The murmurs of the coffee shop soothed me. Yet it paled in comparison to the simple iced coffee before me.

Lin Huu Nguyen was not an incredible man when viewed on the simple scale of planetary life, but he was notable. In all of the multiverse, if a Lin Huu Nguyen, immigrant and café owner, opened shop, then it was of high standards.

In an inter-cosmic scale, Lin was incredible. Far more noteworthy then heroes and villains that came and went like fashion.

I chuckled as I focused on the simple drink before. Slow drip coffee, condensed milk, and ice. Nothing fancy, but there was a science to it.

The sweet and bitter taste intertwined as the cool liquid spread across my tongue and filled my world-senses. It was a melody that sang past my taste buds and into my gullet.

I closed my eyes and let it all wash over me.

I felt the portal, the deep energies of the power cosmic, but I ignored it. I simply mediated with the song of the coffee. A symphony that a connoisseur of any level could embrace.

I finished my drink, and I saw Mr. Nguyen shaking me. Violently if frantic attempts were anything to go by. I barely budged.

“Please, Sir. We now leave!” he screamed in relief as the final customer was now ready to escape towards safety.

I stood up and looked past the shattered window to a scene of chaos. Chitaurians if I wasn’t mistaken. I could be off since it been a while. I think I saw them three millennia ago?

The fact that my memory was hazy showcased how insignificant they were.

I walked out of the front door and placed a hand on Lin’s shoulder.

“Be safe,” I whispered along with a prayer. A tick of static passed between us and the spell of illusion would mask him from the flying menaces.

Lin Huu Nguyen stared blankly at the customer. He felt the light shock and then blinked as he watched him walk towards the glowing lights and loud explosions.

Lin wasn’t a coward, but he knew his limits. He grimaced as he ran. Perhaps this customer was like the avengers, or the fantastic four. A gifted one who could do something.

Lin ran away from the danger. He had stayed to ensure that all of his customers got out safely and now he had to do the same.

Eventually, he found an officer and was redirected to a safe house. He encountered no issues and quickly fell in with other New Yorkers. Huddled in fear and anxiety about what crazy thing was happening outside.

----------------------------------------

I watched as the Avengers assembled. Then their friends.

Asgardians. Avengers. Defenders. Dr. Strange. Fantastic Four. Guardians of the Galaxy. Ms. Marvel. Spiderman. X-Men.

I leaned back against the ledge as I watched from up high. My world-senses picked them up and I heard them crystal clear.

I smiled as I pulled out my second ice coffee. The second of four.

So many heroes to face off against one simple man.

Thanos. The Mad Titan.

I stared into the purple man and frowned. This Thanos was perhaps a fifth of what I had once faced. I was younger then and struggled in that deathmatch.

This one seemed unique even against all those facing him. One on one they stood no chance. But as a team? Luck would have a role today.

It began with a roar. The Hulk, tired of talking, bum-rushed the Titan. Which was dumb as the man simply punched the green brute into a distant building.

Hulk hit the building with enough force to plow through the next three as well.

I nodded as they all stayed stable.

The rest of the heroes jumped into action as they swarmed the man.

I watched as the two forces traded blows.

The Mad Titan was exactly as I remembered him. He reveled in wanton destruction as he simply tanked energy blasts, physical blows, and mystic nonsense.

Sure he was weaker, but his personality was on point.

The battle lasted for nearly an hour before the heroes were scattered around him. They were all still alive. Half due to Dr. Strange and Ms. Marvel pulling out their full power.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“So close, Heroes of Earth! You were close, but in the end, you were unable to protect this insignificant rock. I had expected more from you all,” Thanos monologue as he pried out Visions infinity stone.

“With this, I shall end it all for you,” Thanos promised as he raised his completed gauntlet into the sky. It shone with the power of the universe itself.

Captain America, Iron Man, Star-Lord, and the Hulk slowly got to their feet for their final showdown.

“I…” Thanos began and stopped, which caught the attention of the heroes as the Titan shifted his attention far up.

I finished slurping my third drink and blinked. Was I too loud?

“Who dares!?” he screamed as he pointed his power glove at me and the entire six floors under me exploded.

I rode the largest chunk to the ground. The large boardlike slab of concrete shattered as I landed.

“Hello Thanos,” I greeted as I tossed my finished drink at him. Oddly he allowed the plastic cup of ice to bounce off his head.

Which wasn’t fair as he now growled at me. If he was going to get angry at being disrespected, he really should try harder.

“An amusing final moment. Watch heroes as I kill the first of many,” Thanos growled out and the others screamed. I watched as the Titan leaped over.

Time slowed for me as my blood simmered and my fighting instincts surged.

I reached out, and with a gentle tap on his wrist. Thanos’s punch was redirected in a completely different direction.

