Loki had, of course, seen Thanos before.
Throughout the cosmos, the Purple Boy's name carried weight. Some even called Thanos the tyrant of the universe. In the years since Asgard halted its conquests, Thanos had seemingly taken on the role of balancing life and death. He waged war across the stars, delivering death to race after race. But he didn't pursue total genocide—he killed exactly half.
His rationale was simple: the universe's resources were finite. If life multiplied without restraint, it would one day consume everything. So he would impose control, ensuring those who remained lived better lives. To achieve that balance, he would become that destiny.
Who knew if he was talking nonsense? By Earth's own theories, exterminating half a population could actually trigger an explosive population surge in the short term. Then again, perhaps other cosmic races bred differently. Take the Frost Phantoms—they reproduced only once every few decades, and each time their offspring were strictly limited. If that were the case, Thanos's actions might hold a certain logic.
But at this moment, none of that mattered.
Because Thanos was here.
At Loki's words, everyone's heart sank.
Only Supergiant breathed a sigh of relief. Truth be told, she didn't care about her own life, but the Mind Stone in her possession could not be lost. Thanos arriving personally was enough to bring this war to a close.
Supergiant smiled and said to Loki, "The war is indeed over."
"But we are the ones who won."
In the sky above, countless warships spread out in formation, their oppressive black masses blotting out the heavens like the dense storm clouds of a tempest, suffocating to behold. Then a brilliant beam of light descended from the flagship, and from within that light strode the towering Thanos. He wore golden armor, his entire body purple, his chin like a purple yam.
"Thanos…"
Loki sharpened his vigilance to its peak. Even wielding the power of Thor, he could not guarantee victory against Thanos. To say nothing of Thanos's armies. If the battle dragged on, Earth stood no chance.
"I must thank you, Loki." Thanos showed no anger over his children's failures. Or rather, he usually did not tolerate foolish failure, but this time was different. Black Dwarf and Ebony Maw had already paid the price. "If not for your help, my fleet could not have reached Earth so quickly."
He was referring to the intelligence about the Plumbers he had extracted from Loki at the time of his capture. Through that, he naturally also learned that Plumber engines were exceptionally advanced. He had then studied the ship Raksasa had arrived in, obtained the blueprints, and only afterward allowed Loki to leave. Ever since, he had been upgrading the engines of his own starships.
Hearing Thanos's words, everyone turned furious glares on Loki. It truly wasn't his fault, but Loki felt he could hardly escape blame.
Thanos's gaze swept over the heroes and finally rested upon Supergiant. His stare carried the weight of a mountain, rendering everyone too afraid to make a move.
But surprisingly, Thanos had no intention of attacking. In truth, he didn't want to fight on Earth at all.
Earth nominally belonged to the Nine Realms of Asgard. If he'd only dispatched Chitauri soldiers, the aged Odin likely wouldn't stir. But if he personally launched a war, that old man would probably mount his warhorse, hoist his spear, and come stab him in the heart. The Bifrost might arrive at any moment.
Fighting Odin—Thanos hadn't lost his sanity.
Of course, he wasn't afraid, because he knew he could not die. Death had rejected him long ago; even if he perished, he would one day rise again. Thanos only feared failing to fulfill his destiny, failing to offer living tributes to Death.
"Relax, everyone." He spoke softly, his tone so gentle that he sounded less like a ruthless man bent on enforcing universal birth control and more like a kindly old farmer. "I only want to take my daughter with me."
For a moment, the heroes looked at each other. They had already steeled themselves for what could be an unimaginably brutal battle. Who could have foreseen that Thanos not only wouldn't fight, but would even abandon his original objective and only seek to take Supergiant away?
Now the heroes' opinions were clearly divided. Steve felt that, since Thanos wasn't going to press the fight, they might as well let Supergiant go, lest the war escalate beyond their ability to stop it.
Tony, however, saw things very differently.
"Don't even think about it, you purple yam-head!" he shouted, jabbing a finger at Thanos. "You think Earth is your marketplace, where you can come and go as you please?! Let me tell you something!"
Gnashing his teeth, Tony took a step toward Thanos and roared with fury, "You can start a war anytime you want—but stopping it? That's not up to you!"
Thanos wasn't angered. He simply replied with calmness, "Ordinarily, it is up to me."
Because in the past, he only laid down his blade after slaughtering every last warrior on a planet. Those left behind had long since lost the courage to keep fighting.
