Chapter 2226 - Ch: 251-260

Chapter 251 Camping

klein first took out his phone and dialed Pietro's number.

It rang for a long time before being answered, and Pietro's groggy voice came through, "Hello... who is this..."

"It's your dad. I'm back, come over for breakfast. Don't tell me you've already eaten; I know for a fact you've slept until noon again. Get your ass over here."

There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed by the rustling sounds of someone getting out of bed and Pietro's surprised shout, "Brother-in-law?! You're back?! I'll be there right away!"

After hanging up, klein dialed Aunt May's number.

The call was answered quickly, "klein? You're back?"

"I'm back, May. The weather is nice today, so I'm planning to take everyone camping. If you and Peter are free, you should come along."

"Camping? That sounds great! Peter has been feeling quite cooped up lately. Let me get things ready, and I'll bring him and Mary Jane over in a bit."

klein hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and took a sip of coffee.

Cosmo sat at his feet, looking up at him, tail wagging happily, [Boss, are your friends coming over?]

"Yeah, two idiots. You'll see when you meet them."

About twenty minutes later, rapid footsteps and knocking sounded at the door.

Pietro rushed in first, drenched in sweat, his hair sticking up in all directions; he had clearly run all the way here.

The moment he saw klein, he grinned and said, "Brother-in-law! You're really back! I thought you'd died in some corner somewhere!"

"I'll still be alive long after you're dead." klein rolled his eyes at him, "Have you had breakfast?"

"...No."

"I figured. Come over and sit down to eat."

Pietro chuckled, not standing on ceremony, and plopped down at the dining table.

Skye handed him a set of utensils, and he buried his head in his food and started shoveling it in.

About ten minutes later, the chattering voice of Peter could be heard at the door.

"klein! We're here!" Peter pushed the door open and saw Pietro sitting at the dining table. Just as he was about to say hello, his eyes suddenly focused, locking onto the golden retriever sitting at klein's feet.

"Huh? This dog..." Peter blinked.

Cosmo raised his head, looked at the teenager in the red and blue spandex suit, and took the initiative to greet him, [Hello there, kid. I'm Cosmo.]

"Waaaaah!!!" Peter jumped back in fright, nearly bumping into Aunt May behind him, "It, it, it... it can talk?!"

Pietro also jerked his head up, a piece of bread still in his mouth, staring wide-eyed at Cosmo, and shouted incoherently, "Holy crap! This dog can talk?!"

Cosmo proudly raised his head and wagged its tail, [Making such a fuss. I'm a dog that's been to space; what's so amazing about being able to speak a few words?]

"Been to space? And you're a dog?!" Peter and Pietroexclaimed in unison. The two looked at each other,

and the next second, they both lunged in front of Cosmo, crouching on either side of it, their eyes shining as if they had discovered a new world.

"You really went to space? What's space like? Have you ever seen aliens?" Peter asked like a rapid-fire gun.

"You can talk? How? Mind reading? Can you read my mind? What am I thinking right now?" Pietro didn't want to be left behind.

Cosmo, sandwiched between the two, didn't shy away. It held its head high and began to boast about its space experiences with a serious expression,

[Of course, I'm a decorated astronaut from the Soviet Union's space program!

Back then, the satellite I rode... forget it, let's not mention that. In any case, I drifted in the Universe for many years, and I've seen so many things!

There's this type of alien covered in tentacles that can glow; I've even fought with them!]

"Wow!!!" Peter and Pietro's eyes lit up as they listened, like two elementary students gathered around a storyteller, too engrossed to even eat.

klein looked at those three—a Spider-Man, a Quicksilver, and a dog. Seeing these three species getting along so enthusiastically, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He turned to the others and said, "How can these two idiots hit it off with a dog?"

Wanda pursed her lips to suppress a giggle, "Don't you think it's kind of cute?"

"Cute my ass." klein said irritably, "Three morons huddled together."

Aunt May walked over and patted klein with a smile, "Alright, hurry up and pack your things. Let's head out early while it's still light."

klein shouted at the three guys still chatting, "Stop talking! Get to work! If we don't leave now, it'll be dark!"

Peter and Pietro stood up from beside Cosmo with great reluctance and went to help move things.

There were two cars; one was loaded with tents, sleeping bags, and cooking utensils, while the other was packed with food, a grill, and a cooler.

klein drove one, with Wanda in the passenger seat, and Skye and 2B in the back with Cosmo. Aunt May drove the other, with Mary Jane in the passenger seat and Peter and Pietro in the back.

The convoy drove out of Brooklyn, passed through the bustling city, and headed north along the highway.

About an hour and a half later, they arrived at a campsite located in the mountains.

The terrain here was open, backed by a dense forest, with a crystal-clear stream in front. The air was fresh, carrying the fragrance of soil and vegetation, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

"This is the place." klein parked the car, jumped out, looked around, and nodded with satisfaction, "Nice environment."

The men started setting up the tents. The three of them worked quite well together, and soon the two large tents were set up.

The women were organizing the food on the other side. Wanda and Skye sorted and arranged the ingredients they had brought, while 2B built a simple stove with stones nearby, preparing to start a fire.

Cosmo jumped out of the car and sprinted across the grass on all fours.

It chased a colorful butterfly quite a distance away, but when the butterfly flew too high to reach, it turned to chase a chubby squirrel.

The squirrel was agile, quickly climbing to the treetop, and chirped at it twice, as if mocking it.

Cosmo stood under the tree, looking up at the squirrel, spinning around in anxiety.

After spinning around twice, it suddenly stopped, its ears twitching, and a faint psychic wave rippled out.

The squirrel, which had been triumphant on the branch, suddenly froze in place as if under a binding spell, not moving an inch.

Cosmo immediately scrambled up the tree. Although its technique as a dog was quite clumsy, relying on pawing and twisting its body,

it actually managed to climb up, grabbed the frozen squirrel in its mouth, jumped down gently, and placed it on the ground.

As soon as the squirrel hit the ground, it regained its ability to move and, terrified, scurried away, squeaking.

Cosmo wagged its tail proudly and repeated the trick, using its psychic ability to freeze a wild rabbit that was pecking at berries.

It pounced and pawed at it a couple of times, and once the rabbit was shivering in fear, it let it go.

klein saw this scene from afar, his mouth twitching, and shouted at Cosmo, "Alright, stop playing! If you have that kind of talent, go catch some fish in the creek so we can have grilled fish later!"

Upon hearing this, Cosmo immediately stood at attention, tail straight, and gave a salute with its paw with great seriousness, saying, [Received, Officer! Captain Cosmo, moving out!]

After saying that, it turned and ran toward the creek. Upon reaching the bank, it plunged its head into the water, and when it lifted it back up, it was already holding a palm-sized crucian carp in its mouth, its tail wagging frantically.

Cosmo tossed the fish onto the bank and repeated the process, catching four or five more in succession. Only then did it shake the water droplets off its body and run back proudly to claim credit, [Report, Officer! Mission accomplished!]

klein glanced at the fish still flopping on the grass and offered a rare compliment, "Not bad, you weren't raised in vain."

After the tents were set up, the women had already arranged fruit, sandwiches, and drinks on the picnic mat.

klein, Peter, and Pietro each carried a folding lounge chair, lined them up in the shade of a tree, brewed some tea, and lay down comfortably.

Peter glanced at klein, who was lying nearby with his eyes closed, and couldn't help but ask, "klein, why were you gone for so long this time? It's been almost two months."

klein didn't even open his eyes and answered lazily, "Nothing much, just went out for a stroll. The Universe is so big, traveling around is better than staying here and dealing with all those annoying matters."

Peter was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what he was referring to, "So you knew? That's why you purposely hid away?"

"What else?" klein opened one eye and glanced at him, "I know people on both sides, so how could I fight? Helping either side would be wrong, so it's better to be out of sight and out of mind. But I heard you traded blows with your idol, Captain America?"

Peter chuckled, scratched the back of his head, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Yeah... just a couple of moves. Captain is really amazing; I used my full strength and still couldn't stop him."

Upon hearing this, Pietro immediately perked up, sat up from his lounge chair, leaned toward Peter, and asked with shining eyes, "How was it? How did it go? Tell me!"

Peter recalled, "Captain was leading his people to break through, and Mr. Stark, Mr. Black Panther, and I were intercepting them.

Captain is really strong; I trapped him with my webs several times, but he broke free every time. Later, he threw his shield, shattered my webbing, and retreated with Mr. Bucky and Falcon.

Mr. Stark didn't let us pursue them. I heard later that he went to sign some agreement... I don't know what happened after that."

Pietro listened with great interest and smacked his lips, "Too bad I didn't get to go. Wanda kept me pinned at home and wouldn't let me leave."

"That was for your own good." klein interjected, "If you had gone, with that impulsive personality of yours, who knows what kind of trouble you would have caused."

Pietro muttered unconvinced, "I'm not that impulsive..."

klein ignored him and turned to Peter, "Peter, be careful lately. You signed the agreement; although Tony can protect you, your information is already known to those people up there.

Those bureaucratic faces—who knows when they might leak your identity."

Peter's expression became a bit more serious, and he nodded, "I know, klein. I've been very careful lately; I've even switched to more covert routes when I go out on patrol."

"Hmm, as long as you're aware of it." klein closed his eyes again and said no more.

At this moment, Aunt May's voice came from not far away: "Come over! Have something to eat to fill your stomachs first, and then we'll officially start the barbecue later!"

The three stood up at the sound and walked toward the picnic mat. Cosmo was already squatting by the edge of the mat, looking longingly at the food on the table, its tail wagging like an electric fan.

