With that thought, Charlie Parker activated Venom mode without hesitation. His red-and-blue suit turned black, and four spider-arms extended from his back.
"Now! Go!"
In an instant, Charlie, eyes glowing red, shot webs and swung through the sanctuary. Infinity Tony unleashed his full firepower, bombarding Thanos's body.
Boom, boom, boom!
The battlefield was consumed by explosions, but Thanos, enduring the relentless onslaught, charged out of the trap.
"Damn you all! Who are you?!"
"The ones who will kill you," Charlie retorted.
Without the restraints of the electric device, Thor glowed with lightning, wielding Mjolnir with overwhelming force. Every swing of his hammer was like the wrath of the God of Thunder.
Correction—he was the God of Thunder.
Boom, boom, boom!
Lightning crackled as the altar shook violently. Thanos's body convulsed under the electric assault, but he still maintained peak combat strength.
"Die!"
Thanos pushed through the storm of lightning, his fist the size of a boulder breaking through the electric barrage and sending Thor flying. The next moment, several shields struck Thanos's head.
Clang, clang, clang!
The collision of shields with Thanos's skull sparked faint flames, shocking the various Steves present.
They had never fought Thanos before, so they had no idea how terrifying he truly was.
"Damn this guy!"
Thanos spun around, throwing a punch. Young Steve barely had time to raise his shield.
Boom!!
Hundreds of tons of force smashed into the shield. The resulting shockwave sent Steve flying a hundred meters back, slamming him into the stone walls of the sanctuary.
"Ugh!"
Instantly, Steve collapsed to his knees, coughing up blood. He was severely injured and had lost all his fighting capability.
"Huh?"
Charlie, who had been monitoring the battle, noticed and swung down to the ground. He picked up the fallen shield, tapped it, and realized something.
"So that's it."
Not every Steve's shield was the same.
The amount of vibranium varied, leading to differences in defense.
Because the craftsmanship was similar, it was hard to notice unless you paid close attention.
No wonder this Steve was taken down so quickly, even with a shield.
Boom, boom, boom!
In the next moment, more Steves were taken out as Thanos exploited their weaknesses. Lizard Parker and Carter were also thrown aside, leaving the number of fighters drastically reduced.
"Die!"
With a furious roar, the air around Thanos seemed to freeze.
Boom!!
Thor's hammer was knocked aside, while Jane's Mjolnir shattered into a shower of light, bombarding Thanos's Titan body, but it still couldn't shake him.
Buzz~~
Just as Thanos was about to unleash his full power, Mjolnir responded to a call, flying back into Old Steve's hand.
"Tony!"
"Got it!"
Infinity Tony activated his suit's nanotechnology, channeling Thor's lightning into it. His armor surged with power, and he unleashed a barrage of energy blasts, covering Thanos in overwhelming firepower.
Boom, boom, boom!!
The blasts forced Thanos to stagger back, ultimately trapping him in the web Charlie had set earlier.
Crack, crack, crack~
Thanos continued to struggle, snapping the crystalline webs one by one.
Knowing the webs wouldn't hold, Charlie leaped onto Thanos's shoulders. His black spider-arms turned into liquid tendrils, wrapping around Thanos's arms.
"You damned Spider-Man, you've really made me angry!!"
Thanos roared, and just as he was about to unleash another wave of terrifying strength, a nanotech hammer slammed into his forehead.
Boom!!
A dull thud echoed as Thanos felt sharp pain in his forehead, blood starting to seep out.
A single drop of blood dripped down his face as he stared in disbelief at Infinity Tony.
"Impossible. You've... hurt me?"
"Don't be surprised. Another version of you has been through this before," Infinity Tony smirked.
He fired up his elbow thrusters, amplifying the nanotech hammer's force.
Hundreds of tons of explosive power crashed into Thanos's face, sending him hurtling through the web trap and smashing into the sanctuary wall.
Boom!!
Crack, crack-
Rocks shattered as Thanos's body embedded itself into the wall. He shook his head, barely staying conscious after the blow.
Before he could react, Old Steve, wielding Mjolnir, struck again. A series of shield-and-hammer combos pushed Thanos into an even worse situation.
Meanwhile, Infinity Tony and Charlie joined in, surrounding Thanos. His frustrated roars echoed through the sanctuary.
The young Thanos, while formidable, was not yet at the level of his movie counterpart. Together, the three were able to keep him subdued.
Not far away, Thor watched, feeling a bit surreal.
"That's my hammer. Why does that guy seem to know how to use it better than I do?"
Loki, who had been watching from the sidelines, crossed his arms and smiled. "I bet he practiced in secret."
Lizard Parker, nursing his swollen face, limped over to Carter.
"How are you?" he asked.
Carter glanced at her dented shield and shook her head slightly. "I'm alright. If I had a better shield, I could fight all day."
"I don't want to face that monster again," Lizard Parker shuddered at the memory of Thanos's punch.
Nearby, Jane Foster, holding Mjolnir, assessed the battlefield.
"It's time."
Seizing the moment when Thanos stumbled, she hurled the cracked Mjolnir with all her might.
Boom!!
As the lightning surged, Mjolnir shattered, creating a storm of meteors that rained down on Thanos.
Then, Old Steve and Infinity Tony launched another round of attacks. With the combined force of the armor's firepower and the remnants of Mjolnir, the exhausted Thanos finally collapsed, unconscious.
On the now-destroyed altar, Charlie shot out webs, wrapping Thanos in a giant cocoon. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Alright, that's half the job done."
"Hey, kid, what's next?" Thor asked.
"No rush."
Charlie glanced at the cracked altar, worry crossing his face.
He wasn't sure if the portal would still open with the altar damaged.
But he had to try.
Quickly, he retrieved the sacred artifact from the sanctuary.
He placed the artifact in Thanos's hand and then put his own hand on the artifact.
Instantly, under the artifact's influence, a red-and-blue spider totem appeared on Charlie's chest, while a faint glow emerged from Thanos's purple skin.
Buzz~~
Under the watchful eyes of the group, a purple portal finally opened.
"It worked!" Loki exclaimed, delighted.
He rushed toward the portal, only to be pulled back by Thor.
"I'm the elder brother. I go first."
"Hmph, we're not even blood-related."
"At least we're cousins."
Loki: "..."
Before their argument could continue, Charlie and the others had already disappeared into the portal with Thanos.
"Damn it, they beat us to it."
Thor hurried toward the portal but was stopped by an invisible barrier.
"What's going on?" he was stunned.
Loki tried as well, finding that he too was blocked from entering.
His face darkened. "What do you think? We've been tricked!" he growled.
"Did you notice? They also took our hammers," Jane Foster added, looking exasperated.
Thor: ???
"Those bastards! Give me back my hammer!!"