Marvel: Killing Makes You Stronger

Chapter 221: Thanos Obtaining the Power Stone

Loki's casual remark made Sibba's lips move.

She was well aware of the weight behind Loki's words.

The friendship of Asgard was not merely a personal friendship between Loki or Thor; it signified that, to some extent, Asgard acknowledged Sibba. To put it bluntly, as long as Sibba agreed, Asgard would protect her in the future.

The protection of one of the most powerful forces in the universe was enough to spare Sibba from many unnecessary troubles in the cosmos.

Even some former adversaries would abandon their conflicts with her because of this.

Such was the influence of Asgard in the universe.

Clearly, this level of influence was enough to make Sibba take a crazy gamble.

However, Sibba was evidently aware of certain insider information. She knew that Asgard's strength did not lie solely in its military and heritage but also in Odin, the unrivaled God-King.

Asgard itself was formidable enough, but what truly intimidated the universe was Odin.

Now, however, Odin had aged. Once Odin fell, Asgard's prestige would plummet. Whether Thor and Loki could inherit Odin's glory and keep Asgard great was questionable.

So, this was a gamble, with Sibba risking offending Thanos.

Was it worth it?

Sibba squinted at Thor and Loki in front of her, while also glancing at the three people watching the city below with great interest—Bella and her companions.

She had known Thor and Loki for quite a while.

She hadn't noticed before, but upon closer inspection now, she suddenly realized that Thor and Loki seemed to have undergone extraordinary changes.

These changes were not just in their demeanor but also...

Danger.

Although Sibba appeared to be a female and a broker of information, her race and civilization were not particularly weak in the universe.

Moreover, as a member of a matriarchal society, she was one of the most outstanding individuals in her group.

She herself possessed considerable strength. Compared to the previous Thor and Loki, she found the two brothers before her now to be much more dangerous, extremely dangerous.

It was as if she sensed a hint of the aura of truly significant figures.

Or rather, the aura unique to kings.

What did this mean? It meant that Thor and Loki seemed to have grown enough to make her feel extremely threatened.

"Where is Ms. Wanda from?"

To be cautious, Sibba looked at Wanda.

Her intention was clear. Wanda, with her high intelligence, immediately understood Sibba's thoughts and replied indifferently, "Earth."

Earth?

Sibba was shocked, suddenly recalling a sensational event that had occurred two years ago. A small, seemingly insignificant planet had erupted in a war of epic proportions.

The course of the war was also astonishing.

To be traveling with Thor and Loki, an Asgardian friend from Earth—there had to be a connection, Sibba believed firmly.

Moreover, judging by the demeanor of Wanda and her companions, they were certainly not simple.

Sibba's initial cautious thoughts were immediately extinguished. She might make a significant profit.

Buzz~

Sibba no longer hesitated, taking out a small cylindrical metal object and placing it on the table. She pressed a spot, and a holographic projection appeared before them.

The person in the holographic image was none other than Thanos.

"Recently, for some unknown reason, after massacring a planet, Thanos has been in secret contact with Ronan the Accuser of the Kree Empire, seemingly preparing for a highly confidential transaction. We obtained this information at great cost, as it is highly classified."

"Ronan?"

Pietro was puzzled by this character, who seemed quite formidable with a title like "Accuser."

Seeing Pietro's confusion, Sibba explained, "Ronan is one of the leaders of the Kree Empire, one of the three great empires in the galaxy. He is a member of the Supreme Accusers Corps of the Kree Empire. Due to his outstanding performance in the Corps, Ronan eventually became the third most powerful figure in the Kree Empire, appointed by the Supreme Intelligence as the Supreme Accuser, hence Ronan the Accuser."

"His personality, like Thanos', is extremely hard and brutal."

"Thanos wants to make a deal with such a person? What is the content of the transaction?" Loki asked the most crucial question.

Sibba shook her head, "No matter what, we cannot know the details of the transaction. This is confidential between two prominent figures, with only a few people aware of the inner workings."

"However, what I do know is that Thanos is leading his Black Order to an unknown location."

"Does that mean we can find him?"

"Indeed."

"This is the information on Thanos' forces." As Sibba spoke, the holographic projection in front of her changed again, revealing several figures. Pointing to the images, she continued, "These are the key members of Thanos' Black Order. Corvus Glaive, the leader of the Black Order, and Proxima Midnight are supposedly a couple. Then there's Supergiant, Cull Obsidian, and Ebony Maw. Each member of this team has their strengths and weaknesses and is deployed for different purposes. Ebony Maw is likely the deputy commander, possessing high status, genius-level intellect, strong persuasive abilities, and willpower. He is referred to as the 'Black Tongue that spreads lies and evil wherever he goes.'"

"These individuals were among the earliest space pirates, subjugated by Thanos to become his initial cadre."

"Thanos commands a brutal army known as the Chitauri, composed of half-organic, half-mechanical soldiers with a hive mind. They know no fear and are inherently violent, attacking and plundering planets for resources and wealth."

"The Chitauri's iconic equipment includes a large bio-mechanical hybrid starship known scientifically as the 'bionic mechanized interstellar shark hybrid,' or simply 'Leviathan.' These large bio-ships are extremely powerful, capable of massacring civilizations with weak military capabilities, hence the name 'Butcher Army.'"

"In addition, Thanos has modified numerous space creatures with technology, making them fearless, insane, and brutal."

"Thanos has a vast fleet, including a mothership called Sanctuary II, with formidable military strength."

Sibba meticulously disclosed all information about Thanos.

Through Sibba's introduction, Thor, Loki, and the others finally understood why Thanos had become the most notorious warlord in the universe. With such a massive fleet and Thanos' own power, no ordinary civilization would dare provoke him. They could only pray he wouldn't descend upon their planet.

Moreover, Thanos was very cunning, never provoking major powers or touching their colonies. Therefore, despite their disapproval of Thanos, these major powers would not easily wage war against him.

No one wants to fight a war without benefits, especially against someone with Thanos' military might.

However, Thor, Loki, and Wanda were not concerned about these so-called armies.

At the level of Celestials, ordinary weapons, technology, and armies had little impact.

Not to mention, they were among the elite of the Celestials.

"Very well, now tell me his current location."

"Thanos himself cannot be tracked, but we can infer his position from his fleet's location, which should be here." Sibba gestured with her hands, enlarging the holographic star map and finally pinpointing a location.

In the vast, boundless space, a massive fleet was silently floating, seemingly waiting for something.

At the center of this colossal fleet, surrounded by ships, was an even larger mothership, the size of a planet—Sanctuary II.

"Thank you. I'll take this," Thor said, taking the metal rod and glancing at Loki. Loki nodded and tapped a few times on his wristwatch. Sibba then saw a substantial amount credited to her private account through her own wristwatch.

Sibba beamed with delight. As expected, the prince of Asgard was generous.

This time, she not only earned a large sum of money but also gained Asgard's friendship and possibly even contacted someone related to two years ago. This was a huge win for her.

Of course, this was based on the premise that Thanos would be eliminated. Otherwise, given Thanos' vengeful nature, she might face great trouble. If Thanos tracked her down, she would have to flee to Asgard for protection.

Thor, Loki, and their companions wasted no time. Having obtained the information, they headed directly to the docked spaceship and left the planet.

Finding Thanos was their ultimate goal.

…

In the vast universe, there is an unknown desolate planet named Morag. Due to various reasons, the ecosystem has changed drastically, leading to the extinction of many life forms. The planet is dark, damp, and filled with foul-smelling, muddy water, with ugly creatures struggling to survive.

On the planet Morag stands a temple.

The temple has long been abandoned, shrouded in darkness. Today, however, a few figures have arrived on Morag.

Leading the group is a tall, burly figure clad in golden armor, wearing a helmet encrusted with gems, accompanied by a green and blue-skinned figure.