Wanda cut a piece of ham and handed it to it; Cosmocaught it in one bite and squinted its eyes in happiness.

Chapter 252: The Arrival of Tony Stark

The next day, klein and the others were eating breakfast in the living room.

Just then, the shop door was pushed open.

The bell on the door gave a crisp ring, and everyone instinctively turned their heads to look.

Tony Stark walked in swaggering, wearing a flashy blue suit, sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose, and carrying a bottle of red wine that looked like it had been aged for quite some time.

Seeing klein, he immediately spread his arms wide in an exaggerated gesture. "Oh! My dear klein! You're finally back! Do you know how much I've missed you? I've been so lovesick I couldn't eat or sleep, and I didn't even have the heart to upgrade my armor!"

Before klein could even open his mouth, Cosmo, who was lying on the floor, reacted first.

He rolled over, pricked up his ears, and tilted his head to size up the uninvited guest.

"Boss, Boss, you're willing to hit Wanda—is it because you actually like men?"

The entire living room fell into dead silence.

The smile on Tony's face froze. His eyes behind his sunglasses went wide, his mouth slightly agape, as if someone had pressed the pause button on him.

He slowly lowered his head to look at the golden retriever on the floor, then raised his head to look at klein, then looked back down at the dog. After repeating this three times, he finally squeezed out a sentence:

"... Did it just speak?"

"Go to hell, get out of here! I only like pretty girls." klein kicked Cosmo, sending him tumbling, and scolded him irritably.

Cosmo rolled on the ground, scrambled up, and shook off his fur. He wasn't afraid at all; instead, he held his head high and added righteously:

"I'm not wrong! Every time you beat Wanda until she's howling and won't let me intervene—if that's not domestic violence, what is?"

Tony's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He took off his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes hard to confirm he wasn't hallucinating, then pointed at Cosmo. "It... it can really talk? A dog? Can talk?!"

"Of course I can talk." Cosmo sat on the floor, wagging his tail elegantly, with a tone that implied it was obvious. "My name is Cosmo, a decorated astronaut from the Soviet Union—the kind that's been to space. Hello, flashy man, what's your name?"

"... Me?" Tony was stunned for two seconds, instinctively straightened his back, cleared his throat, and said, "My name is Tony Stark."

"Oh, Stark." Cosmo repeated the name, seemingly savoring it, then nodded. "The name is alright, but the person doesn't look too bright."

Tony's mouth twitched, and he decided not to lower himself to the level of a dog.

He turned to klein. klein glanced at Tony with disdain and said to him:

"Look at you, so unsophisticated. What's the big deal about a talking dog? Why are you here?"

2B had somehow walked over with a steaming cup of coffee and placed it gently on the coffee table in front of Tony. "Please enjoy."

Tony instinctively said, "Thank you," but his gaze was still lingering on Cosmo.

After watching for a while, Tony withdrew his gaze, picked up the coffee, and took a sip, his tone feigning ease. "I heard you were back, so I came to check on you."

"Bullshit." klein bluntly exposed him. "Say what you have to say. Did that kid Peter sell me out that quickly?"

Tony put down his coffee cup, the smile on his face finally fading a bit.

He leaned back against the sofa, was silent for a moment, and then spoke: "klein, you know, I'm under so much pressure. I can't even find anyone to talk to. There's really only you."

klein leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and said, "Serves you right. It's your own choice. You always feel like you need to arrange everything for everyone in this World, and you have to worry about everything."

"Why don't you learn from Captain? Don't be such a saint. You can't even save yourself, yet you're thinking about saving others."

Tony gave a bitter smile and did not refute. He lowered his head, looking at the coffee rippling slightly in the cup, his voice carrying a rare trace of exhaustion.

"You're right. But there's no other way, klein. Some things just have to be done by someone. If I don't do it, who will?"

"Then stop talking bullshit." klein summarized mercilessly. "It's what you want."

Tony was choked up by his words and couldn't speak for several seconds. He finally shook his head helplessly and laughed and scolded, "That mouth of yours..."

He stood up, adjusted his suit collar, and put his sunglasses back on.

"Alright, enough of that. Let's find a time for our families to go out. I'll bring Pepper, you bring Wanda and the others, and we'll find a place to relax. Just treat it like a vacation."

"Sure, I don't have anything going on lately anyway," klein replied casually.

"Alright, I'll contact you when I have time." After saying this, Tony turned to leave.

"Stay for lunch before you go?" klein called out from behind.

Tony waved his hand without turning his head. "No, no, I just came to check on you. I have things to do on my end, a pile of messes waiting for me to clean up. I'll contact you then."

"Alright, bye." klein didn't press him, watching Tony's back disappear outside the door.

The living room quieted down again.

Cosmo sat on the carpet, tilting his head to look toward the door. "Boss, is that flashy man not very happy?"

klein didn't answer immediately. He picked up the teacup on the table, took a slow sip, and then said indifferently:

"Him? He just understands life too well, which is why he lives so exhaustingly."

klein then put down the cup and turned to Wanda, his tone a bit more serious than usual.

"Wanda, if anything big happens next, you, Skye, and Pietro should immediately go to the safe house I set up and hide."

"No matter what happens, don't come out. Do you understand?"

Wanda had been squatting by the coffee table, peeling an orange for Cosmo. Hearing this, her movements paused.

She looked up, a flash of sharp vigilance in her green eyes, staring straight into klein's eyes.

"What happened?"

klein didn't answer immediately.

Leaning against the back of the chair, his gaze drifted to the quiet street outside the window. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows, and everything seemed so peaceful and tranquil.

But he knew that this peace would soon be broken.

"Troubled times are ahead," he uttered the four words indifferently, without further explanation.

He couldn't explain too much. What was coming was Thanos, wielding all six Infinity Stones.

That was the most powerful enemy he had ever encountered, bar none.

A single Power Stone was enough to let Ronan run rampant, and with all six gathered in Thanos's hands...

Before fighting, no one would know what the outcome would be.

He didn't want Wanda and the others to be in danger, nor did he want them to be worried and afraid because of this.

Wanda put down the orange, stood up, walked over to klein, knelt down, gently took his hand resting on his knee, and looked up at him, her gaze firm and gentle.

"No matter what happens, I will be by your side."

klein looked down at her, was silent for a few seconds, then reached out and gently rubbed the top of her head. "Ensuring your safety is the priority. I'll be fine, don't worry."

He paused, then suddenly changed the subject. "Alright, don't think so much. Instead of pondering this, you might as well think about what to wear when we go out with Tony in a couple of days. Don't lose to Pepper when the time comes."

Wanda was taken aback by his sudden shift, but then, knowing that if klein didn't want to talk, she wouldn't be able to get anything out of him, she simply nodded.

Chapter 253: The Death of Yondu

Just as klein and Tony were boasting, on the other side of the Universe, a massacre was unfolding without any warning.

Star-Lord and his crew had just completed a lucrative bounty mission and were holding a celebration with Yondu's Raiders team on a remote, neutral moon.

There was a bar on this moon, converted from an abandoned mine. It was filled with a motley crowd of various races, but it had the advantage of being remote and unlikely to attract attention.

Tonight, the entire bar had been booked by Yondu. Star-Lord stood on the bar counter, holding a glass in one hand while gesturing with the other, excitedly recounting how they had fought their way out of an encirclement.

Rocket was squatting on a table, hugging a bottle of strong liquor larger than his head. His face was flushed red from drinking, and he would occasionally chime in to correct the parts where Star-Lord was exaggerating.

Drax was sitting in a corner with over a dozen empty bottles piled in front of him. He was arm-wrestling two of the Raiders, and with one burst of strength, he slammed the opponent's arm right into the tabletop.

Groot had grown to the height of an adult. He was squatting by Rocket's feet, holding an energy biscuit and nibbling on it in small bites, occasionally looking up at the noisy adults around him before bowing his head to continue eating.

Yondu sat at the far end of the bar, holding a glass of glowing blue liquor. He didn't join in the revelry, merely watching the gesticulating blond kid in the crowd quietly, a faint, imperceptible smile on his lips.

Gamora was sitting near the entrance. She wasn't drinking, just holding a glass of juice. Nebula sat opposite her; after some time of getting along, although she remained taciturn, she no longer wore an expression that suggested she was ready to kill at any moment.

Everything seemed so perfect.

Until, in the center of the bar, a space rift glowing with blue light tore open without any warning.

The rift expanded rapidly, forming a vortex-like portal large enough for a person to pass through.

The noise inside the bar ceased instantly.

All the Raiders' eyes were fixed on the suddenly appearing space rift, their hands instinctively reaching for their weapons.

Yondu stood up abruptly, crushing the glass in his hand; blue liquid dripped down through his fingers.

He stared fixedly at the rift, a look of unprecedented gravity flashing in his eyes.

A foot clad in a golden combat boot stepped out of the rift.

Immediately after, a tall, purple figure slowly walked out of the spatial portal.

His gaze was calm and indifferent, as if the armed Raidersbefore him were merely a group of ants.

The most striking thing was the massive golden glove on his left hand.

On the back of the glove, three gems were emitting a deep, eerie light, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.

Seeing Thanos in person, the temperature of the entire bar seemed to drop to freezing in an instant.

The glass in Gamora's hand slipped and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Her face turned pale in an instant, her pupils contracted violently, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

It was a fear etched into her very bones, the source of the nightmares that had plagued her for countless nights after escaping Thanos's shadow.

