Jason gave a sharp, forceful push with his palm.
The headless body of the Grandmaster collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud, a geyser of blood erupting from the severed neck. Jason crouched down, meticulously checking the body for any lingering signs of life. The palace, inside and out, fell into a deathly silence as everyone watched with bated breath.
After a few moments, having confirmed that the Grandmaster was unequivocally dead, Jason stood up. He faced the rebel army and shouted, "The tyrant is dead! This revolution is our victory!"
"HOOOOORRRRAAAHHHH!!!!"
The gladiators and soldiers waved their weapons in unison, their roars shaking the rafters. This demonic man had ruled them with a bloody fist for eons, and today, he was finally gone.
A few soldiers who had been swept up in the rebellion out of fear or sheer momentum were left blinking in confusion. Jason was supposed to be the Grandmaster's Champion—he had just finished slaughtering dozens of their brothers moments ago. How did he suddenly pivot to killing the Grandmaster alongside that woman?
They turned to their comrades, desperate to understand what they had missed.
Now that the Grandmaster was dead, there was no longer any need for secrecy. The veteran rebels excitedly began to explain the details of the coup. It was a plan that had been in motion for three months.
Over the past two years, Jason had finally digested all the core energy of the Mind Stone. He now possessed its full power, and his understanding of the Infinity Stones had reached a new level.
The Mind Stone's control over others was similar in effect to Stanfield's mind manipulation, but the underlying logic differed. Telepathy allowed one to peer into thoughts or steer a brain toward a goal. However, the Mind Stone could directly shatter a person's psychological defenses, forcing them to obey the user from the bottom of their heart, moving according to the user's will as if it were their own.
Once the energy was fully integrated, Jason's power skyrocketed. Simultaneously, the system issued a mission: Kill the Grandmaster and seize control of Sakaar!
The system's directive aligned perfectly with Jason's own ambitions. Three months ago, he had secretly summoned Valkyrie. After bringing her under total control with the Mind Stone's energy, the two began plotting the Grandmaster's downfall.
For the current Jason, the Grandmaster's gladiators and army were mere fodder—easy to sweep aside. The only obstacle was the Grandmaster himself. Jason knew the man was immune to disease, aging, and physical attacks, possessing a freakish regenerative ability. Without a specialized plan, he was essentially unkillable. The rebels' earlier barrage proved that physical force alone was useless.
To kill him, Jason had to find the secret of his immortality.
Jason and Valkyrie split up. Jason used the Mind Stone to manipulate the military high command and the socialites who had served the Grandmaster for centuries, hoping to pry out his secrets. With the full power of the Stone, Jason didn't even need physical contact; a glance or a thought was enough to claim a mind.
Valkyrie, meanwhile, scoured ancient ruins for relics and manuscripts. Their persistence paid off after two months of reconnaissance.
The legend said the Grandmaster's race was born during the Big Bang. He was as old as the universe itself—a true Eternal. This race possessed those invulnerability traits from birth. The Grandmaster once had a wife and child, but after an eternity of existence, they grew weary of life and chose to let go of their immortality, passing away.
Devastated by their deaths and seeking escape, the Grandmaster ended up on Sakaar. To avoid the same fate of terminal boredom, he sought constant stimulation, eventually becoming obsessed with gambling. He rose from a common gambler to a master of a thousand games, building Sakaar around that obsession.
With this knowledge, Jason realized the only way to kill the Grandmaster was to use the Mind Stone to force him to voluntarily give up his will to live. Otherwise, even if Valkyrie took his head, he would simply regenerate.
The common soldiers didn't know about the Mind Stone or the Grandmaster's secrets. In their minds, they were simply sick of the tyrant, and Jason had been the charismatic leader who arrived at the perfect time to lead them.
The dust settled.
Soldiers hauled away the corpses and scrubbed the blood-stained floors. The palace was now Jason's. Outside, a squad of warriors marched in several hundred prisoners.
"Master, these are the Grandmaster's elite guards. We captured them before the coup was complete. How shall we handle them?"
The Grandmaster had secret units that answered only to him. Jason hadn't touched them previously to avoid alerting his target. They had been the primary obstacle for the rebels.
"Grandmaster..." The elite soldiers looked at the corpse, their faces filled with agony. Even with their master dead, they held onto their honor, refusing to surrender.
The soldiers already under Jason's control smirked. These elites had used their status to bully the rest of the army for years. Now, the tables were turned.
