Chapter 142 The Overwhelming Power of a Parallel Universe God
To be fair, the Thanos of Universe 199999 possessed relatively noble ideals and beliefs, and he had the determination to devote everything to them.
He was far more noble, at least, than the other versions of Thanos from other universes who were single-mindedly determined to be simps, desperately trying to please Death.
This Tyrant, also a descendant of the Eternals, had campaigned across the universe for many years and could be considered experienced, with a sharp eye.
From the first moment he saw the Avengers' Big Three, he sensed that something was off about two of them.
On the level of their life signs, they weren't purely individual entities. Instead, it was as if something else had been mixed in.
Thanos hadn't paid it much mind before. Such a trivial matter wasn't worth his repeated consideration.
But now, it seemed the one truly looking down upon this battle was about to reveal himself.
"As expected, there is a problem. Are you ready to appear? It would have been a better tactic to ambush me when I wasn't paying attention."
Thanos planted his Tyrant's Blade into the ground, in no hurry to make a move. He held an attitude of anger and caution toward these Earthlings who had killed his future self, intending to use absolute power to complete the slaughter of Earth.
He stared coldly at Tony Stark before him, sensing a strange aura, one he had never felt before, rising continuously from within Tony's body.
But no matter what strange being appeared, Thanos believed he wouldn't be surprised. He had rampaged across the universe for so many years and had seen far too many peculiar races.
"Tony?"
Among the Big Three, only Thor was baffled. He staggered to his feet, his overly fat body feeling so heavy at this moment. With great effort, he raised his head, staring in confusion at the Tony who now felt like a stranger to him.
The entire expanse of ruins should have felt desolate and tragic. But at this moment, as this completely foreign power—so out of place that even the natives of this universe felt it was alien—surged forth endlessly, it added a boundless, grim aura to the land.
Pure, dark, and immense.
This was definitely not a power that could be possessed by Tony, a mere human who had never undergone any genetic modification or awakened any superpowers.
Captain America took a deep breath, his expression extremely complicated. "He's here."
Tony silently felt the changes within himself. The sensation was bizarre. He clearly had his senses, yet he could distinctly feel he was losing control of himself, becoming a mere spectator. He said in a low voice, "Yes, he's here. I originally thought we could delay for a while longer, using the vast, unknown distance as a buffer to formulate a counter-attack plan, but I never expected him to arrive so quickly..."
"Who? Who's here?" Thor shouldered his axe, taking the opportunity to adjust his condition. "What in the world are you two talking about? Ever since you went to the past, you've been acting strange since you came back. You even give me an uncomfortable feeling. What are you hiding?"
Thor was only oblivious at times, even deliberately numbing himself, but he was no real fool. Not to mention, the changes happening right now could very well affect the future of the entire universe, and more importantly, whether he could finally get his revenge on Thanos.
"The Xenomorph is here."
"Xenomorph? What?"
This time, Tony didn't say anything more. The expression beneath his mask became one of extreme anguish.
*If it were Peter Parker, he would've understood what I was saying. He's very familiar with the Alien movies. Not like Thor, who spent five years as a shut-in but didn't watch enough movies,* Tony thought.
In the next second, he completely lost control of his body. Not just his body, but also the nanotech armor he wore and Mjolnir in his hand—control over all of it was lost, falling into the hands of a certain man who was currently traversing the universe.
When the oppressive aura emanating from Tony's body gradually stabilized, everyone present knew that the Tony before them was no longer Tony.
"Not bad. The gods of this universe didn't intervene. I originally thought I'd have to negotiate with them first, with the worst-case scenario being a fight just to get passage."
Tony spoke again, his tone filled with ease and nonchalance. He even made a show of moving his arms and patting his opposite shoulder, adapting to this new body.
Thanos could tell that after this being of unknown origin occupied Tony Stark's body, his series of small movements were for adapting to the rules of this universe.
"A visitor from a parallel universe? Time travel happens often; the gods can't manage everything. It seems the universe you come from has a god who is exceptionally strict when it comes to management."
Thanos understood what was happening after hearing just that one sentence. He immediately thought of the time Tony and Captain America traveled to the past and failed to retrieve the Time Stone and Space Stone.
It seemed this was all because this fellow from a parallel universe had interfered using some unknown means.
Thanos was very interested in this person's methods. How did he, from another universe, manage to stop this universe's future-to-past time travel operation?
"The gods of our universe aren't actually that strict. They don't care about the various reckless actions of mortal life. It's just that the Celestials can ignore a mortal like you, but they cannot ignore a being like me."
Tony, or rather, Du Wa, had already grasped the situation after spending a few seconds interpreting a large number of this universe's rules.
If it were any other universe, Du Wa wouldn't have needed to take such a deliberate action. But Universe 199999 was different. A batch of derivative universes with this one as their core were naturally distinct from other universes. It was quite normal for them to give birth to some completely unfamiliar rules.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Du Wa. I'm fortunate enough to be traveling through Universe 199999, and you are the first opponent I've encountered. This is because I promised the Avengers of this universe that I would help them solve their problem."
Du Wa looked at the Thanos before him. "It seems the problem they want me to solve is definitely you."
"You're a god from another universe?" Thanos gripped his weapon tightly, his expression grave as he sized up this outsider.
"I was. And before long, I will be again."
"No matter who you are or where you come from, it's best you don't stop me from saving this world. I will bring lasting peace to it. The actions of these people are, in essence, pushing this universe toward its own destruction."
Thanos was unwilling to fight a meaningless battle with a self-proclaimed god of unknown origin. Who knew what kind of power this guy had in his parallel universe? Or what kind of powerful warriors served under him.
He just wanted to save this universe, not conquer it.
