The spatial rift closed.
Hang and Thor landed on the lawn outside the Avengers facility.
The six-colored glow still flickered across Stormbreaker. Thor glanced at Hang but said nothing.
Hang had his eyes closed.
The essence of the Necrosword churned within him as he slowly dismantled and devoured the power originating from Knull.
The Abyss.
That was what he had extracted from the Necrosword.
Space, Power, Time, Reality, Life, Death, Mind, Alchemy, Body Laws, Devouring, Darkness, Soul…
And now, one more piece had been added.
Thirteen laws.
"What you did to Gorr…" Thor finally spoke. "Resurrecting the dead—that's Eternity's authority."
"So?"
"So what exactly are you?"
Hang rolled his eyes. "What kind of question is that?"
He offered no further explanation and walked toward the base.
---
Everyone was gathered in the main hall.
Tony stood before a holographic projection, dark circles hanging beneath his eyes. Steve leaned against the wall, shield resting at his feet. Natasha cleaned her pistol. Strange floated midair while forming seals with his hands. Wanda sat silently in a corner, scarlet energy coiling around her fingertips.
Rhodey, Sam, Bucky, Rocket, Groot…
The atmosphere was heavy.
"Asgard dealt with?" Tony asked without looking up.
"Mm. Hela's alive. She owes me a life."
Tony glanced at Stormbreaker behind Thor. "Looks like you came back with a decent haul."
"What about you?" Hang walked up to the projection. "How's the defense line?"
"The temporal defense grid is fully deployed. Covers all of North America." Tony paused. "No clue how long it'll hold."
"And the magic side?"
Strange opened his eyes. "Wanda and I layered seven dimensional barriers around Earth. Enough to stop the first wave."
Hang nodded.
Then they waited.
Three days earlier, the boy named Nathaniel had warned them: the main force of the Council of Kangs would arrive in seventy-two hours.
Now, the time had almost come.
In the corner, Nathaniel looked pale. His fingers unconsciously brushed the scar on his wrist—the anchor point left behind by the dimensional beacon. The signal had supposedly been erased, but traces remained.
"What are you nervous about?" Hang asked.
Nathaniel stiffened. "Nothing. Just wondering… if the Council will really come."
"You know the answer better than anyone."
No one spoke.
Tony glanced outside the window. "Honestly? I hate waiting."
"What happened at your high school prom?" Natasha asked.
"Got stood up." Tony shrugged. "But then I became a billionaire, so it evened out."
Steve shook his head with a smile.
Suddenly, Strange's eyes widened.
"They're here."
---
The sky changed.
The blue heavens cracked apart from the center. One fracture. Two. Then countless more.
And then—
The sky shattered.
Behind the fractures stood a city.
A floating city so enormous it eclipsed the sun, casting a colossal shadow over Earth. Spires, domes, and circular structures intertwined in cold metallic brilliance.
Chronopolis.
Countless warships poured out from every corner of the city like a plague of locusts.
Thousands upon thousands.
Projections appeared across the sky.
One Kang. Two. Ten. A hundred…
Endless Kangs.
Pharaoh Kang wearing a golden mask. Bio-Kang with flesh on one side and machinery on the other. Cyber Kang made entirely of streaming data. Medieval armored Kang. Spacesuit Kang. Even a spider-like Kang.
Different faces.
The same eyes.
Cold. Arrogant.
"Earth."
Countless voices merged into a thunderous roar.
"Your timeline has been designated a branch requiring pruning."
Scarlet energy exploded from Wanda's fingertips, her eyes turning blood red.
Thor gripped Stormbreaker tightly as all six Infinity Stones lit up simultaneously.
Strange formed seals with both hands, seven barriers unfolding around the planet.
Tony's armor shifted into combat mode.
Steve raised his shield.
Hang stepped out onto the lawn and looked up at the city above.
"That's it?"
All thirteen laws erupted simultaneously.
A domain stretching for dozens of kilometers spread outward, covering the region directly facing the Kang army.
The pressure of the Council of Kangs slammed into the domain—and was pushed back.
For the first time, the Kangs showed different expressions.
"The Greedy One," one Kang spoke. "So you're still alive after all."
Hang smiled. "Not just alive. I'm thriving."
His gaze swept across the projections before stopping on several particular figures.
Those Kangs remained silent, their auras deliberately hidden. Yet Hang sensed danger from them—
Danger on the level of laws.
Interesting.
"Since you're already here," Hang said, "don't be in such a hurry to leave."
---
The Kangs merely stared down at him as though looking at insects.
"Greedy One," Pharaoh Kang said coldly, "do you really think your law domain can stop us?"
