The Death of Thanos

"Good job."

The Stranges were very satisfied with Tony’s performance. Serpent God Set intensified the siphoning, and the golden light on Arishem rapidly faded.

The lofty Celestial Group Arishem was gradually becoming disheveled under Strange and Tony’s joint assault.

"I told you, I’m not your subordinate."

Tony said irritably. He was now completely certain that Strange had deliberately set Old Tony up back then. This guy and Iron Man were natural-born nemeses.

Why hadn’t Arishem’s red light blocked the red-and-blue beam? The reason was simple: Tony had unleashed a Quantum Laser specifically designed to counter red light. It could pierce through the red light and render it useless.

Tony’s Concept Ability was incredibly useful. Not only could it analyze everything, it could also design corresponding weapons based on an opponent’s weaknesses.

Tony’s Concept Ability was actually easy to understand—it increased his thinking speed dozens of times over.

Tony did not waste any time. He controlled the device and continued bombarding Arishem, lest It complete Its trump card.

Arishem was somewhat frustrated. In a one-on-one fight, It had plenty of ways to deal with Tony. The problem was that there were over a hundred Dr. Stranges surrounding It, and most of Its power was occupied dealing with them.

After thinking for a moment, Arishem opened Its mouth, and a human-sized Arishem flew out. Its fist, wrapped in dense golden light, smashed the red-and-blue beam apart.

Next, miniature Arishem activated Its super-speed ability and abruptly appeared beside Tony, Its fist viciously blasting toward his chest at the speed of light.

This was one of Arishem’s trump cards: creating a copy of Itself. Although miniature Arishem was not as powerful as the original, It was highly versatile and more than enough to deal with Tony.

After releasing miniature Arishem, Arishem continued absorbing the power of the other Celestials. It had delayed for too long and had to deal with Old Tony as quickly as possible. No one knew how long Thanos could hold off the Blood God.

It was worth mentioning that after releasing miniature Arishem, Arishem’s absorption speed clearly slowed considerably. A sharp glint flashed through Strange’s eyes. Let’s see who could finish their trump card first.

"I hate speedsters!"

The instant miniature Arishem vanished, Tony immediately hurled the device in front of him forward while rapidly retreating himself.

Boom! The device was punched back into Nanoparticles by miniature Arishem. Just as It was about to continue Its attack, those Nanoparticles suddenly merged into Its body.

Miniature Arishem hurriedly examined Its body but found nothing. After some thought, It set the matter aside and charged at Tony at super-speed.

"This time, I saw it."

Tony snorted. Vibranium short swords sprang from his arms as he charged to meet miniature Arishem.

Miniature Arishem was greatly shocked. Tony’s speed was actually as fast as Its? In the next breath, the Vibranium short swords and golden light collided violently, sending both of them flying backward.

"Awesome."

Tony laughed heartily and took the initiative to rush at miniature Arishem. Still baffled, miniature Arishem charged to meet him. The two traded blows at extreme speed, and the battle grew increasingly fierce.

Miniature Arishem could not help asking, "How can you keep up with my speed? You shouldn’t have a super-speed ability."

"I don’t, but you do."

Tony looked smug. After those Nanoparticles had entered miniature Arishem’s body earlier, they formed a special device within It. Through that device, Tony could maintain the same speed as miniature Arishem.

Tony Stark’s greatest strength had always been his brain. The Anti-Iron Man Armor merely provided him with a platform, one that allowed him to fully unleash his intelligence.

In the Mind Sea, Wang Bert watched the battle on Golden Rice Star and smiled at Thanos. "Earth’s Super Heroes are impressive, aren’t they?"

As Thanos continuously shattered the Death Threads, he cursed, "Not impressive. Disgusting. You can’t kill them no matter how many times you try, and they just keep getting stronger."

"For villains like you, they really are quite disgusting."

Wang Bert smiled. "These Super Heroes are protagonists. Give them a little sunlight, and they’ll thrive. Whether it’s the Celestial Group or Kang the Conqueror in the future, none of them can stop these heroes."

Thanos snorted. "You don’t look anything like a Creator God."

"I was never a Creator God to begin with."

Wang Bert shrugged and said, "To me, being a Creator God is strength, not status. Actually, you don’t resemble a Creator God either. Your obsession runs too deep. A true Creator God should be like the Heavenly Dao, silently maintaining the operation of the universe."

"I have my destiny, a destiny that must be fulfilled."

Thanos shouted and shattered all the threads around his body. However, he did not attack, nor did he hurry to flee. He asked suspiciously, "Blood God, what exactly are you plotting? Why didn’t you stop me from destroying the Death Threads?"

As Wang Bert continued evolving the Resentment Universe, he smiled and said, "Of course I have a scheme. Take a guess—what kind of trap have I set?"

Thanos asked tentatively, "Are you waiting for me to escape?"

Wang Bert nodded. "That’s right, I’m waiting for you to escape. You definitely won’t dare fight me again. Once you regain your freedom, you’ll immediately run away, which would also keep you from being used by Arishem."

To be honest, Thanos desperately wanted to flee. But hearing Wang Bert say that, he could not help hesitating. Could the Blood God really be waiting for him to escape?

After thinking it over, Thanos said, "Though I hate Arishem, It is currently my ally. I will not flee. I will stay here and hold you back."

Wang Bert still nodded. "That works too. Stay here, and once I finish the Resentment Universe, your time of death will come."

Thanos’s brow furrowed deeply. Logically, escaping was the best option right now. The problem was that the Blood God could not possibly let him leave so easily. There had to be a trick.

The Blood God might be putting on an act to lure me into staying.

Thanos was somewhat irritated. As an old dog, he was cautious, and now that caution was making him indecisive.

Thanos was not afraid of death, but he had to preserve this life to fulfill his destiny. Moreover, he still had to return to the Main Universe and save Death. If he died, Death would become the Blood God’s toy forever.

Wang Bert did not urge Thanos. He continued evolving the Resentment Universe at exactly the same pace as before, neither fast nor slow, as if victory were already in his grasp.

"Hahaha, I understand now."

At that moment, Thanos suddenly burst into laughter. As he tore open the sky, he said, "Blood God, you’re using the Mind Concept to influence me and make me hesitate, aren’t you?

"Blood God, impressive tactic. I nearly fell for it. Unfortunately, you may be clever, but I’m no fool either. Since you’re using the Mind Concept to influence me, that means you’re trying to deceive me.

"Blood God, until we meet again. I will definitely fulfill my destiny. I will definitely save Death from your hands."

With that, Thanos escaped through the torn space. Wang Bert made no attempt to stop him, and even the Mind Sea remained completely calm.

Seeing this, Thanos felt somewhat uneasy, but after thinking it over, he continued flying outward. He believed his judgment was correct. The Blood God had to be bluffing.

After leaving the Mind Sea, Thanos appeared on a barren planet. He breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to find a place to recover his strength before properly playing with the Blood God again.

At that moment, two hands suddenly reached out from the ground and grabbed Thanos’s ankles. Thanos was somewhat startled. With a slight shake of his massive foot, the two hands shattered, leaving not even scraps behind.

Just as Thanos was about to leave, a voice suddenly sounded behind him. "Thanos, you can’t leave."

Thanos abruptly turned around and saw a phantom standing behind him, glaring at him with a face full of savagery and resentment.

Though Thanos had no idea what was going on, he still snorted coldly. "What kind of thing dares call out to me?"

At Thanos’s cold snort, the phantom exploded with a bang. It was merely an ordinary lifeform and could not withstand a Creator God’s snort.

"Thanos, you can’t leave."

Before Thanos could do anything else, shouts rang out one after another around him. Then countless phantoms rose from the ground, staring at Thanos with grotesque faces.

At a rough glance, there were at least several million phantoms. Coupled with their savage expressions, it felt as though one had been cast into Hell.

"Get lost, all of you."

As a Creator God, Thanos naturally would not fear ghosts. He stomped down hard with his right foot, and the ground split apart with a deafening rumble. Countless streams of magma erupted forth, instantly turning the once-normal planet into a dead world that could collapse at any moment.

Under the impact of the magma, large numbers of phantoms vanished into nothingness. But to Thanos’s surprise, the phantoms surrounding him not only did not decrease in number, they grew increasingly numerous, and the expressions on their faces became ever more savage.

Thanos felt a chill run down his spine. Of course, he was not afraid of these phantoms. This scene simply felt familiar. Could he still be in the Mind Sea? Impossible. This definitely isn’t the Mind Sea.

Thanos roared, "Blood God, if you have any tricks, use them. Stop playing games!"

The moment Thanos finished shouting, a soft chuckle rang out. Then a figure even larger than the universe itself appeared in space. He said calmly, "I already told you I was waiting for you to escape, yet you still plunged headfirst into the trap. What could I do? I’m helpless too."

"A trap?"

Thanos froze, then immediately realized what was happening and cried out in alarm, "This is that Resentment Universe?"

