Soren's message still sounded through the Collector's mind long after their communication ended. Each word replayed with uncomfortable clarity, leaving him restless and unsettled.
The Grandmaster had insisted again and again that he could handle Soren. And now? Disaster.
Their fragile brotherly bond lay shattered, and the Collector had no choice but to call a full meeting of the Cosmic Elders.
Grandmaster was present as well, face dark with humiliation.
Faint silhouettes flickered across the council chamber, ancient beings whose forms were more concept than body.
Their voices, however, carried distinct tones of irritation.
"Grandmaster," One shadow intoned, "We have heard extensive reports from Sakaar. The Collector has informed us of this Soren's strength."
"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
The question hung thick with accusation.
Grandmaster's eyes burned with resentment.
Ever since Soren forced him to his knees, humiliation had eaten at him like acid.
He blamed Soren, blamed the Collector for not siding with him, and blamed the entire universe except himself.
"What do you want me to say?" He let out a cold laugh.
"The Elders of the Universe once claimed we stand as one. Now I have been beaten, humiliated and instead of support, you interrogate me? Was this the original purpose of our Council?"
The shadow who had spoken earlier stiffened, clearly angered.
Although they were part of the same ancient order, Grandmaster's tone had crossed a line.
"Grandmaster," The figure replied coldly, "I simply asked for clarity. Nothing more."
"Oh, clarity?" Grandmaster sneered. "While I am the one attacked, you sit there like an impartial spectator."
"What did you summon me for? To mock me? To enjoy the spectacle of my disgrace?!"
"You!" The shadow flared with anger, its form pulsing like a star about to erupt.
But before the argument could escalate, a single, thunderous voice shook the chamber.
"Enough."
Every Elder fell silent. Even the Grandmaster's rage faltered.
The source of the voice was a towering figure among shadows… an Elder who had long abandoned idle pursuits for the relentless cultivation of power.
Through centuries of solitary refinement, he had elevated his abilities to the brink of godhood. Among the Elders, he was the undisputed strongest.
When he spoke, no one dared defy him.
"Grandmaster," The titan rumbled, "I know well what has happened. There is no need to assign blame."
"In this universe, strength determines everything." His words reverberated like a law of nature.
"Power decides right and wrong. Power makes rules. Power rewrites them."
The chamber was silent. Even the Collector bowed his head in acknowledgment.
Then the Elder added, with a gravity that made the air itself tremble. "The Earthling named Soren… I will not make him our enemy."
The resonant voice continued to echo throughout the chamber.
With those few decisive words, every Elder present understood the strongest among them had made his stance clear.
If he refused to champion Grandmaster, then no decision the others made mattered.
None of them, not even combined could stand against Soren.
Grandmaster's expression tightened. The anger and hatred that had been simmering in his eyes slowly cooled. He looked at the gathered silhouettes, and a bitter smile curled across his face.
So this was it.
The meeting's conclusion had already been decided before he even spoke.
He had provoked a monster and now the Council wanted to distance themselves from him.
"Grandmaster," A handsome young Elder said gently, as though trying to soothe a wounded beast, "Soren spared your life."
"That alone is a sign of respect, both for the Elder Council and for the Collector. Let us end this matter here."
Grandmaster's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. The fake camaraderie among the Elders disgusted him.
"Since you've all chosen your side." He said coldly,
"there's nothing more for me to say. But you!" He pointed a trembling finger toward the young Elder "Builder… you are the last person who should lecture me about my affairs."
"If none of you intend to act against Soren, then I will find others who will."
The chamber fell deathly silent and every Elder stiffened.
His words were not simply defiant, they were a direct rejection of their collective decision.
"You dare!" one Elder began angrily.
"Spare me your rules!" But Grandmaster cut him off with a bark of laughter. "I've had enough of this sanctimonious hypocrisy."
"From this moment on," He said, enunciating every word with venom, "I am done with the Elder Council."
"I will resolve my humiliation myself. I do not need your help, your opinions, or your cowardice." His gaze swept across the room, filled with raw resentment.
"Soren humiliated me and by extension, all of you. If you choose to hide in your shells, so be it. But I will find the power necessary to make him pay."
"He will learn the consequences of crossing an Elder!"
The tension in the chamber spiked. For the first time in millennia, an Elder openly severed ties with the Council.
And the one who had spoken earlier, the strongest among them finally spoke again.
"Grandmaster… aside from the Creator God and myself, there is no being in this universe capable of facing Soren. And neither of us will join you in petty revenge."