"Pfft!"
After blowing away the powdery fragments in his palm, Thanos picked up the blue gem and placed it on the Infinity Gauntlet on his left hand.
Buzz!
A massive blue energy immediately burst outwards.
At this moment, everyone saw clearly that with the newly acquired Infinity Stone, Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet only had two Infinity Stones in total!
This meant that even with only one stone, Thanos had already routed Thor and his allies.
Thanos's strength was indeed undeniable.
"There are still two stones on Earth. Find them, my children, and bring them to me on Titan!" Thanos then commanded the Black Order.
"Father, we will not disappoint you!"
Ebony Maw and the others immediately knelt on the ground, bowing and responding in unison.
"Allow me to interject!"
Loki, who had been watching the spectacle from the side, suddenly walked over and offered his services to Thanos, "If you intend to go to Earth, you might need a guide. I have some experience in that regard."
"If you consider failure a form of experience." Thanos said with a hint of sarcasm.
This guy knew that Loki had failed on Earth, so this remark most likely referred to Loki's crushing defeat in the Battle of New York.
This statement also indirectly confirmed some information everyone already knew: the mastermind behind the Battle of New York was indeed Thanos.
"I believe experience is experience."
Loki, a master of rhetoric, began to speak eloquently before Thanos, "All-powerful Thanos, I, Loki, Prince of Asgard, rightful King of Jotunheim, God of Mischief…"
Loki continued speaking as he walked towards Thanos.
Everyone in front of the screen couldn't help but feel a little strange. Why did Loki claim to be the King of Jotunheim?
That statement here made absolutely no sense!
Coupled with Loki's previous remarks to Thor, such as "my lineage," and "it's your father," and so on.
And the earlier "I am not Asgardian."
This forced everyone to make a logical guess: could Loki really not be Odin's biological son?
This was too explosive!
No wonder Loki and Thor had completely different personalities.
"I swear to you, my undying loyalty!" By this point, Loki had arrived in front of Thanos.
However, while speaking, he stealthily pulled out a dagger from behind his back.
Whoosh!
Then, he seized the opportunity to stab Thanos fiercely!
Thanos was on another level; how could he be taken down by Loki so easily? Moreover, Thanos had long seen through Loki's schemes.
He immediately held the Infinity Gauntlet in front of him, and a blue energy emanated outwards from the gauntlet, instantly blocking Loki's dagger.
"Undying?" Thanos's face showed a faint sneer, "You should choose your words more carefully."
With that, Thanos gripped Loki's neck, lifting Loki's entire body into the air.
Loki was a god, after all, but in Thanos's hand, he was no different from a weakling. No matter how much he struggled, it was useless; he simply couldn't break free from Thanos's grasp.
"You… will never… be a god!" Loki uttered this low voice from his throat towards Thanos.
Thanos's lips curved into a cruel smile. With a squeeze of his hand, he directly snapped Loki's neck.
"No!"
Thor watched his brother being killed, utterly helpless, only able to let out a powerless roar.
Thanos then held Loki's body and, like throwing trash, tossed it directly beside Thor, saying, "This time, don't even think about resurrecting."
Clearly, Loki often faked his death, and Thanos was aware of this.
After saying that, Thanos raised his Infinity Gauntlet, clenched his fist, and a vast purple energy began to spread, instantly engulfing the surroundings.
The wreckage of the spaceship began to collapse continuously.
Then, a layer of blue energy rippled from the Infinity Gauntlet, enveloping Thanos and the Black Order. Their figures then vanished.
Only Thor remained.
The metal restraints on Thor, no longer under Ebony Maw's control, were finally broken free by Thor. He struggled on the ground, crawling towards Loki's body.
"No, Loki!" Thor let out a mournful wail, collapsing weakly onto Loki's corpse.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At this moment, explosions of varying sizes occurred throughout the spaceship.
Finally… Boom!
The camera cut to the outside, and the Asgardian spaceship completely exploded.
The scene froze in the dazzling and brilliant firelight.
The atmosphere in the room was temporarily quiet, and it could be said to be very oppressive. Thanos had once again cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.
This footage not only showed everyone how powerful Thanos himself was but also showcased some of the strong individuals under his command.
The one who could freely control objects had left an extremely deep impression on everyone.
"Loki, do you know those people?" Nick Fury asked with a solemn expression, his single eye fixed on Loki.
"I haven't seen them." Loki shook his head.
In reality, Titan was quite far from the Nine Realms. Loki only encountered Thanos by chance after inadvertently falling into the cosmic abyss. Before this, Loki did not know Thanos.
After collaborating with Thanos, Loki learned a little about him, but because he had always been in contact with the Chitauri, Loki's understanding of Thanos was extremely limited.
Loki did not know the Black Order.
"So, Loki, do you see Thanos's true colors now? For someone who is the God of Mischief and Trickery, you actually cooperated with such a person."
Tony Stark shook his head repeatedly, clicking his tongue, "I have to say, this was a complete disaster."
"So I should be friends with you, like Thor? Tin Man?" Loki retorted sharply.
"Thanos has only collected two Infinity Stones so far, so this event happened before the Endgame." Captain America said no nonsense and began to summarize seriously, "This means that this event is not far off."
With that, Captain America looked at Loki with a serious expression and said, "Loki, when you go back, I hope you convey this information to Thor."
