Bruce set Quicksilver aside and paid no attention to Barry Allen's voice.
Though Bruce didn't have as much real-world experience with the Speed Force as Barry did, he was still quite familiar with many of its properties.
Admittedly, he had hesitated just now.
But not anymore.
"How did you realize something was wrong with me?"
Conqueror Kang was clearly a bit confused. She couldn't understand exactly what part of her act Quicksilver had seen through, causing him to turn against her at such a critical moment.
"I may be a little slow, but I can still tell when something's off," Quicksilver replied in a self-deprecating tone, speaking to the Conqueror floating in the sky.
"Especially since Wanda would never lecture me that much."
"As expected... Taking care of Reed and you at the same time really has worn me out," Kang shook her head, now somewhat helpless.
Whether it was Reed or Quicksilver, both had demanded a lot of her attention, and that had caused her to slip up in certain areas.
It was unavoidable.
"What a troublesome mess."
Kang stopped focusing on Quicksilver. She knew clearly that, right now, the greatest threat to them wasn't him—it was Bruce.
Bruce not only possessed speed that surpassed Quicksilver's but had also obtained an Infinity Stone.
"Is the Quicksilver situation still not resolved? Hurry up and retrieve the Infinity Stone. We're so close to saving this universe,"
The Creator's voice rang in Kang's ear.
He knew Quicksilver's speed, and he understood Kang's capabilities. Yet seeing that she still hadn't returned to Alpha One made the Creator anxious.
He wanted to prove to everyone that he too was a hero—
A hero capable of saving everyone.
"I think what we need to do now is deal with their newly formed team... and that damn bat,"
Kang responded emotionlessly to the Creator.
Meanwhile, aboard Alpha One, where everything had long been prepared, the Creator, upon hearing Kang's words, felt a surge of frustration.
Without hesitation, he deployed another trump card he had been keeping hidden.
On the ground, Nick Fury, leading his Howling Commandos, had just finished off all the Hebetron robots. But just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, they saw something launch from Alpha One.
"Is that a rocket?"
Sam Wilson, the Falcon, asked the others.
But Stark immediately recognized what it was.
"He's using the last thing that was made for me by the person I loved most in this world," Stark said, staring at the Hulkbuster armor soaring toward them through the sky.
He couldn't help but think of the brain tumor he had nicknamed Anthony—though Stark now knew Anthony was actually an Infinity Stone.
Still, the bond between them had been real.
They had watched cartoons together, built armor together, and overcome countless obstacles side by side.
And now that bastard Reed had used the last thing Anthony created for Stark—to attack Stark and his friends!
"I swear, I'm so pissed I could explode!!!"
Stark, in a flash, piloted his armor straight at the Hulkbuster.
Even though the Hulkbuster was formidable, it was at a disadvantage against Stark's new suit.
With the help of rocket propulsion, the new armor's fist easily dented the Hulkbuster's outer plating.
But the Hulkbuster wasn't just going to sit there and take it. Its orders were to eliminate Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos.
Until that mission was completed, it would not stop attacking.
Not even if Stark was in its way.
"Target locked," the Hulkbuster's systems announced as it grabbed Stark's armor with both hands.
It exerted a sudden burst of strength—and shredded the armor Stark was piloting.
Unfortunately for the Hulkbuster, Stark wasn't actually inside.
"Target eliminated," the Hulkbuster declared, unaware of the truth. It only knew that it had destroyed the nuisance blocking its way.
"Controlling it purely by consciousness since my body's not fully healed... this method is actually pretty interesting,"
Stark noted, realizing that he could now reassemble his armor even after it was torn apart.
The moment he reassembled the suit, Stark accelerated at full thrust, merging his gauntlets into an impact hammer and slamming it into the Hulkbuster's face.
"Activating Shockwave Array."
"Yeah, yeah, Shockwave Array," Stark growled, hearing the Hulkbuster's voice. "But if you can't even fire it, what's the point?! You're definitely going to hurt more than me!"
As he spoke, Stark charged again—not just aiming to punch hard this time.
He intended to destroy the Hulkbuster completely.
"Goodbye."
As the Hulkbuster loomed closer, Stark piloted his armor straight through its body.
The entire Hulkbuster exploded midair like fireworks.
"Now..."
Stark slowly straightened up, shifting his gaze toward Alpha One above.
"It's time to settle the final score."
Calling his armor back to him, Stark allowed it to fully encase his body once more.
Though his injuries hadn't fully healed, Stark knew: if he wasn't there when it came time to beat down the Creator, it would be the greatest regret of his life.
Inside Alpha One, the Creator had already split himself into three separate clones using his abilities.
They were all working.
"There's been an explosion outside."
"The Negative Space Prison is completely empty."
"The Hulkbuster is offline."
"And we've lost track of Nick Fury."
As his clones babbled away, the Creator gradually pieced together what had happened outside—but he didn't want to believe it.
Three versions of himself were stationed here! How could things spiral out of control like this?
Worse yet, the final Infinity Stone still wasn't in his hands.
Not even with his allies.
He was furious, but he understood: staying like this would only make things worse.
Especially since Nick Fury had now vanished.
The Creator knew all too well what those guys were planning.
They were probably already climbing aboard Alpha One.
Retracting his clones, the Creator began contacting Banner. He needed his Dark Ultimate Squad.
Although Quicksilver was no longer part of the team, weakening his strength—
He still possessed the most powerful weapon in the universe.
Suddenly, the light around him dimmed.
The Creator immediately realized what was happening.
