บท 60: Mad Titan
The forge-world of Nidavellir was enormous, a floating foundry in the space. The big star shone inside at its center, giving power to the old machines of the dwarves. Tall buildings made of shiny metals with great detail carvings stood across the large ring-shaped world. The dwarves of Nidavellir had been producing powerful weapons for hundreds of thousands of years, like the famous Mjölnir and Gungnir.
The dwarves worked hard, their big hands moving with care as they shaped raw metal into strong and good weapons for their allies. Above them, the Asgardian guards stood at significant places, watchful, their golden armor shining in the bright light of the forge.
Now, though, tensions ran high. They heard about the Mad Titan on the move, so, they were extra vigilant.
Well, their fear has arrived...
A massive shadow fell over the star as the earth trembled beneath the dwarves' feet. From the darkness came big warships; their bodies dark, glowing with menace as they peered down into Nidavellir. The largest ship, a dreadnought shaped like a blade, loomed at the forefront, and aboard it stood the Mad Titan.
Thanos.
With the weight of his massive golden armor upon his back, he seemed strong and invincible. His cold calculated eyes swept across the forge-world as he beamed down. Following him was a massive entourage of his loyal Black Order and Chitauri warriors, gearing up to bring battle.
As Thanos walked forward and stopped before the gate. In the center of Nidavellir was the forge's master, Eitri, the King of the Dwarves. Eitri was very tall, even taller than his fellow dwarves, and he looked strong with powerful arms built from years of making things. Next to him, his warriors and the Asgardians that were there stood ready, with their weapons prepared.
Eitri's voice boomed loud and strong. "Thanos, this is no place for a Titan. Turn back, or face the consequences."
Thanos paused and a small, serious smile spread across his face. "Ah, Eitri," he said. "King of the forge. Creator of wonders. I come not as your enemy, but with an offer."
Eitri squinted. "We do not desire anything from you."
"You misunderstand me, I need your talent," Thanos said, his voice steady but full of power. "A tool—no, a vessel—to harness the full power of the Infinity Stones. A new Infinity gauntlet, made from the strongest metal in the universe. Make that for me, and I'll let you and your people live. A fair deal, I say."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the dwarves, but Eitri silenced them with a raised hand. He stared directly at Thanos, his jaw set. "We do not forge for tyrants. You'll find no ally here."
Thanos gazed angrily. "I wished you would understand," he said. "But if you will not make the gauntlet on your own, then I will take it from you by force."
Eitri stepped forward and set his great hammer on the ground with a crash. "Dare threaten Nidavellir? We are not so easily conquered, Titan."
Thanos didn't say anything; he just raised his hand. In a single movement, the sky was filled with chaos.
The Chitauri descended like a plague, their grotesque forms raining down from ships that blackened the sky. Screeching war beasts and hovering craft swarmed the massive foundry, their energy weapons firing indiscriminately.
The Asgardian guards immediately sprang into action. Shouts of commands rang out as golden shields rose to form an impenetrable phalanx. With spears glowing with celestial energy, they unleashed a volley of blasts, cutting through the first wave of Chitauri. Dwarven cannons, embedded in the forge's walls, roared to life, spitting molten projectiles that vaporized enemy ships in mid-air.
Eitri himself led the charge, swinging a massive war hammer forged from uru metal. With each strike, he crushed enemies beneath him, their bodies crumpling like brittle glass. His warriors fought valiantly, their axes and maces tearing through the Chitauri ranks with unrelenting fury.
But Thanos was not idle.
Thanos strode through the chaos. Energy blasts ricocheted off his armor as though they were mere sparks. A group of Asgardian warriors charged him, armed with an arsenal glowing from enchantments. Thanos sent them flying with a single sweep of his massive arm, causing the armor to crumple under sheer strength.
The Black Order—Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, Cull Obsidian, and Corvus Glaive—entered the fray, all individually causing mayhem. Ebony Maw floated enormous chunks of machinery down at the dwarven defenses with his telekinesis. Proxima Midnight fought through the battlefield with her spear, slicing through Asgardians and dwarves alike. Cull Obsidian smashed through fortified walls with brutish force, and Corvus Glaive sliced everything on the way.
Among the disarray, Thanos came upon the central forge. There Nidavellir's molten heart pulsed with a blinding light, and in the way of Eitri stood a hammer crackling with raw power.
"You will not desecrate this forge, Titan!" Eitri roared.
Thanos stopped, his expression unreadable. "And who will stop me? You?"
Thanos lunged at Eitri, his fist right above the dwarf's face. Eitri's hammer met Thanos' gauntlets in a shower of sparks, but the Mad Titan's strength was overwhelming. He caught Eitri's next strike with one hand and drove a brutal punch into the dwarf king's chest, sending him sprawling.
Though Eitri was down, the dwarves fought on with unrelenting fury. Massive automaton constructs, built to defend the forge, came to life. These towering machines, forged from uru and powered by the star itself, tore through the Chitauri ranks with mechanical precision. Their massive fists crushed ships, and beams of energy shot from their cores, incinerating entire squads.
But even they were no match for Thanos.
The Mad Titan grabbed one automaton by its arm and slammed it on the ground before stomping on its head with his giant feet, crushing it almost instantly. Then he tore apart its arm with a sickening crunch and used it to batter another machine into a heap of metal. His sheer power was unstoppable. It didn't take long for him to rip apart those machines.
Eitri struggled to his feet, bloodied but unbowed. He raised his hammer once more, but Thanos seized it mid-swing, shattering it in his grip.
"Enough," Thanos growled, his voice a low rumble. "You have courage, Eitri, but courage will not save you."
One by one, the defenses of Nidavellir crumbled. The Asgardians fought to the last man, their golden armor now scorched and broken. The dwarves, too, refused to yield, their weapons clashing against the unrelenting tide of Thanos' forces. But the outcome was inevitable.
As the final automaton fell, Thanos stood amidst the wreckage, unscathed and triumphant. The survivors were at his mercy. He turned to Eitri, who lay battered but alive at the base of the forge.
"You will forge the gauntlet," Thanos commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Or I will wipe out every last dwarf and scatter the ashes of your precious forge across the stars."
Eitri's gaze burned with hatred, but he knew resistance was futile. Slowly, he nodded, his voice a bitter growl. "I'll make your cursed gauntlet. But know this, you will never win."
Thanos smirked, the faintest glimmer of satisfaction in his cold eyes. "Victory is inevitable. I will burn this universe and offer every single soul to my Mistress. Only then will I receive her love and be worthy enough for her."
And as the flames of Nidavellir dimmed under the shadow of the Mad Titan, a new weapon was born—a weapon destined to reshape the cosmos. The Infinity Gauntlet.
...
[Knowhere]
The Collector's grandiose archive on Knowhere stood as a monument to his obsession with all things rare and powerful. This massive, hollowed-out head of a celestial had become the universe's most infamous repository of treasures and curiosities. Its dim corridors, lined with unbreakable display cases, held a somber stillness—until such silence was shattered by anguished screams.
Taneleer Tivan, the Collector himself was bound to a chair made of shining alien metal. Ornate robes were torn and smeared with blood. His normally arrogant and flamboyant figure was now quivering in pain etched all over his face. Opposite him, Gamora stood still with an icy expression as her blade pressed into his throat.
"Where is it?" Gamora asked, her voice calm yet laced with menace.
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AN: 1 more chapter before this vol ends.
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