"The Eternals... truly a race favored by the heavens."
Whoooom—
A scorching wave of searing air lashed viciously against them. The violent tremors forced the already crumbling celestial body to emit a wail of unbearable strain. Even Esdeath and Gladiator—super soldiers who had momentarily pulled back to evade—were hurled away by wave after wave of shock, spinning through the void before finally stabilizing themselves with difficulty, scattering across the silent cosmos.
"This isn't scientific... Captain Kallark (Gladiator), our records are severely outdated. The universe is responding to Thanos. Cosmic radiation answers his call. This is apotheosis—the threshold of becoming a cosmic god. Thanos has reached the same height as his grandfather, the Eternal leader Kronos from five thousand years ago."
The acrid stench of charred matter diffused through space. At the center of the self-detonation point, a purple gaseous phantom gradually rose and expanded. A super soldier from the Shi'ar Imperial Guard spoke in shock.
As the foremost of the three great cosmic empires—the largest power and undisputed hegemon of the present universe—such information was top secret to ordinary factions. But to the upper echelons of the Shi'ar Empire and its military elites, Thanos' origins were accessible within internal archives.
The origins of the Eternals, the secrets of the Celestials, the nature of the multiverse—mysteries that baffled ordinary beings—at the level of the Shi'ar Empire, many of these secrets were unveiled. The only difference lay in how deeply one understood them, how clear or obscure the knowledge was.
Driven by sheer ferocity, the Nova warriors who had repeatedly charged Thanos head-on were sobered by that blast. The explosive fury they felt for their fallen compatriots of Xandar cooled rapidly. Staring at the shattered stellar ruins before them, they exchanged glances.
Though saying it would crush morale, the truth was that in this situation, perhaps—just perhaps—they really could not handle this mad Titan.
The Nova warriors simultaneously turned toward Esdeath, who was slightly out of breath after using Makhabhatma multiple times. Their expressions were filled with hope.
"General Esdeath of the Divine Empress Order—where is Lord Gorgon?" the leading Nova Centurion supervisor asked, pressing a wound with Nova Force particles as pain twisted his features.
Where was "Gorgon"?
That angel who had brutally beaten Thanos in the Andromeda Galaxy and given him a devastating warning—where was she? They were reaching their limit. Someone needed to pull them back. And what about those super soldiers (Servants) of theirs? Stop focusing solely on slaughtering the Black Order's cloned fodder and come save them!
She wants to sell you all out.
Esdeath thought silently. She shook her tingling hand, numbed from colliding with Thanos' monstrous strength. Her blade hummed lightly. Stepping forward to the very front of the formation, facing the pressure radiating from the mad Titan, she spoke without turning her head.
"Gorgon still needs us to buy time."
"Thanos' backing is a certain god who governs Death. If that god is not persuaded to abandon him, then no matter how many times we kill Thanos, sooner or later he will climb back from hell, sustained by Death's favor."
Her face did not redden. Her heart did not race. Esdeath spoke with righteous conviction.
She had indeed guessed that Selene harbored ill intentions. As for the specifics, she neither knew nor cared to think about them.
She was merely a general who executed orders.
When Her Majesty was absent, she devised strategies. When Her Majesty was present, she carried them out. It was that simple.
Now was the time to enjoy herself. Selene had already granted her sufficient autonomy—that is, to entangle Thanos and savor the thrill of battle until she died and returned to the Throne of Heroes.
She wanted to die. To seek death. To fall in battle. To be beaten to death.
Then her true self within the Honkai dimension could sit back and watch what new tricks Emperor Selene would come up with.
"So that's why Gorgon defeated Thanos repeatedly last time yet withdrew midway. Not that she couldn't kill him—but that he was difficult to kill." Gladiator folded his arms and nodded, speaking with imposing confidence. "Good. We settle Thanos once and for all. Better that than letting this beast crawl out of hell again and again without end."
Gladiator did not fully comprehend the concept of [Death], but from the vast ancient archives of the Shi'ar Empire—and from faint, instinctive revelations—he knew that within this universe, within the multiverse, true gods existed.
Not the so-called divine races like the Olympians or the Asgardians, but genuine deities who were one with the universe—intertwined, mutually imprinted upon one another.
Death. In legend, the source, creator, and manipulator of all souls. When life ended, all beings returned to Death's realm—Her realm. She was the very concept of death itself.
If Death held special favor for Thanos, then killing him truly would be futile. He would eventually crawl back from the domain of the dead.
Oh? This edgy Mohawk superman talks big.
Esdeath cast a sidelong glance at the supremely confident Gladiator and offered no comment.
According to the "common sense" bundled together with Selene's orders, Gladiator—Captain of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard—possessed a fascinating and almost idealistic power source: confidence.
So long as he believed in himself strongly enough, he would be among the strongest beings in the Marvel universe. He could effortlessly withstand impacts equivalent to a supernova explosion, bathe within the sun, and raise the temperature of his energy output beyond the core of a star...
Conversely, if his confidence wavered, the upper and lower bounds of his power fluctuated dramatically.
This...
I reckon?
