Yes.
Only now did Lorien rember. When Wanda and Gwen dragged him away last night, they completely forgot about Hela! And he was so caught up with playing Jenga... he forgot her too!
Ah, this...
Sorry, Hela. Ahem.
"Snap!"
Lorien quickly snapped his fingers to check where Hela was. Turned out she was at ho playing video gas.
"Phew."
He let out a sigh of relief. At least she wasn’t crying.
With another wave of his hand, her ga froze, and she was instantly transported onto the yacht—still holding her controller.
The mont she saw Lorien, she froze, then suddenly leapt at him.
"I’ll bite you to death!"
"You completely forgot about !"
"I hate you, you big jerk!"
She clung tightly to his waist and sank her teeth into his shoulder, gnawing and tugging like a dog.
But her teeth were useless against Lorien. Back when he had just obtained the Phoenix Force, that might have hurt—his body back then was still human. But now he carried the Silver Superman template. Most physical damage no longer affected him.
That’s it?
How are you supposed to hurt ?
Lorien knew exactly what she wanted. So he smiled and said,
"How about this? Before they wake up, how about I keep you company like you wanted last ti?"
Hela blinked in surprise, then her eyes lit up.
"Really? You won’t back out?"
Her earlier request had been... very exciting. Bathrooms, corners, corridors—it had everything.
"You’ll know once we try."
Lorien chuckled and started moving.
"Co on, I’ll show you all the yacht’s features."
...
anwhile, in the outer region of the solar system sowhere in the universe—dozens of massive warships, each tens of thousands of ters long, drifted through space.
On three of them, ten colossal chanical beings sat atop the warships, surveying the cosmos below! These giants were so massive that even sitting down, their size matched the length of the warships themselves.
Behind them, other ships carried tens of millions of tons of rare ores, while so vessels remained empty.
Back on the shoulder of one of the chanical giants—if you zood in far enough, you’d spot a small figure standing there, speaking through a special device.
This was the Cybertron fleet! The giants were none other than the Elder Transforrs. And the tiny figure—was the Collector.
Yes. It had only been a few days, but the fleet was already built and launched. The Elder Transforrs had decided to follow the cosmic resource map the Collector had drawn and search for materials. Of course, the Collector had to accompany them. And he himself was more than happy to go.
Pointing to a nearby star system, he explained,
"This is the Xandarian star system. Within it lies an empire called Nova Empire! They are one of the strongest powers in the Milky Way! Also the most tolerant.
Here, no matter what kind of lifeform you are, you can enter the empire—but you must never break the law or resort to violence! Otherwise, you’ll be locked away in the most inescapable prison in the galaxy!"
After he finished, the giant said nothing, simply asking,
"Good empire or bad empire?
What resources does the system hold?"
The Collector was taken aback.
I just gave you all that information, and all you care about is whether they’re hostile or neutral—and whether there are resources to exploit?
Well... that is exactly how chanical lifeforms should think. They don’t dwell on emotions.
"It’s a decent empire," the Collector nodded.
"The Nova Empire fought a war with the Kree two years ago, but the two sides are mostly at peace now. Because of their tolerance, though, they sotis shelter weaker civilizations."
Before he even finished, an Elder pressed again.
"Resources."
Right. The Collector already knew how this would go. If there were no resources worth harvesting, the Elders would just move on to the next system.
So he explained,
"Mostly standard cosmic resources. But they possess a type of energy called Nova Force, generated by a super living computer. Those who have rendered great service and can absorb this energy are called Novas. That’s where their Nova Corps gets its na."
The Collector fell silent as the Elder Transforrs began contemplating together. They were weighing what this Nova Force was—and whether it was worth their attention.
After a long pause, one of the Elders asked,
"Will the Nova Empire be willing to trade the Nova Force?"
"We only need a small amount for research."
"Impossible," the Collector refused outright.
He shook his head and spoke into the device in his hand.
"The Nova Force is the most precious resource of the Nova Empire.
Its status is on par with that of the Queen of the Nova Empire.
So unless the empire faces destruction...the Nova Empire will never hand over the Nova Force!"
