Just as the Nova Corps fleet was engaged in fierce combat with the living planet Ego, Thanos's Sanctuary II arrived at the outer edges of Xandar's star system, its imposing silhouette casting shadows across the peaceful planet.
Looking at the distant world that housed billions of innocent lives, Thanos spoke with chilling calm: "Go forth! Retrieve the Power Stone and bring it to me!"
The five Black Order generals positioned behind him - Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, and Supergiant - lowered their heads in synchronized submission: "Yes, Father!"
Then countless Chitauri warriors began their deployment, with massive Leviathan beasts leading the vanguard, and the entire invasion force rushed toward Xandar's defenseless surface like a plague of cosmic locusts.
Nova Prime hurried to the central command room, her face freezing in horror when she observed the distinctive Chitauri soldiers appearing in the tactical projections.
Rhomann Dey whispered urgently at her side: "It's Thanos's Dark Order! The Mad Titan himself has come!"
Of course, Nova Prime could immediately recognize the unmistakable appearance of the Chitauri forces. She found herself puzzled as to why Thanos would target Xandar specifically, but her strategic mind quickly deduced the reasoning.
"He must believe the Power Stone is stored here on Xandar! Damn it all! Deploy our remaining defensive forces immediately!"
"Ma'am! The majority of our military strength is currently engaged in operations against the living planet Ego! Thanos deliberately waited until they departed before launching this assault!"
Nova Prime's expression turned bitter with the weight of realization, and she closed her eyes in silent anguish: "It was my decision that has doomed Xandar to this fate!"
Without the Nova Corps fleet led by Corpsman Dey and the other experienced commanders, Xandar found itself completely powerless to mount any meaningful resistance against Thanos's overwhelming invasion force.
Within hours, the remaining planetary defense forces were systematically dismantled and destroyed by Thanos's superior military might.
At this critical moment, another fleet materialized on the outskirts of Xandar's system. It was the combined Ogcorp-Sovereign joint armada that had originally intended to leverage political pressure against Nova Prime's government.
Thanos's invasion army quickly detected their presence. Since the two factions had previously engaged in combat within the Void region of space, Thanos issued orders for the fleet to be destroyed without hesitation or mercy.
A massive space battle erupted in the orbital region around Xandar, while Thanos personally descended to confront Nova Prime in her command center.
The Reality Stone embedded in the Infinity Gauntlet on his left hand pulsed with ominous scarlet energy.
"Where is the Power Stone?" Thanos demanded with quiet menace.
Nova Prime sat slumped in her command room, which had been transformed into smoking ruins by the invasion. She glanced at Rhomann Dey, who lay motionless in a spreading pool of blood, and laughed with cold defiance.
"You will obtain nothing from me that you desire! You want the Power Stone? Then search for it yourself, you monster!"
Thanos narrowed his eyes with grudging respect. He could perceive that this noble and elegant woman showed no fear of him whatsoever. Instead, she burned with righteous fury at his destructive actions.
He had always maintained admiration for those who possessed unbreakable will, so he chose to spare Nova Prime's life and turned to Supergiant, who stood beside him: "Locate the Power Stone's position through her memories!"
Supergiant nodded and focused her telepathic abilities. Nova Prime's expression suddenly transformed as her eyes became vacant and unfocused, her head drooping forward. She had fallen victim to Supergiant's devastating mind control powers.
After thoroughly examining Nova Prime's memories and experiences, Supergiant shook her head at Thanos with disappointment: "The Power Stone is not located here! She rejected the Guardians of the Galaxy's request to store the artifact on Xandar!"
"As for the current whereabouts of the Guardians of the Galaxy, her memories indicate that they departed for Earth!"
Thanos frowned deeply with tactical concern. Traveling to Earth represented significant challenges at this particular moment! He possessed extensive knowledge about Earth's defenses and remained acutely aware that the Avengers were not currently present on their home planet.
However, his primary concerns were never the Avengers themselves, but rather the cosmic powers of Odin and the Ancient One.
Since the Rainbow Bridge had not been destroyed in this timeline, Odin had not been required to expend massive amounts of dark energy to transport Thor to Earth, meaning his physical form could continue to endure for a considerable period.
