Andrew was still caught in his own rising tide of power when something pressed against him.
A presence.
Subtle—but invasive.
His instincts flared.
The Reality Stone reacted instantly. Black-red energy surged out of his body, lashing outward in a violent burst that tore through the surrounding building like it was made of paper.
Someone's watching me.
His focus snapped tight.
Then the ground beneath him vanished.
A glowing ring opened under his feet.
On the other side—
A massive, rust-colored planet loomed, its gravity dragging at him the moment he crossed through.
Andrew reacted immediately, shifting his footing midair, trying to stabilize—
And then everything went dark.
A hand closed over his face.
Not crushing. Not striking.
Just… absolute.
It forced him downward, straight through the portal.
The ring snapped shut behind them.
London was gone.
Jupiter.
Andrew staggered as he landed, the heavier gravity pressing down on him. He looked up—
And froze.
Noah Vale stood not far away, calm as ever.
Andrew's chest tightened.
Too soon.
He hadn't finished absorbing the power. Hadn't reached his peak. He wasn't ready for this.
Not yet.
"Interesting," Noah said, studying him. "You're not just holding the Reality Stone. You're feeding on it."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"No wonder Stark said you'd be a problem."
Andrew forced a smile, suppressing everything else—fear, anger, ambition.
"Sir… maybe there's been a misunderstanding."
Noah tilted his head.
"Then let's clear it up."
He stepped forward, casual.
"Give up the Reality Stone. Go back to being a citizen. We call it even."
A pause.
"With your current strength, you'd qualify for the Defense Force easily."
Andrew's smile faltered.
Give it up?
That was the source of everything.
The power. The future. The throne he'd already started imagining.
And trust Noah to keep his word afterward?
No.
That wasn't a gamble he could afford.
His fist tightened.
Noah noticed.
"Got it," he said lightly. "No deal."
He moved.
There was no warning.
One moment, Noah stood several meters away.
The next—
He was right in front of Andrew.
His fist came down.
The world slowed.
Andrew's perception stretched, his mind racing to track the motion.
The punch—
He could see it.
Follow it.
Understand it.
And what he saw made his eyes widen.
That's it?
Excitement surged through him.
"Too slow!"
He threw his own punch forward.
The collision shook the planet.
A thunderclap tore through Jupiter's atmosphere as the two forces met, energy erupting outward in violent waves. The Space Stone's power clashed against the Reality Stone, their effects canceling and distorting each other in chaotic bursts.
The ground beneath them fractured, a massive crater forming in seconds.
Andrew grinned.
He had forced Noah back.
Sent him flying.
For the first time, confidence flooded his veins.
So this is the man everyone fears?
He's not unbeatable.
And Andrew—
Was still getting stronger.
Every moment.
Every second.
"Give it a few hours," he muttered to himself, exhilaration creeping into his voice. "I'll be twice as strong. Then three times. Then more…"
He could see it already.
Victory.
In the distance, Noah stood up slowly.
He didn't look at Andrew.
Instead, he glanced down at his own hand.
"…Huh."
Something about that punch—
Felt off.
Without a word, he moved again.
Faster.
This time, Andrew didn't see it coming.
The punch landed.
Pain exploded across Andrew's face.
Not the dull, distant sensation he had grown used to.
This was sharp. Immediate. Overwhelming.
His skull shattered under the impact, half his head blown apart as his body was driven downward, crashing deep into Jupiter's surface.
Tens of thousands of meters.
Only then did he stop.
Reality twisted.
The Stone reacted, flooding his body with energy. Tissue reformed. Bone reassembled. His head rebuilt itself piece by piece until he was whole again.
Andrew lay there, stunned.
What… was that?
Had Noah held back before?
That had to be it.
There was no other explanation.
Above, Noah flexed his fingers.
"Yeah… that's a problem."
He frowned slightly.
"I hit harder than I meant to."
He dropped again.
Straight toward Andrew.
"I surrender—!"
Too late.
The third punch landed.
Jupiter shook.
Not metaphorically.
The entire planet trembled under the impact.
Matter collapsed inward, crushed and displaced as a massive cavity formed beneath Noah's feet—so large it spanned a significant fraction of the planet's diameter.
Andrew didn't survive it.
There was nothing left to regenerate.
Silence followed.
Noah stood at the center of it all, looking down at the devastation.
Then he reached out.
Fragments of dark-red energy gathered into his hand—the remnants of the Reality Stone, stripped free from its host.
He let out a quiet breath.
"…Great."
A portal opened.
Noah stepped through and tossed the collected fragments toward Tony Stark.
"Got it. Store it with the others."
Stark blinked, catching it reflexively.
"That was fast."
To him, it hadn't even been a tenth of a second.
He glanced up—
But Noah was already turning away, expression faintly troubled.
Stark watched him go, a thought forming.
That must've been one hell of a fight.