The wall reverberated with a deafening roar as the impact left a deep dent in the unknown metal. Thanos, however, landed perfectly within the indentation, as if he had been forged to fit it exactly.
Arthur reached down and hauled T'Challa to his feet. The Black Panther prince, his face contorted in pain, gasped, "If you hadn't arrived any later, I'd have been killed!"
He surveyed the surroundings, a scene of utter devastation.
Venom, who should have been on the battlefield, had vanished without a trace. Quicksilver had likely sped off somewhere for his own amusement.
Steve lay gasping amid the wreckage. When he noticed Arthur's gaze, he weakly waved his shield in acknowledgment. This simple gesture caused Arthur's pupils to contract.
The Vibranium shield, once pristine, was now chipped and scarred, a small piece missing, rendering it battered and forlorn.
Lowering his head, Arthur exhaled softly and smiled. "At least they're all alive... Can anyone tell me what happened to those two?"
"One escaped with Thanos' weapon... The other..." T'Challa paused to catch his breath before continuing, "He was nearly shattered by Thanos' high-frequency sonic blasts and had to be taken to safety."
Arthur turned his gaze to Thanos, a faint smile playing on his lips. "It seems my friends have received quite the 'hospitality' from you."
Thanos broke free from the wall where he had been pinned and stepped forward, landing lightly on the ground. A subtle smirk stretched across his face. "Don't worry, you're next!"
"I can't wait!" Arthur retorted, his fist already crashing down as the words left his mouth.
A colossal force surged forward. In an instant, Thanos's expression twisted in alarm. He crossed his arms in defense, but the moment Arthur's fist connected with his arms, Thanos was sent hurtling backward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deafening crashes echoed through the Warship as Thanos smashed through layer after layer of metal bulkheads, leaving the entire vessel shattered and collapsing.
Arthur was about to pursue when a massive green figure plummeted from the air, seizing Thanos by the head and slamming him into the ground. With a violent heave, the Hulk hurled him skyward, roaring, "Invincible Hulk!!!!!!"
The behemoth was clearly blinded by rage. After hurling Thanos aside, his green eyes immediately locked onto Arthur.
Arthur blinked, wondering if Banner's "Hulk re-education" had gone awry. Suddenly, Hulk grinned, revealing a lewd smile. In the next instant, he leaped into the air, charging upward with savage ferocity.
"Hmm..." Arthur mused, "I suppose my prey was stolen."
Before T'Challa could respond, Arthur had already notified J.A.R.V.I.S.: "Lock onto current coordinates and dispatch medical and resupply teams immediately."
"J.A.R.V.I.S. acknowledges!"
With the response secured, Arthur didn't linger.
Through the Eye of Horus, he had already pinpointed the locations of Thanos and Hulk.
The two titans were locked in a brutal, no-holds-barred brawl, exchanging punches and kicks with earth-shattering force.
To be honest, having seen Avengers: Infinity War, Arthur was still curious about who would win a fair fight between Hulk and Thanos.
Although Hulk was beaten so badly in the movie that he nearly lost his will to live, the truth was that Thanos had been empowered by the Infinity Stones at the time.
Without the Stones, could Thanos really defeat the Hulk?
The Hulk, who was practically a living cheat code?
Yet as he pondered this, Arthur also thought, Shouldn't the Hulk have to work a little harder for his victory?
Otherwise, all the elaborate preparations he'd made, the grand clash of kings, would be for nothing. If Hulk crushed Thanos before Arthur could even act, it would be terribly awkward, no matter what he did.
But... isn't that being a bit unfair?
Lost in these conflicting thoughts, Arthur watched as Thanos sent Hulk flying with a single punch.
The moment Hulk crashed to the ground, Thanos was already upon him like a shadow, pinning him by the neck and slamming his massive body against the wall with brutal force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three consecutive blows left Hulk utterly bewildered. He shook his head violently, only to see Thanos reach out. A desperate, agonized scream echoed through the air as Quicksilver, clutching a double-edged sword, hurtled toward them from afar.
Thanos seized the double-edged sword with one hand while greeting Quicksilver with a casual, "Hello!"
As he spoke, the blade was already poised to pierce Hulk's neck.
But just then, Hulk's massive form vanished without a trace. The blade struck empty air, and when Thanos turned, he found Hulk standing behind Arthur.
His colossal body hunched over like a bullied schoolchild, he pointed at Thanos, his face a mixture of rage and fear.
Arthur patted his arm. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll get him for you."
Hulk rubbed his head. "It hurts."
"Mm-hmm, he'll feel it too," Arthur reassured him.
Thanos suddenly felt like he had stumbled into the wrong place.
Shouldn't this be a battlefield drenched in blood and iron? Why is this bizarre scene unfolding?
Especially…
He glanced at Quicksilver, still clinging to his weapon. "How long do you plan to linger here?"
"Until I take it again," Quicksilver replied earnestly.
The next instant, a violent paralysis surged through his entire body. His limbs twitched uncontrollably, forcing him to cling desperately to Thanos's double-bladed sword. Thanos abruptly raised his arm and slammed it downward with brutal force.
Quicksilver's face turned deathly pale!
If this impact lands squarely, even an undying being like me would lose a layer of skin!
Just then, he felt Thanos's grip weakening, and a powerful, propelling force surged from behind him.
He glanced back. The ground appeared undisturbed. Turning his head again, he saw Arthur's eyes flickering with an ethereal light, and an otherworldly glow pulsed in the palm of his outstretched hand.
Quicksilver clenched his fist, activating his speed through the recoil force. But before he could celebrate avoiding a painful crash, he realized he was about to slam into the alloy wall instead.
As he screamed in terror, a massive gray hand shot down from mid-air, seized him by the collar, and yanked him off Thanos' weapon with brutal, unreasonable force.
Still reeling from the shock, Quicksilver looked up to see Abomination's pale, deathly face looming over him.
Before he could react, Abomination flung him toward Arthur. Hulk caught him in mid-air as Abomination clenched his fists and brought them crashing down on Thanos' head like thunderbolts!
BOOM!!!
(End of Chapter)