Chapter 160: How Can They Please Death If They Have No Soul After Dying? I Won't Allow Such an Incredible Being to Exist!
Author: Great Demon Spirit
Throughout the universe, many deities had actually figured out what Du Wa was doing.
It was also widely speculated that Du Wa had truly abandoned his divine position as the God of the World Tree, attempting to become a god in a more formidable form.
Of course, Kronos was also aware, but He never imagined that Du Wa's progress on this incredibly difficult matter would be so astonishing.
At the very beginning, many beings, including Kronos, were shocked by Du Wa's audacity and grand design as they watched him disperse his consciousness among countless Xenomorphs to complete his permeation of the entire universe. They were also amazed by his creative idea, as no deity had ever done such a thing before.
However, a considerable number believed Du Wa would fail. This was Concept Godhood; in this universe, no one had succeeded in over ten billion years.
Alright, even if he could succeed, it would take a very long time. After all, this was the most difficult and powerful method of ascension. Once successful, achieving Concept Godhood would mean that, at least within this universe, only a few Creator Gods could match Du Wa in a battle of concept versus concept. Other Celestials, while perhaps not inferior to Du Wa in strength, would have no advantage whatsoever against him in terms of rank.
But gradually, Kronos was the first to realize that things were not so simple. In such a short time, Du Wa's rate of progress was so fast it made His heart pound. It was unbelievably fast, unbelievably smooth.
Kronos hailed from the Eternals, was Thanos's grandfather, and also the God of Time. Therefore, He could influence and observe the time of the entire universe. For any of the most subtle changes, as long as He deliberately searched and investigated, He would more or less find something.
Of course, His status as the God of Time was still beneath the true time entity, who was also one of the Creator Gods, Eternity.
In essence, Kronos, this God of Time, was actually a subordinate god aligned with Eternity's domain.
Although He was also in the sequence of the Celestials, deities are divided into different tiers. He could not compare to Eternity, but across the entire universe, He was still a very important and powerful being.
The problem was that He could not compare to Eternity and was Eternity's subordinate god. This meant that a Concept God and Creator God of Eternity's level could largely ignore Du Wa's actions. Whether Du Wa achieved godhood or not, as long as he didn't go mad and try to destroy the entire universe, it would not fundamentally affect Eternity's position.
But Kronos was different. Once Du Wa became a being on par with Eternity, the direct consequence would be a severe encroachment upon Him.
The universe is only so large, its rules are finite, and authority is limited. Now, a conceptual being comparable to a Creator God was about to emerge out of nowhere. How much of the universe's share would this occupy? It would be strange if Kronos could tolerate it.
Most importantly, everyone wants to become a being like the Creator Gods. If Du Wa could do it, then they, with their longer lifespans and greater accumulation, might have a high chance of doing it using the same method.
But if Du Wa used this method of ascending to Concept God and succeeded, they would never have the opportunity to use the same method to become a similar Concept God. Because on this path, Du Wa would already be the endpoint of the concept. Anyone who tried to replicate this success would essentially be transferring from the conceptual domain of other Creator Gods to join the conceptual domain represented by Du Wa, remaining a subordinate god with no change in status.
No, if this were the outcome, their status might even become lower.
Kronos developed a dangerous idea, planning to do something to Du Wa, or at the very least, to prevent him from smoothly attaining godhood. That's why he approached his grandson, Thanos. The two of them—grandfather and grandson—planned to make their move.
But looking at it now, it seemed a bit late. However, if they did something decisive now, there might still be a chance to salvage the situation.
Every individual, one after another, became aware of the change occurring in the universe.
"This isn't real light, but more like a manifestation of a rule, and it's spreading from the bodies of the Xenomorphs... Has Du Wa succeeded?"
Tony sat inside the Celestial armor. Although he himself was just a mortal, by relying on this armor, plus his super-brain that surpassed most gods, he could fully interpret what was currently happening.
Carol also stopped her pursuit of the Ravagers, her face growing more anxious. But then she looked straight ahead, staring at Thanos's flagship. She desperately wanted to rush over and finish off the Ravagers, Thanos, or the Xenomorphs, but in the end, she did nothing, observing quietly.
