章 92: Restart, Spider-Man! [92]
"We've been transported to the Chitauri's main base," he added.
Xia Luo glanced around at the approaching Chitauri soldiers, sighing in frustration.
"Well, this round is definitely busted."
"But if we could snag the real Tesseract, maybe we could still…"
Before he could finish, a massive figure strode out from among the Chitauri soldiers.
Clad in heavy armor and wielding a giant axe, Cull Obsidian bellowed, "Loki, what are you doing back here? Get back to Earth and carry out Lord Thanos's orders."
Upon seeing Cull Obsidian, Horned Loki's face darkened.
But he needed to use him right now, so, naturally, he couldn't afford to turn hostile.
"Friend, I was being chased by Earth's superheroes. They're persistent nuisances, hindering Lord Thanos's plans," he said, forcing a smile.
Cull Obsidian looked at Horned Loki with disdain. "What a troublesome guy. We've already dealt with your brother—isn't that enough?"
"This will be the last time," Horned Loki assured him.
"Hmph, it'd better be."
Cull Obsidian's gaze shifted, landing on Tuxedo Loki.
"You're not lying; you're not even related to them," he pointed at Tuxedo Loki. "This must be your twin brother. Or maybe he's the younger one?"
Horned Loki: "..."
Listening to their exchange, Tuxedo Loki frowned.
"So Thor was indeed sent here. He plans to use the same trick on us."
Xia Luo sized up Cull Obsidian, who was as large as the Hulk. "If it's just him, it might be doable…"
Before he could finish, the Chitauri army parted to reveal the rest of the Black Order, led by Ebony Maw, stepping into Xia Luo's line of sight.
Xia Luo: "..."
This round was well and truly busted.
But then, the unexpected happened.
"Cull Obsidian, Lord Thanos has ordered that Spider-Man is not to be treated roughly."
Ebony Maw spoke as he waved his hand gracefully, prompting the surrounding Chitauri soldiers to retreat like a tide.
Everyone froze, including the two Lokis and Cull Obsidian.
"Wait, Spider-Man is… that guy?" Horned Loki finally asked, staring at Xia Luo in confusion.
Ebony Maw shot him a dismissive look. "Of course. If you had a spider onesie, I could consider you a Spider-Man too."
"Really?"
Horned Loki blinked, and with a flash of green light, he conjured an identical Spider-Man suit over himself.
Ebony Maw: "..."
"You think that's funny?"
His eyes narrowed, causing nearby stones to lift in the air as a menacing chill spread, making Horned Loki shiver.
"I admit, I'm not funny," Horned Loki quickly dispelled the magic.
Tuxedo Loki leaned close to Xia Luo and whispered, "So your name's Spider-Man?"
"Didn't I introduce myself?" Xia Luo replied, puzzled.
"No, you only said your name was Xia Luo."
Cull Obsidian, meanwhile, scratched his chin and scrutinized the two of them, clearly baffled.
"Which one of these guys is the spider?" He knew nothing about Earth creatures.
"Idiot."
Ebony Maw cursed under his breath, then slowly approached Xia Luo.
"Honorable Spider-Man, you won't resist, will you?"
He bowed elegantly, but his tone was laced with menace.
Xia Luo raised his hands slowly, nodding. "Of course, I surrender."
Fighting would mean certain defeat.
But surrender only meant half-defeat.
So, technically, he wasn't really surrendering.
Tuxedo Loki raised his hands as well. "I surrender too. Could you put me in the same cell as Thor?"
"Certainly."
With a wave of his hand, Ebony Maw had Tuxedo Loki led away by soldiers.
On the other side of the barren planet, a massive spaceship slowly docked between the mountains.
As the hatch opened, Ebony Maw led Xia Luo through the winding corridors inside.
Soon, they reached the command center, where Xia Luo was met with a familiar purple figure.
Seated on his floating throne, Thanos rested his chin on his hand, a slight smile appearing as he saw Xia Luo.
"Spider-Man, it's been many years. How have you been?" He stood to greet Xia Luo.
"Thanos?"
Looking at the middle-aged Thanos before him, Xia Luo thought, I knew it.
No Thanos other than the one he knew would care about a spider.
"I just arrived. How did you know I was here?"
Xia Luo asked, jumping up onto Thanos's gilded throne with curiosity.
"This chair must've cost a fortune, huh?" he said, running his fingers along the unknown metal with envy.
"Spider-Man, you're overstepping."
Ebony Maw snapped, but Thanos raised a hand to stop him.
"Leave him be."
"What?"
Seeing the mighty Thanos showing such leniency stunned everyone present.
What happened next shocked them even more.
Thanos looked at Xia Luo and said, "If you like it, I could give it to you."
"What?"
Ebony Maw and the others were utterly dumbfounded.
Did they just hear that?
The great Thanos was planning to retire?
"Lord Thanos, we need you to lead us in conquering the universe."
"Yes, you can't just hand over your throne to some insect."
"We don't accept this!"
"Right, I demand a duel with this guy!"
The crowd's fervor rose, and even Thanos looked bewildered by their reactions.
"It's just a chair. I never intended to retire," he clarified.
Everyone: "..."
Alright, maybe they got a bit too excited.
Xia Luo watched quietly. "Let's get to the point."
"Very well."
Thanos pulled out a sacred relic from the Titans. "Ever since you appeared again, it has reacted. Your divine power helped me unlock the Exile Realm long ago—it remembers you."
Sitting cross-legged on the throne, Xia Luo's gaze fell on the scar on Thanos's face.
"It seems many years have passed."
"Yes, I can't recall how many," Thanos sighed slowly, his face marked by time's wear.
He turned and sat on the steps beside the throne. "The way you strange people left back then was unique. I have some idea where you all came from."
He turned his head toward Xia Luo. "And seeing you again, I'm even more certain. You haven't aged a bit—you're still just as young."
"Enough reminiscing. What's your plan now?" Xia Luo asked, though he already knew the answer.
Thanos chuckled. "I think you already understand my goal in gathering the Infinity Stones."
With a slight gesture, he summoned a virtual screen before them.
On it, Earth slowly rotated, and then a massive figure appeared, destroying it.
"Before long, a terrifying presence will hatch from within Earth. Its emergence will destroy the planet completely. I'm trying to help humanity by doing this."
"Maybe there's another way."
Xia Luo suggested, "With all six Infinity Stones, you could achieve any wish."
"But the Infinity Stones can't kill a Celestial."
---
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
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