That's right.
The creature before them, taller than Thanos himself, with a head like an octopus and limbs like twisted tree roots, was none other than Vilgax!
Not long after Vilgax arrived in this world, he encountered Thanos. At first, he thought he'd accidentally entered a cosmic wormhole and ended up in another space within the same universe. Arrogant and overconfident, Vilgax immediately clashed with Thanos. Unfortunately for him, although he was bigger, his power fell short of Thanos's. Vilgax was defeated in the ensuing battle.
But Thanos recognized Vilgax's strength. Apart from being weaker than himself, Vilgax's power far surpassed that of the Black Order. Thanos, short on manpower, naturally didn't want to let such strength slip away. Vilgax, for his part, wanted to establish a foothold in this universe. He needed to figure out how things worked here before he could resume his ambition to rule the cosmos. Thus, the two reached an agreement.
However, Vilgax wasn't particularly interested in the Infinity Stones Thanos spoke of. It was hearing about the deeds of the Plumbers and Ben that made him think of the legends of the Omnitrix.
The Omnitrix!
Just thinking about it made his small red eyes gleam. Ever since he had caught a fleeting glimpse of its power in his youth, he had regarded it as an indispensable tool for conquering the universe. He also knew that the one who helped Azmuth collect the genetic samples was a fellow Chimera Sui Generis, Myaxx. He had searched for traces of Myaxx, but to no avail.
Of course, if it had only been that one hurried glance long ago, he wouldn't have become so obsessed with the little watch. A weapon containing the genetic codes of all intelligent life in the universe—something so powerful was beyond compare to the so-called Infinity Stones. At least in his view, no matter how powerful the Infinity Stones were, they could never match the Celestialsapiens.
Naturally, he had no intention of kindly sharing that information with Thanos. Teaming up with Thanos was nothing more than a temporary arrangement. As it happened, Thanos had suffered a setback at the hands of the Plumbers, and the Plumbers were his enemies too. The enemy of his enemy was his friend, and their ultimate goals were not the same anyway. Of course, it was impossible for Vilgax to grovel like Ronan. Thanos might be stronger than him, but he was no pushover either.
"Now that you have the Infinity Stone, let's attack the Plumbers' headquarters at once!" Vilgax issued the command as if he were the master here.
With the Omnitrix so close, Vilgax felt every tentacle on his chin quiver with excitement. The anabolic steroids embedded in his muscles stimulated his body at that very moment. His body, like Thanos's, had been modified, making the already mutated Vilgax even more powerful. The black, cylindrical objects piercing his muscles were a type of anabolic steroid that further strengthened his physique. Although the steroids caused him immense pain when they took effect, that was nothing to Vilgax.
"Don't be so impatient."
Thanos smiled faintly. Now that he had the Power Stone, he wasn't in such a hurry to attack Sakaar or Earth. Although the Plumbers currently held two Stones, there weren't many in this universe who truly knew how to use them. In his opinion, Loki might be able to use the Space Stone, but he couldn't possibly wield its full power. With two Stones in the Plumbers' hands, it might be a case of one plus one adding up to less than two. More importantly, he was a man of his word.
(Shendu: "Keep my word"? What does that mean?)
"We'll conquer Xandar first," he said in a tone that brooked no argument.
This surprised Ronan somewhat. After all, he hadn't been sure whether Thanos would actually keep his promise. He hadn't expected Thanos not only to keep it but to make Xandar the immediate priority after obtaining the Stone. As if sensing Ronan's thoughts, Thanos said quietly, "Kree, I may be brutal, but I do not lie."
Honesty was one of Thanos's virtues. Vilgax found this unnecessary, even irritating. In his view, there was no need to keep a promise to a minor character like Ronan. Helping him attack Xandar was nothing but a waste of time. But in the end, he said nothing. The Black Order was Thanos's army, and Thanos commanded everything here. Here, he was no longer "the most dangerous being in the universe," nor the galactic warlord who ruled Vilgaxia. Having pursued the Omnitrix for so many years anyway, Vilgax didn't mind waiting a little longer.
Vilgax retreated back into the darkness, leaving only his crimson triangular eyes glowing with a terrifying red light. He was curious to see just how powerful Thanos's so-called invincible Infinity Stones really were.
——
Sakaar.
Inside the arena.
After watching a few matches, Peter heard from Loki that they could sign up too. Eager to test the mettle of Sakaar's warriors, he rubbed his hands in anticipation. T'Challa joined him, and the two picked several opponents each, putting on a brilliant performance. Peter, needless to say, had strength comparable to Black Dwarf, far beyond what any ordinary Sakaaran could handle. No one on Sakaar could wield the Old Power to the level of Caiera. Black Panther's combat skills were also formidable, and with the aid of his suit, he easily defeated many opponents.
Just then, Korg the Kronan walked over, pouting slightly, and said, "Loki, mate, where did you find these warriors? Their strength could almost qualify them for the Champion's Challenge."
"What's the Champion's Challenge?" Felicia hadn't entered the arena; she didn't like putting on a show for others.
So Korg explained the rules of the Champion's Challenge: "The last champion was our King of Sakaar, and the one before that was the Red Wind Queen." Then, rubbing his chin, he added approvingly, "I've got to say, the Sakaar King and the Red Wind Queen were absolutely perfect for each other!"
Felicia raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Oh, really?"
"Cough, cough…"
Loki, standing nearby, coughed violently and shot Korg a meaningful look, but the big guy didn't catch on at all and just kept talking: "Absolutely! You have no idea—the Red Wind Queen didn't even give the Red King the time of day. The only one who ever conquered her was the Sakaar King. None of us will ever forget the day the Sakaar King turned into Four Arms and had that passionate wrestling match with the Red Wind Queen… Loki, you okay? Why do you keep blinking? Did you get some stone dust in your eye?"
Korg thought some stone fragments from his body might have blown into Loki's eye, so he subconsciously stepped a little to the side.
"I'm fine…" Loki glanced at him and said lightly.
"Just wait to die."
/-\
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