Chapter 16: The ****

The battlefield was chaos. Thanos' forces were relentless, and despite their best efforts, the Avengers and Wakandan forces were being pushed to their limits. The sun was high in the sky, but the light seemed dim against the towering figure of Thanos, who strode through the battlefield with terrifying purpose.

Tony and Shuri were locked in a desperate battle with the Mad Titan, their suits humming with energy as they unleashed everything they had. Repulsor blasts, vibranium-enhanced energy beams, and sonic disruptors slammed into Thanos, but each time, he shrugged off the attacks with terrifying ease.

"We're barely scratching him," Tony grunted, dodging a punch that would have sent him flying.

Shuri's suit sparked as she landed beside Tony, her breathing heavy. "He's absorbing the power of the Stones. Our tech is strong, but this... this is different. We need more time to figure out how to neutralize him."

Tony wiped the sweat from his brow, his mind racing. They needed to slow Thanos down, buy some time to find a weakness. But even as the thought crossed his mind, Thanos raised the Infinity Gauntlet, his eyes cold and calculating.

"No time for that," Tony muttered under his breath.

With a single motion, Thanos unleashed a wave of raw energy from the Stones, and the force of it knocked both Tony and Shuri back. Tony's suit scrambled to recalibrate, the systems momentarily overloaded by the sheer power they had just encountered. Shuri's vibranium shields flickered but held, though the strain was visible on her face.

Thanos' power was overwhelming, and the battlefield reflected the devastation he was causing. Wakandan soldiers fought bravely, their spears and shields glowing with energy, but they were no match for the creatures and ships swarming from every direction. The Avengers, too, were stretched thin—Steve and Natasha were locked in combat with Thanos' generals, while Clint and T'Challa led the Wakandan army in defending the city.

But it was clear they were losing ground.

"We need to regroup," Tony said, his voice steady despite the chaos. He glanced at Shuri, who nodded in agreement.

Tony's voice rang out over the Avengers' comms. "We need everyone on Thanos, now. This is it."

Steve's voice crackled in response, his breath labored. "Understood. We're on our way."

As the Avengers converged on Thanos' location, the battle reached a fever pitch. Every member of the team fought with everything they had, their newly enhanced suits pushing their abilities to the limit. Captain America's shield crackled with vibranium energy as he charged at Thanos, striking with all his might. The blow landed, and for a moment, Thanos staggered—but it wasn't enough.

Natasha, moving with her usual deadly grace, fired a barrage of energy-enhanced bullets, each one aimed at a weak spot in Thanos' armor. The bullets hit their mark, but Thanos turned with a snarl, sweeping his arm wide and sending a wave of force that knocked her off her feet.

Even Clint, from a distance, unleashed a volley of explosive arrows, but nothing seemed to slow Thanos down for long.

"We're not making a dent," Natasha said, picking herself up, her voice tight with frustration.

Tony landed beside her, his repulsors firing rapidly as he tried to hold Thanos at bay. "We just need to keep him busy until—"

But before he could finish, Thanos turned toward Tony, his eyes burning with a cold, merciless determination. The Infinity Gauntlet glowed with the combined power of the Stones, and Tony knew what was coming.

"Get back!" Tony shouted, but there was no time.

Thanos raised the Gauntlet and slammed his fist into the ground. The shockwave that followed tore through the battlefield, sending soldiers, Avengers, and Wakandan forces flying in every direction. The sheer force of it knocked Tony to the ground, his suit's systems screaming as they struggled to stay online. Shuri, too, was thrown back, her shields barely holding.

And then, Thanos stood there, towering over them, his gaze fixed on the Infinity Gauntlet.

Tony's heart pounded in his chest. He knew what was coming. The Stones—Thanos had them all now. The power in his hand was unimaginable. Time seemed to slow as Tony struggled to get back on his feet, his suit sparking and groaning under the strain.

"Tony!" Steve's voice called out, but it felt distant, as if coming from underwater.

Thanos raised his hand, the Infinity Gauntlet glowing with an intense, blinding light. Tony saw the look in Thanos' eyes—the calm certainty of someone who knew he had won. There was no hesitation, no doubt.

And then, with a simple snap of his fingers, the world changed.

The sound of the Snap echoed across the battlefield like the final toll of a bell, and for a moment, everything was silent. Tony staggered, his heart racing, his body frozen in place. The world seemed to hang in that moment, a heartbeat of disbelief.

And then, slowly, everything began to unravel.

Tony looked around, his vision still swimming from the shockwave, and the horror of what had just happened began to sink in. All around him, people were turning to dust. Wakandan soldiers, Avengers, civilians—all of them disintegrating before his eyes, their bodies breaking apart into ash and scattering on the wind.

"No," Tony whispered, his voice trembling.

He saw Steve stumble, his shield falling from his hand as he watched soldiers disappear around him. Natasha was on her knees, her face pale with shock as Clint vanished beside her, his bow dropping to the ground where he had stood just moments before. All around them, the battlefield was dissolving into nothingness.

Tony's heart pounded in his chest, his mind reeling. He had known what the Snap could do, had imagined the consequences, but seeing it unfold before him was a nightmare brought to life.

And then, his gaze landed on Shuri.

She was standing nearby, her face frozen in disbelief, staring down at her hands as they began to break apart. Her skin flaked away, turning to ash in the wind, her form disintegrating before Tony's eyes.

"Shuri!" Tony screamed, his voice breaking.

She looked up at him, her expression one of shock and sadness, as if she couldn't quite believe what was happening. Their eyes locked for one brief, terrible moment, and then, she was gone.

The ash scattered into the wind, and Tony was left standing there, his heart shattered, his mind screaming in agony. Everything felt cold and empty, the weight of the loss pressing down on him like a leaden cloak.

"No," he whispered again, sinking to his knees, his chest heaving as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.

Around him, the battlefield had fallen silent. Half of the Avengers were gone. Half of Wakanda's forces, half of the world—gone. Dust in the wind.

Tony stared at the spot where Shuri had stood, his mind numb, his body heavy with grief. He had failed. They had failed. Thanos had won.

The battle was over. Thanos was gone, the Infinity Stones having done their terrible work. The few Avengers who remained stood in the ruins of Wakanda, their faces etched with shock and despair. Steve, Natasha, and the others—those who had survived—looked around at the emptiness, the devastation, the loss.

Tony sat there, his hands trembling, his mind racing with thoughts of everything that had been taken from him in an instant. He couldn't move. He couldn't think. All he could do was feel the overwhelming weight of his failure.

Shuri was gone. Half the universe was gone.

And there was nothing he could do to bring them back.