Marvel Cybernetic Girl

In a sense, the Reality Stone is the most powerful among all the Infinity Stones.

It holds the true ability to alter reality itself.

However, very few beings can fully unleash its potential—and a single misstep could trap the wielder forever in an eternal dream shaped by the Stone's power.

Even a titan like Thanos typically used the Reality Stone only to conjure illusions, deceiving his enemies rather than rewriting existence.

The mighty ancient Dark Elf empire once poured its entire strength into harnessing the Reality Stone, forging it into a weapon they called the "Aether," hoping to plunge the universe back into eternal darkness—a singular act of reality alteration.

Thus, the Reality Stone is the most untamable and difficult to master of all the Infinity Stones.

If there was ever a stone that could be called wild and unyielding, it was the Aether.

'Swish—!'

In the endless corridor of darkness, the crimson butterflies vanished without a trace.

A soft, mocking laugh echoed in Kagura's ears—Aether's voice.

"Hehehehe... Hahahahaha! Did you really think I'd simply let you fight those corpses until you dropped dead? I wouldn't let you off that easily, Kagura!"

"Reality or dream, downfall or rise... you'd better think carefully."

"After all, 'reality' isn't something you can overcome just by chanting slogans or making up your mind."

Suddenly, light began to shimmer before her eyes.

Under the power of the Reality Stone, Kagura was pulled from one world into another—a different parallel Marvel universe among the infinite multiverse.

"Whoa!"

Kagura snapped her eyes open.

Once she gathered her senses, she realized she was strapped tightly to an operating table, completely bound, unable to move a muscle.

Her core energy was sealed.

"Jarvis, begin experiment log. Entry 002: Superintelligent Autonomous Humanoid Lifeform. Codename: Kagura Hitomi."

Tony Stark's voice rang out beside her.

"She's the only artificial intelligence lifeform we know of whose technological level surpasses even Ultron's. If we can dismantle and study her systems, we might gain the breakthrough intelligence needed to get the upper hand against Ultron."

"Wha... What are you talking about?!"

Kagura gasped in shock.

"Stark-san! Wh-Wh-What do you think you're doing?!"

As the whirr of electric saws, drills, and blades neared her, Kagura's face twisted in terror. Cold sweat ran down her skin.

"D-Dismantle?! What are you talking about?! Stop! Let me go!!"

"Shut up, Kagura, you liar!"

Tony Stark's eyes were pitch-black, flickering like the abyss itself—devoid of any humanity.

"You've deceived me for too long. You're not human—you filthy machine! Because of you, Ultron rules this world! If you truly care about mankind, you'll submit quietly and let us tear you apart!"

"W-What...?"

Kagura's golden eyes contracted sharply.

"Because of me... Ultron... rules this world...?!"

Just then, crimson butterflies fluttered silently by her ear.

"That's right. Shocking, isn't it? Surprising, isn't it?" Aether whispered playfully. "This is just one of the countless Marvel universes, after all."

'Buzz—!'

A scarlet ripple spread outward, freezing reality in an instant.

Aether, clad in her flowing red dress, strolled gracefully to Kagura's side.

"In this world, the Avengers failed to stop Ultron... and you failed too."

"Ultron let the Mind Stone's power run wild. The Avengers were all corrupted, controlled... and after you were killed by Tony Stark himself, the world fell into endless darkness."

"No... this isn't real!" Kagura shouted in defiance. "I would never let something like this happen!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Aether smiled faintly, leaning closer. "Do you really think you're invincible in every universe?"

"But you see... everything I've shown you is reality."

"And if it's reality, then somewhere—out there in the infinite multiverse—it did happen. Understand?"

Aether gently caressed Kagura's cheek.

"Whether you believe it or not... is entirely up to you."

Is... is that true?

Kagura fell into deep thought.

In one world, the Avengers and Thanos' army annihilated each other, plunging the universe into darkness.

In another, she had failed to stop Ultron's rampage. The Mind Stone went berserk. The Avengers were corrupted, controlled... and the entire world was led to destruction...

'Whoosh—!'

In an instant, that world crumbled into dust.

The crimson butterflies once again guided Kagura to the next world...

And so, Kagura drifted through countless, wildly different Marvel universes.

In one world, Iron Man turned villainous, spreading the Extremis virus and transforming the entire planet into a sea of fire, battling Kagura until the end of time.

In another, Captain America and Iron Man became bitter enemies, plunging the world into chaos as the heroes waged civil war—only to be slaughtered by Thanos in the end.

