After ending the transmission, the Collector remained still, his expression shifting through worry, frustration, and disbelief.
Grandmaster's decision to seek out Thanos, of all beings, was beyond reckless… pure madness.
Since the founding, there had always been an unspoken rule…
The truly powerful, those who stood at the apex of the universe, were never to be meddled with lightly.
Conflicts between such beings were dangerous, unpredictable, and could spiral into catastrophe for entire star systems. Even the elders themselves rarely risked provoking one another.
But Soren's meteoric rise had shattered the old balance.
Grandmaster had provoked him and been humiliated for it, leaving a wound to his pride that no apology could soothe.
Now the rift was too deep to mend.
And in his desperation, Grandmaster had thrown everything aside… his dignity, the unity of the Elders, even the safety of the universe.
He was so blinded by anger at Soren that he had offered Thanos something valuable enough to make even the Mad Titan stir from dormancy.
If Thanos moves… even the Elders feared what that fanatic might unleash.
After several long moments of hesitation, the Collector made his decision. He reached out to Soren. Someone needed to warn him.
A soft chime announced the connection.
Soren's face appeared sunlit and carefree. He was sitting on a pristine Norwegian beach beside Freyja and Jean, enjoying the waves and warm breeze.
"Collector?" Soren raised a brow. "You look troubled. Something happen?"
"There's something I need to tell you." The Collector hesitated, then exhaled.
"Today, the Elders held a meeting. Grandmaster attended… and the topic of discussion was the conflict between you two."
"Oh?" Soren's eyes gleamed with amusement. "The mighty Elders holding a special meeting just for little old me?"
"Grandmaster must still be nursing that bruise on his ego."
"You don't understand," the Collector said. "We came to a decision… the Elder's will not intervene. Your conflict with Grandmaster is yours alone."
Soren blinked, mildly surprised. "So none of your brotherly circle came to his rescue? How unlike him to stand alone."
The Collector's face tightened. "In his anger… Grandmaster announced he was leaving the us entirely. As of now, his actions no longer represent us."
"He actually quit? That must've been a sight." Soren gave a low whistle.
Soren leaned back, the sunlight glinting off the waves at his feet, and casually sipped from his drink. A faint smile curved his lips as he absorbed Collector's news.
"Grandmaster's temper hasn't changed a bit," Soren said, amused. "All this fuss just to deal with me?"
"And without the backing of the Cosmic Elders, what can he actually do?"
Collector hesitated, concern etching his features. "Soren… his hatred has grown beyond reason."
"He doesn't think clearly anymore. And yet, he's done nothing himself to deal with you, he's relying on someone else."
A light flashed across Soren's them. "Let him come, then. But he only gets one chance. I won't let him come a second time."
"Soren… you need to understand." The Collector swallowed, unease rising.
"Grandmaster doesn't fully grasp what he's unleashed. He's actually allied with Thanos, inviting him to confront you. I thought it was necessary to tell you."
Soren's brow furrowed at the name. Thanos.
One of the few beings in the universe whose power could even rival the legends. Immortal, cunning, and relentless, Thanos was the kind of opponent whose ambitions and strength had toppled worlds.
From what he understood, Thanos was at least an S+-level existence, and that was only the conservative estimate.
More importantly, Thanos was immortal.
Like the Elders of the Universe, he could not die, but Thanos's case was even stranger.
Because he had once fallen in love with Death herself, she rejected him completely.
He could never enter her embrace, never be claimed, never be allowed the release of death.
Soren knew the legend well…
even if the universe itself tried to kill Thanos, Death would simply refuse him.
Yet Soren's frown quickly faded, replaced by a faint, confident smile.
"Well… even if Grandmaster hadn't allied with him, a confrontation with Thanos was inevitable."
"Sooner or later, our paths would cross anyway."
Collector's eyes widened. Soren seemed calm.
Soren continued, his tone almost reflective. "Remember the Chitauri invasion? I let Zilant and the Chitauri army crumble under his might. That disrupted Thanos' first plan to conquer Earth."
"The Tesseract is gone. Now I hold the Mind Gem in Loki's scepter. And Ronan… I've already dealt with him and his cosmic power before Thanos could touch it."
"By now, there's nothing left for him to exploit. In a sense, I've already ruined his schemes long before he arrived."
"What?" The Collector was confused by all these events, but finally understood. Grandmaster's scheme wasn't the real threat, he was merely a catalyst, hastening Thanos' inevitable arrival.
"Soren… Thanos is not like anyone you've faced," Collector warned.
"Even his lieutenants are powerful beyond measure. His army spans entire galaxies. Provoking him is… dangerous."
"I know," Soren replied, calm as ever, though his eyes sparkled with determination. "But my concern isn't Thanos himself."
"It's what Grandmaster offered him. Thanos only values one thing, the infinite stones of the universe."
"There are six of them, and I already hold five in my possession."
For a moment, the warm breeze off the Norwegian coast seemed to still, as the weight of Soren's words hung in the air.