In the dim universe, what Loki said, countless people were slightly surprised. Thinking about it, according to Loki's character, there seemed to be nothing strange about it.
Thanos looked up at Loki. Without hesitation, he directly pressed the gem on the glove against Thor's temple, and purple light flowed. Thor seemed to be in tremendous pain when pieces of purple, network-like veins began to appear across his face. Screams echoed through the shattered spaceship, and his whole body twitched.
Loki stared at Thor. At first, he was expressionless. But as time passed, and the screams continued, Loki's expression changed slightly. Finally, Loki shouted: "All right, stop!"
Thanos let go, and Thor slowly recovered. While Loki closed his eyes and sighed, Thor struggled and said, "We don't have the Tesseract. It was destroyed on Asgard."
Thor didn't know that Loki had taken the Tesseract. He thought that when Asgard exploded not long ago, the Tesseract had been destroyed as well. When Loki's right hand stretched into the air, blue light flickered in his palm, and the Tesseract gradually emerged. When Thanos saw it, he immediately smiled.
Thor looked at Loki and said weakly, "You really are the worst brother."
The masses of the Federation watching this all felt helpless from the bottom of their hearts. They could feel the emotions of Thor and Loki at that moment.
"Loki... I thought he wanted to save himself."
"Thor looks so miserable."
"Thor really has a good brother."
"A Tesseract, an Infinity Stone. Is it really worth it?"
"If Loki hadn't taken the Tesseract, would things have been different?"
"What does Thanos want the Tesseract for?"
"Typical Loki. Tough on the outside, soft on the inside."
"I think Loki was almost crying."
"Did anyone notice what that weird guy said earlier?"
Loki took the Tesseract to Thanos, then he said to Thor, "I assure you, brother... the sun will shine on us again."
Thanos said lightly, "Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian."
Loki suddenly replied, "Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another... we have a Hulk."
The moment he finished speaking, a roar suddenly sounded from behind. Hulk charged over and threw Thanos to the ground. Loki took the opportunity to pull away, and the Tesseract fell to the ground. Hulk let out an angry roar as his fists rained down on Thanos' face.
The audience was astonished. Thanos didn't seem as powerful as everyone had imagined.
On the screen, Hulk slammed Thanos into the spaceship. A huge monster carrying an axe nearby was about to step forward, but the pale man stretched out a hand and stopped him, "Let him have his fun."
Thanos grabbed Hulk's wrist. With ease, he broke Hulk's arm.
Everyone knew how powerful Hulk's punches were, as he had staggered Surtur with a single blow before. Yet Thanos broke his arm effortlessly.
Then came a chop to Hulk's neck. Hulk wailed in pain and staggered backward. After that, Thanos threw punch after punch. Hulk couldn't stop and was beaten back continuously. The screams never stopped. Suddenly, Thanos lifted Hulk into the air.
Bang! With tremendous force, Thanos smashed Hulk into the ground.
At this point, Hulk's body was covered in wounds as blood flowed from his nose. He looked miserable. Then he lost consciousness.
Seeing this, Thor attacked Thanos from behind with an iron rod. It had no effect whatsoever, and he was kicked away by Thanos.
Not far away, Ebony Maw began chanting a spell. When his hand moved, large amounts of spaceship wreckage suddenly floated into the air. Under Ebony Maw's control, they flew toward Thor, binding his entire body and stopping him in place. Thor gasped violently as blood flowed continuously.
In the corner, Heimdall awakened, and light flickered. In a low voice, he said: "Allfathers... let the dark magic flow through me one last... time."
Holding a sword in one hand, he raised the other. In an instant, within the dark and endless void, a rainbow appeared. Heimdall controlled the Bifrost, opening a teleportation channel, and pulled Hulk into it. In the blink of an eye, Hulk disappeared. The rainbow moved at incredible speed, carrying Hulk to an unknown destination.
Thanos picked up a spear and walked toward Heimdall. "That was a mistake."
