join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories
Only magic can defeat magic!
In other words, only a Stone holder can defeat a Stone holder!
The power gap between Kevin and Thanos is irrelevant for now; with the power stone, Thanos is definitely an opponent Kevin cannot handle.
Going to challenge Thanos without any preparation isn't bravery; it's foolishness.
Fortunately, Kevin is still with The Collector, and The Collector still has a Reality Stone.
So Kevin might as well borrow The Collector's Reality Stone and use Reality to counter Power, which might allow him to defeat Thanos, who holds the power stone.
This was Kevin's plan.
But after hearing Kevin's request, The Collector laughed aloud:
"Hehe… How interesting. You mean you want to take the Reality Stone from me without paying anything? A freebie?"
"I said I'm borrowing it, and I didn't say I wouldn't return it. Besides using the Reality Stone to deal with Thanos, do you think there's any other way to stop him?"
Kevin wasn't in a hurry.
Without the Reality Stone, going there would just be a waste of time. Even if he hurried, it wouldn't help. He could only ask the Guardians of the Galaxy and Xandar to wait for him a little longer.
"Then how can I trust that you'll return the Stone safely after borrowing it? You're a wanted criminal."
The Collector was very distrustful of Kevin.
He didn't know Kevin, and had never heard of him before. The only information he could find was about Kevin smuggling into Xandar, being arrested and jailed, and then escaping.
Now Kevin, like the other Guardians of the Galaxy members, is a wanted criminal of the Nova Corps.
An unknown person, an escaped fugitive, such a person wants to borrow one of The Collector's most precious treasures.
It would be strange if The Collector trusted him.
"Because I don't want to offend you, and I don't want to offend Asgard," Kevin replied, having prepared for this:
"The Reality Stone's predecessor was the aether. This was sent to you by the Asgardians for safekeeping. If the Reality Stone cannot be returned smoothly, the first ones to be restless will be the Asgardians.
"And I'm going to the Nine Realms, which are governed by the Asgardians, later. With this identity, I can't go there."
Actually, Kevin had no other choice.
As for ways to stop Thanos, Kevin, who understood the movie world, could think of a ton with a little thought.
Such as contacting the Avengers, finding Ancient One, finding Odin, or finding the people of Wakanda.
Worst case scenario, he could contact Nick Fury, that bald head, and have him contact Captain Marvel.
Kevin guaranteed that no matter how powerful Thanos was with the power stone, Captain Marvel should be able to stop him.
If that still didn't work, he could find Thor. Captain Marvel and Thor, working together, should be able to save Xandar.
But the problem was, whether it was finding Captain Marvel or finding the Avengers, Kevin had to go to Earth first.
Earth is not close to here. If Kevin went to Earth to find help and then returned to help Xandar, it would probably be just as Rocket said: he'd only be able to collect their corpses.
The fastest way to achieve this right now is to ask The Collector for the Reality Stone.
Any other method would be too late.
"You even know that."
Hearing Kevin mention Asgard and aether, The Collector finally showed a surprised expression.
These things should be considered secrets even in Asgard.
Many Asgardians don't even know that the aether is the Reality Stone.
But Kevin, right in front of him, said these things as if he knew everything, as if nothing could be hidden from his eyes.
Kevin's smile remained:
"I told you, I know quite a lot."
…
The Collector fell silent, looking at Kevin for a moment, as if seriously considering the matter.
After a long time, The Collector suddenly stood up and said to Kevin:
…Come with me.
The Collector's action represented his decision at this moment.
He seemed to have thought it through and decided to lend the Stone to Kevin, which made Kevin breathe a sigh of relief.
At The Collector's place, the Reality Stone's storage method was different from his other collectibles.
Because this is one of the six most precious original stones in the universe, it certainly cannot be treated like ordinary collectibles.
Storing it in the deepest part of the collection room, carefully preserved, so that no one has the opportunity to obtain it, is the correct way to collect it.
And where The Collector was taking Kevin now was his most core collection room.
Even the previous explosion didn't affect this place.
Bringing Kevin here, The Collector told him to wait behind him.
A moment later, The Collector gently waved his hand upwards, and the surrounding machines sensed The Collector's movement and began to operate.
Gears turned, and various collectibles flashed past The Collector and Kevin, categorized. Not long after, a rectangular box stopped in front of the two of them and was transported by the machine to their side.
That rectangular box was made of Uru metal, golden on the surface and black inside.
In the middle of the black, there was a red glowing pattern.
This was precisely the container storing the aether. The slender, red-glowing pattern in the middle of the black was the aether itself.
Which is the Reality Stone.
The Collector's movements were gentle, holding it in his hand like a treasure, and then turning to place it in front of Kevin.
"This is the Reality Stone."
"It's still the aether…"
Kevin frowned at the box in front of him.
Before the Reality Stone came into contact with the Infinity Gauntlet, it always appeared as the 'aether' to the outside world.
If a user wanted to use its power, they needed to merge the aether with themselves.
And this method would cause damage to the body.
Kevin's current physique probably couldn't compare to that of an Asgardian god. He wasn't sure if absorbing the aether would harm him.
