Space shimmered in hues of purple and black as Thanos's dreadnought exited the wormhole. The massive warship cast a growing shadow across the void, blotting out entire clusters of stars behind it. Its hull, lined with energy turrets and Thanos's sigil, radiated dread. There was no warning, no declaration—only presence. The dreadnought's engines left trails of violet flame as it slowed to a calculated drift, positioning itself above the wrecked Q-Ship as though looming over prey, like a predator savoring the final moment before a kill.
Inside the gutted Q-Ship, Alexander stood still in the dimmed command deck. The remains of Corvus Glaive had long since faded into dust, and the silence left behind had become heavy. Around him, the shattered structure creaked, its artificial gravity failing in sections as the dreadnought's arrival stirred turbulence in the vacuum. The stars, once distant, now flickered behind the debris like fragile candles in a storm.
His system pulsed with multiple alerts.
[ENERGY READINGS SPIKING — LEVEL: UNKNOWN]
[ENTITY SIGNATURE DETECTED: TITAN PRIME — THANOS]
Alexander didn't flinch. But the pressure in the void changed.
He stepped to the broken viewport, staring into the abyss where the dreadnought loomed larger with each passing second. From its underbelly, hangar bays began to open, releasing swarms of smaller fighters and drop pods. Each craft glowed with violent intent, their thrusters creating shimmering trails in the dark. It was not just a ship—it was a herald of extinction. He could feel the dread emanating from it like heat from a furnace.
He exhaled slowly. "So this is the weight of a Titan."
His shadow armor reinforced itself without a command. Nortis appeared beside him, his wound from Corvus Glaive sealed by the system but still raw. He stood tall despite the damage, his glowing cleavers resting against his back. His presence was like that of an ancient sentinel.
Alexander's thoughts drifted. He remembered Earth—New York, the terrified civilians, the weight in Steve Rogers's voice. Vasili still held the line there, and the Avengers were likely preparing for their next desperate defense. The others had no idea what was coming. Not truly. But he did.
Noctis emerged from the shadows behind them, his long spear whispering with energy. "The gate to return is still open. Shall we regroup?"
Alexander's gaze remained fixed. "Not yet."
Noctis tilted his head, concerned. "We're exposed here. Alone."
"Exactly."
He stepped forward into the center of the command deck, now hollowed and glowing faintly from the emergency lights. Alien blood stained parts of the floor. The severed circuits still hissed sparks. His voice was calm, cold.
"Let them see me."
Moments later, the dreadnought's sensors locked onto the shattered Q-Ship. Aboard the command bridge, a shadowy figure stepped into view: Proxima Midnight, flanked by Outriders and two unnamed lieutenants. The room buzzed with holographic projections of the battlefield.
A comms officer turned toward her. "We've located the source. One hostile."
She narrowed her eyes. "One?"
"Yes, commander. Energy readings are highly unstable. Comparable only to... the Obsidian Gate protocols."
Proxima sneered. "He's stalling. He wants attention. Give it to him."
"Lord Thanos is en route."
"Then let him arrive to a crater."
Back in the remains of the Q-Ship, Alexander reached into the void. He extended both arms and called upon the shadow.
The ruined metal groaned and split. A vortex of black spiraled around him. The void responded—not just the energy of his own power, but something older, ancient, awakened by proximity to the Titan. It stirred the bones of forgotten stars, vibrating through the hull.
Nortis stepped back. "You're drawing too much. This structure won't hold."
"It's necessary," Alexander replied. His voice wasn't strained, but there was a quiet urgency to it.
Within moments, the Q-Ship transformed. The debris began to float around him, animated by tendrils of shadow. A throne formed behind him—spiked, unwelcoming, unyielding. Not for comfort—but as a message.
"He wants a display of dominance," Alexander murmured. "Then we give him one."
From the dreadnought, a single drop pod launched. It spiraled like a missile, heading straight for the wreckage. It struck the far end of the Q-Ship with a detonation of light and metal, and from the smoke emerged a colossus—one of Thanos's berserker champions. A twisted giant with double-bladed arms and eyes that burned with mindless rage. Its roars echoed like thunder in the void, vibrating through Alexander's bones.
Alexander stepped down from the throne and walked toward it calmly, cloak trailing smoke behind him.
"Noctis."
Noctis vanished.
The berserker charged, feet breaking the metal floor with each stride.
Alexander stood firm. He extended one arm. A massive spike of shadow erupted from the floor, impaling the creature mid-sprint. But it didn't die—it roared louder, pulling itself further down the spike to reach him, blood oozing from its chest like lava.
Alexander narrowed his eyes. "Then try harder."
With both arms raised, the darkness responded. The floor beneath the beast fractured. Dozens of shadow tendrils wrapped around its limbs, tightening until bone snapped. The creature screamed, but it was muffled beneath the press of overwhelming darkness.
Alexander leapt, slamming both feet into its chest, and then released a shockwave of pure shadow that blasted it backward through the wall of the Q-Ship.
Outside, the dreadnought's hangars began launching more pods. Dozens of them.
Nortis reappeared. "We're going to be overrun."
"That's the idea," Alexander said. His armor flared with new veins of black light.
Noctis returned through a tear in space. "They've seen you. The bridge changed formation. I think he's coming."
Alexander's system chimed again.
[TITAN PRESENCE CONFIRMED]
[THANOS — INCOMING. 88 SECONDS UNTIL ARRIVAL.]
He stood in the center of the wreckage, the gravity breaking apart around him, and waited.
Then, from the rift between the stars, Thanos himself arrived.
He didn't descend with theatrics. He stepped through a gold-lit portal aboard his own ship, emerging on the debris field, his armored form pristine, the Infinity Gauntlet gleaming with two Stones already pulsing with quiet power.
Thanos studied Alexander.
"You're not one of them."
Alexander didn't move. "No. I'm worse."
Thanos smirked. "You stand in my way."
"I stand where the line must be drawn."
The Gauntlet rose.
Alexander's shadows coiled.
And the void between them ignited.
To be continued.
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