground cracked beneath them as both were thrown apart—only to rush each other again.
Thanos spun his sword in a brutal arc.
Carol ducked under it and answered with a rising punch that snapped his head sideways.
He countered instantly.
A kick slammed into her ribs with bone-shaking force, sending her skidding across the ground before she launched herself back like a missile.
Energy blasts erupted from her hands.
Thanos crossed his blades, deflecting the blasts while advancing step by step through the storm.
Then he struck.
The flat of his blade hammered into her shoulder, forcing her down before she drove her knee into his chest hard enough to crack the ground beneath them.
They fought like colliding meteors.
Sword against photon fists.
Strategy against overwhelming power.
Carol slammed him through a pillar of wreckage.
Thanos rose and hurled his blade like a spinning guillotine.
She caught it.
For a moment they struggled—her glowing hands gripping the weapon as Thanos forced it downward with all his strength.
Neither yielded.
Carol roared and blasted him point-blank with cosmic energy.
Thanos slid backward across the battlefield, armor scorched.
He stood again.
So did she.
Both breathing heavily now.
Carol wiped blood from her lip.
Thanos rolled his shoulders, exhaustion creeping into even his godlike endurance.
They stared at each other.
War raging around them.
Breaths heavy.
Bodies battered.
Yet neither willing to fall.
Then both charged again.
Elsewhere on the Battlefield
Not far away, Wanda Maximoff stood with her arms folded, watching the clash between Carol and Thanos.
Beside her stood Elias.
The awkward tension left behind by Doctor Strange still hung in the air.
Strange looked like he had a thousand questions.
But he never got the chance to ask them.
Because Wanda suddenly sighed in irritation.
"I haven't filled my frustrations yet," she said.
Then she glanced sideways at Elias.
"Are you coming or what?"
The invitation was casual.
But the intent was obvious.
She was pulling him away before Strange could interrogate him further.
Elias smiled.
"Sure."
They began walking toward the battlefield.
After a moment Wanda spoke again.
"We're even now, right?"
Elias shrugged lightly.
"I thought I just owed you. But if you really want to count that catch earlier—"
"More fighting, less talking."
He chuckled.
And then the slaughter began.
Scarlet energy exploded outward as Wanda crushed groups of enemies with a sweep of her hands.
Elias moved beside her like a phantom.
His red lightsaber ignited with a sharp hiss.
The blade spun through the battlefield with surgical precision.
Outriders fell in halves.
Chitauri rifles were deflected back into their owners.
Even Leviathans weren't spared.
Wanda would grab the massive creatures mid-air with telekinesis, pinning them helplessly in place.
Then Elias would fling his lightsaber.
Spinning.
Accelerating.
Guided by telekinesis.
The crimson blade sliced straight through the massive beasts.
Two halves of Leviathan crashing down from the sky.
Somehow…
Wanda found herself enjoying the rhythm.
The fighting.
The silent coordination between them.
For a short while, she forgot the grief clawing at her chest.
The loss of Vision.
Technically, it had only been hours.
There was nothing warm about this moment.
No romance.
Just two warriors standing back to back in a battlefield.
But strangely,
That small bit of company was enough.
After the War
Eventually, the fighting stopped.
The battlefield fell silent.
Thanos was unable to stand back up.
His army was gone.
The heroes stood victorious.
Then Elias suddenly spoke.
"In exchange for letting you guys borrow the Space Stone and Mind Stone… I'd like to state my conditions now."
Everyone turned toward him.
"That's okay, right? We won and all."
Those who had been blipped looked at him cautiously.
But the Avengers who already knew about the agreement remained calm.
Steve Rogers stepped forward.
"As long as it doesn't harm anyone or conflict with us," he said, "we gave our word. We'll fulfill it."
Some heroes looked ready to object.
But Strange raised a hand.
"Just a reminder," he said calmly.
"If he didn't allow us to borrow the stones… none of you would have returned."
That ended the complaints instantly.
Strange turned to Elias.
"Let's hear your conditions."
Elias grinned.
"Great! I only have two."
He raised two fingers.
"First—I want to be the one to kill the crazy alien leader."
He lowered one finger.
"Second—I want you to create a spell or technology that lets me travel to the year 2012, where I don't exist."
A pause.
"Oh, and if you could also add a way for me to go back to my home universe, I'd really appreciate it."
