As the battle for Earth neared its climactic end, in a distant part of the universe, a colossal purple sun burned with intense brilliance, its rhythmic pulsing resembling a heartbeat that reverberated through the surrounding fleet.
Every few minutes, waves of raw, unrestrained energy surged outward in dazzling amethyst ripples, compelling the fleet to constantly adjust its blockade or face obliteration, leaving not even the faintest trace behind.
Aboard the Sanctuary II, Thanos sat in calculated silence, his gauntleted hand tapping the armrest as the Space Stone and the Soul Stone emitted an ominous glow from their places on the Infinity Gauntlet.
Adam Warlock, though initially unwilling to surrender the Soul Stone, ultimately capitulated under the threat of having his world consumed by a black hole, a fate far worse than death. In a final act of defiance and sacrifice, Adam ripped the stone from his forehead, the act collapsing his skull like a fragile eggshell before his body dissolved into motes of light, vanishing into the unknown.
Meanwhile, Gladiator, weakened and defeated, chose to align himself with Thanos as a means of sparing his people from annihilation. Now, he stood as a new member of the Black Order, serving as an enforcer alongside Black Dwarf at the right hand of the Mad Titan.
Both civilizations now serve Thanos in uniquely distinct ways.
The Sovereign, despite their limited population due to selective breeding practices, excel in the development, deployment, and maintenance of clones and drone fighter technology. These advancements are crucial for minimizing their forces' casualties while preserving combat efficiency.
The Shi'ar Empire, a coalition of subjugated civilizations, initially experienced internal discord as they debated whether to resist or surrender to Thanos. However, the resistance was swiftly crushed following multiple visits from Thanos's extermination squads, which obliterated dissenters and brought the entire empire under his dominion within mere days.
In contrast to the Sovereign, the Shi'ar possess an inherently expansionist mindset. Members of the original Shi'ar species are actively encouraged to interbreed with other species, thereby strengthening their empire with unique abilities or superior physical traits gained from such unions.
Unsurprisingly, their population grew vast, and their armies, if left unchecked, were capable of blotting out the sun from orbit with their sheer numbers.
Thanos reveled in his newfound power, his malevolent grin stretching to an unnerving degree as he skillfully manipulated several black and gold ki orbs with his non-gauntlet hand. Three orbs split into six, six multiplied into twelve, and twelve expanded into twenty-four. These twenty-four orbs orbited with precision around a central, colossal ki orb, which blazed brilliantly like a sun at the center of a solar system forged entirely from pure ki energy.
Some of the orbs assumed the role of planets, while others dissolved into a fine mist that enveloped the entire construct, mimicking the structure of a spiral galaxy spinning on the axis of his massive hand.
Gladiator watched in awe at the dazzling display, attempting to replicate the Mad Titan's skill but ultimately shaking his head. He was still too inexperienced in wielding energy beyond the occasional eye beam attack, which typically emerged instinctively in moments of rage or extreme necessity.
The communications officer stiffened instantly as he received a high-priority order, quickly pressing several key buttons to activate a circular device positioned at the center of the room.
WHOOSH!
A holographic image materialized, depicting a gaunt, nearly skeletal alien figure identified as Ebony Maw. The figure bowed deeply before the Mad Titan, exuding profound reverence even across the vast distance.
"Mission accomplished, sire. The Time Stone is yours!" Ebony Maw declared, raising his projected hand to reveal an emerald gem radiating a powerful, enigmatic glow as it hovered above his ringed fingers.
The Time Stone's light seemed to transcend the confines of the projection, casting the entire deck of the colossal ship in a vivid green glow.
"But sire... there are complications. As I departed the planet with the Time Stone in my possession, an unfamiliar black ship of unknown origin appeared. Atop the vessel stood a man enveloped in golden light, radiating an overwhelming presence. The pressure he exerted was... staggering. Furthermore, the Time Stone reacted to his presence, flashing as though this golden figure possessed another stone."
The bridge fell silent.
Thanos leaned forward slightly, the groaning of his throne breaking the quiet. His cold violet eyes, sharp with a predator's curiosity, narrowed into slits.
"A golden figure…" he murmured. "And the Time Stone acknowledged him."
The galaxy of ki orbiting his palm trembled, its suns flickering like fragile candles before being extinguished as Thanos crushed them within his mighty grip.
