dkrc Chapter 2030 The Shock Brought by the "Seeds of the Infinity Stones"; Martyrs in the Pursu
Chapter 2030 The Shock Brought by the "Seeds of the Infinity Stones"; Martyrs in the Pursu
Chapter 2030 The Shock Brought by the "Seeds of the Infinity Stones"; Martyrs in the Pursuit of "Eternal Balance"
Thanos's gaze finally settled on the Eye of Agamotto on Tony's chest.
He destroyed the Time Stone of this universe, but the Infinity Stone aura emanating from the Eye of Agamotto on Tony's chest was genuine.
The answer is obvious: this Tony is from another parallel universe.
A hint of genuine interest, beyond the calm, appeared in Thanos's eyes.
"Not just the Time Stone, but also the power of the other Infinity Stones."
"Although the forms are different, I will not mistake that sense of 'infinity'."
"In your world, you not only became the Sorcerer Supreme, but also converted a portion of the Infinity Stones into your own power?"
Thanos's tone carried a hint of uncertainty, because this was beyond his comprehension.
He once wielded all six Infinity Stones with the Infinity Gauntlet, and had the most direct experience of their immense power.
It was the manifestation of the universe's rules, powerful enough to allow him to fulfill his "destiny," but it also brought about a backlash that nearly destroyed him.
But the Infinity Stone power he sensed from the young Tony Stark before him was completely different.
It was no longer an external fluctuation, but a kind of "charm" that seemed to emanate from the very source of life.
Like a seed taking root and sprouting within the body, although the scale of power it currently displays is incomparable to directly drawing upon the Primal Stone, its essence is equally lofty and touches upon the "infinity".
This power does not directly borrow from gemstones, but rather integrates a part of the "concept" and "authority" of gemstones into its own life and soul.
It's a weaker version, but the essence is the same.
This was simply unbelievable to Thanos.
How violent and domineering is the power of the Infinity Stones to forcibly merge into oneself? Even with Thanos's wisdom and knowledge, it is unknown how he did it.
After Thanos finished speaking, Steve and the others looked at Tony in disbelief.
Apart from Thor, who knew from the beginning, everyone else, especially Doctor Strange, was shocked to see Tony in this parallel world.
To merge the power of the Infinity Stones into oneself? How is that even possible?
Wouldn't that power destroy any mortal body that tries to touch it directly?
Even Thanos was severely injured by the backlash after snapping his fingers, his arm was charred black; how did Tony manage to do that?
Just how powerful is he?
Even Tony from this world had his pupils shrink, staring incredulously at his counterpart from another world.
He knew better than anyone how terrifying and uncontrollable the energy contained in the Infinity Stones was!
His experience attempting to create Ultron and Vision, and his research into the Mind Stone, made him acutely aware of its dangers.
And this other "self" not only became the Sorcerer Supreme, but also accomplished something even he could hardly imagine: turning the power of the gems into his own!
Faced with the shock of everyone's attention, Tony simply shrugged indifferently.
"Good taste, Purple Sweet Potato. Oh, should I call you 'Mr. Farmer' now?"
Tony neither confirmed nor denied it, but simply observed Thanos with great interest.
"Speaking of which, there's something I've always been confused about, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to ask you."
"Why did you immediately retire from the battlefield and become a farmer on this planet after snapping your fingers and fulfilling your so-called 'destiny'?"
Tony shrugged, a genuine look of confusion on his face.
"Even if you feel you have accomplished all your goals and no longer want to conquer the universe or interfere with civilizations, with your wisdom and knowledge, you should know just how fast life reproduces, right?"
"Many carbon-based intelligent life forms have quite amazing reproductive and regenerative abilities."
He held up his fingers, as if listing data:
"Taking Earth's human population as an example, in a relatively peaceful and resource-rich environment, the population may double in just a few decades."
"Even if some civilizations reproduce more slowly, the universe is so vast and there are countless types of civilizations. With the rise and fall of some, the overall recovery rate of the population may far exceed your imagination."
"A hundred years? A thousand years? On a cosmic scale, it's just a blink of an eye."