Nebula's reaction was even more intense than hers. She stood up abruptly, her mechanical arm instantly transforming into combat mode, the energy cannon aiming at Thanos.

Thanos's gaze slowly swept across the room, finally settling on Gamora.

His expression remained devoid of any fluctuation, as if he were merely checking to see if an object that belonged to him was intact.

"Gamora. My daughter, I have come to collect you. Come with me."

Gamora did not answer. Her teeth chattered, and her nails dug deep into her palms, forcing herself to stand firm and not show any weakness in front of this devil.

Star-Lord jumped down from the bar counter and blocked Gamora's front.

He stared at Thanos, without a shred of fear in his eyes. "Hey, Purple Potato, who are you? Who let you in here? We booked this place, don't you know the rules?"

Thanos didn't even look at him. His gaze remained fixed on Gamora, as if Star-Lord's existence was not worth a second of his attention.

This dismissal was more infuriating than any insult. Star-Lord's mouth twitched, and just as he was about to speak again, Thanos finally moved.

He raised his left hand, without even a charging motion, and just casually clenched his fist. The purple light of the Power Stone flashed by.

An invisible shockwave erupted and spread from Thanosas the center!

Star-Lord felt as if his chest had been struck head-on by a speeding train. His entire body was sent flying uncontrollably, smashing through the bar's wall and rolling into the pile of gravel outside. He lay on the ground, dry-heaving incessantly, his internal organs feeling as though they had been displaced.

The Celestial power that had recently awakened within him was not yet mastered, but fortunately, it was able to instinctively protect him, preventing Star-Lord from dying on the spot.

"Peter!" Gamora cried out, instinctively wanting to rush over, but she was pinned in place by Thanos using the Reality Stone.

Yondu was one of the first to recover from the shock.

He shook his dizzy head and immediately saw his reckless godson lying in the ruins, vomiting blood.

At that moment, the last shred of his reason and the instinct to weigh pros and cons were completely incinerated by rage.

He yanked the Yaka Arrow from his waist, placed it to his lips, and whistled for the small red arrow.

The Yaka Arrow turned into a red streak of light, hard for the naked eye to track. With a sharp whistling sound, it bypassed the chaotic obstacles in the bar in an extremely tricky arc, aiming straight for the back of Thanos's neck!

With this arrow, Yondu had slain countless powerful enemies; he had even pierced the engine core of a small warship with a single shot.

He had absolute confidence in his Yaka Arrow.

However, Thanos didn't even turn around. He just slightly raised his left hand, and the red light of the Reality Stoneflashed.

The red Yaka Arrow, about to strike the back of Thanos's neck, suddenly stopped when it was less than an inch from his skin.

Then, the Yaka Arrow, forged from Yaka metal and having accompanied Yondu through most of his life, vanished into thin air before everyone's eyes, like a pencil mark being erased by an eraser, dissipating inch by inch from the tip.

Yondu's pupils contracted sharply. He opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something, but Thanos had already turned around.

He didn't even have the interest to glance again at the vanished arrow. He just casually raised his left hand and clenched it in the air toward Yondu.

Yondu's body was gripped as if by an invisible giant hand, and he was lifted into mid-air.

His neck twisted at an unnatural angle, his complexion rapidly turning from blue to purplish-black. His hands scratched futilely at the void, and his legs kicked weakly in the air.

"No!!!" Star-Lord struggled to lift his head from the ruins, just in time to see this scene. His eyes instantly bloodshot, his roar almost tearing his throat apart.

After a crisp sound of bone breaking, Yondu's body stiffened abruptly, then, like a puppet with cut strings, it fell limp, hitting the ground and kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Star-Lord's mind went blank. He looked at Yondu's corpse lying on the ground, at the blue figure who had scolded him from childhood to adulthood, now lying on the cold floor in an extremely twisted posture.

"Yondu... Yondu!" Star-Lord's voice changed from hoarse to choked with sobs. He struggled to crawl up, but Thanosjust waved his hand casually, and a purple energy chain bound him tightly. His limbs were forced behind his back, his bones groaning under the strain, the excruciating pain making him almost faint.

"Let him go!" Gamora finally broke free from the restraint, drew the longsword from her back, and rushed toward Thanos regardless of the danger.

Her swordsmanship was sharp and lethal, each strike aiming directly for Thanos's vitals.

Thanos didn't even move his feet, nonchalantly parrying all of Gamora's attacks.

"Gamora, you know you are no match for me. Come with me, and I can spare these ants."

"Dream on!" Gamora roared, slashing her sword toward Thanos's neck.

Thanos finally moved. He reached out his right hand, precisely gripping the blade Gamora had slashed down, and with a gentle exertion of force, the longsword that had accompanied Gamora for many years snapped in two.

He waved his hand casually, and the hilt slammed heavily into Gamora's temple, knocking her unconscious. Then, he caught her limp body with one hand.

"Sister!" Nebula's mechanical eyes instantly turned crimson. She rushed toward Thanos regardless of the danger, her mechanical arm's energy cannon firing wildly, while her other arm ejected a high-frequency vibrating blade, stabbing straight for Thanos's heart.

Thanos looked down at her, and the red light of the Reality Stone shone again.

Nebula felt as if her body suddenly stopped responding to her commands.

The mechanical organs within her body that sustained her life all malfunctioned in the same instant.

Like a puppet with cut strings, she fell flat to the ground, only able to watch helplessly as Thanos, holding Gamora, turned and walked toward the space rift that had yet to close.

"No... you cannot take her..." Nebula's voice was weak and hoarse, carrying unprecedented despair.

Drax roared as he climbed up from the ruins, grabbed a broken metal pillar, and charged toward Thanos.

Rocket also crawled out from under a table, raised his modified heavy gun, and poured out firepower frantically.

Groot roared, his body expanding rapidly, and countless vines and branches shot toward Thanos like living creatures.

Thanos didn't even turn around. He just gently stomped his foot.

The purple light of the Power Stone spread out with him as the center. Drax, Rocket, and Groot were hit as if by an invisible giant hammer, all sent flying backward, smashing through the remaining walls of the bar and rolling onto the gravel ground outside, their fates unknown.

Star-Lord, bound by the energy chains, lay on the ground, watching helplessly as Thanos, carrying the unconscious Gamora, walked step by step toward the space rift.

His eye socket had split open, blood trickling down his cheek, and his vision began to blur.

"You... put her down..." His voice was so hoarse it was almost unintelligible.

Thanos stopped in front of the space rift.

He didn't turn around, just saying indifferently, "If you want to see her, come find me on Titan. If you have the guts."

After speaking, he stepped into the space rift.

The blue vortex contracted rapidly and finally disappeared without a trace, as if it had never appeared.

There was dead silence inside the bar.

Star-Lord lay on the ground. The energy chains dissipated with Thanos's departure, but his limbs were already broken, the excruciating pain making him unable to even lift a finger.

He could only turn his face to the side, looking at Yondu's gradually cooling corpse not far away, looking at those eyes that had not closed even in death.

"Ah... ahhhh..." A low roar escaped Star-Lord's throat, tears mixed with blood dripping onto the floor.

He recalled the expression on Yondu's face the last time he had scolded him, remembered the figure of Yondu rushing in regardless of everything to save him on Ego's Planet, and remembered the scene of the blue-skinned old pirate having his neck snapped alive in front of him.

Chapter 254: Soul Stone

Vormir.

A dead, silent Planet enveloped in gray mist and jagged, strange rocks.

The sky was a permanent leaden gray, with thick, low-hanging clouds that made it difficult to breathe.

There was no wind, no sound, and not even time left a trace here.

Thanos stepped out of a space portal, carrying the unconscious Gamora.

He stood at the edge of a cliff, with a bottomless abyss beneath his feet where gray mist churned, swallowing all light.

Gamora slowly stirred in his arms.

Opening her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar, gloomy sky and Thanos's silent, cold face. Her body tensed abruptly, and she began to struggle.

"Let me go! Where is this? Where are you taking me?"

Thanos did not answer. He just stood there in silence.

"Answer me!" Gamora's struggle grew more violent, but Thanos's arms were like iron bands, unmoving.

Finally, Thanos gently set Gamora down, but one hand remained firmly clamped on her shoulder, preventing her from retreating even half a step.

Gamora looked at the abyss beneath her feet, then at Thanos's expressionless face. A terrifying guess surfaced in her mind, causing her blood to freeze in an instant.

When Gamora had accompanied Thanos on a conquest of a Planet, after that Planet was destroyed, she had found a star map there.

Later, she learned that the destination of this star map was the location of the Soul Stone.

Gamora had told Thanos this information, and afterwards, Thanos had disappeared for a time before returning, but he had not brought back the Soul Stone.

Gamora asked Thanos several times, but received no response.

The matter was eventually dropped, and Gamora thought she would forget about it, but during the course of a mission, she inadvertently learned that the Soul Stonerequired the sacrifice of one's most beloved.

From then on, she had intentionally or unintentionally avoided Thanos. Now that Thanos had personally come to capture her and bring her to an uninhabited Planet,

it was obvious that this was the location of the Soul Stone, and Gamora immediately knew what Thanos wanted to do.

"No... No..."

Thanos simply stood by her side, his gaze fixed on the churning gray mist, silent for a long time.

"Gamora." He finally spoke, his voice low and calm, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. "Do you know why I want to collect the Infinity Stones?"

Gamora did not answer. Of course she knew. She had heard Thanos's philosophy since she was a child, until her ears were calloused from it.

"The resources of the Universe are finite." Thanos said slowly,

"But life is infinite. If not intervened, one day, the Universewill collapse due to over-expansion.

