Invasion

However, trying to snatch the Time Stone from someone who is proficient in magic and can manipulate time with the stone is nearly impossible.

If she can't win, she can always hide, right?

As long as the Ancient One retreats into the Mirror Dimension or another realm, Zane is essentially out of options.

When it comes to understanding dimensions, the Ancient One claims first place, and no one dares claim second.

The only chance to obtain the Time Stone would be after Doctor Strange appears.

The Ancient One voluntarily meets her end, passing the title of Sorcerer Supreme to her successor.

It would be easiest to acquire the Time Stone during this transitional period when the sorcerers are weakest.

But there are still a few years until Doctor Strange's appearance, so there's no rush right now.

Though compared to other superheroes, the plot of "Doctor Strange" is almost an independent storyline.

Zane could even manipulate Benedict Cumberbatch's car accident using the Mind Stone, ruining his hands and then guiding him to find the Ancient One.

But there is an indispensable factor: the presence of Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension.

Right now, Dormammu hasn't infiltrated the human realm and is still firmly sealed in the Dark Dimension by the Ancient One's barrier.

Without him, the Ancient One wouldn't voluntarily sacrifice herself.

She's waiting to be killed by Dormammu's minions to give Doctor Strange his final lesson.

To make him understand that Earth is being watched by countless dimensions.

So, for now, Zane must patiently wait until the Ancient One's death.

Of course, this is just one minor factor.

If Zane wanted, he could still expedite the Ancient One's death.

The method is simple: destroy the three Sanctums on Earth, breaking the planetary barrier.

This would force the Ancient One to constantly fight and eventually die of exhaustion.

But Zane doesn't want to do that. He holds great respect for the Ancient One.

From the beginning, Zane had no malice toward her.

After all, not everyone can guard the Earth for thousands of years without seeking fame or profit.

Zane doesn't want to see the Ancient One struggle in her final days.

She deserves to pass peacefully!

This is what the Ancient One deserves.

Rather than respecting her power, Zane respects the light of humanity she represents.

As for the last Soul Stone,

It is the most mysterious and highest-ranking of all Infinity Stones, even possessing its own consciousness.

While Zane knows where the Soul Stone is, he wouldn't foolishly try to take it directly.

Although Zane easily absorbed three Infinity Stones previously,

That was only because they were unconscious, coupled with the system's assistance.

Zane isn't arrogant enough to believe the system's power is his own.

For the Soul Stone, Zane prefers to let Thanos or someone else take the risk first.

Then he can snatch it from them, which is the safest approach.

In the following days, Loki, who was held on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, used his sharp tongue to sow discord among the already fractious group, easily accomplishing his plan. He successfully opened a space portal with the Tesseract, bringing the Chitauri army to Earth.

On a balcony, Zane sipped tea while watching the towering beam of light from the top of Stark Tower and the wormhole appearing over New York City. He lazily stretched.

At the same time, the system's prompt appeared, just as Zane had anticipated.

[Ding, special event detected, mission issued.]

[Mission: Eliminate the invading Chitauri on Earth. 

Mission Reward: B to A-level skill draw based on participation. 

Failure Penalty: None.]

[Do you accept the mission?]

"Accept!"

Zane leisurely put down his teacup and accepted the mission without hesitation. Even though the highest reward was just an A-level skill, every little bit helps.

A few days ago, Zane had let Loki continue his plan, which was doomed to fail from the start, for this very moment. After being with the system for so long, Zane had figured out a pattern: the system was very likely to issue a mission at key points in the original Marvel storyline.

At that moment, Lorna also noticed the unusual situation and excitedly ran to Zane's side.

"Honey, do you want me to take them out?"

Lorna looked at the Chitauri swarming out of the wormhole, her excitement clear.

But Zane shook his head.

"This time, I'll handle it myself. It's been a while since I last fought; it's time to stretch my muscles."

With that, a bloodthirsty smile appeared on Zane's lips, and in the next moment, he vanished from the balcony.

Lorna was left alone on the balcony, pouting in frustration. She hadn't had a fight in a long time, and her hands were itching for action.

This man had become more capricious and carefree since emerging from the study a few days ago, but that was a good thing. Zane used to overthink things, and sometimes Lorna felt heartbroken seeing him frown.

Meanwhile, the newly formed Avengers were not faring well.

They didn't have the scepter to cut off the Tesseract's energy supply. So they had no choice but to grit their teeth and hold the Chitauri at bay within a few blocks.

Tony flew his suit between buildings, drawing the Chitauri away from the crowds and blasting them to ashes with his full arsenal.

The Hulk roared, smashing enemies into pulp with his immense strength.

Thor, channeling his divine power through Mjolnir, summoned lightning to seal the wormhole.

For a moment, the pressure on everyone eased.

But as time passed, Thor's power waned. Tony's suit was rapidly running out of energy and ammunition. Hawkeye was down to his last escape arrow.

Seeing the seemingly endless Chitauri army swarming through the wormhole again, a look of despair appeared in everyone's eyes.

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