Any reservations Jessica may have had about their trip evaporated as soon as they left Earth"s upper atmosphere. As Naruto went into full throttle towards the Jump Point in between Earth and its moon, the void of s.p.a.ce became a glorious blur.
Gripping the arm of her seat tightly, Jessica had felt her stomach lift up into her lungs as they hit top speed. All the while; Thor cheered, Illyana giggled gleefully, and Naruto grinned like a madman as the ship rocketed towards its Jump Point.
Eventually, after several minutes, Jessica grew accustomed to the speed. And, though she fought it, a grin spread along her face as she realized just how special this day was. She was flying through the void of s.p.a.ce, a pa.s.senger of an alien craft that was taking to a place literally called nowhere.
The boys back home would be jealous.
But, like all good things, it came to an end. One jump after another, the novelty of it began to fade away. And soon boredom filled its place.
Behind her, Illyana read from a worn tome, flipping through it slowly as she took in the mystic knowledge. Thor had taken to flipping his hammer in his hand, catching it effortlessly as he watched the stars blur by.
Naruto was the only one seemingly lacking any boredom, though that likely came from piloting a s.p.a.cecraft going well over a thousand miles per hour.
Needing to break the monotony, Jessica turned to the Uzumaki, "So this…stone, what does it do exactly?"
"Ask Thor." Naruto offered, "He"s the one that almost got killed by it."
Thor looked up at the attention, catching Mjolnir in his hand deftly, "Well, it"s not really a stone so much as a sludgish, jelloy kind of thing. But either way, it is dangerous. I"d advise you not to touch it if you can."
"Then how are we grabbing it, exactly?" Illyana questioned.
"Rest a.s.sured, it is incased in an Asgardian lockbox." Thor answered coolly, once again flipping Mjolnir, "The Collector would be a fool to open it, so it should still be contained when we go to collect it for ourselves."
"What would it do, if he were foolish enough?" Asked Jessica, her full attention hanging off Thor"s answer.
"It is difficult to define." Thor said, catching the handle of his hammer before tossing it back up again, "If one were to simply hold the stone with zero way of control, it could cut a hole into the fabric of reality itself, altering everything that is known and unknown to its very core."
"And with control?" Jessica hesitated to ask.
"With control, reality has no meaning or definition. It is to do with as you like."
"That"s…scary." Illyana muttered, the large tome no longer on her mind.
"Which is why we"re going after it, so that kind of thing doesn"t happen." Naruto said distractedly, just before an alert popped up on his dashboard, "Heads up guys, this jump is the last one. We"ll be at Knowhere in a couple minutes."
In those pa.s.sing minutes, Jessica silently prepped her sidearm, puling back the hammer as she looked into the prepped bullet sitting within the chamber.
Illyana looked over her shoulder, amused, "You"re bringing a gun?"
"Am I supposed to?" Jessica wondered.
The blonde chuckles, "No, just kinda weird that you"d bring that to an alien colony that sits inside the head of a Celestial."
"I still find it hard to believe we"re going inside the head of a s.p.a.ce G.o.d." Jessica muttered, sliding the gun into her holster.
"Believe it." Naruto said, flinching at the involuntary use of that phrase, "We"re here."
The Kushina came to a stop as he exited the last Jump Point, the ship careening in open s.p.a.ce. And there, perched before them, stood the floating ma.s.s of a decrepit skull.
As an orange hue filled the c.o.c.kpit, Jessica voice broke out with a soft, "Is it supposed to look like that?"
"No." Naruto said, his mouth agape, "No it isn"t."
Nowhere was by and large an anomaly. It had its own gravitational pull, oxygen, and other commodities necessary for sustainable life. The skull of the Celestial, a being once known as Eson the Searcher, was roughly twice the size of a Kree Battleship. Almost every facet of its cranium had been converted and harvested by the Tivan Group, the empty skull now acting as a hovel for lawlessness and debauchery. Gambling, murder, prost.i.tution, slavery, human trafficking, and bounty hunting all ran through here, all by the guiding hand of the Tivans and their benefactor, The Collector.
All of that was now on fire.
Knowhere"s once empty eye sockets were now filled with a rolling fire, its worn maw broken and melted away.
"Who could"ve done this?" Thor demanded, gripping Mjolnir tightly as they grew closer to the flaming Celestial skull.
"Knowhere is sandwiched right inbetween the Kree and Shi"ar borders. It could"ve been any one of them." Naruto said grimly.
Illyana stared at the back of Naruto"s head, "But you don"t think that"s the case."
"No." He agreed, "We"d have spotted a Kree Battleship by now if it was them, h.e.l.l we"d have gotten a dispatch by now. And this isn"t the Shi"ar Empire"s way of doing things. Their Majestor isn"t one to throw around bruit force, and I can"t see them going after Knowhere and the Collector. The underworld might not be acceptable inside their borders, but it"s still something they"d know to value."
Thor rubbed at his beard, his eyes roaming the area in search for discernable ships of any nation, "I don"t see any war ships nearby, it"s possible we just missed the attack."
"Agreed." Jessica added, "More than likely the bulk of the attack is over. The question is if it"s safe to investigate."
"We don"t really have a choice." Illyana grunted, getting up from her seat as she said, "We don"t know for sure if the Collector is there, and if he is if he"s dead or alive, or if he still has the stone in his possession. I don"t think it"s smart to leave any of that up in the air."
"It"s decided then." Naruto pulled the throttle forward, the Kushina shooting off into the burning eye, "This is a get in, get out. No dilly dallying. We get the stone if it"s still there, if not we figure out who attacked and go from there."
The three nodded, preparing themselves as they drew into the fires of Knowhere.
-x-
Stepping down from his ship, Naruto reached up and swung out Nakama, the vibranium blade singing as it cut into the hot air.
"We stick together." Naruto ordered as they looked out over the destroyed layout of Knowhere"s inner city, "Thor, you"re up front. Illyana, in the back. Jess, you"re with me."
All three nodded, though Jessica gave Naruto a side glance at being called "Jess."
In formation, the squad trekked forward. Thor, at the front of the diamond formation, held his trusty hammer at the ready. Illyana, having summoned a Tao Mandala in one hand, and an Eldritch Dao in another, followed at the back of the line. Next to Naruto, Jessica paced along carefully, her pistol raised at the ready.
Thor, who was in the lead, raised up his fist. Knowing to stop, the group waited apprehensively as foot steps rapped along the corner. Tumbling down onto the street in front of them, the Krylorian woman quickly tried to pick herself up, only to fall to her side in exhaustion. Her pink skin was covered in soot and purple burns, her face scrunched up in fear and pain as she tried to crawl away.
"Hey!" Naruto called out. As he took a step up, a figure fell down next to the Krylorian, their blade driving down into her abdomen.
As she screamed out in pain, Thor shot out to meet them.
Jessica, with only a moment of hesitation, swept her gun into the figure"s direction and opened fire on his torso. She cursed as the bullets ricocheted of the figure"s armor with a "thw.a.n.g."
Thor, his hammer pulled back, roared as he released a mighty swing into the figure"s torso. The sound of metal bending, bone breaking, and flesh tearing filled echoed as the figure was sent flying from the heavy blow.
Though Mjolnir was still at the ready, Thor didn"t bother making sure it got up, knowing full well it was staying down. Giving her a glance, he sighed as he realized she was dead.
"What is that?" Illyana asked, half her attention on her surroundings the rest on the crumpled heap not ten yards away.
"A Centaurian." Naruto answered, flipping the armored alien onto its back, "They"re like those old timey warriors I always forget the name of…kinda sounds like ramen or something."
"Romans." Jessica connected the dots, standing next to Naruto as she took in the first alien she"d ever seen.
It was heavily armored, its design looking to be a cross between a Roman foot soldier and a medieval knight. It"s golden plating was painted purple thanks to the open chest cavity, the violet life juice seeping out of the gaping wound like a geyser. His skin tone was a very light blue, with a darker shade of war paint decorating the upper half of his face. His helmet had fallen off from the landing, the blue plum that sat upon the head soaking in the pool of blood.
The blade he"d used to kill the girl looked like a pata, the ma.s.sive blade sticking out from the gauntlet"s fist.
"The girl"s a Krylorian." Thor called out from the girl"s side, taking in her elegantly white servant"s dress, "Sif told me the Collector had been keeping one or two as a slave."
Jessica took that in with a hum, "We"re close then."
Walking up to the group, Thor narrowed his eyes in thought, "Centauri-Six is lightyears out of the way. What do they gain from sacking Knowhere?"
Naruto stood up, his face slowly losing color, "Did you say Centauri-Six? Not Four, not Five. Six?"
Thor nodded, puzzled, "Yes, six. The planet Centauri-Six-"
Before Thor could finish, Naruto roughly grabbed onto Jessica"s arm, "Go back to the ship, now. I"ll send a clone with you and Illyana, but you need to get off this colony right f.u.c.king now."
"What?" Illyana demanded. When Naruto didn"t seem to notice, she began to say, "What the h.e.l.l happened to sticking together-"
"Now isn"t the time for that." He answered, deathly calm. Starring into her core, he said, "This became way too dangerous. You guys aren"t ready, if you don"t leave you will die. Get it? All plans have been thrown out the window, and I need you to listen to me right now. Get to the ship, get out of here. Thor and I will be with you in a second."
Illyana bit back the urge to argue. She knew that look on his face. Naruto was panicked. There wasn"t any room in his head for argument.
Gripping Jessica"s shoulder, the sorceress pulled her along, "Come on, we"re going."
Jessica knew better than to argue against orders, but it didn"t keep her from pulling away from the woman"s grip. As Illyana summoned a portal, Jessica gave Naruto one last glance before being pulled in by the sorceress.
"So…this is it." Kurama grunted somberly.
"Seems like it." Naruto thought back.
Seeing a very confused Thor from his peripheral, Naruto said, "Over two decades ago, Centauri-Six was the victim of a planet wide genocide. Half the population was wiped out. It didn"t get a lot of publicity, mainly because of who was responsible. Five years later, the planet rescinded its sovereignty, broke off all ties to its managing empire, and pledged its loyalty to the very man who slaughtered three billion of its peoples."
