With the Power Stone dazzling on the Infinity Gauntlet and the mysterious Soul Stone humming with a force enough to shake the universe, Thanos's confidence reached an all-time high. But at that very moment—
"Wriiing..."
A shrill alarm rang from his wrist communicator—a highest-level encrypted message from Supergiant. Thanos frowned, activating the projection, but as he finished reading, his once-proud face turned steel blue in shock.
A terrifying anger, enough to freeze an entire planet, erupted from him!
"How...can this be true?!"
Standing beside him, Ebony Maw, ever respectful as a shadow, was momentarily stunned by Thanos's monstrous rage. "Master, what's happened...?"
Thanos slowly lifted his head, his gaze supreme and murderous, as if he might rip apart someone from billions of light-years away. Gritting his teeth, he forced out words.
"Proxima Midnight...and Black Dwarf...are dead!"
"What?!"
Even the always-scheming Ebony Maw was stunned, his face changing drastically. "How is that possible? Weren't they sent to Midgard? How could they die?"
"Hmph!" Thanos growled, his killing intent palpable.
"It seems we underestimated them… Lucci Odinson!"
"What...what should we do now, master?"
Thanos lowered his gaze to the Infinity Gauntlet, resting his eyes on the two Infinity Stones embedded within. All his rage crystallized into a cold, pure intent to kill.
"No matter! From now on, I'll do it myself! Sever the three Infinity Stones from his neck and hands!"
…
In Asgard, as the MagicNet closed and faded, the divine realm once again felt protected—like it wore an invisible yet unbreakable sacred armor. An unprecedented sense of safety from the abyss filled every Asgardian's heart.
Lucci sensed the net working perfectly and nodded. On Asgard's end, things were settled: under Multiversal Energy Conduction, Frigga's strength had soared—easily enough to defend herself. Hela and Loki checked each other, unable to make trouble. Thor sat in the divine realm, a powerful insurance.
Only Thanos remained.
"Don't just wait for the enemy to come knocking," Lucci's eyes flashed with resolve. Passivity was never his style—least of all when the enemy had Infinity Stones. The initiative must be his!
Without hesitation, Lucci summoned a mysterious, ethereal fluctuation unlike any previous law, quietly rippling outwards—
The Law of Time!
In an instant, his aura was extracted from the current timeline node. The world became a river, endless and fragmented, showing the past, present, and future—a billion possibilities branching, surging, and vanishing before his eyes.
His task: find the timeline closest to Thanos and the Infinity Stones.
For most, this was dangerous and draining—like navigating a maze of countless branches and traps, with the risk of being lost forever. But Lucci, a master of time, ignored the countless distractions, searching straight for his target with unshakable will.
Who knew how long it took? Maybe just a blink.
Lucci opened his eyes.
Within his gaze, a vivid future flashed:
A hulking purple figure—the golden gauntlet set with two Infinity Stones—descending to Earth from the torn sky. Behind him, an endless Chitauri fleet blanketed the heavens!
"Ten days from now… he'll arrive on Earth…"
Lucci muttered, a murderous glint in his eyes. Now, with the timing secured, everything would be simple.
Suppressing the waves of the Law of Time, he found Odin and said, "Father, with the MagicNet guarding Asgard, I should return to Earth as well."
Hearing of Lucci's impending departure, Odin nodded, but quickly summoned Thor.
"Thor! Lucci wishes to return to Earth."
"Go with him. Look after your brother."
Thor nodded happily. But Lucci shook his head.
"No, father. Thor must stay."
"Why?" Thor sulked.
Lucci patiently explained:
"Father, you're still recovering—you mustn't risk yourself. Asgard has its net, but we need a reliable guardian present, just in case."
—Of course, the real reason was unspoken: Loki and Hela needed to be watched by someone trustworthy.
Odin's eye shone with sudden understanding, and he sighed, helpless.
"Very well, Thor. You stay."
Then he solemnly turned to Lucci:
"Don't worry. I'll have Heimdall monitor Earth's situation. If anything happens, Thor will provide immediate support!"
"Understood." Lucci nodded. This was Odin's greatest concession.
With Asgard's affairs settled, Lucci promptly summoned spatial ripples; in the next instant, his figure disappeared.
…
Earth, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
Teenage mutants laughed and played on the school lawn, enjoying this rare peace.
