BOOM. BOOM.
The moment Mario materialized back on Sakaar, a wave of scorching heat slammed into him. A massive energy beam lanced down from a colossal warship hovering in the sky, carving a trench through the debris-covered landscape as it swept toward his position.
"Oh shit—"
He yanked out his wand and used Blink to teleport away from the attack path. The beam's passage vaporized everything it touched.
Then a second sun bloomed on the horizon.
He recognized it immediately. Another nuclear detonation. Ivan had clearly decided to stop holding back and commit fully to the "scorched earth" approach.
The shockwave hit a moment later. Even at this distance, the blast wave picked him up and hurled him backward. His health bar started dropping rapidly as heat and kinetic energy tore through his defenses.
He raised his wand mid-flight.
"Transience!"
The spell took effect instantly. His body shimmered and vanished, slipping into a pocket dimension that existed parallel to reality. He could see everything around him, but nothing in the physical world could touch him anymore.
His tumbling body stabilized, no longer subject to the laws of physics.
The second "sun" on the horizon faded, replaced by the familiar shape of a massive mushroom cloud. The enemy warship still hovered in the sky, its hull protected by a shimmering blue energy shield.
He scanned the battlefield for any sign of Ivan. Nothing.
Please don't tell me he went down with the enemy ship.
BOOM.
A small fighter craft roared out of the smoke and debris, clearly one of Ivan's designs. The vessel accelerated toward the enemy warship at maximum burn.
The larger ship, having already been caught once by this tactic, wasn't about to let it happen again. Its engines flared to full power as it began evasive maneuvers while simultaneously unleashing a barrage of laser fire.
Mario let out a breath. "Okay, Ivan's still alive. That's one less corpse I have to hunt down."
The fighter dodged and jinked through the laser grid with impressive skill, but the volume of fire was simply too intense. The closer it got, the harder it became to avoid getting hit.
Three seconds. That's how long it took.
A laser bolt punched through the fighter's hull, and flames erupted from the breach. The craft started spinning out of control. But in the next instant, a missile launched from the dying fighter, streaking straight toward the enemy warship on a ballistic trajectory.
The suicide run had always been about getting close enough to guarantee the hit.
The enemy crew clearly understood this, or had learned the lesson very recently, because their point defense systems went into overdrive while the ship desperately tried to maneuver away.
At this range, escape was impossible.
BOOM.
Another miniature sun ignited in the sky. The massive warship was blown backward by the blast, tumbling through the air for hundreds of meters before its engines managed to stabilize it.
The enemy ship's energy shield had shifted from deep blue to a pale, flickering cyan. Obviously, tanking two nuclear detonations in quick succession had cost them dearly.
Now that he knew Ivan was safe, his mind started working again. He studied the retreating warship with narrowed eyes.
"Some jobs really do need specialists. I should've kept Thanos' army intact instead of sending them all back home. But it's not too late, I'll head to the Garden later and ask if he needs some new recruits for his farming operation."
He pulled out his communicator and activated it. "Ivan, where are you?"
A moment later, Ivan's steady voice came through. "You're back already? I'm underground. In the tunnel you dug earlier."
Mario blinked. "Underground?" He shifted his attention to the mini-map in his mind, and sure enough, there was a single green dot in the tunnel system. On this planet, everything was either a red hostile or a white neutral. Only people on his team showed as green.
Found him.
He dropped straight down into the tunnel like he'd just hit a pool of water, complete with a satisfying splash sound effect that only he could hear.
The noise made Ivan turn around with a puzzled expression. He looked at the perfectly dry ground beneath Mario's feet, then back up at him. "Did I just hear a water splash sound?"
Mario just grinned and didn't explain. Instead, he asked, "Give me a sitrep. What happened after I left?"
"Not long after you departed, that large vessel returned with escort craft and launched an assault. I've been playing cat and mouse with them ever since."
Mario nodded. The Grandmaster ruled Sakaar with an iron fist, he wasn't the type to just let someone nuke his scavenger fleet without retaliation.
But he had already formulated a plan. He'd bring in Thanos. Right now, his only interest was developing Industrial Craft 2 technology, at minimum, he needed quantum armor and advanced solar panels operational.
"What are our losses?"
"Regular mechanical units took about ten percent casualties. Of the thirteen fighter craft, only one still has a nuclear payload."
Mario nodded slightly. He really didn't care about those losses. Call it an upgrade cycle, out with the old, in with the new.
"Keep monitoring enemy movements. Whatever you do, don't go topside. I've sealed the surface entrances."
He placed a hand on Ivan's armored shoulder. "If they find you down here, use the waystone to evacuate immediately. Survival is priority one. Understood?"
Ivan looked slightly dejected but nodded. "Understood."
"Good man. I'm going to fetch Thanos and the Black Order. They're the professionals when it comes to planetary conquest."
Ivan's expression brightened slightly at that. Mario turned and walked toward the waystone he'd placed in the underground chamber earlier.
He placed his hand on the stone and focused his will. The interface appeared in his mind's eye.
Garden #1...
White light enveloped him, and in the next instant, he vanished from the underground space.
---
Thanos' Garden.
The waystone's runes flared with brilliant white light as Mario materialized beside it. He took a moment to appreciate his surroundings.
"Damn. Thanos really did turn this place into the perfect retirement home."
It was currently night. Starlight poured down from the deep void above, and in the distance, several wooden cabins glowed with warm interior lighting. Thanos and three of his Black Order subordinates lived there.
Everyone except Midnight and Obsidian, including even the elegant sorcerer Maw, was here helping Thanos with his agricultural operations.
He stepped onto the grass and started walking toward the cabins, observing the changes as he went.