"Well." Loki shrugged, "My situation in Asgard right now is a bit awkward."
It wasn't just awkward; if he really returned to Asgard, Loki was sure he would be thrown into a dungeon.
The footage of him severing Thor's arm showed him imprisoned, and it was likely a result of being captured and brought back after instigating a war on Earth.
"Thanos said there are still two Infinity Stones on Earth. Everyone, can you recall anything?" Black Widow scanned everyone present and asked seriously.
"The only Infinity Stones we currently know of are Loki's scepter and the Tesseract. It seems that besides these two Infinity Stones, there should be other Infinity Stones on Earth."
Hawkeye Barton added.
"Not necessarily."
Tony Stark, however, shook his head, "Didn't Loki bring the scepter? So we can't be sure if there are other stones on Earth right now, or if others might bring them to Earth in the future."
"We don't know which scenario is true."
Tony Stark's words were very reasonable. Everyone couldn't determine how many Infinity Stones were currently on Earth.
The relevant clues were simply too few.
"However, there's one thing I think we need to pay attention to."
Tony Stark again said to everyone seriously, "At the beginning of the footage, that long-winded speech from the zombie-like guy, about cosmic balance and all that…"
"Does this align with the information Loki told us earlier? Is it because of this 'balance' that Thanos kills half and spares half?"
Everyone present fell into deep thought.
"Killing half and sparing half, this behavior pattern has a very strong regularity and can reflect some of Thanos's psychology to a certain extent."
"He must have a set of beliefs that he firmly adheres to. Considering the 'killing half, sparing half' pattern, Stark is right; it's possible that in Thanos's eyes, this is indeed to achieve some kind of balance."
Black Widow pondered for a moment and spoke from the side.
This could be considered both good news and bad news for everyone.
The good news was that Thanos was not the madman or psychopath everyone had previously thought. This person's actions might all stem from a certain motive, rather than a simple desire for war, chaos, and bloodlust.
He wasn't a pure madman, a villain in the absolute sense.
This was a good point.
But the bad part was precisely this.
Because having beliefs means Thanos could fall into an overly deep obsession. If Earth stands in the way of his beliefs, then Earth will face an enemy more terrifying than a crazy killer.
It's highly likely that he won't stop until he has fully implemented his beliefs.
"So Thanos is actually a 'cosmic cleaner'?" Nick Fury spread his hands, "Massacring throughout the universe to maintain cosmic balance? He really is a madman!"
"Loki!" Captain America looked at Loki with a serious expression, "How much do you really know about Thanos? I hope you can tell us everything you know."
"This concerns not only us, but also you, and your Asgard."
"Soldier, I don't know much about Thanos either." Loki spread his hands.
Regarding this, everyone could only express some regret, but they were powerless.
[This round of questions has ended!]
Amidst everyone's discussions, the answer system suddenly issued such a prompt.
Immediately after, the large screen disappeared.
And the atmosphere on site suddenly became a bit eerie, a bit tense.
Because everyone realized what was about to happen.
This was not what everyone wanted to see, but… most of the time, things do not develop according to one person's will.
"Everyone, I'm going to take my leave." Tony Stark said this to everyone, then immediately turned and walked out.
"Stark!"
Captain America immediately stepped forward to block Tony Stark's path, staring at Tony Stark and asking in a deep voice, "May I ask what you're going to do?"
"If I say I'm going for pizza, will you move?" Tony Stark said assertively.
"Sorry, I can't!" Captain America looked directly into Tony Stark's eyes for a few seconds and said heavily.
An invisible tension gradually began to spread through the scene.
"Stark, Rogers!"
Nick Fury didn't want to see this scene. He stepped forward and said to the two men seriously, "I suggest you sit down and talk. You both seem a bit agitated right now."
As for Hawkeye Barton and Black Widow, Nick Fury gave them a look, and they escorted Loki away.
"Nick Fury, this is my private matter, it has nothing to do with you, so I can handle it myself, OK?" Tony Stark turned his head and said to Nick Fury with a serious expression.
Tony Stark had said it to this extent, and Nick Fury really couldn't intervene much anymore.
This was a vendetta for the murder of his parents.
Moreover, Tony Stark wasn't a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; his status was someone who could be on equal footing with him, the 'Halogen Egg Man'.
In fact, many times Nick Fury had to rely on Tony Stark's technology, especially Nick Fury's plan to mass-produce blasters, which required Tony Stark's help even more.
"Fine." Nick Fury shrugged, "I don't mean anything else. I just don't want to see things take a turn for the worse, that's all."
"If you grant me this favor, I will be grateful and thankful. If you don't, it's alright, I understand."
"This matter really has nothing to do with me."
After saying these words, Nick Fury retreated back.
"Rogers, move aside, don't block my way!" Tony Stark ignored Nick Fury and, with a cold face, said to Captain America.
"Stark, I'm sorry, you know I can't." Captain America stood firmly in front of Tony Stark, unmoving.
"Can your apologies bring my parents back to life? If not, then save your useless words and don't interfere with my business!"
Tony Stark gradually lost his patience, "This is the final warning!"
Clang!
After saying this, Tony Stark's helmet automatically closed.
Iron Man made a dazzling entrance.
....
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