Hang didn't answer.
He was observing.
Among the thousands of Kangs, most were ordinary—early to mid Skyfather level.
But three were different.
One wore pitch-black armor and stood silently at the rear. His aura was suppressed, but Hang sensed it immediately—
The Law of Death.
The second resembled a mechanical lifeform composed entirely of flowing data. Its existence itself was paradoxical—both here and not here simultaneously.
The third looked incredibly young, even younger than Nathaniel.
But his eyes were ancient.
Those three…
Now they were interesting.
Hang withdrew his gaze and looked behind him at the Avengers.
Tony's temporal defense grid spread across North America. Strange's seven dimensional barriers shimmered with golden runes. Scarlet energy erupted around Wanda as her eyes glowed crimson. Thor held Stormbreaker aloft, the six Stones intertwining into rainbow-colored radiance. Steve stood at the front, shield raised.
This was Earth's defense line.
"You brought this many people just to prune one timeline?" Hang turned back toward the sky. "Seems a little excessive."
Pharaoh Kang sneered.
"You don't understand. A mortal mastering thirteen laws should never exist in any timeline."
"So?"
"So you must be pruned. Along with this entire timeline."
His hand fell.
Every warship activated simultaneously and dove toward Earth.
Tony's temporal defense grid activated instantly, invisible barriers unfolding over North America. Ships slammed into the field with ear-piercing screeches.
"The defense grid can hold for three minutes," Tony said. "After that, we're out of options."
Strange formed seals with both hands. The seven barriers activated fully, golden runes forming radiant walls.
"I can buy another five."
Wanda raised her hand, scarlet energy exploding outward.
She didn't defend.
She attacked directly.
Chaos Magic condensed into crimson beams and blasted toward the fleet.
Thor raised Stormbreaker as all six Infinity Stones activated.
The Space Stone warped distance. The Power Stone fueled the attack. The Time Stone slowed the enemy. The Reality Stone reshaped the battlefield.
One swing—
Blue-white lightning transformed into a colossal dragon.
BOOM!
Dozens of ships were annihilated instantly.
But countless more surged forward.
Hang remained motionless.
He was waiting for the three special Kangs to make their move.
As expected—
The black-armored Kang moved first.
He raised one hand. Black light shot forth and collided directly with Thor's lightning.
The two powers crashed together.
Hang's pupils contracted slightly.
That was law power.
The Law of Death.
A smile curled onto his lips.
"Interesting."
He stepped forward, all thirteen laws circulating within him.
"Since you're all being so sincere, it'd be rude of me not to reciprocate."
He raised his right hand. Thirteen laws gathered in his palm, forming a sphere of light the size of a fist.
"Come on," he said to the black-armored Kang. "Let me see how your Death Law compares to mine."
The black-armored Kang didn't move.
He simply stood there, patterns on his armor flowing faintly.
His aura remained deeply suppressed, yet Hang could sense it clearly—
A form of death sharing the same origin as his own, yet purer.
Older.
Not cultivated after the fact, but fundamental in nature.
Interesting.
From the corner of his eye, Hang noticed something strange.
Nathaniel stood at the facility entrance, pale and sweating. His hands trembled violently as his eyes darted frantically between the Kangs.
Most importantly—
The scar on his wrist was glowing.
The residual trace of the dimensional beacon.
Hang's pupils narrowed.
He had personally erased it using Alchemy Law. There shouldn't have been any remnants left.
Yet now, with the Council of Kangs descending, the scar had reactivated.
Hang said nothing. He simply memorized the detail before looking back toward the sky.
The three special Kangs still hadn't moved.
Black-armored Kang.
Data Kang.
Young Kang.
They stood at the rear like three silent mountains. Their auras were hidden, but Hang could tell—
They were the true trump cards.
Especially the young one.
He looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, younger even than Nathaniel.
Yet his eyes were terrifyingly ancient.
He wore only a simple gray robe, but from him Hang sensed something that even made him uneasy.
Not law power.
Something higher.
A concept?
A source?
Hang wasn't certain.
Pharaoh Kang's voice rang out once more.
"Greedy One. You have three choices."
He raised three fingers.
"First: surrender all law powers, and we will grant you a dignified death."
"Second: surrender yourself and become a research subject. Your existence is a miracle. We are very curious how a mortal mastered thirteen laws."
"Third…" He sneered. "Continue resisting. You and your friends—and this entire timeline—will be pruned together."
Hang listened.
Then he laughed.
"That's it?"
He stepped forward as the thirteen laws roared within him.
"A bunch of insects dares speak to a cosmic overlord like this?"
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