Of course, Loki knew Thanos. The Mad Titan's name was infamous throughout the cosmos. In the years since Asgard had ceased its cosmic conquests, Thanos had risen to become the self-appointed arbiter of life and death in the universe. He waged war across the stars, bringing not total annihilation, but a grim, calculated death to half of every civilization he encountered.
His philosophy, as he preached it, was one of salvation. The universe's resources were finite, and unchecked life would inevitably consume everything, leading to universal ruin. He believed he must intervene, control the chaos, so that those who survived could enjoy a better, more prosperous existence. To achieve this perfect balance, he would become Destiny itself.
Whether it was the ravings of a lunatic, no one could truly say. While Terran models suggested that culling a population often led to explosive regrowth, perhaps other cosmic races reproduced differently. The Frost Giants, for instance, gave birth only once every few decades. If that was the norm, then Thanos's brutal calculus might have a twisted logic to it.
But in this moment, none of that mattered. Because Thanos was here.
At Loki's words, a leaden weight settled in the hearts of every hero on the field. Only Supergiant breathed a sigh of relief. She did not care for her own life, but she could not bear the failure of losing the Mind Stone. The personal arrival of her master was enough to put an end to this war.
"The war is indeed over," Supergiant said with a faint, victorious smile.
Above them, the sky had vanished. An endless fleet of warships blotted out the sun, a dark sea of starships that covered the heavens like a storm front, making it difficult to breathe. A single, brilliant beam of light descended from the flagship. From within it, the tall, imposing figure of Thanos emerged.
He wore golden battle armor, his skin was the color of a deep bruise, and his massive, furrowed chin gave his face a terrifying permanence. Loki's guard went up instantly. Even with the power of Thor, he couldn't guarantee a victory against the Mad Titan, to say nothing of his entire army. If this fight continued, Earth had no chance.
"I want to thank you, Loki," Thanos said, his deep voice calm, betraying no anger at the failure of his children. Normally, he did not tolerate failure, but this time was different. Cull Obsidian and Ebony Maw had paid the price for their incompetence. "If not for your… cooperation, my fleet would not have been able to reach Earth so quickly."
He was referring to the intelligence he had extracted from Loki about the Plumbers, whose advanced engine technology had fascinated him. He had reverse-engineered the systems from Loki's captured ship, upgrading his entire fleet during the time it took to prepare this invasion.
Hearing this, the other heroes shot furious glares at Loki. He couldn't truly be blamed, but a familiar shame still pricked at his heart.
Thanos's gaze swept over the heroes, finally resting on Supergiant. His presence was a physical weight, a mountain of pressure that dared anyone to make a rash move. But surprisingly, he made no motion to attack. In truth, Thanos had never wanted to fight on Earth personally. The planet was nominally under the protection of Asgard. Sending the Chitauri was one thing; Odin might overlook a proxy war. But if he himself began a battle here, that old man would likely mount his steed, take up Gungnir, and aim it directly at his heart. The Bifrost would not be far behind.
Thanos was not a fool. He was not afraid of Odin—he knew he was effectively immortal, rejected by Death herself. Even if he were to fall, he would eventually be resurrected. What he feared was failing in his great work, his sacred mission to offer his kills to the goddess he loved.
"Relax," he said softly. His gentle tone was utterly at odds with his reputation as a cosmic butcher, sounding more like a kindly old farmer. "I only wish to take my daughter and leave."
The heroes looked at each other, bewildered. They had steeled themselves for a battle of apocalyptic brutality. They never imagined Thanos would not only decline to fight but would also abandon his original objective.
A rift immediately formed between them.
Steve Rogers, ever the pragmatist, believed they should let him go. Continuing the fight was suicide.
Tony Stark, however, was incandescent with rage. "Don't even think about it, you purple potato-head!" he shouted, pointing a gauntlet at the Titan. "You think Earth is your personal marketplace, where you can just come and go as you please?" He took a step forward, his voice a furious roar. "You get to start a war whenever you want, but you don't get to decide when it ends!"
Thanos was unperturbed. "Usually," he answered calmly, "I do have the final say." In the past, his butcher's work only ended when every last warrior on a planet was dead, and the survivors had lost the will to fight.
"Not here!" Tony said firmly.
Supergiant spoke up. "You have stopped Thanos's army. Your world is destined to become famous throughout the universe. Is that not enough?"
"Tony…" Even Rhodey tried to persuade him. "The situation isn't in our favor. If we keep fighting, we're going to lose, badly."
But Tony wouldn't be swayed. He pointed again at Thanos. "Do you really think this guy is just going to give up on getting the Tesseract? If we let them go today, Earth will live under this threat forever!"
His words struck a chord. The heroes fell silent. After a long moment, Steve looked up, his jaw set. He secured the shield on his arm.
"Tony's right." He took a step forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the man in iron. In that moment, two mortals stood side-by-side, an unbreakable wall of flesh, blood, and will.
"Captain, not you too…" Rhodey sighed, defeated. He knew they were right, but their principles were about to get them all killed. Better to live in fear and prepare for the next attack than to be slaughtered today. But with Steve and Tony finally in agreement, the other heroes fell in line.
The hammer in Loki's hand began to spin.
Seeing their unified defiance, Thanos's brow furrowed. "I gave you a chance," he whispered.
As the words fell, his entire fleet entered attack mode. Weapon ports opened, and countless massive, Q-ship rings emerged, their edges bristling with blades. If they descended, they would turn the surface of the Earth into a meat grinder. Just because Thanos didn't want to fight on Earth didn't mean he couldn't. Odin was strong, but the Mind Stone was here, in his daughter's hand.
"Do you truly believe the few of you can stop me?" Thanos asked.
"Who said we were alone?" Loki shot back.
The question put Thanos on alert. "The All-Father intends to intervene?"
"No," Loki shook his head, a wicked grin spreading across his face. He raised his hand, and the blue Tesseract materialized, held high. "What I mean is… the King of Sakaar!"
The space before them tore open. A swirling vortex of blue energy appeared, and through it came the howling, frozen wind of Jotunheim. Two mangled, blue-skinned figures were violently ejected from the portal, rolling to a stop like discarded sacks of meat at Thanos's feet. It took him a moment to recognize them.
"Proxima Midnight!" Supergiant gasped. "Corvus Glaive!"
The two figures, who had been sent to deal with Looma, were broken. Corvus Glaive was already dead, the blade that housed his soul shattered. Proxima Midnight had one last breath in her. She looked up at Thanos with sad, pleading eyes, and then was still.
Even Thanos felt a pang of sorrow at the sight of his children dying before him. He had sired many offspring across the universe, but he cared little for those of his blood. These adopted children, he had raised himself.
But before he could mourn, heavy footsteps echoed from beyond the portal. Thanos looked up to see two red figures emerge.
It was Ben, now a towering Four Arms crackling with crimson energy, and beside him, the bloodied but triumphant Queen of the Red Wind, Looma.
Simultaneously, an even greater light appeared in the sky. A colossal battleship, larger than any in Thanos's fleet, warped into existence behind them. On its hull, the black and green emblem of the Plumbers shone like a star. At its prow stood the imposing figure of Beta Ray Bill. Behind him were countless Korbinite soldiers and the freed gladiators of Sakaar.
"I am Plumber Magister Beta Ray Bill!" his voice boomed across the planet, amplified by the battleship's speakers. "Surrender now, servants of the dark cult! The great King of Sakaar and the Plumbers have arrived. This planet is now under his protection. Withdraw your forces, or this will be considered a declaration of war!"
As Bill's domineering voice and ferocious face were projected onto the clouds, Ben stood before Thanos on the ground, his body a red mountain of power, lightning arcing between his four fists.
"Still want to fight, Thanos?" Ben's voice was the thunder itself.
The crimson energy rolling off him was immense. Thanos could feel it. The one called the Four-Arm, now master of the Old Power, was likely his equal. Add to that Looma, Loki with the Tesseract, and an entire Plumber fleet…
His advantage was gone. The calculation was simple.
Fight? Fight for what? he thought, his jaw tightening. Time to leave. His voice, when he gave the silent order to retreat, was as soft and final as a mosquito's whine.
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