"Fire!!"
'VMMM—!!'
'BOOOOM——!!!!!!'
In an instant, the sky lit up in flames.
If anyone were looking up from Earth at that moment, they would have witnessed a sight like a supernova exploding in the heavens—a burst of blinding white light turning night into day.
A cosmic firework display of apocalyptic scale, painting the sky with the brilliance of destruction.
At that very moment, Thanos experienced what may have been the most humiliating moment of his entire life.
This warlord who had conquered countless star systems, laid waste to civilization after civilization, and stood unchallenged across the galaxy—likely never imagined that one day, he would suffer such an unthinkable defeat.
Gazing from the massive Sanctuary II toward Earth, Thanos's eyes were filled with nothing but shock and fury.
Flames raged. Debris scattered.
His elite invasion force—just dispatched to seize Earth—was now engulfed in fiery annihilation, wiped out in seconds by the overwhelming firepower of Earth's defense fleet.
What remained of his mighty vanguard was now nothing more than massive fireballs, burning in low Earth orbit.
The Thanos Expeditionary Force... obliterated.
And the reason for this utter destruction was simple: the antimatter cannons mounted on the Earth fleet's warships had fired in unison.
Their black energy beams vaporized everything in their path, leaving no trace behind.
Thanos's army had been powerful, yes—but their technology was surprisingly lacking.
Their energy shields were unreliable, their ships' armor was paper-thin—barely stronger than the flying space whales used by the Chitauri.
In the original Marvel Cinematic Universe, during the final showdown at the Avengers compound, Thanos's aerial fleet was shredded by Iron Man and Pepper with shocking ease.
Their lack of defensive capabilities was glaring.
To Kagura, this meant one thing: while Thanos's ground troops were dangerous, if she could intercept and destroy their ships in space before they breached the atmosphere, she could stop the worst from ever reaching the planet.
And so, armed with Macross-class deep-space cruisers equipped with antimatter main cannons—each powerful enough to vaporize continents—the Earth Defense Fleet shredded Thanos's ships with ease.
Blinded by false intel that "Earth has no orbital defenses," Thanos's army had flown headfirst into a deadly trap.
What awaited them was not conquest, but a blazing funeral in the sky—Earth's most spectacular firework display of the 21st century.
———————————————————————
Ebony Maw – dead.
Cull Obsidian – dead.
Corvus Glaive – dead.
Proxima Midnight – dead.
The invincible Children of Thanos—wiped out.
Thanos's vanguard—annihilated.
"…Fine. So be it."
Thanos slowly rose from his throne, fists clenched, his face twisted in equal parts grief and rage.
The Infinity Gauntlet creaked and groaned under the crushing pressure of his strength, the metal whining as if it might shatter at any second.
"Then I'll do it myself."
'Zzzzt—!'
Suddenly, the Sanctuary II's internal comms system began to fizzle and crackle—something had forcefully hijacked the ship's electronic systems with powerful electronic warfare.
"'Do it yourself'? Hoo boy, that's so you, Mr. Thanos."
A bright, cheerful girl's voice rang out from the ship's speaker system.
"Hello~ Can you hear me? This is the one and only adorable Kagura! Mr. Thanos, I've come to negotiate~!"
At the same time, the ship's holographic projection system flickered and rebooted.
The entire vessel's control interface was seized, overridden completely.
And then—she appeared.
A girl with silver hair and golden eyes materialized before Thanos, her image painted across the room in gleaming light.
"Kagura," Thanos muttered. "The pitiful girl cursed by knowledge and fate."
He didn't seem surprised by her sudden appearance. "Hmph. Fine. Let's hear it. What do you want?"
Kagura's golden eyes sharpened, rare authority blazing within their depths.
"Hand over the Power Stone. Swear to never again invade Earth. Swear to never again threaten any civilization. Retire to your little farm in the countryside, and I'll let you live."
"…"
Thanos said nothing.
His fists trembled harder.
The Infinity Gauntlet shrieked under the strain, twisting in his grip as energy surged through it.
'BOOM—!!'
A flash of violet light shot across the room—Thanos had fired the Power Stone directly at Kagura's projection.
Her holographic image shattered instantly into sparks and static.
Thanos's face—his grim, purple, yam-like face—twisted in sheer rage.
"You think that just because you killed my subordinates and destroyed my fleet, I'll roll over and surrender?!"
The towering Titan spun around and grabbed his throne with one hand—as if it were nothing more than a stool—and hurled it violently across the room.
"Delusional nonsense!"
"Well… I guess negotiations have failed."
Kagura's voice echoed once again from the ship's comm system, lighthearted as ever.
"I was kinda hoping you'd be a reasonable guy. If you were, maybe we could've skipped the fight. Would've been nice, right? Everyone goes home, no one dies."
"'Everyone goes home'? How laughable!" Thanos spat with venom.
"I've destroyed entire civilizations! I've culled planet after planet! And I did it all in the name of a glorious mission!
I brought mercy and liberation to the universe with grief in my heart and resolve in my soul!"
"Every time a world fell, every time a species was wiped out—I mourned for them. I prayed for them.
And in their place, I brought a better tomorrow… But you, your Earth—you're different."
He pointed toward the blue marble hanging in the void.
"Today, what I will do to that planet… the slaughter of human civilization… I will enjoy it. I will relish it."
"…Is that so?"
Kagura's tone remained calm and collected.
"Then let me give you a piece of advice: don't even think about hurting anyone else on Earth."
As she spoke, another holographic projection activated, and her image once again materialized before Thanos.
"And please stop smashing things. That throne was yours. This is your ship you're wrecking—doesn't it hurt your heart even a little?"
Thanos's fury didn't waver.
"Kagura… don't think you can escape me. I will find you. And I won't kill you right away—I'll make you suffer. I'll make sure you beg for death."
"Oh, I never expected to avoid you, Mr. Thanos," she replied with a sweet, unnerving smile.
"After all… the five Infinity Stones you're searching for? I have all of them."
"What?!"
Shock flickered across Thanos's face.
He'd known from previous intelligence that all five remaining Stones were on Earth—but he had no idea one person had collected them all.
Kagura, watching his reaction, grinned playfully.
"What's wrong? You want them? Then come and get them!"
"If you're willing to stop your invasion of Earth… I'll be waiting for you in the Sahara Desert."
"Just you and me. One-on-one."
"That's right—this is a duel. No Avengers. No armies. No reinforcements. No tricks."
"Thanos, this is the final battle between us. A duel issued on behalf of Earth's civilization!"
"If I lose, the Stones are yours. But if you lose… I will show you no mercy."
"Well? Great Titan, are you going to run away from a challenge… from a mere Earth girl?"
"…Heh… Heheheh…"
Thanos's laughter was cold, mocking.
"You think possessing five Infinity Stones makes you my equal? Makes you strong enough to defeat me?"
"Fine. I accept your duel."
"I'll crush you first… and then, I'll burn your planet to ashes."
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