Facing Thanos

As Xiao Hen pressed down with one palm, everything fell silent.

"E-Empress, this man who suddenly appeared actually killed Ronan with a casual wave of his hand. This is truly unbelievable!" An official stammered as he stared at the monitor, which displayed the scene of Xiao Hen effortlessly destroying Ronan.

"W-who exactly is this person?" someone could not help asking.

"I don’t know. Could he be Star-Lord’s companion?" someone guessed.

"Impossible. That so-called Guardians of the Galaxy is just a bunch of mud-legged nobodies. It’s ridiculous!" An officer shook his head.

"Judging by his appearance, he looks a lot like Star-Lord. Could he really be from Earth?" Someone noticed Xiao Hen’s conversation with Ronan and speculated.

"That’s possible!" someone answered. "Where is Earth?"

"A planet in a small star system on the Orion Arm!" someone replied.

"No matter what, this man is the savior of our Nova Empire. Someone, prepare the highest honors. We will go meet this esteemed expert!" the Empress said.

"As you command, Empress!"

Meanwhile, Rocket stared dumbfoundedly at the scene before him. They had just been preparing to face death, yet everything had suddenly turned around. Ronan, who had been utterly terrifying to them, had been taken out so easily?

"Ugh… Rocket, how is it? Did we succeed?" Star-Lord woke from unconsciousness, clutching his dizzy head. Seeing the little raccoon beside him, he immediately asked.

"Succeed? I guess it counts as a success!" Rocket muttered.

"What do you mean, ‘I guess’?" Star-Lord was confused.

"Ronan successfully landed, but just as he was about to activate the Power Stone and destroy Xandar, someone killed him!" Rocket said.

"Someone killed him? Who? Someone that powerful?" Star-Lord froze and asked.

"Over there. Can’t you see for yourself?" Rocket pointed ahead.

"Oh!" Star-Lord turned to look where Rocket was pointing. The moment he did, his eyes widened. "You mean he… he killed Ronan?"

"Yeah. Didn’t you see Ronan’s corpse?" Rocket pointed at Ronan’s body nearby.

"So he was that powerful…" Star-Lord murmured.

Thinking back now, when he had given Xiao Hen a ride to Xandar, he had unknowingly helped someone so powerful. Fortunately, he had done so. Otherwise, Xandar would have been destroyed by Ronan.

Star-Lord did not know that even if he had not brought Xiao Hen to Xandar, Xiao Hen would have come himself. For no other reason than the Power Stone.

Setting aside everything else, after obtaining the Power Stone and casually killing Ronan, Xiao Hen swept his gaze around. His Divine Sense had also detected the approaching Nova Empire higher-ups. He had no intention of meeting them and planned to leave directly. Before leaving, he nodded at Star-Lord. Then, with a flash, he vanished from the ground.

"H-he just left like that?" Star-Lord was stunned. Xiao Hen’s abilities had already amazed him, but he had simply vanished into thin air. What kind of power was that?

Xiao Hen had left so urgently not only because he did not want to meet the Nova Empire higher-ups, but because after putting away the Power Stone, he could clearly sense a strange fluctuation spreading through space.

"Thanos!"

Xiao Hen’s expression shifted. He took out the Space Stone, Divine Power surging within him as he used it in conjunction with the stone. With one step, he crossed from the Milky Way Galaxy to Earth. Yet in the void of space, a figure remained behind. It was an illusion he had deliberately left behind, for no other reason than to meet Thanos.

There were not many Titans left in this universe. As one of their foremost powerhouses, Thanos was someone Xiao Hen wanted to meet.

The cosmic void trembled, and ripples spread outward. Then, a massive figure seated high upon a throne emerged from the void. His very existence made space shudder, while the authority and aura he radiated were soul-stirring.

Thanos wore a set of mysterious armor and a helmet. His skin was purple, and endless majesty filled his eyes as he coldly gazed at Xiao Hen’s illusory body.

"Human, are you from Earth?"

Thanos’s very first words exposed Xiao Hen’s origins.

"Yes. Thanos, I have long heard of your great name!" Xiao Hen nodded calmly. In terms of the essence of life, Thanos and Xiao Hen existed on the same level; there was no difference in status between them.

"You took the Power Stone?" Thanos’s second question was about the Infinity Stones, with no wasted words.

"That’s right! I heard you are collecting the Infinity Stones as well? Coincidentally, so am I!" Sooner or later, he would have to confront Thanos directly, so there was no need to conceal it. With Thanos’s intelligence, he could already guess that Xiao Hen was collecting the Infinity Stones. However, he did not know how many stones Xiao Hen possessed. Xiao Hen, on the other hand, knew that Thanos should have at least one Reality Stone, and there was a ninety percent chance that the Soul Stone was also in his hands.

Counting the Mind Stone Xiao Hen had obtained earlier, Thanos had once possessed two Infinity Stones. If he had not used the Mind Stone to set up his plans, he might even have gathered three.

Unfortunately, I now have three stones in my hands, as well as the Time Stone. Once I return, I’ll begin acquiring it, Xiao Hen thought to himself.

"You are collecting the Infinity Stones too?" Thanos gave a cold laugh. "Seeing you personally seize the Power Stone, I have only this to say: you are too impatient. Take care of yourself!"

"Earth? Soon enough. Await destruction!"

With that, Thanos’s figure vanished from the cosmic void in a flash, disappearing without a trace. He left just like that, without attacking Xiao Hen’s figure. Perhaps he had long since seen through the fact that Xiao Hen had only left behind an illusion. That was not difficult for him.

"Destroy Earth?" Xiao Hen raised his brow. That would not be easy. The Avengers on Earth were not to be taken lightly. Though their strength could not compare to Thanos’s and they were laughably weak by comparison, perhaps only Thor, Hulk, and a handful of powerful mutants could barely contend with Thanos. No, Thanos would not even need to act personally. His subordinates alone could wipe out those Avengers and powerful mutants.

But so what?

The Avengers were the protagonists. Their strength grew alongside the strength of their enemies. Besides, Earth was one of the nine worlds in the World Tree system. The gods led by Asgard would not simply watch Earth be destroyed, and Odin might even take action when the time came.

Odin was extremely powerful. It was not apparent in the movies, but in the comics, he was someone capable of fighting Thanos.

Odin himself was immensely powerful, but the power within him was too great to control. He could only enter Odin’s Sleep every so often, falling into slumber to regulate his own strength. Otherwise, his power would burst him apart. This showed that Odin’s strength was far more than what the movies had portrayed.

After all, he was the king of the gods in Northern European mythology!