"Nickel, listen to me. You are now a true warrior, so you must understand that the future of our planet rests on your shoulders."
"You are the most talented warrior our race has ever produced. As long as you are alive, we have hope for revenge against Thanos and those damned Chitauri."
The universe, the Centaurus Galaxy, Centauri Prime, surrounded by Thanos's army.
In the royal palace. The King of the Centaurian race solemnly raised the scepter, the symbol of his royal authority, and handed it to the young man kneeling before him.
"Thanos's army hasn't fully assembled yet. This is our only chance. In thirty minutes, our army will launch our third and final offensive against Thanos's forces."
"We will do our best to create chaos, Nickel. That will be your opportunity. You must lead the young people of our Centaurian race to escape from the chaos."
"So Nickel, from this moment on, you are the new King of the Centaurian race."
The brown scepter shone with the light of hope in the opulent hall. The cornered Centaurian race had no choice but to make a drastic move to preserve the last spark of hope for their species.
The clatter of hooves against the ground echoed. The young man, kneeling on one knee, was in tears but did not reach out to take the king's scepter.
"Your Majesty..."
Looking up, Nickel gazed at the King, who maintained the Centaurian race's strongest combat stance – half-man, half-horse. A wave of grief welled up in his heart, causing him to open his mouth but unable to utter a complete sentence.
"Child, this may be cruel, but this is war."
"Once war begins, there is only victory or defeat. Unfortunately, this time, we are the ones who have failed."
"So, go and prepare. Prepare to forge your own future."
Sticking the scepter directly into the palace floor, the Centaurian King turned and left without a backward glance. His galloping hooves, carrying an aura of facing death with resolve, disappeared into the magnificent hall.
...
Outside the Centaurian planet, within the Dark Order's flagship. Thanos, clad in golden armor, sat on his throne, looking down at the purple-skinned Centaurian before him. His expression was neither happy nor sad, making the Centaurian spy who had come to report feel uneasy.
He didn't know if he had done or said something wrong, which was why Thanos remained silent for so long.
Therefore, he cast a pleading glance at Ebony Maw, who was seated below Thanos. It was Ebony Maw who had secretly facilitated his contact with Thanos.
Ebony Maw shook his head, signaling him not to worry. Thanos always kept his word. If he said he would spare your family, he would absolutely not harm them in any way.
"Nickel, I think I've heard that name. The most talented warrior in your Centaurian race's history, right?"
The silence was finally broken by Thanos himself. He did indeed have some impression of this young man named Nickel, as the Centaurus Galaxy was now his territory.
"Yes."
"I can grant your request. You may leave now. Have your family go to the agreed-upon location, and Ebony Maw will send people to escort you and your family to an absolutely safe galaxy."
"...Thank you! Thank you!"
The happiness came so suddenly that the Centaurian spy could only express his gratitude and nothing else.
He had never been a proponent of war from the beginning. When the Centaurian King was incited by the Chitauri, he had voiced his opposition.
In his opinion, the Centaurian race was no longer the formidable power that once ruled the entire Centaurus Galaxy. Thanos's strength was something the weak Centaurian race could not possibly resist.
Unfortunately, the Centaurian King, swayed by the sweet talk of the current Chitauri leader, had been blinded by the promise of regaining past glory and refused to listen to any advice. He had even stripped him of his political rights for life and branded him a sinner hindering the development of Centauri Prime, which then gave Ebony Maw an opportunity.
At first, he was unwilling. But after the army led by the Centaurian King and the Chitauri forces acting as reinforcements were utterly defeated by Thanos's Dark Order on the cosmic battlefield, the disheartened spy immediately agreed to become an inside informant for Thanos's army, helping to disable Centauri Prime's planetary defense system. The condition was that Thanos must guarantee his and his family's safe evacuation from Centauri Prime.
While dealing with a tiger was dangerous, it was clearly better than being completely reduced to cosmic dust.
"Lord Thanos, what about that Nickel? Shall we...?"
After seeing off the grateful spy, Ebony Maw turned his gaze back to Thanos on the throne.
According to the spy, this most talented young man of Centauri Prime should have already obtained the scepter, which could greatly enhance his power. Coupled with the Centaurian race's unique formation secret arts, if ordinary people were sent to intercept him, there was a real possibility of an unexpected setback.
"Beckett will resolve this trouble for me." Mentioning his most satisfactory adopted son, a lingering smile appeared in Thanos's eyes.
Upon hearing the name, Ebony Maw couldn't help but shiver. He bowed to Thanos and silently returned to his position, saying no more.
Thirteen years had passed, and the seven-year-old child was now a renowned god of slaughter within Thanos's army. He had been brought up by Thanos from the age of ten, fighting alongside him in countless campaigns. At seventeen, he left Thanos's side to lead his own team, responsible for the assassination plans assigned by Thanos.
In his three years of service, he had never lost a battle.
This was an achievement that commanded respect.
In the database compiled by Ebony Maw, among the younger generation, only the Asgardian Princess, who had left Odin to lead her own forces and made a name for herself in cosmic warfare, and Hela, who had awakened the divinity of death, could compare to him.
Due to his constant collection of intelligence on various forces in the universe, Ebony Maw had developed a slight curiosity about Beckett and Hela, two young individuals who had never lost a battle since entering service.
He was curious as to who among these two would be the first to have their undefeated streak broken.
In Ebony Maw's mind, the most ideal scenario was undoubtedly Hela falling before Beckett, though this was unlikely to happen for a very long time to come.
This universe was vast. Due to their different operational scopes, the Asgardians, busy conquering the Nine Realms under Odin's leadership, had no overlap with Thanos's Dark Order.
Thanos's domain, the Dark Citadel.
The long-dormant nutrient pod door opened, and a dripping wet man emerged. His muscular body was accompanied by a striking red tail.
"Did you absorb for forty-five days this time?"
Looking at the number displayed on the nutrient pod's indicator, the man wiped himself dry and put on the black combat suit that had been prepared for him.
"Your Highness Beckett, Lord Thanos has issued a new mission for you."
The blue tanuki robot, which was once as tall as the seven-year-old Beckett, now only reached Beckett's knees.
"A new mission?" Beckett, having changed his clothes, glanced at Woz the robotic cat, who was scratching the back of his head with a small, chubby hand, and reached out to pat the top of his head.
After verification, two beams of light shot out from Woz the robotic cat's eyes, which had stopped moving, and formed a light screen in front of Beckett.
"Eliminate the traitor Nickel from Centauri Prime and his accomplices." After reading the message sent by Thanos, Beckett swiped his right hand, and the light screen instantly disappeared. Woz the robotic cat also returned to normal.
"Those idiots from Centauri Prime, do they really think they can challenge Father's position with the Chitauri's help?"
Beckett, who understood the whole story, had disdain in the corner of his eyes.
Moreover, after this internal conflict, based on Beckett's understanding of his adoptive father, Thanos, he would likely deal with the Chitauri as well.
As far as Beckett knew, Thanos had been planning to eliminate the current Chitauri leader and install a new leader under his control for a long time.
"Woz, set the coordinates."
"Understood, Your Highness Beckett."
Beckett's warship set sail in Thanos's domain, propelled by energy, heading straight for the coordinates provided in Thanos's message.
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