Abyss Walker

As Heisenberg took off, he glanced at his right hand.

There wasn't even a scar left.

As long as he could bask in the sun, even if he turned into a mummy, he could crawl out of his grave and party!

Tucking his intact hand behind him, Heisenberg flew into the Avengers Tower through the damaged section he had created.

At the sight of him, Captain America instantly raised his shield, glaring fiercely.

Ant-Man quickly activated his suit, shrinking to the size of an ant in an instant.

But before they could act, Natasha and Barton stepped in to stop them!

Natasha then turned to Heisenberg, flashing him a charming wink.

Barton, standing beside her, said to Cap,

"I didn't expect you'd invited His Excellency Heisenberg too! This is fantastic!

I was just wondering how to properly thank His Excellency Heisenberg—he saved my life!"

As soon as Barton finished, Natasha turned back to counter his words.

"Barton, to be precise, he saved my life, because I could've jumped before you!"

"No way, I'd never let a comrade die in front of me, Natasha!"

"Same here, Barton!"

The two locked eyes for a brief, intense moment…

After a pause, they shared a smile, and the poignant atmosphere of vying to sacrifice themselves finally dissipated.

By then, Iron Man and Hulk had returned to the tower with the injured.

Seeing the tense Cap, Iron Man waved a hand.

"It's all one big misunderstanding. I'll explain later.

First, let's gather everyone. Do we have all the Stones?"

With that, the Avengers reluctantly lowered their guard and gathered around Iron Man.

Heisenberg, holding the staff and necklace, found a chair, sat down, and smiled.

Iron Man scanned the room.

"Cap and I brought the Time, Space, and Mind Stones!"

"Thor and I brought the Reality Stone. Luckily, it's with me!"

"Nebula and I brought the Power Stone. Nebula, you look… off. What's wrong?"

The weakened Rhodey barely managed to shout at Nebula, who, while nervously eyeing Heisenberg, pulled the Orb from her backpack.

Now, only the Soul Stone was missing.

Barton and Natasha turned to Heisenberg. Natasha smiled and pulled out the Soul Stone.

"You have no idea!" she said. "To get the Soul Stone, you have to sacrifice someone you deeply care about.

It could be family, a lover, or even a friend!"

At this, she bowed respectfully to Heisenberg.

Straightening up, she solemnly told the others,

"When I thought one of us—Barton or me—had to die, I thought we'd never return together like this.

Then Mr. Heisenberg appeared, along with two utterly unexpected allies!"

As she spoke, Natasha recalled the events…

…

2014, Morag,

Nebula piloted the ship Rocket Raccoon had lent them, landing on Morag's abyss-like surface.

Nebula and Rhodey disembarked as planned.

Natasha and Barton, after bidding them farewell, flew the ship toward Vormir.

The Soul Stone's altar was there.

Upon reaching Vormir, they trekked through mountains and valleys, finally climbing to the altar.

At that moment, their moods were surprisingly light.

Natasha, gasping for breath and stretching her exhausted legs from the climb, joked,

"I bet Rocket didn't have to climb!"

Hearing her quip, Barton sighed deeply, deadpan.

"Technically, he's not a raccoon."

"Whatever. They all eat trash anyway."

Natasha chuckled at her own joke.

Using the lame humor to ease their fatigue, they continued climbing the peak housing the Soul Stone. But before they took two steps, a deep, eerie voice echoed.

"Welcome."

At the sound, Natasha instantly drew her pistol, and Barton unsheathed his sword with a clang.

They warily looked toward the voice's source. From that direction, a figure cloaked in a black, death-like robe slowly emerged.

The figure regarded them calmly, detached.

"Natasha, daughter of Ivan.

Clint, son of Edith."

"Who are you?" Natasha asked softly.

The cloaked figure replied as he approached,

"I am the guide who leads travelers to the Soul Stone."

"Uh-huh. Just tell us where it is!" Natasha demanded cautiously.

Hearing her, the figure let out a soft scoff, then sighed.

"If only it were that simple."

The figure then led Natasha and Barton to the cliff's edge, where he explained the only way to obtain the Soul Stone.

The inevitability of one of them dying left them both grief-stricken.

But just as they were about to make their decision…

A dark shadow suddenly flashed across Vormir's sky!

With a roaring momentum, it crashed before Natasha and Barton.

They instantly raised their weapons, but the figure in black, layered armor, holding two people, showed no intent to harm them.

He first tossed the two people to the ground, pinning the ropes binding them with his foot.

Then, his helmet seemed to dissolve, transforming into molten lava that flowed from his head into the gaps of his armor.