I have witnessed too many such Worlds where civilizations collapsed due to exhausted resources, and the final survivors slaughtered each other in hunger and despair."

Thanos paused, his gaze still fixed on the distance. "I do not intend to destroy the Universe. I intend to save it.

Randomly wiping out half of all life, allowing the remaining half to have enough resources to thrive. This is not cruelty; it is mercy."

"You call this mercy? You slaughtered half the population, then told the survivors this was a gift to them? You're insane!"

"I am not insane." Thanos finally turned his head to look at Gamora. "I just see further than anyone else."

He raised his left hand, the three gems on the Infinity Gauntlet slowly shimmering with a faint light under the gloomy sky,

"I already possess the Power, Space, and Reality Infinity Stones. Time and Mind are on Earth. And the Soul... is here."

Thanos looked down at Gamora. "Gamora, I adopted you and raised you to be one of the most lethal assassins in the entire Universe. I gave you strength, gave you a purpose, and gave you a meaning for your existence.

But you taught me more. You taught me what love is. Among all my children, you are the only one I truly care about."

Gamora's tears welled up and spilled over. She shook her head desperately, her voice trembling with fear. "If you truly care about me, then let me go! I beg you!"

Thanos slowly closed his eyes. "I am sorry. To save the Universe, I must obtain the Soul Stone. And the Soul Stonerequires the life of someone I love in exchange."

"No..." Gamora's voice turned to despair.

"You are the only one, Gamora." Thanos opened his eyes, a trace of pain in his gaze that she had never seen before. "I have no other choice."

Thanos's hand, however, rested gently on her back.

Then, he gave a forceful push.

Gamora's body tipped forward, her eyes wide with terror, her hands clawing futilely at the air, trying to grab onto something.

Her gaze met Thanos's in the air.

In that instant, she saw something in Thanos's eyes.

It was not coldness, not cruelty, not the heartlessness she had imagined.

It was pain. The pain of a soul being torn apart.

This was the price for exchanging the Soul Stone.

Then, her body fell into the abyss.

The gray mist swallowed her form. Her figure became smaller and smaller, and eventually vanished into the endless darkness.

Thanos stood alone at the edge of the cliff, maintaining the posture of having pushed her, unmoving.

The wind blew, stirring the edge of his cape. He slowly withdrew his hand and clenched it into a fist, his knuckles turning white from the exertion.

Tears slid silently down that purple face.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.

He stood there, feeling the World go black before his eyes. When his consciousness returned, a gem, bright red as blood, appeared in Thanos's hand.

Thanos looked at the gem silently for a long time.

Until a voice sounded behind him.

"You did it."

Thanos turned around slowly.

Red Skull stood not far behind him, his gray cloak fluttering slightly in the wind. Under the hood was a fleshless skull face, with two points of dim light burning in the eye sockets.

"I have witnessed countless people come here seeking the Soul Stone, but most of them failed. Because they were unwilling to pay the price. And you, you paid it."

Thanos did not speak; he placed the Soul Stone into the fourth slot on the Infinity Gauntlet.

Thanos gently stroked the gem, a warmth emanating from his fingertips, as if he could still feel Gamora's final body heat.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, the sorrow in his eyes had been replaced by cold determination.

He raised his left hand, and the blue Space Stone lit up. A spatial rift slowly opened before him.

He did not look back at the cliff again.

He took a step forward, and his figure vanished into the spatial rift.

Vormir returned to its eternal silence. The gray mist continued to churn in the abyss, as if nothing had ever happened.

Red Skull stood alone at the edge of the cliff, gazing in the direction where Thanos had vanished, a flash of indescribable light flickering in his hollow eye sockets.

"Thanos... you have completed a sacrifice that others could not. But the price of destiny never ends here."

Chapter 255: The Black Order Approaches

Sanctuary II and several smaller but equally menacing frigates, like giant whales emerging from the deep sea, silently dropped out of hyperspace.

Like the most patient hunters in the Universe, they hovered at the edge of the solar system.

Inside the bridge, Ebony Maw stood with his hands behind his back before the main observation window. Behind him, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Supergiant, and Black Dwarf stood solemnly.

"The energy anomaly node here is where the Stone is hidden." A bloodthirsty glint flashed in Corvus Glaive's scarlet eyes.

"My Lord's command: retrieve the Stone and clear the obstacles," Ebony Maw said to the other four.

"Primary objective: confirm and seize the Time Stone and the Mind Stone. Secondary objective: destroy the Planet's main resistance forces and any high-value targets that might interfere with My Lord's plan."

"For the great balance!" the four members of the Black Order whispered in unison.

"Activate optical camouflage and full-spectrum silence. Enter the inner planetary orbit at the third cosmic velocity. Let us give these inferior lifeforms a sudden greeting."

The fleet engaged again, like a drop of ink in water, silently blending into the starry background as it slowly approached the defenseless blue Planet.

Earth, New York, a bustling commoner snack street in Brooklyn.

"I'm saying, you brought me to a place like this?" Tony Stark wrinkled his nose in distaste, trying to avoid a middle-aged man pushing past with a stick of candied haws. His expensive handmade suit looked completely out of place in the surroundings.

Yet, he took a huge bite of the freshly cooked, sauce-covered, sesame and scallion-sprinkled savory pancake he was holding.

"What else? Take you to those so-called high-end restaurants where the plates are bigger than your face, the food is gone in one bite, and you have to pair it with eight hundred types of wine?" klein said while eating, his mouth glistening with oil. "This is life, get it, Young Master Stark? Just tell me if the food is delicious or not."

Tony rolled his eyes, took another bite of the pancake, and mumbled, "Fine, experiencing the simple joys of commoners once in a while is pretty good. But seriously, this sauce recipe has something special. Jarvis, record the flavor parameters; have the kitchen try it when we get back…"

"Just eat your food, you're so fussy." klein couldn't be bothered with him.

His gaze caught the silhouettes of Wanda and Skyecuriously looking at an accessory stall, while 2B stood quietly a short distance away, ensuring everyone's safety.

However, right in the midst of this peace, klein's chewing stopped abruptly.

His eyes became sharp in an instant. He looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through the colorful canopy of the snack street, through the skyscrapers of New York, and straight into that seemingly calm, boundless sky.

An extremely faint spatial fluctuation was captured by his perception, which was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

It's here! Faster than expected!

"Wanda! Skye!" klein's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the two women's ears.

Wanda and Skye turned around simultaneously. Seeing klein's suddenly extremely serious face, their hearts tightened.

"You two, now, go home immediately! Call Pietro, pick up Mei and Mary, and then go straight to that safe house I told you about! Do not come out until I return! Go!"

"What happened?" Wanda subconsciously stepped forward, crimson energy particles already beginning to dance restlessly at her fingertips.

"Don't ask! Listen to me! Go! This isn't something you can handle right now! Staying here will only distract me!"

Skye's reaction was a step faster than Wanda's. She grabbed Wanda's wrist. Although her face was a bit pale, her eyes were exceptionally clear and firm.

"Wanda, let's go! klein must have his reasons for saying this! If we stay here and can't help, we'll just be a burden!"

"But…"

"No buts!" Skye pulled her hard and took one last deep look at klein. "Be careful!"

With that, she didn't hesitate any longer. Pulling the still-bewildered Wanda, she turned and quickly squeezed into the crowd, running toward where they had parked.

Tony, holding his half-eaten savory pancake, watched the two women hurry away, then looked at his teacher, whose expression was as grave as water. He realized things had gotten serious.

He walked quickly to klein's side. "Why did they leave? What happened?"

"Something is coming." klein's gaze remained fixed on the sky, as if calculating the time. "Have Potts leave immediately as well, go to the safest place, like the basement fortress of your Stark Tower. The sooner, the better!"

Tony's heart sank. He had never seen such a look of facing a formidable enemy on klein's face. Even when facing Ultron or the crisis in Sokovia, this guy had always appeared composed and at ease.

"Potts…" Tony turned immediately and said quickly to Potts, who was beside him, "Listen, sweetheart, there's a bit of an emergency. I need you to leave with Happy right now, go to the emergency suite on B3 of the tower, and activate the highest-level security protocol. Don't ask anything, just listen to Happy on the way, okay?"

"Tony? What exactly…" Potts panicked too.

"Do it! Quickly!" Tony gave a look to Happy, who had been standing by nearby.

Although Happy didn't understand why, seeing his boss's attitude, he immediately realized the severity of the situation and stepped forward. "Ms. Potts, please come with me."

Potts looked at Tony, then at klein, and finally gritted her teeth. Under Happy's escort, she quickly left the snack street.

Only when Potts's figure disappeared around the corner did Tony turn sharply to klein. There was no trace of joking on his face anymore, and the activation device for his nanotech armor was on the verge of being triggered.

"Alright, can you tell me now? What exactly happened? Alien invasion? Or did some remnants of HYDRA set off an antimatter bomb?" Tony spoke rapidly.

"Worse than that." klein finally withdrew his gaze from the sky and looked at Tony. "Get ready, Tony. The real war is about to begin. The ones coming this time are not cannon fodder like the Chitauri."

As if in response to his words, *BOOM!!!* A multicolored beam of light tore through the New York sky without warning!

"What is that? The Bifrost Bridge? Is Thor back?" Tonylooked in that direction, suspicious and uneasy. Jarvis had already projected satellite and city surveillance footage onto his contact lenses, but that area seemed to be shrouded in intense energy interference, and the image was blurry.

klein's expression darkened even further.

