"It has something to do with Malrick too? Why?" Holland's Spider-Man looked baffled.
"It's because of the Mind Stone," B-15 explained calmly.
"Superman crossed into a parallel universe and removed the Mind Stone. That action triggered Thanos's abnormal behavior."
She crossed her arms as she continued, "Even though Thanos was always ambitious and relentless, Malrick's interference was the spark. In the Multiverse, even the smallest change can become a world-ending storm."
She turned to Malrick. "In both the old TVA and the current one, Superman, your actions qualify as Time crimes."
Malrick shrugged lightly. "Then I should thank the TVA for not dragging me away instantly."
He looked at the massive display ahead of them. "Relax. I'll fix it."
B-15 gave a dry laugh. "The Celestials' Judge said you already exist as a conceptual entity. We wouldn't dare arrest something like that."
Her expression hardened. "But I have a recommendation. If you continue involving yourself in other universes, do it as a conceptual entity. And don't remove anything."
"Taking objects from alternate timelines changes their future, destabilizes causality, and increases cross-universe entanglement. Too much of that can cause universes to collide."
She pointed at Holland's Spider-Man. "Many Doctor Stranges interfered repeatedly with other universes. Their actions triggered multiple universe collapses. The TVA had to send Spider-Men to arrest dozens of variant Stranges."
The young Spider-Man nodded seriously. "I've already arrested three. One tried to resurrect Christine, another tried to bring back his girlfriend… honestly, they were all trying to resurrect their girlfriends."
"Devotion at that level? He's almost as loyal as me," Tony said proudly.
"Let it go, Tony," Malrick replied, unmoved by Tony's self-praise.
Having understood everything, Malrick exhaled and formed a plan.
"Alright. First step is the first Thanos."
He took two Time Pads from Holland's Spider-Man and opened a portal.
"How are we doing this?" Holland asked as he followed him. "Going straight at him? Last time we fought Thanos, half the planet showed up."
"No. First we gather the Infinity Stones from my universe," Malrick said, stepping through.
"Oh! Right. You can only counter Infinity Stones with more Infinity Stones. Too bad the ones in our universe were destroyed by our Thanos."
Holland entered behind him, followed by Tony and Wanda.
B-15 watched them leave, silent for a moment before pressing a button on her console.
A surveillance recording appeared.
In the footage, TVA agents activated the Time Crusher, attempting to delete the timelines containing the uncontrolled versions of Thanos. The Time Crusher, powered by matter-antimatter annihilation, was the TVA's ultimate failsafe. It could erase an entire timeline at once.
But the moment the Time Crusher's energy struck the universe Thanos occupied, he snapped his fingers and nullified it instantly.
His awareness shot upward, and he began searching the cosmos for the TVA's location. Without the TVA's suppression field, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
The video ended.
B-15 let out a long breath. "Once the Stones combine, even the Time Crusher becomes useless. This time, we really can only rely on Superman."
...…
When Malrick and the others returned to Earth, not a second had passed.
They appeared back at Tony's wedding.
Malrick closed the portal casually and spoke quietly to the three beside him.
"You all stay. Continue the wedding."
Tony blinked. "What? No chance, you're not leaving me behind now, kid—"
"Tony," Malrick interrupted, "I know saving the world matters to you. But Pepper deserves this wedding. It's once in a lifetime."
He didn't give them time to argue. "I'll collect the Stones first. Then I'll come back for you."
Malrick vanished before anyone could react.
Tony exploded. "No! Absolutely not! You can't just— damn it!"
He spun toward Holland. "Open a portal! We're going back to the TVA right now!"
Holland removed his mask carefully. "I can't. Malrick took all the Time Pads. We're stuck."
"No backup? Nothing for emergencies?" Tony demanded.
"No. I only had one. Deadpool's was grabbed by Malrick too."
Tony clenched his fists. "Damn it!"
"Tony? Oh, Peter! You made it! That's wonderful." Pepper approached them with a bright smile.
Tony froze, forced a grin, then put an arm around Peter. "Of course. Peter insisted on coming. Big fan of mine."
Peter nodded awkwardly, smiling too hard.
Wanda managed a soft smile as well, though worry flickered behind her eyes.
...…
Outside Earth, Malrick hovered in the void.
"Reality Stone first."
His palm shined with five colors: blue, red, yellow, green, and purple.
"In What If…, Gamora's Stone Crusher couldn't destroy Ultron's Stones. That proves Stones from different universes vary. The strongest set comes from one universe alone."
He had four; he needed the last two.
"The Reality Stone was sealed in a dimensional pocket on Earth by the previous king of Asgard."
He swept his hand through space. The fabric of reality thinned like chalk being erased.
Using the Stones as guidance, he quickly located the hidden dimensional layer.
A few gestures later, the sealed boulder inside the pocket dimension aged and crumbled away. The Aether surged out like a crimson tide.
As it neared Malrick, it turned violent, spreading like a living curtain trying to invade his body.
Malrick flicked his wrist, and the violent substance went still, like a predator suddenly aware it wasn't the apex.
With a thought, the Aether compressed into a single scarlet gem.
"Reality Stone secured."
He drew the Stone into his internal space. The glow from his palm faded.
"Next is the Soul Stone. Which means it's time to find Thanos."
Before doing that, he glanced toward Earth and sliced open space.
Two figures tumbled out.
Gamora and Nebula.
Covered in mud from head to toe, wearing waterproof farm gear, smelling strongly of magical-creature waste.
Behind the spatial cut, Kamar-Taj's pocket world was visible, along with towering piles of dragon droppings. Two pitchforks stood beside them.
They had clearly been cleaning.
"Gamora, Nebula. You two have tried escaping for a year." Malrick raised a brow. "If you want freedom, help me, and you'll get your chance."
They had been captured by the Super Skrulls after Thanos's defeat and dumped, embarrassingly, at Malrick's feet. Malrick had almost reversed time just to forget the awkwardness, especially with Kara right there staring at him like he was some kind of creep.
To protect his own reputation, he immediately had Tony take them. Tony, under Pepper's watchful eye, passed them to Wong. Wong assigned them to creature-cleanup duty in the Kamar-Taj pocket world.
For a year, they did nothing but shovel dragon waste.
Attempting to escape led only to Hulk beating them back into obedience.
Now both floated helplessly in Malrick's spatial hold. Nebula was unfazed, being mostly machine. Gamora, however, began suffocating immediately.
Her skin swelled painfully; death crept in fast.
"Gamora!" Nebula struggled, unable to move even a finger.
Malrick sighed and warmed the pocket of space around them, restoring air and temperature.
Gamora gasped violently, pressing against the invisible wall, trembling.
"What do you want from us?" she demanded, voice shaking.
"Help me get the Soul Stone," Malrick said while tracing a circle to open another portal.
"Impossible," Gamora said sharply. "No one knows where it is. Throw us back into the dragon pens if you want, but we can't help you."
"Throw you back? What, are you attached to dragon waste now?"
Malrick looked genuinely confused.
"Or maybe you've gotten comfortable with a quiet life, even if it smells awful."
The portal completed. The passage connected to a massive warship.
"You can refuse if you want," Malrick said as he stepped through and pulled them with him, "but I'm not accepting refusals. You're still prisoners."
In the command chamber of the ship, Malrick faced the tall figure in the main seat.
Thanos.
And Malrick spoke quietly, "Let's begin."
---