Karl was hammering Galactus in the sky.
But Thanos, the one who had orchestrated all of this, was moving in the shadows.
His warship was hidden nearby.
Thanos had even used the formidable power of the Reality Stone to conceal his entire flagship.
From the outside, no one could sense the existence of that massive warship.
However, Thanos's expression was far from pleasant.
"Ebony Maw, have you still not found a way to enter Earth?"
Thanos stared fixedly at the Ebony Maw before him.
"My lord, getting inside is not difficult."
"The difficult part is doing so without alerting that man."
"If you permit us to enter, then we can naturally bring back the Infinity Stones for you."
Ebony Maw lowered his head as he spoke.
"Idiot!"
"With just the lot of you, do you really think you can secure the Infinity Stones?"
"You might be able to defeat the Avengers, but how are you supposed to locate the Soulguide Shield with no information at all?"
Thanos spoke coldly.
Obtaining the Stones was not the hard part.
The hard part was how to take the Infinity Stones out of Earth without alerting Karl.
That powerful magic array
could isolate all truly powerful beings.
It was like an enormous fishing net.
A weakling like Ebony Maw really could slip in silently.
But there was no way they could obtain the Infinity Stones without alerting Karl.
And yet, a being at Thanos's level would be blocked by that magic array.
That damned sorcerer.
He had really locked the old bastard out completely.
Thanos's expression turned extremely ugly.
Since even Galactus could not deal with that man, then even if he launched a sneak attack, how much could he really accomplish?
Thanos doubted it.
Still,
this was his best opportunity.
A dark look filled Thanos's eyes.
Among the powerful beings he knew, there were not many as easy to use as Galactus.
Most of those still alive were old monsters, cunning to the core.
Finding one this foolish was not easy.
Even with Galactus, Thanos estimated that he would have to pay an enormous price.
The "Five Great Gods" were not so easy to scheme against.
Once Galactus recovered his strength, Thanos would probably die without a burial place.
His original plan had been simple.
Galactus would attract the firepower, and he would personally lead his troops into Earth and seize the Infinity Stones.
But he had not expected Karl to be so cautious, activating such a powerful magic array.
Because of it, even he had lost his chance.
But
this was his last opportunity.
He could not give it up.
As a tyrant who had carved out his name across the universe,
you could call Thanos an executioner, ruthless and cold-blooded, someone who trampled the very bottom line of morality.
But you could not deny his power and decisiveness.
With only a turn of thought,
he decided it was time to act.
"Ebony Maw, take the Outriders and seize the Infinity Stones."
"I will hold off this sorcerer and keep him from returning."
"You had better not disappoint me."
Thanos shot Ebony Maw a glance.
Ebony Maw's body trembled at once.
After breaking through to the Skyfather level, Thanos had become even more terrifying.
"Great Lord Thanos, rest assured. I will never betray your trust."
Ebony Maw dropped to one knee and spoke respectfully to Thanos.
Then he turned and left, preparing to lead the army in a direct assault on Earth.
Thanos, meanwhile, shifted his gaze to the battlefield in the sky.
Karl's power had grown even more formidable.
Golden lightning flickered around him, like the rising sun forever chasing the light and never pausing.
At times, Thanos even wondered
whether Karl was the incarnation of some legendary god.
Otherwise, how could he be so powerful?
Even Galactus was being crushed by him.
At this rate, Galactus's defeat was only a matter of time.
Thanos knew he could not allow that to happen.
"Karl! I, too, have comprehended a Law of my own!"
"I refuse to believe you can still block my power so easily!"
The crimson power of the Reality Stone shimmered.
His figure looked as though it were being erased from this space inch by inch, and very quickly he had completely concealed himself.
After breaking through to the Skyfather level, his strength had increased.
Naturally, he could now wield even more of the Infinity Stone's power.
Relying on that power, Thanos moved silently through the sky.
Very quickly, he arrived behind Karl.
And Karl seemed completely unaware of it.
When Thanos reached a point barely twenty meters behind him,
a savage smile appeared on his face.
The double-bladed sword appeared in his hand.
In an instant,
Thanos unleashed all of his power.
The Infinity Stone, the Law he had comprehended, and the innate might of his overbearing body—
his whole body lunged forward like a leopard.
The blade in his hand even tore through space, flashing with a curved gleam.
A distance of twenty meters
vanished in the blink of an eye.
In less than a few milliseconds, Thanos could practically already see the blade in his hand skewering Karl clean through.
Excitement had already appeared on his face.
But
before he could enjoy that triumph for long,
his vision blurred, and the scenery before him changed.
Thanos took one look and was instantly horrified.
Standing before him was not Karl, whom he had plotted against for so long,
but Galactus, who had been blasted senseless by Karl's lightning.
But
it was already too late to pull back.
The double-bladed sword carrying all of Thanos's power stabbed directly into Galactus.
To be fair,
the armor on Galactus was no ordinary thing either.
It was a projection of a powerful divine artifact from his true body, extraordinary in might.
How could the double-bladed sword in Thanos's hand possibly compare to such a weapon?
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out.
Thanos's weapon, which was capable of splitting Captain America's shield, shattered on the spot.
Even after shattering Thanos's weapon, Galactus paid it no mind.
Thanos's overwhelming power passed straight through the armor and into his body.
Galactus felt the power inside him surge violently, impossible to calm for a moment.
He glared at Thanos in fury, demanding an explanation.
But Thanos seemed not to see Galactus's murderous expression at all. His own face was just dark as he stared at Karl.
"When did you discover me?"
"From the very beginning."
Karl answered flatly.
"You didn't seriously think that just because your power had improved, you could deceive me with the Infinity Stone, did you?"
"You actually wanted to use that kind of trick to ambush a master of space."
"And one stronger than you, at that."
"Thanos, I honestly don't know whether you're smart or stupid."
Karl glanced at Thanos.
There was no visible emotion in his eyes.
But that calm, indifferent gaze stabbed straight into Thanos's heart.
He had been played like a fool from beginning to end.
Made into a monkey for someone else's amusement.
The sneak attack he had thought so secretive was nothing at all in Karl's eyes.
That damned sorcerer.
How had he been able to detect him?
Thanos was filled with disbelief.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
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