"Who?"
Naruto smiled warily, looking ahead undeterred, "The Mad t.i.tan himself."
-x-
Jessica blinked as she and Illyana stepped through the portal, looking around the inside of the Kushina, "I don"t think I"ll ever get used to that."
"Sorry." Illyana grunted distractedly, looking at the pilot"s seat, "You think you can lift us off?"
"I can lift us off, maybe." Jessica muttered in thought, flashing back to which switches were flipped and how, "Maybe." She persisted as she sat in the co-pilot"s chair.
"Maybe." The sorceress repeated with a huff, pacing in place.
Ignoring her, Jessica did her best to follow what she"d seen Naruto do back at the homestead, "What was going on back there anyway?"
"Naruto"s spooked, that"s all I need to know it"s serious." Illyana answered. As she said this, something caught her eye from outside the ship. Walking closer to the windshield, she squinted to look pa.s.sed the billowing smoke surrounding the area around the ship.
She saw the shine of their armor first.
Emerging from the smoke, a platoon of Centurian soldiers converged around the ship, their rifles at the ready.
"s.h.i.t." Illyana muttered, immediately aware of the danger they were in.
Looking up from the panel, Jessica blinked as she realized they were surrounded. Turning to an awestruck Illyana, the brunette got up from her seat to stand beside her, "What do we do?"
Illyana blinked at the question, "What?"
"Naruto says you"re the second in command." Jessica explained, her full attention on the sorceress, "What"s the call?"
Her eyes widened in shock, Illyana nodded. As she looked over the crowd of Centurians, she gave a confident nod, "Let"s see what you can do, spider woman."
Jessica deflated, "Please don"t call me that."
-x-
Thor led Naruto through the decimated city streets of Knowhere, the endless fire and smoke building in intensity the closer they got to the Collector"s museum. Naruto was surprised at the lack of Centurians, coming across none as they trekked along the nearly deserted battlefield. What they did find was countless bodies lying in the purge"s wake, their rotting bodies being eaten away by the flames surrounding them.
Finally, the two came upon the Collector"s museum. The building was ma.s.sive, around the size of a multiplex movie theater.
As Naruto rested his hand on the doorway, a thud echoed from behind them.
Naruto sighed. Turning around, he was met with a ma.s.sive Centurian soldier. The beast of a man stood at a hefty eight feet tall, his broad shoulders making him seem like two men combined into one. Decorated with heavy armor that protected him from head to toe, this added weight had caused the concrete to crack upon his entry. In his hands, two ma.s.sive broadswords, blood both fresh and old stained along its edges and broadside.
"I got this." Thor a.s.sured.
With a heave, he chucked his trusty Mjolnir towards the beast"s torso. To both men"s surprise the Centurian deflected the hammer with a mighty clang, Mjolnir veering off course behind him.
Naruto eyed a mildly surprised Thor, "You got this?"
Thor didn"t bother responding, extending his hand expectantly. An awkward pause later, Mjolnir flew into the Asgardian"s hand, its heavy metal singing loudly as it flew through the air. Thunder roared in the background, forcing Naruto to momentarily question where it came from. But he didn"t get to ask, as lightning shot out from Mjolnir with crack.
Opening the door, Naruto muttered, "He"s got this."
-x-
The Centurian soldiers gathered around the Kushina continued their slow encroachment towards the ship. The apparent head officer threw his fist up, the platoon coming to a halt.
Gesturing to the soldier to his right, he opened his hand and waved in the direction of the Kushina. The soldier didn"t hesitate to march towards the ship his rifle pointed at the ready. Just a few yards from the bow of the ship, the bay doors opened, the stairs descending to the ground.
And with a clank for each step it hit, a metallic sphere rolled down in front of the lone soldier. As it came to a stop at his foot, a flashing red light came into view.
The soldier looked over to his superior officer-
BOOM!
And then all h.e.l.l broke loose.
As the crack of the explosion sent the poor soldier flying, a portal opened up over the heads of three soldiers. As they looked up in confusion, that confusion turned to a surprised scream as a wall of water poured out from the portal, sweeping the men away as several tons of water fell on them head first.
A second portal opened, Illyana jumping out with her Tao Mandala and Eldritch Dao in hand. The three Centurian"s in her way were unprepared for her sudden entry, and even less prepared for when she opened a portal next to her, and a portal next to center Centurian"s torso.
With a jab, she flung her dao into the portal in front of her, the blade emerging from the second portal into the Centurian"s chest. She flinched as blood spurted from the wound, but she was forced to move pa.s.sed it as she opened a ma.s.sive portal under the Centurians" feet, swallowing them whole before closing up.
She jumped as gunshots rang out from the Kushina"s open bay, Jessica opening fire on nearby Centurians from the bottom of the stairway. Scowling as the bullets ricocheted off their armor, she tossed the gun to the side before charging in. As the towering soldier in front of her reared back his pata to cleave her head from her shoulders, Jessica slid between his legs feet first. As she swept up underneath him, she grabbed onto his ankle, yellow electricity rolling across the palm of her hand.
