Marvel : Super Soldier at the Start

"It seems you've made quite a few new friends—Earthlings, Avengers, a group of so-called heroes from a primitive little planet," Thanos said with a faint sneer. "I left something on Earth. I'll personally visit your little asteroid and take back what belongs to me." 

"It seems you don't quite understand your situation, Big Purple Potato," Tony Stark retorted, his tone laced with sarcasm. "If you want to visit Earth, you'll first have to deal with the problem right in front of you. You see, it looks like you're surrounded by us." 

Tony gestured behind Thanos, where Thor, Groot, and Rocket stood in a line, blocking his retreat. 

In front of him stood Tony, Natasha, Gamora, and Baby Groot. 

"Being swarmed by a few pesky insects is indeed annoying," Thanos replied with an arrogant smile, "but it hardly counts as a problem." 

*Boom!* 

Before Thanos could finish his sentence, an energy cannon fired at him from behind. Calmly, Thanos turned and used the Blade of the Dead to block the blast in front of his chest. 

Rocket had launched the first attack, cutting short any further exchange of words. 

"You talk too much. I'm not some hero!" Rocket shouted gleefully, opening fire on Thanos with a barrage of shots. 

The moment Rocket made his move, the rest of the team sprang into action. Despite their frustrations, none could afford to be careless. Thanos's reputation was too fearsome to ignore. 

Rocket's blaster, however, was little more than a nuisance to Thanos. After deflecting a few shots with his blade, he ignored Rocket's attacks entirely and instead spun his weapon to counter the lightning strike that came from Mjölnir. 

The Avengers' teamwork was as seamless as ever. As Thor launched his attack, Tony quickly closed the distance, combining two repulsor beams into a single, powerful white blast aimed straight at Thanos. 

Thanos glanced back at the incoming attack. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the spinning Blade of the Dead flying back toward Thor, cutting through the lightning and forcing him to dodge. The weapon's trajectory was so precise that it also blocked Groot, who had been charging to assist. 

Thanos then turned and deftly evaded Tony's blast, leaping high into the air and coming down toward Tony's group with terrifying force. 

Tony's repulsors were still charging when Thanos, now unarmed, came at him barehanded. 

Gamora and Natasha moved in from both sides to intercept. Gamora activated a nanotech longsword with a flick of her wrist, while Natasha brandished two short batons glowing with red energy. 

The two women coordinated to stop Thanos's advance, but their strength was far from his level. Thanos, unfazed by their weapons, countered their attacks with two massive fists. The sheer force of his punches sent both women flying several meters. 

Tony barely managed to retract his repulsors in time. His arc reactor glowed brightly as he began charging another energy blast from his chest, but before he could fire, Thanos grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. 

"Do you think this armor can protect you?" Thanos sneered, gripping Tony's suit tightly as if testing its durability. 

"Maybe," Tony's voice replied from inside his helmet, "but it's better than wearing nothing at all!" 

At that moment, the arc reactor finished charging. A brilliant beam of white energy shot out from Tony's chest at point-blank range. 

The blast was so sudden and close that Thanos couldn't dodge in time. Staggering back several meters, he was momentarily thrown off balance. 

Before he could recover, Baby Groot's arms extended into long vines, wrapping around Thanos's legs like rapidly growing ivy. The vines coiled tightly around his ankles and climbed up to his calves, binding him in place. 

"Hmm?" 

Thanos glanced at Baby Groot with mild surprise. With a slight flex of his legs, the vines around them began to creak and splinter under the strain. 

It seemed it wouldn't take much effort for Thanos to break free. 

Baby Groot let out a muffled grunt, channeling Thor's power within him. Two serpents of electricity surged down the vines, crackling toward Thanos. 

"Arrgh!!!" 

Though Thanos's skin was incredibly resilient, it wasn't entirely immune to electrical attacks. The unexpected jolt left him unable to muster enough strength in his legs to break free, throwing him off balance. 

With a resounding crash, Thanos fell to the ground. 

The group wasn't about to let such an opportunity slip by. Groot, the larger one, followed up with massive vines, far thicker than Baby Groot's. They wrapped around Thanos's arms and partially immobilized his chest. 

"Rrraaah!!!" 

Despite the lingering numbness in his legs, Thanos lifted his upper body off the ground, dragging the vines upward with sheer force. 

Both Groots instinctively increased their strength, trying to buy more time. 

Meanwhile, Thor summoned a massive lightning bolt from the sky. It struck Thanos square in the chest with a deafening crack. 

The larger Groot quickly retracted his vines before the lightning struck. Unlike Baby Groot, he didn't have Thor's power running through him and couldn't withstand such an attack. 

As the vines loosened, Thanos attempted to rise, only to be hit directly by the lightning. He managed to raise his hands, partially absorbing the brunt of the energy. 

Once the lightning dissipated, Groot seamlessly re-engaged, his vines once again wrapping around Thanos. Thor leaped high into the air, Mjölnir in hand, aiming directly for Thanos's head. 

Unfortunately, Thanos's body was as indestructible as ever. The relentless attacks left him slightly stunned but caused no significant damage. 

Before Groot's vines could fully ensnare him, Thanos roared in fury. With a mighty effort, he forced himself upright, rolling aside just in time to evade Thor's hammer strike. 

Not only did he avoid the blow, but Thanos also swung his arm in a wide arc as he rose. His forearm caught Thor, who had just landed on one knee in a dramatic pose with his hammer planted on the ground. The force of the blow sent Thor flying into a nearby metal structure, which collapsed with a cacophony of crashing debris. 

Thanos tore Baby Groot's vines from his legs with his left hand, while his right hand reached out and grabbed Tony Stark by the ankle as Iron Man flew in for another attack. 

With a casual flick of his wrist, Thanos hurled Tony sideways. The armored hero crashed into Gamora and Natasha, who had been rushing forward to rejoin the fight. 

Rising fully to his feet, Thanos glanced behind him but paid no attention to Rocket, who was still firing potshots from a distance. 

As Groot swung a massive arm toward him, Thanos caught the punch mid-air. Planting his foot firmly, he stomped down hard, ripping Groot's arm clean from his body. The severed limb hurtled toward Rocket, forcing him to dodge as the mangled remains of Groot crashed near him. 

"The Avengers," Thanos said with a mix of mockery and admiration. "No wonder that idiot Loki lost to you on Earth. You're more amusing than I expected. But in the end, you're just small bugs versus slightly larger ones." 

Retrieving the Blade of the Dead, Thanos spun it effortlessly in his hand as he began walking toward the group. 

Gamora's heart sank as she caught the look on Thanos's face. She knew all too well what it meant. Thanos was about to get serious. 

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