Previously, Robert had never stored more than one Infinity Stone in his personal space, fearing that the conflicting rules and energies might cause instability.
But now, with the Infinity Gauntlet as a container, the Stones could coexist perfectly, eliminating any risk of interference.
"So, I've lost."
Thanos watched as Robert stowed away the Infinity Gauntlet and Stones. A flicker of powerlessness passed through his eyes.
Combined with the blood gushing from his severed left arm, he cut a rather tragic figure.
But he had to admit—he had given it his all.
Sure, he had underestimated Robert at the beginning and hadn't gone all out immediately.
But once Robert had revealed his overwhelming strength, Thanos had fought with everything he had.
Even his ultimate trump card—the Snap—had been used.
Yet it had failed to erase even a single man.
The very notion was something Thanos had never considered possible.
Even with all six Infinity Stones, he had been utterly powerless.
The realization was as bitter as it was incomprehensible.
As Robert took the Infinity Stones away, Thanos understood something.
Even if some version of himself in another universe succeeded in conquering multiple realities, even if he wiped out half the population in countless universes, he would still be unable to stop Robert.
All Thanos could do now was hope that Robert would return to his original universe and never emerge again.
And he prayed that no Thanos in any other universe would ever cross paths with him.
"Do you have any last tricks up your sleeve?"
Robert's gaze flickered slightly as he asked the question.
"I have one last strike."
Thanos glanced at the bleeding stump of his left arm before looking down at the twin-bladed sword in his right hand.
Finally, he took a deep breath, his gaze meeting Robert's with unwavering resolve.
"Then let me see it."
Robert nodded in understanding.
Thanos wanted to die with dignity.
And Robert was willing to grant him that.
It was, after all, a fitting end for a conqueror who had already succeeded in his own universe.
That said, Robert had misjudged one thing—he had assumed that if he fought Thanos on this planet, the entire world would be destroyed.
Yet surprisingly, their battle had caused minimal collateral damage.
Aside from the immediate surroundings being reduced to nothingness due to the clash of Destruction energy and the Infinity Stones' rules, the rest of the planet remained intact.
The landscape in the distance was still lush and beautiful.
Given time, nature would restore itself, and this world would recover.
In the end, the planet had survived.
Swish!
Thanos charged forward.
It was, ironically, the slowest he had ever moved since first encountering Robert.
But Robert's expression turned serious nonetheless.
And as Thanos' blade swung down—
Robert punched forward.
Boom!
Poof!
Thanos disintegrated into dust.
Much like everything else that had been erased in the earlier battle between Destruction and the Infinity Stones.
After all, Robert was still in his Super Saiyan God form.
Killing Thanos like this was already a sign of respect.
Even with the Infinity Stones, Thanos had never been capable of withstanding Destruction's corrosion.
His raw strength was simply too lacking.
Especially when the gap between them was this massive.
"What a pity."
Robert shook his head as he gazed at the fading remnants of Thanos.
"You weren't strong enough.
"And your bond with the Infinity Stones wasn't nearly as deep as Darkseid's with the Anti-Life Equation.
"That's why I was able to take them from you so easily."
With Thanos completely erased, Robert turned his gaze upward, scanning the universe.
He wasn't observing the planet.
He was sensing the very nature of this universe itself.
During his clash with the Infinity Stones' rule-based powers, he had noticed something peculiar.
This universe was fundamentally weaker than his own.
He had suspected as much when he first arrived—he knew this universe was smaller.
But he had assumed that, while smaller, its rules and laws would still be complete.
However, the battle had proven otherwise.
That was why Robert had been able to so quickly overwhelm the Stones' power.
Had the rules of this universe been more robust, he would have been locked in a prolonged struggle—perhaps even long enough for Thanos to escape.
Now deeply curious, Robert continued scanning.
And he discovered something astonishing.
Many universal forces that he was familiar with simply did not exist here.
The Speed Force, for instance—completely absent.
The Anti-Life Equation and Omega Effect—missing.
Even various Emotional Spectrum energies weren't present.
This was a revelation.
These forces existed in his own universe not merely because there were users—
But because the very rules of the universe contained them.
That was the key.
It wasn't that the Flash used the Speed Force—it was that the Speed Force existed, and so users emerged.
But here?
There was no Speed Force.
Which meant no speedsters.
No Flash.
No Barry Allen.
Likewise, if Darkseid existed here, he would be far weaker, lacking the Omega Effect and the Anti-Life Equation.
Robert suddenly understood something profound.
He was not just in another universe.
He was in a fundamentally different kind of reality.
"Earth… I should check out Earth."
Robert's eyes gleamed as he focused on the planet's energy signatures.
No matter the universe, Earth always seemed to be the focal point.
Yet here, the energy signatures were… unfamiliar.
The people he expected to sense—he could not find.
The ones he did recognize were few and far between.
One of them, however, stood out—Bruce Banner.
Swish!
A moment later, Robert materialized inside a laboratory.
But what he saw wasn't the familiar Bruce Banner.
Nor was it the raging green Hulk.
Instead, standing before him was a massive green figure wearing glasses.
A form of Hulk he had never seen before.
"Hm?"
Bruce Banner turned around, his expression blank for a moment—then his pupils shrank in shock.
His first instinct was to step back, his gaze wary as he demanded,
"Who are you?!
"How did you get in here?!"
"Huh.
"Your personality matches your appearance—you really do seem more like Banner than Hulk."
Robert chuckled, nodding as he studied him.
"So what's going on with you?
"Is this some new transformation?
"And why aren't you changing back to your original form?"
"Who the hell are you?!"
Bruce's frown deepened.
He stared at Robert in confusion and alarm.
"If you know me, then you know my strength.
"Tell me your identity, or I won't hold back!"
Robert sighed.
"I could tell you my identity…
"But you wouldn't recognize me."
Bruce narrowed his eyes.
"Why not?"
"Because there isn't another me in this universe.
"In fact, a lot of people I know don't exist here either."
Robert's eyes flicked to a nearby photograph.
It was a group picture.
Among them, he recognized Tony Stark and Steve Rogers.
But others—like Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Wanda Maximoff—were unfamiliar.
And more importantly, there were no signs of Barry Allen, Hancock, Pietro, Lorna, Susan Storm, or Johnny Storm.
That meant one of two things:
They didn't exist in this universe.
They never gained their powers, so they weren't part of the Avengers.
"You're… not from this universe?"
Bruce's eyes widened in shock.
"You found a way to cross between realities?!"
"Yeah, something like that," Robert replied casually.
Bruce's expression darkened.
"If you're from another universe…
"Then my theory might be wrong.
"If we're not just alternate versions of the same timeline, then…
"Can I still use the Infinity Stones from another timeline to bring them back?"
"You mean these?"
Robert raised his hand—
And a burned Infinity Gauntlet, with six dimly glowing stones, appeared.
Bruce's jaw dropped.
"The Infinity Stones?!
"But… how?!"
Robert smirked.
"This universe's Thanos is dead.
"So these are mine now."
"If you want them, though…"
Robert's grin widened.
"Tell me everything.
"Start from the beginning.
"Tell me exactly how Tony Stark became Iron Man."
______
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