"Your way of saving the universe is to kill half the population?" Thor roared furiously. "You also slaughtered my people!"
"Wrong. That was my old idea. My method now is to kill all of you and have this universe undergo another Big Bang. That way, the new life that emerges will worship me as a god. There will be no more pointless hatred, and certainly no one like you, obsessed with restoring the world to its original, terrible state."
As Thanos spoke, he made a snapping gesture, but his eyes were clearly fixed on Du Wa.
Unfortunately, under Thanos's gaze, Du Wa found himself completely unable to agree with his ideology.
"It seems you're an outsider who lacks foresight. I don't care if you're really a god in your parallel universe, or if we just have different definitions of a deity. But since you've decided to stand with these Earthlings, you are an obstacle to me." Thanos was very disappointed. Did even a powerful individual from a parallel universe not care about the life or death of another universe?
What about all the other universes? Were the gods within those universes also like this guy before him?
What a tragic scene the entire multiverse must be, filled everywhere with so-called gods who were selfish, or high and mighty, looking down on mortals with indifference.
"Your method for saving the world is garbage. I look down on it. My method is far more perfect than yours."
Du Wa observed this Thanos. To be honest, in this minor multiverse he had descended into—or to just call it the MCU—all the versions of Thanos within the entire MCU system were relatively interesting.
There was the Thanos from Universe 199999, who was cornered and killed twice by the Avengers; the Thanos from other universes killed by the Illuminati; the unremarkable Thanos from a certain universe who didn't become a cosmic butcher but instead joined the Marauders and became Yondu's subordinate; and even the Thanos who was killed in one blow by Ultron.
In the special cluster of universes that was the MCU, these versions of Thanos at least hadn't been taken captive by Death. They had nothing to do with the simp Thanos, possessing independent personalities and different life philosophies.
Du Wa had not yet dealt with those simp versions of Thanos who were infatuated with Death. In fact, he had no interest in that group of them at all.
"You're worried this universe will come to an end, so you desperately collected the Infinity Stones to prolong its life? In that case, let's do it my way. Let everyone become Xenomorphs, all parasitized by me. Each person will possess an independent personality and their own dreams, while simultaneously existing as a part of me in a special form."
Du Wa said, "In such a world, all rules are visible, and all competition is controllable. The population explosion you fear, which would lead to the universe's decay, will no longer happen. Because while I'm giving people stability and peace, I can also control their reproductive functions."
"I had never considered a world of this form. I'm starting to believe you really are a god in your universe. Unfortunately, I cannot abandon a future that is guaranteed to succeed just because of your few words. Using the Infinity Stones to wipe out half the population is a viable path, one that my future self proved with his own life. What I need to do now is get rid of the other half."
Thanos said no more and immediately charged at Du Wa, hacking at him. He unleashed his full strength.
Unfortunately, while his strength made him a powerful individual in Universe 199999, when placed in the context of the entire multiverse, it was unremarkable, even when compared to the simp versions of Thanos from other universes.
"Without abilities like energy manipulation, mental interference, or matter disintegration, you're no match for me."
Du Wa shook his head. Even though he was only piloting Tony's body and controlling the Xenomorph larva within it—one that possessed genes containing divine power and could thus control Mjolnir—his current strength was more than enough to deal with one Thanos.
Immense lightning suddenly erupted, far exceeding the power Thor could muster. It transformed vast swaths of the region into a sea of lightning, which rained down in a dense barrage.
But the main force of the attack was not directed at Thanos; instead, it was concentrated on Sanctuary II.
The vast Chitauri Army was instantly annihilated, while the Black Order fled in disarray, struggling to survive the intense bombardment.
Just a short while ago, they had been bombarding the Avengers Compound. Now, the tables had completely turned.
Du Wa glanced down at the shield on his left arm with a look of disdain and casually tossed it away. A sprinting Captain America caught it.
He forcibly pulled Thor's Stormbreaker over to himself.
"That's my axe!" Thor clung tightly to the axe, getting dragged through the air by Du Wa.
"I know it's your axe. I'm just borrowing it. You don't really think someone like me would just take your axe and never return it, do you?"
Du Wa was growing impatient. He was more interested in Thanos than in this god of thunder.
He already had a Female Thor under his command. Recruit another Thor? That was not part of his plans.
Du Wa couldn't very well raise a whole legion of Thors to be his professional enforcers, like God Emperor Doom.
Thanos braced himself against the endless lightning, wounds beginning to appear on his body. He brandished his weapon, aiming it straight at Du Wa's head.
But in the next moment, Du Wa sent the stubbornly clinging Thor flying with a kick. The terrifying force—the combination of divine power, the Xenomorph physique, and the armor's own strength—was so immense that it shattered the countless nanobots of the outermost layer on the spot.
Du Wa raised his hand and casually threw the Stormbreaker that Thor cherished so much. Yet this casual attack, under Thor's disbelieving gaze, erupted with a terrifying, majestic divine power. Its might was even comparable to the blow he had thrown with all his strength five years ago, the one that had suppressed the six-Infinity-Stone-wielding Thanos.
Thor was instantly deflated. He couldn't believe that his beloved companion, in the hands of a stranger using Tony's body, could unleash such tremendous might. A casual strike was comparable to the strongest attack of his entire life.
Thanos's expression changed. He immediately swung his Tyrant's Blade down, but at the moment of impact, it shattered. Numerous fragments shot into Thanos's body, punching several holes through him.
Blood sprayed out.
Du Wa then swung Mjolnir, smashing it right onto Thanos's skull. It instantly cracked open a hole in the Tyrant's head, and horrifying fissures rapidly spread from the wound across his entire cranium.
"Now, we can have a proper talk... Cosmic Butcher. A talk on my terms, of course."
(end of chapter)