Beneath the helmet, Natasha saw a face eerily resembling Keanu Reeves.

The face's owner smiled at them, saying,

"Travelers from the future, apologies for interrupting your farewell."

"Who are you?!"

"Heh, a Kryptonian living on Earth. You can call me Heisenberg."

Heisenberg kicked the two figures beside him, addressing them,

"As agreed, I'll release the one who retrieves the Soul Stone for me. Go!"

As he spoke, the ropes binding the two figures instantly melted, transforming into molten lava like his helmet, flowing back into the gaps of his leg armor.

Now, his lavish yet slightly damaged armor shimmered with mysterious lava-like glow in every seam.

Natasha couldn't help but glance at the exquisite armor.

Noticing her curiosity, Heisenberg smiled at them.

"Good eye. This armor is called the Abyss Walker—one of my favorites."

"Uh…" Barton paused. "I don't care about your armor. Who are you…?!"

Before Barton could finish, Natasha gently tapped him.

She pointed to the two figures running toward the cliff.

"Damn it, those two are Thanos's henchmen!"

"What?!"

Barton grew even more tense, but Heisenberg merely waved a hand.

"Relax, both of you. Instead of guarding against me, why not sit down and watch a good show?"

As Heisenberg spoke, Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight, the married couple, desperately raced toward the cliff.

Under Heisenberg's watchful gaze, Proxima Midnight ultimately won, leaping into the abyss just ahead of Corvus Glaive!

Afterward, as Corvus Glaive wailed in anguish over losing his wife, the Soul Stone quietly appeared in his hand.

But before he could admire the treasure exchanged for his wife's life, Heisenberg snatched the Stone.

Holding the Soul Stone, Heisenberg shook his head at Corvus Glaive.

"A shame. In the end, it was your wife's life that brought me the Soul Stone.

As agreed, I'll release your wife's soul, but I'll also end your useless life!"

As he spoke, Heisenberg drew the weapon strapped to his back—the double-headed spear that once belonged to Corvus Glaive, embodying his soul.

Before Corvus Glaive could resist, Heisenberg snapped the spear.

As the spear shattered, Corvus Glaive transformed into a black mist, vanishing completely.

"Tsk tsk, such a tragic couple. Together for millennia, yet unable to achieve eternal companionship."

Heisenberg sighed with a smile, then casually tossed the Soul Stone to Natasha.

Natasha, utterly surprised, froze in place.

Heisenberg, bored, remarked,

"Well, that fulfills an old wish of mine. Heh!

Also, Natasha, this hairstyle and color suit you best. Trust me!"

As he spoke, he reached out, ruffling Natasha's auburn hair in her stunned gaze.

Then, Heisenberg shot into the sky, vanishing without a trace.

…

Back at Avengers HQ, Natasha, recalling those memories, looked at Heisenberg with softened eyes.

Her explanation to the team melted much of their resentment toward him.

Only Heisenberg remained silent, pondering Natasha's words.

Apparently, his future self not only executed plans against Asgard but also struck a blow against Thanos's forces.

No wonder Nebula from the past glared at him with hatred—she clearly recognized him too.

But so what?

Heisenberg, expressionless, lounged in his chair, boredly addressing the group,

"You're really dragging this out. Isn't saving your universe more important than chatting here?"

With that, he casually tossed the staff and necklace to Iron Man.

Ignoring Iron Man's excitement at finally having all six Stones, Heisenberg sat unconcerned as the Avengers embedded the Infinity Stones into the gauntlet.

He paid no heed to Nebula's wary gaze or any schemes she might have against him.

After basking in the sun for three hours, Iron Man finally completed the custom gauntlet for the Infinity Stones.

The six Stones were swiftly slotted into their respective places.

Next came the uninteresting gauntlet scramble, as everyone seemed to believe they had a reason to snap.

But just then, Nebula's eyes flickered, and she proposed to the group,

"Everyone's fighting over who gets to snap, but shouldn't the power of the Infinity Stones belong to Earth's strongest?"

She directly shifted the topic to Heisenberg!

Heisenberg reluctantly opened his eyes, gazing at the sky outside the window. Without turning his head, he told Nebula,

"First, I'm a guest in your universe. Making me bear the cost of the snap doesn't seem like proper hospitality.

Second, I have no attachment to your universe. Can you trust me to snap without hesitation?

And finally…"

He sat upright on the sofa, calmly observing the sky.

In that instant, Nebula saw a shadow of her father, Thanos, in Heisenberg.

Heisenberg slowly continued,

"Finally, I'm waiting for a worthy opponent. So I must stay in top form!"