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Thanos's flagship was named the Sanctuary II.
It was huge. Even by cosmic standards, it was a floating war fortress the size of a planet.
But right now, the interior of the dreadnought was dead silent.
The moment Hawk's declaration spread throughout the universe, the Sanctuary II stopped suddenly, its huge engines shutting down right away.
It wasn't out of fear. It was instinct.
The natural, instinctive respect needed when near a Chief God.
The Black Order, the fearsome generals who commanded Thanos's armies, including Cull Obsidian and Supergiant, stood in silence. They looked up at their leader, who sat upon a throne that seemed to float amidst a simulated galaxy.
Thanos!
The Mad Titan sat still on his throne. Over eight feet tall, his dark purple skin was coarse and heavily textured, resembling cracked granite. Faint, golden striations ran across his neck and massive arms, resembling natural, organic armor.
His skull was ridged, protruding backward, and his massive chin was deeply grooved, like a vertical comb.
Right now, a rapid succession of images was flashing through his mind.
When the cry of the Phoenix had resounded through the void, Thanos, like the countless Dimensional Lords, planetary Celestials, and pantheon heads, hadn't just heard Hawk's declaration. He had seen the bloody resume of the Phoenix.
Thanos watched the highlight reel... He saw Hawk break a pure Vibranium energy shield with one strike and destroy Wakanda completely.
He saw the confrontation over the Atlantic Ocean, the tense standoff with Poseidon.
But most importantly, Thanos observed Hawk with a completely indifferent expression as he methodically annihilated the Heaven Dimension. He saw Hawk effectively salt the Earth, exterminating every angel.
The message was clear.
Thanos understood the serious, hidden threat in Hawk's declaration.
Nidavellir is off-limits for a hostile takeover.
As his brain raced, Thanos quickly scrapped his original operational plan.
He had initially intended to arrive at Nidavellir, force the Dwarves to forge his Infinity Gauntlet, and then bathe the realm in blood, culling half their population.
Thanos held a vision. He wanted the universe to survive. But by his calculations, if the population stayed the same, soon all resources would run out. The universe would starve.
After all, the bigger the universe's population, the more 'seeds' the Celestials planted. Each time a new Celestial was born, a planet with life was destroyed.
How could this be allowed to continue?
The universe didn't belong exclusively to the Celestials. It belonged to everyone.
As the saying goes: Protecting the universe is everyone's responsibility.
What gave the Celestials the right to mine the universe? Just because Eternity, the personification of Time, made them and told them to keep balance?
Yes... Eternity may have told them to keep balance, but never gave the Celestials permission to create more of themselves on their own.
The law is strict, but grace is infinite.
The same applies to Time and Eternity.
To refrain from directly interfering with Time, Eternity created the Celestials. Their job was to act like mechanics, keeping Time's machinery running.
As for Eternity himself, after making the Celestials, he disappeared completely.
Some say Eternity retired to stay neutral.
Others say Eternity just disappeared without a trace.
But that wasn't the point; the important fact is that Eternity only made three original Celestials.
Arishem the Judge.
Exitar the Exterminator.
And Eson the Searcher.
One to search, one to judge, one to execute.
And yet…
At some point, a fourth Celestial was born. Then a fifth, and more after that.
They weren't made by Eternity. And each time one was born, a planet with life was destroyed.
If the Celestials kept reproducing like this, would there eventually be any life left in the universe besides them?
Hence, this was wrong.
It's important to note Titan's history. The ancestors of the Eternals on Titan were originally rebels.
Simply put: eons ago, one of the Eternals on Earth was bitten by a Deviant. He didn't die. Instead, he mutated. But it was a blessing in disguise. The mutation broke the mental conditioning imposed by the Celestials, restoring his erased memories. He realized they were just tools. He and his followers defected, fled Earth, and eventually put down roots on Titan.
So—
As a mutated descendant of the Eternals, Thanos regularly found himself ostracized for speaking out against his people's passive, unresisting complacency. He would look up at the brilliant, starry sky, his fists clenched tight, and silently swear a vow.
Thanos knew he couldn't fight the Celestials head-on.
No one could.
But Thanos knew he could delay the inevitable death of the universe. By culling the population of every life-bearing planet, he could ensure their numbers remained below the threshold required to trigger a Celestial emergence. This way, life could continue, and the universe would endure.
A win-win.
As for the Celestials?
He'd deal with them later.
In summary, Thanos's original plan was to go to Nidavellir, get the Infinity Gauntlet, and then do his duty by wiping out half the Dwarves.
He was already there, after all. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
But that plan depended on two things: that Nidavellir was a populated planet in the primary universe, and that it no longer had a Chief God protecting it.
