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*****
Aboard the bridge of the Sanctuary.
A towering figure with purple skin and a deeply grooved chin stood silently, gazing at the stunning celestial bodies outside the spaceship.
Even though he was only wearing a tight-fitting blue-and-gold short-sleeved shirt, the oppressive aura emanating from him was enough to strike fear into anyone.
The Mad Titan—Thanos.
Not far behind him, Ebony Maw knelt on one knee, head bowed low, his entire body trembling slightly.
To the left, three other figures glared at Ebony Maw, their eyes filled with anger.
Damn him. On this mission to Earth, not only had Ebony Maw failed to accomplish anything, he had even lost the Mind Scepter.
This was more than just disappointing—it was a complete betrayal of their master's expectations.
Suddenly, the terrifying pressure radiating from Thanos vanished.
Ebony Maw's body instantly relaxed as he gasped for air, breathing heavily.
Thanos slowly turned around, his cold and indifferent gaze falling on Ebony Maw.
In an instant, Ebony Maw, who had been panting moments ago, froze.
"You have truly disappointed me this time."
"My lord, I am guilty!"
Ebony Maw didn't even attempt to explain. He lowered his head even further, adopting a posture of utmost submission.
Thanos's expression remained calm. Even after hearing about the loss of the Mind Scepter from Ebony Maw, not the slightest ripple of emotion appeared on his face—it was as if he didn't care at all.
In truth, when he sent Ebony Maw to Earth with the Mind Scepter, he had already mentally prepared for failure.
Nothing in the universe guarantees 100% success—especially not when he was fully aware of who resided on Earth.
The Ancient One. Odin.
But what he hadn't anticipated was that there were even more troublesome individuals on Earth than he had imagined.
Recalling the intelligence Ebony Maw had brought back, Thanos's gaze grew colder.
That intelligence might just be the most valuable thing Ebony Maw returned with—and the most useful asset gained from the cooperation with HYDRA.
Professor X. Magneto. Superman. Iron Man. Hulk—and many others.
Ebony Maw had returned with footage of these superpowered beings in combat.
Each one of them possessed formidable power. Some even displayed abilities that gave Thanos himself pause.
Especially that one individual nicknamed Superman.
If Thanos wasn't mistaken, the suit that man wore bore traces of Kryptonian technology. That likely meant the man was a Kryptonian himself.
Kryptonian equipment could not be used by others without being Kryptonian or obtaining their permission.
The Mind Stone, the Space Stone, the Time Stone…
A single small planet—Earth—now had three Infinity Stones.
Thanos would definitely go to Earth someday.
But not yet.
He wasn't fully prepared. Not enough to guarantee that he could claim the Infinity Stones.
Odin, the Ancient One… and now more and more superheroes.
The thought of them weighed on him.
Even Thanos couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
"If only a perfect opportunity would present itself right now…"
Otherwise, he'd have to wait—wait until he was absolutely certain he could succeed.
Turning again to Ebony Maw, Thanos said coldly, "Leave. I'll overlook this failure—for now. But if you fail the next mission…"
Though he didn't finish the sentence, the implication was crystal clear.
"Thank you, my lord!"
Ebony Maw cried out in relief, his body nearly collapsing as he wobbled and quickly braced himself on the floor with both hands.
"Take him away."
Thanos said flatly.
The hulking Black Dwarf, whose frame was even more massive than Thanos's, picked Ebony Maw up in one swift motion. Together with Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight, he exited the room.
After the four had left, Thanos stood motionless like a statue.
Though the balance he sought seemed further out of reach, his resolve did not waver.
Perhaps in response to his unshakable determination…
Minutes later, a spaceship suddenly appeared near Sanctuary via spatial jump.
He was immediately alerted.
A virtual screen appeared before him, displaying the strange ship.
Thanos's eyes narrowed.
It was an oddly shaped vessel—like a giant octopus head—silently floating in the void, seemingly assessing the enormous craft beside it.
That ship…
A Kryptonian?
…
Noon, at Mike's restaurant.
Gwen arrived with a few of her friends in Harry Osborn's car for lunch.
Yes, in order to participate in rehearsal, Harry Osborn had asked his family's chauffeur to bring him to Mike's house.
They had been rehearsing all morning and made swift progress.
They were smart kids—memorizing lines and acting out scenes with ease.
But what surprised them the most was…
Loki!
After glancing through the short few-minute-long script just once, Loki had memorized all his lines. After just one run-through with the others, his stunning performance left Gwen and her friends in awe.
He was just—too amazing!
The four kids stared at Loki like they were gazing upon an Oscar-winning actor.
Loki, expression calm, accepted their stares without a word. But inside, he couldn't help feeling pleased.
Why am I even happy about this?
Loki caught himself and cursed inwardly.
He felt like he was falling.
Falling?
Damn it, Thor!
It had to be Thor's fault. That, and the influence of those insufferable mortals.
Still, no matter how much he tried to convince himself there was nothing to be happy about, he couldn't stop the slight upward curl of his lips.
Suddenly, all five of them sniffed the air at the same time.
It smelled amazing!
Mike had brought out their lunch.
Looking at the five kids lined up in a row, Mike placed bowls of hollow pasta in front of them. For a moment, his expression turned dazed.
He felt like he was feeding…
Shaking the thought from his head, Mike sat down across from Gwen.
"How did rehearsal go?"
"Very smoothly!" Gwen beamed. "When performance day arrives, we're definitely going to win first place!"
"So confident?"
"Of course!"
The four kids spoke in unison—Loki just scoffed and looked away.
"When's the performance?"
"Next Friday."
"Friday? That's five days away?"
Mike muttered to himself, then smiled at the group. "You'd better work hard, then."
"Mm!"
They all nodded.
"Alright, eat up!"
Mike said as he watched them happily slurp their pasta, faces full of satisfaction.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed.
Mike checked the message—it was from Hank Pym.
"Hope and I are already on the plane. See you tonight."
"…"
Still as efficient as ever.
Since they were arriving tonight, he'd have to prepare.
But thinking about Hank's current age, Mike sighed with slight regret.
For Hank's health and safety… they couldn't go too wild.
With that thought, he decided not to prepare anything too extravagant.
But when he saw Hank Pym that evening, Mike regretted that decision deeply.
(End of Chapter)