Chapter 606: Splitting the Battlefield!
A dark, almost tangible red aura slowly billowed from Imu's form. Above, Shiki manipulated massive fragments of floating islands, hurtling them forward at breakneck speeds. Kaido crushed the earth beneath his feet, dropping into the stance of a berserk, unstoppable charge. From his high vantage point, Peak Thanos looked down upon the gathered insects.
"Since you refuse to recognize your proper place," Thanos declared coldly. "I will personally rearrange this graveyard for you."
On the Infinity Gauntlet, the Space Stone erupted. Blinding blue light swallowed the sprawling ruins of New York. In that split second, the spatial coordinates of everyone present were torn apart and forcibly rewritten.
Tony's vision spun wildly. When the dizziness faded, he found himself dropped onto a shattered, suspended overpass alongside his future self and Doctor Strange.
Standing opposite them was the cold, sneering Ebony Maw and an entire platoon of high-tier Chitauri sorcerers.
Young Tony couldn't help but curse out loud. "I hate teleporting more than anything in my life!"
Future Tony shot him a flat, icy look. "Trust me, you're going to hate it a lot more later."
Doctor Strange rapidly expanded a glowing defensive mandala with both hands. "Focus on surviving first. You two can discuss your future later."
----
In another desolate block of the ruins, Whitebeard, Young Cap, Future Cap, and Wanda were forcefully dumped together. Proxima Midnight, leading a dense, swarming horde of Outriders, completely blocked both ends of the street.
Whitebeard laughed heartily, hoisting the massive Murakumogiri over his shoulder. "You two brats with the shields, make sure you protect the little red-haired girl."
Wanda's eyes flared scarlet. "I don't need protection," she stated stubbornly. "I can fight."
Whitebeard flashed a wide, booming grin. "Then make it a beautiful fight for this old man!"
----
Directly beneath Sanctuary II, Sengoku, Kizaru, and Akainu were forcibly dropped into the zone with the heaviest, most concentrated artillery fire.
Akainu shot a freezing glare at the battered, incomplete gauntlet pinched in Kizaru's fingers. "Keep a close eye on that damn thing."
Kizaru sighed, thoroughly exasperated. "You all just keep tossing things to me to watch. Do you really think I'm some free warehouse manager?"
Sengoku's voice dropped into a furious roar. "Cut the crap, both of you! We fight our way out of here together!"
Kizaru sighed again. "What a terrifyingly toxic workplace relationship this is."
----
On another side of the battlefield, Hela and Imu were displaced by spatial forces into a completely caved-in plaza. The Five Elders landed heavily behind Imu, treating the situation like a mortal crisis.
Hela gripped the Power Stone tightly, a cruel, vicious smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "That fool Thanos actually managed to do something I'm incredibly satisfied with."
Imu stared back with eyes like glacial ice. "Hand over the stone."
Hela slowly raised her purple-glowing fist. "If you have the strength, come take it yourself."
The terrifying auras of the two queens clashed once more. Under the crushing pressure, the ground of the entire plaza began to splinter and crack inch by inch.
----
Shiki was teleported high into the sky, directly onto the flank of Sanctuary II. He was immediately boxed in by a suffocating swarm of escort frigates.
Taking a look around, the Golden Lion just let out an arrogant, booming laugh. "You actually sent me right next to your scrap heap of a ship? Thanos, you really do know how to be considerate!"
He abruptly threw his arms out to his sides. Driven by the Float-Float Fruit, a massive field of destroyed frigate wreckage was pulled together, slamming into Sanctuary II's energy shields in a frenzied, meteor-like bombardment.
----
Kaido, meanwhile, was mercilessly dumped right into the center of a heavy encirclement led by Cull Obsidian and hundreds of elite Chitauri shock troopers.
As Cull Obsidian roared and raised his colossal axe, Kaido flashed a thrilling, bloodthirsty smile.
"This is a fantastic place." He hoisted his blood-drenched kanabo onto his shoulder. "No one to interrupt us. Let's get back to the slaughter!"
Cull Obsidian bellowed, charging forward in a mindless frenzy. Kaido brought his club down with a deafening crash, black and red lightning trailing the swing. The ground caved in, and the surrounding Chitauri soldiers were pulverized into dust by the shockwave alone.
----
Loki, clutching the Tesseract for dear life, found himself teleported to the steps of a dark, abandoned church. Thor stood like an iron tower in front of him, violent lightning surging across Stormbreaker.
Corvus Glaive slowly dragged his glaive out from the church's deep shadows.
Loki's face drained of color. "I knew it. That purple freak absolutely gave me the most lethal problem on the board."
Thor didn't even turn his head. "Stay behind me and hide."
Without a shred of guilt or hesitation, Loki immediately slid behind a thick stone pillar. "I'm just securing the optimal tactical vantage point."
Thor didn't bother calling out his cowardice. Roaring, he charged at Corvus Glaive with his axe raised high.
----
Garp's landing spot, however, was bizarrely quiet. It was a dead, silent street that had been cleanly cleaved down the middle by the blue spatial light. There were no swarming Chitauri troops, no pesky Avengers getting in his way, and no fellow Marines to nag him.
Garp looked around in confusion, lazily picking his nose. "He actually threw me out here all by myself? Don't tell me that Thanos guy is scared of my fists?"
The moment the words left his mouth, a spatial rift silently tore open in front of him. A towering purple figure slowly stepped out from the gap.
He was clad in pristine, full golden armor. In his hands, he wielded a vicious, double-bladed sword. There were no wounds on his body, and crucially, no iconic Infinity Gauntlet on his hand.
Yet, the suffocating aura of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood radiating from him was entirely different from the Peak Thanos hovering in the sky.
Garp's eyes lit up.
The third Thanos slowly raised his double-bladed sword, locking his cold, dead eyes onto the Marine hero. "Outlander."
Garp broke into an incredibly wild, feral grin, cracking his knuckles loudly. "Perfect! Finally, a punching bag that looks like it has harder bones and can take a real beating!"
The sounds of artillery fire felt distant on this bisected street. Garp stood in the center of the road, loose rubble rolling beneath his boots, the bloody steam still clinging to his body. Opposite him, the alternate Thanos approached step by step, gripping his massive blade.
He didn't have the Infinity Gauntlet, but his killing intent was infinitely fiercer than the half-crippled Thanos from earlier.
Garp's eyes practically sparkled. "Not bad, not bad. You look a lot more punchable than the purple freak up in the sky."
Thanos stopped in his tracks, leveling the double-bladed sword in front of him. "You outlanders treat war like a meaningless game, completely devoid of reverence."
Garp dug into his ear with a pinky. "Cut the crap, I don't have time for your preaching. If we're fighting, let's fight. If not, I'm going to go dismantle that ship."
Thanos's eyes went completely frosty. "Arrogant."
The instant the word fell, the ground beneath his feet exploded. His massive frame closed the distance to Garp in a heartbeat. The double-bladed sword swept out in a brutal horizontal slash, the edge tearing through the air with an ear-piercing shriek.
Garp laughed out loud, stepping into the strike instead of retreating. Pitch-black Armament Haki coated both of his fists.
Boom!
Fist and blade collided head-on. Sparks exploded in every direction, and the immense pressure carved a massive crater beneath their feet.
Garp's shoulder dipped slightly, a bloody gash opening on his arm, but the grin on his face only grew wider. "Good sword! Too bad it lacks a little punch when it cuts!"
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