Just as she jumped up to her feet, the soldier fell to his knee, the leg she"d touched seemingly losing all feeling. Gripping the back of his helmet with both hands, another pulse of electricity erupted from her hands. With a jerk, the man went limp. Ducking she weaved herself along the jabbing arm of the next Centurian attacking her. With a subtle but sharp jab into the crux of his neck, the man"s neck snapped back from the force.
Illyana, impressed, called out, "I didn"t know you had sparkly hands."
"It"s bio-electricity." Jessica explained away before she jumped over a charging soldier, landing nimbly, "I didn"t know you could summon water like Uzumaki can."
The blonde shrugged, "I just opened a portal up at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, so not really what Naruto can do."
"Still." Jessica grunted as she blocked a crushing hammer fist with her forearms. Channeling her bio-electricity to her arms, the Centurian stumbled back from the sharp shock, "It"s impressive."
"Thanks." She returned distractedly as the last three Centurians opened fire on her. Expanding her Tao Mandala to act as a cover, she yelled, "Little help?"
"Get me over there!" The brunette called.
Grinning, Illyana opened a portal up at the other woman"s feet and another right above the Centurians" heads.
Jessica felt her stomach sweep up into her throat as the ground beneath her disappeared, finding herself right on top of the soldiers firing on the sorceress. Falling onto the center man"s back, she shot a thick burst of bio-electricity into his torso. As the two fell to the ground, the other two Centurians realized Jessica had taken down their comrade.
As they spun onto her to unload their weapons, they jerked as another portal the size of a beachball sprung into existence right next second man"s head. They barely had time to realize it was there before water shot out from portal like a fire hose, the pressurized blast of ocean water knocking both men off their feet.
When they didn"t get up, Jessica"s shoulder relaxed as she let out the breath she didn"t know she"d been holding.
Silence hung over the two, their heavy breathing and the crackling fires around them distracting them from the .
"Hey, the boss just realized he forgot to send one - Holy s.h.i.t, what happened here?"
The women jumped as a Naruto Shadow Clone popped up out of nowhere, taking in the battle ground around him with wonder. Jessica gave the clone a light glare, blowing the hair out of her face with a huff.
Blinking, the Shadow Clone tilted his head, "What?"
-x-
Naruto couldn"t help but take in the museum as he crept along the admittedly impressive building. The fire had yet to get into the building, leaving everything intact for the blonde to take in. The first section of the museum held all of the fauna the Collector had ama.s.sed for himself.
There were a few trees he recognized from Berhert, a crazy looking vine he knew was from Alfheim that seemed to have a mind of its own, even a giant redwood from Earth. The rest was entirely alien to him, the varying colors and shapes momentarily distracting him from the oppressive air circ.u.mventing along the building.
The next section ruined any awe he had for the Collector"s trove. The menagerie of intergalactic species was sickeningly impressive, Naruto guessing that nearly a hundred different species sat within captivity. Each one was given their own gla.s.s cage, all of them splayed out lifelessly.
The gla.s.s that had once kept them in captivity were shattered, their bodies riddled with bullet holes.
A Dark Elf foot soldier, a Kosmosian bureaucrat, a Badoon Hunter, a Strontian Gladiator, a Kymellian slave, and a Kronan revolutionary were all easy recognizable, but Naruto was shameful to admit that he couldn"t recognize most of the species held in captivity; the spectacle wearing blue skinned alien with a thick mustache and fairly receded hairline being the one that threw him for a loop the most.
"How much you wanna bet most of them were nearly extinct?" Kurama grunted with disgust.
"Think about that later." Naruto answered aloud as he entered section containing the Collector"s prized relics.
Unlike the previous sections that held their exhibits in one row after another, this room was circular, with each relic displayed along the wall like an art gallery. In the center, a beam of magnetic energy was projected from the ceiling, likely acting as the holding place for the Collector"s most prized possession.
A possession that had been pried from his cold dead fingers.
Lying p.r.o.ne next to the center display, the Collector"s cooling corpse stared up at him, the man"s frozen face filled with pain and horror.
Standing over the body, his murderer, his back facing the blonde shin.o.bi.
"I"d hoped you"d come, Maelstrom."
Naruto slowly walked further into the gallery, his hands flexing tensely, "Why"s that?"
The t.i.tan let out a chuckle, the baritone throttle giving the merry chortle a sinister edge, "I wanted the pleasure of meeting the strongest man in the universe. It"s an honor."
The blonde frowned at the man across from him. He seemed to be distracted by what was in his hands, his face barely visible from his angle, "I thought that kinda thing went to you." He stated coolly, coming to a stop at just a few yards away.
"I"m not the one holding three Infinity Stones." The man shot back, finally turning to face the blonde.
He was just as large as he remembered him, standing at just a few inches shorter than the Hulk. His body was covered in an elaborate golden armor, with black pieces highlighting the set beautifully. The beauty of the armor was ruined by the various shades of dried blood speckled along the worn suit. Sitting on his head was a form-fitting helmet, the protective sh.e.l.l only leaving his face open.
Resting in his right hand was a ma.s.sive double-bladed sword that was as tall as Naruto was, monstrous weapon singing loudly with every movement, its razor-sharp edge cutting into the air.
