Steve Rogers stood in a narrow alley in Shinjuku, Tokyo, rain streaming down his face. He didn't bother with an umbrella, letting the cold rain soak through his clothes. From deeper within the alley came a few dull thuds—like heavy objects slamming against a wall—followed by a muffled scream.
He walked in, stepping through puddles that reflected neon lights. At the far end of the alley, three corpses lay sprawled on the ground, their throats slit cleanly. Blood mixed with rainwater, flowing into the sewer. A man in a black trench coat stood with his back to him, holding a bloodstained katana, calmly wiping the blade with his sleeve.
"Clint," Steve called softly, his voice nearly drowned out by the rain.
Clint Barton paused for a moment, but didn't turn around. He kept wiping the blade, his movements mechanical and practiced. "You shouldn't be here, Steve."
"Natasha's worried about you."
"Then tell her not to be." Clint sheathed the sword and finally turned.
There were fresh cuts on his face, a dark bruise around his left eye. His hair was cropped short, stubble covering his jaw. His gaze was as cold as ice. "I'm doing just fine."
Steve glanced at the three bodies on the ground. "This is what you call 'fine'?"
"They were traffickers." Clint's tone didn't change. "Kidnapped five children last night. I already sent the kids home. Came here to deal with the trash. You got a problem with that?"
Steve fell silent. He looked at Clint—the man who used to be the Avengers' most reliable marksman—now reduced to a ronin dispensing brutal justice in the shadows.
Five years ago, the Snap had taken his wife and three children. He was the one left behind.
"I need you to come back," Steve said. "We have a chance to bring them back."
For the first time, Clint's eyes flickered. He stared at Steve, as if weighing the truth of his words. "What chance?"
"Time travel. Go back, collect the Infinity Stones, reverse the Snap." Steve's voice was steady. "Tony's working on quantum tech. Levi is back. We're assembling everyone."
Clint froze. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but in the end just gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"Time travel? You joking?"
"I'm not." Steve stepped closer. "Two days. Avengers Facility. Clint—this is our only chance. Our last chance."
Clint lowered his head. Rain dripped from his hair. He stayed silent for a long time—so long that Steve thought he would refuse.
But eventually, he looked up. Some of the coldness in his eyes had faded.
"If this is a trap… or another failure," Clint said quietly, "I'll kill every one of you."
Steve nodded. "I'll accept that."
---
Norway. New Asgard.
A small fishing village built on seaside cliffs, where the surviving Asgardians had settled five years ago under Valkyrie's leadership.
The village wasn't large—just a few dozen wooden houses and a small dock—but for a people who had lost their home, it was a new beginning.
Natasha Romanoff stood at the village entrance, staring at the storm clouds rolling over the distant sea.
She wore a thick jacket, hands in her pockets, her hair whipped into disarray by the wind.
Valkyrie stepped out of a wooden house, a bottle in hand. Seeing Natasha, she raised an eyebrow. "You again, Romanoff. Last time you came was three months ago. Pretty sure you said you wouldn't bother us again."
"I need to see Thor," Natasha said bluntly.
Valkyrie took a swig and pointed deeper into the village, toward the largest cabin. "He's in there. But I'd advise against it. The way he is now… you'll regret it."
Natasha ignored the warning and walked straight to the cabin. She pushed the door open, and a wave of stale beer, pizza, and sweat hit her face. The place was a mess—empty bottles littered the floor, trash bins overflowing with takeout boxes.
Thor sat slumped on a worn-out couch, a game controller in hand, eyes glued to the TV.
He wore a grease-stained tank top and loose sweatpants. His belly bulged like he was eight months pregnant. His hair and beard were tangled beyond recognition—nothing like the God of Thunder.
"Thor," Natasha called from the doorway.
No response. He kept playing, fingers flying over the controller. On-screen, two characters fought as their health bars drained.
Natasha walked over and yanked the power cord.
Thor shot to his feet, the couch creaking under his weight. "I was about to win! Do you know how long it took me to get to that level?!"
"I don't care." Natasha tossed the cord aside. "Get your things. You're coming back."
Thor froze, then dropped back onto the couch. He grabbed a beer, cracked it open, took a long swig, and burped loudly. "Nope. I'm retired."
"We have a chance to bring them back," Natasha said calmly. "Loki. Heimdall. Everyone who disappeared."
Thor's hand stopped mid-air. Slowly, he lowered the can and turned to look at her. "What did you just say?"
"Time travel. Collect the Infinity Stones. Reverse the Snap." Natasha repeated Steve's words. "Levi is back. Tony's working on it. We're assembling everyone. Two days. Avengers Facility."
Thor fell silent. He stared at the beer can in his hand—the smiling face printed on it now seeming to mock him.
"The Stones are gone," he said quietly. "Nothing matters anymore. Loki… Heimdall… they're gone. The Stones were destroyed."
"So you hide here drinking and playing games?" Natasha's tone remained even. "What would Loki think of you now?"
Thor shot to his feet. The beer can slipped from his hand, crashing to the floor as foam splattered. His eyes flared electric blue, arcs of lightning crackling around his fingers.
"You don't get to say his name," Thor growled, his voice rumbling like thunder. "You have no idea what I've lost. My mother, my father, my brother—half my people. I was supposed to protect them. I failed. I protected nothing."
Natasha didn't back down. "You failed. I failed. We all failed. But now we have a second chance. And you hiding here feeling sorry for yourself—that's the real failure."
Thor's body trembled, lightning intensifying, the room's lights flickering wildly. But after a few seconds, the electricity faded, and his eyes returned to normal.
He collapsed back onto the couch, clutching his head.
"I don't know if I can still do it," he said, voice shaking. "I don't even know if I deserve that title anymore."
Natasha crouched in front of him, meeting his eyes. "Whether you deserve it isn't for you to decide. Two days. Come to the base. Let everyone see if you're still Thor."
She stood and walked toward the door. Just before leaving, she glanced back.
"Oh—and one more thing. Levi is far stronger than he was five years ago. If you still want to prove yourself, don't let him carry everything alone."
The door shut, leaving Thor alone in the dark. He stared at the beer can on the floor, watching the foam slowly dissipate.
---
Levi floated in outer space, three hundred thousand kilometers from Earth's orbit. In his hand was a palm-sized golden beacon engraved with strange symbols, emitting faint pulses of light—the emergency signal device Carol Danvers had left behind.
He pressed the center.
The beacon flared, sending a wave of energy rippling outward at the speed of light.
Levi extended his consciousness along the wave.
At last, in a distant star system, he found her.
Carol Danvers—her hair longer than five years ago, her gaze still sharp, but tempered with time.
Levi casually tore open space and stepped through.
"Levi." Carol wasn't surprised by his sudden appearance. At this point, nothing he did seemed strange anymore. "You used the beacon. What's going on?"
"We're reversing the Snap," Levi said directly. "Time travel. Infinity Stones. Bringing everyone back. I need your help."
Carol was silent for a few seconds, her energy flickering slightly. "You sure this will work?"
"No. But it's the only chance." Levi looked at her. "Five years, Carol. How many worlds have you saved?"
She didn't answer immediately. Turning, she gazed at the vast starfield—countless civilizations flickering across the cosmos.
"Thirty-seven," she finally said. "In five years, I helped thirty-seven planets survive. But every time I left, I thought of Earth… of the ones we lost. I told myself the Stones were gone, that nothing could be undone."
She turned back to him. "But if there's even the slightest chance—I won't miss it."
Levi nodded. "Two days. Avengers Facility."
"I'll be there." Energy surged around her again. "But first—I need to confirm something."
She shot forward, faster than light itself seemed to bend. Her glowing fist, carrying enough force to shatter an asteroid, slammed toward Levi's chest.
Levi didn't dodge. He simply raised a hand and caught her punch effortlessly. The violent energy dissipated instantly, as if absorbed by an invisible wall.
Carol's eyes widened. Her power felt like a toy in his grasp.
She pulled back immediately, retreating ten meters, her energy flaring to its peak. "You've gotten stronger… ridiculously stronger."
Levi lowered his hand, glancing at his palm. A faint black mark lingered there—the residue of Void power. "I spent some time in another universe. Ran into… trouble."
Carol tried to sense him—but it was like staring into a black hole. Five years ago, she could clearly feel the same cosmic energy within him. Now, it was buried beneath something far deeper… far more terrifying.
"What level are you at now?" she asked.
"In terms of laws, mid-tier Skyfather level," Levi said plainly. "But with multiple laws combined—even if Thanos had all six Infinity Stones, I'm 99.9% sure I could kill him."
Carol fell silent. She knew what that meant—power on the level of Odin or the Ancient One. Five years ago, Levi had been strong but still understandable.
Now, he had crossed that threshold.
"Then why do you still need us?" she asked. "You could handle everything alone."
"Time travel needs people," Levi said, then paused. "And… some things can't be solved with power alone."
Carol studied his eyes. There was something in them she couldn't fully grasp—not fear, not hesitation, but something deeper.
"See you in two days." She turned into a streak of golden light and vanished into the stars.
Levi remained floating in space. He raised his hand again, staring at the faint black mark.
The Void was still eroding him. Though suppressed by the Law of Death, it hadn't disappeared. It was waiting—waiting for a moment of weakness.
He clenched his fist, forcing the mark back beneath his skin.
---
Avengers Facility. Tony Stark's lab.
The room was filled with holographic projections, streams of data racing through the air.
Tony stood at the center, manipulating a complex molecular model—the structure of Pym Particles, each atom precisely mapped.
Bruce Banner sat nearby, peering into a microscope. He had been working for thirty-six hours straight, eyes bloodshot but mind razor-sharp.
"Tony, look at this," Banner said. "Seventeenth synthesis. Stability up to sixty-three percent."
Tony stepped over, examining it. A pale blue particle floated under the lens, surrounded by faint energy fluctuations.
"Not enough," Tony said. "We need at least ninety-five percent, or we risk quantum collapse."
"Then we adjust the catalyst ratio," Banner said rapidly. "Reduce palladium by 0.3%, increase—"
"No." Tony cut him off. "Palladium is the structural anchor. Reduce it, and everything destabilizes. We need a replacement element."
Silence fell.
Ten minutes later, Tony suddenly looked up, eyes lighting up. "Baldur Alloy."
"What?" Banner blinked.
"Asgardian metal." Tony pulled up data. "Recovered samples from Ultron's wreckage after Sokovia. High energy conductivity, extreme stability. If we integrate it…"
"It fills the gap left by palladium!" Banner's eyes lit up. "Tony, you're a genius."
"I know." Tony grinned. "Now—we've got twelve hours."
They dove back into work.
---
Outside the facility, Levi descended from space, landing on the rooftop. He looked out over the base.
The training grounds were overgrown with weeds. Quinjet hangars sat dusty and unused. Everything looked the same as when he left.
But he knew—
Everything was about to change.
In two days, the Avengers would assemble once more, embarking on an unprecedented mission: to travel through time, face enemies of the past, gather all six Infinity Stones—and use that power to challenge fate itself.
A gamble.
A gamble for the entire universe.
Levi closed his eyes, feeling the flow of laws within him—Space, Power, Body, Mind, Time, Reality… along with the newly gained Law of Death and the Speed Force.
He was powerful enough now to face most enemies alone.
But he wouldn't.
Because this wasn't his war alone.
It was everyone's.
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