The priest let out a quiet sigh of relief. In all his years officiating weddings, this had been by far the most unusual ceremony he had ever conducted. Fortunately, despite a few unexpected moments, everything had gone smoothly.
He smiled warmly at the groom and the nine brides. "May these hearts forever remain united." With those final words, he closed the ceremonial book.
Before anyone could say another word, Tony clapped his hands. "Alright!" He pointed toward the photographer waiting nearby. "Now it's time for the photographs."
The professional photographer immediately stepped forward. "Could the groom and the brides please stand together in the center?"
Luke quietly moved to the middle while the nine brides naturally surrounded him. The photographer adjusted everyone's positions. "A little closer, please."
The brides didn't need to be told twice. Each of them instinctively moved a little closer to Luke.
Tony looked at the scene and laughed. "I don't think you needed to tell them that."
The photographer smiled awkwardly before raising the camera. "Everyone, please look this way."
Click.
Several photographs were taken from different angles. "Now, everyone smile."
Click.
"Now one with the family."
Charles, Erik, Fury, Steve, Bruce, Tony, Pepper, Clint, Pietro, and the others gradually joined the platform as another round of photographs began. Pietro stood beside Wanda while looking at Luke.
"Three... two... one..."
Click.
Unfortunately for Pietro, at the exact moment the photograph was taken, his eyes had become slightly watery.
Tony immediately walked over to look at the preview on the camera. The moment he saw it, he burst into laughter. "Oh, this one's perfect."
Pietro frowned. "What?"
Tony turned the camera around. The photograph showed everyone smiling. Everyone... except Pietro. He looked as though he was about to cry.
"This looks less like your sister's wedding and more like you're attending her funeral."
Pietro looked at the photograph before covering his face with one hand. "My sister actually married this scumbag..."
Luke heard him and looked over. "I heard that."
Pietro didn't even bother denying it. "I wanted you to hear it."
Tony laughed even harder as the photographer quietly took another picture, capturing everyone's natural expressions.
Luke smiled as he looked toward the sky. For everyone else, it was just another peaceful afternoon above the island.
Far beyond Earth's atmosphere, however, a massive demonic entity was forcing its way toward the planet, trying to tear open reality itself. Its presence was hidden from ordinary eyes, slowly pushing against the barrier between dimensions.
Luke glanced at it for only a brief moment. "Not today."
He casually raised a finger. The invading demon froze. Before it could even understand what had happened, its entire existence began to unravel — no explosion, no fire, simply faded away as though it had never existed.
The barrier surrounding Earth became calm once again.
Luke lowered his hand and turned his attention back toward the photographer. "Sorry," he said with a faint smile. "Where were we?"
The photographer blinked in confusion. "We... were about to take another picture."
"Then let's continue."
No one at the wedding realized that, in the brief moment between photographs, another disaster had quietly ended before it had ever truly begun.
Sigh... never had I imagined this is how it would end, Luke thought as he quietly looked around the wedding venue.
His friends were laughing together. The guests from different universes were chatting as though they had known one another for years. The nine brides stood nearby while the photographer continued arranging everyone for another photograph.
A faint smile appeared on Luke's face.
Over the past few years, he had experienced more than he could have ever imagined — fallen in love, made friends he would never forget, gone on countless adventures across different worlds, fought impossible battles, and witnessed things that most people would never even believe existed.
Every hardship, every battle, and every sacrifice had somehow led him to this very moment.
He was now counted among the most powerful beings in existence, with very few opponents left who could truly threaten him. The journey that had begun with nothing but survival had finally reached its destination.
Luke quietly looked at the wedding ring on his finger before raising his eyes toward the clear blue sky.
I guess... it's about time this story came to an end.
════════════════════════════════
THE END
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"Every journey has an ending.
This one simply found its happily ever after."
*****
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