This could work.
Alex's eyes gleamed with a sharp, almost predatory excitement. His body thrummed with energy, every muscle coiled like a drawn bowstring.
Though his clash with Thanos had left him battered, bruised, and momentarily at a disadvantage, it had also revealed something far more important—
The gap between them wasn't insurmountable.
Thanos didn't overwhelm him in raw power. The Titan was strong—undeniably so—but strength alone wasn't enough to crush Alex. Not anymore.
And that was good news.
Because Alex had far more than just fists.
That earlier punch, the one that rattled through his bones and split the earth for miles, had been just a test.
And now, he had his answer.
"You're definitely not the Alex I know," Thanos growled, his voice reverberating like thunder across the shattered landscape.
It wasn't just an observation. It was an accusation.
And that punch had confirmed his suspicions.
For the first time since they met, a flicker of relief crossed the Titan's stern features.
Whatever had changed about this Alex—whatever strange twist of fate had forged him into something different—he wasn't fighting at full power.
If he were, Thanos knew his entire fleet would have already been reduced to dust.
"You look relieved," Alex said coolly, his smirk sharp as a blade. He didn't deny it, didn't explain.
Instead, his voice carried a dangerous edge:
"And you should be worried."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Thanos hefted his double-bladed sword, the weapon gleaming in the firelight of burning ruins. His massive frame tensed.
Then he charged.
WHOOSH!
The Titan blurred forward with impossible speed, his blade cutting through the air like a storm.
But Alex was already airborne, shooting into the sky like a rocket, his eyes blazing molten red.
ZZZT!
Twin beams of heat vision ripped through the atmosphere, scorching toward Thanos with blistering intensity.
Why trade blows when he could control the battlefield from range?
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Thanos spun his massive sword like a propeller, the metal singing with each strike as he somehow deflected the beams. Sparks flew. Air rippled. The ground cracked beneath the sheer pressure.
Somehow, impossibly, it worked.
It made zero scientific sense—but this was a universe of gods, monsters, and sorcery.
Logic was a courtesy, not a requirement.
Alex narrowed his eyes and shifted tactics. He fired another burst of heat vision, then cocked his fist back and threw a telekinetic punch.
TK-BOOM!
The invisible force slammed into Thanos like a battering ram, sending the Titan staggering backward.
Not enough to hurt him.
Just enough to irritate him.
"RRRGH!"
With a snarl, Thanos leapt high into the air, the ground cratering beneath his feet. He rocketed upward like a missile, his massive blade carving a streak through the sky.
CRASH!
Alex's telekinetic shield shattered like glass as the blade carved through it—but at the last second, Alex twisted aside.
The strike missed.
Instead, Thanos slammed into the ground like a meteor, a shockwave flattening everything for miles.
ZZZT!
Alex retaliated instantly, raining down his heat vision in sweeping arcs, each beam carving trenches into the earth, the molten scars glowing red-hot in the night.
"ALEX!"
Thanos roared, rolling and weaving with surprising agility for someone his size. His frustration bled into every movement.
This was infuriating.
Alex was weaker, yes. His raw power didn't match Thanos' perfected might.
But his versatility—his flight, his ranged beams, his telekinesis—turned him into a maddening opponent.
He was like a mosquito.
If that mosquito could level cities.
"Enough!"
Thanos' voice thundered like a war drum as he lunged again. His massive blade cleaved through air, stone, and steel alike.
BOOM! CRASH! KABOOM!
Every clash of weapon and fist tore the battlefield apart. The ground split like glass under a hammer. Buildings crumbled into ash.
The Avengers' compound—already scarred from countless battles—collapsed into ruin under the sheer collateral damage of their duel.
A wasteland in minutes.
From a safe distance, the Avengers watched with grim expressions.
"So this is Thanos' real power…" Tony muttered, disbelief in his voice as his HUD struggled to even track the speed of their blows.
On Titan, Thanos had been holding back.
But now?
Now he was serious.
"Alex can't beat him alone. We move now," Steve said, his shield already strapped tight to his arm.
The situation was crystal clear.
Alex could stall Thanos.
But he couldn't win. Not like this.
With the Avengers' help, though…
Victory wasn't just possible. It was within reach.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Tony blasted off, twin repulsors flaring as he fired a barrage of missiles.
Steve sprinted forward. Bruce roared, muscles swelling. Rhodey and Scott followed close behind.
WHOOSH! BOOM!
The missiles detonated in a dazzling storm of fire and smoke, engulfing the Titan in flames.
The sky lit up. The earth shook.
But when the smoke cleared—
Thanos still stood.
Unharmed.
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