A pitch‑black void engulfed Earth's night sky.
In that almost lightless world, there was no sign of life anywhere.
The Avengers hovered in the air, carried by a massive mystic carpet conjured by Banner.
Tony Stark shivered as he observed the silent darkness.
"What on Earth happened here? There's no light in the city. The sky is clear, yet there's no starlight or moonlight."
The only source of illumination in the entire world came from Tony's armor.
Two small spotlights emerged from his shoulders, their circular beams cutting through the darkness, casting faint light on New York City not far below.
But even under the intense light, all the buildings were utterly dark, as if the entire city had been draped in black cloth.
"Guys, we might be in serious trouble," Hawkeye said, adjusting his tactical glasses.
"There are no biological heat signatures in this city. Everyone is gone."
"Holy moly."
Tony released a dozen small flying probes from his suit and sent them into the city. The camera feedback showed no human figures, not even a single corpse.
"Hawkeye, you're probably being too optimistic. The people here aren't dead, they've vanished," Tony said.
Hawkeye narrowed his eyes. "Vanished? That reminds me of the alien invasion universe in the database."
"Gentlemen, the real situation could be even worse."
On the mystic carpet, Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova crouched with a time tablet between them. Then Natasha spoke up.
"I can assure you, none of you actually read the data JARVIS uploaded before we arrived."
Natasha turned the tablet so everyone could see it.
"The intelligence JARVIS sent says," she began, "Robert Reynolds, also known as Bob, is a superhero called Sentinel in some worlds."
"According to data from alternate Earths, he was born to an alcoholic father and suffered abuse during his childhood, which led to psychological issues like imposter syndrome."
"Imposter syndrome? What's that?" Captain America asked bluntly.
"Simply put, it's self‑doubt, believing you don't deserve success or happiness," Natasha explained.
"So extreme low self‑esteem? He sounds like he had a rough start. Continue, Natasha," Captain America said.
"Yes. Bob believed he wasn't worthy of recognition, and he developed a drug addiction as he grew up," Natasha continued, summarizing what she had read.
"He was supposed to live a difficult life, but Auris Corporation's superhuman experiments changed him."
"The purpose of those experiments was to create beings with strength thousands of times that of a stellar explosion."
"Bob was the only test subject who survived, and he gained unimaginable power."
"Afterward, Valentina, the covert leader of Auris Corporation, tried to control Bob by implanting a mental trigger."
"In other universes where Sentinel existed, Valentina's scheme caused Sentinel to lose control and go berserk. Fortunately, it didn't cause too much damage in those cases."
"And on this Earth…?"
Natasha suddenly stopped speaking.
She turned her head to look at the endless darkness behind them.
The others immediately followed her gaze, alert.
Tony's ultra‑high‑lumen searchlight cut through the blackness, revealing a phantom‑like figure floating in the air.
Illuminated was not quite the right word — even under the searchlight, the figure remained as dark as shadow.
The only parts that reflected any light were his eyes, cold and desolate like an ice‑covered lake in winter.
"So this Mr. Charcoal is the berserk Sentinel?" Tony frowned, giving him a nickname before anything else.
"That's correct," Natasha said with a deep breath.
"Sentinel seems to have a second personality called the Void. When the Void takes control, he can fully unleash power equivalent to thousands of times a stellar explosion."
"When Sentinel's own mind is in control, he can only use a fraction of his power while suppressing the Void."
Captain America's face grew grim. "He sounds more powerful than Thor."
"Everyone, get ready. If we are going to calm down this Sentinel, we will probably have to defeat him first."
"Wait," Tony said, looking at Captain America, "do we really have to calm someone who obliterated the entire planet? I think we should just take him out."
He tapped his mask.
"I forgot to mention, these shadows covering the city and sky are blocking electromagnetic waves. I can't connect to satellites."
"But from the probes' view, the land and oceans around New York are already shrouded in this darkness."
"JARVIS's analysis suggests the entire Earth might be in this state."
"That means he's already wiped out everyone on Earth."
Tony's statement was a sobering warning.
Captain America frowned, thinking, then shook his head.
"No. JARVIS's mission was to calm him, which means there's still hope for this Earth."
Captain America looked around and then threw his shield into the darkness.
He had expected it to hit a wall and bounce back precisely, but there was no impact sound.
"No sound at all. This suggests those shadows might have some devouring or space‑transfer effect," Captain America said.
Having traveled across the multiverse, he trusted his instincts.
"Perhaps humans on Earth have been transported into a different space."
"Be careful not to touch those shadows. If we defeat Sentinel, we might still be able to save humanity."
Captain America's reasoning was sound, and Tony didn't argue.
"Alright," Tony said, targeting Sentinel. "Let's try it, Mr. Charcoal with stellar power."
Tony's armor released numerous floating spherical lights that illuminated several kilometers around them.
Captain America raised two fingers on his right hand to coordinate the team.
"Hulk has limited room to act because of the terrain. Banner and Hawkeye, provide long‑range support."
"Natasha and Yelena, put on your nano suits and follow Tony for harassment fire."
"Carter and I will team up with Wanda to study those shadows."
"Pietro, Pietro, don't run off."
Because of the TVA's packed schedule, not many Avengers came to this operation. Wong, Mordo, Diana, and Kara were absent.
Still, Captain America wasn't too worried. Even with only half the team present, he believed they could handle Sentinel.
"Operation start!"
Everyone moved at once.
The Romanoff sisters' battle suits activated and they charged toward the pitch‑black Sentinel alongside Tony.
Banner guided the mystic carpet to the side, giving Hawkeye room to maneuver.
Captain America and Carter used flight devices on their ankles and followed Wanda, heading toward the buildings swallowed by shadows.
Pietro, however, pouted and exhaled loudly, his bangs lifting as he stood there looking exasperated.
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