"Ahhh!!!!"

As Roger unleashed his heat vision, he roared with fury.

The sudden intensification of his heat vision exceeded what his eyes could endure, causing a sharp, stabbing pain as he unleashed the beams.

But Roger knew it was all worth it.

The golden-red heat vision was immensely powerful, piercing through Zombie Thanos's decaying body, shooting right through him!

Roger then jerked his head to the side, neatly slicing through Thanos's chest and left arm.

Only after severing the arm holding the Infinity Stones did Roger retract his heat vision. His eyes were bloodshot, his vision blurred, and he hovered in the air, not descending for a while.

The supercharged heat vision was powerful, but it also strained his eyes. Roger couldn't yet unleash its full potential; he needed a few more days of sunbathing.

After waiting for his eyes to recover, Roger finally descended and approached Thor.

As soon as Roger had split Thanos in half with his heat vision, Thor had wasted no time in smashing Thanos's head with lightning. He then walked over to the fallen Infinity Gauntlet, picked it up, and brought it to Roger.

"So... did we succeed?"

Roger glanced around at the nearby zombies, then grabbed Thor's shoulder and lifted him into the air to avoid the horde. He then said to Thor:

"I'd say so... but Thor, your hand..."

Turning to look at Thor, Roger noticed his arm was covered in wounds left by Thanos's grasp. Thor had held on, preventing Thanos from closing his fist and using the Infinity Stones, without defending himself.

Breathing heavily, Thor looked at his hands, then pushed the Infinity Gauntlet toward Roger.

"It's alright, didn't we succeed? Now... we just need the Mind Stone... and..."

Thor's voice grew weaker as Roger took the Gauntlet and put it on his left hand. He then said to Thor:

"Hang in there, I'll use the Space Stone to open a portal and find Vision!"

"I... I know... but, you need to let me go now."

Thor, barely holding on, patted Roger's shoulder and managed a faint smile.

"I won't last much longer. While I still have my wits, let me go and go find Vision immediately. Don't let me infect you, understand?"

"..."

Roger looked at Thor with mixed emotions.

He had only known the Avengers for less than a day, yet in that short time, they had accepted him as a comrade they could rely on, including Thor.

Roger felt the same. Compared to the people in the world of The Boys, he preferred these heroes of the Avengers. Fighting alongside them to save the world made him feel like a kid again.

Like the time he dreamed of becoming a hero.

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But now, as a hero himself, he had to abandon his companion.

"I understand."

Taking a deep breath, Roger nodded to Thor and, under Thor's relieved gaze, released his grip, letting Thor fall into the horde of zombies below.

Abandoning a comrade was wrong. The younger Roger, during his rebellious phase, would never have done this, but he was no longer a boy. He knew the importance of prioritizing.

Thor's zombification was irreversible. If even Thanos could be infected, Thor wouldn't hold out much longer.

To avoid being infected by a zombified Thor, Roger had to let him go temporarily and wait for Vision and the others to arrive.

After abandoning Thor, Roger looked toward the remaining Avengers. The sight of their horrific conditions made him close his eyes in pain.

All the Avengers, even Groot from the Guardians of the Galaxy, had turned into zombies. Their bloodthirsty, savage eyes were all focused on the lone living person in the sky.

The first to attack Roger was Hope, the Wasp. She enlarged herself, becoming a colossal figure that blotted out the sun, and reached out to grab Roger.

Roger easily evaded Hope's grasp, rising higher into the sky.

The only one who hadn't been infected and couldn't be infected, the Red Cloak, flew over from a distance, carrying a toy-like car.

The last remaining Avengers were hiding inside, unnoticed by the zombies.

"Alright, guys, it's time to find Vision."

Roger addressed the people inside the car, then raised his left hand.

With the oversized Gauntlet on, he clenched his fist and used the Space Stone.

Only after wearing the Infinity Gauntlet did Roger realize that its basic functions were already ingrained in him. He just had to clench his fist, and the Stones would activate without much thought.

No wonder Zombie Thanos could use the Infinity Stones. Although zombies, they still had some brain activity.

For example, Iron Man could still control his armor, Doctor Strange and Wong could still use their magic, and Zombie Ant-Man and Wasp could still shrink and enlarge freely.

As Roger pondered this, he activated the Space Stone, but as soon as the Stone lit up, his heightened senses detected something falling from the sky.

No, more accurately, something was flying down!

And it wasn't just one thing!

"Is that... Thor's axe!?"

One of the closer objects, which Roger could see clearly, was Thor's axe, which had been teleported away by Thanos. It was hurtling toward them at supersonic speed.

As soon as Roger saw it, the axe was already in front of him!

Seeing the axe made Roger think of something more. If the axe was flying back on its own, did that mean Thor had already turned into a zombie!?

"Roar!!"

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Roger heard a beast-like roar from where Thor had been in the horde.

Zombie Thor, accompanied by lightning, jumped up, grabbed his axe, and continued to charge at Roger.

But Roger didn't dodge the oncoming Thor. Instead, he raised his left hand again, and the Time Stone's glow shone brightly. The charging Thor was instantly returned to his previous position, just before he had jumped.

Back in his original spot, Thor looked confused, unaware of what had just happened.

With his simple zombie mind, he jumped up again, trying to 'eat' the big meal at the top.

Roger shook his head at the sight. This time, he didn't return Thor to his original position but instead looked up. During the standoff with Thor, the other object flying from the sky had almost reached them.

Now that it was closer, Roger could see what it was.

It was a person, a woman enveloped in a golden glow.

She plummeted from the sky without hesitation, slamming into Thor and sending him flying away from Roger.

Poor Thor was severely hit, his body embedded in the ground, creating a crater like a meteor impact.

The woman who had descended from space stood beside Roger, her expression stern as she asked him:

"You must be the Superman who called for help."

"That's me," Roger nodded, confirming the woman's identity, and asked, "So you're Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers? Did you come alone?"

"The ones calling themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy are on their way. I came ahead when I heard Earth was in trouble, so can you explain what's going on?"

"I'll explain everything that needs explaining, but that'll have to wait until this is over."

As Roger spoke, he closed the space portal he had opened earlier and continued:

"The one who can save Earth is here."

Carol followed Roger's gaze into the distance, where a S.H.I.E.L.D. jet was rapidly approaching.

Vision and the others had arrived.

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