The battle between Ernst and Thanos reached a terrifying, high-stakes climax.
They abandoned their cosmic rules and esoteric abilities.
For the first time, they opted for pure, unadulterated physical power.
Ernst had absorbed energy year-round.
It bolstered his enhanced biology, allowing him to initially match the Mad Titan in raw kinetic strength.
However, Thanos possessed a massive size and weight advantage.
He used his mass to dominate the center of the battlefield.
He slammed Ernst repeatedly with crushing, heavy blows.
Ernst adapted swiftly to the shifting momentum.
Just before Thanos could launch a second heavy assault, Ernst halted his tactical retreat.
He slipped past the Titan's guard.
Leveraging his smaller stature and unmatched agility, Ernst maneuvered into Thanos's blind spot.
He delivered a blistering series of heavy strikes to the ribs.
Thanos defended with remarkable speed.
He blocked three consecutive punches with his thick forearm.
Despite his dense muscle fiber, a sharp spike of pain made the Titan frown.
Thanos retaliated with a deafening shout.
He reached out and seized Ernst's fist within his massive, purple palm.
The forceful, crushing grip sent a tingling sensation radiating across Ernst's arm.
Unable to withdraw his trapped hand, Ernst gritted his teeth and advanced.
His fist swelled with concentrated kinetic energy.
"Cannon Fist!" Ernst shouted.
He drove the detonation directly into Thanos's palm.
Thanos, a being usually capable of withstanding starship main guns, flinched violently.
The blast tore into his thick skin, injuring his hand and forcing him to release his grip.
As Ernst tried to retreat, Thanos reacted with terrifying speed.
He grabbed Ernst and violently slammed him into the rocky terrain.
The impact created a deep, smoking crater in the crust.
Ernst felt his bones rattle.
He understood the lethal danger of lying still in a cosmic brawl.
Enduring the spiking pain, Ernst rolled out of the pit and sprang to his feet.
He narrowly evaded Thanos's descending boot, which shattered the ground where his head had just been.
Ernst, initially careless, had taken genuine damage.
However, he watched Thanos nursing his injured arm.
A grim amusement settled over Ernst.
Both combatants were bleeding. They were in a similar state.
Thanos twisted his injured arm.
The joints popped loudly as they snapped back into place.
He occasionally squeezed the forearm to alleviate the throbbing pain.
Seizing the brief lull, Ernst stretched his own limbs.
He twisted his torso, each joint emitting sharp, clicking sounds as his mutant healing factor accelerated.
He recovered quickly.
The first brutal exchange had ended in a draw.
"You are formidable," Thanos remarked, waiting for the pain in his arm to subside.
"You are the second person to physically resist me."
"The second?" Ernst replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Who was the first? Wait. Shouldn't it be Darkseid?"
Thanos looked genuinely surprised.
"I did not expect you to know that name."
Thanos shook his head.
"He is different from me."
"He transforms conquered planets directly into fiery wastelands."
"Life knows him as a demon due to his destructive rule."
"He mainly resides on Apokolips, and little is known about his true motives."
"Have you fought him?" Ernst asked eagerly, his scientific curiosity flaring.
"Were you unable to beat him?"
Thanos recognized Ernst's strength and answered honestly.
"We fought once. Neither emerged as the clear victor."
"Strength-wise, we were evenly matched."
"Continuing the war would only result in mutual ruin."
"Darkseid," Ernst mused.
"I would love to see the style of this dark king."
Ernst offered a cold, playful smirk.
"By the way, both of you are bald and exceptionally tall."
Thanos's expression darkened instantly.
"I have nothing to do with that bastard!" Thanos roared.
"Stop talking nonsense. Let us finish this battle."
Without warning, Thanos sprinted forward.
He leaped high into the air, aiming a mighty right fist directly at Ernst's skull.
Ernst noticed a faint, shimmering layer of black and red energy coating the Titan's knuckles.
It was the signature of the Power of Destruction.
En Sabah Nur had warned him about this specific visual cue.
Ernst quickly crossed his arms to intercept the incoming blow.
Boom!
This time, Ernst didn't resist with raw physical force.
He activated his energy absorption ability.
The destructive power poured from Thanos and sank into Ernst's guard.
But Ernst's complexion rapidly paled.
The destructive force within his body began to aggressively harm his cells.
It was a pure, anomalous attribute that violently disrupted cellular activity.
Unlike standard thermal or kinetic energy, Ernst could not convert this destruction for his own use.
Without a second of hesitation, Ernst clamped his staggered arms around Thanos's thick wrist.
He merged his own physical strength with the kinetic momentum he had just absorbed from the strike.
Using Thanos's own weight against him, Ernst forcefully threw the Titan through the air.
As Ernst shook his hand, the black and red energy was violently expelled from his pores.
The corrupted energy landed on a nearby mountain peak.
The stone incinerated instantly.
It left only a drifting cloud of gray dust in its wake.
Despite expelling the hazardous energy, some of Ernst's cells were damaged.
He needed precious seconds to repair them.
Thanos did not grant him the time.
Immediately after crashing into the dirt, Thanos stabilized his footing and launched another charge.
Gritting his teeth, Ernst refrained from using the absorption ability.