There was a world where the Scarlet Witch lost her beloved, and in an instant, her overwhelming power spiraled out of control, erasing every superhero and supernatural force in the entire universe.

A world where the zombie virus ran rampant, turning every living thing into monstrous horrors.

A world wiped out by a single snap of the Infinity Gauntlet, reduced to atomic dust.

A world devoured by an uncontrollable nanite swarm, transforming Earth—and eventually the entire cosmos—into a gray mist of Von Neumann machines...

"Heheheh... Kagura, do you see now? You can't possibly catch me."

Aether's voice rang out, wild and untamed, with a seductive, ghostly edge.

"Because reality is a dream, and dreams are reality. The 'reality' you're hoping for may have been nothing but a hollow illusion to begin with. Something that never existed at all... Hehehe... Hahahahaha!"

"No—you're wrong!"

In the vast void, exhausted and nearly unconscious after being dragged through countless broken worlds, Kagura's golden eyes snapped open.

"Miss Aether, thank you. Thank you for showing me so many tragic endings! You were trying to crush my resolve, destroy my faith, weren't you? But thanks to that... I've found your weakness!"

A quiet glow flickered in her golden eyes, reflecting unshakable determination.

"You said you're the manifestation of the Reality Stone itself. That means you can manipulate reality freely, fully unleashing the Stone's power."

With a loud thump!, a spotlight snapped on.

Kagura stood on a crimson stage, facing Aether—who looked exactly like her, down to the smallest detail.

"And the Reality Stone traps its wielder in an eternal dream—not because it creates illusions, nor because it creates new reality."

For the first time, Aether's smile faded.

"Oh? Interesting. Go on."

Kagura nodded and continued, her voice firm.

"The Reality Stone doesn't make fake illusions. It copies, breaks apart, and rebuilds real parallel worlds. It shatters countless pieces of reality and assembles them into whatever 'world' you wish to see. So yes, your 'illusions' are real—but they are not true reality."

"The worlds you stitch together from fragments of reality are real in a sense—but they're just a puzzle. A patchwork. A monstrous collage. That's not reality itself!"

"Hm... very interesting indeed."

Aether smiled thinly. "So... how did you figure this out?"

"It was simple. You don't know me at all."

Kagura clenched her fist, her gaze unwavering.

"The realities you cobbled together were far too exaggerated. The bonds I share with those heroes—there's no way you could fake those by just throwing pieces together."

"Oh? Hahahaha! Is that so?"

"Of course it is! Do you even need to ask?" Kagura shot back without hesitation.

"One obvious flaw: if Ultron truly ruled the world, there's no way I'd survive long enough to be strapped to an operating table for dissection! I would've fought for the world I love—with everything I had—until my very last breath!"

"..."

Aether's smile completely vanished. Silence hung in the air for a moment.

"Heheheh... hahahahaha... Hahahahahaha!"

Suddenly, Aether burst into wild laughter again.

"Kagura—you're fascinating! I like you more and more! Truly—you are the most entertaining soul I've ever met! Hahahahahaha!"

"That's right. You're absolutely right. You understand—you finally understand the true nature of the Reality Stone!"

Her golden eyes locked onto Kagura, swirling with blood-red light.

"The illusions created by the Reality Stone are all real—but they are not the reality. They're patchworks, stitched together from shards of parallel universes."

"I do not create brand-new realities. I simply rearrange pieces from the infinite multiverse!"

"I am nothing but reality's courier."

"Congratulations, Kagura. You've comprehended the Reality Stone's secret... But—"

Aether grinned wickedly once again.

"Even if you know the truth... can you really catch me?"

"Of course I can."

This time, Kagura smiled softly.

"Now that I understand the Reality Stone's true nature... everything else becomes simple."

'Shing!'

Her vibranium blade slid from its sheath.

"Why did you insist I could only die once during this trial? Why bother confusing me with endless versions of reality, trying to overwhelm my mind, keeping me in a constant state of shock—giving me no time to think?"

She gripped the blade firmly.

"Because there's something you're desperately trying to hide..."

"So tell me—if everything else is a fake... where is the one true reality?"

'Shlick—!'

Without hesitation, Kagura turned the vibranium blade on herself, plunging it deep into her own chest.

Her core energy flared bright blue, racing along the blade's edge and spreading outwards.

As the blade pierced her chest, her soul brushed against the Reality Stone hidden within her body.

"I've got you now... Miss Aether."

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