The next morning, Sam called his closest friends into the main meeting room of the Avengers facility.
Tony, Steve, Thor, Natasha, and Hela were all sitting around the large glass table.
As for the others. They were busy with missions.
The room was very quiet.
"Alright, everyone,"
Sam said, standing at the head of the table.
"I have some big news. The big bad titan is finally coming to Earth."
Steve crossed his arms. His face turned very serious.
"Thanos,"
Steve said heavily.
"Are we preparing for a full-scale alien invasion? Do we need to evacuate the cities?"
"No,"
Sam smiled, shaking his head.
"I talked to him last night. We are not having a war. We are having a tournament."
Tony raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his coffee.
"A tournament?"
Tony asked.
"Like a giant space boxing match?"
"Exactly,"
Sam nodded.
"Thanos is bringing his best fighters. And I have already picked my champions to face them."
Sam looked around the table, making eye contact with each of them.
"Tony, Steve, Thor, Natasha, and Hela,"
Sam announced smoothly.
"You five will be fighting for the fate of the universe."
Hela smirked, leaning comfortably back in her chair.
"This sounds very entertaining,"
Hela said, her eyes flashing with excitement.
"I am always ready for a good fight,"
Thor grinned widely, cracking his knuckles.
Sam looked at his friends with deep pride.
They had all trained so hard since he introduced them to cultivation.
They were no longer just normal heroes.
"You are all completely ready,"
Sam said, his voice full of absolute trust.
"Tony, Steve, Thor, and Hela. The four of you have successfully reached the Foundation Establishment Stage. Your bodies are perfect, and your energy is incredibly strong. You are beyond your old limits."
"We feel great,"
Steve agreed, feeling the warm, endless Qi flowing inside his chest.
Sam then turned to look at Natasha.
She was sitting quietly next to him, but she radiated a very heavy, sharp, and terrifying power.
"But Natasha,"
Sam smiled warmly, reaching out to gently hold her hand.
"You went a step further, didn't you?"
Natasha gave him a beautiful, proud smile.
"I broke through last night,"
Natasha said softly.
Tony leaned forward, his eyes going wide with surprise.
"Wait,"
Tony said.
"You reached the Golden Core Stage? Already? How did you do it so fast?"
"She works harder than anyone,"
Sam answered for her, his eyes shining with pure admiration.
"But her core is very special. Even though it is called the Golden Core Stage... Natasha's core is not gold."
Natasha held up her free hand.
A beautiful, pure silver light began to glow right from the center of her palm.
The light did not feel warm like the sun. It felt cold, sharp, and incredibly deadly, just like a perfect assassin's blade.
"My core is completely silver,"
Natasha explained, her voice calm but full of absolute confidence.
"It matches my soul and my fighting style perfectly."
Thor stared at the silver light, deeply impressed by the pure power radiating from the small woman.
"Thanos and his warriors have no idea what is coming for them,"
Thor laughed loudly.
Sam nodded, looking around the table one last time.
"Rest up and prepare your weapons,"
Sam told them.
"The Mad Titan will be here very soon."
Later that afternoon, Sam stood behind a heavy wooden podium in the White House press room.
Every news camera in the country was pointed directly at him.
The broadcast was going out live to every television, phone, and radio in the entire world.
Sam looked straight into the camera.
He kept his face calm, but his voice carried a heavy, serious weight.
"My fellow Americans, and everyone watching around the world,"
Sam began slowly.
"I am speaking to you today because you deserve to know the truth. Our normal way of life is about to change forever."
The room full of reporters was completely silent. No one even dared to breathe.
"I need you to open your minds right now,"
Sam continued smoothly.
"Aliens are completely real. The universe is incredibly vast, and it is full of life. Some of that life is friendly, and some of it is very dangerous."
Sam paused for a second. A tiny, amused smile briefly touched his lips.
"And just to clear up a very old debate... the Earth is definitely not flat,"
Sam chuckled softly.
"I was just out in space a few days ago. It is completely round."
A few reporters let out nervous, confused laughs. But Sam quickly became serious again.
"A very powerful alien named Thanos is coming to Earth,"
Sam announced.
The reporters immediately gasped.
A wave of panic started to rise in the room.
"But I need you all to stay calm,"
Sam said, raising his hand to quiet them down.
"There will not be another invasion. There will be no spaceships bombing our cities. Thanos and I have agreed to a fair battle. We are going to hold a grand tournament in a completely empty area. My best champions will fight his best warriors. And I promise you, we will win. Earth is safe."
Sam let out a long, heavy sigh. He looked down at the podium.
"Because of this massive responsibility,"
Sam said quietly,
"I cannot give all my attention to paperwork and new laws anymore. Today, I am officially announcing my resignation from the United States Congress."
Instantly, the press room exploded into absolute chaos.
"No!"
"You cannot do that, Congressman!"