These three individuals are none other than Thanos and his two adopted daughters, Gamora and Nebula.

Gamora did not expect her father, Thanos, to bring her to this place. Although she appeared indifferent on the surface, she was internally anxious, following Thanos closely and witnessing his transaction with Ronan the Accuser of the Kree Empire.

Gamora was aware of the details of the deal. Ronan despised the peace treaty between the Kree Empire and the Nova Empire, considering it an act of weakness.

As a hawkish leader, Ronan hated the Nova Empire and sought to destroy it. However, as an Accuser, he could not defy the Kree Empire's strategic direction.

If he broke the treaty, he would easily face retaliation from his political enemies.

Therefore, the deal he made with Thanos involved exchanging an artifact for Thanos' support in annihilating the Nova Empire.

Thanos readily agreed, and this artifact was located within the temple.

It was called the Orb.

Gamora did not know what the Orb was, but given Thanos' significant interest and willingness to make a deal with Ronan and travel to this desolate planet, it was evidently something extraordinary.

Gamora wanted to intervene but did not dare make any moves in Thanos' presence.

Nebula, on the other hand, was single-mindedly loyal to Thanos and delighted by his impending success.

Thanos, indifferent to the thoughts of his daughters, stepped onto the muddy path leading to the temple.

He placed a hand on the ancient, weathered black wall, which suddenly split and crumbled. Thanos stepped inside and saw a human-sized stone pillar in the center of the temple. Atop the pillar, within a blue energy barrier, floated a fist-sized metallic sphere.

This was the Orb.

Ignoring the energy barrier, Thanos reached out and crushed it, enduring the searing pain, and seized the Orb.

Despite obtaining the Orb, Thanos showed no joy or satisfaction.

He knew that while the Orb possessed immense power, enhancing his strength significantly, it was still insufficient to confront a particular man.

Moreover, there were two more stones on Earth. Overcoming the defenses to collect them was a daunting task.

“Father, congratulations on obtaining the Orb,” Nebula exclaimed.

Gamora was about to speak when Thanos interjected.

“The Orb? It has never been called the Orb.”

“What? Does it have another name?” Nebula and Gamora were astonished. Gamora sensed that Thanos was about to reveal its true identity.

Indeed, Thanos' next words shocked both daughters.

“It is called the Power Stone, birthed from the Big Bang, representing the force of the cosmos.”

Thanos opened the Orb, revealing its true secret—a purple gem lying quietly within the Orb, radiating a powerful glow that Gamora and Nebula could feel.

“Such immense power, father. It seems uncontrollable...” Nebula expressed her concern after recovering from her shock.

“Do not worry, my daughter. Only those with immense life force and physical strength can wield this stone. I am more than capable.”

Thanos smiled as he placed the gem in his palm, absorbing its purple energy. His body trembled but remained unscathed, his aura growing as wild as the stone.

With a cold snort, Thanos subdued the stone's violent energy with sheer willpower and strength, demonstrating his formidable prowess.

This display increased Nebula's admiration, but Gamora felt a deeper sense of foreboding.

With Thanos growing stronger, how could she ever seek revenge?

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, forming a massive vortex. Thunder and lightning raged, resembling an apocalyptic storm.

The sudden weather change drew the attention of Thanos and his daughters. Thanos frowned, sensing something.

In that instant, a surge of unease overcame him.

Thanos quickly gripped the Power Stone, enveloping himself and his daughters in a protective purple energy barrier.

A white flash streaked from afar, and a mysterious figure struck the barrier with a powerful punch.

Boom!

The ground for miles around shook violently, and the collision of forces created a surge of purple energy that obliterated everything in its path.

The white figure vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Before Thanos and his daughters could react, the sky erupted with lightning and massive fireballs descending like a meteor shower.

As the three looked up, their eyes reflected the blue and red chaos above.

They witnessed a scene of utter destruction.