The spear suddenly pierced Heimdall's body.
Thor, bound in place, shouted: "No!"
Thor stared at Thanos. "You're going to die for that."
Ebony Maw waved his hand, and a piece of metal flew over, sealing Thor's mouth.
"Shh..." Ebony Maw raised a finger to his lips, then he picked up the Tesseract. Kneeling on one knee, he presented it to Thanos. "My humble personage... bows before your grandeur. No other being has ever had the might... nay, the nobility... to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones.
Ebony Maw's voice was filled with worship. "The universe lies within your grasp."
Thanos held the Tesseract in his hand, and then, it shattered, allowing a pale blue gem to appear in his palm. Thanos stretched out his left hand. When the pale blue gem touched the golden glove, it was immediately absorbed into the empty slot.
Blue energy waves spread outward like a physical force, and Thanos' aura suddenly erupted as power gathered around him. He let out a satisfied cry. Looking at the two gems on the glove, he revealed a faint smile. "There are two more stones on Earth. Find them, my children, and bring them to me on Titan."
The subordinates knelt on one knee. "Father, we will not fail you."
Loki suddenly stepped forward from behind. "If I might interject. If you're going to Earth, you might want a guide."
Loki laughed. "I do have a bit of experience in that arena."
Thanos looked at him. "If you consider failure experience."
Loki hurriedly replied, "I consider experience experience. Almighty Thanos..."
"I, Loki, prince of Asgard..." He said while slowly walking toward Thanos, then his voice slowed.
"Odinson..." Glancing at Thor, he turned back to face Thanos. "The rightful king of Jotunheim... god of mischief... do hereby pledge to you..."
Loki placed his hands behind his back, and a dagger slowly materialized. "My undying fidelity."
Loki slowly lowered his head, making a gesture of surrender. But in the next instant, the dagger shot toward Thanos. However, before it could reach him, Thanos seemed to have anticipated everything. Blue energy surged from the Infinity Gauntlet, holding Loki's arm frozen in midair.
Unable to advance even an inch, Thanos sneered. "Undying?"
Grabbing Loki's arm, he said, "You should choose your words more carefully."
The dagger fell away, and Thanos seized Loki by the throat, lifting him into the air. Loki struggled with pain and suffocation, but there was no escape. Thanos glanced at him while Loki, nearly suffocating, forced out the words: "You... will never be... a god."
Thanos smiled, then tightened his grip. A sickening crack echoed, and Loki went limp in his hand. Thor struggled desperately, roaring in grief. "No!"
Thanos tossed Loki's body before Thor. "No resurrections this time."
Immediately afterward, Thanos raised his left hand, and the purple stone flashed. The wreckage of the ship erupted in purple flames. The blue stone lit up, and a vortex of space swallowed Thanos and his subordinates; then, they disappeared instantly.
Viewers stared at the screen was unable to speak for a long time.
"Loki... he's dead?"
"If Loki hadn't taken the Tesseract, he probably wouldn't have died."
"Now Thor is the only one left."
"Loki's death isn't the important part. They're heading to Earth!"
"That purple monster is unbelievably strong."
"The Infinity Stones, the ones set into the glove? Can all the others be fitted too?"
"That freak talks so arrogantly. The whole universe at his fingertips?"
"I only know one thing. From this point onward in history, I'm afraid an unprecedented disaster is coming."
"It seems every Infinity Stone has its own ability. The blue one can manipulate space."
"No wonder it affects present-day fluctuations and heavenly phenomena."
In the High Council, all Councilors had gathered. Out of thirteen in total, almost everyone was present.
Councilor Evonne Yu had just arrived, yet her presence was overwhelming, even suppressing the aura of the other Councilors. Evonne crossed her legs and, looking around, she said: "There are six Infinity Stones in the universe, and the power contained within each Infinity Stone is enough to destroy worlds. The golden glove in Thanos' possession can clearly house all six; in other words, Thanos alone could wield the power of six gems."