Any other time, Naruto would"ve taken a second to take the impressive warrior in. But the red glare coming from his left hand took that attention away.
Covering his arm, a magnificent gauntlet. The golden plating shined an eerie orange from the bright red light that came from the gauntlet"s knuckle. Sitting on the knuckle of the gauntlet"s pointer finger, the Reality Stone hummed at attention.
"Where do you keep them, I wonder." Thanos said thoughtfully, "I don"t think you"d keep them in your back pocket."
Naruto forced himself to look away from the Reality Stone, looking Thanos in the eye as he responded, "They"re somewhere safe."
Thanos nodded along, "Oh I"m sure they are somewhere far away from here." He shook his head as he began to walk around the blonde. Naruto followed suit, the two circling each other as the t.i.tan continued,"Wasteful. To have that kind of power at your disposal, and to squander it the way you do. Imagine what you could do with them, the things you never thought possible or imaginable at your fingertips."
Naruto motioned to the gla.s.s ceiling, the orange and black layers of fire and smoke visible, "Something like this?"
"We both know you could do so much worse that this without the stones." The Mad t.i.tan chided, "I"ve been watching you, Naruto. I see so much of myself in you, it"s a shame I didn"t catch you sooner. The things we could"ve accomplished, the lives we could save."
"You do that often?" Naruto questioned heatedly, "Kidnap hapless kids and turn them into weapons?"
"Weapons?" Thanos questioned sincerely, "They are my children. I take them in and show them what true strength is."
"Killing billions of innocent lives makes you strong?" Naruto demanded, "No wonder Gamora"s so f.u.c.ked up, I can"t imagine what you filled her head with."
"I filled it with knowledge." Thanos retorted, "Knowledge of what the universe needs to survive, and the kind of will that"s necessary to save it from itself."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, doing his best to keep calm, "And the way to save it is to use the Infinity Stones as an executioner"s blade on half the universe?"
"Salvation cannot come without tremendous sacrifice-"
"So long as you"re the one not sacrificing a d.a.m.ned thing."
Thanos frowned at the accusation, "There won"t be any exceptions to my purge, not even myself. You and everyone else will have the same chance of life as I will. Fifty-fifty. Fair."
"There"s another way." Naruto insisted, "There"s always another way-"
"If I snap my fingers," Thanos lifted up the Infinity Gauntlet, snapping his fingers to punctuate his point, "And make it so that all of the planets" resources are replenished, no lesson will have been learned. I would simply be enabling future generations to squander what was given to them, at an even more detrimental scale. To sterilize half the universe"s population is impossibly specific, along with any other concept a think tank could squander up. Population control is the only possible way. The only permanent way."
With a flash of red, the gallery was swept away, replaced by an unfamiliar planet. Looking around proudly, Thanos gestured to the thriving civilization surrounding them, "This is Centuri-Six. Look how they thrive; how happy they are to know their future generations will know paradise. The entire universe could have this happiness. What"s so wrong with that?"
Centuri-Six was beautiful. The bustling city washed over the two, pa.s.sersby going about their daily lives as two t.i.tans watched on. They smiled, they laughed. Naruto could feel the love and peace in the air, the acceptance of their tragedy.
"But what did it cost? What price are you willing to make everyone pay for this kind of happiness?" Naruto asked quietly.
"Whatever it takes."
Naruto paused, transfixed as the illusion faded away, the gallery now looming over them. The blonde ran his hand through his hair, "There has to be another reason you"d be here, I can"t imagine you"d stick around just to say h.e.l.lo."
Thanos had stopped as well, staring the younger man down with a welcoming smile, "I had honestly wanted to meet you, face to face. I"d hoped to convince you of where this was going."
"And where"s that?"
Thanos flexed the Infinity Gauntlet, the Reality Stone humming dangerously, "One way or another, we"re going to clash over the stones you"ve collected. There will be no mercy on my part. I will set this universe ablaze, I will tear every galaxy apart, and I will conquer any planet that I think has the most remote idea of where they are. You can prevent that. If you don"t give me the stones now, you"ll wish you had by the time I pry them from your broken fingers."
With a flex, Naruto exerted his chakra with enough force to crack the ground beneath him, "Maybe I should use those stones to kill you, here and now."
The Mad t.i.tan smirked at the challenge, "We both know you"re too afraid to use them. Too afraid of what you could do, what you would do. Why else would you not use them? I can"t help but wonder what you"d use them for, should that temptation ever drive you over the edge. I could always give it to you, as a reward. But you"re not that kind of man."
"How do you figure?" Naruto questioned, unable to retort to anything else.
"Because I"m not."
A tense silence followed. Naruto glared up at the Mad t.i.tan, and Thanos glowered down at the Maelstrom. Raising up Nakama, Naruto twirled the blade lethargically at his side before sliding into his stance. Thanos responded in kind, pointing his hefty sword at his enemy.
And with simultaneous roars, they charged with a charged bloodl.u.s.t.
Tw.a.n.g!
-x-
Thor screamed as he threw Mjolnir into the Centurian giant"s head, summoning it back to himself right before the hammer made contact. The Centurian, having not expected the feint, was left wide open for the blast of lightning sent by the G.o.d of Thunder.
