Upon hearing the news about the Power Stone, Thanos immediately smiled, clearly pleased.
"Not bad," he said approvingly. "As expected of my daughter. Where's Gamora?"
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to his other daughter.
Although Thanos claimed to treat both daughters equally, deep down, his expectations for Gamora were always higher.
After all, according to the future he vaguely remembered, the most elusive of the Infinity Stones—the Soul Stone—had been discovered through her. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that without Gamora, he would never have completed the set.
And this time, she didn't disappoint him.
"Father," Gamora said calmly, "I've found a lead on the Soul Stone. It's said to be located on a wandering star called Wilderness. I'm still searching for its exact coordinates."
Rogue stars were among the rarest celestial objects in the universe.
Though the universe was unimaginably vast, nearly all celestial bodies orbited black holes at the centers of galaxies. Only under very specific—and very violent—circumstances would a star break free from that gravitational grip and drift alone through intergalactic space.
Such stars were nearly impossible to track. Their trajectories couldn't be calculated, their locations couldn't be predicted, and their coordinates were, for all practical purposes, a cosmic guessing game.
Thanos nodded slowly.
"I grant you the highest authority," he said. "Mobilize every available force. You will find the Desolate Star."
As for how to obtain the Soul Stone once it was found, he already had a plan.
The rule was simple: sacrifice your closest loved one.
Fine. He'd bring ten thousand couples with him.
Surely, among that many people, someone would qualify.
If ten thousand wasn't enough, then a hundred thousand would do.
He refused to believe he could pile corpses into the canyon and still fail to claim the Soul Stone.
Upon hearing this, Nebula—Xingyun—spoke up with barely concealed jealousy.
"Father… what about me?"
Thanos gave a faint smile.
"I'll go with you," he said casually. "Isn't that enough?"
He had no intention of letting history repeat itself—especially not the part where his daughter crossed paths with the man infamously nicknamed 'Dad Killer'.
Star-Lord had killed his biological father, then his adoptive father, and finally his father-in-law.
At that point, it almost felt personal, like the universe itself was screaming, No one gets to be this guy's dad.
His passive "anti-father" skill tree was clearly maxed out.
Hearing Thanos's answer, Nebula nodded eagerly.
"Mm."
She was more than satisfied.
After all, Thanos was either training, conquering worlds, or traveling between conquests. Spending time with him was a rare luxury, and the chance to fight at his side was something she genuinely treasured.
Soon, they departed the planet that hovered on the brink of annihilation.
Thanos didn't notice, however, that Gamora lingered behind for a moment—her eyes fixed on the dying animals below, her expression tight with pain she refused to voice.
…
Ten days later.
A violent tremor swept across the planet as it fully transformed into a dead world.
There was no explosion. No dramatic fragmentation.
Thanks to its immense mass, even without a stellar core, gravity held the planet together like a cold, silent tomb.
But all life was gone.
Without an electromagnetic field, the planet couldn't shield itself from cosmic radiation, nor could it retain its atmosphere. Aside from a few stubborn microscopic cells clinging to existence, survival was impossible.
Returning to Sanctuary II, Thanos immediately ordered Nebula to take him to the Bay Space System—to the Purple Silk Star.
The Bay Sky Galaxy lay roughly 1.7 million light-years from the Milky Way, far beyond the range of a single space jump.
As a result, Sanctuary II first traveled through a wormhole back to the Panlong Galaxy. From there, it used another wormhole to leap onward toward the next galaxy, step by step, closing in on its destination.
The hunt continued.
In this way, it took three long months—and four consecutive jumps between star systems—before he finally reached the edge of the Bay Sky Star System.
The moment he arrived, he ran straight into a fleet.
At its center was a flagship with a distinctly odd silhouette. Logically speaking, modern space battleships had no need for useless things like wings. Drag, aerodynamics—none of that mattered in the void. And yet, this ship had wings. Not a single sweeping pair either, but segmented, blade-like structures, layered as if someone had deliberately designed them to look intimidating rather than practical.