"Show me," Thanos commanded.
Maw inclined his head, fingers tracing intricate patterns through invisible glyphs. The hologram distorted, warping erratically.
Static.
Disruption.
Then—
A silhouette emerged atop a crystalline black ship engulfed in cosmic flames. Golden light radiated from the figure's skin, burning brighter than a supernova.
Vegeta, leaning against the far wall, suddenly strode forward with fire in his step and fury in his gaze. Without conscious thought, he ascended into Super Saiyan Two, electricity crackling violently around his form and striking a nearby console, which exploded into a burst of fire and sparks.
"HIM... OF COURSE HAHAHAHAHA!" Vegeta's excitement surged as he observed the image drawing closer to the blue and green jewel of a planet.
He watched intently as William propelled a man clad in red and blue tights, his momentum amplified by raw strength and the ship's existing velocity, hurtling toward the planet's surface like a meteor shaped as a man.
Following closely behind the tights-wearing figure was a fair-skinned woman with dark hair flowing behind her and an even darker cloak trailing her movements.
The image shifted back to Ebony Maw, prompting Vegeta's expression to darken and his aura to diminish as he immediately powered down to his base form. With a frustrated huff, he returned to his previous position.
"Can't stand that skinny bastard!" Vegeta's thoughts returned to the image, and his mood began to lift once again.
"When will you arrive, Maw?" Thanos's resonant and commanding voice carried a rare note of anticipation, reflecting his satisfaction that events were unfolding as planned. His dark, abyss-like eyes seemed to shimmer faintly with an unearthly light as he awaited Ebony Maw's response.
"Within the hour, my lord," Ebony Maw replied with unwavering devotion, his reverent stance unbroken as he addressed his master.
Thanos' grin stretched further across his ominous purple visage, enhancing the sinister, almost malevolent expression. "Good," he uttered with a chilling tone.
Ebony Maw arrived precisely fifty minutes later, his smaller ship docking with flawless precision.
As he emerged from the cockpit, a mysterious green glow radiated from the emerald gem hovering above Ebony Maw's hand, its light flowing like an unending tide and refusing contact with mortal touch. The glow bathed the surrounding area, illuminating all the ships and walls in an eerie brilliance.
Accompanied by the towering Black Dwarf, Ebony Maw swiftly disembarked and made his way toward the deck where the Mad Titan awaited. Any subordinates unfortunate enough to block their path were mercilessly crushed beneath Black Dwarf's massive foot, their discarded forms cast aside like worthless refuse.
Within moments, they reached the presence of the Mad Titan. Both figures, large and small, immediately dropped into a reverent bow. Ebony Maw extended his arm, presenting the Time Stone in his outstretched hand, offering it with utmost devotion to his master.
Thanos did not reach for the gem.
With a simple motion of his gauntleted hand and a flash of blue light, the green stone floated towards the Mad Titan, its destination clear: the slot adjacent to the Soul Stone.
CLICK.
The fabric of space around Thanos trembled, and the faint, haunting wails of lost souls echoed as streams of orange and blue light coursed into his veins, soon followed by an overwhelming surge of green light.
As the green energy surged through him, Thanos turned to the left and, to his astonishment, witnessed countless past versions of himself. He saw moments from just seconds before to the day he committed the unthinkable act of murdering his mother, extending back to his birth from a womb stained with violence.
His multicolored, glowing eyes shifted to the right, where he was stunned to behold infinite branching possibilities of his existence. In one vision, he sat alone on a shattered throne, gripping a deep red chain, a crown resting on his brow. In another, he was part of a ravenous hivemind, consumed by a collective consciousness.
A darker iteration of himself appeared infected by a virus that animated the dead, leading an army of undead horrors in their relentless hunger for the living.
Thanos meticulously examined the countless branching paths, driven by an unrelenting desire to find a version of himself standing victorious before Lady Death, accepted as her consort. Yet, despite navigating infinite timelines, he encountered only rejection, his aspirations shattered in every reality.
As the Time Stone pulsed with radiant energy, Thanos delved ever deeper into the cosmic web of possibilities. It was then that he discovered something truly extraordinary.
