The name 'Death' left Artoria stunned for a moment. But after turning it over in her mind a couple of times, she finally connected it with the data in her head. The five Cosmic Entities of Marvel: 'Galactus', 'Death', 'Eternity', 'Infinity', and 'Oblivion'. This Death wasn't Hela, the Goddess of Death from Asgard and Thor's eldest sister. This Death was one of the Cosmic Entities, possessing a lofty status far greater than Odin's. However, in the comics, this Goddess of Death didn't play a particularly good role. Her existence fascinated Thanos, leading him to begin slaughtering all life in the Universe for her sake.
Artoria's current feeling was very bad. If there was still a glimmer of hope before, this situation proved that the Goddess of Death truly existed. In other words, Thanos might be the overpowered version from the comics rather than the weakling from the movies. If that were the case, the world might not just lose half of its life; it could be much worse.
"You seem very nervous!"
Regarding Artoria's silence, Death seemed to be very tolerant and didn't mind at all. She just scrutinized Artoria closely, appearing curious as if she had seen a new toy. This made Artoria's heart tighten. Was she going to perish here today?
"Don't be nervous, Little guy. It's my first time seeing such an interesting soul. Do you want to be my pet... collection?"
Death slowly approached Artoria, scaring her so much she didn't dare move. Or rather, she wanted to move but couldn't. Artoria felt as if a massive mountain was pressing down on her, making it impossible to budge. She could only watch helplessly as Death's pale hands drew near her face. Death's subsequent words made Artoria's eyes widen in anger; she was not a pet.
"You really are a wicked god."
Feeling those cold hands gently stroking her face, Artoria found strength from somewhere and swiped her right hand, slapping Death's hands away. This action didn't make Death angry; instead, she looked at Artoria in surprise. She looked at her own hands, then back at Artoria.
"In this Universe, no object can avoid the touch of Death. You are very special."
Withdrawing her hands, Death stared quietly into Artoria's eyes. The interest revealed in those black pearl-like eyes was several times greater than before. She admitted she had underestimated Artoria, thinking she was just a kitten that had wandered into her backyard and preparing to give her a peaceful embrace of Death. She didn't expect her to be a man-eating lion. Interesting.
"Goddess of Death, I know you are a deity, but don't look down on us humans."
Realizing she could move her feet again, Artoria silently took two steps back to maintain a safe distance from Death. Although it didn't make much of a difference, at least the posture wasn't as ambiguous as before. Please! She was'single-mindedly' devoted to her Elder Sister King and would definitely not'stray', especially since she didn't think the other party would like her upon their first meeting. Her intuition told her that if they stayed in contact for too long, she might actually die.
"I did indeed underestimate you, but I didn't say I underestimated humans. After all, the dimensions are different. They are all members of the biological world and will inevitably pass through my realm. So, it's not that I underestimated humans, but rather, Little guy, you underestimated me."
Seeing Death's manner, Artoria knew she had misspeaking. Perhaps in the eyes of these gods, humans and ants were equivalent. If one day a strange ant compared you to other ants, how could you not be annoyed? But Artoria didn't intend to explain anything to Death. The two of them fell into an eerie silence, staring at each other.
"I'm not here to argue with you about this, Little guy. Since you trespassed into my territory, tell me how I should punish you."
Finally, Death spoke. She gently raised her hand, and the surroundings of Artoria and herself changed instantly. They were now standing in the middle of the Universe. Death's body sank slightly as she sat quietly in mid-air, no longer dwelling on the topic of who underestimated whom. It was rare to meet such an interesting creature, and she wanted to satisfy her curiosity. What exactly did this Little guy use to be able to evade Death?
Usually, living beings or even inanimate objects would die upon touching or seeing her. But the one before her clearly couldn't be defined as an ordinary creature. To be able to look directly at her without dying, and to touch her without dying—this was a first. Even those so-called gods couldn't escape Death. Encountering one today made Death, who had never conversed with a living being, very curious and eager to understand this creature.
"If I disturbed you, I am sorry, but I came for the Soul Stone."
Hearing Death's words, Artoria clearly realized it was her fault first. She candidly apologized to Death and stated her purpose. After all, this was a big shot, an existence even more powerful than the Ancient One. A Little guy like her really couldn't afford to provoke her.
"Soul Stone! You're here for this?"
Artoria's words left Death stunned. This thing seemed useless, didn't it? She hadn't expected Artoria to come looking for it. Death gently reached out and grabbed something, then extended her hand toward Artoria. Opening her palm, Artoria saw a golden gemstone lying quietly on Death's pale hand.
"To you, it might indeed be a useless stone, but to me, it's a tool that can enhance my power."
Gently taking the Soul Stone, Artoria looked at Death gratefully. After all, this was an artifact related to all life in the Universe. Death might not fear the Infinity Stones, but Artoria did. She still needed to use this to protect her family, so she valued the Soul Stone highly. She had thought Death would make things difficult, but she hadn't expected Death to just give it to her. It seemed she didn't care at all. Artoria couldn't help but sigh; as expected of a big shot she couldn't afford to provoke.
"This thing is useless anyway; it's just a stone to me. Your ability to be immune to Death shows you are destined for greatness. It's been a long time since I've chatted with a living being; consider it a way to pass the tedious time."
Death didn't care about Artoria's thanks and waved her hand. She had experienced countless ages and witnessed the extinction of civilizations and the cycle of life. Such a small matter didn't bother her at all. She was just interested in Artoria. Since Artoria had accompanied her in conversation for so long, this small reward was acceptable.
"Um, may I ask if you know someone named Thanos? He looks like a purple spirit, with purple skin all over his body."
Out of a trace of curiosity, Artoria asked Death. At the question, Death was clearly taken aback. She didn't understand what Artoria meant by asking this. Was it someone she knew who had died?
"Little guy, I must tell you that life and Death are fated. Don't try to do anything that violates the cycle of reincarnation. When the time comes, even if I don't punish you, someone else will."
Death spoke earnestly to Artoria. She had a good impression of this Little guy and didn't want to personally execute her. So, she hoped Artoria wouldn't cross that line. Her words left Artoria stunned. What was going on? Why the sudden lecture? She just asked for a name. But soon, Artoria's mind caught up. Could it be that the Goddess of Death hadn't met Thanos? Had this world really been thrown into chaos by her, the butterfly?
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