A surge of crimson light engulfed the entire White House, twisting it into a blazing hellscape of molten red. Gilgamesh stood above Captain America with cold arrogance, his Scarlet Needle aimed directly at Steve's forehead—ready to strike at any moment.
If the attack connected, Steve Rogers' head would be obliterated instantly, vaporized by the sheer force of the energy.
Black Widow Natasha closed her eyes in despair, and even Tony Stark—usually never short of quips—found himself silently mourning his teammate.
A flash of crimson erupted. The violent ray seemed capable of erasing everything it touched. In an instant, the overflowing energy engulfed Captain America, leaving behind no ashes, no remains—nothing. Even his vibranium shield glowed red-hot, lying on the lawn like a branding iron, burning the grass beneath it with rising wisps of smoke.
Gilgamesh smirked, a cruel, disdainful curl of his lips. He turned his gaze toward the terrified Black Widow and the dying Hawkeye.
"Ah… a pair of doomed lovers. To die together—is it not a divine blessing?"
Crimson light flared again as Gilgamesh's emotionless voice echoed:
"Remember my mercy. In hell, proclaim the virtues of the God of Light to the demons."
"My divine light shall shine eternally upon the earth."
With another flash, Natasha and Hawkeye vanished, following Rogers into death.
Gilgamesh then pointed toward Tony Stark. A rare expression of disgust crossed his otherwise merciless face.
"Insolent vermin. Interrupting the conversation of gods… Allowing you to die simply would be far too forgiving."
"You… what do you want?" Tony forced the words out. He had just watched the man slaughter three Avengers without hesitation. Even Iron Man felt fear creeping in. He'd been prepared to die—but Gilgamesh's tone made it clear he had something far worse in mind.
All Stark had done was crack a joke about divine fashion. Was he really going to die over that?
Regret flooded him. Sure, his mouth tended to get him into trouble—but his previous victims had never been able to do anything about it. Now he'd finally run into someone who could. Someone who did.
And yet… if he had to relive the moment, Tony would probably make the joke again. It was in his nature—"I know I was wrong, but I'd do it again."
Gilgamesh was not amused.
"In the name of the God of Light, I condemn your soul to the underworld of Nephalem. From this moment forth, you shall know hunger, frost, disease, and unending winds. You will wander eternally—never to be reborn."
As he declared the sentence, a vortex erupted around Iron Man. The swirling force twisted and dragged him inward, bending his armor and body like clay—like a figurine being crushed and flushed into a sewer.
It was the legendary technique of Cancer Deathmask: Sekishiki!
Once invoked, the victim would be dragged to the gates of the underworld.
But the expected transition never came.
The vortex spun violently—then reversed, as if time itself rewound. Tony Stark, who had been moments away from being banished forever, suddenly returned to normal.
"You… what are you trying to do?" Tony asked again, forgetting entirely that he had just nearly ceased to exist.
Gilgamesh's expression darkened. Slowly, he turned.
Behind him stood the Ancient One, her bald head gleaming beneath the crimson glow, her immaculate orange robes fluttering gently. On her chest, the Eye of Agamotto pulsed with an eerie green light—its temporal magic still lingering in the air.
She had reversed time itself to restore Stark.
And before Gilgamesh's very eyes, she cast another spell—rewinding reality once more, resurrecting Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye as if their deaths had never happened.
This scene left Tony Stark completely stunned. Three men whose bodies had been utterly disintegrated—reduced to nothing but evaporated ash—were somehow alive again?
"You don't actually think I can't do anything to you, do you?" Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed dangerously on the Ancient One, killing intent radiating from him.
Did this bastard truly enjoy meddling in other people's affairs?
Unexpectedly, the Sorcerer Supreme remained unfazed. He first cast a spell to calm everyone's minds before turning to Gilgamesh.
"You just promised me you wouldn't slaughter innocent people at will."
Gilgamesh sneered. "If you step on ants, would you call them innocent?"
Hearing this, the Ancient One rubbed his forehead in exasperation. It's impossible to communicate with a madman like him. How did Odin survive dealing with such a scoundrel?
"You wiped out the Avengers, creating a future without hope. The impact on this timeline is enormous."
"These worthless fry represent hope?" Gilgamesh scoffed. He knew his actions would influence the future—but he was also part of this timeline. Everything he did was still a natural development.
The Ancient One was interfering simply because this wasn't the future he wanted.
Hearing this, the Sorcerer Supreme sighed deeply. For a moment, he even considered sending Gilgamesh to another planet—somewhere he could wreak havoc freely.
But Earth was linked to the Nephalem Realm, the place where Hela was sealed. Odin planned to release her soon… and leave the aftermath to Gilgamesh.
If she sent Gilgamesh away now, Hela would become his problem one way or another.
"Why be so ruthless? Haven't you already achieved your goal?" the Ancient One urged.
Gilgamesh immediately understood—she was referring to forcing Thor to awaken his latent power.
Gilgamesh fell silent. The Ancient One had the Time Stone. If they actually fought, he might not win. Until he broke through to the Tenth Sense, he couldn't simply ignore the Sorcerer Supreme's authority.
But if he just backed down like this—where would that leave his dignity? No… he'd at least leave a "souvenir" for the Avengers, so they wouldn't dare offend the gods again!
Thinking of a clever idea, he couldn't help but curl his lips into a mischievous smile.
"I can spare their lives, but they insulted the gods—and must be punished."
After speaking, Gilgamesh slowly turned toward the Avengers. The Ancient One didn't stop him; as long as it didn't catastrophically warp the future, he was willing to let them vent.
First was Tony Stark. The kid had once been proudest of his "playboy" reputation, boasting about "sleeping with brides every day and being a groom every night." Even if he'd settled down now… didn't he still have Pepper?