Thanos: ???
For a split second, Thanos thought he was looking in a mirror.
But the warrior in the "mirror" wore armor far more magnificent than his own now-battered suit.
"Surprised?"
Bant asked, taunting.
This was the form the Omnitrix had taken after extracting the Eternals gene from Thanos's body. It enhanced his physiology and intellect while granting him immortality, telepathy, and matter manipulation. He possessed virtually every ability Thanos had—and in every respect, his were superior.
The form's name was Atlas, after the giant in myth who held up the heavens.
"So you really can transform into other species," Thanos said, voice low.
He couldn't claim to be shocked. From Loki's memories, Thanos had long known the King of Sakaar possessed the power to become other races. More than that, Thanos was the first enemy to see through the source of that power.
"That thing gave you this strength?"
He pointed at the emblem embedded in Bant's body. "That Omnitrix Vilgax spoke of... it's this, isn't it?"
Now Thanos could almost grasp why Vilgax was so utterly obsessed with it. If that device had no upper limit on the DNA it could sample... just imagine—perhaps one day even the genes of the five cosmic entities could be harvested. In that light, the Infinity Stones truly might not be so untouchable after all.
Only...
"You didn't think that simply by becoming me, you could defeat me?" Thanos countered.
He knew precisely how formidable his own power was, though part of that strength came not just from his innate gifts but also from extensive physical modifications he had performed on himself. That device extracted his genes—those acquired, artificial enhancements were likely beyond its reach. That was Thanos's advantage now.
Now they would see which was greater: the Omnitrix's genetic optimization, or Thanos's self-modification.
Amid the flowing lava, the two towering violet warriors hurled their fists together once more. Their punches generated slashing shockwaves of air, relentlessly tearing apart everything around them.
—
Beyond the battlefield, the satellite Thanos had dragged from orbit continued its inexorable descent toward Xandar. Fully captured by the planet's gravity, the broken orbital balance left no hope of recovery. So even though every last Chitauri warrior had been wiped out, and Ronan the Accuser had been subdued by Bill, Captain America, and the Winter Soldier, not a single face showed the joy of victory.
Ronan, now in custody, was instead elated. He laughed wildly, mocking the helplessness of the Plumbers and Xandar.
"Destruction! This is Xandar's fate! Hahahaha!"
Bill answered by slamming him with his hammer in fury. "Do you think you'd survive the impact of two planets colliding?"
"I don't care!" Ronan declared without hesitation. "As long as Xandar is destroyed, as long as I avenge my parents, everything is worth it! You've lost!" He sneered.
Ronan cared nothing for the price. In his eyes, Xandar's annihilation was already sealed. Who could possibly stop a moon-sized satellite from crashing into the planet? The Plumbers, the Nova Corps—everything they did was futile.
Queen Adora had succumbed to utter despair. That approaching satellite was a countdown to extinction.
"How long until impact?" Kaila urgently asked Loki, still in orbit.
Aboard the massive warship, Loki calculated speed and distance, then answered grimly, "Three hours until the satellite strikes Xandar. But within one hour, the gravitational forces between the two bodies will start tearing Xandar apart. That means we only have one hour."
Steve's expression was grim. This crisis clearly exceeded what a man with a shield could handle, yet he still asked, "Can the warship evacuate Xandar's people?" Not just the warship—with Thanos's forces now shattered, the Sanctuary could also hold millions.
But Queen Adora shook her head in sorrow. "One hour... we can't evacuate everyone." She lifted her gaze, the despair in her eyes magnifying like someone drowning in a bottomless well. "It's my fault. If I hadn't been so arrogant back then, perhaps it would never have come to this. While there's still time, leave on your own. If you get caught in the explosion from the planets' collision, you'll be in danger too."
She had abandoned all hope. She didn't even intend to leave with the Plumbers. For Xandarians, their planet was everything. If Xandar was destroyed, those who fled would be a people in name only.
Queen Adora stood, took Kaila's hand, and said, "Xandar will forever remember the aid of Sakaar and the Plumbers. Now that everything is irreversible... if you don't mind, please take the Worldmind with you."
"The Worldmind?" Kaila was stunned. She hadn't expected that in this final moment, the queen would hand over Xandar's most pivotal technology—the very source of the Nova Force.