Then he added casually:
"Make it one-time use only so you guys can relax about me ever coming back to mess with your timeline."
Strange blinked.
"That's it?"
"Yes."
Relief spread across the group.
It wasn't dangerous.
It wasn't unreasonable.
Elias just wanted the final blow on Thanos… and a way home, with a bit of a detour. None questions what he'll do there.
Steve turned toward Tony Stark.
"Can you build something like that?"
But Strange interrupted.
"I can craft the spell."
He folded his arms.
"Give me two weeks."
Elias clapped his hands.
"Perfect!"
He stretched lazily.
"Looks like I'm taking a two-week vacation here while waiting."
Then he looked around the gathered heroes.
"Anyone want to be my tour guide?"
Slowly, the battlefield began to empty.
The Wakandans returned home through sorcerer portals.
The Asgardians departed as well.
The sorcerers retrieved their fallen comrades.
And one by one,
The victors of the war dispersed.
.
.
.
The battlefield had quieted.
Most of the armies were gone, the portals closed, and the wounded already being tended to.
Smoke drifted across the ruined fields outside the compound.
Only a small group remained.
On the cracked ground lay Thanos, battered but still alive.
His armor was shattered, his breathing heavy, purple blood staining the dirt beneath him.
Standing nearby were Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff, and Elias.
Wanda's hands were clenched.
If not for Elias's request, she would have already ended the Titan herself.
The rage inside her had not vanished.
But she understood.
She had agreed.
And she had enough control to honor that.
Tony glanced at Elias curiously.
"So how are you doing it?" he asked.
"Planning to behead him with that lightsaber of yours?"
Elias simply shook his head.
He stepped forward.
Then calmly raised his hand and pointed his index finger at the fallen Titan.
Thanos slowly lifted his head to meet his gaze.
"Any last words?" Elias asked.
Thanos exhaled slowly.
Even beaten, even defeated, the Titan's voice still carried conviction.
"In the end… I am right," he said.
"The time will come when your world exhausts its resources."
His gaze drifted across the battlefield.
"When it finally crumbles… you will remember my words."
Elias listened quietly.
Then he shrugged.
"By the time that happens," he said casually, "we would've already found a solution somewhere across the Multiverse."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Or maybe even the Omniverse."
Thanos frowned faintly.
"And if not?" he asked.
Elias smiled.
"Then we simply follow the natural cycle."
"Death… and rebirth."
His eyes softened slightly.
"Nothing lasts forever for mortals like you and me. No matter how long."
A brief pause followed.
Then Elias lowered his finger slightly.
"Rest now, Titan."
His voice became clear and steady.
"Avada Kedavra."
A pulse of green light erupted from his fingertip.
The spell struck Thanos instantly.
The Titan's body stiffened.
Then the breath slowly left his lungs.
And the Mad Titan was no more.
Silence returned.
Tony stared.
His mouth slowly opened.
"…Why?"
He rubbed his helmet in disbelief.
He recognized that spell.
Everyone who had ever read Harry Potter would recognize that spell.
The Killing Curse.
Tony looked back at Elias.
Wasn't this guy supposed to be a Dark Jedi?
Now he was using wizard spells too?
What next?
Was he secretly a Death Eaters member as well?
Tony stared at him again.
Thousands of questions now fought inside his brain.
Before he could ask any of them—
"Hey Wanda."
Elias's voice interrupted.
Wanda looked up.
"What?"
Elias smiled casually.
"Would you mind being my tour guide for the next two weeks?"
Wanda blinked.
That request clearly caught her off guard.
Instinctively, she turned toward Steve and Tony for help.
Neither moved.
Steve suddenly looked extremely fascinated by a nearby tree.
He leaned slightly toward it, studying it like it might suddenly produce chakra fruit or something.
Tony tilted his head upward toward the sky.
"Wow," he muttered thoughtfully.
"Look at those clouds. Incredible atmospheric aesthetics."
Wanda stared at both of them.
Her eye twitched slightly.
A faint prick formed in her temples.
Traitors.
She sighed.
She was too tired to argue.
"…Fine," she said reluctantly.
Elias instantly brightened.
"Alright!"
He raised both fists in celebration.
And just like that,
The war against Thanos had officially come to an end.
End of Chapter 51.