"It is the Bifrost Bridge, but it's not Thor." He sensed a familiar aura within that beam of light. "Someone has been forcibly teleported here. This is bad."

Chapter 256: The The Black Order Attacks (Part 2)

On the other side, the roof of the New York Sanctum was shattered by the Bifrost Bridge, and a large crater was blasted into the floor.

In the center of the crater on the floor lay a man whose skin was gradually turning from green back to normal.

This man was none other than Dr. Banner.

He lay at the bottom of the crater, gasping for air, covered in dust and green bloodstains, with his chest and arms covered in terrifying wounds that had not yet fully healed.

He struggled to sit up, but groaned in pain and fell back down.

"Hulk... hold on... we're back..." he muttered to himself, as if comforting another existence within him.

Footsteps approached rapidly from a distance.

Doctor Strange and Wong quickly arrived at the edge of the breach, looking down at Banner at the bottom of the crater.

The Cloak of Levitation on Strange fluttered slightly, and his hands had already lit up with the golden Shield of Seraphim. Wong's hands were also formed into spell seals, his expression vigilant.

"No matter who you are," Strange's voice carried the calmness and majesty characteristic of a sorcerer, "state your purpose immediately, and why you have broken into the New York Sanctum in this manner."

Banner raised his head, his vision still blurry. He shook his head vigorously, forcing himself to focus.

"Thor... Asgard... spaceship..." Dr. Banner rambled incoherently, "Thanos... he's here... his army... is right behind... Earth... is in danger..."

"Calm down, sir, speak slowly." Wong crouched down, trying to stabilize Banner's emotions, "Who did you say?"

"Thanos! He is collecting the Infinity Stones in the Universe...

He attacked the Asgardian ship... killed Loki... killed Heimdall... killed half of the Asgardians...

Hulk tried his best to stop him, but was beaten by Thanosand was severely injured... he can't transform again for a short time...

It was Heimdall... who used his last strength to activate the Bifrost Bridge and sent me back to deliver the message...

Thanos's subordinates, the The Black Order, their targets are the Time Stone and the Mind Stone on Earth!

They are coming soon! Quick! Go find Tony Stark! Notify everyone! Prepare for battle! Earth has no time left!"

The information Dr. Banner provided was massive and shocking.

Strange and Wong exchanged a glance, both seeing unprecedented gravity in each other's eyes.

Thanos massacred Asgard? And is coming straight to Earth to get the other two stones?

"Wong, activate all defensive magic arrays of the Sanctum and enter the highest alert status. Dr. Banner, can you move? We need to immediately..."

Strange's words came to an abrupt halt.

He looked up sharply at the sky above the hole blasted into the Sanctum by the Bifrost Bridge.

Two ghost-like figures hovered silently in mid-air.

The one on the left, tall and thin, with gray skin and wearing magnificent robes, was Ebony Maw.

The one on the right, whose figure was shrouded in dark energy, with a blurred face and only ghostly blue psychic flames burning where the eyes should be, was Supergiant.

"Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, thank you for keeping the Time Stone for such a long time.

We are ordered to retrieve the items that belong to My Lord Thanos. Hand them over voluntarily, and you can avoid unnecessary damage."

"Dream on!" Wong roared, clapped his hands together, and a golden magic whip, like a snake emerging from its hole, lashed out violently at Ebony Maw in the air!

However, Ebony Maw only slightly lifted a finger.

The stone floor under Wong's feet suddenly liquefied, winding upward like living tentacles, instantly locking his legs tight and spreading toward his upper body!

What was even more terrifying was that these stone tentacles were crazily absorbing the magic energy Wong was trying to gather!

"What?!" Wong was shocked and angry, struggling with all his might, but the more he used magic, the faster it was absorbed.

Strange reacted extremely quickly, drawing complex magicarrays with his hands, and countless magic runes unfolded like a shield in front of Wong, temporarily blocking the erosion of the stone tentacles.

He shouted to the ground at the same time, "Dr. Banner! Leave here! Go find reinforcements!"

Banner scrambled out of the crater, knowing that he had no combat power right now, and staying here would only be a burden.

He had to get the message out!

Just then, Supergiant's gaze, like a cold probe, instantly pierced into Banner's mind!

"Argh!!!" Banner clutched his head and let out a scream.

Countless painful images exploded in his mind,

the moment Loki's neck was snapped, the tragic sight of Asgardians turning to ash in the beam of light, Thanos's emotionless purple pupils...

"No... get out...!" Banner knelt on the ground, blood beginning to seep from his seven orifices. The consciousness barrier, already fragile after Hulk was injured, was in jeopardy under Supergiant's psychic intrusion.

Seeing this, Strange's heart tightened. He no longer hesitated and threw his hands out to the sides!

"Shield of Seraphim!"

A huge golden magic shield expanded instantly, protecting himself, Wong, and the painfully struggling Banner behind him, temporarily isolating Ebony Maw's telekinesis and Supergiant's psychic attacks.

"Oh? A nice defense." Ebony Maw raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly interested, "But how long can you hold out, sorcerer?"

He slowly raised his hands, and the entire Sanctum began to shake violently; the walls, floor, ceiling...

all non-magically reinforced materials deformed under his terrifying telekinesis, turning into countless sharp stone spikes that bombarded the golden magic shield from all directions!

The shield flickered violently under the continuous bombardment, and beads of sweat seeped from Strange's forehead.

He knew that passive defense was a dead end.

"Wong!" Strange shouted in a low voice.

Wong immediately understood, forcefully suppressing the discomfort of having his magic absorbed, formed a seal with his hands, and slammed them onto the ground!

"Mirror Dimension!"

The surrounding scene instantly shattered like a broken mirror, and the familiar interior of the Sanctum turned into a bizarre maze, upside down and twisted left and right.

However, Ebony Maw just chuckled.

"A petty trick."

He and Supergiant joined forces, and the newly formed Mirror Dimension, like a popped soap bubble, dissipated with a pop.

Strange and Wong's expressions changed drastically. The opponent could actually break the Mirror Dimension so easily?!

"In the face of absolute power, these little tricks of yours are meaningless." Ebony Maw waved his hand elegantly, and more building materials turned into hideous creations, surging forward like a tide.

"Sword of Vishanti!" Strange gritted his teeth, summoned a huge golden sword of light, and slashed violently at the attacking stone beasts, but for every one destroyed, two larger ones immediately condensed.

Wong was also desperately using magic weapons to parry.

Supergiant continued to torture Banner with psychic attacks, preventing him from escaping or providing any help.

Just as Strange and Wong were about to be swallowed by the endless tide of petrification, and Banner's mind was on the verge of collapse.

Chapter 257: The Black Order Attacks (3)

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thick side wall of the New York Sanctum was violently smashed open from the outside by an incredibly brutal force, creating three large holes!

Bricks and stones flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.

Three figures, in an extremely disheveled state, crashed through the outer wall of the New York Sanctum and the layers of bookshelves inside, finally plowing three deep furrows into the hard floor before barely coming to a stop.

The ones who had been knocked in were the other three members of The Black Order: Black Dwarf, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight.

Black Dwarf's heavy armor, forged from a special alloy capable of withstanding ship cannons, was covered in charred burn marks and deep, jagged cuts. His massive battle axe had flown from his hand and was lodged diagonally into a nearby stone pillar.

He himself lay sprawled in the rubble, his chest heaving violently, as if he had temporarily lost the strength to even stand up.

Corvus Glaive's condition was slightly better, but he was also in a sorry state.

Only one of his signature twin blades remained; the other was nowhere to be found. His ornate armor was damaged in many places, and his exposed purple skin was crisscrossed with dozens of bone-deep wounds, from which dark blood was trickling out.

He knelt on one knee, using his remaining blade to barely support his body, his scarlet eyes filled with incredulous shock, rage, and humiliation.

Proxima Midnight was the first to struggle to her feet, but her condition was definitely not good. That divine spear, which struck fear into countless powerful warriors, was broken into two pieces, and one of her arms hung limply, clearly having suffered a devastating blow.

This sudden and Earth-shattering turn of events caused the previously one-sided battle within the New York Sanctum to instantly freeze.

The sky full of stone spikes controlled by Ebony Mawhovered in mid-air, and Supergiant's psychic attack on Bruce Banner also experienced a very brief lag.

Strange and Wong seized this fleeting opportunity. Strange abruptly expanded the Shield of Seraphim to its limit, temporarily forcing back the surrounding petrified tentacles, while simultaneously pulling the agonizing, head-clutching Bruce Banner behind him.

Wong quickly severed the stone bindings at his feet that were still absorbing his magic, staggered back to Strange's side, and gasped for breath, his face still showing lingering fear.

"You..." Ebony Maw slowly turned his head. For the first time, his grayish-white face lost that mask of eternal composure and elegance. His narrow eyes narrowed slightly as he looked out beyond the three huge holes.

The dust slowly cleared.

The first to step into the New York Sanctum was Tony Stark.

Although his nano-armor had several obvious scratches and dents on the chest and shoulder plates, its overall condition was much better.

The faceplate rose, revealing Tony's arrogant face.

"Hey, is this all you've got? And you dare to come to Earthto steal the stones?" Tony whistled. Although his tone was frivolous, his eyes were incomparably cold.

Immediately after, the figure of 2B appeared at the edge of the hole.

The Contract Sword in her hand, constructed from the energy of the Mind Stone, emitted a faint hum, its tip pointing at Proxima Midnight.

Her face was expressionless, her eyes calmly sweeping over Ebony Maw and Supergiant, before finally landing on Strange and Wong, nodding slightly as a greeting.