On the mansion's balcony, Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto stood side by side, gazing at the peaceful scene below, gentle smiles of relief on both faces.
"Look, Charles," Erik's voice trembled with rare emotion. "This—the scene we fought for, our dream, now real."
Charles nodded, softly: "Yes, Erik. And I sense more young mutants awakening every day. Our kind is growing."
But at that moment, all motion ceased.
The balcony pair—and all the mutants on the lawn—looked up.
A flash of red and blue, a cape snapping in the wind—coming closer!
"That's…Superman!"
"What the—how did he get here?!"
Instant uproar among the young mutants. They all recognized that overwhelming presence—an entity known as a god on earth!
On the balcony, Professor X and Magneto's faces turned instantly grim and wary. Unlike the excited students, they'd heard Diana's full account of the Metropolis battle. According to her, Superman vanished with Lois, and since then…no word.
Now, was he friend or foe? Had he regained his memory?
Thinking of this, Magneto's eyes gleamed sharply, the magnetic field surging around him as he floated to face the red-and-blue figure.
"Superman," Magneto intoned, guarded. "What are you doing here?"
Superman regarded the old man, still exuding that gentle, honest aura, calmly floating above the earth.
"Please—don't misunderstand. I mean no harm. I'm looking for Lucci."
"Prince Lucci?" Magneto frowned deeper. "What do you want with Prince Lucci? What's your purpose?"
Superman looked baffled by the title. He had been staying with Lois, absent from the outside world.
"Prince Lucci…?"
Seeing his confusion, Magneto responded, proud and reverent:
"Prince Lucci is Asgard's crown prince! Successor to Odin, king of gods!"
"Asgard… so, that's why Lucci commands powers even I can't fathom…! He's a real god…"
Suddenly, more figures rushed over—Jean Grey, Jane Foster, Diana, Hulk, the X-Men—drawn by Superman's aura.
"Clark?" Diana called, solemn. "Do you remember me?"
Superman looked down, smiling warmly at her.
"Of course, Diana. Don't worry. With Lois's help, I regained my memory. So you don't need to be wary."
At these words, Magneto, Professor X, Jane, and Diana all breathed huge sighs of relief; the tense atmosphere vanished.
Superman and Magneto touched down beside the others.
Superman looked around, then said with sincerity:
"When I came to Metropolis last time, it was thanks to Prince Lucci that I didn't make a grave mistake. I need to express my heartfelt thanks to him directly."
Professor X smiled from his wheelchair.
"Clark, you're very welcome here. But I'm afraid Prince Lucci has already returned to Asgard. Unless it's urgent, you might as well stay and wait for his return."
"I see…" Superman nodded politely. "All right, then—"
He was about to agree—when suddenly, the air nearby shimmered with spatial ripples!
With a flash, a figure appeared before them all—Lucci!
"Prince Lucci!"
"Welcome back, Prince Lucci!"
Both Professor X, Magneto, Diana, and the others greeted him, bowing quickly in greeting. Even Superman was shocked by the sudden appearance!
"What…what kind of ability is that? Teleportation? No, that's not speed—it's almost as if he came directly from another place, traversing space itself…this control of spatial law…even I can't achieve it!"
Lucci's gaze swept over the group, pausing at Superman with unexpected warmth. Then he nodded to the group, explaining:
"Don't be surprised. It's just a superficial use of space power."
Superficial…?
Superman's heart roiled! Such cosmic mastery, which would drive countless beings insane, was, to him, "just superficial application"? He took a deep breath to calm himself, then approached Lucci, bowing solemnly.
"Prince Lucci. Thank you. If it were not for you, I truly don't know what I might have destroyed, or what disasters I might have unleashed upon this world."
"You didn't just save Metropolis. You saved me, too."
Lucci smiled lightly, helping him up:
"As successor to the guardians of the Nine Realms, it is my duty to protect peace—in Midgard and beyond."
Superman shook his head with conviction:
"For you, it may have been simple…but for me, it was an act of unrepayable kindness. From now on, if you require my help, just say the word. I won't refuse!"
Lucci was quietly moved—such an ally, uncompromising in justice, especially when facing Thanos soon, would be invaluable. He smiled meaningfully.
"If you insist…in ten days, there'll be a war like no other."
At that, every face—including Superman—froze!