After a pause, Evonne narrowed her eyes. "If Thanos succeeds in collecting all six, I'm afraid he truly could destroy the universe."
At this point, everyone understood that the Earth Era was no longer merely ancient history. Although such words sounded absurd, none of the Councilors present considered it a joke. Six Infinity Stones united together would undoubtedly create a qualitative leap in power. Just thinking about it made them uneasy. But what Evonne said next caused the other Councilors to stand up in shock.
Evonne tapped the table rhythmically. "In the past-life memories we've recovered, Thanos appeared during two different phenomena, and each one was stronger than the last."
Several Councilors immediately understood her meaning.
"The first was the Infinity Gauntlet. The second was the surge in activity, when the purple Infinity Stone was already mounted." Taking a deep breath, Evonne looked around. "History reflects reality. And at the same time affects the Terra Federation. If Thanos eventually gathers all six Infinity Stones, how much influence will that have on the present Terra Federation?"
She smiled bitterly. "Let's assume the worst. How many people in the Terra Federation might die because of it?"
Silence filled the room. Evonne's speculation sounded impossible, yet nobody could dismiss it. The power of the Infinity Stones was simply too threatening.
Gladwin sighed. "No one can guarantee there won't be consequences."
Kennedy suddenly frowned. "Do you remember what that purple giant said earlier? 'Universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice.'"
Everyone froze, and their eyes turned toward Kennedy. Fear appeared in their expression.
"Universal scales tip toward balance because... of sacrifice? When people die, does the universe become balanced? What kind of twisted logic is that?!" Sith shook his head. "Kennedy, I think you're reading too much into it. The power of the Infinity Stones is limitless. The Infinity Gauntlet can channel six different cosmic energies. Thanos may truly possess the power to dominate the universe. As for whether people must die, nobody knows."
He looked toward Evonne. "I think our focus should be on how to minimize the effects as Thanos gathers more Stones."
Gladwin said, "Thanos is willing to do anything to obtain all six Stones. What is his ultimate goal? Is it simply power?"
The other Councilors shook their heads.
Evonne thought for a moment. "We can reason backward. The history of the Earth Era is largely lost, so many possible causes for that collapse have already been ruled out. But the Infinity Gauntlet and the completed set of six Infinity Stones... They are currently the most plausible explanation."
Many Councilors nodded.
Another Councilor suddenly spoke. "There's something we've overlooked. The Network, for hundreds of years, has helped us recover past-life memories and awaken extraordinary powers. What if the Network exists specifically to help us resist the effects of the six Infinity Stones on the Terra Federation?"
The others' eyes lit up. The more they thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Even Evonne looked surprised.
"Or perhaps," she said boldly, "the phenomena themselves are caused by the Network resisting some unknowable force. Even the activity fluctuations may be a form of warning."
Gladwin rubbed his forehead. Things seemed infinitely more complicated than before.
"But we have very little control over the Tiandao Network. We can only gather information."
Everyone sighed.
"Threats from outer space. The influence of the Earth Era. The Terra Federation is facing enemies from every direction." Evonne sat up straight. "But it won't be easy for Thanos to collect all six Infinity Stones. There's Strange on Earth and the Avengers. That means we still have time to prepare. The way they eventually deal with Thanos may provide inspiration."
The Councilors continued watching the broadcast while simultaneously discussing contingency plans.
Meanwhile, the screen continued playing.
The wreckage binding Thor shattered after Thanos departed. Thor struggled to Loki's side and held his lifeless body in grief. "No. Loki"
The refugee ship burned with purple fire everywhere. The next moment, it exploded.
The audience collectively held their breath, and their hearts pounded wildly.
Just as everyone wondered whether Thor had also perished, the screen flashed.
A rainbow streaked across space, traveling at the speed of light. It passed the blazing outer edge of the sun, swept over the crater-covered surface of the moon, and finally sped toward a blue planet.
"This is... Earth?!"
"Heimdall teleported Hulk to Earth!"