Finally, klein strolled in leisurely, still holding that half-eaten, cold piece of savory pancake.

He didn't even glance at the three disheveled Black Order generals on the ground. First, he looked around the chaotic interior of the New York Sanctum, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Say, you guys," klein took a bite of the pancake and said to Ebony Maw and Supergiant in a mumbled voice, "Fight if you must, but what kind of skill is tearing down someone's house? This renovation looks expensive; Dr. Stephen Strange must be heartbroken."

Strange's mouth twitched, and he didn't respond, but his tense nerves inexplicably relaxed a little due to the appearance of these three.

Ebony Maw's face was so gloomy that it looked like it could drip water.

He stared fixedly at klein; this seemingly ordinary man gave him an extremely dangerous feeling.

He knew the abilities of Corvus Glaive, Black Dwarf, and the others best.

If these three teamed up, even with his and Supergiant's cooperation, it would take some effort to take them down quickly.

Yet, in such a short time, they had been beaten into this state and blasted into the New York Sanctum?

Since when did Earth have combat power of this level?

"Who exactly are you?"

It turned out that at the same time Ebony Maw and Supergiant were raiding the New York Sanctum, the other three members of The Black Order had landed precisely in Brooklyn on a small, stealthy assault ship. Their target was 2B, as they had detected the fluctuations of the Mind Stone on her.

As soon as they landed, they began to release energy blasts unscrupulously, launching indiscriminate attacks.

Tony reacted the fastest. The moment the reactor on his chest lit up, the nano-armor flowed to cover his entire body.

"One each, make it quick!" Tony shouted to klein and 2B, and before he finished speaking, he rushed toward Black Dwarf, who was the largest and looked like the biggest threat.

Black Dwarf roared, and his giant axe came down with the force of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

Tony didn't dodge or evade; his left arm instantly expanded a dense, diamond-shaped nano-shield.

With a deafening crash, the shield didn't budge, but the powerful recoil made Black Dwarf's arm go numb.

The energy cannon on Tony's right arm had already finished charging; a scorching white beam hit Black Dwarfin the chest at point-blank range, sending his massive body flying backward, crashing through half a street wall.

Corvus Glaive's scarlet eyes locked onto the seemingly most ordinary klein. His blade carved a deadly arc, aiming straight for his neck, moving so fast that only afterimages remained.

klein just leaned slightly to the side, narrowly dodging the blade, then seemingly casually raised his hand, fingers together, and precisely flicked the inside of Corvus Glaive's wrist, then kicked him directly in the chest.

With a slight cracking sound, Corvus Glaive felt an irresistible giant force accompanied by a Strange vibration. His entire arm went numb instantly, his blade almost slipped from his hand, and his chest felt as if it had been hit by a heavy hammer, sending him flying backward while his blood churned.

Proxima Midnight faced 2B.

She was full of confidence in her divine spear forged from a star's core; her first move was a series of lethal stabs.

However, 2B's response was beyond her understanding.

The Contract Sword in her hand, constructed from the Mind Stone, precisely parried or deflected her stabs every single time.

In just a few rounds, she was struck on the shaft of her spear; the great force split the webbing between her thumb and forefinger, and then she was kicked in the ribs by 2B's swift side kick.

The battle was almost a one-sided crushing defeat.

The strength, technique, and experience accumulated from slaughtering across countless Planets that the three Black Order generals were so proud of seemed pale and powerless before klein, Tony, and 2B.

It was precisely during this overwhelming battle that Tonyreceived an emergency distress signal from the New York Sanctum, relayed by Jarvis.

"Strange can't hold them off over there; it's the other two!" Tony quickly shared the intelligence.

"Perfect," klein kicked Corvus Glaive, who was struggling to get up, deeper into the ground, "Let's pack these three up and take them over there to deal with them all at once; saves us two trips."

Thus, the three of them tacitly herded the heavily injured three Black Order generals, quickly moving the battlefield toward the New York Sanctum.

That explains the scene where the three human cannonballs blasted into the New York Sanctum just now.

"The people who are here to end you." Tony answered first, the Pulse Cannon on his armor's arm beginning to charge again, aiming at Ebony Maw.

"Don't speak too soon, tin man." Corvus Glaive spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and used his blade to support himself as he stood up shakily. The fierce light in his eyes increased rather than decreased. "That was just momentary carelessness. The will of Lord Thanos will be carried out!"

Proxima Midnight also let out a hoarse low growl, pointing her broken divine spear at 2B. Although her weapon was damaged, her killing intent was boiling.

Black Dwarf panted heavily and grabbed his battle axe back.

Supergiant's psychic fluctuations became intense again, no longer limited to Bruce Banner, but like an invisible tide, attempting to simultaneously envelop the newly arrived Tony, 2B, and klein.

"Watch out for her psychic attack!" Strange immediately called out a warning, while his hands lit up with golden magic circles again, preparing to provide support.

Ebony Maw took a deep breath. Thanos's mission must be completed; the Time Stone and the Mind Stone must be obtained.

Although the opponent had received strong reinforcements, they, The Black Order, were not without the power to fight again, especially since his and Supergiant's abilities were more suitable for crowd control and hunting in such complex environments.

"It seems we need to get serious." Ebony Maw slowly raised his hands.

This time, not only the building materials of the New York Sanctum, but even the free energy particles in the air, and even the light, began to distort under his telekinesis.

"For Lord Thanos!" Corvus Glaive roared, dragging his injured body, and was the first to transform into an afterimage, pouncing toward Tony, who looked the easiest to bully!

Proxima Midnight acted almost at the same time, targeting 2B directly. Even with a broken weapon, her fighting techniques and speed were still lethal.

Black Dwarf also roared, swinging his battle axe like an angry rhinoceros, charging head-down toward klein.

In his view, this man holding the pancake was perhaps the weakest breakthrough point.

Supergiant's psychic scream was like a tangible sound wave, accompanying the torrent of matter controlled by Ebony Maw, simultaneously attacking Strange, Wong, and Bruce Banner, who was trying to resist with his will!

Chapter 258: Total War Erupts

The moment The Black Order launched their final assault, Tony immediately scanned the battlefield situation with his armor and said to klein and 2B,

"klein, 2B, I'll handle Proxima Midnight and Black Dwarf, and look after Banner while I'm at it!

You two take care of Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, and that mental-power user! Strange and Wong, protect yourselves, and if you get a chance, take Banner and leave first!"

Before he even finished speaking, the micro-missile pods on Tony's back opened fully, and a dozen micro-tracking missiles whistled out, trailing white smoke as they swarmed like a hive of bees toward Black Dwarf, who was charging at klein, and Proxima Midnight, who was thrusting her broken spear at 2B.

At the same time, he dove at high speed, using his energy shield to tank the aftermath of a mental blast from Supergiant, landing precisely in front of Banner.

He fired his Pulse Cannon repeatedly at the encroaching stone tentacles, clearing a relatively safe area for him.

"Dr. Banner! Can you still move? Get over to Strange!" Tonyshouted without looking back.

Banner shook his head in pain, fighting through the turbulent hallucinations and excruciating agony in his mind, and crawled toward Strange using his hands and feet.

On the other side, facing Corvus Glaive, who was lunging at him with his glaive, klein unhurriedly stuffed the last bite of his savory pancake into his mouth, then crumpled the oil paper into a ball and flicked it at Corvus Glaive's face.

The oil paper ball was not fast, and its angle was ordinary; Corvus Glaive didn't even bother to block it, merely tilting his head slightly to dodge.

However, just as the oil paper ball was about to graze his cheek, a flash of chaotic light appeared in klein's eyes.

The seemingly light oil paper ball suddenly erupted with energy comparable to a ship's cannon!

Corvus Glaive's expression changed drastically; it was too late to dodge, so he could only barely hold his glaive horizontally in front of him.

The oil paper ball exploded, and the violent impact, mixed with a bizarre shockwave, blasted Corvus Glaive and his weapon flying backward again, adding another spiderweb-like crack to his chest armor while he spat out blood.

klein didn't even glance at him, shifting his feet slightly, and his figure appeared like a phantom beside Ebony Maw, who was exerting all his strength to channel a telekinetic attack.

"Flashy but useless."

He gave a faint evaluation, opened his right hand, and seemingly casually grabbed and pulled at the core of the distorted force field surrounding Ebony Maw.

Ebony Maw let out a muffled groan, his face instantly draining of color.

He felt his carefully constructed telekinetic field being brutally torn apart at its fundamental structure by an unreasonable force!

The stone spikes and metal debris flying all around, like puppets with cut strings, instantly lost control and clattered to the ground.

2B's Virtuous Contract seemed to have a life of its own in her hands; it swung upward at an incredible angle, precisely striking the side of Proxima Midnight's supporting knee.

Proxima Midnight groaned in pain, her movements faltering.

2B seized the opportunity; her other hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the wrist holding the spear, and twisted it with force!

Crack!

Following Proxima Midnight's scream, she was hit in the lower abdomen by 2B's follow-up knee strike. Her body curled up like a shrimp as she flew backward, slamming heavily into a distant wall before sliding down, temporarily incapacitated.

Black Dwarf was chased around by Tony's micro-missiles, jumping up and down. Although he was thick-skinned, the impact and shrapnel from the explosions left him in a sorry state, roaring repeatedly.

Tony utilized his aerial advantage, constantly harassing him with his Pulse Cannon and micro-missiles to keep him firmly pinned away from the main battlefield, while also occasionally taking potshots at Supergiant to interrupt her spellcasting.

