The sky was filled with clouds.
Beyond the Portal
After passing through the portal, Tony found himself in a silent, frozen, lifeless black universe.
A flicker of fear and hesitation crossed his eyes—but it was quickly replaced by resolve and a sense of responsibility.
JARVIS's voice continued to echo inside the armor.
JARVIS: "Sir, unable to establish contact with Miss Potts."
The signal inside the suit flickered. Even Pepper's photo vanished from the display.
Seeing that he had carried the nuclear missile into space himself, Tony released it and began to fall.
Even so, his eyes remained wide open, fixed on the missile as it continued forward like a bullet toward the Chitauri mothership.
Space was a vacuum. With no medium to carry sound, even an explosion was completely silent.
Tony saw only a burst of red light bloom across the Chitauri mothership.
He closed his eyes, knowing his mission was complete.
On Earth
The Chitauri relied on a shared electronic neural network, giving them a massive advantage in battle.
A system much like a hive mind.
Eliminate the core—and everything collapses.
As the mothership exploded, every Chitauri soldier on Earth died instantly.
The massive beasts lost control and crashed into buildings, sending dust and debris into the air.
The heroes witnessed the enemy's annihilation and knew—
This was Tony's doing.
All of them looked up at the portal, waiting for his return.
Black Widow: "Please… Stark…"
But Tony did not appear.
Instead, the shockwave from the nuclear explosion began spreading outward.
If the portal wasn't closed in time, the blast would pass through it and reach Earth.
That would mean Tony's sacrifice was meaningless.
A Hard Decision
Captain America made the call.
Captain America: "Close it."
Though Black Widow hesitated, she knew there was no time for emotion.
She raised Loki's scepter and aimed it at the device.
Whoosh!
A blue energy ring surged upward, linking to the portal in the sky.
The portal began to close.
Regret filled the heroes' faces.
At the Final Moment
Just as the portal sealed—
Tony Stark fell back through it.
Pulled by gravity, he drifted like a leaf in the wind—
Then suddenly plunged like a meteor toward the ground.
His body spun uncontrollably in midair.
The heroes saw him return. Their relief lasted only a second before their hearts clenched again.
Thor noticed immediately.
Thor: "He's not slowing down!"
He swung his hammer, trying to fly up and catch Tony—
But—
Boom!
The Hulk leapt from another building.
He caught Tony mid-fall, his feet carving deep cracks into the structure beneath them.
Using the building to slow their descent, their speed dropped sharply.
Hulk wrapped Tony in his arms, turning his back to the ground and taking the brunt of the impact.
Crash!
Both slammed into the ground.
The thick-skinned Hulk was unharmed—
But Tony lay motionless.
Hulk gently placed him down.
Captain America and Thor rushed over.
Thor quickly removed Tony's helmet.
Thor: "Is he alive?"
Tony showed no response.
Realizing what that meant, Thor, Captain America, and Hulk fell silent.
Stark Tower (Watching the Video)
Tony watched the scene of himself on the screen.
He was moved.
"So… this is my fate?"
"But to protect the world…"
"Even if I had a hundred choices, I would still make the same one."
"Even if I died, I would have no regrets."
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury watched the footage.
He remained outwardly calm—
But his eyes slowly reddened.
"Worthy of being Howard Stark's son."
"The Stark family truly is remarkable."
Behind the Battlefield
Out of respect for a fellow soldier, Captain America stood straight and gave Tony a formal salute.
His gaze was unwavering.
"Tony, the world will never forget you."
"I will carry on your spirit—and continue protecting this world."
A heavy sorrow hung between the three heroes.
The Hulk, clearly uncomfortable with the atmosphere, suddenly roared to vent his emotions.
Iron Man: "Ugh…"
A beastlike sound echoed across New York.
Iron Man: "Oh my God…"
"What happened?"
"No one gave me mouth-to-mouth, did they?"
The heroes burst out laughing.
It was the laughter of survivors.
The laughter of victory.
Stark Tower
Pepper punched Tony in the chest.
Seeing him finally wake up, the emotions she had been holding back overflowed.
She cried and laughed at the same time.
"Tony, look at you—after everything, you're still joking."
Tony let her hit him, feeling no pain at all.
He knew—
This was her moment to release everything she'd been holding inside.
Behind the Battlefield
Captain America saw Tony regain consciousness with his own eyes.
He clenched his fists.
"My friend… you're finally awake."
The Slums
Dr. Banner watched Tony wake up and felt genuinely relieved for his future friend.
His thoughts drifted to the Hulk in the video.
The Hulk had risked everything to save Iron Man falling from the sky, completely disregarding his own safety.
In the end—
Was it instinct… or intention?
The Hulk's roar had awakened Tony.
Which meant—
The Hulk was not evil.
He just… needed guidance.
Banner placed a hand over his chest, as if he could feel the Hulk's soul beating within him.
Perhaps—
They had been wrong about him all along.
Asgard
Thor witnessed Tony's rescue and cheered from the heart.
But Odin, seated upon his throne, remained silent.
"A nuclear weapon…"
"For gods, it causes significant damage—but still within tolerable limits."
"But for Earth, it is total catastrophe."
"And yet, even after such a disaster, Iron Man survived."
"Then what kind of calamity did he eventually face…"
"One that caused a man cursed with knowledge to truly die?"
"Did Earth fall?"
"Did the solar system explode?"
Odin stared at the screen in silence.
The future had never been harder to see.
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