"Not here!" Tony said stubbornly.
Supergiant spoke up. "You've halted Thanos's army—surely that will make you renowned across the universe. Isn't that enough?"
"Tony…" Even Rhodey was urging him not to be so rigid. The current situation was overwhelming. Frankly, even counting the Plumbers, they had little combat strength left. If they kept fighting, it might end in a humiliating defeat.
But Tony refused to budge. He pointed at Thanos's head and said, "Do you really think this Purple Boy will just give up on getting the Tesseract? If we let them leave today, Earth will live under a permanent threat!"
At those words, everyone fell silent.
After a moment, Steve looked up, strapped his shield onto his arm, and said, "Tony's right."
Then he stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Tony. In that moment, two mortals stood side by side, like a wall of iron and blood built from human flesh.
"Cap… you too?" Rhodey was utterly exasperated. He knew perfectly well that letting Thanos go would bring endless trouble, but right now, Thanos's army had a blade pressed against their throats. Guarding against thieves for a thousand days might be painful, but it was still better than getting your throat slit on the spot. Besides, once Thanos left, they could regroup, and next time they might not lose.
But since Tony and Steve, for once, were in full agreement, the rest of the Avengers—and heroes who weren't Avengers—naturally had nothing more to say.
Loki's Mjolnir began to spin.
Seeing this, Thanos couldn't help but frown. He said in a low voice, "I gave you a chance."
The moment he spoke, the warships in the sky instantly shifted into attack mode. All weapons deployed, and countless enormous donuts revealed blades. The moment they dropped, Earth would become a meat grinder.
Thanos didn't want to fight on Earth, but that didn't mean he truly dared not. Odin was mighty, but let's not forget—Supergiant still held an Infinity Stone.
"You few, and you really think you can stop me?"
"Who told you we're fighting alone?" Loki shot back.
His words immediately put Thanos on alert.
"What? The All-Father intends to join this war?"
"No." Loki shook his head. Then the corner of his mouth curled up. In the next instant, he raised the blue Tesseract high.
"I'm talking about… the King of Sakaar!"
Space before him tore apart in a heartbeat! A blue energy storm swirled into a ring, and the frozen winds of Jotunheim swept in across millions of light-years!
BOOM!!!
A thunderous roar. Then two mangled blue figures were hurled out of the portal, rolling like lumps of mud before Thanos's eyes. Thanos even froze for a moment before Supergiant recognized them.
"Proxima Midnight!"
"Corvus Glaive?"
The two unrecognizable lumps were none other than Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive, the ones Thanos had previously dispatched to deal with Luma. But now, Corvus Glaive had already stopped breathing. The blade that housed his soul had long since shattered. Proxima Midnight still had one final breath, but after casting a sorrowful glance at Thanos, she too ceased to breathe.
Watching his own children die before his eyes, even Thanos felt a trace of sorrow. In truth, in his early years, he had sired many offspring across the universe, but he cared little for those who carried his blood. It was the adopted ones—like Proxima Midnight—raised and trained by him from childhood, who mattered.
Yet before he could mourn these two deaths, heavy footsteps echoed from the portal. Thanos looked up and saw two crimson figures emerge.
It was Ben, transformed into Four Arms, and Red Wind Queen Luma.
Not only that. A brilliant light flared in the sky. A massive warship instantly materialized behind Thanos's armada. On its hull, the black-and-green Plumbers' insignia gleamed brilliantly. At the very forefront stood Bill, and behind him countless Korbinites and the gladiators from the arena.
"I am Beta Ray Bill, Plumber Peace Officer!" Bill's voice thundered across the entire planet through the ship's systems. "Surrender immediately, Black Order! The great King of Sakaar and the Plumbers have arrived! This planet is now under the protection of the King of Sakaar! Withdraw from this world, or you will be considered to be declaring war on the Plumbers!"
Bill's domineering voice and his fearsome visage were projected directly onto the sky above. Meanwhile, on the ground, Ben's entire body erupted with crimson lightning, his mountain-like red form standing before Thanos.
"Still wanna fight, Thanos?" Ben's voice rumbled with thunder!
The power was immense. Thanos sensed it, and he was almost certain that Four Arms, having mastered the Ancient Power, possessed strength no weaker than his own. Add in Luma, Loki, the giant warship, the Space Stone…
His advantage had vanished completely.
Fight?
Screw fighting!
Time to bail!
Thanos opened his mouth, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Retreat…"
/-\
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