Recently.
Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight, whom Aron had banished from his universe, surrounded by white light, crashed into the vast space of the DC-EU universe.
It must be admitted, Aron's precision in directed transfer was astonishing. The coordinates were almost perfect.
Not far from where they appeared, a dilapidated spaceship floated. On it, Thanos.
Although he could barely stand, the Titan still noticed the white flash nearby and soon recognized his two right-hand followers.
Once a mighty commander of a galactic army, he now looked like a refugee.
His armor was torn, his face full of bruises and wounds, and one eye almost blinded.
It was a sight few would associate with the former ruler of the universe.
"Thanos… how did you…?" Corvus Glaive paused, shocked at his condition.
Thanos merely coughed shortly and avoided answering.
He did not want to speak of what had happened on this version of Earth.
Too humiliating for someone like him.
In short, after barely surviving the battle, he managed to escape from the planet.
Luckily for him, a man named Clark did not consider him a threat worth pursuing.
He left the Solar System, intercepted an abandoned ship, and began an endless wandering through this foreign universe.
"How did you two end up here?" Thanos asked, his tone still holding a trace of authority.
"Is there a rift in space nearby? Show me where!"
Thanos grew agitated, his voice suddenly impatient.
He had already tried countless ways to escape the DC universe, but nothing had worked.
Now, the appearance of his generals rekindled hope, perhaps there was a way back.
"Great Thanos, the thing is…" began Corvus Glaive, but his voice trembled.
Proxima Midnight, instead of him, decided to speak up.
Calmly, though with a hint of shame, she recounted everything that had happened, the failed invasion of Earth, the defeat of the Black Order, the destruction of the fleet, and even the disappearance of the Sanctuary II.
"What!?" Thanos's voice echoed through the metallic corridor of the ship.
His purple face twisted in rage and disbelief.
"I'm absent for a short time… and everything falls apart?"
His hands trembled, and his eyes gleamed with a cold light.
"The entire fleet, destroyed? Sanctuary II… gone?"
"At least some of you preserved the gems, right?"
At that question, silence.
Corvus Glaive lowered his gaze, and the answer was obvious without words.
Thanos took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"So… everything is lost."
He looked at them from beneath his brow, then slowly spoke:
"So, you were sent by him, by that man named Aron, weren't you?"
In his voice one could sense a mixture of anger and curiosity.
The name that echoed in his mind was unfamiliar, but at the same time… intriguing.
"You said Aron banished you. If he can send you here…"
"…then that means he has the power to send us back."
His footsteps echoed on the metal floor as he approached Corvus and Proxima.
"What did he say before sending you?"
But soon came bad news.
"He didn't say anything."
"And why would he even want us back? Isn't this just some pocket dimension? We'll make a teleportation device and return on our own, right?"
Corvus Glaive still didn't understand that they had ended up in a universe with completely different laws of reality. In his mind, this could at most be a pocket dimension of some powerful being, perhaps a demonic lord from higher realms. Everything still fit within the logic of the Marvel world.
If they could come, they could also leave.
"Hm…"
Hearing his naive words, Thanos merely smirked.
"It seems there's no way back," he said in a deep voice. "But fortunately, with my strength and your loyalty… we can rebuild the empire. My name, Thanos, will rise again, even in this unknown world."
In his eyes flickered the familiar flame of conquest. If there was no way back, he would conquer this universe.
Earth.
Superman.
Batman.
Wonder Woman.
Flash...
All of them would kneel before him.
"There's a planet ahead!" shouted Corvus Glaive.
Thanos looked through the window of the worn spaceship and saw a red planet in the distance.
Its surface gleamed like molten metal, with volcanic pillars of flame bursting from the depths. Yet, among all that, he saw strange structures, buildings made of pure metal and energy.
"That's no ordinary lava planet," murmured Thanos. "Intelligent, highly technological life exists here…"
He nodded in satisfaction.
"Very well. Our new campaign begins here! Follow me, together we shall rebuild the glory of Titan's army!"
He waved his hand, and the ship turned toward the planet.
And then, the end.
The planet Thanos chose for his new beginning was Apokolips.
The world of darkness.
Home of the most powerful tyrant in the DC universe, Darkseid.
---
In the Marvel universe, in dimension 19999-FL, Aron had just heard the name of that planet.
Three words, "Apokolips planet," were enough to make cold sweat run down his back.
The Ancient One, standing beside him, immediately noticed his expression.
"You know which world Thanos went to?" she asked cautiously.
"Unfortunately, I know all too well."
Aron slowly raised his hand, and from the ground emerged tendrils of pure energy. They seized the lifeless body of Proxima Midnight and began emitting the light of destruction. In an instant, everything vanished, no smoke, no trace. Perfectly clean annihilation.
"He went to the DC universe."
"DC?" The Ancient One blinked and vanished for a moment. When she reappeared, she held several old comics in her hands.
"You mean… this DC?" she said and placed the pile on the table. Thick books titled Justice League Vol.1, Vol.2, Vol.3 covered the wooden surface.
Aron just stared at them for several seconds, completely expressionless.
"Ancient One… you still read comics?"
"Of course," she said calmly. "They're confiscated items. Some of my students hid them between the pages of magic books. When I caught them, I confiscated everything, both the comics and the game consoles."
She pulled out another pile, small retro consoles, recognizable by their red-and-white color.
"See? I keep them for sentimental reasons."
Aron slowly stepped back, looking at the pile of comics and old game consoles.
"So, you really are that kind of person."