Chapter 446: Taking Off the Infinity Gauntlet
Mantis sat perched on Thanos's broad shoulders, her antennae glowing as she continuously poured her empathetic power into his mind, fighting to keep him hypnotized and buy the team precious time.
Drax had both arms wrapped tightly around Thanos's right arm, while Doctor Strange used Eldritch whips to bind the Titan's waist. Quill was pulling on Thanos's leg with everything he had, silently resolving to actually hit the gym if he survived this.
Because Tony Stark had been killed in this timeline, the task of physically removing the gauntlet fell solely to Peter Parker.
"I can prove myself!" Peter gritted his teeth, his hands locked onto the edge of the Infinity Gauntlet on Thanos's left hand. He pulled with every ounce of strength his enhanced biology could muster, his feet sinking deep into the dusty soil of Titan, leaving two profound trenches.
"He is in pain... he is mourning... he is grieving," Mantis murmured, her voice strained from the mental effort.
"What does a monster like him have to grieve about?" Drax growled through clenched teeth.
Quill didn't care about the Titan's feelings. He looked up and screamed, "Tell me! Where is Gamora?!"
"It was Gamora. He took her to Vormir. He returned with the Soul Stone, but Gamora did not come back," Nebula said, standing before the restrained Titan. Her eyes were filled with a cold, hollow sorrow. Though she didn't want to believe it, the truth was laid bare before them.
"What?!" Quill's composure shattered. He let go of his grip on Thanos's waist and stomped over to the Titan's face. "Tell me she's okay! Tell me you didn't do it!"
"I... had... no choice..." Thanos groaned, his consciousness beginning to flicker back to the surface.
"Hurry! I can't hold him much longer!" Mantis cried out in warning.
Peter saw the opening. The nano-spider legs on his back extended, anchoring themselves to the Gauntlet and the ground, and he pushed the suit to its maximum power output.
"You bastard! This can't be! It can't be!" Quill refused to accept the reality of Gamora's death. He raised his right hand and began savagely pistol-whipping Thanos across the face.
Bam! Bam!
The wild swings accidentally struck Mantis's hands. The sudden pain caused her to reflexively break her physical and mental contact.
Snap!
"I got it!" Peter yelled. He had successfully slid the Infinity Gauntlet off Thanos's hand, holding the prize high in the air with both hands—their fruit of victory.
"ARGH!"
The moment the weight left his hand, Thanos snapped awake. He sent Drax flying with a powerful kick and reached up, his massive hand snatching Mantis by the throat and lifting her into the air.
"Give it back," Thanos said, his voice cold and murderous. He began to squeeze, and the sound of Mantis's neck bones beginning to creak echoed through the clearing.
"Wait! Stop!" Peter panicked, the joy of his success instantly replaced by terror.
"Let her go!" Quill shouted, aiming his blasters at Thanos's head.
Thanos didn't flinch. He kept his gaze locked on Peter. "Bring the Gauntlet here." Even without the Gauntlet, Thanos was a galactic overlord of immense power; his raw presence alone was suffocating.
"OK, OK!" Peter nodded frantically, terrified that Thanos would crush Mantis's throat with a single twitch of his fingers. As Spider-Man, Peter could never let an innocent die.
Peter slowly approached the Titan's side, pulling the Gauntlet close to his chest. "Put her down first."
"Her?" Thanos's eyes turned dangerous.
Peter sensed the shift in the air. He moved to fire a web to blind the Titan, but Thanos was faster—he hurled Mantis directly at Peter. To save her from a lethal impact, Peter was forced to let go of the Gauntlet to catch her mid-air.
Thanos kicked the falling Gauntlet upward, caught it with his left hand, and slid it back on. As the metal bonded with his skin again, a visible ripple of cosmic energy surged outward.
"The game is over." Thanos had no interest in further play. He needed the Time Stone.
As the others tried to swarm him again, Thanos made a fist. A violent purple glow erupted from the Power Stone, sending a shockwave that blasted everyone back into the dirt, leaving them unable to rise.
"Whew..." Strange panted, holding a magical shield that had barely deflected the blast. He felt the weight of the universe on his shoulders.
"Hand over the Stone," Thanos commanded.
Strange shook his head. He dropped into a crouch, slamming his hands onto the ground and sending a streak of crimson lightning snaking toward the Titan.
Thanos met the lightning with a punch powered by the Power Stone, shattering the spell into sparks. Then, he activated the Space Stone. Above the battlefield, a moon began to fracture, and Thanos pulled the massive fragments down toward the surface.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Meteors rained down, turning the landscape into a hellscape of fire and craters. Peter darted through the debris, rescuing the fallen Guardians.
"I'm here, Doctor!" Peter shouted, leaping at Thanos from behind.
Thanos sensed the movement, turned, and caught the flying Spider-Man by the throat. "Persistent insect!" He looked at Peter with pure loathing—this was the "bug" that had actually managed to take his Gauntlet.
Snap!
Just as Thanos prepared to use the Power Stone to end Peter, a long eldritch whip lashed across his face. Enraged, Thanos infused his grip with energy and hurled Peter away.
Strange saw Peter flying toward him and prepared a spell to catch him, but the world suddenly warped. In a blink, Strange was standing right in front of Thanos, while Peter hit the ground far away, leaving a deep furrow in the earth.
Thanos had used the Space Stone to swap their positions. He grabbed Strange by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
"You are impressive, wizard. But you never used your greatest weapon," Thanos mocked. He reached out and crushed the Eye of Agamotto hanging around Strange's neck. It shattered into dust.
"A fake?!" Thanos glared at Strange. The Stone had been swapped out. "Where is the real one?"
"Spider-kick!" Peter, back on his feet, lunged in to save the Doctor.
Thanos slammed Strange into the ground and pinned him down with a heavy boot. He turned and caught Peter's legs mid-kick.
"Have you no memory, insect?" Thanos's left hand began to glow. The nano-armor protecting Peter's legs began to crack and disintegrate under the pressure of the Power Stone.
"Peter, activate Instant Kill mode!" Gaia's voice rang in his ears.
"Instant Kill?! That sounds super illegal! Do it now!" Peter yelled, unable to resist a quick quip even in a life-or-death moment.
With Peter's authorization, Gaia regained full control. The blue lenses of the Spider-suit turned a lethal, glowing crimson.
"Hmm?" Thanos noted the change.
Shing!
The six spider-legs on Peter's back snapped forward, aimed directly at Thanos's face. They moved like streaks of white light. Thanos was forced to release Strange and step back. Even so, one of the golden tips grazed the Titan's cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood.
Thanos reached up to touch the wound, but the "Instant Kill" mode was just getting started.
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