Abby agreed enthusiastically. Black liquid wriggled from its form, transforming into black webbing that slowly enveloped one of the octopus-like creatures.
Under Xia Luo's disgusted gaze, the black webbing forced its way into the octopus alien's mouth. Its once-pale skin darkened, and its bulbous eyes widened in terror as its body trembled uncontrollably.
Moments later, the webbing receded into Abby's maw, leaving the octopus alien gasping for breath. It raised a tentacle and screamed insults at Xia Luo and the others.
"%@#￥."
"He says we're doomed," Abby translated.
Xia Luo waved it off, uninterested.
"Ask him where Kang the Conqueror is."
"Got it," Abby replied, grinning.
"@￥@￥..."
"%&￥￥."
"%&￥%...#."
"...%￥&."
"Alright, I've got it," Abby finally said, pointing in the direction Tony and Peter had gone.
"He's over there."
"Good. Let's move."
Now armed with a general direction, Xia Luo's gaze swept over the gathered natives, locking onto a centaur-like figure that looked particularly fast.
"You. Come here."
The centaur alien blinked in confusion.
"?????"
"@￥...￥."
Under Abby's menacing tone, the centaur reluctantly stepped forward.
Xia Luo quickly constructed a makeshift cart using broken wood from the nearby huts.
"Perfect. A simple transport system is ready," he declared, hitching the centaur to the cart with webs.
He turned to Gwen, who was staring at him incredulously.
"What are you waiting for? Hop on."
"Xia Luo, you're truly a genius."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I'll take it as one anyway."
Xia Luo flicked the web reins.
"Yah!"
"@#%￥!!!"
Though the centaur alien protested in a language Xia Luo couldn't understand, it moved quickly enough.
Creak~
Clatter-clatter~
Beneath the setting sun, the makeshift carriage sped off, leaving the natives behind.
Two hours later, at the edge of the desert.
The centaur collapsed, panting heavily, before promptly throwing up.
Xia Luo shook his head.
"Two hours, and you're already done. Looks like we'll need a new ride."
His gaze shifted upward to the sky's "sun."
"What are you planning?" Gwen asked warily, sensing trouble.
Xia Luo grinned and pointed at the sun.
"How about becoming a sun god?"
Gwen: "…"
"I think we can find a better option."
She gestured toward a fleet of flying vehicles approaching in the distance.
"Now that is how superheroes should travel."
Xia Luo's eyes lit up.
"Perfect! You or me?"
"Obviously, you."
"Why me?"
"Because with great power comes great responsibility."
Xia Luo: "…"
---
The City of Time.
A futuristic metropolis spread out in every direction, its skyline dominated by enormous golden rings representing timelines. The rings encircled towering, triangular pyramid-like buildings, which were surrounded by endless metallic skyscrapers.
Thousands of robotic soldiers patrolled the sprawling city, and swarms of aircraft zipped through the air in formation.
Within the city, Infinite Tony and Peter Parker disguised themselves as soldiers, blending into the streets.
"Mr. Stark, what's the plan?" Peter asked.
Tony glanced at him.
"You're already a qualified superhero. You should start making your own decisions."
Peter lowered his head.
"Right. I should... start making decisions. I think—"
Before he could finish, Tony tapped the spider emblem on Peter's chest, sending a stealth drone into the air.
"We need to cause a little chaos. That'll give us a chance to infiltrate the city's core," Tony explained.
Peter: "…"
"But you just said I should decide things myself."
"I did. But this is a team effort, so your autonomy is revoked."
Peter: "…"
Thinking it over, Peter suggested, "If it's a team effort, shouldn't we wait for the others?"
Tony shrugged.
"We can't always rely on them. Until they get here, we need to gather as much intel as possible."
"Got it."
Far above, the drone flew into the distance before being shot down by patrolling aircraft. Nearby soldiers immediately went on high alert.
Taking advantage of the commotion, Tony and Peter slipped toward the city's center.
"Boom~"
A group of aircraft zoomed overhead, the most striking among them carrying an enormous head.
"That's… weird," Peter muttered, scratching his head.
Tony watched as the fleet headed toward the pyramid at the city's center, chuckling to himself.
"It is weird. But it gave me an idea—I might try designing a mech suit with a giant head and a body that only assembles during combat."
"Wow! That's actually pretty cool. Got a name for it?"