Jason looked over the wounded captives. They had fought to the bitter end—admirable spirit. It was a waste to kill such high-quality military assets. With a thought, a wisp of yellow energy detached from Jason's body. Like a golden fish swimming through the air, it circled the hundreds of soldiers.
Their eyes turned black for a second, their expressions going blank before returning to normal.
"It's done. Untie them," Jason ordered.
"Master, but—" The guards hesitated, but seeing Jason's confidence, they complied.
The elite soldiers stood up and grabbed their weapons. The guards tensed, ready to cut them down at the first sign of trouble. But to everyone's shock, the former elite guard didn't attack. They dropped to one knee in unison, offering the highest salute to the man who had killed their former king.
"Good. Very good," Jason nodded.
Jason turned to the crowd. "The Grandmaster is dead, but the cronies who profited from his tyranny are still out there. There must be a reckoning."
He looked at an attendant. "Do you have the guest list from today's party?"
The attendant knelt and presented a thick ledger. "Master, 1,428 guests. Every name is recorded."
"Well done." Jason handed the list to a general. "Take half the men and raid their homes. Bring back the people and their treasures. The wealth and women will be shared among everyone, but nothing is to be touched until I have seen it."
"As you command!" The general left with a murderous gleam in his eye.
"One more thing. The people of Sakaar don't know the news yet. Send the rest of the men to every corner of the planet to broadcast the Grandmaster's death." Jason pulled a script from his robes. "This is the speech. Read it exactly. Not a single word out of place."
Sakaar had a population of billions; Jason wasn't about to miss a chance to farm points.
The king is dead, long live the king. In any era, on any planet, the death of a ruler is a seismic event. That night, billions of Sakaarians were unable to sleep. The mocking laugh that had echoed over them for eons was gone. It was cause for celebration, but many wondered: would the new ruler be any better?
While the world fretted, their new king was fast asleep. For three years, Jason had lived like a man walking on thin ice. He had to overthink every move to avoid another failure. It was exhausting and entirely against his nature.
But he had won. The weight he'd carried for three years vanished the moment the Grandmaster's head hit the floor. He didn't go to the victory parties or indulge in the spoils. He simply went to his room for the one thing he hadn't had in three years: a peaceful, worry-free sleep.
When he woke, the sun was bright. He pulled the curtains and felt a surge of triumph.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the mission!]
The long-awaited system prompt appeared. Jason skillfully navigated the screen, claiming his rewards and leveling up. His Energy Absorption finally reached Level 8. He clenched his fist, feeling the tidal wave of power within him. He just needed his men to finish the raids so he could afford to buy Level 8 upgrades for all his comrades back home.
[Ding! System updating... Estimated time: 72 hours!]
An update? Please don't screw with me, I'm already in another galaxy, Jason thought.
By evening, the palace was festive. Hundreds of generals gathered for a banquet. The decor had changed—Jason's taste was more majestic and solemn than the Grandmaster's minimalism.
Jason entered in a black ceremonial robe. After a few brief, inspiring words, the feast began. Dancers performed in the center of the hall, easing the tension. Mid-way through, Valkyrie—who had been given special permission to break her sobriety—approached him with a bottle in hand.
"Master, I've found a lead on the Infinity Stones."
Jason's eyes sharpened. He waved the dancers away. "Stand up and tell me everything."
"We received word that a black market broker is offering a fortune for people to find the orb," She said.
"What's the Orb?"
"Legend says it contains a stone capable of destroying planets. Eons ago, someone set it into a scepter and wiped out half a galaxy. A celestial eventually stopped the slaughter and sealed the stone in the Orb. It was recently rediscovered on the planet Morag."
"Morag... a dead civilization," Jason murmured. "If it can wipe out a galaxy, that has to be the Power Stone. We leave for Morag immediately!"
A general stepped forward. "Master, interstellar travel is no small feat. I suggest we wait a few days for the Commodore to finish its maintenance."
The Commodore was Sakaar's largest vessel, capable of holding 1,500 soldiers and equipped with a faster-than-light drive. Jason agreed. "Fine. Prepare it quickly. And I want 500 experts in various fields to join the 1,000 elite soldiers. Announce a massive reward: any commoner or criminal who qualifies will be granted noble status, a house, and wealth."
"As you command!"
The banquet ended early as the generals rushed off to prepare for the voyage.
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500 power stones.
Top 100. All time.