Thanos' spaceship is called Sanctuary II.
It's massive, resembling a giant wandering stellar fortress in the cosmos.
But its interior is silent.
At the moment Hawk's declaration echoed through, the speed of Sanctuary II instantly stopped, and its engines were immediately cut off.
This was not out of fear, but instinct.
The instinctive reverence for a Main God.
Led by the members of his Black Order, particularly Black Dwarf and Supergiant of the Black Order, all stood in silent watch of their leader, seated as if on a throne surrounded by cosmic stars.
Thanos!
Thanos, seated on his throne, over two meters tall, with deep purple skin that bore rough wrinkles and a texture like rock; his neck, arms, and other areas adorned with pale gold patterns, like natural armor.
His head was imposing, seemingly rebellious.
His chin looked as though it had been neatly combed like a comb.
Thanos' eyes were bright yellow, icy and intimidating, as series of images continuously flashed through his mind.
Just like the endless dimensional dominators, numerous planet Celestial Gods, and Star System Main Gods, upon hearing Hawk's declaration as the Phoenix's cry rang out, also 'saw' the golden history of Phoenix.
Similarly.
Thanos saw it as well.
He saw Hawk, with a single blow, destroying the energy shield made of Vibranium, then erasing Wakanda from the surface of the earth.
He also saw Hawk standing against the seas, facing Poseidon.
But...
Thanos further saw Hawk, with a stoic expression, completely annihilating the Heaven Dimension, achieving a true flattening of the battlefield, leaving no trace of life.
Beyond doubt.
Thanos also grasped the deeper significance embedded in Hawk's declaration.
It seems Nidavellir can't be used forcefully.
In a quick turn of thoughts, Thanos swiftly overturned his previously decided battle plan.
He originally intended to conduct a massacre in Nidavellir after the dwarves there forged the Infinity Gauntlet he desired.
As everyone knows.
Thanos has a dream.
He wants the cosmos to endure, but according to his calculations, if the cosmos continues to maintain its current quantity of life, all the universe's resources will fall into complete depletion in the foreseeable future.
After all...
The more life there is, the more new Celestial Gods emerge, and each new Celestial God is born with the destruction of a habitable Planet of Life.
How can this be allowed?
The cosmos doesn't belong solely to the Celestial God Team; it belongs to everyone.
As the saying goes, caring for the cosmos is everyone's responsibility.
Why should the Celestial God Team be able to recklessly harm the cosmos, just because Eternity of time created you and promised you the maintenance of cosmic balance?
Yes!
Eternity may have promised you to maintain the cosmic balance, but Eternity did not promise you, Celestial God Team, the ability to self-create new Celestial God Team members.
As everyone knows.
The way of heaven is unfeeling, but Hongjun is sentimental.
Time and Eternity are the same.
Therefore, Eternity, the abstract embodiment of time, to prevent itself from interfering with time, created the Celestial God Team, defining them to maintain Eternity.
As for Eternity, after creating the Celestial God Team, it completely disappeared.
In high emotional intelligence, Eternity chose retirement to preserve the fairness of time.
In low emotional intelligence, Eternity vanished without trace.
But that's not the point.
The point is, at that time, Eternity created only three members of the Celestial God Team.
Arisen, responsible for judgment.
Eradicator, responsible for execution.
Searcher, responsible for searching.
One for searching, one for judgment, one for execution.
The result is...
Unknown when, a fourth, a fifth... etc. Celestial God was born.
But they were not created by Eternity, and each of their births accompanies the destruction of a Planet of Life.
Is this right?
If allowed to develop like this, would there be any life left in the cosmos besides the Celestial God Team?
So!
This is not right.
Oh, forgot to mention, the ancestor of the Titans Eternal Clan was a rebel of the Eternal Race.
Simply put, it was because of being bitten by an aberration without dying, mutating, and thereby recalling the memories erased by the Celestial God Team, from which they defected, later taking root and sprouting on Titan as the Eternal Race.
Therefore -
As a descendant of the mutated Eternal Race, often criticized by his people who wished to live quietly without rebellion, Thanos looked up at the splendid starry sky, clenching his fist at some point, and swore an oath.
But Thanos knew he couldn't fight against the Celestial God Team.
No one can deal with them.
But Thanos knew he could extend the cosmos' existence time, by eliminating life, keeping the life quantity on each Planet of Life below the standard that triggers the awakening of Celestial God Team members, thus allowing life to continue to grow, and the cosmos to endure.
A win-win.
As for the Celestial God Team?
No discussion about them.
In conclusion!
Thanos originally intended, after going to Nidavellir, receiving the Infinity Gauntlet he desired, to also clear away half of the life there.
After all, he had come this far.
But that premise is based on Nidavellir being a Planet of Life, and that Nidavellir had lost its protective Main God.
Once again.
Thanos knew he couldn't provoke the Celestial God Team, nor could he provoke a Main God.
Especially one who is decisive in killing, and doesn't like to listen to reasoning and stories.
The previous Main God who protected Nidavellir, Odin, was like this.
However, at that time, the World Tree was not in the Main Cosmos, so in the original plan, the World Tree was not on Thanos' list of cleansing.
But when Zeus fell, and the World Tree was about to fall into the Main Cosmos, everything changed.
First.
Nidavellir no longer had a Main God to protect them, obviously.
Thor, although a god, was not a Main God.
Secondly.
Was Nidavellir a Planet of Life in the Main Cosmos? Of course, it was.
After the World Tree fell into the Main Cosmos, it naturally appeared on Thanos's list.
But now it's different.
After the fall of their protective Main God Odin, Nidavellir once again welcomed a new Main God.
Phoenix.
Moreover, this new Main God, Phoenix, like the former Odin, rules with decisive violence and iron will.
But that's not important.
What's important is that Thanos's list does not contain Planets of Life with the protection of a Main God, even if the planet is full of vitality and life competing to flourish.
The reason is simple.
A Planet of Life with the protection of a Main God, even if the planet's life is so abundant that there's no room to set foot, does not need to worry about a new member of the Celestial God Team tearing the planet from within to be born.
Because the seeds of the Celestial God Team might scatter on ordinary Planets of Life, dimensional Planets of Life, or even those with a Star System Main God, but it will definitely not land on a Planet of Life protected by a Main God.
Therefore—
Seated on his throne, Thanos, with his equally sturdy purple fingers, tapped a few times on the armrest of his throne.
The sound was crisp.
As Thanos's finger-tapping sound rang out.
Standing below the throne.
Thin and tall, with gray-black skin, sunken face, deep-set eyes, wearing a black tight long robe, Blackwood Throat, as well as the stocky, rock-like, deep gray-skinned Black Dwarf, and the dark blue-skinned, black tight battle armor wearing Proxima Midnight and her husband, tall with gray-black skin, General Death Blade, all lifted their heads in unison, gazing up at the king seated upon the throne.
Their king.
"The route remains unchanged."
"But…"
"Nidavellir has ushered in their new Main God, Phoenix, so Nidavellir will receive our exemption."
Thanos's main goal in coming to Nidavellir was precisely for the Infinity Gauntlet.
Cleansing was a secondary goal.
Since Nidavellir has acquired a new Main God to protect them, they deserve to continue to survive.
As for the other Planets of Life?
Ha.
If you have the ability, go find a Main God to protect you. If every Planet of Life had a Main God protecting them, Thanos thinks he could retire early.
Unfortunately…
The cosmos is vast, Main Gods are few, but Planets of Life are many.
But!
Thanos feels happy for Nidavellir, which doesn't need to be cleansed, not as a show, but from the heart.
Because he never destroys for destruction's sake.
He chose the path of destruction for survival.
Unfortunately!
Very few people understand him, especially his adopted daughter.
Gamora.
As Holy Hall No. 2 set sail once again, seated on the throne, Thanos couldn't help but murmur as he thought of his adopted daughter.
Actually, Hawk's declaration was not first heard by Thanos.
After all, it was sent indiscriminately around Nidavellir as his first voice after ascending.
Therefore…
The Main Cosmos wasn't the first to receive it.
The fastest to receive his message were the other worlds on the World Tree.
Also aware of the news of Odin's fall, in the Jotunheim world, long under Odin's sanction, after losing their leader and the Frost Box, the emerging Frost Giants from the ruins cheered, celebrating the fall of the Tyrant.
As for Hawk's declaration, they pretended not to hear it, still celebrating the fall of Tyrant Odin.
Alfheim, the kingdom of the Dark Elves.
Muspelheim, the kingdom of the Flame Giants.
These two kingdoms, long suffering under Odin's iron sanction and economic blockades, the surviving Dark Elves and Flame Giants likewise ignored Hawk's declaration, continuing their celebration, rejoicing over the fall of Tyrant Odin.
As for Helheim, the Netherworld, it remained silent.
Don't ask why there are no dead in the Netherworld when Hel has been freed from imprisonment.
The reason is simple.
All the deceased have been pulled out by Hel to serve as her army of death.
And just as Hawk's voice reached Asgard.
Hel was gripping Thor's throat, pressing him firmly against the palace railing.
The next moment.
Hawk's voice, accompanied by the sound of a phoenix, resounded over Asgard, as thunder began to flicker in Thor's remaining eye.
...