Skidding back from the force of the attack, the brute spasmed harshly as the lightning trickled along his singed armor.
Raising his eyebrow, Thor cursed at the still mobile soldier.
They"d been going at this for nearly five minutes now. Thor would knock him down, he"d get back up. Thor would zap him with some lightning, he"d walk it off. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance as the brute pushed pa.s.sed the lightning and continued his slow charge towards the Asgardian.
Hefting Mjolnir in the air, he summoned a blast of thick lightning into the hammer. His arm vibrated from the escalating power surging within the hammer head. As lightning began to crack and plunge into the ground, swirling around him, Thor smirked as Mjolnir"s power boiled over.
With a jerk, Thor punched Mjolnir forward, shooting a thin stream of lightning into the Centurian"s chest plate, zapping through the armor like wet paper. The lightning continued its arch, hitting the building behind the soldier, the impact forcing the front of the building to explode in a cloud of debris, burring the brute in rubble.
Laughing haughtily, Thor flipped Mjolnir in his hand victoriously.
That celebration came to an end as the Centurian stumbled from beneath the rubble, dust and sc.r.a.ps of metal sliding off his body.
Thor huffed, rotating Mjolnir into a blur.
-x-
Hovering outside Knowhere, Jessica paced back and forth in the Kushina"s lower deck, "You"re telling me that Uzumaki is fighting the guy we"re trying keep these stones from, and we"re not fighting with him? That doesn"t make any sense."
"Remember what was said about the Reality Stone?" The Shadow Clone asked, "Thanos could probably kill Thor without it, but with it he could kill him with just a snap of his fingers."
"Then why bring us along at all? Why make this team in the first place?" Illyana asked, leaning against the steps to the c.o.c.kpit.
"The boss can fight Thanos on his own and probably survive. But you"ve seen what Thanos has backing him up. He doesn"t just have armies at his beck and call. He has planets." The clone reasoned gravely, "The boss needs help keeping the Infinity Stones safe."
"So, he gets us?" Jessica questioned rhetorically. Shaking her head, she folds her arms under her chest, "He doesn"t need a team, he needs an army."
"The boss is an army." He shot back, smiling awkwardly, "What he needs are friends."
Jessica"s mouth was agape, stunned.
Illyana didn"t hesitate, getting up from the stairs, "He"s got one."
While the Shadow Clone smiled back, Jessica frowned in thought, looking down at the still burning Celestial skull in thought.
-x-
Naruto grunted as he slid back from Thanos" heavy strike, shaking off the numbness in his arm. Even in Sage Mode, Thanos was proving to be difficult to step up to. Though he was big and weighed down by that bulky armor, the Mad t.i.tan moved at Naruto"s level of dexterity. Neither had landed a full blow on the other, both working out the other"s fighting style as they danced around each other.
Thanos" was brutal and deliberate. No move was wasted, no strike unnecessary. His armor was strangely st.u.r.dy, able to take a hit from his Senjutsu enhanced strikes just fine. Naruto thought he"d have an advantage over the t.i.tan due to the violet skinned man"s choice of weapon. But the man twirled the thing around like was a broom stick. He swung it so hard down on Nakama, Naruto had to bleed chakra into the weapon to keep it from rolling.
Thanos chuckled as he pushed Naruto back, "I"m going to kill you if you don"t stop tip toeing around, son." With a shove, he forced Naruto to stumble. Seeing an opening, Thanos swung his sword down, slashing deep into the blonde"s shoulder-
BOOM!
Naruto exploded, swallowing Thanos in fire and smoke.
The cloud of smoke lingered as several Narutos dropped down around the plum, swirling their Nakamas before charging into the cloud with the blades covered in lightning.
As they submerged themselves in the cloud, a flash of red could be seen coming from the center followed by an ominous sound of pure energy vibrating against metal.
Hovering from above the cloud, Naruto narrowed his Six Paths Sage Mode enhanced eyes at the smoke as it was swallowed by a thin layer of red energy. That energy began to guide the smoke, breaking it apart into several hundred needle-like formations.
And with a flex of the Infinity Gauntlet, those smoke needles shot out in a 360-degree arc, skewering every Shadow Clone in the room.
Cursing, Naruto threw his hands up in the air, pushing out a wall of air that intercepted the smoke needles from turning him into a pin cushion.
As the needles broke apart into small spurts of smoke, Naruto shot forward like a bullet, zooming down at Thanos as he dropped a hammer kick down on the Mad t.i.tan"s head.
Stumbling back, Thanos swung his sword at Naruto out of instinct. Grunting Naruto ducked, the ma.s.sive blade swiping over him. Lifting his hand up, the blonde activated his Magnet Release, focusing on the blade in its back swing.
Naruto"s eyes widened as it didn"t take effect, forcing him to roll out of the blade"s path.
Twirling the sword as Naruto backed off, Thanos said, "The Reality Stone truly is awesome in its versatility. To be able to cancel out the magnetism of an object, it"s truly useful against a man with control over metal don"t you think?"
Narrowing his eyes, Naruto thought, "So Magnet Release is out, awesome."
From within the seal, Kurama nodded, "Melt the b.a.s.t.a.r.d then, brat."
