Ruins and rubble littered the ground everywhere. The flames of war still burned in scattered locations across the battlefield.
Hogwarts Castle stood firm and unbroken under the protective power of ancient magic that had shielded it for centuries.
The great battle had finally ended after hours of brutal combat. Thanos's invading army had suffered absolutely devastating and heavy casualties across the field. Only Thanos himself, covered in severe wounds and bleeding from multiple injuries, still stood defiantly in the center of the battlefield. He faced all his enemies completely alone without any support.
Tony Stark opened his vibranium armor's mask and looked at Thanos standing before them. He was slightly out of breath from the intense fighting. The vibranium armor was extraordinarily powerful, and its defensive capabilities were absolutely unprecedented compared to any previous armor he had created. However, even with such incredible protection, it had been severely damaged when fighting Thanos directly in close combat.
Now, the vibranium armor covering his body only appeared to have some relatively minor surface damage visible to the outside observer. In actual fact, during the previous battle that had raged across the grounds, Tony had used his advanced nanotechnology to repair the extensive damage to the armor multiple times. He had also replenished the energy reserves several times through emergency protocols. Otherwise, the suit absolutely would not have been able to support and sustain such a high-intensity battle for such an extended period. After the battle was finally over, this vibranium armor would definitely need a major overhaul and complete reconstruction in his workshop.
Along with the equally disheveled and exhausted Steve Rogers and Thor standing beside him, they arrived together before Thanos. The three heroes knew without any doubt that Thanos was now at his absolute last gasp of strength. He could no longer unleash his previous devastating power that had made him so terrifying.
Seeing the three heroes approaching him slowly, Thanos threw his half-broken double-edged sword down at his feet with a clang. He mustered his very last remaining strength to unleash a burst of black flame around himself, forcing back the three heroes who tried to approach him. Then he turned his attention to Gamora, who was slowly walking towards him from across the battlefield. A slight, sad smile appeared on his face.
"Gamora, send me on my way," Thanos requested quietly.
Gamora approached Thanos step by step across the ruined ground, taking out the dagger he had given her when he destroyed her home planet all those years ago. However, Gamora, who had once desperately wanted to kill Thanos with her own hands, suddenly found she could not bring herself to do it now. She looked at Thanos standing before her and slowly shook her head from side to side, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
Thanos reached out a trembling hand and gently stroked Gamora's back with tender affection. Then he grasped the hand that held the dagger tightly with his other hand, slowly raising it towards his own chest.
"Gamora, do not cry for me," Thanos said softly. "I should have taught you to be decisive and strong in all things."
As he spoke these words, Thanos slowly grasped Gamora's hand more firmly. He plunged the dagger into his own chest with her hand guiding it.
"No, no, Father, I cannot..." Gamora sobbed desperately.
As if feeling absolutely no pain at all from the fatal wound, Thanos still looked at Gamora with loving eyes filled with genuine affection. He said tenderly, "Gamora, this is what you have to do. Otherwise you will absolutely not be able to say goodbye to the past and embrace a new future ahead of you.
Similarly, for me, to die in your hands, to spend my last moments with you by my side, is also fate's mercy and kindness on me after everything I have done.
Gamora, grant me this final wish, and in doing so, grant yourself this wish as well."
Hearing Thanos's heartfelt words, Gamora looked at Thanos standing before her. He was the man she had hated for so long, who was also her only family in the entire universe. She slowly nodded her head in acceptance, gritted her teeth with determination, and tears streamed down her face like a burst dam breaking. With both hands gripping the dagger's handle tightly, she thrust it forward with all her strength. She plunged it deeply into Thanos's chest, piercing his heart completely.
Thanos's massive body jolted violently from the fatal blow. He could clearly feel the Dark Phoenix Force within him, which had been severely depleted, desperately trying to repair his shattered heart with its remaining power. However, Thanos resisted this healing with all his will, choosing to face his death with dignity and acceptance.
