"It's finally done, just this last step remains."
Artoria stood by the railing, watching the Hyperion being assembled, and spoke with emotion. The two largest sections had completely fit together. All that remained were the smaller components. Although there were still issues with arranging the rooms inside the vessel, these were not important and should be completed within two days. This speed relieved Artoria's strained nerves. Only with a warship capable of fighting in space could she contend with the Thanos's Legion's massive vessels. Although they lacked advantages in firepower and size, the Hyperion's existence allowed Artoria to fight with peace of mind. The Hyperion could effectively protect these women, and if the fight devolved into ground combat, there were also those among these women who could help her fight together.
"What exactly is Odin plotting?"
Watching the Hyperion slowly completing its modifications, Artoria kept pondering one thing: Odin's test. Why strike his son so harshly? Artoria had been thinking about this ever since she returned from seeing Thor. After a long period of thought, she felt there was one person who might be able to help Thor recover from his current state: Loki, the Mischievous Younger Brother who loved stabbing Thor in the kidney. If this fellow appeared, he might be able to pull Thor back. Artoria didn't know if Thor had encountered his Older Sister yet, or if his beloved hammer had been crushed by her. If he hadn't experienced these things, then Thor likely hadn't consciously awakened the Divine Power contained within him.
Logically speaking, Artoria hoped this fellow would recover quickly. Although he was sometimes goofy and even a bit silly, it couldn't be denied that he was one of the main combat forces against Thanos. Without him, Artoria felt a little uncertain when confronting Thanos. If possible, she still hoped to see this big-bellied fellow appear when fighting Thanos.
"Tony hasn't finished dealing with the Symbiote Suit yet. Although Loki has the potential to pull Thor back into shape, that guy is no good bird."
Thinking as she returned to the office, Artoria recalled that Loki wasn't a good person either. His existence was that of a 'love-starved' problem child. Would such a person genuinely pull Thor out of his slump? Honestly, Artoria found it hard to trust him. As Loki, the God of Mischief, anything he said was less reliable than listening to him fart. Judging by how Thor was constantly injured by this guy stabbing him in the kidney, Loki might very well stand by and watch, or even happily cause trouble everywhere. If the destruction of Asgard were real, Artoria wouldn't bother worrying about this. But if the 'destruction' of Asgard was Odin's trial for his son from the start, the possibility of Loki coming to Earth was definitely not low.
"Poor, disaster-ridden Gaea. Is this a sign that the plot is getting harder the further we go? All sorts of demons and monsters are showing up. It seems Thanos's arrival must be close."
While Artoria was sighing with emotion, she didn't know that the subject of her worry, the Evil God, was slowly descending upon Earth. He stepped out of his spacecraft and looked at the place where he had once landed piloting the Destroyer, and where he had also suffered a beating from reality on this Planet. The faint wicked smile that had been on his face instantly froze when he recalled that massive green figure and the towering beam of light. But he quickly adjusted his mindset, maintaining an elegant smile with a hint of wickedness. He walked toward a certain direction. Although he didn't know exactly where his brother was, if he followed that annoying feeling, he would definitely find his Silly Brother. This method worked for him every time.
"Asgard was destroyed? Is this news true?"
Corvus Glaive cautiously questioned the Intelligence Dealer. Ever since their God returned from the Land of the Dead, his temperament had been clearly off. Corvus Glaive was afraid of being punished by their God if he delivered incorrect information, so this intelligence had to be accurate. He needed to confirm it properly. Moreover, this news was truly too shocking. Asgard's reputation for combat wasn't just boasted about; it was earned through countless campaigns and Odin's immense strength throughout the Nine Realms. The entire Nine Realms knew the formidable combat power of the Asgardian God Race.
Although it was somewhat embarrassing to admit, it was undeniable that they were once pressed and rubbed into the ground by the other side before swearing allegiance to the God King of Asgard. Given such formidable fighting strength and achievements, when Corvus Glaive heard this news firsthand, he felt like the informant was playing a trick on him, or that he had misheard. How could this happen? Some things might be difficult to hear, but if they were to face the Asgardian God Race head-on, they would likely be instantly wiped out by their Bifrost!
"I swear on my life that this news is definitely true. I can show you the footage. Although they say it was destroyed, we couldn't find a single corpse or guard. We wouldn't dare lie about this. Rather than destruction, we feel like they simply relocated. What I'm saying might sound like a fantasy, but it is the truth."
Facing Corvus Glaive's unfriendly gaze, the somewhat strange-looking Alien Intelligence Dealer explained tremblingly. He even showed the footage collected by his scouts to prove the truthfulness of his words. Looking at the images the fellow displayed, Corvus Glaive realized the abnormal situation. He gave the Intelligence Dealer a deep look, then took the imaging device and turned to leave. After he left, the Intelligence Dealer sighed deeply in relief, but he didn't know that the warrior behind him had already raised his gun, and the muzzle, ready to fire a beam of light, was already glowing.
"My God, please look."
After lecturing his disobedient Eldest Daughter and punishing his Second Daughter, Thanos sat on his Throne and began to ponder who had taken his Infinity Stones. He and his Eldest Daughter, Gamora, had gone to the Planet where the Infinity Stones were hidden, searching the entire Planet for dozens of days, but found no news of the Stones. He even began to suspect that Gamora was lying to him.
He even dismantled Nebula into several parts, causing Gamora immense pain, before finally confirming that his daughter hadn't deceived him. The answer was obvious: someone had come and taken the Infinity Stones before him. These successive failures didn't make him angry; in fact, he found it quite interesting. He enjoyed exploring the unknown like this. As a person cursed with knowledge, he liked this feeling because only this kind of feeling allowed him to experience novelty. Just as he was savoring this feeling, Corvus Glaive approached him and showed him the images.
"Asgard, Odin."
Thanos looked at the deserted Asgard in the image with interest in his eyes. Being clever, he naturally knew that Asgard would absolutely not be destroyed. Judging by the signs, they must have relocated elsewhere. He wondered what great place Odin, that Old Man, had found that he would abandon even the Heavenly Palace. It must be a very good location. Thanos scrutinized Asgard, thinking that this place must have left some things behind—things Odin couldn't take.
"Depart. Target: Asgard."
Since Odin, that Old Man, had abandoned Asgard, Thanos would go and see what the old fellow was up to. A Heavenly Palace itself wasn't frightening; the only frightening thing was the One-eyed Old Man sitting inside it. But now that the One-eyed Old Man was gone, Thanos could take a good look at the beautiful scenery of Asgard. Thinking this, he immediately ordered the fleet to head toward Asgard. Following his command, everyone on the ships began to busy themselves.
"Hey, Quill! We know you're sad and want revenge, but don't train like this; you'll kill yourself."
Rocket looked at Star-Lord, who kept collapsing from exhaustion only to get back up again, and spoke with some reluctance. The current Star-Lord was completely different from the chubby guy he used to be. With eight strong abs and thick arms, it seemed he hadn't spared his body during this time. He was no longer the goofy guy who just listened to music, but a man seeking revenge to reclaim the woman he loved after she was captured. Drax was training beside him in the same way. Groot watched everything before him with a slightly blank expression; the injuries he sustained earlier had healed in ten minutes. Although they had escaped Death, they had lost a crucial member, Gamora.
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