Once again.
Thanos knew not to anger the Celestials. He also knew not to anger a Chief God.
Especially a decisive, ruthless Chief God who clearly didn't care for diplomacy or long-winded origin stories.
Odin, the previous Chief God who protected Nidavellir, had fit that description.
However, back then, the World Tree cosmos was separate from the primary universe. So, in Thanos's original grand design, the realms of the World Tree weren't on his culling list.
But when Odin died, and the World Tree started merging with the primary universe, everything changed.
First.
Did Nidavellir still have a Chief God protecting them? Obviously not.
Thor might be a god, but he wasn't a Chief God yet.
Second, was Nidavellir now a populated planet within the primary universe? Yes.
The moment the World Tree merged with the main timeline, it became one. So, it was naturally added to Thanos's list.
But now, that plan was completely ruined.
After their protector, Odin, died, Nidavellir promptly secured the support of a new Chief God.
Phoenix.
And this new Chief God, Phoenix, was just like Odin in his prime—ruthless, decisive, and preferring to maintain his rule with an iron fist.
But that wasn't the main issue.
The main issue was that Thanos's culling list explicitly excluded any populated planet under the direct protection of a Chief God. Even if that planet was overflowing with life and prosperity.
The reason was simple.
A planet protected by a Chief God, no matter how overpopulated it became, would never have to worry about a Celestial seed tearing it apart from the inside out.
The Celestials might plant their seeds on ordinary planets, on planets within dimensional pockets, or even on planets watched over by lesser gods. But they would never plant a seed on a planet under the direct jurisdiction of a Chief God.
Therefore—
Sitting on his throne, Thanos tapped his thick, purple fingers rhythmically against the armrest.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The crisp sound resounded through the silent chamber.
Standing at the foot of the throne.
The Black Order waited for his command—Ebony Maw, tall and thin, with grayish-black skin, hollow eyes, and flowing black robes.
Cull Obsidian, built like a boulder, his skin deep gray.
Proxima Midnight, with her dark blue skin, is dressed in a sleek black combat suit. Beside her is her husband, Corvus Glaive, whose skin is mottled gray-black.
The four of them looked up in unison, their eyes fixed on the formidable figure seated above them.
Their King.
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"The course remains unchanged."
"But..."
"Nidavellir has welcomed a new Chief God, Phoenix. Therefore, Nidavellir is granted an exemption from our culling."
Thanos's primary objective for visiting Nidavellir was the Infinity Gauntlet.
The culling was a secondary objective.
Since Nidavellir had secured a new Chief God, they had earned the right to survive.
As for other populated planets?
'If you want to survive, go find your own Chief God to protect you. If every populated planet had a Chief God, I could retire early.'
Unfortunately, the universe is boundless, Chief Gods are rare, and populated planets are numerous.
But...Thanos was truly glad that Nidavellir would be spared from his culling. He wasn't pretending—he really meant it.
He had never destroyed for the sake of destruction. He had chosen the path of destruction solely for the sake of survival.
Tragically, very few people understood his burden—especially his adopted daughter.
Gamora.
As the Sanctuary II restarted its engines and moved forward, Thanos sat on his throne, thinking of his estranged daughter. He let out a quiet sigh.
In truth, Thanos wasn't the first to hear Hawk's declaration.
Hawk had broadcast his ascension from Nidavellir, radiating outward in all directions. Therefore, the primary universe hadn't received the message first.
The first to receive it were the other realms within the World Tree cosmos.
In Jotunheim, the icy realm that had long endured Odin's sanctions, the Frost Giants—depleted of their leader and the Casket of Ancient Winters—emerged from the ruins. They erupted in joyful cheers upon sensing Odin's death, celebrating the fall of the tyrant.
When Hawk's declaration reached them, they ignored it, too busy celebrating Odin's fall.
Svartalfheim, the realm of the Dark Elves.
Muspelheim, the realm of the Fire Demons.
Both realms had endured prolonged, harsh economic blockades and military suppression during Odin's reign. The remaining Dark Elves and Fire Demons likewise dismissed Hawk's warning, continuing their festivities and celebrating Odin's downfall.
As for Helheim, the Realm of the Dead, it was completely silent.
Don't ask why the Realm of the Dead was still empty of souls even after Hela was freed from prison.
Hela had forced every soul in Helheim to join her undead army.
And the exact moment Hawk's voice reached Asgard—
Hela currently held Thor by the throat, brutally forcing him against the balcony railing of the royal palace.
In the next moment, Hawk's voice and the piercing cry of the Phoenix resounded across Asgard's skies, ringing clearly in Hela's ears and in Thor's, whose last eye flashed with fierce lightning.
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