"Not yet, but I'm thinking of naming it after a mythical dragon."
"Dragon-class?"
"No, something more legendary. Maybe 'Divine Dragon.'"
"Sounds awesome."
"Of course it does—I just made it up," Tony said with a smirk.
Peter: "…"
Before Peter could retort, another aircraft flew overhead.
Tony's sharp eyes immediately spotted something unusual.
"These aircraft never operate alone. That's them," he said with a grin.
"Who?" Peter asked.
"Steve and the others, of course."
Tony's words were punctuated by the blaring of city alarms.
"Beep-beep~"
"Warning! Intruders detected! All units, take action!"
The announcement was followed by a massive deployment of aircraft, their engines roaring to life.
"Bzzzt~"
"Boom-boom-boom!!"
Lasers rained down from the densely packed aircraft, obliterating one solitary vehicle.
"No!!"
The explosion lit up the sky as Old Steve and Thanos leapt out of the wreckage.
"Bang!!"
"Boom!"
The two landed on separate passing aircraft, swiftly dispatching the pilots and commandeering the vehicles.
As the pair began their escape, Tony and Peter exchanged a look.
"It's time."
"Looks like everyone's here."
"Let's go."
Tony shed his disguise and tapped the arc reactor on his chest. In an instant, red-and-gold nanometal spread across his body.
"Buzz!"
The Iron Man suit roared to life as Tony shot into the sky. Blue lasers erupted from his back, cutting through the swarm of aircraft and destroying a dozen in moments.
"It's Stark!"
In one of the commandeered vehicles, Old Steve spotted Tony and immediately turned his craft around, charging into the pursuing fleet.
"Boom!!"
Steve's aircraft collided with an enemy vehicle, creating a fiery explosion. He leapt free just before impact.
"Peter, catch me!!"
Amid the roaring winds, Peter Parker and Old Steve swung through the city, finally landing on a rooftop.
"How did you find this place?" Peter asked curiously.
Old Steve gazed at the distant golden rings.
"From the moment we arrived, that guy already knew we were here.
"Even if we didn't go looking for him, he'd have sent soldiers to capture us."
Hearing this, Peter finally understood.
These tech-powered flying machines packed decent firepower, but they weren't a match for superheroes.
Following them was a surefire way to find Kang the Conqueror.
Elsewhere, Thanos was executing a similar plan but with a more brutal approach.
Unlike Old Steve, he ignored the explosions of the aircraft and leapt from one to the next, destroying each one with his massive blade before jumping to the next.
Seeing this, Old Steve blinked in surprise.
"So, he can jump."
He remembered the two battles he had fought against Thanos. Back then, the Mad Titan had always stood like an unyielding statue, weathering the Avengers' attacks. Steve had assumed he wasn't very fast.
Now he realized his mistake.
If even Hulk, with a weaker physique than Thanos, could leap hundreds of meters, there was no reason Thanos couldn't do the same.
To the others watching, Thanos became a one-man aerial assault, obliterating aircraft with every leap.
Even when hit by laser fire, he remained unharmed, continuing his rampage.
The title of Conqueror of the Universe wasn't just talk—Thanos had earned it, punch by punch.
With Infinite Tony's firepower aiding him, the number of aircraft was visibly dwindling.
But as more and more enemies surrounded them, Old Steve and Peter couldn't stay idle.
"Hey, we're here!"
A speeding aircraft approached, and Venom Parker and Scott Lang dropped down to join the fight.
"Bzzzt~"
"Boom-boom!!"
In a flash of light, Scott grew into a towering giant, crushing nearby buildings with a casual swipe.
"Bang!"
He reached out and crushed an aircraft in his massive hand, but before he could celebrate, an array of lasers converged on him.
Unable to react in time, Scott's enormous body was engulfed in blinding explosions.
"No, no, no!"
Scott screamed, but within seconds, the lasers stopped. The sound of multiple explosions filled the air, leaving him shaken.
Turning around, he saw an intricate web of black tendrils spreading across the city.
At the center of the web, Venom Parker stood transformed—his black suit had been replaced by a monstrous, menacing creature.
"Ha! It's been ages since I've had this much fun!"
Venom's jagged teeth glinted coldly, and a blood-red hue began to seep into his otherwise pale eyes.
"Bring it on!"
