The very next second, a projection flickered to life before Thanos.
Corvus Glaive was kneeling, his image slightly distorted, as if even the hologram itself was exhausted.
"…My lord."
Thanos gave a faint nod, his massive frame unmoving. "Speak."
Corvus Glaive raised his head. His voice was low and hoarse. "My lord, we have encountered a formidable enemy."
Thanos' eyes sharpened. Only then did he truly look at him.
A jagged crack ran through Corvus Glaive's armor. His once pale face was now tinged with black, as if scorched from the inside. Even his signature blade—normally flawless—was riddled with scratches and tiny fractures.
So it wasn't exaggeration.
This state could only mean one thing: Corvus Glaive had already died once… and been resurrected.
Thanos' expression darkened. "Who?"
Corvus Glaive lowered his head again, shame thick in his voice. "The dwarves. They refused to surrender… and they killed me."
Silence fell.
Thanos slowly narrowed his eyes. His voice, when it came, was icy calm. "Deep Blue. Dispatch the Goddess of Death. Erase the dwarf race entirely."
The order was absolute.
Then he turned his gaze back to Corvus Glaive, displeasure barely concealed. "As for you—and the rest of the Black Order—return and cultivate. All of you."
Corvus Glaive stiffened.
"When your strength reaches sub–Celestial Father level," Thanos continued, "then you may come out again."
The words hit harder than any punishment.
Corvus Glaive clenched his fists, unwillingness burning in his chest—but he didn't dare speak. In the end, he could only bow.
"…Yes, my lord."
The projection vanished.
Thanos exhaled slowly and shook his head, a trace of frustration slipping through.
"You're embarrassing me."
Back when his territory was small, the Obsidian Five had been more than enough. But now? With his dominion stretching across the Milky Way, mere planetary-level power was laughably insufficient.
What he needed were sub–father-level beings—true pillars to guard his territory and expand his empire.
But such existences were treasures hoarded by major forces. They weren't something you could just grab off the street.
Ronan had once been a decent candidate.
Unfortunately, the Kree Empire would never allow that.
Not even him.
Some time later, as Sanctuary II arrived above the nearest habitable planet, Thanos pushed those thoughts aside. He sat down and resumed his Star Absorption Technique, drawing cosmic energy into himself like a bottomless abyss.
Schemes were meaningless without strength.
Only absolute power could crush conspiracies, shatter tricks, and restore true balance to the universe.
…
Inside the temple on Titan.
Just as Thanos had predicted, Gamora couldn't sit still.
"No… what if Nebula really finds the Soul Stone?"
She paced back and forth, boots tapping sharply against the floor.
Star-Lord watched her for a moment before groaning. "Can you stop walking? You're making my vision blur. I didn't sign up for cardio."
"Groot…" Groot murmured, swaying slightly.
Gamora stopped dead and turned, her expression grave. "We can't stay here. We have to find the Soul Stone."
Rocket's ears perked up instantly. His eyes gleamed. "The Soul Stone? As in, Infinity Stone Soul Stone?"
Gamora hesitated for a fraction of a second, sensing the danger in his tone—but nodded anyway. "Yes."
Star-Lord's face lit up like a kid seeing fireworks. "Then why are we still standing around? If it's an Infinity Stone, we can trade it to Meera for, what—one billion Peace Coins? Guys, that's retirement money!"
Rocket nearly bounced on his feet. "Exactly! Time is money, and money is life. And we are actively wasting both!"
Drax slammed his fists together, eyes blazing. "I will destroy them. I will annihilate them all!"
Only Groot looked completely lost. "Groot…"
Without Thanos' overwhelming presence crushing the air, everyone felt noticeably lighter. Their thoughts loosened, drifting into dangerous territory.
Gamora took a deep breath and made her decision. "Wait here. I'll get our weapons."
She turned and walked toward the door.
The moment she reached it, four figures stepped into view—guards of the Dark Order, blocking her path without a word.
Their orders from Deep Blue were simple.
Gamora and the others were not allowed to leave the temple.
What they did inside it… was none of their concern.
Meanwhile, Deep Blue—the artificial intelligence overseeing the facility—was utterly speechless as it listened to the five members of the Guardians of the Galaxy casually discuss their escape plans right there in the room.
Out loud.Without a care in the universe.
Why would these people assume there were no security cameras?
Deep Blue ran a quick diagnostic. Cameras: active. Audio pickup: flawless. Confidence of the prisoners: baffling.
It seemed this so-called "controlled release" mission was turning out far more difficult than anticipated.
The objective was simple in theory: allow them to escape quietly, naturally—without making it obvious that they were being helped. Unfortunately, subtlety and the Guardians of the Galaxy had never met before.
Deep Blue simulated several thousand outcomes.
…None of them involved this much chaos.
Sigh, the AI calculated, generating something dangerously close to frustration.For the first time since activation, Deep Blue suspected it was developing emotions—and immediately resented that fact.
The five Guardians, blissfully unaware that they were emotionally stressing a superintelligence, continued along their merry way.
Gamora retrieved her companions' weapons and equipment with alarming ease. In fact, it was too easy. She glanced around more than once, half-expecting the Dark Order to descend on her at any moment.
They didn't.
No alarms. No guards. No dramatic confrontations.
She returned to their quarters carrying the full loadout, equal parts relieved and suspicious.
Then came the part Deep Blue would later flag as "Narratively Excessive."
The five Guardians burst out of the temple like maniacs, charging headfirst into a force of over a thousand guards while firing wildly in every direction.
Deep Blue's processors nearly overheated.
Left with no other choice, the AI quietly adjusted parameters: Dark Order guard accuracy was reduced to one percent of normal efficiency, network sharing between units was cut off, and squad coordination was "accidentally" disabled.
Each guard was now on their own.
Heavy weapons authorization?Denied. Absolutely denied.
Even an artificial intelligence had standards.
And so, exactly as if following some cosmic script, the familiar scene unfolded.
The Guardians fought their way through wave after wave of enemies, shouting, laughing, and generally refusing to die. Against all odds—and basic probability—not a single one of them was killed. At worst, they suffered a few superficial injuries, dramatic enough to look cool but not enough to matter.
By the time they reached the outer exit of the temple, they were battered, triumphant, and very loud.
Waiting for them was a spaceship—conveniently fueled, fully operational, and requiring no system recognition whatsoever.
Deep Blue stared at the data logs.
…Yes. This was definitely subtle.
The Guardians piled aboard and took off without hesitation. Only after the ship cleared the planet's atmosphere did the Dark Order finally react, scrambling their own vessels in pursuit.
Unfortunately for them, their ships were just a bit slower.
After a tense but ultimately one-sided chase, the Guardians of the Galaxy escaped into open space.
Anyone with even a shred of logic would have realized how suspiciously smooth everything had gone.
The Guardians did not.
Used to improbably easy victories, they chalked it up to bravery, skill, and—mostly—being awesome.
Aboard the stolen ship, celebration erupted.
"Haha! We actually did it! We escaped!""We're the Guardians of the Galaxy—guardians of the universe! Number one!""Drax is the strongest! Hahaha!""Groot…"
Gamora smiled, but faintly. Her relief was tempered by unease. The Soul Stone still weighed heavily on her mind, and the thought of Nebula finding it first made her chest tighten.
None of them noticed the faint, carefully masked signal pulsing from the ship—broadcasting their location into the void.
Deep Blue watched the transmission send successfully.
And quietly updated its files under:"Mission: Ongoing."
.....
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