Additionally, the Ancient One had been mysteriously resurrected by Doctor Strange through accidental circumstances. These two immensely powerful beings remained very much alive and active. For Thanos, Earth represented a tantalizing prize that was simultaneously extremely dangerous - it appeared appetizing but could inflict severe damage if approached recklessly.
Although he possessed the Reality Stone's power, Thanos understood perfectly how formidable the Ancient One would become when wielding the Time Stone's temporal abilities. His original strategy had been to secure the Power Stone first, then approach Earth after achieving maximum destructive capability.
In that scenario, he could rely on the Power Stone's overwhelming energy to ignore all potential threats, but currently he possessed only the Reality Stone. Facing both the Ancient One and Odin simultaneously, he could not guarantee victory!
After all, Earth now housed four Infinity Stones: Mind, Time, Power, and Space!
Engaging in combat with a four-to-one disadvantage would be strategically unwise! Therefore, he could only wait patiently until Odin's natural death occurred.
While Thanos contemplated his next strategic moves, the space battle had already concluded decisively. The military strength of the Dark Order far exceeded anything the Sovereign and Ogcorp forces could muster.
They defeated the combined enemy fleet in remarkably short time, which caused the High Evolutionary, who received reports of this defeat, to develop intense hatred for Thanos. However, he possessed no means to challenge this Mad Titan directly!
Nova Corps remained completely unaware of the tragedy that had befallen their homeworld. They only discovered the devastation after returning from their mission against Ego.
Observing the planet Xandar, where half the population had been systematically slaughtered by Thanos's forces, and seeing Nova Prime lying unconscious in the medical facility, Dey burned with fury and desired immediate revenge against the Mad Titan.
However, his fellow officers and advisors managed to dissuade him from this suicidal course of action. The most critical priority now involved warning the Guardians of the Galaxy about Thanos's pursuit, followed by rebuilding the planetary civilization that had been largely destroyed.
Although Dey's decision to lead the Nova Corps away had left Xandar vulnerable to invasion, on the other hand, they now represented the only hope for Xandar's eventual resurgence and recovery.
After his initial rage subsided, Dey regained his tactical reasoning and recognized that his legion represented the last remaining military force loyal to Xandar. If any further disasters befell them, Xandar would face complete extinction.
The mysterious sky screen activated once again, displaying new footage:
["Hey there! Guys! Wait up! Where are you going? Aren't you planning to take me home? How exactly am I supposed to leave this place?"]
[The familiar elderly man sat comfortably on a stone formation, observing the group of cosmic Watchers who were turning away from him, attempting to call them back to his location.]
["Hey! My goodness! I have so many incredible stories to share with you! Guys!!! Oh! Dear me..."]
[However, the Watchers completely ignored the old man's pleas and departed without acknowledgment.]
[The elderly man had no alternative but to turn around, appearing somewhat helpless and abandoned!]
"Who exactly is this elderly man?" Tony asked with genuine curiosity. He had no recollection of encountering this particular individual before, yet he had appeared in the sky screen broadcasts multiple times.
Every single time, his identity seemed completely different. In this instance, he had directly assumed the role of an astronaut, but which space program would realistically send a white-haired elderly man on space missions?
Wanda approached Tony and explained with serious concern: "His identity remains extremely mysterious and potentially dangerous. The Ancient One told me that even she cannot penetrate his true nature. We should avoid provoking such a being!"
"I understand the wisdom of that advice! But I remain intensely curious..." Tony hesitated, his words trailing off. Facing this enigmatic old man who appeared repeatedly throughout multiple timelines, his mind burned with curiosity like an itch he couldn't scratch - he desperately wanted to understand who this person actually was!
After receiving the stern warning from Wanda, he reluctantly abandoned his attempts to investigate the old man's identity further.
However, this didn't mean his curiosity had diminished in any way - he simply suppressed it within his consciousness!
He had even attempted to question the sky screen directly when he was alone, but the cosmic projection's narrative completely ignored his inquiries, which left him feeling somewhat discouraged and ultimately forced him to abandon his investigation entirely.
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