It seems this crisis has truly reached the cosmic fundamentals of the universe.
After the entity departed, Thanos didn't wake Lothar and the others. Instead, he sat back on his cold throne, his brow furrowed in deep thought.
To be honest, at first, he hadn't taken this matter to heart. The barrier between universes was far beyond anyone's imagination, and the restrictions of their rules were the main reason high-level beings couldn't engage in inter-universal combat.
That's why Thanos had never considered using "universal invasion" as a way to plunder external resources and achieve his balance.
And it was for this reason that when he discovered the outsider Lothar on the ruined planet of Titan, Thanos believed it was the universe's will—its recognition and reward for his actions. It was also why Thanos cared so much about Lothar and considered him his future successor.
This inter-universal war, led by Darkseid, was something Thanos initially thought he could handle easily. But now, it seemed the situation was far more serious than he had imagined.
Even the distant, lofty gods couldn't sit still and had proactively sought him out. If Eternity hadn't lied, it meant that the gods on Darkseid's side had already engaged and were now tying up the top-tier gods of this universe.
And for Darkseid's gods to risk the universal rules to attack the likes of Eternity and the other supreme beings, Thanos saw it as a sign of Darkseid's confidence in an inevitable victory.
In other words…
"I've been underestimated," Thanos said, his expression calm, though his tightly clenched fists betrayed his inner turmoil.
He knew he was no match for Darkseid in a direct fight. At his level, a brief encounter was enough to assess an opponent's strength. Even with all six Infinity Stones, Thanos's chances of winning would only increase by one or two percent, and that was with the home-field advantage.
"Father?!"
Lost in thought, Thanos was snapped back to reality by Lothar's surprised cry. The others were still scattered on the floor. Lothar had woken up on his own, his hair instantly turning carmine, the demonic aura of his form diluted by alarm. His gray-white eyes darted around, cautiously assessing his surroundings.
"You're awake?" Thanos said from his throne, a look of surprise, satisfaction, and relief on his face.
For a being not approved by the rules, Lothar had managed to wake up on his own after a direct attack from Eternity. This solidified the idea that had just formed in Thanos's mind.
"Who was it?" With no danger present, Lothar's expression turned grim. Falling unconscious without even time to react was a blatant humiliation.
"Eternity. One of the primordial gods who has existed since the beginning of the universe," Thanos said, his expression growing gentle. "It's completely normal that you didn't see it coming."
As one of the universe's ultimate beings, if Eternity's attack had been noticed by Lothar, who hadn't yet broken the constraints of the rules, there would be no point in fighting. Everyone might as well surrender.
Lothar's face remained dark, but the killing intent in his eyes made his attitude clear. Thanos was his trusted father, so Lothar had no need to hide his emotions from him.
"Right now, the most important thing for you is to defeat Darkseid, Lothar."
"As for Eternity, he may be dead after this war is over." Thanos said, his kind expression uttering words that could damn a god.
"Dead?"
"Gods can't escape the war between universes, Lothar."
"Right now, you only have one thing to do: defeat Darkseid."
"You defeated him once before, so I believe you can do it a second time." Thanos stood up and walked down the steps.
"I know, Father," Lothar nodded, but his gaze fell on the unconscious Mera in a pool of blood, the killing intent in his eyes receding completely.
"Take her back. Have Gaitz put her in a nutrient pod. Darkseid's power clashed with my own inside her body. It did a lot of damage, but she's still alive."
"Yes, Father."
Lothar bowed respectfully, walked quickly to Mera, bent down, and picked her up. Crimson blood dripped from her fingertips, blossoming into bewitching flowers on the floor.
"You were the one who brought Gamora here. You'll handle her."
Lothar's steps faltered. Only after Lothar's figure had disappeared did Thanos's kind expression fade.
Hum!
A terrifying pressure erupted from Thanos. The unconscious members of the Black Order felt a sudden jolt of suffocation in their chests and instantly came to.
"From this day forward, all military forces in the Black Quadrant will be on war footing."
"The war has begun."
Thanos stated, his arms set calmly behind him, his face a mask of stone.
....
Lothar's side chamber, the nutrient pod area.
Mera, stripped of her clothes, floated silently in a spherical nutrient pod, her face covered by a respirator. Lothar had been standing there for a long time, his expression unreadable.
"Your Highness Lothar, the Pietro siblings have brought Gamora," the butler cat Gaitz announced from above the pod.
Lothar reached out and pressed a button beside the pod, and a metal divider blocked his view of Mera, his gaze turning from gentle to cold.
"What, Thanos isn't willing to face me himself?"
In the chamber, Gamora, bound and gagged, looked surprised as Lothar walked out from the side, a blank expression on his face. She had already accepted her fate.
"You're not worthy of that, traitor."
As Lothar appeared, Pietro and Wanda, who had been standing beside Gamora, both took a few steps back.
"Traitor? I was just getting my revenge." Gamora looked up, meeting Lothar's gaze without a trace of fear. "My father, my mother, and all my people were all killed by Thanos!"
"For twenty-something years, I've thought of nothing but how to get out of here, how to get away from him!"
"I'm not like you! I was supposed to have my own life! It was Thanos! Thanos ruined everything for me!"
By the end, Gamora's expression was a twisted mask of fury.
"But Father also gave you everything anew." Looking at her contorted face up close, Lothar's eyes filled with a terrifying coldness.
"Gave me everything anew? You've got to be kidding me!"
"Do you know how I lived for the last twenty years?"
"No, you don't."
"In every battle Nebula and I had, the loser would be taken away for 'upgrades' to 'learn from our mistakes'! Do you know what that's like?!" she screamed hysterically. Having been caught and brought back to the Black Quadrant, Gamora had completely lost her composure.
"You could have chosen to lose, and then died," Lothar said, his eyes unwavering. His words tore through the mask of hypocrisy Gamora had built for herself. "But the fact is, you tried your absolute best to win every time, and then looked at the modified Nebula with your fake pity."
Lothar's hand shot out like lightning, seizing her throat. His calm voice made Gamora's eyes go wide.
"You want to get out," he said.
"I'll grant your wish."
With a blank expression, Lothar squeezed Gamora's throat and lifted her into the air.
Crack!
With a crisp, guttural sound of breaking bone, Gamora's wide-eyed head went instantly still and lifeless.
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