Strange and Wong felt the pressure ease significantly.

Strange immediately erected several layers of solid magicshields around Wong and Banner, who had just crawled over.

At the same time, he moved his hands rapidly, and the golden Whips of Serafim moved like living tentacles, constantly intercepting Supergiant's pervasive mental screams.

Wong took the opportunity to start chanting a large defensive magic circle, attempting to stabilize the crumbling space of the Sanctum and isolate it from external energy interference.

The situation seemed to have turned around in an instant.

The Black Order: Corvus Glaive was seriously injured, Proxima Midnight had lost her combat effectiveness, Black Dwarf was pinned down, Ebony Maw's telekinesis was suppressed by klein, and Supergiant's mental attacks were blocked by the combined efforts of Strange and Wong.

The scales of victory seemed to be tipping toward Earth.

However, just when everyone thought victory was within reach and they could defeat them one by one.

Ebony Maw, who had been pale-faced and seemingly suppressed by klein all this time, suddenly curled his lips into an extremely cold and treacherous smile.

"You've fallen for it."

His hoarse voice rang out, and at the same time, the eyes of Supergiant, who had been hovering beside him, suddenly erupted with unprecedented, intense light!

This time, her mental blast was no longer scattered; she was no longer trying to attack multiple people at once.

All her mental energy, like a needle point compressed to the extreme, converged into an intangible soul spike, ignoring Strange's magic shields.

Dr. Strange was immediately struck down by the powerful mental shock, unable to cast magic any longer.

A look of desperate madness flashed in the eyes of the seriously injured Corvus Glaive. He slammed his remaining glaive into the ground and, using his last bit of strength, pulled a palm-sized cubic fragment from his bosom.

This was a small fragment Thanos had specifically left behind after obtaining the Space Stone, containing spatial coordinates and faint energy, used for one-way teleportation in emergencies!

He crushed the fragment fiercely!

At the same time, Ebony Maw, at the cost of being struck in the chest by one of klein's palm imprints from afar and flying backward while vomiting blood, desperately poured all his remaining telekinetic energy into Supergiant.

Supergiant let out a piercing, extreme shriek. The blue flames in her eyes were almost extinguished, but she successfully implanted a mandatory mental command, along with spatial coordinates, into the struggling Strange.

"Stop him!!!"

"Protect Strange!"

klein and Tony's sharp shouts rang out almost simultaneously.

However, they were half a step too late.

The space fragment Corvus Glaive crushed erupted with dazzling blue light, and an unstable spatial rift suddenly opened less than a meter in front of Strange!

On the other side of the rift, the scene was blurry and distorted, but a spacecraft could be faintly seen.

Strange lunged right into the newly formed spatial rift!

"Strange!!!" Wong's eyes were splitting with rage.

The moment the spatial rift swallowed Strange, it seemed to have completed its mission; it flickered violently and then vanished like a bubble.

The Black Order disappeared along with it.

Only a faint wisp of blue light dust remained in place, along with Wong's heart-wrenching roar.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

From Ebony Maw's treacherous smile, to Supergiantfocusing her mental attack on Banner, to Corvus Glaivecrushing the space fragment, and then to Strange falling into the spatial rift...

The entire process took no more than three seconds.

"We've been tricked!" klein's eyes turned cold; he finally understood the enemy's true target.

From the very beginning, their fierce attack on the Sanctum was a feint; pinning everyone down to create chaos was the truth. Their ultimate goal was to use that unstable factor and the Space Stone fragment to create an extremely brief, yet sufficient, opportunity to forcibly teleport the holder of the Time Stone away!

As for the Mind Stone? It was likely just an incidental target, or perhaps it was just a smokescreen all along!

"Tony! 2B! Pursue!" klein didn't hesitate at all; he slashed with one hand toward the spot where the spatial rift had vanished.

A more stable spatial channel, with chaotic aura flowing at its edges, was forcibly torn open by him!

The other end of the channel connected to the spacecraft on the other side of the spatial rift just now.

"Wong! Stabilize this place! Contact everyone you can! Global alert! Their army is likely already here!" klein roared at Wong, then his figure flashed as he was the first to rush into the spatial channel he had opened.

Chapter 259: The Meeting of Star-Lord and Thor

Just as the Black Order was attacking Earth, Star-Lord's spaceship was speeding through the sea of stars.

Like a meteor, it tore through the dark void, dragging a long trail of exhaust flames behind it.

Outside the porthole, the stars were stretched into long, thin lines of light; the visual distortion caused by space jumping made the entire starry sky look bizarre and surreal.

Inside the cockpit, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was almost suffocating.

Star-Lord sat in the pilot's seat, his hands gripping the control stick so tightly that his knuckles had turned white from the strain.

His eyes were fixed intently on the navigation star chart ahead, the whites of his eyes bloodshot, his chin covered in dark stubble, and he radiated a dangerous aura.

He hadn't closed his eyes for more than a dozen hours.

Rocket crouched on the co-pilot's seat, uncharacteristically refraining from cursing, and instead silently fiddled with an energy rifle he had dismantled into pieces.

His small paws mechanically repeated the assembly and disassembly motions, his eyes vacant, lost in thought.

Drax sat in the back row like a silent statue.

He held the battle axe he had brought back from the Planet Ego in his arms, sharpening the blade with a whetstone over and over again.

He, too, remained silent, but the low, rhythmic sound of grinding was more evocative of the surging killing intent in his heart than any roar.

Groot stood beside Drax, having grown to the height of an adult's waist by now.

He wasn't running around lively as usual; he just stood quietly, one hand resting on Drax's shoulder, his gaze fixed through the porthole at the boundless deep space, as if sensing something.

The only sounds inside the spaceship were the low hum of the instruments and the rustling sound of Drax sharpening his blade.

The silence lasted for a long time.

Finally, Rocket was the first to break the deathly silence.

He cocked the assembled energy rifle with a click, and without looking up, spoke in a voice as raspy as sandpaper rubbing against sheet metal, "How much longer?"

"At our current jump speed, we'll arrive at the outer airspace of Titan in about six standard hours." Star-Lord's voice was equally raspy; he hadn't had a drink of water in a long time.

"Titan..." Rocket repeated the name, his small paws tightening around the rifle, "Thanos's lair. We're charging over there with just the four of us; how is that any different from a suicide mission?"

"Then what do you suggest?" Star-Lord turned his head sharply, his bloodshot eyes staring intensely at Rocket,

"Go back? Pretend nothing happened? Continue taking those bullshit bounty missions, drinking and bragging, pretending Yondu is still alive, pretending Gamora wasn't taken by that purple grape?!"

His voice grew louder and louder, eventually becoming almost a roar, the veins on his forehead bulging.

Rocket did not avoid his gaze.

He looked up, his small eyes burning with the same suppressed anger and sorrow,

"I didn't say we should go back, you idiot. I'm just stating the facts. The four of us can't beat Thanos; that's a fact. But we still came, and that's also a fact. So stop yelling at me, save your energy, and vent when we get there."

Star-Lord's chest heaved violently a few times, and finally, as if drained of all strength, he slumped back into his seat, rubbing his face hard with his palms, "...I'm sorry. I just..."

"I know." Rocket interrupted him, lowering his head again to continue wiping the gun barrel, "I miss her too."

After the brief conversation, the cockpit fell into silence once again.

The sound of Drax sharpening his blade continued unhurriedly, as if it would never stop.

Groot suddenly reached out and gently touched Star-Lord's shoulder.

Star-Lord took a deep breath, recalling the journey here...

After Thanos snatched Gamora from Star-Lord, Star-Lordand the others, after resting and regrouping, decided to head to Thanos's lair, Titan, to rescue Gamora.

Originally, the crowded subordinates wanted to come along, but Star-Lord refused; he didn't want those people to die with him, and he told them,

"If I can come back, I'll be your new boss, and I'll lead you to continue wandering the Universe. If I don't come back... then you should all go your separate ways!"

Afterward, the four of them boarded the spaceship and began the journey to Titan.

...

A dull, thunderous boom, accompanied by violent shaking of the entire ship, pulled Star-Lord back from his memories.

The red warning lights inside the ship were flashing frantically!

"What's happening?!" Star-Lord grabbed the control stick sharply, steadying the ship that was shaking violently from the impact, while quickly scanning the instrument readings,

"The shields didn't warn us! The radar didn't detect any obstacles! What did we hit?!"

Rocket reacted faster; he lunged at the sensor console, his small paws typing on the keyboard like lightning to pull up the real-time feed from the external cameras at the bow of the ship.

The moment the image was transmitted to the main screen, everyone's breath hitched for a moment.

They saw a person clinging to the reinforced glass of the ship's front observation window.

The person was scorched black all over, their clothes tattered, and their exposed skin covered in shocking burns and lacerations.

The entire body looked like a piece of abandoned rag, pressed tightly against the glass of the high-speed spaceship, hair disheveled by the oncoming cosmic radiation and particle streams, motionless, with no sign of life.

What was even more eerie was that in this deep space where even light was almost swallowed, there were no spaceship wrecks, no signs of battle; this person seemed to have appeared out of thin air on their flight path.

"Is that... a corpse?" Rocket swallowed, his small paws hovering over the keyboard without landing.

"No... it doesn't look like one." Star-Lord stared intently at the scorched figure on the screen,

"If it were a corpse drifting in a vacuum, it would have been riddled with holes by micrometeorites and radiation long ago. Their body is still relatively intact."

"Dead or alive, having him clinging to our glass affects the ship's aerodynamic stability and blocks part of our view. We have to get him off."

Star-Lord hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded.

He adjusted the ship's flight attitude, preparing to use a short, sharp maneuvering turn to flick the person off the glass using inertia.

However, at the very instant he was about to push the control stick.

On the main screen, the scorched figure clinging to the glass twitched its fingers ever so slightly.

Then, it slowly, ever so slowly, opened the only eye it could still open.

That eye was azure blue, like the deepest surface of the sea before a storm, with faint electric arcs seemingly dancing within it.

Through the thick spaceship glass, across the vacuum of space, that eye looked straight into the cockpit, meeting Star-Lord's gaze.

"...What the f*ck!"

Star-Lord was so startled he nearly jumped out of his seat; Rocket let out a strange cry as well, instinctively raising the energy rifle in his hands and aiming it at the screen.

Even Drax, who had been silently sharpening his blade, snapped his head up and tightened his grip on the axe handle.

Groot reacted the fastest; he rushed to the airlock in a few strides, quickly disengaged the airtight lock with his vine-like, nimble fingers, and then pulled the manual pressure release valve with force.

With a hissing sound of pressure equalization, the hatch slowly opened a crack.

The suction created by the near-vacuum environment outside instantly pulled the scorched figure clinging to the glass inside.

The person crashed heavily onto the cabin floor with a dull thud of flesh hitting metal, and then lay motionless.

Groot quickly closed the hatch and activated the internal air pressure circulation system.

As the oxygen levels gradually returned to normal, the person's scorched chest began to rise and fall, ever so slightly but undeniably.

Star-Lord and Rocket cautiously approached.

Observing from up close, the person's injuries were even more severe than they had imagined.

There was hardly an intact patch of skin on their body; everywhere were deep burns and cuts from sharp weapons, and their left arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly fractured.

"Who... is this guy?" Star-Lord squatted down, carefully poked the person's shoulder with one finger, but there was no response.

Chapter 260: Thor and Star-Lord Meet (Part 2)

Darkness.

Darkness that consumes everything.

Thor floated powerlessly in the cold void.

His only remaining eye was open, but he could see nothing. Or rather, he saw only eternal darkness.

Loki was dead.

Heimdall was dead.

Half of the Asgardians were dead.

And he, the King of Asgard, was floating in the Universelike a piece of garbage, unable to even take revenge.

The image of Thanos crushing Loki's neck played repeatedly in his mind, and every replay made his heart twitch with pain.

He remembered the look in Loki's eyes at the end.

"No..." Thor roared silently, his tears freezing into ice crystals in the vacuum, sticking to his cheeks.

Thor had taken a ship to find Thanos for revenge, but his ship disintegrated during the final space jump, leaving Thorto drift helplessly in the Universe.

His divine power was exhausted, his body was injured, and he had tried every method he could think of, but it was all to no avail.

Maybe ten minutes? Or maybe twenty?

Thor would die in the vacuum and cold environment of the Universe, turning into a frozen corpse among the stars.

Just as Thor was about to close his eyes and accept death, a glimmer of unusual light caught his remaining attention.

It was not the light of a star. It was the blue trail of a warp engine. And it was approaching rapidly.

A ship. A ship with a rugged design and flashy paint job, clearly in the style of the Raiders, was emerging from hyperspace and charging almost straight at him.

Thor wanted to move, wanted to signal, but he didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.

He could only watch helplessly as the ship grew larger and larger, until his body collided with the ship's observation window, and then darkness completely swallowed him.

...

Ten minutes later, Star-Lord and the others were gathered around Thor's body, examining him constantly.

Rocket used his claws to pry open his shattered chest armor, "This pattern... this material... this is Asgardiancraftsmanship!"

"Asgard?" Star-Lord was stunned.

Just then, Thor coughed violently, and ice crystals sprayed from his mouth. His only remaining eye suddenly opened, and a flash of electricity flickered in it.

"Tha... nos..." he said hoarsely, then passed out again.

The cabin fell into a brief silence.

"Did he just say... Thanos?" Drax's voice deepened, his massive fists clenched.

Rocket jumped off the man's body with a serious expression, "Guys, I think we picked up a big shot. This physique, this equipment, he must be Thor. The new King of Asgard."

Star-Lord gasped, "That guy from the legends who can summon lightning? How could he..."

"Rumor has it that Asgard was destroyed." Rocket said, "Ragnarok. It seems to be true. And judging by his tone, Thanos had a hand in it."

Groot gently touched Thor's arm, "I am Groot..."

"Med-bay!" Star-Lord realized, "Quick, get him in there!"

The med-bay's life support system hummed as it operated, and blue healing beams scanned Thor's body.

"Multiple organ ruptures, seventeen fractures, severe concussion, blood loss over 40%..." Rocket read the medical data, "And his internal energy is depleted. It's like he exhausted all his power."

"Can he survive?" Star-Lord asked.

"A normal person? They'd be dead for sure. But him?" Rocket shrugged, "This guy's vital signs are recovering at an astonishing rate. Asgardians, especially those of royal blood, have freakishly strong recovery abilities."

As they were talking, Thor in the med-bay opened his eyes again.

This time, his eyes were much clearer.

He turned his head slowly, looked at the people outside through the observation window, and then raised his hand to tap gently on the glass.

Star-Lord pressed the comms button, "Can you hear me?"

Thor nodded, his voice coming through the communicator, "You saved me. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Star-Lord said, "You are Thor? Thor?"

"I was." Thor's eyes dimmed, "Now I'm just a failure."

"What happened?" Drax asked, "What did Thanos do to you?"

A terrifying spark of electricity instantly erupted from Thor's single eye, and the lights in the med-bay flickered.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"He attacked the Asgardian refugee ship. He killed my brother Loki. He killed Heimdall. He killed half of the Asgardians. And I couldn't do anything."

The cabin fell silent again.

"He also killed Yondu." Star-Lord said in a low voice, "Right in front of us. He snapped his neck like he was crushing a bug."

Thor looked at Star-Lord, a flash of understanding in his single eye, "So you also..."

"We are going to Titan. That's Thanos's lair. We want revenge, and we want to get Gamora back."

"Gamora?"

"Thanos's adopted daughter. He took her away." Rocketadded, "We suspect he needs her to trade for the Soul Stone."

Thor's pupils constricted, "He already has the Soul Stone?"

"We're not sure..."

Thor fell silent. The healing beams in the med-bay continued to scan, but he seemed unaware.

After a long while, Thor spoke, "I'm going with you."

"You?" Rocket raised an eyebrow, "Buddy, you look like you're one step away from death."

"I will recover. But before that, I need a new weapon. mjolnir was destroyed in Ragnarok. Without a weapon, I cannot fight Thanos."

"A new weapon? Where can you get one?"

"Nidavellir. That is the Dwarf Kingdom. Only their star-core forge and the craftsmanship of the Dwarf King Eitri can forge a weapon capable of harming Thanos."

Star-Lord and Rocket exchanged a look.

"Where is Nidavellir?" Star-Lord asked.

"Not far. From here, it's about a two-day journey by warp. But we must be fast. Thanos already has three Infinity Stones. If he collects all six..."

"Then the Universe is finished." Star-Lord finished, "We know."

Another silence. Then Star-Lord made a decision.

"We split up. Rocket, you take the ship and bring Thor and Groot to Nidavellir. Drax and I will go to Titan to scout first.

If we guessed wrong, and Thanos isn't on Titan, we'll lie in wait for you. If he is..." A look of determination flashed in Star-Lord's eyes,

"We'll try to stall him until you arrive with the new weapon."

"This plan sucks." Rocket said bluntly, "You and Drax going up against Thanos? You'll be killed instantly."

"That's why we won't engage head-on." Star-Lord said, "Just scouting. Lying low. Waiting for you."

Thor looked at Star-Lord, a flash of appreciation in his single eye, "You are brave, mortal."

"My name is Peter Quill." Star-Lord said, "Star-Lord. Remember it, because when I take down Thanos, I'll make you write that name into Asgard's history books."

Thor actually managed a slight smile, the first time he had smiled since losing everything, "I'll remember it, Star-Lord."

"Alright, enough with the emotional stuff." Rocket jumped onto the console,

"Setting coordinates, Nidavellir. Peter, you and Drax take the shuttle. Leave this ship for us; you need a smaller ship to infiltrate Titan."

"Does the shuttle have cloaking capabilities?" Drax asked.

"Yes, but it only lasts for twelve hours. So don't get caught. Groot, you're with me."

"I am Groot."

An hour later, a small shuttle was ejected from the belly of the Raiders' ship and engaged its warp engines toward Titan.

The Raiders' ship turned around and headed toward another coordinate.

Inside the ship, Rocket set the autopilot, jumped onto the observation window of the med-bay, and looked at Thor, who was resting and recovering inside.

"So you can really summon lightning?"

Thor didn't open his eyes, "Of course, but I need a new weapon to enhance my power. With my current strength, I can't beat Thanos."

"Cool." Rocket whistled,

"I hope those dwarves aren't all dead. I heard Thanos went to Nidavellir."

Thor opened his eyes suddenly: "When?"

"Not long ago. The news came out of the Land of Nihility, saying Thanos used the Eternal Star-Core to trade for the Reality Stone from The Collector.

Before that, he must have gone to Nidavellir first to forge the Infinity Gauntlet. So... prepare yourself. The Dwarf Kingdom might already be in ruins."

Thor's single eye dimmed, but soon ignited with flames again, "Then I will forge a weapon of vengeance from the ruins."