Chapter 330 : Collecting Stones (End)

After acquiring the five Infinity Gems, Bert didn't immediately head to the arena to find Tony and the others. Instead, he ripped open a portal and entered the Dragon Realm.

"Who's there?"

Since Bert didn't conceal himself, the two dragon gods quickly detected the intrusion and promptly traversed through space to confront Bert, eyeing him with vigilance.

"You're in trouble." Bert grinned, clapped his palms together, causing the void to shatter. The space storm engulfed the two dragon gods, diminishing the glow of their protective barriers.

Startled, the two dragon gods hastily drew upon the power of the dragon world. Observing this, Bert raised his right hand to sever their connection with the dragon world using the power of the Space Stone.

Realizing their inability to contact the dragon world, the two dragon gods grew increasingly panicked and attempted every means to escape. Smirking coldly, Bert opened his mouth wide, consuming the two dragon gods like a black hole.

With Bert's current strength, devouring the two dragon gods proved effortless. Half an hour later, the two dragon gods were completely eradicated.

Subsequently, Bert extended his hands and commenced devouring the essence of the Dragon Realm. The Dragon Realm serves as the birthplace of the dragon race, and its essence empowers the Dragon Soul clone.

Regarding the dragons in the dragon world, it's a simple matter of the wicked dragons perishing while the virtuous ones survive. Moreover, Bert only intends to consume the essence, not the entire realm.

"My power still isn't sufficient..., devour the stars!"

Bert's eyes flickered momentarily before he closed them and began absorbing.

...

Dark Phoenix stood indifferently at the original location of the collection hall on Knowhere, having annihilated everyone in her path, including the robot army and the Collector himself.

Indeed, it had nothing to do with Bert. It just happened to have the misfortune of encountering Dark Phoenix.

"You bastard, why haven't you returned?"

The dissatisfied cursing of Dark Phoenix echoed, but fortunately, there were some divine substances in the Knowhere that she could absorb to strengthen herself, ensuring that she wouldn't get too bored.

Unbeknownst to Dark Phoenix, a spaceship had been observing her the entire time. Iron Man, who had utilized advanced technology to heal himself, swallowed hard and remarked, "Isn't this woman terrifying? She killed tens of thousands of people in less than a few minutes."

The others wore grim expressions as well. With such immense bloodlust and formidable power, if she were to return to Earth, all the inhabitants would perish.

"In the past two days, I've gathered some information. It appears that she carries a phoenix within her. The phoenix is an extraordinary life form born from the universe, possessing incredible power," explained Dr. Strange.

"Fortunately, the power of the phoenix within her is incomplete. Otherwise, we wouldn't stand a chance against her," he added.

"Incomplete, yet still so strong?" Iron Man took a deep breath, shaking his head. "How do we deal with her? We can't match her in a direct confrontation."

"You keep her occupied. Emma and I will enter her spiritual realm together and assist Jean in sealing her second personality," proposed Professor X.

"It's our only option?" confirmed Iron Man.

"What if the seal breaks in the future?" Iron Man questioned.

"Are we simply going to kill her?" Wolverine expressed his dissatisfaction, prompting Cyclops to interject, "If you're thinking of killing her, I'll be the one to kill you first."

"Tony, not every threat needs to be eliminated," Captain America chimed in. "Let's begin by sealing this second personality."

"You have the final say," Iron Man shrugged, pondering how to construct an anti-Phoenix armor. It was unsettling to have such a threat lingering on Earth.

"Then let's proceed," declared Doctor Strange. Everyone nodded, preparing to launch their attack. As superheroes, they had confidence in resolving the situation involving Dark Phoenix.

Ten minutes later.

Doctor Strange, battered and bloodied, used the exile technique to banish Dark Phoenix. Dark Phoenix, with her long red hair billowing in the void, bellowed, "I won't let you get away. I will return to Earth and annihilate all of you."

After her roar, Dark Phoenix vanished into the spatial vortex, leaving behind a group of defeated soldiers who collectively breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the ground.

The Avengers and Mutants had suffered a devastating defeat.

Professor X continued to cough up blood, his pale face indicating that he was on the verge of death. Wolverine resembled a mere skeleton, barely clinging to life thanks to the Adamantium Alloy within him.

Iron Man had his leg shattered, the White Queen fell into a coma, and Captain America sustained severe injuries. Hawkeye's hand was broken, while Hulk, the main force, lost half of his body and slowly regenerated. He had been beaten to the point where his regenerative abilities were nearly exhausted.

In truth, these individuals were not lacking in ability. The true tragedy lay with Cyclops. Dark Phoenix had killed him directly, and this was the primary reason for their defeat. Jean, unable to accept Cyclops' death, experienced a complete collapse of her consciousness, with her alternate personality now in full control.

Struggling to rise, Iron Man exclaimed, "We must return to Earth immediately. The Earth is in danger."

Hawkeye offered a bitter smile. "What's the point of going back? We stand no chance against her."

Iron Man responded, "There must be a way. If all else fails, we'll have to find a means to banish her."

"It's not that simple," sighed Doctor Strange. "Dark Phoenix will soon regain her full power, and I won't be able to exile her."

The expressions on everyone's faces grew increasingly grim. If they couldn't even banish her, the Earth would be in grave peril.

"We have another option," weakly stated Professor X. "We can seek help from visitors from different universes. Spider-Man mentioned that the Blood God possesses immense strength and should be able to handle Dark Phoenix."

Iron Man's countenance darkened as he hesitated for a moment before inquiring, "Will they assist us?"

"Yes, because they are superheroes," Professor X affirmed. "If they weren't superheroes, they wouldn't have departed so readily before."

Captain America, lost in thought, spoke with a hint of self-deprecation. "Good people are always targets for bullying."

"As superheroes, we naturally shoulder greater burdens," replied Professor X. "Spider-Man knows a way to contact those individuals. Strange, send us back. We must hasten our actions as Phoenix will arrive soon."

"Very well," sighed Doctor Strange. This time, the reputation of the Avengers had been thoroughly tarnished.

...

In the Dragon Realm, Bert slowly opened his eyes. He sensed the potent powers of the Blood God and the dragon soul coursing through his body, nodding in satisfaction.

Though the powers of the Blood God and the dragon soul were still inferior to that of the Space Stone, their combined strength maintained a delicate balance, preventing his assimilation by the power of space.

There is always a price to pay for self-improvement.

As thoughts ran through Bert's mind, he sensed the Dragon Realm and realized that its magical power had significantly diminished, with many mighty dragons weakened.

"This world is about to enter an era of lawlessness," Bert pondered. However, at that moment, he felt someone's gaze upon him. Swiftly turning his head, he locked eyes with the observer.

The owner of the gaze didn't say a word, but left a warning glance before withdrawing their gaze.

"So, swallowing too many dimensions is not allowed," Bert understood the other's message and let out a cold snort. If he weren't in a rush to gather the Infinity Stones, he would have taken his time in this world, perhaps even engaging in conversation with Seth, the Serpent god.

"Don't worry, I'll wait until the 'Avengers 4' issue is resolved. One day, I will become the strongest and enjoy absolute freedom."

...

In the arena, Tony, having received a "call" from Spider-Man, said, "Spider-Man, it's not that we won't help you. The problem is that we are currently collecting Infinity Stones, and time is of the essence."

"Mr. Stark, if you don't come, Earth will be in danger," Spider-Man pleaded. Tony hesitated and responded, "I'll inform Bert about this. Screw it, your Iron Man is simply not enough. He's more than enough."

"I don't think he can either," Spider-Man shook his head. "Mr. Wang, please take action. Billions of lives on Earth are counting on him to save them."

"I'll try to persuade him."

Tony sighed, ending the communication, and then turned to apologize to Future Tony and the others, "I'm sorry, I made the decision on my own, but I couldn't just ignore billions of lives."

"You did nothing wrong. Our answer is the same as yours," Future Tony and Future Steve laughed simultaneously. Even Fat Thor remained silent. Hulk nonchalantly added, "It's just a minor issue. If Bert dares to unleash Dark Phoenix, there must be a way to deal with her."

"The problem is, he's collecting the Infinity Stones."

Tony shook his head, pulled out his communicator, and contacted Bert. Just then, a portal rapidly grew beside them, and Bert emerged in high spirits, asking, "Are you guys done?"

Everyone was surprised, asking, "Bert, don't tell us you've already finished?"

"Of course," Bert smiled, raising his right hand, causing the five Infinity Stones to sparkle.

"Fantastic!" Everyone rejoiced, and Future Tony and the others were on the verge of tears. Bert said, "Where's the Mind Stone? Have you obtained it?"

"It will be available soon," Tony explained their plan again. Bert was speechless and gave Tony the middle finger. That guy was truly cunning.

"Just trust him," Tony laughed. "By the way, we also encountered the future Ant-Man in the arena. He's currently fighting there."

"He's lucky," Bert smiled, acknowledging that the future Ant-Man would have better fortune compared to the unfortunate Dr. Pym. He said, "Let's retrieve the Mind Stone first, then find him and return home together."

"Very well, but there's something else in between."

Tony felt a bit embarrassed about sharing the story of Dark Phoenix. Bert waved his hand and said, "It's a minor issue. But Iron Man in this world shouldn't get off too easily. Everyone wants to have some fun with Iron Man, like making him wear women's clothes or bikinis."

"Is that really necessary?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up, including the two Tonys. After all, the Iron Man in this world didn't resemble them in appearance.

"It's just my request. Unfortunately, Professor X is injured. Otherwise, I would definitely make him dance in his wheelchair," Bert chuckled and led everyone to find the old guy, Grandmaster.

In the arena, Grandmaster glanced at the five Infinity Gems on Bert's hand and wore a cold expression. He remarked, "Blood God, you truly are impressive. You managed to find all five Infinity Gems in just a few days."

Observing Grandmaster's unfriendly attitude, Bert couldn't be bothered with small talk and said straightforwardly, "Of course, I am powerful. Grandmaster, bring forth the Mind Stone."

Grandmaster coldly snorted, "I will give you the Mind Stone, but I will never forget that you killed Collector."

"When did I kill the Collector? That's slander, you know? I merely froze him for seven days," Bert retorted. "I won't deny it if I crush an ant under my feet, and you and him are no different from ants in my eyes."

Grandmaster was infuriated and nearly vomited blood. He stated, "Fine, Blood God. The Elders of the Universe will never forget this."

"Give me the Mind Stone."

Impatiently, Bert demanded the stone. If Grandmaster intended to default on their agreement, he would simply take it by force. With his current strength, there were very few who could stop him unless the Creator God himself intervened.

To be honest, with the five gems in his possession, even if the Creator God descended, Bert might not be defeated.

"I concede. I still have this gambling chip," Grandmaster raised his hand, and a pale yellow Mind Stone materialized in the air. Just as Bert was about to claim it, Grandmaster intervened.

By manipulating space with his scepter, Grandmaster created barriers to impede Bert's progress. Laughing, he taunted, "How dare you gather all six Infinity Gems, Blood God? You are truly courting death."

"Just because you Elders of the Universe say so?" Bert sneered with disdain. "In my world, I killed half of the Elders of the Universe. If you continue to be ignorant, I don't mind eliminating all of you."

"Do you think we are the only ones who don't want the Infinity Stones gathered?" Grandmaster sneered. "Once the Infinity Gems are brought together, even the universe itself can be destroyed. How can those higher powers remain indifferent? As long as I delay you for a moment, those higher powers will come and eradicate you."

Tony and the others were taken aback and hastily prepared for battle.

"Boring," Bert scoffed, activating the Space Stone, shattering the space around the Mind Stone.

Then, raising his left hand, Bert seized the Soul Stone and placed it on the back of the Infinity Gauntlet. Spiritual energy coursed through his body as he shouted, "It's done!"

Future Tony and the others were elated, finally able to rectify the mistakes of five years ago.

Bert sensed it and thought to himself, "There is no Nemesis. Perhaps it's because I consumed the Space Stone, or maybe this world simply lacks such an entity."

Grandmaster exclaimed incredulously, "It's impossible! Why haven't those higher powers acted?"

"Because I am also a boss," Bert sneered. If those higher powers wanted to take action, they would have done so when he devoured the Dragon Realm. Why would they wait until now? Besides, Bert wasn't truly afraid of their intervention.

Grandmaster bitterly declared, "Blood God, you won, leave. You are not welcome in the arena."

"Grandmaster, do you know? I despise you greatly in my world. So when I came to this world, I debated whether or not to kill you. Fortunately, you've given me a reason to do so."

Bert raised his right hand towards Grandmaster and smiled menacingly. Grandmaster's complexion changed dramatically as he shouted, "You dare to kill me? The Elders of the Universe will not let you escape!"

"The same old line. Please come up with something new," Bert scoffed with disdain. The Space Stone ignited, and the space surrounding Grandmaster shattered, completely erasing him.

Grandmaster was dead.

"I've wanted to deal with that guy for a long time," Tony and the others snorted in agreement. Even Hulk couldn't tolerate Grandmaster's misbehavior. If it weren't for the bigger picture, he would have taken action long ago.

Bert stated, "Call Scott, and once we deal with Dark Phoenix, we'll head home immediately."