Moreover, even if there was no harm, if Kevin absorbed the aether, he wouldn't be able to take it out.
How would he return it then?
"Hahahaha, I thought you really knew everything."
The Collector laughed when he saw Kevin's troubled expression.
Kevin's expression remained unchanged:
"I know it turns into a Stone when it touches the Infinity Gauntlet, but I don't know what to do before that."
"Hmm, let's not talk about what this 'Infinity Gauntlet' you mentioned is, but since you know the Infinity Gauntlet can do such a thing, then you should know what the Infinity Gauntlet is made of."
…Uru metal?
Kevin's expression shifted slightly.
The Collector nodded:
"That's right, that's it."
The Infinity Gauntlet was made of Uru metal, an alloy controlled by the Dwarves. This alloy is extremely powerful. Thor's Mjolnir and Stormbreaker are both made of Uru metal.
The Infinity Gauntlet is too.
If it's Uru metal, perhaps it can make the aether take shape.
Kevin was guessing, and The Collector took out something else and placed it in front of Kevin:
"After I got the aether, I kept thinking about how to make it appear in its most perfect form to the outside world. Then I thought of the Asgardian gods.
"The raw materials for the weapons of the gods in their race all come from the strongest metals within their respective races. So I spent some time collecting scraps of these metals and, using a little special method, crafted this little thing."
The Collector said, placing the item he took out on the table, next to the aether.
Kevin looked over. It was a dark gold ring made of Uru metal.
The ring was circular overall, with the space where a gem should have been empty, giving it a somewhat unappealing look.
Kevin reached out to touch the ring, but The Collector slapped his hand away:
"Don't touch it yet. First, let me confirm again, you're sure you'll return it, right?"
"I said I'll definitely return it, otherwise you won't let me go, and the Asgardian gods who are constantly watching this place won't let me go either."
Kevin knew very well that in Asgard, Heimdall, the guardian of the palace who could see every corner of the universe, was definitely watching this side.
If Kevin didn't return the Reality Stone, he would definitely report it to Odin.
At that time, Kevin would have to face the Avengers, led by Thor.
Although Kevin wasn't sure if the palace, now controlled by Loki, would care about this matter…
But in any case, the Reality Stone really wasn't of much use to Kevin. What use would Kevin have for the Reality Stone, which could only be used as a paperweight once he left the Marvel Universe?
This thing is sold by the 'pile' at the Time Variance Authority!
Kevin looked directly at The Collector, letting him see the sincerity in his eyes.
The Collector quickly averted his gaze and looked back at the items on the table.
He no longer pressed Kevin about whether he would return the Stone, but instead picked up the box containing the aether, and at the same time said to Kevin:
"Put the ring on your dominant hand."
Kevin immediately picked up the Uru metal ring and placed it on his right index finger.
The Collector then said:
"Point the empty space for the Stone towards me."
Kevin did as told, clenching his right fist and pointing the empty space in the middle of the Stone towards The Collector.
After doing all this, The Collector made a final confirmation:
"Are you ready?"
"Of course."
As soon as Kevin finished speaking, The Collector's hand, gripping the aether storage device, suddenly distorted and pulled it apart.
The box was forcefully opened by The Collector, and the aether contained within floated out in particle form.
But as soon as it floated into the air, the ring in Kevin's hand emitted a red light.
The light created an attraction for the aether, and the floating particles began to gather on Kevin's ring.
At first, the particles formed quickly, but gradually they became faster and faster.
A strong wind blew, and red light once again filled The Collector's room. Kevin felt his hand vibrating. Even with his current physique, he felt he couldn't control the ring in his hand.
After an unknown amount of time, the strong wind finally subsided, and the ring on Kevin's hand stopped vibrating.
When everything returned to calm, the aether that had been stored in the box had disappeared.
In its place, on the ring in Kevin's hand, was a beautiful, entirely crimson, dazzling and dreamlike gem.
This was the Reality Stone.
It was now temporarily owned by Kevin.
…I feel like I can go to the DC Universe to cosplay as a Lantern.
Looking at the Reality Stone in his hand, Kevin murmured softly to himself.
The Collector didn't care what Kevin said. He put down the box that had contained the aether, his expression agitated as he stared at the Reality Stone on Kevin's ring.
His hands trembled, looking as if he couldn't wait to snatch the Stone, and he said excitedly:
"Too—beautiful! This is what I wanted to see! This is it!!"
Uh… The Collector?
"Quick! Go do what you need to do! And then return the Stone to me! I can't wait to play with it!"
The Collector's appearance was just like a pervert seeing a beautiful woman in some small movies, which gave Kevin goosebumps all over.
Although he had long known that The Collector was overly obsessed and passionate about his collections, to be 'passionate' to this extent still surprised Kevin somewhat.
To prevent The Collector from actually snatching the Stone back, Kevin, after obtaining the Stone, left The Collector's collection room without hesitation.
With the Reality Stone in hand, Kevin now had the confidence to deal with Thanos.
So now, what he needed to do was first find a spaceship to Xandar.
And find a pilot along the way.
Kevin couldn't fly a spaceship.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence: 9 Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories