"Very well, this makes it more interesting."
Thanos tossed aside his war knife again, his fists unleashing a storm of force.
Boom~
His massive purple fist loomed large in Charlie's eyes, capable of crushing a tank with a single blow. But Charlie tilted his head, dodging the punch, letting the wind graze his ear.
At the same time, Charlie's own fist missed as Thanos deliberately sidestepped.
Boom
Amid howling winds, their fists struck again, clashing with raw power. The altar cracked under the terrifying force, hellfire struggling to keep up with the destruction, the altar gradually tearing apart.
"Argh!!"
Thanos roared, his purple fist hurling a barrage of debris. Charlie leaped, kicking away the incoming rubble, then spun mid-air for a second kick, only for Thanos to block it with one hand.
"Got you." Thanos gripped Charlie's ankle tightly.
Familiar line.
Charlie's eyes flickered.
The next moment, Thanos swung Charlie's body, aiming to slam him into the ground.
The old Charlie might've been done for.
But now, what Thanos could do, Charlie could too!
Whoosh!
A web shot onto Thanos's face, distracting him for a split second. Charlie fired another web, anchoring it to the stone wall behind.
Crack crack~
Boom!
Using the web's pull, Charlie's leg muscles bulged, flipping Thanos backward through the air.
"What?"
Mid-air, Thanos's face showed shock.
He sensed something was off.
Before he could react, Charlie shot out from the web's slingshot.
Boom!
Bang bang bang!!
In the air, Charlie's fists and feet rained down on Thanos, each strike against purple muscle sending ripples of purple light.
In an instant, Thanos crashed to the ground, battered by the relentless assault.
"My turn!"
Pain surging through him, Thanos gritted his teeth and counterattacked, but Charlie easily dodged his fist.
Thanos wasn't slow, but Spider-Man was faster.
In the stunned gazes of the audience, Charlie seemed to predict Thanos's moves. Ducking under a second punch, he unleashed a flurry of fists, knees, elbows, and headbutts, finishing with a chokehold that pinned Thanos to the ground.
Crack!!
Thanos's head slammed into the cracked altar, scattering bits of rubble.
Staring at the Spider-Man before him, Thanos was stunned.
The crowd was equally shocked.
"What just happened?"
"Thanos got beaten?"
"No way, that easy?"
"No, those moves…"
"I remember!" Loki's eyes widened. "When Thanos defeated Hulk, he used this—Cosmic Military Boxing, Thanos's refined Titan Military Boxing!"
"What?"
The crowd couldn't believe it.
"How could an Earth superhero learn a cosmic-level fighting technique?"
"Only Titans can unleash its true power. This bug…"
"Oh my God, unless Thanos himself taught him, how could Spider-Man know this?"
"What the hell is going on?"
Amid the gasps, Thanos's confusion faded.
"Little bug, who taught you this?" he asked.
Charlie smirked. "Thanos, of course."
With that, he hoisted Thanos into the air and kicked him into the stone wall's rubble.
Bang!!
In the crater, debris slid as Thanos shook free.
He calmly brushed the rubble off his shoulder. "I think I get it. But if this is all you've got, you can't beat me."
"How about this, then?"
Charlie raised his hand, crystalline webs faintly glowing between his fingers.
"Hm?"
Instantly, magic-infused web traps snapped tight, binding Thanos's body.
As Charlie yanked, the webs cut into Thanos's purple skin, turning bits of purple soul fragments to ash.
"Argh!!"
In agony, Thanos struggled, but the web traps were far more effective against pure physical fighters than he'd imagined.
With a physical body, the webs might only restrain him briefly.
But in hell, Thanos was just soul energy.
Against another soul, he'd fare better.
But against a living Charlie, he was at a disadvantage.
The magic-infused webs stifled Thanos's movements.
Amid the crowd's gasps, Charlie restrained his opponent.
He closed in, a sly grin hidden under his mask.
"I'm gonna throw some dirt in your eyes!!"
"No!!"
Bang!!
Charlie slammed Thanos's head into the stone wall, kicking up dust and debris. Before Thanos could react, his face was ground against the wall under immense force.
The crowd erupted.
"No!! The cosmic overlord shouldn't be humiliated like this!!"
Chitauri soldiers wailed.
"That's it! Perfect!!"
Loki clenched his fists, jumping in excitement.
"Keep going, yes, that's it! Oh, that move—use it, use it!!"
Under Loki's eager gaze, Charlie punched Thanos's head into the wall, then grabbed his ankle.
Boom!!
Bang bang bang
Thanos's massive purple frame was slammed repeatedly against the altar.
"Oh yes!!"
Loki's face flushed with excitement. "That's it, amazing! I love you, bug, I love you!!"
Elsewhere, Deadpool seemed to realize something.
He turned to the multiversal Deadpools.
"Fan service time! Cheer for our idol!!"
"Oh!"
"Woo-hoo!!"
The stands exploded with excitement.
On the altar, Charlie casually tossed Thanos to his feet.
"Cosmic overlord?"
He loomed over him.
Feeling the malicious gaze, Thanos's eyes burned with killing intent.
He wiped the soul fragments from his mouth and threw a heavy punch.
Boom!
This time, Charlie didn't dodge.
He caught Thanos's fist with both hands, the ground beneath turning to dust under the force. Hellfire flickered in the altar's cracks, unable to repair it further.
Thanos's eyes narrowed.
This familiar scene puzzled him.
What's this guy up to?
In a flash, Thanos's arm muscles bulged, pressing the bug down.
Before he could land a fatal blow, Charlie peeked up.
"Alright, time to end this."
Zzt zzt~
Arcs surged, and Charlie vanished from Thanos's sight.
Boom!!
Thanos's heavy punch hit the ground, staggering him. Arcs circled again, crystalline webs shooting from all directions, wrapping his arms.
Zzt zzt~
Charlie tied the webs into a knot mid-air, then yanked Thanos's double-bladed knife into his hands.
Boom!!
As the red-and-blue figure leaped, the knife sliced down with a gust of wind. Thanos's pupils shrank.
Facing a second death, his face twisted in pain, ignoring the webs cutting his body as he yanked them with all his might.
At the moment the blade hit his shoulder, his hands gripped the battered blade.
Splurch!
The sharp edge sank into his shoulder, purple soul fragments spraying.
"Argh!!!"
Thanos roared in pain, gripping the blade, trying to pull it out.
"You said no weapons!" he bellowed.
Charlie pressed the blade harder, driving it deeper.
He grinned. "I said I wouldn't use my weapons, not yours."
Thanos finally snapped, cursing.
"You damn bug, you tricked me!!"
Charlie pushed harder, and Thanos screamed.
In the stands, Gamora clenched her fists, her expression complex.
"Is he finally going to die?"
She recalled her childhood—Thanos slaughtering her people.
He deserved to die!
But…
Growing up, Thanos taught her to fight, to protect herself.
After each massacre of half a planet's population, he'd sit alone on his throne, lost in thought.
His face showed grief, as if mourning the dead.
Impossible. A bloodstained demon couldn't feel pity.
He was surely planning the next slaughter.
Time and again, she rarely saw sadness in his eyes.
As if he'd grown numb.
So had she.
Until Thanos sent her to steal an Infinity Stone, and she met a fool.
That fool had a team, a bunch of ridiculous misfits.
Yet those misfits she once scorned taught her how to live.
But it was too late.
On Vormir, she saw pain and reluctance in Thanos's eyes again.
What was he doing?
Crying?
Impossible. How could he cry?
What was he pretending?
Killing her would get the Soul Stone? No way.
Thanos loved no one, only reveling in slaughter.
But he succeeded.
He truly saw her as his daughter…
"Oh!"
"Amazing!"
The crowd's cheers snapped her from her memories.
On the altar's ruins, Thanos's shoulder bled soul fragments, his strength fading fast.
He held on, but this cunning Spider-Man was too strong.
And he hadn't even used that blood-red power.
Thanos couldn't hold out.
Another death?
His gaze dimmed.
This time, it was final.
His soul shattered, no retry left.
Subconsciously, he looked at Gamora in the stands, his reluctance turning to acceptance.
He was free.
"I'm dead. You must be happy," he murmured with a bitter smile.
Charlie's eyes flickered. "Tell me, what's the benefit of beating you?"
Thanos gave an ugly grin.
"Kill me, and you'll find out."
"Fine."
Charlie didn't hesitate. His nano-suit's web patterns flared blood-red.
Buzz~
With a fifty-ton boost, the blade sank from Thanos's shoulder into his chest.
"Urgh!!"
Thanos's screams weakened as he knelt, his purple head drooping, soul fragments drifting away.
"He's dead!"
"Really dead!"
Loki cheered, but Gamora fell silent.
Her nightmare was over.
Head down, she slowly left the so-called Hell Arena.
"Gamora!"
Nebula followed her.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm great. Thanos is dead. I'm happy."
Her words lacked any trace of a smile.
As she exited the arena, she saw an old man with a shield enter the projection room.
"You're… Captain Earth?" Gamora frowned.
She'd seen Thanos's files. This old man resembled Earth's Captain, just far older.
Old and content.
Old Steve looked surprised. "Gamora? Why are you here?"
Gamora didn't answer, brushing past him.
Nebula followed.
Seeing the blue cyborg, Old Steve's gaze turned wary.
But with no hostility shown, he didn't press.
After they left, Old Steve entered the projection room.
The projection of Spider-Man slaying Thanos made him gasp.
"Little Spider!!"
"And Thanos."
Natasha and the others entered, staring at Thanos's charred arm, shocked.
"That's the Thanos who wiped out half the universe!!"
"How?"
Barton frowned. "The Thanos from the past timeline was killed by Tony. This Thanos shouldn't exist in the future…"
"Barton, you zoned out during the briefing."
Natasha shook her head. "We didn't just eliminate the time-traveling Thanos. We had to stabilize the timeline, using the Infinity Stones to return them to their original timelines and erase their memories."
"Then who were those two?" Barton interrupted.
"What?" Natasha asked, confused.
Barton shrugged. "If I'm right, future Nebula didn't die. So we just met past Nebula. If you're correct, that's a time paradox."
Natasha fell silent.
Old Steve glanced at them. "Why argue? Just say multiverse."
"Multiverse?"
Natasha eyed Old Steve. "So you might be a Steve who died of old age in another universe, not the Steve I know."
"Really?"
Old Steve scratched his head. "I didn't read much. Don't trick me."
"Living this long and not reading? You deserve to be tricked," Natasha teased.
Nearby, Peter Parker swallowed hard, watching the projection.
He'd fought Thanos too and knew how terrifying he was.
Yet Spider-Man killed him.
Was Spider-Man really that strong?
If so, could he become that strong too?
At that moment, the altar in the projection erupted in endless hellfire.
The altar collapsed, and the crowd grew more excited.
"Someone finally cleared it! Who's Spider-Man's next opponent?"
"So curious."
"No, clearing it means going up."
Amid puzzled gazes, Charlie leaped to the next level.
"So that's how it works."
Arriving at the next altar space, Charlie finally understood.