Chapter 476: Mjolnir
Peter was sent flying directly out of Thanos's grip.
At the critical moment, Thor managed to flip the orientation of his battle axe, ensuring it was the handle of Stormbreaker—not the blade—that struck Peter's chest.
Thanos seized the opportunity, snatching Stormbreaker and engaging in a brutal struggle with Thor, who still held Mjolnir.
"You will not win!"
Bang!
The immense force of the battle axe slammed against Mjolnir. The vibration sent a stinging pain through Thor's hands, causing the hammer to spin out of his grasp. Thanos kicked Thor to the ground and raised the axe high, aiming to cleave his chest open.
Facing a life-or-death crisis, Thor reached out with both hands to grab the handle, locked in a desperate test of strength against the Mad Titan. Unfortunately, Thor was no match for Thanos in raw power. The axe was slowly pushed toward him, its sharp edge easily slicing through his chest armor.
"Argh!"
Thor cried out in pain, his hands erupting with power as he barely managed to hold Thanos at bay. As they struggled, Mjolnir, which lay behind Thanos, began to crackle with lightning and slowly levitated.
Bang!
Thanos was struck from behind, the force of the impact sending him tumbling forward. Mjolnir flew across the clearing and landed firmly in the hand of Steve Rogers.
"I knew it..." Thor lay on the ground, having narrowly escaped death, and glanced at Steve holding the hammer.
Thanos scrambled up from the ground, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs. He snatched up his double-bladed sword and charged at Steve. Steve watched him with a determined gaze, spinning Mjolnir before hurling it toward the Titan.
The hammer, encased in a web of lightning, tore through the air straight for Thanos. He quickly raised his blade to parry.
Boom!
The shockwave from the impact cleared the surrounding debris, creating a localized arena for their duel. Before Thanos could react, a vibranium shield slammed into his temple. Steve closed the distance instantly. A flurry of shield-and-hammer combinations followed, keeping Thanos on the defensive.
Crash!
Suddenly, a beam of energy blasted in from behind them. Steve raised his shield just in time to block it. However, the force of the blast was too great to withstand; he was thrown through the air like a cannonball, crashing into a pile of rubble.
Thanos glanced back. It was Proxima Midnight who had fired the shot. She nodded to him, stowed her spear, and continued her pursuit of the Infinity Stones. Thanos picked up his blade and began walking toward the downed Captain America, intent on finishing him.
"Thanos!" Peter Parker cried out, gasping for air as he climbed to his feet.
Hearing his name, Thanos turned.
Whirrr!
A sound like a swarm of bees reached Thanos's ears. Mjolnir whistled past his head and flew straight into Peter's hand.
"Okay, now I really have no idea what's going on," Thor muttered, slumped on the ground. This hammer shouldn't even be called "Thor's Hammer" anymore.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning slammed into Thanos.
"Argh!"
Thanos winced and stepped back. Was this hammer something just anyone could pick up now?
"I'm going to avenge everyone!" Peter looked at the hammer, his determined face reflected in the polished metal.
"Why... why can you not simply accept your fate?" Thanos couldn't understand. Why were these people so foolish, trying to change the facts over and over? He was inevitable!
"Fate? You mean the arbitrary slaughter of others? That's what you call fate?" Peter mocked.
"I am inevitable." Thanos stood tall, his blade glowing with a golden light. It seemed he was finally getting serious.
"Inevitable? Sorry, but in my eyes, there is only one person who is inevitable." The spider-legs on Peter's back extended—there were now eight of them.
"No. I am inevitable."
A voice rang out in everyone's ears, shocking them to the core. Even Thanos, poised for battle, looked toward the source of the voice in disbelief. A massive, hulking figure stepped out of the shadows.
"Thanos?!" Peter gasped.
The person stepping out from the darkness was indeed Thanos—but there was already a Thanos standing right in front of him.
"So, this is the future?"
This new Thanos was also fully armored. A massive warship hovered above him, and the Black Order followed closely behind. Peter stood between the two Titans, looking back and forth. Now there were two of them. Not just Thanos, but his subordinates and his fleet were identical.
"When did you come from?" the "future" Thanos asked, realizing this version of himself was from the past.
"Seven years ago," the "new" Thanos replied, observing his future self with interest. The two Titans locked eyes, seemingly reading each other's thoughts. In that instant, they reached a silent accord.
"Since our goal is the same, let's not delay," the first Thanos said. The younger Thanos smiled; he agreed with his future self. This new Thanos was even more formidable, being in the prime of his life.
"Remember, we don't back down," Steve said to the two men beside him.
"Don't worry, I'm not the type to run away," Peter shrugged, tossing Mjolnir back to Thor.
Thor caught it but immediately offered it back. "You two decide who uses it. I'm keeping the big one."
"It's yours, Cap," Peter said, handing the hammer to Steve. Among the three of them, Steve was technically the most physically vulnerable; Mjolnir would provide a much-needed boost to his power.
"Understood," Steve nodded, accepting the weapon.
Opposite them, the two Titans stood side-by-side. The two sets of Black Order members simply exchanged silent glances with their counterparts from different timelines.
"After this is over, I'm drinking a hundred cases of beer," Thor muttered, feeling the crushing weight of the pressure. One Thanos was hard enough—now there were two.
"Do you guys feel that?" Peter's brow furrowed. His Spider-Sense was screaming at him.
As he spoke, countless orange-gold portals began to open behind them.
"They... they're back," Thor whispered. Steve's eyes widened. He saw Tony. He saw Bucky.
Peter said nothing, his eyes scanning the crowds of emerging heroes. The Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Winter Soldier, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver...
Though he saw all his familiar friends returning, Peter did not see the one person he missed most. The two versions of Thanos watched the scene, slightly taken abroad. They hadn't expected the "Snap" to have already been undone.
"What's going on here? Since when does Thanos have a twin brother?" Tony Stark quipped as he landed beside Peter and the others.
"It's a long story. Your suit needs an upgrade, Tony," Steve said, knocking on Tony's armor and pointing at Peter's nano-suit.
"I think... actually, it doesn't," Tony started. Before he could finish, Pepper Potts landed beside him in the Rescue armor.
"Long time no see." Tony wanted to hug her, but his hands hovered awkwardly. Pepper stepped forward and embraced him, pressing a triangular arc reactor into his chest.
Click!
With the reactor in place, a brand-new nano-suit assembled over Tony, replacing his five-year-old model. "I found a 'Friday' inside my Friday," Pepper whispered, looking at him fondly.
Tony reached out and gently wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I'm not leaving this time."
"Oh god, I come back and the first thing I see is two seals trying to mate," Rhodey said, landing behind Tony with a deadpan expression. "I've been standing behind you this whole time and you don't even say hello?"
"Sorry, you know how it is. I have a bit of night blindness," Tony joked.
"Night blindness? Since when?" Rhodey asked, successfully distracted.
Behind them, T'Challa led the Wakandan forces onto the battlefield as advanced aircraft hovered above. "Yibambe!"
"Yibambe!"
"Yibambe!"
The Wakandans raised their weapons, chanting their battle cry.
On the other side, Doctor Strange looked around. "Is this everyone?"
Wong replied grumpily, "What, you wanted more?"
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