Chapter 438: Thanos!
Ebony Maw walked over the corpses of the Asgardian civilians, his hands folded across his chest.
Thor lay on the ground, motionless, with only a faint, weak breath escaping his nostrils. Standing beside him was a tall, burly figure clad in golden armor, standing perfectly straight. An aura of pure intimidation radiated from him, making those who looked upon him feel a primal fear, as if facing an invincible god.
The air of a superior commander hung about him, marking him as a true cosmic tyrant. He was Thanos!
"I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless. It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it... destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say, I am."
Thanos turned slowly, taking a measured step forward. He knelt down and grabbed Thor by the collar with one hand.
"Ah..." Thor groaned in pain; the movement tore at his fresh wounds.
Thanos raised his left hand, revealing the golden Infinity Gauntlet. Set within it was an Infinity Stone glowing with a menacing purple light.
"You talk too much," Thor muttered through a mouthful of blood, his speech slurred.
"The Tesseract, or your brother's head. I assume you have a preference," Thanos said, his voice brimming with a power that brooked no refusal.
"Oh, I do. Kill away," Loki said, glancing at Thor.
Thanos's brow furrowed slightly; Loki's choice was clearly unexpected. However, it mattered little. Thanos pressed the Infinity Gauntlet against Thor's temple. The Power Stone instantly flared with a brilliant purple light, sending agonizing energy coursing through Thor's skull.
"ARGH!" Thor began to scream in agony. The sensation was worse than death, a pain beyond human endurance.
Seeing Thor's distorted expression of suffering, Loki's face darkened instantly, revealing his desperation and helplessness.
"ARGH!" Thor's screams continued. It wouldn't be long before the Power Stone killed him.
"Alright, stop!" Loki could no longer watch. If Thor were to be killed swiftly, he might have kept the secret of the Space Stone to his grave. But Thanos was clearly intent on torture, and Loki couldn't bear it; he truly loved his brother.
Hearing Loki, Thanos ceased the torture and looked up to face him.
"The Tesseract isn't here. It was destroyed along with Asgard!" Thor gasped out as he recovered, trying to remind Loki not to give it up, regardless of his own life.
Loki gave Thor a conflicted look. Suddenly, he remembered something, and his eyes lit up.
"The Tesseract is not in my hands," Loki said, spreading his arms.
"Are you mocking me?" Thanos gazed at Loki darkly. He wouldn't mind destroying everything here.
"It truly isn't with me. It's in my brother's possession, kept in a box," Loki said, drawing everyone's attention to the mysterious container.
As Loki spoke, every eye in the room fell upon Thor. Feeling their gazes, Thor thought of the box left behind by the "Mysterious Man." What was Loki planning?
Ebony Maw extended a long finger and flicked it toward Thor. A small box flew out of Thor's clothing and into the air. Thanos reached out and caught it. The box, which was a decent size for a human, looked tiny in his massive hand.
"Do you know the price of a lie?" Thanos didn't rush to open it. He turned to look at Loki.
As the God of Mischief, Loki—faced with Thanos's absolute, overbearing gaze—felt fear for the first time in his life due to a lie.
"I know. It's inside," Loki said, forcing himself to remain calm.
Thanos seemed to look right through Loki's soul. He tossed the mangled Thor onto the floor. Loki rushed forward to support his brother, whispering in his ear, "Don't worry, brother. We'll be fine."
"Loki..." Thor reached out a trembling hand and placed it on Loki's shoulder. He was completely drained of strength and unable to protect his people. It broke his heart to be so powerless again.
Thanos ignored the brothers' whispers; his attention was entirely on the box. He tried to crush it with his right hand, but a red magic circle shaped like a pentagram flared on the surface. This magic protected the box from external interference. It seemed there was indeed something precious inside.
"Magic..." Thanos whispered. He didn't recognize the origin of this specific sorcery. However, even without understanding it, he had ways to break the seal.
Thanos placed the box against the gauntlet on his left hand. The Power Stone flashed. Crack!
The magic circle shattered like a broken mirror and vanished into nothingness.
"Hmph," Thanos grunted. The box slowly opened by itself, revealing its contents.
"What is this?" Thanos's face darkened when he saw that the Space Stone was not inside. Instead, there were two small dolls! His expression went black with rage. He snatched up the dolls and growled at Loki, "Do you wish to experience death early?"
"What?!" Even Loki was stunned. He had clearly sensed an incredibly powerful magical energy coming from the box. Yet, once opened, it contained only two small dolls—dolls that Loki recognized. They were a Hulk doll and a person who looked remarkably like Thor, only much fatter.
"Please, Great Titan, calm your anger! That was just an appetizer. The real Tesseract is here!" Loki didn't understand why the dolls were in the box, but he knew he had to stabilize Thanos. He extended his right hand, and the glowing blue Tesseract appeared in his palm.
"No! Loki!" Thor tried to stop him but lacked the strength.
Sensing the immense power of the Tesseract, Thanos confirmed it was indeed the Space Stone he sought.
"Don't be a clever ant," Thanos muttered. He dropped the dolls and reached out to take the Tesseract.
At that moment, a sudden change occurred!
The two dolls hit the ground and suddenly erupted with a massive storm of energy. Everyone was forced to shield their eyes. An energy shockwave centered on the dolls exploded, throwing Thanos and Loki back. The Tesseract fell to the floor.
The sharp-eyed Ebony Maw immediately used his telekinesis to make the Tesseract fly toward him. Thor and Loki also lunged for it, and the other members of the Black Order prepared to join the fray...
BOOM!
"ROAR!" A green giant, equal in size to Thanos, tackled Cull Obsidian to the ground.
"Hulk?!" Thor and Loki were both shocked. How could Hulk be here? This wasn't Earth; this was deep space!
Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive saw the new enemy and moved to help Cull Obsidian, but a bolt of lightning carrying destructive power slammed down in front of them.
Rumble!
A fat man with long yellow hair appeared. His eyes crackled with brilliant blue electricity, and he held a terrifyingly large battle-axe.
"This is... the power of Thor!" Loki was even more stunned. This was his brother's lightning, but it was coming from this stranger, though the two did look somewhat similar.
"Where did these guys come from?!" Corvus Glaive was astonished. He thought they were the only ones left.
Regardless of his shock, Corvus reacted quickly. He gripped his glaive, intending to stab Hulk in the back. Fat Thor, seemingly harboring a deep hatred for Corvus Glaive, threw his lightning axe without a word.
Corvus sensed the danger and tried to parry with his weapon, but Hulk suddenly let go of Cull Obsidian and punched Corvus squarely.
Bang!
The punch rattled Corvus's weapon, making his hands go numb and forcing him to drop his glaive.
Squeltch!
Stormbreaker passed through Corvus Glaive's chest without resistance, the blood-stained blade emerging from his back.
"No!"
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