"Agreed."
Flipping through several hand signs, Naruto charge forward. Using Magnet Release, Naruto unsheathed Nakama and sent the blade out to intercept Thanos while the blonde finished his sign work.
While Nakama met Thanos with some blade work, Naruto quickly finished his hand signs, taking a deep breath as he thought, "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Thanos, seeing a thick wall of air charging towards him, knocked Naruto"s weapon out of the way before putting his double-edged sword a whirl wind twirl, the blade becoming a blurred shield just in time to intercept the wall of wind.
Clapping his hands together, Naruto smirked as the wall wrapped around Thanos, spinning and rotating into a dome. Taking another deep breath, the shin.o.bi thought, "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
And with a heave, Naruto created a storm of fire.
But, with a flash of red, that fire and wind was quickly enveloped in a thin lair of red energy before trans.m.u.ting into a cl.u.s.ter of bubbles.
Naruto blinked in shock as another flash of red swept over the bubbles.
In the corner of his eye, Naruto spotted a bubble float to the edge of Nakama"s blade. As it touched the edge, the sword"s razor-sharp edge popped the bubble with
BOOM!
-x-
Flinching, the Naruto Shadow Clone flinched as a wave of memories came flooding in. Stumbling back, he gripped his forehead as he said, "The boss is fighting Thanos now."
Illyana swallowed the frog in her throat, "Is he winning?"
"It"s pretty even, both are just testing the waters right now." The clone answered distractedly as he cataloged the memories.
"Meaning…?" The sorceress asked.
"If this keeps going, they"re gonna destroy Knowhere."
-x-
With a flex of the Infinity Gauntlet, the barrier surrounding Thanos broke away. Another flex, the fire and smoke from the explosion was funneled upwards out of the collapsed ceiling, dispersing into the air outside.
Driving his sword into the ground, Thanos sat down on a boulder, "That didn"t even leave a scratch, did it?"
Pushing the rubble away, Naruto grunted from his spot on the ground. Other than being coated in dust, the blonde was the picture of health. Not even his uniform was damaged, though that was thanks to the vibranium weave.
"You"re pretty handy with that stone already." Naruto observed off handedly, "That gauntlet"s responsible, I"m guessing."
The Mad t.i.tan smirked as he examined the gauntlet, "The Infinity Gauntlet was specifically crafted to handle the power of all six Infinity Stones. This took nearly two decades to forge, the complicated enchantments allowing for complete access to any of the stones" powers taking up most of that time. With this, I could take over galaxy after galaxy with a single stone."
"But you don"t want the universe." Naruto filled in. Dusting himself off, he asked, "So what then? Every journey comes to an end. If you don"t kill yourself in your genocide, what"s the end to your story? Maybe open up a quant little bakery? I"d buy some Thanos Truffles. Or maybe you could start a bed and breakfast?"
Chuckling, Thanos shook his head, "If you survive the purge, maybe I"ll tell you."
With a flex, Naruto summoned his Six Paths Chakra Cloak, the orange flames flickering angrily. Keeping still, Naruto said, "Do you honestly think the survivors of this purge would let you live that ending you want?"
"It"s not likely." Thanos admitted, "They"re free to their anger. But my goal isn"t about the consequences it has against me. It"s about what it does for everyone-"
Thanos halted, feeling a sudden shift in the air. As the hairs on the back of his neck began to lift, the ground began to quake, the rubble around them vibrating violently. Eyes squinting as Naruto became as bright as a star, Thanos lifted his Infinity Gauntlet covered arm to block the beams of light.
As it relented, the Mad t.i.tan could not help but admire the man before him.
His black uniform now seemed to be made of a purple ember, the orange highlights now blazing gold. Sprawled along his collar and stomach sat the usual sealing matrix, with a matching gold color. Naruto"s hair, which was now a matching purple, danced lethargically as the shin.o.bi took in the Cosmic Energy around him.
Opening his eyes, Naruto bent his knees at the ready.
"Magnifice-"
Thanos stumbled back as Naruto drove his fist into the t.i.tan"s sternum, bending the man into his fist.
Feeling the armor bend from the force, Thanos flexed the Infinity Gauntlet, red energy enveloping the ground beneath them. As he trans.m.u.ted the ground to break them apart, the energy lair began to glitch, struggling to do as it was told.
The t.i.tan"s confusion quickly shifted from confusion to realization, "You canceled out the stone." He stated confidently, "This form…it"s Cosmic Energy. That"s the only way you could stop the Reality Stone."
Naruto didn"t respond, driving his free hand into Thanos" throat. Gasping as his wind pipe nearly collapsed, the t.i.tan stumbled back.
"Intercepting the b.a.s.t.a.r.d"s trans.m.u.tation with your own drained what little Cosmic Energy you"d gathered up, idiot." Kurama chastised, "Kill him, now."
"I know, I know!" Naruto thought back as he tried to drill a kick into the t.i.tan"s stomach.
Flexing the gauntlet, Thanos was swallowed in red energy. As Naruto"s kick made contact, he phased through him like a ghost.