With that said, there was nothing more to discuss.
The Elders knew the matter was settled.
It was like asking the Transforrs to give away the Allspark.
They’d kill you first!
They’d toss you into the Planetary Forge and roast you alive!
After a brief silence, the Elders gave the order.
"All Transforrs, prepare for space-ti jump. Head to the next star system and scan for resources!"
At their command, every warship ten kiloters long roared to life, engines igniting as they prepared to jump.
But at that mont, their detection systems registered multiple legions simultaneously warping into the Xandarian system!
"Abort the jump!"
Sensing sothing was off, the Elders halted the fleet. The rest imdiately turned their full power to scanning the system.
Soon, a report ca in.
"Xandarian system. An army has warped in at our coordinates. They have a ten-kiloter flagship and nurous circular warships."
The Elder transmitted the scanned images to every Transforr terminal, as well as to the Collector.
The mont the Collector saw them, he leapt in fright.
"It’s Thanos’ army! That’s Thanos’ flagship, Sanctuary II—we need to leave, now!"
He was so terrified he nearly jumped out of his skin.
If you asked who was the most powerful and most infamous being in the universe—excluding the gods—it was undoubtedly Thanos.
Starting from when he destroyed half of his own howorld, he had already dominated countless star systems. To this day, Thanos had slaughtered population after population, leaving rivers of blood behind him.
And if you asked who was the primary force interfering with the birth of the new Celestials—there was only one answer. Thanos.
In the original tiline, Earth only survived a few more years because of Thanos’ snap. Without it, the planet wouldn’t have lasted five years—it would’ve been cracked open long before.
Yes, Earth itself was the shell.
While the Collector trembled in fear, the Elders swiftly calculated the balance of power.
They had ten Elders, over two hundred Transforrs, and more than fifty thousand robotic troops. Their fleet contained twenty warships the sa size as Thanos’ Sanctuary II.
However, eight of those ships were fully loaded with resources and unsuitable for combat. Their firepower wasn’t optimized for battle either.
Still, the Transforrs had a decisive advantage—firepower.
You have one legion?
We have at least five!
And that’s just in terms of numbers.
The true backbone of the fleet was the two hundred Transforrs, each standing fifteen to twenty ters tall. Every single one of them could match Thanos’ top generals in combat ability.
So, when the comparison was drawn, the conclusion was clear.
"We can win, but we’ll lose around thirty Transforrs. Add the loss of robots, and there’s no profit."
Yes.
No profit.
So they wouldn’t fight.
The Transforrs were practical. If fighting ant Cybertron could advance, they’d fight. But if fighting ant losses without gain, then forget it.
They had no need for pride. As long as Cybertron thrived, they would fight for it. If not, they would stand aside.
Lorien had given them the ability to attack proactively, but only when their survival was truly at risk. He hadn’t programd them to play heroes. They didn’t need to save anyone, or ddle in anyone else’s affairs.
All Lorien wanted was for the Transforrs to grow stronger on their own. Anyone or anything that obstructed that growth—they would fight.
But at that mont, one of the Elder Transforrs raised a different point.
"Wait."
The instant it spoke, the other nine Elders turned their hundred-ter eyes toward it.
After running the calculations, the Elder said,
"The Collector said Thanos’ army likes to slaughter fifty percent of all life. And now they’ve arrived at Xandar.
If Thanos’ army has co to slaughter, we can wait until both sides have taken heavy losses—then strike.
For the Nova Force."
The mont the words "Nova Force" were spoken, every Elder stirred.
And the Collector nearly jumped in shock.
"Yes, that’s right!"
"Thanos has set his sights on the Nova Empire!"
"Wait—Thanos is after the Infinity Stones!"
"And the Nova Empire is guarding one of them!"
The Collector’s words made all the Elders turn toward him again.
"What are the Infinity Stones, and why does Thanos want them?"
For a mont, the Collector froze. Then he realized—he hadn’t explained the Infinity Stones to them yet. He quickly added,
"The Infinity Stones were ford at the dawn of the universe...
