Kagura had been contemplating how to deal with Thanos for quite some time now.
Currently, she held five of the Infinity Stones—a massive advantage by any standard.
It was basically the equivalent of a flying dragon landing on your face—so overwhelming that even the best commentators couldn't spin it otherwise.
And yet, defeating Thanos might still prove far from easy.
First of all, the idea of silently erasing Thanos from existence was clearly not going to work.
Kagura had already tried using the Reality Stone's "Reality Overwrite" ability to wipe him out—but it failed.
The reason? Most likely, it was because Thanos had already obtained the Power Stone.
And as everyone knows, the Infinity Stones cannot interfere with each other.
This is a fundamental, unbreakable law—a limitation carved into the very nature of their power.
Otherwise, in the MCU, Doctor Strange could've just frozen time around Thanos, taken the gauntlet off his hand, and used the other Stones to kill him.
Problem solved.
Of course, another possibility was that the Reality Stone simply didn't "recognize" Thanos.
After all, using Reality Overwrite requires memories—either from the wielder or from a designated subject familiar with the target.
It's like how Kagura materialized pseudo-weapons from her memories, or restored Nidavellir using Eitri's recollections.
But when it came to Thanos… as far as she could tell, no one she knew in this universe had ever seen him.
The memories from the Marvel Cinematic Universe obviously wouldn't work either, because that Thanos and the one in this reality weren't the same.
At the very least, they weren't the same person.
Just like how Reality Overwrite can only create imitation weapons that resemble the originals, trying to erase Thanos using memories from the MCU might only end up wiping out some random actor instead…
So then, the path to victory was clear:
No matter what, she had to beat Thanos in a head-on battle.
That would be the only way to end this.
Unlike other superheroes or intergalactic figures, Kagura had no interest in debating Thanos's "noble ideals," or whether his actions were ultimately good or bad for the universe.
She only knew one thing: this executioner, whose hands were stained with the blood of billions and who had destroyed countless civilizations—no matter how righteous his reasoning—deserved complete and utter annihilation.
———————————————————————
2018 — Solar System, Half a Year After Ragnarok
A colossal warship slowly moved past the Moon's orbit, stirring the ancient lunar dust that had lain undisturbed for millions of years.
This was Sanctuary II—Thanos's personal flagship. A terrifying cosmic vessel housing the entire Thanos army.
Shaped like a massive bat, it had enough firepower to wipe out entire civilizations with ease—even advanced ones like Xandar.
"Lord Thanos, we've arrived at Earth," said Ebony Maw, the sinister sorcerer and one of Thanos's most loyal lieutenants.
He bowed low in the pitch-black command chamber.
"That blue world before you—our final destination. The remaining five Infinity Stones are all located here."
"Excellent," Thanos said with a grim smile stretching across his purple face.
"Finally… the long war, the countless battles, all of it will soon end. And once Earth burns in cleansing fire, we shall gift the universe its most merciful salvation."
As his voice echoed through the hall, the rest of Thanos's elite commanders dropped to one knee, each one a deadly figure in their own right.
They were known as the Children of Thanos.
Following the loss of his two daughters, Nebula and Gamora, Thanos had handpicked and trained these new champions.
Each was powerful enough to lead portions of his army and crush entire planetary civilizations.
There were four Children of Thanos:
Ebony Maw, master of arcane mysticism and dark telekinesis.
Corvus Glaive, the stealthy assassin wielding the unbreakable glaive, also known as "Darkblade Raven."
His wife, Proxima Midnight, an alien beauty and deadly warrior.
And the brute force of the group—Black Dwarf, also called "Cull Obsidian"—a musclebound oaf who loved nothing more than brawling with the Hulk.
"Go, my children," Thanos commanded, raising a massive hand.
"Bring me the Infinity Stones."
"As you will, my lord," Proxima Midnight replied, bowing her head.
"The Children of Thanos shall depart at once—to claim your final victory!"
———————————————————————
The distance from the Moon to Earth is about 380,000 kilometers.
For interstellar warships, that's practically nothing.
But for Earth, a civilization just stepping into the space age, defending that vast expanse of space was no small feat.
It would take years of technological advancements and massive resources to make such defense possible.
Even with all the progress made by Rhodes Island Industries, the most they could currently manage was real-time surveillance and early-warning systems across the Earth-Moon system—and the broader Solar System.
Creating a full planetary defense grid was still a work in progress.
However, once the enemy approached geostationary orbit, only 36,000 kilometers from Earth's surface—the situation changed dramatically.
"Corvus Glaive, I'm picking up some strange signals on our sensors," said Ebony Maw, pointing at the ship's holographic display.
"I thought you said Earth had no orbital defense capabilities?"
"That's what all the intel says," Glaive responded. "The humans only started launching primitive chemical rockets a few decades ago. At best, they've built a few semi-permanent space stations."
"Oh really?" Maw said coldly, grabbing Glaive by the collar and shoving him in front of the console.
"Then tell me, what the hell are these things? You think those look like space stations built out of metals?!"
The four Children of Thanos had departed for Earth as ordered, bringing with them a portion of Thanos's army.
From their perspective, Earth was just some primitive backwater with a few so-called "Avengers" and barely functioning governments.
Surely, it wouldn't require Thanos himself to intervene.
But now… now the sensor data told a different story.
Floating in high orbit was a fully armed Earth Defense Fleet, formed of five Macross-class interstellar cruisers.
At the center of the formation was the flagship, Hyperion.
Flanking it were Throne of Kings and Moonlight Throne, the second and third ships of the line.
Guarding the wings were two newly commissioned vessels: Benares and Ourobas.
Each of these warships stretched several kilometers in length, their hulls bristling with advanced weaponry—all systems charged and ready.
They weren't here to negotiate.
They were here to blow the arrogant invaders to pieces.
"Open fire!"