94. This Is My Fight Too

Tony and Captain came running in front of John.

"John, why are you here? You shouldn't have come," Tony said hurriedly.

"Why not? I also want to help—and I didn't come alone," John replied, pointing behind himself.

Thor, Natasha, and Clint stood there in amazement. Even though they were prepared, seeing another Thor—or a fat Thor—and another Hawkeye still felt unbelievable.

Tony looked behind John, and as his eyes fell on Natasha, he was momentarily distracted—but he said nothing. It wasn't the time for that.

"I know you want to help, but this is our fight," Captain said, then added, "and you have your own world to protect as well."

This wasn't the reaction John was hoping for, so he tried to argue. But another heavy voice interrupted their conversation.

"John Stark, your friends are right. You shouldn't have come here. But it doesn't matter. To save the universe, I am willing to destroy more than one Earth."

Hearing this, John slowly turned around and looked at Thanos.

"You know, I had my suspicions. Wasn't entirely sure—but now you've confirmed it yourself. You're from the same parallel world as me, aren't you?" John said. Without giving Thanos time to reply, he turned back to Tony and Captain and continued, "See that? That guy is from my world. So technically, this is my fight too. Now you can't stop me, right?"

Tony and Captain exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. At that moment, Fat Thor chimed in just in time.

"I think this new friend is right, and we don't have time to argue. They're coming."

Everyone focused their gaze ahead, and sure enough, Thanos's army had started charging toward them.

John looked at everyone and said, "Alright, I'm going after Thanos. Take care of the small fry."

Saying that, John used "Accel" and vanished in front of everyone, reappearing two meters in front of Thanos—who looked a little surprised, but only slightly.

As for why John went straight to Thanos—he'd been thinking about his physical strength lately and wanted to test his limits. Thanos was the perfect opponent for that, so John decided to fight him directly for now.

Stretching his arms and legs a little, John said to Thanos, "You have a very good intelligence network, you know? To find out about me—when even the people in my own world's government ignored me."

"I'm surprised as well, John Stark. I only knew that you were the brother of the genius Tony. I didn't expect you to be more of a threat than him," Thanos replied in his usual calm voice.

Even now, he didn't believe John would pose any real challenge.

"Alright then, let's start. I've heard a lot about you, so don't disappoint me."

---

John's body tensed as he activated "Boost" and "Accel" simultaneously. The moment stretched as his figure blurred into motion, appearing like a phantom in front of Thanos.

But the Mad Titan was ready.

CRACK!

Their fists met mid-air, and the sound of their collision echoed like a cannon blast. The shockwave flattened the land beneath their feet for a meter, and the nearest warriors stumbled, eyes turning toward the clash of titans.

Neither moved.

John gritted his teeth as pressure shot up his arm. Damn, that's a wall... He twisted away, spinning into a low kick—blocked. Thanos retaliated with a backhand that split the air. John ducked, his hair fluttering in the force of the swing.

The tempo escalated.

John darted in, his fists a blur—punch, elbow, knee, spin. He struck Thanos again and again, but every hit felt like slamming into a mountain. Thanos barely flinched. He blocked most strikes and countered with slow, deliberate force—each punch powerful enough to crater steel.

Suddenly, John got hit and was sent flying, skidding through rock and dirt, leaving a deep trench. He rose quickly, blood at the corner of his mouth, but smiling.

"You hit hard. I like it."

Thanos walked forward, calm as ever. "You talk too much."

John blurred again, reappearing behind Thanos, launching a barrage of rapid strikes. He weaved around the Titan, looking for blind spots, hammering at joints and pressure points.

It was like hitting reinforced concrete.

Thanos spun and caught John's wrist mid-strike. The sudden stop jarred John's entire arm. Thanos yanked him forward and drove a knee into his ribs. Bones groaned. Air fled John's lungs.

But instead of backing down, John pushed off Thanos's chest and flipped over him, landing behind with a desperate burst of speed. He struck at the back of the Titan's neck—

CLANG!

It felt like hitting vibranium.

Thanos turned slowly, almost unimpressed. "You're fast. But speed without weight is just wind."

John backed away, panting, his heart pounding like a war drum. He's not even going all out...

He shifted his stance and activated "Phase Dash"—a rare ability he learned in Ishan, one that bent his momentum at impossible angles. He vanished and reappeared diagonally, zigzagging like a lightning bolt toward Thanos.

Thanos missed the first blow.

The second struck him square in the chest.

BOOM!

Dust exploded outward as Thanos slid back half a step—for the first time, visibly moved.

John landed and dropped to one knee, gasping. His muscles burned, and his energy reserves were draining fast.

That's one hit. One damn hit that actually did something.

Thanos stared at him, brushing dust off his armor.

"Impressive," he said flatly. "You made me take a step."

John rose to his feet, wincing. "You're welcome. Step two's gonna hurt."

The two launched at each other again, colliding mid-air with thunderous force. They fought like gods—fists clashing, bones creaking, the earth itself trembling beneath them.

Each exchange was shorter now. Heavier. John was pushing his body beyond its limits, and it was beginning to show.

Thanos still looked composed. Focused. Relentless.

After twenty or so brutal clashes, they separated once again. John dropped to one knee, sweat pouring down his face, breath coming in short, ragged gasps.

Thanos stood tall, as if he had just finished a warm-up.

Seeing John's condition, Thanos said, "If this is all you've got, then prepare to pay the price for overestimating yourself."

John, having caught a little breath, became serious. He started planning his next move. He now understood that physical strength alone wouldn't be enough to defeat the giant standing in front of him.

The only reason he wanted to go head-to-head with Thanos was to see where his limits lay—and now he knew.

'There's no need to hold back anymore,' John thought inwardly.