"You went through so much trouble, endured such a huge backlash, and snapped your fingers, only to gain this little bit of 'buffer period'? And then you think everything's fine and you can retire and farm?"
Tony's tone was full of incomprehension, even a hint of doubt.
"Isn't your execution of this 'destiny' a bit too anticlimactic? At the very least, you should periodically check the universe's 'load,' and if you find that the population is about to exceed the limit again, then snap your fingers again, right?"
"Or is your so-called 'balance' just a one-time 'deep cleaning,' where you feel your task is complete once you're done, and any subsequent chaos is none of your concern?"
"This doesn't seem like the attitude of a martyr who seeks 'eternal balance,' Mr. Thanos."
This is what puzzled Tony.
If Thanos truly believed that "balance" was the ultimate solution to the universe and a way to avoid a more catastrophic collapse, then he should have realized that wiping out half of the universe at once was only a temporary measure, not a permanent solution.
Life will reproduce, resources will continue to be consumed, and problems will inevitably reappear sooner or later.
Therefore, his "retirement" at this moment seems particularly abrupt.
Thanos remained silent in the face of Tony's question.
He didn't get angry at being questioned; instead, he seemed to be deep in thought, or rather, organizing his thoughts to explain them to Tony.
After a moment, Thanos slowly spoke:
"What you said is something I have considered."
"The rate at which life reproduces does indeed vary from species to species."
"Humans, Zerg, some highly reproductive life forms. They recover very quickly."
"But similarly, there are also many civilizations that have struggled to reproduce, grown slowly, and whose numbers have remained stable or even declined over the years due to environmental factors, resources, or their own evolutionary direction."
"I am erasing half, not precisely reducing every race by 50%, but based on a probabilistic randomness of the universe as a whole."
"The result is that all life, regardless of how fast or slow it reproduces, is given an equal opportunity, a breathing space, and an opportunity for survivors to rethink the relationship between development and consumption."
He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Tony, his eyes regaining that martyr-like calm and certainty:
“My destiny was to carry out this ‘reset,’ to give the universe this choice, and I have accomplished it.”
"That's enough for me."
"As for what comes next..."
Thanos shook his head slightly, his demeanor displaying a certain nonchalance, as if he were "leaving without a trace after accomplishing his task, concealing his identity and name," even though the "task" involved slaughtering half the universe.
"The course of life, the rise and fall of civilizations, and the redistribution of resources are no longer my responsibility, nor my destiny."
"The seeds have been sown, and the soil has been turned over."
Will we move towards a more harmonious coexistence, or will we repeat the same mistakes and fall back into a cycle of greed and destruction?
"That will be the choice of those who come after, the choice of the universe itself."
"Perhaps a new 'destiny' will emerge, or perhaps there will be beings like you, with different ideologies and different powers, who will try other paths."
"But all of that is no longer relevant to me."
"My mission is over."
Thanos's words clarified his logic.
He is a "game-changer," a "restarter," not a "maintainer."
He completed the "first step" that he believed he had to complete. After that, he chose to let go, leaving it to fate, to those who would follow, or to the universe itself.
This also explains why he chose to retire immediately after snapping his fingers, finding peace of mind.
Because in his mind, his "destiny" had come to an end.
After listening, Tony remained silent for a few seconds, and then he suddenly laughed—not a mocking laugh, but a laugh filled with deep sighing.
"Should I call it a stubborn purity, or a lazy escapism?"
"However, now that your 'destiny' has been fulfilled and your heart is at peace, you have no fear of life or death."
"Then please, having fulfilled your destiny, receive the ending you deserve."
The casual smile on his face vanished, his eyes turned indifferent, and his entire demeanor changed abruptly.
Raise your right hand and make a grasping motion in the air.
"Crack!"
A dazzling light burst forth from Tony's body!
Orange, green, yellow, purple, blue, and red—six halos representing the fundamental rules of the universe—surged forth from Tony's body!
These halos converged wildly towards Tony's loosely clenched right palm, and within the light, a suit of armor began to cover Tony's body.