In that instant, Esdeath thought of a certain new toy Selene had once taken her to train in a primordial starfield within the imperial capital's Shanglin Garden—creatures Selene jokingly called the greenskins.
The loyal and ever-WAAAGH Ork beasts?
The more an Ork believed something, the more likely it became reality. Selene had told Esdeath that this was the power the greenskins called WAAAGH!—the power of "I reckon."
The most brutal and cunning Boss Selene; Gork's Big Brother crowned as Warboss; biggest, toughest, thickest big boss; silver-headed Beast Emperor, supreme mekboy...
Those were the titles offered by the Ork warbosses and mekboys after Selene had slain Gork and devoured everything that was his.
At the time, Esdeath—who understood the Ork tongue—had nearly burst into laughter. She was genuinely curious what it would look like if, within the Empire's solemn imperial edicts, the signature in the common imperial language read "Biggest, Toughest, Thickest Big Boss."
Selene's face had gone dark. Smack smack—two ringing slaps had sent tusks and teeth flying from the warbosses and mekboys. After a thorough "adjustment of their muscles and bones," leaving them bruised and swollen, Selene had kicked them straight out of the Warhammer universe to launch a WAAAGH! expedition beyond the domain.
"Mm." Esdeath laughed softly.
"What are you laughing at?"
Gladiator frowned. He sensed a hint of mockery in her sideways glance.
"Nothing. I believe we will win. Thanos will ultimately be abandoned by [Death]."
That was the truth.
"He's coming. Prepare yourselves. Until Gorgon completes the ritual, we must hold him back. We must give everything we have."
Without further explanation, whoosh!—a breath of frost exhaled from Esdeath's fingertips. Savage cold swept outward in all directions, colliding with the oncoming purple shockwave. A sharp crackling sound erupted, like boiling vapor meeting sudden frost.
Following that—
"You will lose the old world. Gorgon's ritual is futile. She made the wrong choice. [Death] stands with me."
Thanos' hoarse laughter echoed through the silent depths of space, like a scorching desert gale—burning and grating.
He strode forward, head held high. On his left arm, the golden Infinity Gauntlet gleamed, and within the groove of the index finger, the purple Power Stone shone with unprecedented brilliance.
"Heh. Little Titan, do you truly believe that [Death] favors you? Pitiful creature—used to this extent. It seems I overestimated you."
Just as Thanos raised the Infinity Gauntlet to activate it, an ethereal, icy voice rang out from a nearby sector behind Esdeath and the others. A vast interstellar projection spanned the battlefield. Wings unfurled like those of a great eagle. With a sorrowful expression and demonic runic scales arranged across her form, "Gorgon" appeared on the far side of the stars, facing Thanos.
"Gorgon. You finally dare to show yourself."
In an instant, every nerve and Eternal cell in Thanos' body tightened. Only before her could he never be too cautious.
"Bring them forward."
Ignoring Thanos' devouring glare, Selene waved a hand.
"Yah—!"
A centaur-like neigh rang out as Achilles drove his chariot forward. A slender, hunched silhouette was hurled heavily onto a platform formed of energy. With a thrust of his spear, the great Greek hero nailed the blue-skinned, bald alien woman to the surface.
"Supergiant," Thanos narrowed his eyes. "You would stoop to such methods."
"Do not rush."
Selene's voice drifted lightly.
Whoosh—!
Heracles descended like a hurricane. Divine power—pure magical energy from within—surged around his sacred body. Beneath the coarse gray sheen of his axe lay a massive dark-gold giant, muscles and hardened skin shattered and torn beyond recognition.
"One of the Black Order's five—Black Dwarf—delivered."
Boom—!
Another dark red streak tore across the void. Scáthach's war boots tapped lightly against space. Her crimson spear flicked, and the figure she hurled crashed onto the platform, rolling backward. Bones shattered, tendons severed. The golden spear personally forged by Thanos broke into fragments that scattered outward. Its spearhead spun through the air before embedding itself beside the half-revealed blue face beneath a black helm.
"Proxima Midnight."
Dong... dong...
A bell-like resonance, as though from the abyss of a shadowed valley, echoed across the field. Dense black mist shot forward. Beneath a corner of a pale skull mask—
Clang!—
A heavily armored assassin planted a great sword into the ground. At his feet, a withered pale figure coughed and vomited blood.
The blade—Mortal Blade—declared his identity.
"Corvus Glaive."
"O Sun King, it seems our competition has cost us some time."
"Hahaha! Golden King, do you not know? A king always arrives last!"
A burst of clamor followed.
A radiant vessel of light—crafted as though from gold and emerald—soared through the stars, accompanied by a majestic sphinx of blazing desert heat.
Clad in golden armor, Gilgamesh laughed loudly. Golden ripples shimmered around him as interwoven Chains of Heaven dragged forward a silver-gray clad, elderly, horse-faced sorcerer.
"The last of the Black Order—Ebony Maw."
Holding a gold-and-blue hooked scepter and standing upon the blazing sphinx, the man with sun-like golden eyes declared their prize with arrogant pride. Servant—Ramses II.