The host, now fully determined to die, allowed the Dark Phoenix Force to transform into a black firebird wreathed in dark flames. It leaped from Thanos's back to escape and find a new host. But at that precise moment, a massive and brilliant white phoenix suddenly appeared in the sky above. It swooped down and swallowed the black firebird whole in a single motion. Then it landed gracefully on the ground, transforming into the White Phoenix of the Crown, Jean Grey.
Now, with the White Phoenix Force fully strengthened and restored, and the Dark Phoenix Force weakened and subdued, Jean could perfectly control the fused power within her. She was completely unaffected by the Dark Phoenix Force's corrupting interference or manipulative influence.
Without the Dark Phoenix Force sustaining him any longer, Thanos could no longer support his severely wounded body. He slowly collapsed against Gamora who held him. Gamora, embracing Thanos's head gently in her arms, sat down on the ground. She stroked his cheek tenderly and wept silently for the father she had lost.
Looking up at the sky above, looking at Gamora holding him, Thanos smiled slightly with genuine peace. Then he slowly closed his eyes for the final time. Thanos, who had terrorized the universe for countless years, died peacefully in his daughter's arms like an ordinary father rather than a cosmic tyrant.
Thanos's death brought a tremendous sigh of relief to everyone present on the battlefield. The Guardians of the Galaxy walked over to Gamora's side, helping her carefully take Thanos's body away for cremation. They would bring his ashes back to space, preparing to bury him properly in the ruins of Titan where he had been born.
The Illuminati members, the Avengers, and the Ultimate Avengers members—the three organizations reunited and gathered together, leaving Hogwarts as a unified group.
This great battle was not entirely without its benefits for Earth's heroes. The previous joint battle had allowed everyone to set aside their initial hostility and tensions. Former friends and comrades put aside their prejudices and bitter disagreements, joining forces once again. Even those who had only met once before maintained relatively good relationships. The heroes of Earth stood together once more as a united front.
"Mr. Stark, this Iron Spider suit you gave me is so cool and amazing! Can I really take it with me? Really?" Peter Parker asked excitedly.
Tony looked at Peter Parker, who kept praising his Iron Spider suit enthusiastically without stopping. Tony smiled warmly and patted his head affectionately, saying, "Of course you can keep it, kid. This thing was made specifically for you. You can take it with you if you want, but remember to charge it regularly. I will give you the charging kit when we get back to the city. The electricity bill will be a bit high unfortunately, but do not worry about that at all. I will take care of these small problems until you can afford them yourself someday."
Tony was very generous to Peter Parker, but he was decidedly not so generous to Steve Rogers.
After the battle was completely finished, Tony immediately retrieved the nanotech suit from Steve with a quick gesture. He said to him matter-of-factly, "Steve, keep that hammer for now if you want. When Sebastian wants it back, he can take it back himself."
As soon as Tony finished speaking those words, the hammer held in Steve's hand suddenly flew out of his grip without warning. It soared high into the sky at incredible speed, quickly disappearing from everyone's sight completely.
Watching the hammer disappear into the distance, Steve said helplessly to Tony, "Tony, you and Sebastian are really stingy with your equipment."
Shrugging his shoulders casually, Tony asked Steve, "Steve, are you hungry after all that fighting? Want to grab something to eat? I know a really good restaurant nearby. The chef is Sebastian's mother, Alisha. They recently launched some very authentic cuisine on their menu on the mission success. I think we should definitely try it."
Hearing Tony's words, Steve was about to refuse the invitation politely. But then he suddenly remembered something important and nodded, saying, "Okay, I am actually a little hungry after all that. But it cannot just be the two of us going, can it?"
"If that is the case, I think Bucky would be the first to disagree with us leaving him out, would he not?" Tony replied with amusement. "I have already called Natasha and Barton ahead of time. Thor will bring Banner along with him. And Sebastian is already there at the restaurant, ordering food for everyone. We can just go over there and join them."
"It really brings back memories of better times," Steve said wistfully. "I remember it was just the few of us who went for barbecue back then after the Battle of New York. Thinking about it now, so many years have passed since we dealt with Loki's invasion together. We have all changed so much over the years. Time truly flies."
Come support and get the advanced chapters:
patreon.com/Daoist_Kalyug