Everywhere he looked, stretching to the horizon in all directions, Thanos had cultivated the land with crops and fruit trees.
"Did he develop a second life as a grinding bot? How long has it even been? This place has completely transformed."
All of this had been grown using seeds he had purchased for Thanos through the Pam's HarvestCraft mod's built-in market system. He reached out, knocked a ripe avocado from a nearby tree, took a bite, and continued walking.
A pleasant ding sounded in his mind as his health bar increased by one point.
Before he even reached the cabin door, it swung open from inside.
Thanos stood in the doorway wearing simple cloth garments, his face bearing an expression of... blissful contentment.
The sight made Mario's brain momentarily short-circuit.
What happened to him? Did farming break his mind?
"What brings you here? Do you need my assistance with something?"
Mario nodded and followed Thanos into the small wooden cabin. The interior was spartan, a large bed, a table with chairs, and in the corner, the enchanted hoe he had given him.
"I'm going to expand this house for you. You understand now that resources aren't limited here. You don't need to live like that. Nobody said farmers have to suffer through poverty."
Thanos nodded gently, continuing to watch Mario. He knew his benefactor wouldn't have traveled here just to discuss home renovations.
Mario sat in one of the chairs, adjusted his position to find a comfortable spot, and continued. "Due to an accident, I was transported to Sakaar. It's become clear that the planet's ruler and I have some... disagreements. I think you might need more farmers to help with your agricultural expansion. Right now, I need you to take the Black Order and help me resolve the source of these disagreements."
"Sakaar..." Thanos fell into contemplation. As the infamous Mad Titan of the universe, he had extensive experience and had naturally heard of Sakaar.
Unfortunately, he'd never visited personally, because if he had, Sakaar would already have half its population erased.
"I accept your commission."
He stood and walked out of the cabin. His armor was currently buried in the fields, serving as a scarecrow.
He donned his golden battle armor, pulled his double-bladed sword from the soil where it had been stuck, and a fierce smile spread across his face.
"It's time for those exiles to contribute to the grand task of universal balance."
The neighboring cabin door opened. Maw, Midnight, and Glaive emerged. Seeing Thanos in full battle armor, their eyes blazed with excitement.
Unlike Thanos, they preferred slaughter to agriculture.
"Come with me. We'll go to Endstar first. I need to upgrade all your weapons and armor."
By "upgrade," he simply meant enchanting them. Their gear was already extremely powerful, adding enchantments would take their power to another level.
Before leaving, he used his construction wand to construct a beautiful two-story villa tailored to Thanos' considerable height. It even included stairs to a rooftop terrace where he could sunbathe or stargaze during his downtime.
After returning to Endstar, Mario immediately summoned Obsidian and Supergiant so they could accompany Thanos to Sakaar.
He stood in his storage warehouse, opened a chest, and began rummaging through enchanted books. "Sharpness V... perfect, this will make Thanos' blade even more lethal. Add Sweeping Edge and Unbreaking for efficiency. Armor, boots, helmet... Protection and Unbreaking, Mending, Thorns, and max out all the special attributes."
He consumed a significant portion of his enchanted book stockpile updating all the gear and weapons for Thanos and the entire Black Order.
Then he distributed speed potions, strength potions, and two milk buckets to each member for status effect removal.
Thanos examined the tiny milk bucket in his massive hand. Its effects were unprecedented. Though it appeared mundane, to him it was a treasure on par with an Infinity Stone.
With the six-person strike team assembled, they traveled to the waystone on Sakaar's surface.
He materialized from white light and immediately began assessing his surroundings. Dozens of spatial wormholes converged in the sky, an extremely rare phenomenon. Periodically, loads of garbage fell from the portals, crashing onto the surface and kicking up clouds of dust.
"An interesting place." The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.
Mario looked at the fully assembled team and clapped his hands to draw their attention. "Hold on, let me explain the situation first."
He pulled several return scrolls from his inventory. "I'm entrusting Sakaar to you. These are town portal scrolls. If you encounter overwhelming danger, grab one and mentally command 'use.' You'll be teleported back to this exact location."
Thanos accepted the six scrolls and tossed them to Maw. He looked at Mario. "Don't worry. I will conquer this planet. The Garden is only the beginning. Ultimately, all living beings should contribute to universal balance."
Mario's eye twitched. Did I overcorrect Thanos' psychology a bit too much?
As expected, every villain is a fanatic.
The key trait of any villain was obsession. Like Thanos, once convinced he was doing the right thing, he would pursue that goal relentlessly, willing to pay any price.
Mario pointed toward the distant city where the Grandmaster resided. "The ruler's stronghold is in that direction. The rest is up to you."
As he spoke, a small combat vessel descended and landed nearby, its hatch opening automatically.
Thanos gave it only a brief glance before walking directly aboard. Flames erupted from the ship's thrusters as it lifted off and accelerated toward the city.
Watching the craft disappear into the distance, he smiled and shook his head. He pulled blackstone bricks and blocks from his inventory and began constructing a massive smeltery on the spot.
"Smeltery controller, blackstone tanks... better make plenty. Twenty should do for now. I've got enough lava."
---
Once the smeltery was complete, Mario pressed his communicator. "Ivan, reassign idle mechanical units to scrap collection. Have them throw all metallic debris into the smeltery."
"Understood." Ivan's response was immediate.
"Perfect. That'll give me a massive iron supply. Industrial Craft 2 is incredibly iron-hungry."
Mario pulled a green cake from his inventory.
"Time to head to the Overworld, find some pillager outposts, and build a mob farm. Then I'll have unlimited totems of undying."
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50 Advance Chapters!
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