Ebony Maw lay sprawled across the platform, coughing blood. His body was riddled with wounds from Noble Phantasms and beams of light—hundreds of gashes covering him. One eye had been destroyed. He looked toward Thanos, attempting to speak, but only bubbling sounds escaped his torn throat.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Upon receiving the order, the surviving Servants who had finished slaughtering the Black Order's fodder and piercing through warships arrived in rapid succession.
Seeing this, the warriors of the Nova Corps and the Shi'ar Guard led by Gladiator felt their fighting spirit surge once more.
They had won.
"Thanos! You have lost everything!" Gladiator roared.
"Yield."
Selene inclined her head slightly as she addressed Thanos. Though she knew he would refuse, she still spoke.
"Abandon your pitiful, pathetic wish. All may live. Even Gamora may live..."
"Hahahahaha..."
Thanos sneered. He did not answer. His hoarse laughter sounded like a strangled crow.
Seated upon a throne formed of crackling purple lightning, he revealed a smile of mockery and disdain, baring stark white teeth at Selene in the distance.
"Execute."
Selene tilted her head.
Shing—!
In response, as the other Servants stepped back, King Hassan—executioner of death—advanced coldly. With a single stroke, he severed Corvus Glaive's head. Stepping forward, he crushed the fallen head beneath his foot and moved toward the next condemned.
"My lord! You promised to protect my people!" Black Dwarf roared in his final outcry.
Whether out of necessity for his race's survival or for other reasons, he had long since bound himself to Thanos.
Slash!
The ancient bloodstained greatsword delivered a fatal blow. Amid flying blood, bone fragments, and shattered keratin, the dark-gold giant fell.
"Lord Thanos... avenge us." That was Proxima Midnight.
Thud. The headless corpse collapsed.
"..."
Though wordless, Thanos' superhuman vision read Ebony Maw's lips clearly:
My lord—fulfill your life's pursuit. Bring true salvation to the universe.
"Lord Thanos... this is the death I longed for. It is a pity I cannot witness your—"
Crack! Red and white matter sprayed in all directions.
Thanos slowly closed his eyes.
"I will bear all of it."
When he opened them again, his voice was rough and heavy. Grinning ferociously, he rose to his feet and looked toward "Gorgon" and the lapdogs of the old order beneath her command.
Though his subordinates each harbored their own thoughts—and he had never invested much true sentiment in them—they had never betrayed him. For his grand ambition, they had fought to the death.
"You who are blessed with divine blood and divine favor... you will never understand despair. You will never understand going to sleep hungry. You will never understand digging scraps from refuse heaps to survive."
"You have proven something to me. So long as there are those who cling to the past—so long as you still exist—there can be no new future."
Thanos spoke without joy or sorrow.
"I will kill you all. I will kill everyone who stands in my way."
His broad figure, flickering with purple lightning, staggered forward. Against the backdrop of countless "gods" filling the sky, he appeared incomparably lonely—and small.
"Beyond redemption."
Within the massive interstellar projection, Selene lowered her hand.
Rumble—!
...
"At this point, I have done everything I can. The rest is up to you, Thanos."
Cutting off the live projection, Selene tapped the living energy armor of the Celestial infant, John. John likewise lowered his Command Seal-bearing right hand, which still glowed faintly after reinforcing King Hassan threefold with the concept of "death."
That was correct—the Black Order's final declarations before death had been guided by Selene's subtle mental suggestion.
Corvus Glaive was ambitious and unlikely to say such words. Too much would have been excessive—so Selene simply had him executed without embellishment.
Black Dwarf possessed complicated emotions, but as a hardened warrior he likely would have died in silence. Selene gave him a slight push.
Proxima Midnight and Ebony Maw were loyal. She only needed to ensure their final words were sincere and unforced.
As for Supergiant—within her heart, Thanos was far too grand, almost a creator god of her personal universe. Selene allowed her to speak freely, while urging King Hassan to behead her before she finished her final line. After all, incompleteness and regret left a deeper impression.
How effective it would be, Selene did not know.
But she was certain of one thing—it would harden Thanos' resolve further and seal off every path of retreat.
Rumble—!
Explosions roared from the heavens. Closing her eyes, Selene felt the terrifying shockwaves.
Ah—so a Heroic Spirit had already fallen from the field?
Presumably, Thanos had noticed by now. The primordial universal spiritrons dispersed upon a Servant's death—he could absorb them...
Having touched the threshold of cosmic godhood, Thanos desperately required cosmic radiation to stabilize and fill his eternally starving cells. He greedily devoured all universal energy. There was no reason he would ignore the refined spiritual essence released upon a Servant's death.
"The trait of the 'Limiter'—you should have obtained it as well by now."
Selene lifted her gaze toward the sky.
...
Meanwhile, beyond the current Marvel universe—within the sub-omniversal domain belonging to [Eternal Selene].
The abstract, hazy radiance that toiled tirelessly—constantly investing its own essence to mend gaps and reorganize the world-bubbles and the River of Time within the multiverse—raised its head.
"After investing so much at a loss... it is finally bearing fruit."
—
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