"As expected — the Plumbers."
Within the Sanctuary, Mojas spotted the insignia emblazoned on the massive warship above. A flicker of elation crossed his face — followed immediately by a surge of unpleasant memories.
Once, long before he had rebuilt his body and transformed into the hyper-augmented Mojas of today, he had been nothing more than an ordinary Chimera native on his homeworld, just another face in the crowd. Back then, he had already been wreaking havoc across the cosmos, which was how he met the nemesis of his early years — that man surnamed Tian, Tian Mark!
Tian Mark was the cream of the crop among the Plumbers. Though he was an Earthling without any special abilities, relying solely on Plumber-issued gear, he carved out a legendary reputation across the universe and even rose to the rank of Peacekeeper.
So seeing the Plumbers again did more than just confirm the Omnitrix's existence to Mojas. It dredged up a past he would rather leave buried.
But the fear didn't linger.
He was nothing like the man he used to be.
Now, he was Super-Mojas — hundreds of times stronger than his former self!
The enhancement steroids that actually worked on his physiology had given him a monumental boost, massively amplifying his strength, durability, and speed. By now, his body was virtually indestructible, blades and bullets alike glancing off him like rain.
Thanos had learned of the Plumbers' arrival only minutes earlier.
The one who brought him the news was, naturally, Gamora.
Unfortunately, the intelligence proved useless. Gamora had barely touched down on the Sanctuary when that colossal warship materialized in Xandar's orbital space and fired a direct shot at the Sanctuary. The blast was neutralized by the ship's energy shield, producing no effect whatsoever. What followed was the threatening hail that had just echoed through the halls.
This was enough to pull even Thanos from his seat.
"I hadn't gone looking for you yet, and here you come knocking at my door?" He let out a cold chuckle.
From Thanos's perspective, if the Plumbers had stayed holed up on Sakaar, that would have actually been a bit of a nuisance. After all, he still had no way of knowing whether the two Infinity Stones were currently on Sakaar or back on Earth.
But now that the enemy was taking the initiative, the calculus had changed.
Few beings in the universe could wield the power of the Stones as skillfully as he could. He refused to believe the Plumbers would bring the Stones along with them when deploying their fleet. Without the Stones, even if their warship dwarfed a planet, it meant next to nothing.
With that thought, he opened his palm and gazed down at the Power Stone resting serenely in his hand, radiating a violet glow. It felt as though he were holding victory itself.
"Father... Nebula has betrayed you again."
Gamora lowered her head, her voice tight with dread.
She had no idea how Thanos would react to this news. The tyrant was always impossible to read.
But to her surprise, Thanos remained perfectly calm, as if the matter didn't concern him in the slightest.
"That does not surprise me, my daughter," he said softly. "A betrayer was never worthy of trust to begin with. You, on the other hand..."
He turned, his towering frame striding over until he stood directly before Gamora. His hand brushed across her cheek, and her entire body went rigid with terror.
"You rarely disappoint me. Except for one thing..."
Gamora thought he was referring to her failure this time and answered at once, her voice trembling:
"I'm sorry, Father... but the Plumbers—"
"I am not talking about your failure this time." Thanos cut her off, his tone stern and thick with disappointment. "I don't recall ever teaching you how to lie."
Those words sent Gamora's heart plunging into an abyss of ice.
She finally understood what he meant.
—The Soul Stone.
"I—"
"Once I have reclaimed the Space Stone and the Mind Stone, I will give you all the time you need to confess."
With that, Thanos's massive hand flung Gamora aside. He strode toward the front of the Sanctuary. Inside the ship, the soldiers of the Dark Order stood at the ready, waiting only for his command to launch a full-scale assault. Every weapon on the Sanctuary would be unleashed at once.
"Wipe out the Plumbers!"
Thanos gave the order at last.
In the next instant, the ship — no less colossal than the Plumbers' own warship — shifted into full combat status. Every laser battery came online, the vessel's immense energy reserves converting into devastating firepower that rained down upon the giant warship.
The warship answered in kind.
In the span of a breath, space became a battlefield once more. From the cavernous hangars of the giant warship, countless Plumbers launched in their Messenger-class ships, drawing the attention of vast swarms of Chitauri forces.
Not only that — higher-ranking Plumbers threw themselves directly into the fray with nothing but their own bodies. Bill, leading a squad of gladiators, headed straight into Xandar's atmosphere, making a beeline for Ronan the Accuser. Nebula, piloting her own Messenger, aimed to breach the Sanctuary itself and settle scores with her dear sister.
In terms of sheer numbers, the tens of thousands of Plumbers were still at a disadvantage. The total Plumber forces numbered only in the tens of thousands, and Bant could hardly deploy every last one of them. Against the Chitauri's seemingly endless ranks, the fight would still be grueling. The Chitauri Leviathans, in particular, moved with even greater agility in the vacuum of space.
But the Plumbers were all elite, handpicked warriors — not the kind of expendable trash the Chitauri threw into battle.
With the Plumbers entering the fight, the people of Xandar finally had a moment to catch their breath. But the situation remained dire. Most of the Nova Corps' fighters had fallen. Xandar had lost the ability to defend itself. All it could do now was cling to survival under the Plumbers' protection.
Inside the royal palace.
Ronan's attention was still fixated on Kayla when Bill came crashing down from above, slamming a full-force punch straight into him.
BOOM!!!
The impact launched Ronan clear across the chamber, incidentally freeing Adora and Irani in the process. However, Centurion Director Irani had already lost consciousness — she no longer had the strength to keep fighting.
Bill carried a heavy war hammer as his weapon, one of the spoils the Plumbers claimed after the War Lord fell. Bant had brought it back to Sakaar and given it to Bill.
Now, Bill raised the hammer and leveled it at Ronan.
"Kree! Your opponent is me!"
Elsewhere.
The moment Thanos saw the Plumbers' giant warship materialize, he stopped holding back.
He understood with absolute clarity: in this universe, no matter how advanced your technology was, it ultimately meant little.
The end of science is theology. The end of weaponry is hand-to-hand combat.
This battle would be decided by life and death — his life, and that of the so-called King of Sakaar.
"With the Power Stone in my grasp, I cannot lose!"
Thanos's confidence was absolute.
He picked up his Tyrant's Cleaver — a double-bladed weapon assembled from the rotor blades stripped from his own Thanos Copter. With deliberate force, he slammed the Power Stone into the grip at the center of the twin blades, then clenched his fist around it.
The Stone's power surged through every blood vessel in his body.
Now, bearing the might of the Stone and gripping the Tyrant's Cleaver in one hand, Thanos believed himself invincible beneath the heavens. He saw no point in subterfuge. His plan was simple: tear straight into the Plumbers' giant warship and personally eliminate the King of Sakaar — this obstacle standing in his path.
"Mojas, we're moving!"
/-\
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