His face contorted into rage and understanding, Thanos gasped out, "No, you can"t cancel out the stone. But you can counter my trans.m.u.tation if you have the opening. Interesting." He points the Infinity Gauntlet towards the blonde, "Let"s test that."
With a "throom," the Reality Stone lit up as energy surrounded the ground around them.
Jumping in the air, Naruto evaded the four hands made of stone as they burst from the ground. The hands chased after him, their arms being fed by the Reality Stone. From the ever growing arms, smaller hands emerged, creating a web of stone appendages as they swerved and danced after their target.
Grunting as he bounced off the galleries crumbling walls to dodge the persistent hands, Naruto threw his hands out as he released a giant burst of lightning. Skating along the stone hands, the lightning tore the appendages apart.
Seeing his attack wasn"t working, Thanos released his control over the hands, the now towering monoliths freezing in place.
Landing on the most intact arm, Naruto shot down towards the ground, chakra laced feet keeping him from falling off the vertical platform.
Thanos didn"t see the man coming, jumping in shock as Naruto suddenly appeared in his guard. Lifting his arms up to block the incoming kick, he was disappointed when Naruto again vanished in a blur. He couldn"t even look around before the blonde appeared behind him, driving his foot into the t.i.tan"s knee cap.
Roaring as he heard and felt the bone snap, Thanos dropped to his good knee.
Appearing at Thanos" side in another blur, Naruto lifted his hand up as he summoned a Truth-Seeking Ball. Forming it into a sword, Naruto gripped the blade made of pure energy before swinging down on the t.i.tan"s left forearm.
And with one smooth stroke, the Infinity Gauntlet clattered to the ground with a heavy "clang."
Roaring in pain and rage, Thanos clutched at the amputated arm. As purple blood painted the ground beneath them in a violent splatter, Naruto calmly raised his Truth-Seeking Blade to Thanos" throat.
"Yield." Naruto demanded.
Huffing, his face contorting from agony, the t.i.tan muttered, "Just do it, son. Get it over with."
"You don"t get the easy way out." The blonde explained.
Thanos chuckled, "Is this supposed to show that you"re better than me? Hm? Mercy isn"t sending me to the corner to think about my mistakes. Mercy is taking away the threat I possess."
"From where I"m standing, you"re not much of a threat-"
"I will always be a threat." Thanos retorted through clenched teeth,"Change will always challenge the status quo, and a change is coming. Me, you…we are change. If it"s not me, they"ll be after you soon enough.We are inevitable."
Naruto took several breaths; in and out, in and out. Shoulders relaxed, Naruto lowers his blade.
As Thanos looked up, pity in his eyes, Naruto looks away with pity in his own.
Shling!
Thanos grunts, the Truth-Seeking Blade plunged into his chest. Smiling pa.s.sed the blood that was flowing down his lips, staining his teeth purple, the t.i.tan gargled, "Perhaps I underestimated you, son."
As he goes limp, Naruto pulled the blade free, dispersing it into nothingness.
From the corner of his eye, he sees a red light still shining. Frowning in thought, Naruto picks up the Infinity Gauntlet, the Mad t.i.tan"s severed arm still sitting in place. The stone vibrated in its slot, the energy buzzing against the gauntlet"s metal knuckle.
Another flash of light caught his eye, coming from Thanos.
Slowly, the t.i.tan began to fade away, eaten away by the Reality Stone"s red energy. As the last vestiges of Thanos evanesced, the Infinity Gauntlet in Naruto"s hands followed suit.
Letting go out of reflex, the gauntlet dropped to the ground. And just as it was about to hit the floor, it was gone.
Looking down at where Thanos had once been, Naruto barely noticed Thor burst into the gallery. Seeing the blonde was alone, the frazzled Thor let his guard down, putting one hand on his hip as he caught his breath, "Apologies for the wait. That Centurian was a tough nut to crack." He paused, "Not that I couldn"t crack that nut. If I"d wanted too, I could have. He just disappeared before I could really let loose-"
Naruto ignored the Asgardian"s boasting, as Kurama spoke over him, "The b.a.s.t.a.r.d was an illusion all along."
"I noticed." The blonde thought with agitation. Walking up to Thor, he set his hand on the Asgardian"s shoulder, "Come on, we"re leaving."
Thor couldn"t get a word out before they disappeared in a flash of yellow.
-x-
Location: The Sanctuary II
-x-
"What will you do now, my Lord?"
Kneeling within the Sanctuary"s throne room, the Other cowered beneath the power exuding from his master. Shining over him like the tiniest of stars, the Reality Stone sat with the Infinity Stone, the gem vibrating dangerously.
From his throne, Thanos looked over his new weapon in thought, "Even with the Reality Stone, I am no match against the Maelstrom."
"But my Lord, you are the most powerful-"
"The Maelstrom has three Infinity Stones, you fool. No being has dared wield such power. He is the most powerful being in the universe."
The Other, not wanting to argue with his master, nodded deeply, "As you say, my Lord."
From behind the Other, Ebony Maw glided up to his master"s side, "What would you have us do, Father?"
Smiling at his son"s question, Thanos continued to stare into the Reality Stone"s beautiful gem, "How do you break a man, my boy?"
"You break what he loves."
"You do me proud, son."