Chapter 574
In truth, the difference in physical endurance between Hulk and Thanos wasn't that significant—the real issue lay in the gauntlet itself.
When Thanos snapped his fingers, the main damage was done to the Infinity Gauntlet itself, though he did suffer some injuries.
It was when he used the six Stones to destroy the Infinity Stones that he truly paid the price—losing nearly half his life in the process.
If Tony had used the gauntlet forged by the Dwarven King during the Endgame battle, even as a mortal, he might've actually survived.
As for why Tony didn't show any signs of pain when he snapped during Endgame...
Aside from the fact that his suit absorbed most of the damage, a more likely reason was that his body was simply too fragile. The moment the power surged through him, his pain receptors might've been completely destroyed—like anesthesia, making him unable to even feel the agony.
Otherwise, there's no way he wouldn't have shown any pain.
Though all of this crossed Syd's mind, only a moment had passed in real time.
Looking at the agonized expression on Banner's face, Syd frowned. To avoid these people thinking the gauntlet he created was defective, he finally spoke up.
"You should quiet down."
The mysterious, cold voice—like a universal truth—echoed within the sealed room, making the anxious and panicking Tony and the others freeze.
Quiet down?
Was he talking to them?
Still dazed, they were suddenly stunned by what happened next.
The overflowing energy radiating from the six Infinity Stones suddenly plummeted. In an instant, it dropped off a cliff—only a tiny trickle of energy leaked out now and then.
This small amount of power—Banner could handle it easily. Heck, even Tony could probably take it without much more than a tingling sensation.
Seeing this, not just the suffering Banner, but also Tony and the others were left speechless, staring in disbelief.
"What… just happened?"
"Did the Stones shut down?"
Shocked, their eyes slowly turned upward, locking onto the mysterious white figure above them, filled with confusion and awe.
Seeing their astonished faces, Syd calmly explained, "Did no one ever tell you… the Infinity Stones possess a form of instinct?"
"Among them, the Soul and Mind Stones are the most sentient."
His voice, filled with divine and universal resonance, echoed throughout the chamber.
It was true. The Soul Stone was known to have awareness. The Space Stone had the precision to exile Red Skull. The Mind Stone once gave Vision strange sensations and guidance.
The Reality Stone, as an Aether form, could move around and even possess people.
And while the Power and Time Stones hadn't shown much "will" explicitly, Syd had once clearly sensed—and even personally destroyed—the will within them.
Since these Infinity Stones were created using the Ultron variant of the Stones, this "instinctive flaw" carried over… and even got amplified by Syd unconsciously.
And as their original master and creator, the Stones would, naturally, obey him.
Thus, with just a single command from Syd, the Stones instinctively withdrew their energy and began supporting Banner instead.
Everyone was stunned by this revelation.
"What? The Stones have minds of their own?"
"How is that even possible?"
In an instant, they were filled with both amazement and a strange chill.
Then, it all made sense—the Stones' obedience, their strange behavior—it was all because they were created by this God of Creation.
Once they accepted that fact, the group didn't dwell on it too long.
Their attention shifted again to Banner.
He took a deep breath and then calmly raised his right hand.
With surprising ease, he snapped his fingers.
Snap!
In an instant, the Stones surged again with multi-colored energy, flashing with dazzling brilliance.
But to Banner, the surge was nothing more than a tickle—completely harmless.
"Did it work?"
Banner looked around at the others, unsure.
Nothing seemed to have changed.
As they all exchanged confused glances, Syd's brow furrowed slightly. He looked up, sensing something.
In his eyes, countless grey specks of dust were drifting down and gathering on the ground—gradually forming into human figures.
At the same time, he sensed the Soul Stone connecting to a hidden dimension—and unlocking it.
A vast number of souls were released, each one returning to its original body.
Though this sounded long, it all happened in the blink of an eye, thanks to the Time Stone's manipulation.
If not for his hyper-fast perception, even Syd might've missed it.
He let out a faint sigh—it was pretty much what he expected.
Just then, a phone started ringing.
Hawkeye walked over and picked it up.
His eyes widened when he saw the caller ID—it was his wife, Laura, who had perished five years ago.
He froze in disbelief, then murmured, "We did it…"
He quickly answered the call.
As Hawkeye walked off in a daze, Banner and the others exchanged looks, and realization dawned on them.
Soon, after checking around, everyone's faces lit up with joy.
They had really done it!
And this time, with no interference from Thanos—or perhaps because the Thanos of this divergent 616 universe didn't dare show himself—everything went smoothly and quietly.
At least… it seemed quiet here.
The world outside had already erupted into chaos.
The people who had disappeared five years ago were suddenly returning!
Shouts and cries of disbelief echoed across the globe.
On a lawn outside a villa…
An elderly woman with white hair was watering her plants when she suddenly froze.
She stared in stunned disbelief as her son gradually reformed from the dust.
Her face lit up with shock and joy.
"Oh my God!"
"Joel?!"
"You're alive?!"
"What happened?!"
He even looked so young, like nothing had changed—like it was still five years ago!
Tears welled up in Sammy's eyes.
And scenes like this were unfolding all around the world.
Every global agency and government was scrambling to respond to the return of billions who had vanished.
This event—where half the Earth's population disappeared and then returned five years later—would soon be known as the Reversal.
At that moment, Star-Lord, Spider-Man Peter Parker, Doctor Strange, and the others who had just come back exchanged excited looks.
"We did it!" Strange smiled faintly.
But then, his expression turned somber. He murmured to himself, "Tony will seize that one chance…"
"He…"
A vision of Tony's death flashed through Doctor Strange's mind.
In his eyes, they had won the final battle thanks to Tony—but also because of that, he would…
Not far away—
Peter noticed his expression and asked curiously, "Doctor Strange, are you okay?"
Strange shook his head slightly. "It's nothing."
Just then, Star-Lord grinned. "Hey, cheer up, man! We're back! That means Cap and the others beat Thanos. We won! What's with the long face?"
"He's right!" Drax and Mantis nodded vigorously.
Strange sighed inwardly and didn't speak the harsh truth aloud. Instead, he said, "Let's head back."
He waved his hand.
Sparks flew into a swirling circle—a portal had opened.
Doctor Strange stepped toward it, with Peter and the rest following close behind.
(End of Chapter)
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