Thanos himself was ridiculously powerful, and he had powerful warriors like the Cull Obsidian. No matter how confident Carol was in her own strength, rushing in recklessly would lead to a miserable death.
"What is this? It's like I'm seeing countless stars, but it's clearly not."
Thanos stood with his hands behind his back, a trace of surprise on his indifferent face.
"It's Du Wa. It's safe to say he's infinitely close to success. He's about to become a new, higher-level deity," Kronos said, a deep unwillingness on His face. "If you want to do something, there's still time."
But Thanos just nodded, seemingly not too shaken by the appearance of a new god.
Thanos didn't show much respect for his grandfather, Kronos; familial affection was completely nonexistent.
Thanos considered himself a vassal of Death. He had no common language with Kronos, a god from the domain of Eternity. The points they focused on were also completely different.
The reason he had agreed to join forces with Kronos against Du Wa this time was, to put it bluntly, because he felt Du Wa's Xenomorphs were too aggressive. They had already invaded his Dark Quadrant, and their overall scale was still expanding rapidly.
If he waited a few more years, when he wanted to engage in a frenzied slaughter to please Death, he feared that only the ubiquitous Xenomorphs would be available for him to kill. But then again, if the Alien Species expanded too much and amassed too much high-end combat power, they would, in turn, prevent him from going on a killing spree. After all, the Alien Species was not a disorganized rabble he could defeat one by one.
Thanos withdrew his gaze and glanced at the battered Ravager battleship ahead, ordering the Black Order to attack.
After destroying the Ravager battleship's defense systems, Thanos, still with his hands behind his back, strolled onto the ship as if taking a leisurely walk.
He immediately saw the wary Ravagers, and the Xenomorph mixed in with their team.
"Lord Thanos, I didn't expect a figure like you to personally visit us instead of paying attention to the changes in the universe. It is a great honor." Yondu had no choice but to force a smile.
Secretly, he was prepared to whistle and attack Thanos at any moment.
Indeed, Thanos's appearance would bring them a new turn of events, possibly helping them escape the pursuit of that crazy woman, Carol. But this didn't mean they were safe. If they fell into Thanos's hands, their fate wouldn't necessarily be any better than being killed by Carol.
Their best outcome would be to escape during the chaos.
But Thanos was in no mood to deal with these ant-like Ravagers. From the very beginning, his eyes were fixed on the Xenomorph.
Swoosh!
Thanos moved. His absurdly powerful body seemed to shatter space as he instantly appeared in front of the Xenomorph. He extended a thick arm and gently pressed forward.
The Xenomorph exploded on the spot. A large amount of blood splashed everywhere. Many unlucky Ravagers were hit by the blood and died screaming, leaving behind incomplete corpses.
The entire interior of the starship was riddled with holes, the sound of hissing corrosion incessant. Fortunately, when they upgraded this starship, they had specifically added a high-strength, anti-corrosion alloy precisely to prevent the Xenomorph blood from destroying the entire vessel.
"So this is a Xenomorph. It's the first time I've personally killed such a creature. There's nothing particularly noteworthy about this ordinary Xenomorph. If the future universe is filled with these things, it's not unacceptable... Hmm?"
Thanos was making his assessment; in truth, he was already mentally prepared for a future full of Xenomorphs. But suddenly, he frowned, an astonished expression on his face. For him, few things were left in the universe that could provoke such a drastic emotional shift.
Thanos even thought he had made a mistake. Facing the Xenomorphs that immediately surrounded and attacked him, he acted instantly.
Without a doubt, most of the Xenomorphs that could mix in with a team of Ravagers were ordinary Xenomorphs. Even if there were a few individuals with transcendent genes, they were no match for a butcher like Thanos.
At the very least, a Xenomorph capable of fighting a being of Thanos's level head-on would not be staying with a group like the Ravagers.
Thanos killed several more Xenomorphs and finally confirmed one thing. His entire face twisted.
"This Xenomorph thing... why does it have no soul after death?! It clearly has a soul when it's alive, but it's gone after it dies??? Where did their souls go!!" Thanos suddenly roared in fury.