He retaliated with a straightforward, devastating punch.
Boom!
The resulting shockwave physically shook the planet.
Both men stepped back simultaneously.
Ernst's fist had directly confronted the lethal force of destruction, yet his hand endured without a single scratch.
A careful observer would notice a nearly transparent, strange energy layer wrapped around Ernst's knuckles.
The only power capable of resisting a cosmic rule was another cosmic rule.
Due to the extreme development of his brain, Ernst possessed an advanced understanding of the universe's mechanics.
He was charting a path toward omniscience and omnipotence.
Having grasped dozens of different rules, Ernst faced a difficulty in choosing a specialty.
Ultimately, he had integrated them all.
He formed a unique, unified power. He called it the Rule of Chaos.
It was highly adaptable. Any progress Ernst made in individual studies enhanced the chaotic whole.
There seemed to be no ceiling to its potential, provided he kept learning.
En Sabah Nur also pursued the fusion of various abilities, benefiting from countless mutants providing him with genetic fragments.
However, the ancient mutant relied on passive fusion.
He lacked the clinical depth of Ernst's comprehension.
This led to fatal flaws in En Sabah Nur's execution, which was exactly why he had lost to both Ernst and Thanos.
The Rule of Chaos offered numerous tactical advantages.
The fusion of various laws made it incredibly challenging for enemies to target or restrain.
Ernst maintained this power through a highly dangerous method.
He fully unleashed his brain's evolution.
Initially injected with CPH4, he possessed the capacity to transform into an omnipresent entity, similar to Lucy.
Yet Ernst fiercely resisted that transformation.
He was unwilling to sacrifice his human emotions.
He continuously suppressed his brain's ultimate development to remain tethered to reality.
The onslaught persisted.
Thanos was visibly surprised that Ernst had effortlessly blocked the destruction aura.
With his fists glowing black and red, Thanos pressed a relentless attack toward Ernst's head.
Ernst's translucent, chaotic power enveloped his hands.
With each wave of his arms, ripples stirred the dry air, showcasing a variety of intricate martial maneuvers.
Recognizing his physical weight disadvantage, Ernst employed a fluid, redirecting strategy using force from a standing position.
His precise, yielding maneuvers made Thanos's heavy punches feel like they were hitting wet cotton.
It severely frustrated the mighty Titan.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The aftermath of the melee rippled across the desolate planet, creating an apocalyptic scene.
Meanwhile, two colossal spaceships floated high in the upper atmosphere.
Aboard the Space Walker, En Sabah Nur, Shaw, Borgin, and Stakar watched the telemetry.
A growing tension filled the command deck.
Shaw was particularly restless.
He paced back and forth across the metal floor.
He occasionally forced himself to sit under the quiet persuasion of the others, but the anxiety always pulled him back up.
The tension heightened as he stood up once again.
"Are we just going to sit here and watch?" Shaw demanded.
"Can't we provide tactical support?"
"Does the main gun on this dreadnought not possess the yield to penetrate the planet's crust?"
Shaw pointed at the screen. "Maybe we can find a clean opening to take a shot at Thanos."
"No!" En Sabah Nur firmly rejected the suggestion.
"We cannot clearly see the variables on the ground."
"We cannot secure a clean lock on the tyrant."
The ancient mutant shook his head.
"Even if we could, do you truly believe a naval gun will kill him?"
"At best, the orbital strike might cause superficial damage."
"What if the blast provokes him?"
"It could make Thanos desperate and unpredictable, leading directly to Ernst's demise."
"The most dangerous Thanos is an unpredictable one."
"Right now, doing nothing is the wisest tactical choice."
Shaw slumped dejectedly into his chair.
He knew he had let his paternal emotions override his rational thinking.
His concern for his son overshadowed tactical logic.
Despite Ernst's overwhelming strength, watching his son face a cosmic overlord brought a heavy, suffocating uncertainty.
In the opposing airspace, aboard the Q-Ship, the Black Order debated their next move.
Corvus Glaive pointed his weapon at the holographic display of the Space Walker.
"We should besiege the Shadow Mercenary flagship while Father keeps their leader occupied," Corvus suggested.
Proxima Midnight and Black Dwarf grunted their immediate agreement, eager for bloodshed.
Ebony Maw showed complete indifference.
He offered a look of dry contempt toward Corvus.
The ensuing tension nearly sparked a violent conflict on the bridge.
Ebony Maw finally intervened, his voice dripping with condescension.
"Eliminating their flagship with our fleet is technically feasible," Maw explained.
"But how exactly do you plan to handle the four commanders on board?"
Maw gestured to the readout.
"Specifically, En Sabah Nur."
"If a boarding action ensues, can you endure his wrath?"
"Even if we cripple the ship, the Big Four will wipe most of us out."
Maw steepled his long fingers.
"Of course, if you are personally willing to divert En Sabah Nur and engage him in single combat, we can attempt it."
Corvus Glaive quickly shook his head.
He realized the immense, crushing strength of the ancient mutant.
It would be a formidable task even for Thanos to put him down permanently.
Engaging En Sabah Nur in close quarters would result in immediate, violent defeat.
Corvus lowered his weapon and wisely stepped aside.