"Please, wait!"
A brave, older reporter in the front row stood up. He looked at Sam with desperate, pleading eyes.
"Congressman Sam, please listen to us,"
The reporter begged, his voice shaking with pure emotion.
"You cannot resign! Since you took office, you have kept us perfectly safe from mutants, from villains, and from bad politicians. To the normal people of this country, you are not just a regular leader."
The reporter placed his hand over his heart.
"You are like a giant tree,"
The reporter said honestly.
"When the world is scary, we all hide under your heavy branches. You give us shade. You give us peace. If you leave your seat now, the people will be completely terrified. We will have nothing to hold on to. We are begging you, please stay."
The entire room full of reporters nodded quickly. Many of them had tears in their eyes.
They were genuinely begging him not to leave them alone in a universe full of monsters.
Sam looked at the desperate faces in the crowd.
He closed his eyes and let out another long, defeated sigh.
He really wanted to quit his boring political job.
But he loved the people, and he could not abandon them when they were this scared.
Sam leaned back toward the microphone.
"Alright,"
Sam said gently, a warm, protective smile returning to his face.
"I hear you. I will not step down. For now."
A massive, overwhelming wave of relief washed over the entire room.
The reporters actually started clapping and cheering loudly.
The world was changing forever, and deadly aliens were on their way, but as long as Sam was leading them, the people of Earth knew they were going to be just fine.
People all over Earth began to prepare.
They stayed in their homes, holding their families tight, and watched the news on their televisions.
Soon, massive dark shadows appeared in the sky.
Thanos's giant warships had finally arrived just outside Earth's atmosphere.
But there were no alarms. There were no lasers or bombs falling from the sky.
Just as Sam had promised, the aliens were not treated as invaders today. They were welcomed as guests.
Down on Earth, in the middle of a massive, empty desert, a special landing area had been prepared.
Thanos's main ship landed smoothly on the sand.
The heavy metal doors slowly opened.
The Mad Titan stepped out. He was huge, terrifying, and covered in thick golden armor.
Sam stood waiting for him in the middle of the desert. He was completely relaxed, with his hands resting in his pockets.
Thanos walked up and stopped just a few feet away. The two leaders finally met face-to-face.
"I am here, Sam of Earth,"
Thanos said, his deep voice rumbling like thunder across the quiet desert.
"I brought my best warriors. But before we begin this game, I need to see the prize. Show me the Infinity Stones. I must know that you are not lying to me."
"Fair enough,"
Sam smiled calmly.
Sam held up his hand. With a soft flash of light, four beautiful stones appeared, floating just above his palm.
The yellow Mind Stone, the blue Space Stone, the red Reality Stone, and the purple Power Stone all glowed brightly with raw, ancient energy.
Thanos's eyes widened just a little bit. He could feel their true power.
But there were only four.
"You said five stones were here,"
Thanos pointed out, narrowing his eyes.
"They are,"
Sam answered.
Right on cue, a sparkling orange portal opened next to Sam.
Doctor Stephen Strange walked out of the portal, wearing his red cloak.
Strange stood tall and confident. He reached up and opened the golden amulet around his neck—the Eye of Agamotto.
Inside the amulet, the bright green Time Stone glowed with pure, undeniable magic.
Thanos looked at the green stone, and then back at the four stones in Sam's hand.
The Mad Titan slowly nodded his large head. A look of deep respect crossed his face.
"They are real,"
Thanos confirmed, looking very satisfied.
"You did not lie to me. You hold the fate of the universe right in your hands."
Thanos crossed his massive arms over his chest. He looked around the empty desert.
"So,"
Thanos asked, his voice turning serious.
"Explain the rules of your tournament to me, Cultivator. How will we do this?"
Sam let the stones disappear back into his spatial ring. Strange closed his amulet.
"It is very simple,"
Sam explained, looking Thanos right in the eye.
"We will have five matches. One against one. You will send out one of your champions, and I will send out one of mine. There are no rules in the ring. They will fight until one person gives up, or cannot stand back up."
Thanos listened closely, nodding his head.
"And how do we win?"
Thanos asked.
"The first team to win three matches wins the entire tournament,"
Sam said smoothly.
"If your warriors win three fights, I will hand over all five Infinity Stones to you right here. No tricks, and no running away."
"And if your champions win?"
Thanos asked, leaning forward slightly.
"If we win,"
Sam answered, his voice turning heavy and absolute.
"You take your army and you leave Earth. You leave my universe alone, and you completely drop your crazy plan to snap away half of all life."
Thanos stood quietly for a long moment. He looked at Sam, testing the human's bravery. But Sam did not blink.
A slow, confident smile grew on the Mad Titan's face.
"A simple, honest battle of strength,"
Thanos agreed loudly.
"I accept your terms, Sam. Let the tournament begin."
[email protected]/phelio 60+ more chapters 50% discounted