Everyone stopped in shock as the punch took such a sharp left turn that Thanos bounced into the wall of the building I was just on.

As ever, Steve was the first to recover. “Who are you?” he asked as a few of the other heroes groaned as they came from unconsciousness.

“A friend, Mr. Rogers,” I replied with a smirk.

The bottom three floors of the building exploded. The rest of the office building fell backward and smashed into its neighbor. The construction was good and the first building simply crashed and sagged against it.

Well, sagged in millions of dollars in damages.

“Enough!” Thanos yelled as he once again leaped at me. This time he simply landed in front of me. The man was taller than me, but a touch shorter then the one I had killed.

The infinity gauntlet was impressive equipment, however. The energies of the universe were one hell of a power-up.

I stared into his black eyes and titled my head to the side. How should I kill this man? There were so many choices.

The gems glowed with his fury. He growled as more energy poured into him.

He punched me and I mirrored it. The two powerful fist impacted and everyone braced for impact. The Hulk tried it and was able to trade six times before he was blown away.

Our fists met, and there was nothing but the sound of either his metal gauntlet hitting mine or his flesh against my own.

Dr. Strange reacted first. He and Reed shared glances and they understood the gist of this event. Tony wasn’t too far behind.

It was simple. My energy and control were better than the Mad Titan’s.

I slid into my favorite combo. Liverblow. Double kidney shot. Jab. Jab. Dempsey Roll. Shin Shoryuken.

Titans and Humans had roughly the same physiology and it had worked on my Thanos.

My hooks dug into and then through Thanos’s crude boxing skills. I got in six shots before I finished it with my dragon punch and sent him arcing into the sagging building.

Alas. Thanos’s impact ruined whatever integrity the poor office had left and it too crumbled.

“Seriously. WHO are you!?” Tony screamed over the loudspeaker. I just looked at him and grinned. I knew it would drive him nuts.

“AAAHHHH!” a scream tore through the air and large chunks of masonry filled the air.

Huh. Sounded like Vegeta.

Wait… would a Kamahamaha work? But the Final Flash was cooler…

Thanos floated down before me again. His wounds were quickly healing and he was growling. His guttural sounds choked out as something flashed across his eyes.

Was that fear?

I stared at the infinity stones. Mind and Space were glowing the brightest…

Did my attack and energy signature resonate with the worshipper of death?

“Impossible…” Thanos whispered as he landed. The Mad Titan then took a step back as memories of his alternate self flooded him.

“Who. Are. You.” Thanos demanded. Fear ghosted across his face.

“Yes! An excellent question!” Tony chorused.

“I am just a man on vacation,” I replied with a shit-eating grin.

I had punched the Azure Knightmare in the face after he devoured the heart of Yggdrasil.

Now that was a fearsome monster.

“No. I will not let you end this dimension! I may have failed before, but I now possess all six stones!” Thanos raged as he focused and gathered enough power cosmic to even heal the heroes he had defeated.

“To be fair. You technically doomed that dimension by taking a poor risk,” I pointed out as I gathered my own energy. It gathered into a sphere and slowly grew into a giant energy shuriken.

If it worked on the god-form Azure Knightmare, it had to work on Infinity Thanos.

The sphere grew and condensed in a rhythmic pulse. Rasengan.

Then it began to twist and into a cone through the deep understanding of spiral power.

Rasengan Giga Drill.

“This is the drill that shall pierce the heavens!” I roared as I lunged forward. Thanos instantly created a dome barrier to protect himself.

Our two clashing energy created sparks and a hell of a lot of wind.

The assembled heroes watched in awe as my giant drill made of pure energy began to dig into the dome made by Thanos’s infinity gauntlet.

It slowly pierced into whatever energies the dome was made from. Thanos barely had time to widen his eyes. The energy shield wobbled and then it shattered into fluffy specks of multicolored light. 

Then I was right there. My fingers dug into his body as I unleash its true power.

Sprial Eruption Burning Fingers.

Thanos exploded. His carcass bounced twice before the stone began to regenerate its wielder. He slowly reformed and fell onto his knees when the gems had finished their work.

“We must stop him! He has killed another me before. He ended that dimension. That universe!” Thanos begged. His haggard voice was hoarse and fear ran through him.

He understood that he was weaker and any assistance would be necessary for survival.

Hell, he would even spare this planet and its solar system.

If they wanted to live, they needed to work together.

I just smiled as I pulled out my final iced coffee. Even if they ganged up on me. It wouldn’t make any difference. I just wanted to stop Thanos and protect my favorite café.

I wouldn’t turn away a royal rumble though. I would just have to take care to not overly harm the heroes. 

Vacations were only as fun as you made them.