Before him stood an incarnation of himself, gargantuan and beyond comprehension, its form imbued with the essence of the universe itself. This colossal being turned to meet Thanos' gaze, its skeletal visage twisted into a chilling grin. The sight left Thanos momentarily stunned, causing him to cease channeling the stone's power, the Time Stone falling silent within the gauntlet.
The room was silent as they all waited for Thanos to speak.
Thanos' breathing grew heavier, reverberating through the chamber like the foreboding toll of a distant drum. With deliberate slowness, he rose from his throne, his gauntleted hand trailing along the armrest in a final, almost ceremonial gesture. His immense figure seemed to swell with each motion, exuding a chilling combination of confidence and menace. The corners of his mouth twisted into a broader, almost deranged grin, a grim prelude to the devastation to come.
In silence, he turned toward the expansive viewport. The pulsating purple sun loomed at the edge of the fleet, a seething furnace of energy consuming the void around it. Its violent waves of radiation clawed at the ships under his command, which trembled as if in submission to its overwhelming force. Yet, none of his soldiers dared avert their gaze from the ominous presence of their leader.
"Enough waiting," he said, his voice calm yet weighted with an unshakable authority. "I will finish this myself."
Disregarding all protocols and reason, Thanos moved past the paralyzed officers toward the airlock. No protective suit awaited him, for none was needed. His body, enhanced by decades of forbidden science, ancient rituals, and the relentless power of the Space Stone, was impervious to the vacuum of space, the crushing gravitational tides, and the blazing radiation of the purple star. A faint hum emanated from his biomechanical augmentations, while glowing veins of circuitry and eldritch energy coursed through his form, seamlessly merging flesh, metal, and arcane forces into something immeasurably beyond mortal comprehension.
With a single gesture, he unsealed the airlock. The vast expanse of space stretched before him, black and infinite, speckled with distant stars and the faint glimmers of energy emanating from his fleet. He stepped forward, allowing the void to engulf him. His body emitted a faint glow as the Space Stone encased him in a shimmering protective aura. He moved with predatory grace among the planets, gliding effortlessly past the delicate hulls of his fleet, impervious to the vacuum and cosmic debris.
The purple sun's pulsations quickened, as if reacting to the stones embedded in his gauntlet. A surge of raw cosmic energy cascaded toward him, seemingly a defensive response, but Thanos merely smiled. He raised his massive hand, the Time Stone radiating mystical light, and the wave of overwhelming energy froze mid-course before reversing direction.
Moreover, Thanos enveloped the entire purple sun in a radiant emerald glow, its surface convulsing violently as time began to rewind. In a spectacle that left the fleet in awe, the once-massive sun visibly contracted, its turbulent surface collapsing inward until it condensed into a single, luminous point that shimmered like an amethyst against the void of space.
Thanos' eyes burned with the violet fire of unbridled ambition as he drifted closer to the compressed core of the purple sun. Each movement, or rather, each glide through the void, was a demonstration of absolute mastery, his form a flawless fusion of biomechanical augmentation, mystical power, and the raw might of the Space Stone. The surrounding fleet watched in tense silence, their collective breath held as their master approached a force capable of obliterating even the most seasoned cosmic entities.
The compressed sun trembled under his gaze, its surface rippling like molten metal as if it recognized the singularity now bearing down upon it. Flare after flare erupted in defiance, but Thanos' grin only widened, reveling in the challenge. "You dare defy me?" he murmured, his voice resonating unnaturally across the void. "Foolish star."
With a measured, almost nonchalant motion, he extended both his gauntleted and bare hands, fingers curling as though plucking unseen threads, and began to squeeze.
RUMBLE....
Space convulsed with violent force, purple lightning surging from Thanos's outstretched hands. Yet he pressed on, exerting colossal force while the Time Stone continued its relentless work. With a thunderous crackle of rebellious purple energy, the tremors finally ceased.
Thanos opened his hands to reveal a radiant amethyst gem, pulsating with limitless, unrestrained power. Despite his enhancements and the protective ki barrier enveloping him, the stone's touch seared his flesh.
"MINE NOW!!!"
He carefully positioned the stone above an empty socket, and as he released it, it slotted into place with a resounding click.
WHOOSH!
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Thanos let loose a crazed scream of pain that grated on the ears, but it quickly transformed into maniacal laughter as he embraced the immeasurable energy now coursing through him.