The armor's main body is a deep matte black, with flowing, ghostly blue energy veins that resemble a living galaxy.
The helmet has a simple yet majestic design, and the faceplate is a constantly changing, dark blue light screen like a starry sky, with only two deep, black hole-like eyes visible.
The armor features slightly raised, gem-like grooves on key areas such as the chest, arms, shoulders, back, and legs.
At this moment, the Infinity Stone Seeds surging from Tony's body are transforming into solidified streams of light, flowing into these "slots" and merging with the armor itself, radiating a vast pressure that seems to be the origin of the universe!
"Anti-God King Armor, with this, I'll send you on your way. It won't be an insult to your status, Thanos."
At this moment, Tony is like a walking cosmic rule, a arbiter wielding infinite power!
Tony from this world looked at the suit of armor with shining eyes.
He never imagined that his counterpart in the other world would not only become the Sorcerer Supreme and achieve remarkable success in magic, but also surpass him in technology.
That suit of armor was actually able to incorporate the power of the Infinity Stones!
And the runes on the armor are so perfect; just looking at them, you can feel how they're integrated with technology.
Has even the armor been fused with magic?
Thanos, who was firmly locked onto by that destructive aura, also felt an unprecedented threat from that armor!
Even so, Thanos showed no fear on his face and remained calm.
It was his honor to die at the hands of someone who also possessed infinite power but followed a completely different path.
He slowly closed his eyes and opened his arms, as if embracing the impending "end".
Tony slowly clenched his armored right fist, and tri-colored light gathered at the tip of his fist. The surrounding scenery began to blur, as if the space itself was afraid of this blow and was about to be completely erased from reality!
But, just as this attack was about to be unleashed!
"boom!"
A grand will originating from the rules of the entire world, like billions of invisible mountains, descended with a thunderous roar, pressing heavily on Tony's heart—no, on his soul!
At this moment, the three Infinity Stones within Tony's body, which had long been fused with his soul, all trembled simultaneously!
It's as if the "rules" of the universe itself are resisting and trying to "reject" what he's doing.
At the same time, an extremely strong sense of "malice" and "being targeted" swept through Tony's senses; it did not come from a specific enemy, but from the entire world!
It was as if he would suddenly die from some kind of incredibly rare "accident" at any moment.
Although this "targeting" and "interference" is far from enough to truly threaten Tony, who has already transformed the power of the Infinity Stones into the source of his life, he still retains absolute control over his own power.
But this feeling, this feeling of being rejected by the whole world as if it were a "bug," and the feeling of wanting to "fix" it out through various "coincidences."
Tony's brows furrowed tightly beneath the Starry Sky visor; the energy gathered in his fist slowly dissipated, the tri-colored light flowing back into the armor.
He lowered his arms, removed part of the armor covering, raised his head, and his gaze seemed to pierce through the atmosphere, directed at that mysterious "certain existence".
"Is this what Thor meant by 'destiny'?"
Tony muttered to himself, his voice carrying an unprecedented seriousness.
"The whole world is 'favoring' him, paving the way for him, and rejecting anything that might 'not follow the rules' and threaten his existence."
"It's a strange feeling, like being treated like a virus by the whole world."
"Even the power within me, which originates from the essence of the Infinity Stones, is slightly disturbed. Is the 'restraint force' of this universe really that strong?"
As Tony withdrew his killing move, the suffocating feeling of being targeted, as if he were about to die, receded like the tide.
But the invisible "rejection" and "disharmony" from the whole world still followed him like a shadow, as if warning him not to try to "violate the rules".
Thanos, who had been waiting to die with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. He looked at Tony, whose brows were furrowed, and said:
"You felt it, didn't you?"
"That invisible power, that predetermined trajectory, that inviolable destiny."
He slowly straightened his massive body, and a kind of "power" that seemed to be faintly connected to the entire universe returned to him once again.
“I have completed my part, and the universe has acknowledged this ‘merit’.”
"But that's also what I find strange."
"Now that I have fulfilled my destiny, why should the world still focus on me? Why should it still favor me?"