The surrounding ships, by contrast, looked far more conventional. Sleek, sharp, and aggressive—like spearheads frozen in flight. Each triangular hull had a row of horizontal engines glowing faintly along the rear.
One glance was enough to identify them.
Kree Empire vessels.
A second later, Thanos's display screen flickered to life. A blue-skinned man appeared—tall, broad-shouldered, clad in black leather armor. A black hat sat low on his head, shadowing his eyes, and in his hand he held a massive warhammer as if it were little more than a walking stick.
Ronan the Accuser.
"My Lord Thanos," Ronan said, his deep voice steady. "I extend my greetings on behalf of the Kree Empire."
He bowed—respectful, precise—but did not kneel.
Yes. Ronan greeted Thanos.
A hundred years earlier, when the Black Order had been expanding their territory, they had crossed paths with Ronan. Back then, Ronan possessed strength bordering on the absurd—nearly at the level of a godfather among warriors. He had single-handedly crushed all five members of the Black Order.
In the end, Thanos himself had been forced to step in and personally demonstrate what true superiority looked like.
The lesson stuck.
From that day on, whenever Ronan encountered Thanos, he would either avoid him entirely—or, if escape wasn't an option, walk up and greet him politely, like a man acknowledging a natural disaster he couldn't outrun.
Thanos gave Ronan a small nod, nothing more, and replied evenly, "Yes. Convey my greetings to the Supreme Intelligence."
The Kree social structure was… peculiar. They had no king, no god-emperor ruling from a throne. Instead, they were guided by the Supreme Intelligence, an entity that coordinated and commanded the various Kree factions.
Among those factions, the Accusers ranked in the top three in raw power.
Of course, at this point in time, Ronan had not yet become the Supreme Accuser. His strength was formidable, but not at its peak.
Ronan noticed Thanos's cold arrogance and chose the wisest option—pretending not to notice at all.
"Thank you, sir," he said calmly. "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
He had come from the Large Magellanic Cloud to the Bay Sky Galaxy for one reason only: the Power Stone.
Seeing Thanos here was the cosmic equivalent of spotting a predator twice your size at the watering hole. The smartest move was to leave immediately.
After all, if you couldn't win, avoidance wasn't cowardice—it was survival.
Unfortunately for Ronan, Thanos had no intention of letting him go so easily.
"No rush," Thanos said, waving a hand casually. "I am also here to find the Power Gem. You may as well come with me."
He knew perfectly well that Ronan was searching for the same thing. The difference was simple: Thanos was stronger. Which meant Ronan's efforts could conveniently become Thanos's efforts.
Ronan froze.
For a brief moment, his mind raced. Then he spoke carefully. "Well… I am currently on a mission—"
Thanos cut him off with a dismissive gesture. "I know. You're looking for the Power Stone too. So let's make this simple. Help me find it, and I will help you take your revenge."
He paused, then added, voice calm but heavy with promise, "Xandar will be destroyed."
Ronan's grip on his warhammer tightened.
His father. His grandfather. His entire clan—slaughtered by the Xandarians. His hatred for Xandar ran so deep it bordered on obsession. Every step he took, every battle he fought, was aimed at that single goal.
Even this hunt for the Power Stone existed solely so he could one day reduce Xandar to ashes.
Now Thanos was offering him exactly what he wanted.
Ronan didn't hesitate.
"I am willing to serve you," he said, bowing more deeply this time.
"Good," Thanos replied. "Then let us go."
With Ronan's fleet joining his own, the combined force quickly swelled to more than three hundred warships. Engines flared to life across the void, and the armada moved as one—an ominous, unstoppable procession—setting its course for the Purple Silk Star.
.....
Can't wait to read more exciting chapters then what are you waiting for Join my p*atreon right now.
Get 60+ Premium chapters.
Link: p*atreon.com/Earthly_Writer (Remove the *)
2 Chapters for all free members.