"That’s right. This is the Resentment Universe you fear so much."

Wang Bert smiled. "If I truly wanted to control your consciousness, do you think you would notice?"

Although Wang Bert was accustomed to smashing people with the Mind Concept, he was equally proficient at using Mind Power to control others. If he truly wanted to guide Thanos’s consciousness, Thanos would never have noticed.

Wang Bert had connected the Mind Sea to the Resentment Universe long ago. Once one left the Mind Sea, it was impossible to return to the real universe; one could only enter the Resentment Universe.

Thanos’s most correct move at the time had been to directly attack Wang Bert and destroy the Resentment Universe. Unfortunately, he no longer had that chance.

Having been schemed against once again, Thanos turned red with rage. He roared, "Blood God, I will not lose to you. This Resentment Universe cannot trap me."

"No, you’ve already lost."

Wang Bert said calmly. The next second, countless dense, boundless phantoms appeared around Thanos. They were every resentment monster in the Resentment Universe, and they had all come to seek revenge on Thanos.

The foundation of the Resentment Universe was the resentment all living beings held toward Thanos. This was a universe created specifically to take revenge on Thanos. "I haven’t lost!"

Thanos roared unwillingly and threw a punch at the dense mass of phantoms ahead. As space-time shattered, a huge swath of phantoms was instantly cleared away.

Unfortunately, when space-time recovered, the phantoms reappeared, glaring at Thanos with utter savagery.

"They revived?"

Thanos’s expression changed slightly. The phantoms before him had not been replenished by other phantoms flying over. Rather, the phantoms that had been shattered earlier had revived.

"In this universe, resentment will never perish. It will only accumulate more and more. That is the law of this universe."

Wang Bert said calmly, "Go take your revenge. I promised you that I would kill Thanos."

All the phantoms roared in unison and charged at Thanos one after another. Thanos continuously swung his fists, clearing the phantoms around him, but they immediately regenerated. They simply could not be killed.

A prolonged battle had officially begun.

In the first year, not a single phantom could get close to Thanos. Thanos destroyed heaven and earth in an attempt to escape this universe, yet he could not even find where its boundary lay.

In the second year, the somewhat exhausted Thanos was repeatedly pounced upon by phantoms that entered his body. The moment these phantoms entered him, they vanished, while Thanos’s life force dropped noticeably.

Thanos’s expression changed. He rallied himself to resist the phantoms, but both his body and his soul gradually became exhausted beyond measure.

Creator Gods normally did not tire because they could absorb Cosmic Energy to replenish themselves. But the Resentment Universe had no Cosmic Energy, only resentment. Absorbing it would be no different from suicide for Thanos.

In the third year, phantoms repeatedly charged into Thanos’s body. He grew weaker and weaker, his body showing every sign of old age.

In the fourth year, Thanos could no longer move. He could only rely on his unyielding will to wave his hands and blast apart the phantoms.

In the fifth year, Thanos knew he was nearly finished. In a desperate gamble, he split off variant avatars to search for the universe’s exit. Unfortunately, those avatars were quickly slaughtered by the phantoms.

In the sixth year, Thanos fell to his knees in despair, unable to move even a finger. The phantoms crazily rushed into his body, extinguishing his life force.

Once all the phantoms had vanished, Wang Bert entered the Resentment Universe carrying Death’s head. Looking at the dying Thanos, he said calmly, "Thanos, you’re finished."

This was not mockery. It was simply a statement of fact. Thanos was truly finished. What killed him was the Blood God and the resentment of countless trillions upon trillions of living beings throughout the universe.

This was karma. Or, as the saying went, if you live by the sword, you die by the sword.

Thanos wanted to say something, but he did not even have the strength to speak. Wang Bert raised his hand and gave Thanos a little strength.

Thinking of something, Wang Bert smiled. "Come to think of it, you really are weak. I didn’t even use a single trump card, and you already fell."

Thanos nearly died of anger. He painfully opened his mouth and said, "Blood God, I lost, but Thanos has not lost. Other Thanoses will fulfill my destiny in my place and protect Death for me."

Unlike Wanda, Thanos had not devoured every Thanos across the multiverse. He had only devoured some of them, which was also why he was comparatively weak. If he had been at Wanda’s level, Wang Bert would not have found it so easy to deal with him.

"Thanos, when will you wake up? Death doesn’t need your protection. She has no idea how happy she is with me."

Wang Bert sighed and said, "As for the other Thanoses, sorry, there will be no more Thanoses. I will use the lives of every Thanos to take the final step toward becoming a Creator God."