The great army was pressing in.
Not long after Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight led their First Legion to Chitauri Prime, Thanos, the true mastermind of the Dark Order, the last Titan in the universe, known for his atrocities, arrived on Chitauri Prime with his capable subordinate, Ebony Maw.
Beckett, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight, three supreme generals under Thanos, stood on one side of the open space, respectfully awaiting the arrival of their adoptive father.
"You haven't disappointed me, Beckett." Thanos, clad in golden armor, descended from his flagship. His gaze swept over the respectfully bowing Chitauri soldiers, fully affirming Beckett's performance.
"And you two, your coordination with Beckett was perfect." After praising Beckett, Thanos turned his attention to Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight.
"This is what we should do." Corvus Glaive, sheathing his weapon, bowed slightly. In front of Thanos, the leader of the First Legion of the Dark Order maintained the same humble posture as he had when he first started out.
"Let's go, let's take a look inside."
Having taken everything in, Thanos saw the Chitauri who had defected to him behind Beckett. However, Thanos did not question this Chitauri named The Other.
The clatter of combat boots on the ground echoed as Thanos, in his golden armor, disappeared into the depths of the Chitauri warship command hall, surrounded by his entourage.
Beckett had personally destroyed the royal palace where the Chitauri King resided. The warship command center, second only in scale to the royal palace, became The Other's first choice for hosting Thanos.
Compared to the spacious royal palace, the interior of the warship command center was crammed with various technological equipment.
"Please, take a seat, Lord Thanos." The very sensible The Other bowed respectfully, revealing the throne hidden behind him to Thanos.
This was the exclusive seat of the Chitauri King, and now The Other had unhesitatingly offered it to Beckett, to Thanos.
In his eyes, it didn't matter who sat on it, father or son; he and his people would bask in the glory of the Titans. And according to The Other's speculation, the one most likely to ascend to that position was not Thanos, but Beckett.
Thanos had his own business and his own bases, and couldn't stay on Chitauri Prime for long. But Beckett was different; ever since he left Thanos to carry out missions independently, he had always been a lone wolf.
And indeed, things unfolded as he expected.
Upon ascending the throne, the first thing Thanos did was beckon his son Beckett, having him walk up the steps to the throne and publicly announce that the Chitauri legions would be incorporated under Beckett's command from that day forward.
Beckett, who had been a solitary figure, instantly became the most well-equipped individual in the Dark Order's hierarchy with Thanos's command. Although the combat effectiveness of the Chitauri was not particularly high, their fearlessness in the face of death was enough to cause headaches for most planets in the universe.
The Other, having bet correctly, was also filled with excitement. He felt that his decision to publicly swear allegiance to His Highness Beckett earlier had been incredibly prescient.
However, Beckett himself clearly did not share Thanos's sentiment.
After the Chitauri planet division meeting, hosted by the current Chitauri King, The Other, Beckett did not leave with the crowd. Instead, he remained standing by the throne, looking down as Corvus Glaive, Ebony Maw, and others gradually departed.
"What is it, Beckett? Is there something else?"
Thanos noticed Beckett's unusual behavior. Knowing his son's personality, Thanos waited until everyone had left the warship command center before turning his gaze to Beckett, who stood by the throne, and asked.
"Father, I don't need the Chitauri." Beckett's response was concise and clear. His stern face held a hint of disdain when speaking of the Chitauri.
In Beckett's opinion, this race of weaklings offered him no help whatsoever.
"You don't need the Chitauri?"
"Yes, I don't need subordinates who will hold me back." Beckett's assessment of the Chitauri was clear. The mechanical behemoths that the Chitauri prided themselves on were no match for Beckett, and this was already the strongest combat power the Chitauri could muster.
For Beckett, he was more accustomed to going it alone.
"Beckett, this universe is vast."
Thanos stood up from the throne and raised his right hand in front of Beckett, snapping his fingers.
The lights in the entire warship command center were extinguished in response, and then, a magnificent cosmic image replaced the dazzling lights, reflecting in Beckett's pupils.
"It's so vast that you can't possibly do everything yourself. Just like me now."
"Your heart is very proud, Beckett. That innate arrogance is your trait, and it's what I admire most about you."
"But there's one thing I hope you remember: don't let pride blind you."
Even someone as powerful as Thanos had gone through Beckett's age. He had also suffered many setbacks, and now, Thanos wanted Beckett to avoid unnecessary detours as much as possible.
"You can think carefully, are the Chitauri truly useless to you?"
"Moreover, and most importantly, Beckett, you are my son. This means you cannot remain alone forever. Sooner or later, you will have to learn how to manage an army to share my burdens, just like Ebony Maw and the others."
As soon as he finished speaking, another snap of fingers echoed.
The cosmic image disappeared, and the lights of the warship command center once again illuminated Beckett's eyes.
"Wars in the universe are not simply resolved by a beheading operation, do you understand, Beckett?"
With his hands behind his back, Thanos, preparing to begin the next stage of Beckett's training, continued to instill his philosophy in him.
Beckett wagged his tail behind him, his stern expression showing no reaction, and he secretly pondered Thanos's words.
What use would the Chitauri be as his subordinate army? What could he do with the Chitauri army?
As cannon fodder?
This was the first thought that crossed Beckett's mind.
As Thanos had said, Beckett, who had always been a loner, now needed to shift his mindset. The beheading operation honed Beckett's individual strength, while commanding an army would allow Beckett to digest all the knowledge he had learned while following Thanos and make it his own experience.
"His Highness Beckett, it's time for you to visit the Fountain of Life."
The smart program on his wrist projected the image of a blue tanuki in front of Beckett: "Woz has prepared the Fountain of Life for you according to Gates's instructions."
I had to go to Dongguan for work, so the updates have been a bit late these past two days (_)
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