98. The Fall of a Titan, The Silent End

John's eyes were on Thanos, who seemed to be in a state of shock. He couldn't believe that the person who was about to die had just survived miraculously.

As for John, even though his eyes were fixed on Thanos, inwardly he was checking his new strength.

At that moment, John noticed that his spiritual sea had transformed unlike before. Previously, the origin energy had been like mist spread all over the place. But now, in the middle of the spiritual sea, he saw a small pond about 20 meters in size. It was glowing with colorful light, and the light coming from the pond was enough to illuminate the surroundings.

John didn't have time to enjoy the scenery, so he just took a quick look around and once again prepared to face Thanos. He wasn't sure how much stronger he had become, but he wasn't going to underestimate Thanos again.

Without saying a word, John attacked first. He used his time elemental ability in battle for the first time.

"Time Stop."

It was the same ability he had used before without realizing it. The only problem was the energy expenditure. But it didn't matter. John wasn't going to prolong the fight anymore.

When the ability manifested, Thanos couldn't feel a thing. He didn't even realize that he had completely stopped moving. Only Carol, who was a little closer than anyone else, noticed something—but she was confused, not knowing what was going on.

John didn't stop after using Time Stop. He summoned the Sword of Judgment once again.

A massive sword appeared above him, and with a wave of his hand, it sped toward the unmoving Thanos.

Thanos, who was just beginning to come out of the time-stop ability, didn't have a chance to protect himself. The massive sword plunged right through his chest, and purple blood splattered all over the place.

When the Time Stop ability completely faded, Thanos found an energy sword lodged in his chest. He was in disbelief.

"What… happened..." he muttered.

Then he looked at John, who was on his knees for some reason, and still couldn't understand what had just happened. Even in the final moments of his life, he remained clueless as to how he had died.

When all signs of life completely faded from Thanos, the battlefield came to a standstill.

All the onlookers shared the same puzzled expression—wondering what had just happened. One second Thanos was completely fine, and the next, he had stopped moving, as if he had willingly accepted death at John's hands.

John, on the other hand, slowly stood up and walked toward Carol with slow, heavy steps.

"Shit, this feeling is uncomfortable. I just used two abilities and I'm already out of energy. I really have to be careful with space and time elemental abilities. I can't use them lightly," John muttered to himself as he arrived beside Carol.

Carol still felt horrible. She didn't have the strength to get up yet. John sat down next to her.

"Wait a little longer. I'm out of energy—otherwise, you'd be running by now. And… thank you for saving me," John said seriously.

John was sure that without Carol, he would have died. He had underestimated Thanos, and only through luck had he broken through amidst battle. He swore to himself that he would never let such a situation happen again.

Carol was still in a daze, her eyes fixed on Thanos's lifeless body. John wasn't sure if she had even heard him.

But he understood everyone's confusion. Time element was a mysterious force—and anything related to it, even more so. Still, he wasn't planning to explain himself.

---

John's eyes were still on Thanos's lifeless body. The glowing sword had already vanished. The battlefield had gone completely silent. No one moved. It felt like time had stopped again.

In the middle of that huge battlefield, with dust in the air and broken ground everywhere, John and Carol sat together. They had stopped fighting. They were just resting. But even then, no one dared to go near them.

It wasn't just respect—it was fear.

Even their allies, like the Avengers and Guardians, didn't move closer. They had seen something unbelievable. One second Thanos was standing strong, and the next, he was dead. Just like that. No last words. No final attack. He simply died.

And John—the man who did it—looked completely exhausted, like he might fall at any moment. But even in that state, everyone could feel the power around him.

Even though he and Carol weren't doing anything, it felt like they were still in control. A strange pressure surrounded them. No one wanted to break that silence.

Far away, Thanos's sons and daughters stood frozen. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Their father—Thanos, the one who had destroyed planets and ruled countless worlds—was lying dead.

The one they thought could never be defeated… had fallen.

They were shocked. Their will to fight disappeared. They didn't know what to do anymore.

That's when the Avengers saw their chance.

Captain America raised his shield. Thor held Stormbreaker tightly. Doctor Strange floated in the air, ready to attack. Without speaking, they all rushed forward.

This was the final chance to end everything.

The Avengers and their allies attacked with all their strength. Thanos's army started to fall apart. They were skilled, but without their leader, they had no courage left.

The Avengers, on the other hand, were filled with hope. They had just seen the strongest enemy fall. Now they had the power to finish this war.

The battle continued for another fifteen minutes.

Explosions lit up the sky. Energy beams flew across the battlefield. Screams and roars echoed. But the Avengers kept going, pushing forward again and again.

And finally… it was over.

The last enemy fell to the ground. The war had ended.

The sky, which had been dark and filled with smoke, began to clear. Sunlight broke through the clouds. Slowly, the battlefield became calm again.

Some warriors dropped to their knees, too tired to stand. Others looked up at the sky in relief. The war that had nearly destroyed the universe… was finally finished.

John looked up. "We won, huh..."

( If you think the Thanos saga is short, then you're in for a surprise. I just wanted to eliminate Thanos from John's universe for a reason. And one more thing—Thanos will return. But that's a story for later. For now, please enjoy the current story. )