When it came down to it, not a single one of the Celestials who had come to this universe to deal with Robert had actually died by his hands. That, in itself, was an irony.
It was also a harsh lesson—venturing into an unknown universe carried risks. Even beings as powerful as the Celestials, when venturing blindly, faced the possibility of complete annihilation.
Now that the Celestials were no longer a concern, Robert had no reason to waste time. The moment Thanos used the Space Stone to disappear, Robert had already locked onto his location and immediately pursued him.
Swish!
On a lush, serene planet brimming with life, Thanos' figure materialized.
This was his personal retreat, a place he had set aside for his retirement.
However, burdened with his self-imposed mission, Thanos had never truly been able to rest—this place had become more of a temporary sanctuary than a permanent home.
And now, his reason for coming here was simple: he intended to hide himself within a past point in time. Since he didn't know how long Robert would remain in this universe, he figured he might as well make himself comfortable.
Hmm?!
But the next moment, Thanos' expression changed drastically as he sensed an overwhelming sense of danger—one he was all too familiar with.
It was Robert.
Swish!
Thanos spun around, and there stood Robert, staring at him with an expression of mild surprise.
Robert wasn't shocked that Thanos had detected his presence. He was surprised that Thanos had chosen such a peaceful, vibrant world as his refuge.
"Why didn't you save them?"
Thanos didn't immediately attack. His left hand, poised to strike, remained frozen mid-air as he looked at Robert with confusion.
"Did you really think killing me was more important than saving them?"
"Why would I save them?"
Robert raised an eyebrow, chuckling as he looked at Thanos.
"I think you may have misunderstood something.
"Just because we came from the same universe doesn't mean we're allies. In fact, they were my enemies. They left our universe not out of exile, but because they feared my strength and sought to grow stronger elsewhere."
"...Is that so?"
Thanos slightly opened his mouth in surprise.
This was an unexpected revelation.
From his perspective, when he first encountered Robert alongside the Celestials, they hadn't seemed like enemies.
He had assumed they were sharing intelligence.
And in that, Thanos had not been wrong—Robert had been gathering information from them.
But exchanging words didn't necessarily make them allies.
After all, wasn't he and Robert doing the same thing now?
"You're not what I expected."
Robert scanned the lush landscape around them, speaking in a relaxed tone.
"I assumed someone as ambitious as you—a butcher with a mission—would be cold and ruthless.
"But here you are, choosing a planet filled with life as your retreat."
Robert narrowed his eyes.
"So what is it? Do you know you're going to die and just wanted to find a place to be buried?
"That might be difficult. Unless, of course, you're giving up without a fight. Otherwise, this planet isn't going to survive."
"People are not one-dimensional," Thanos replied, shaking his head slowly.
"I, too, desire a peaceful, rural life.
"I always imagined myself as a simple farmer, waking with the sunrise and resting at dusk."
Even as he spoke, the Infinity Stones embedded in his gauntlet flared with a blinding, multicolored light.
"But regardless of my personal desires...
"I will not surrender."
"Now that sounds more like a universal conqueror."
Robert nodded approvingly, though a playful smirk remained on his lips.
"But maybe it's because you don't feel close enough to death yet."
His aura surged, golden flames flickering around him.
"But I am curious—why are you so obsessed with wiping out half the universe's population?
"It wasn't enough for you to do it in your own universe.
"Now you want to do it in others?
"I can understand meddling in your own universe—fine. But what do other universes have to do with you?"
Robert narrowed his eyes.
"Of course, if you're just going to spout that same nonsense about limited resources and universal collapse, don't even bother answering."
Thanos' gaze flickered at Robert's question.
For a moment, it seemed like he wanted to say something.
But in the end, he remained silent.
Robert sighed in disappointment.
"It seems you won't tell me."
At that moment, a glint flashed in Thanos' eyes.
Before Robert could react—
Snap!
The sound of fingers snapping echoed through the air.
A terrifying wave of power erupted from the Infinity Gauntlet.
But this time, instead of raw energy, the Infinity Stones unleashed the full force of their cosmic rules.
Buzz!
It all happened in an instant.
Thanos' snap was even faster than his previous energy attack.
It was also far more insidious—more so than even attacks on the soul.
In that moment, Robert felt the universe itself rejecting him.
A terrifying force sought to erase him from existence—not through direct destruction, but through some unknown alteration, as if turning him into something that should not and could not exist.
But Robert had no interest in experiencing this mysterious "non-existence."
With a mere blink, he transformed into Super Saiyan God.
A radiant violet aura flared around him.
The energy of destruction—his own innate power—burst forth, clashing against the universe's imposed rules.
In an instant, the two opposing forces began colliding violently.
The very fabric of reality trembled.
Around them, the world suffered catastrophic consequences.
Fields of exotic flora disintegrated into dust.
Rivers and mountains crumbled into oblivion.
Thanos' breath came in ragged gasps.
Even after growing stronger, snapping his fingers still put immense strain on his body.
But as he looked at Robert—
His expression changed.
For the first time, true disbelief crept into his eyes.
Because Robert had transformed.
And even without clashing directly, Thanos felt the power of his new form.
For a brief moment, Thanos thought this was all an illusion—perhaps a hallucination triggered by the sheer energy of the Infinity Stones.
But as Robert's Destruction energy continued to push back against the Infinity Stones' authority—
Reality itself proved that this was no illusion.
Thanos' universe-altering rule was breaking.
"This... this is impossible!"
Thanos murmured, his mind struggling to comprehend what was happening.
The Infinity Stones' energy being countered was one thing.
But their rules?
That should have been absolute.
"How can any living being resist the rules of the Infinity Stones?!"
In theory, anyone wielding all six Infinity Stones could do anything.
Nothing was supposed to be impossible.
To possess all six Stones was to be invincible.
A universal constant.
Yet here Robert was, standing in open defiance of that law.
And worse—he wasn't merely resisting.
He was winning.
Pop!
A faint sound echoed across the universe.
A sound like a bubble bursting.
Across the cosmos, half the surviving life heard it.
But no one knew what it meant.
Not at first.
Even Thanos didn't immediately realize it.
But then he saw it.
Robert's violet aura had stabilized.
The battle between Destruction and the Infinity Stones' rule had ended.
And Robert had won.
Thanos instinctively looked at his gauntlet.
The Stones were dim, but intact.
Which meant he could snap again.
But the odds of success were...
Minimal.
Even so—
Determination flashed in his eyes.
If he couldn't kill Robert—
Then he would destroy the Stones.
He would ensure Robert never wielded them.
Snap—!
Before he could finish, a crack rang out.
Not the sound of fingers snapping—
But the sound of his arm breaking.
Robert had appeared before him in an instant, shattering Thanos' left arm before he could act.
Thanos barely flinched, gritting his teeth through the pain.
With his remaining hand, he swung his twin blades at Robert's head in one final act of defiance.
Crack!
Robert tore his arm clean off.
Thanos' blade missed completely.
Robert inspected the gauntlet in his hand, nodding in satisfaction.
"A bit messy, but it'll do."
Casually, he discarded Thanos' severed limb, then stowed the Infinity Gauntlet away.
______
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