In the current universe, there are too many places filled with this creature, the Xenomorph, constantly reproducing at an astonishing rate. Thanos himself admitted that in a number of years, the Xenomorphs might be like one or two of the top-tier races, having a massive scale, but in terms of numbers, they might be even more exaggerated.
Thanos hadn't paid too much attention to it before. No matter who the enemy was, as long as it was alive, its soul would return to Death after it died. Thanos would treat them all the same; he was going to kill them all one by one anyway.
But now, when a Xenomorph dies, its soul also goes missing?
Thanos exploded on the spot.
In that case, he would absolutely not allow this damned species to expand wildly. If he had known about this earlier, he would have crushed this species back on Earth from the very beginning. Eradicating them completely would have been for the best.
He would have never given the Xenomorphs the opportunity to reproduce to this scale!!
Everyone else watched the rampaging Thanos with fear and confusion, wondering why this capricious tyrant was going berserk again, suddenly bringing up strange topics like souls.
They didn't know that Thanos was a faithful devotee of Death. Except for Yondu, the other Ravagers, including Quill, probably didn't even know that in this world, 'Death' was not only the final state of life but also a real deity representing the concept of Death.
"When a Xenomorph dies, its soul doesn't return to Death. Why didn't you idiots tell me something so important sooner?"
Thanos turned and roared ferociously at the Cull Obsidian.
Everyone present exchanged glances. As the leader of the Cull Obsidian, Corvus Glaive cursed inwardly while putting on a humble and terrified expression. "My lord, we had no idea you were concerned with matters of the soul... With all due respect, after a Xenomorph dies, its soul is most likely taken away by Du Wa through some unknown means. But even so, it doesn't seem to change the fact that they are dead..."
Boom!
Thanos punched through Corvus Glaive's body, sending him and the weapon in his hand flying into the cosmos.
The starship was immediately torn open with a large hole, and a terrifying suction force appeared, pulling the weaker Ravagers into the vacuum of space. But a suction of this level was nothing to those with some strength. Yondu and the others had put on their oxygen supply devices at the first moment.
Thanos's face was twisted. He no longer cared whether his capable general, Corvus Glaive, lived or died. If Corvus Glaive had any ability, he should find a way to crawl back on his own.
"The Orb. Give it to me." Thanos's eyes gleamed with a bloody light. He pulled out the Mind Scepter tucked at his waist with one hand and held out the other.
Yondu and Quill exchanged a look and had to hand over the Orb. They could only be sure of one thing: this was not a good time to negotiate with Thanos. If they opened their mouths, the frenzied Thanos would surely kill them on the spot.
Thanos violently twisted open the Orb, looking at the Power Stone within.
The purple light flickered continuously, making his face look even more grim and terrifying.
The powerful might emanating from the Power Stone slightly calmed Thanos's emotions.
"It seems you have made up your mind. Teaming up with me was the right choice. Only this time, it is not I who sought you out, but you who have come to beg me. It seems you are even more resentful and anxious about what is happening now."
Kronos appeared by Thanos's side, speaking coldly.
He and Thanos seemed to have swapped places in their urgency.
In the eyes of other mortal beings, Kronos was just a black, humanoid shadow. They couldn't see Kronos's true form at all.
"You said there's still a chance." Thanos looked down at the Power Stone, then at the Mind Scepter. With two Infinity Stones in hand, no matter what level of god his opponent was, he had the ability to kill them.
"Yes, there is still a chance. But now, the chances are getting smaller. He could complete the final step at any moment."
Kronos looked warily at the two Infinity Stones in Thanos's hands. This power, in Thanos's possession, could even pose a serious threat to Him.
But, fortunately, Kronos had long realized that Thanos had an extremely high affinity for the Infinity Stones and had been secretly on guard, creating a weapon specifically to counter Thanos. This was to prevent the crazed Thanos from doing something insane to please Death after gaining such power.
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Author's Note:
Recommending a friend's book~
What Bad Intentions Could Batman Have?
Chen Tao never expected that, after transmigrating, he would actually become Batman himself.
Everyone knows that Batman is supremely intelligent, exceptionally wise, and his fighting skills are transcendent. But—what does any of that have to do with me, a transmigrator?
Oh! It's fine, I can inherit Batman's power and memories...? Wait, why are they all from parallel universe versions?
(end of chapter)