"Alright, fine. If you want to fight, then let's fight,"
he said calmly, standing his ground and scanning everything around him.
"Why don't you come out like a real man?"
"Are you scared?"
"I was almost killed by your brain surgery just now. You possess what is theoretically the most powerful weapon in the universe. Isn't it normal for me to be afraid?"
Stark's voice came through — it was obvious that he had already arrived on Alpha One.In fact, he was now standing right beside the Creator.
"Good. If I can capture you once, I can capture you a second time, and make you truly taste the agony of death!"
The Creator naturally sensed Stark's arrival and turned his head to look at Stark, who was practically pressing right up against him.But it wasn't just Stark that he sensed — there were others as well.
Clearly, the Roaring Commandos had been brought here, and even Captain America, who had escaped from Negative Space, had joined up with them.
"The game's over, Reed. We once tried to reason with you — now, we're here to defeat you."
At that moment, Susan appeared behind the Creator, her voice cold and emotionless.
"In other words: General."
Stark added a remark that cut deep.
"Actually, I don't quite see it that way," the Creator said with a sudden laugh.He abruptly plunged his hand into his own body, and in an instant, what were previously empty hands were now wearing the Infinity Gauntlet.
"Now this is our real fight."
With the Infinity Gauntlet on both hands, the Creator was brimming with confidence.As long as he had the Gauntlet, he believed he could handle this troublesome situation.Even though one Infinity Stone was still missing, that hardly mattered when facing these people.
"Roaring Commandos, take him down."
Nick Fury gave his order to his team.
"Come, my allies — Conqueror Kang, Hulk!"With a wave of his hand, the Creator summoned Hulk back from the distant plains of Africa.
The moment he arrived, Hulk was already in a state of furious rage, roaring at the Roaring Commandos.Conqueror Kang also appeared, but she no longer carried the transcendent air she had at the beginning.Her battle armor was now tattered and worn — clear evidence that she had suffered greatly in previous battles.
Even Kang's mask was shattered.It was obvious just how much pressure Bruce had put on her, leaving her completely overwhelmed.
When everyone saw Kang's face, they were stunned.That face was far too familiar.
"Thank you," Kang said to the Creator.
Just then, a bolt of golden lightning flashed across the cramped space, landing beside Stark and the others.
At that moment, no one greeted Bruce — all eyes were on Kang's face.
"This can't be..."Susan's voice trembled with disbelief.
After all, who would believe that one day they would meet another version of themselves?
"There's nothing impossible about it. To ensure we all survive, I am willing to kill every one of you."Although Kang was still somewhat battered, she was very clear about why she had returned to this point in time.
Meanwhile, the Creator deployed all his Herbitron robots around him for protection.
But Nick Fury couldn't care less about that — he immediately ordered his team to attack.At the same time, the Thing charged toward Reed.
However, he was swatted away by Hulk with a single push.
"Nick Fury, go down twenty floors — that's where the Herbitron factory is. Take it out," Bruce said, his entire body crackling with golden lightning.
Without waiting for a response, Bruce transformed into a streak of golden lightning and shot into the midst of the Herbitron horde, mechanical limbs flying in all directions wherever he passed.
Nick Fury wasn't one to be sentimental.Without hesitation, he led his Commandos down at full speed.
Their mission was just as important.
Meanwhile, the Creator was locked in a fierce duel with Stark, both exchanging relentless taunts.
Each blow targeted the other's most vulnerable emotional wounds.Stark mocked the Creator's intelligence, while the Creator attacked Stark's family ties.Neither side was willing to back down.
Perhaps because the Creator's attention was so focused on fighting and arguing with Stark, Bruce was able to quietly sneak closer to him.
At that moment, a figure emerged — the Human Torch, whom Reed had brought back.
The Human Torch still seemed under mind control, which was exactly what the Creator — and Kang — wanted.
"I will never become a monster like this!"Susan roared at Kang, and the two of them fell into a stalemate.Their abilities were identical, making it impossible for either to gain the upper hand.
"Not a monster — a savior," Kang insisted, trying to persuade Susan."You can't do anything. If you try, the universe might already be doomed."
"Good. Reinforcements have arrived — thanks, little brother."
Susan finally noticed the Human Torch, engulfed in flames, approaching from a distance.
One look at him was enough for Susan to understand his condition.Without a shred of hesitation, she gathered her energy into a massive fist and smashed it straight into his face, knocking him unconscious once again.
Even Kang was surprised by Susan's decisiveness.
The Creator, on the other hand, was furious.The Human Torch hadn't even been useful before being taken down.
Meanwhile, Bruce brushed past the Creator — but his plan hadn't succeeded.
"Why are the Stones embedded so tightly in the Gauntlet?"Barry grumbled, struggling with the Infinity Gauntlet.
Bruce had just tried to pry the Infinity Stones off the Gauntlet but failed.As for removing the entire Gauntlet — Bruce knew the Creator would never give him that chance.
Then Stark was suddenly flung by the Creator and landed right beside Bruce.
Bruce immediately opened a communication link between them.
"You studied the Infinity Stones, right? Got any ideas on how to get them off?"
Hearing this, Stark laughed.
"Funny you ask — I just so happen to have done that research."
"I'll distract him. You get the Stones!"Bruce left those words behind as he charged toward the Creator, slipping one of his own Stones into Stark's hand.
"You sure trust me," Stark chuckled, watching the flash of golden lightning.
Then he turned and shouted toward Susan, who had separated from Kang:
"Susan!"
(End of Chapter)
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