"Yes, Xandar's greatest invention," Adora said, her voice heavy with grief. "The Worldmind not only provides the Nova Force, it holds Xandar's entire history and civilization. Xandar may soon become cosmic dust, but I hope its legacy and culture can live on. I've witnessed the power of Sakaar and the Plumbers. I believe you will become a civilization even more prosperous than the three great empires. As long as Sakaar endures, someone will always remember that in this universe, there was once a planet called Xandar, and a mighty power called the Nova Force."
Adora's words moved even Kaila. As annihilation approached, the one who held supreme authority on Xandar chose not to abandon her people, but to remain here and perish with her homeworld.
Just then, a silver figure plummeted from the sky. Brunnhilde. The instant she landed, she strode toward Queen Adora with stormy purpose, and then—
Slap!!!
Brunnhilde delivered a crisp, ringing slap to the queen's face.
"Brunnhilde, what are you doing?!" Not just Adora—even Kaila was bewildered.
"Teaching a self-righteous fool a lesson!" Brunnhilde glared at Adora, fury blazing. "Don't think that just because you're a queen, you can decide everyone's fate! What about the people who don't want to die?!"
What Brunnhilde loathed most was the strife of royal power. Once, Odin and Hela's war had annihilated the entire Valkyrie army, leaving her the sole survivor. Same royalty—some led their people toward rebirth; others insisted on waiting for destruction.
This slap jolted Adora awake. "You're right. Perhaps I truly have no right to decide whether Xandarians live or die." She glanced again at the satellite in the sky, then, with gratitude and desperate hope, pleaded, "Then please, take the Worldmind and Xandar's survivors and leave this planet..."
Slap!!
Brunnhilde backhanded her with another slap.
"Why are you hitting me again?!" Queen Adora finally cracked, utterly unhinged. You've got to be kidding, sister! When I tell them to die, you slap me. When I tell them to live, you slap me again. What do you want from me?! Her eyes held genuine hurt as she looked at Brunnhilde.
Even Bill couldn't help but interject, hesitant. "Hilde... aren't you going a bit too far?"
Brunnhilde rounded on him. "You look like you could use a slap too!"
Bill: ??? Wait, what did I do? Bill wisely chose silence.
Brunnhilde crossed her arms, silver armor gleaming. She regarded Queen Adora with supreme confidence. "Spouting final words so casually... aren't you underestimating our King of Sakaar a little too much?"
Adora blinked, snot still trailing from her nose. "What do you mean?"
"It's just a small planetoid. Did you really think the King of Sakaar couldn't handle it? If so, you've sorely misjudged the Plumbers!"
"Does your warship have a planet-destroying weapon?" Queen Adora's eyes lit up.
Brunnhilde shook her head. "No. But we have the King of Sakaar." She smiled faintly, then stepped aside. An instant later, a crimson figure crashed down from above.
Thud!!
Bant landed in the palace after crossing kilometers in a single leap. At the sight of him, many tensed and took combat stances. "Thanos?!"
But the Plumbers couldn't mistake him—the Omnitrix emblem on his body was too conspicuous. "It's me."
Though Steve and Bucky were present, Bant canceled his transformation directly. With his current strength, there was no longer any need to hide.
"My King, where is Thanos?" Kaila hurried forward, respectful.
"Is there any need to ask? Dead, obviously," Brunnhilde said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Brunnhilde knows me," Bant nodded approvingly. He'd fought a fair duel with Thanos at the end, and Thanos had lost. Bant showed no mercy—he'd driven the broken halves of the Tyrant's Blade through Thanos's chest and taken his head.
"Now, let's deal with that satellite."
Bant transformed again, this time into Four Arms. His plan: use the Power Stone's might to blast that oncoming satellite to pieces.
And so, before the eyes of Queen Adora and countless Xandarians, a scene of sheer divinity unfolded. The shattered satellite became an endless meteor shower, streaking brilliantly across Xandar's sky. The crisis of extinction became a fireworks display in honor of the King of Sakaar.
Adora was dumbstruck, her eyes filled with nothing but Bant's towering back.
Brunnhilde was deeply smug. "That's why I said—never underestimate the King of Sakaar's power. Anything else you'd like to say, Queen of Xandar?"
Adora smacked her lips, then asked tentatively, "Since Xandar won't be destroyed after all... maybe we should keep the Worldmind here?"
Brunnhilde: ???
"Get lost!!"
/-\
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