In a single motion, Venom's muscles bulged, and he pulled the entangled aircraft with overwhelming strength.
"Crack-crack!"
"Boom!!"
One by one, the restrained aircraft exploded, their flames and debris no longer affecting the symbiote.
"This is insane," Peter muttered, eyes wide in disbelief.
Beside him, Old Steve hurled a manhole cover like a discus, taking out another aircraft.
"If I could've brought my shield into Hell, I'd look just as cool," he said to Peter.
Peter didn't respond. His focus was on the incoming wave of tech soldiers, their sheer numbers making his expression grim.
"There are too many of them. We can't win this."
"You're right—you can't win," a cold voice interrupted.
A man clad in high-tech armor, standing on an energy shield, floated into view.
Old Steve's eyes widened.
"The boss is showing up this early? That's not right!"
Peter glanced at Thanos, who had just landed nearby.
"It really isn't right. He's supposed to come out last."
Thanos ignored their muttering. He didn't care about their timeline grievances—he had Gamora to fight for.
Gripping his blade tightly, he strode toward the armored figure, cutting down any soldiers in his path.
"Kang the Conqueror?" Thanos asked coldly.
Kang, standing atop his energy shield, looked down at Thanos with a mocking expression.
"A pitiful soul stripped of its body. You should be grateful the Quantum Realm operates without rules.
"Outside, your soul would have disintegrated the moment you arrived. You wouldn't have even had the chance to meet me."
Thanos narrowed his eyes.
"You might want to brighten the lights in here. Your face is so dark, I can't see it clearly."
Kang spread his hands in feigned indifference.
"Alright, I'll pretend that was a witty retort. Not that I care."
His gaze shifted to the Avengers gathered around.
A smirk spread across his lips.
"I've killed many Avengers in my time. But Thanos… you'll be my first. Are you ready?"
"What?"
His words startled Old Steve and the others.
Before they could react, Kang raised his hand. An invisible force slammed into Thanos, sending him crashing into a nearby building.
"Bang!!"
The rubble buried him as a beam of laser light descended from the sky.
"Bzzzt!"
"Boom!!"
Kang raised his energy shield, which easily deflected the full force of Tony's barrage.
"Crack-crack-crack~"
The nanometal on Tony's back shifted, forming energy amplifiers that unleashed crisscrossing lasers, completely engulfing Kang's figure in explosions.
"Buzz!"
Blue energy flickered as Kang retaliated with a massive energy beam. Tony's face darkened, and he quickly retreated hundreds of meters, retracting his devices.
At the same time, Venom Parker charged forward, jaws wide open to bite Kang's head.
"Crunch~"
His fangs shattered upon contact. Kang swatted him away with a gesture, sending him flying into a crowd of tech soldiers.
"My turn!"
Giant Scott Lang raised his enormous foot, preparing to crush Kang beneath it.
But Kang merely glanced up.
"You're too weak."
With a shake of his head, Kang raised his hand again, unleashing another energy blast.
"Bzzzt!"
"Thud!!"
The beam pierced through Scott's foot with ease.
"No!!"
As his Ant-Man suit malfunctioned, Scott screamed in pain, shrinking back to normal size.
Clutching his injured foot, he rolled on the ground in agony. Peter, ready to step in, froze in fear, retreating a step.
"Cap, we…"
He turned to Old Steve, who was holding up his right hand and murmuring something under his breath.
"Cap, what are you doing?" Peter asked.
Old Steve opened one eye.
"This guy's too strong. Without the hammer, I don't stand a chance."
"Hammer?"
Thanos emerged from the rubble, dusting himself off.
"You can lift Mjolnir?" he asked, intrigued.
Before Old Steve could answer, Peter whispered to Thanos, "The past version of you got hammered by him."
Thanos: "???"
"But this is the Quantum Realm," Steve muttered.
"Exactly. I've failed," Steve sighed, lowering his hand in disappointment.
"Thor's not here. What a shame," he muttered softly.
"You may not have summoned Mjolnir, but you did summon me," a voice interrupted.
A speeding aircraft appeared, brilliant magical energy illuminating the skies above the city.
"Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man brings justice to Kang the Defeated!"
---
T/N: (morax millionaire has been reuploaded under the title of Contracts Beyond Realms: The Geo Archon's Journey id appreciate it if you can put it in your collections again pwetty please)
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