Chapter 275: General Corvus Glaive and the Mind-Reading Supergiant
"The Tesseract is in Ethan Cross's hands," Loki said, doing his best to sound properly deferential — in front of Thanos, playing the humble grandson was simply the price of admission — though a flicker of resentment, faint but unmistakable, still lurked behind his eyes.
Thanos said nothing at first, only regarded Loki with that same unshaken calm — a calm that made Loki's skin crawl the longer it stretched on.
Even after hearing the news, Thanos's expression remained still as water, as though it hadn't stirred anything in him at all.
He simply watched Loki, those deep-set eyes seeming to see straight through every lie, every mask a man might wear.
Loki felt himself go cold under that stare, as if his every private scheme had already been laid bare.
Ebony Maw was the first to press the attack, his hypnotic voice rolling out across the cavernous hall. "If you already knew where the Tesseract was, why not simply kill this Ethan Cross and take it from him yourself? Why come back empty-handed instead?"
"Couldn't take it back — or wouldn't?" Ebony Maw demanded, fixing Loki with a pointed look. As far as he was concerned, there was no way some nobody from Midgard could possibly stand toe-to-toe with Loki — this "Ethan Cross" business reeked of nothing more than a convenient excuse.
Loki, surely, had some private angle of his own for not simply bringing the Stone straight back.
The moment Ebony Maw finished speaking, the rest of the Black Order turned equally unfriendly looks on Loki, their eyes thick with suspicion and open hostility.
Loki knew this had turned dangerous fast. He hurried to look to Thanos instead, hoping for some shelter under the Titan's gaze.
Damn it, Loki cursed silently. Of course these people wouldn't be so easy to fool.
Thanos kept his same placid expression fixed on Loki, as though none of this came as any surprise to him at all. He offered no immediate judgment, only waited quietly for Loki's explanation.
Whatever private schemes Loki might genuinely have been nursing, the truth was simpler and far less flattering: he was no match for Ethan Cross. If he had been able to beat the man, he'd have taken the Space Stone and vanished into the void the moment he won it — he certainly wouldn't have bothered coming back to report to Thanos at all.
He hurried to explain. "This Ethan Cross is the single strongest being on all of Midgard. I won't lie to you — I fought the man myself, back on Asgard, and even with my brother Thor fighting alongside me, the two of us together were no match for him."
"Even my father, Odin himself, spoke highly of Ethan Cross's strength — said the man's power was scarcely beneath his own."
"That is why I came back to report rather than act rashly. My loyalty to Lord Thanos is absolute, unwavering — I hope my honesty here speaks for itself."
Even as he spoke, Loki knew he was inflating Ethan's strength well past what he actually believed. It sat badly with him, but he understood it was the only card left to play — if he didn't talk Ethan up, these people would simply assume he hadn't tried hard enough.
His explanation satisfied no one. Cull Obsidian, in particular, didn't believe a word of it.
"What a joke!" Cull Obsidian's voice boomed through the hall like thunder. "Some ordinary man from Midgard — how strong could he possibly be? Loki, is this an excuse you've cooked up, or do you simply have no intention of doing the job at all?" Every word dripped with scorn and contempt, and Loki felt his temper flare in response.
Loki glared daggers at Cull Obsidian, fury building in his chest.
Cull Obsidian turned to address Thanos directly. "Your Majesty, this boy is lying to you. It's an insult to your authority. Allow me to simply kill him where he stands."
This blasted fool, Loki thought venomously, glaring at Cull Obsidian. Loki knew perfectly well that Cull Obsidian was, by any measure, the weakest of the five members of the Black Order — and yet here the brute was, needling him again and again for no reason Loki could even place.
Cull Obsidian was also, conveniently, the one member of the Black Order Loki actually felt confident he could replace given the chance. The man was all brawn — an enormous body, tremendous strength, and precious little upstairs to go with it.
What confused Loki further was the rumor that Cull Obsidian had only pledged loyalty to Thanos in the first place to preserve his own dying race — so why the theatrical display of devotion now?
Is this idiot trying to prove his loyalty to Thanos by tearing me down?
Loki hurried to look back to Thanos — only to find the Titan regarding him now with a flicker of genuine interest.
Thanos spoke at last, curiosity coloring his voice. "Ethan Cross. Interesting, that even that arrogant old fool Odin would praise him. Sounds like the man might actually have something to him."
"Still — that's enough for now. Cull Obsidian, stand down."
Clearly, Loki's words had piqued something in Thanos — though only barely.
Thanos's attention shifted again, still plainly unconvinced either way, and he turned toward a figure standing off to one side — an alien clad in a white hooded cloak. "Is this one telling the truth, Supergiant?"
Only then did Loki realize Thanos was asking Supergiant to verify his story. He followed Thanos's gaze and found her standing there in silence, still as a statue.
But Loki knew better. He knew this woman possessed a powerful telepathic gift, capable of reaching into another's mind with ease.
I nearly forgot about her entirely, Loki thought, relief washing over him that he hadn't actually lied — mixed in equal measure with fresh wariness toward Supergiant.
He watched the mysterious woman carefully now, terrified that even the faintest flicker of emotion might draw her attention.
At Thanos's question, Supergiant bowed her head respectfully. "Your Majesty. Loki speaks the truth. In her own memory, she did lose to Ethan Cross."
"And I can also sense that this Ethan Cross, this man from Midgard, genuinely does hold the power of the Space Stone."
Loki's heart dropped the instant he heard her words.
Only then did he understand — his own memories had already been thoroughly picked through by Supergiant. A flash of panic crossed his face before he managed to smooth it over.
Fury boiled inside him, but he didn't dare let it show, terrified that even his own thoughts might be read.
Supergiant seemed to sense exactly what was going through his mind. "Relax, Loki," she said mildly. "I don't make a habit of reading minds or memories on a whim. That would make life terribly dull. I only did it this once to confirm the truth of what you said."
Loki felt a measure of relief at her words, though he still didn't dare let his guard down for even a moment. There was no room left for any private scheming now.
Hearing Supergiant's answer, Thanos closed his eyes and said nothing, his fingers tapping idly against the arm of his throne.
With Thanos still withholding judgment, one of the Black Order stepped forward — a figure bearing a scythe.
Loki recognized him at once: General Corvus Glaive, who had stayed silent until now — leader of the Black Order, second in standing only to Thanos himself.
Corvus Glaive had earned his place at Thanos's side through mastery of both combat and strategy, and served as the primary commander of the fleet.
What troubled Loki most of all was the general's scythe — rumor held that so long as the weapon remained unbroken, Corvus Glaive himself could never truly be killed, endlessly resurrecting.
Corvus Glaive stepped forward and addressed Thanos with careful respect.
"Your Majesty. Send me. I will bring you Ethan Cross's head and the Space Stone both."
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