And Thanos needs them to wipe out...
So..."
By the ti he finished, the Elders already understood the significance of the Stones. There was nothing more to explain.
The vote began.
[In tis of crisis, rescue the Nova Empire and demand the Nova Force and the Infinity Stone: 10:0]
Only ten votes were cast this ti, since only ten Elders were present. But it passed unanimously.
With the decision made, the Elders commanded the Transforrs into combat readiness and began moving slowly toward Xandar.
When they arrived, Thanos’ flagship, Sanctuary II, was already stationed at the gates of the Nova Empire.
Thanos stood aboard his ship and declared,
"Hand over the Infinity Stone. Divide yourselves into two groups, and await death’s judgnt."
The Queen of the Nova Empire drew in a sharp breath. She wanted to negotiate, but the Nova Captain beside her said firmly,
"Thanos doesn’t negotiate. When he enters a star system, there are only two outcos—either he is driven off in defeat, or he slaughters fifty percent of the population."
Yes.
Thanos always followed through.
If he said he’d kill half your family, he’d kill exactly half. Not more. Not less.
The Queen clenched her fists in anger.
"Can we repel them?" she asked.
The Nova Captain grit his teeth.
"We will do everything we can."
But in truth, there was no certainty.
Thanos’ army was the strongest known in the universe. To this day, it had never been defeated. They had carved their way across countless systems, leaving only devastation in their wake. The Nova Corps could not be sure of victory.
The Queen was silent for a long while before finally giving the order.
"Mobilize the legion. Prepare to strike back!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
At her command, one of the galaxy’s most powerful armies began to ready for battle.
On Sanctuary II, Thanos watched calmly. He extended his hand, and the Black Dwarf placed his double-edged blade in his grasp. With a wave of his arm, he commanded,
"Attack!"
At once, Thanos led his army in the assault on the Nova Empire. Sanctuary II’s massive cannons unleashed a storm of firepower, and the Nova Empire responded in kind.
One of the universe’s two strongest legions had clashed head-on!
The Collector, watching through the transmission, was stunned. He hastily activated his equipnt to record.
This footage would be priceless. The Collector wanted every detail preserved.
anwhile, the Elders were analyzing the battle as fast as their minds could calculate.
Monts later, as Sanctuary II’s main cannon blasted through every barrier and struck the spire where the Queen herself resided, one Elder spoke coldly,
"It’s over. Have all Transforrs hold position. When Thanos’ army begins its massacre, encircle them."
The Transforrs weren’t fools. They knew charging in now would only make them a target. The mont to strike with minimal casualties would be when Thanos’ army turned on the Nova Corps.
That would be the ti to hit them—catch them off guard, two against one.
It wasn’t that the Transforrs couldn’t win now. They simply wanted to ensure the lowest possible losses.
The twenty ten-kiloter warships of the Transforrs fleet began shifting into position. Engines roared as every Transforr moved into standby.
Then, before the Collector’s wide eyes, three Elders began to transform.
Their massive fras moved quickly, but their sheer size made the process look slow.
When the transformation completed, the Collector was left dumbfounded.
The three Elders had turned into colossal energy cannons—each with a barrel several kiloters wide!
Now that was true firepower.
Sanctuary II’s main cannon was only a few dozen, maybe a hundred ters at most. Compared to these, it was nothing.
One blast from these monsters—what would be left?
"You’re trying to blow up Xandar along with them?!" the Collector shouted in shock.
"Of course not," one of the still-humanoid Elders explained. "They will lock onto Sanctuary II. The goal is to focus fire on the greatest threat."
The Collector was floored.
Three energy cannons with thousand-ter calibers aid at Sanctuary II—could it possibly withstand such fire?
And there were still seven Elders who hadn’t transford. If they all joined in... would Xandar itself even survive?
For now, the Transforrs’ twenty warships remained at the edge of the system, waiting. Their engines thrumd, ready to warp into battle at a mont’s notice.
On Xandar’s battlefield, Thanos’ army tore through the Nova defenses like a tidal wave.
"Attack!" Thanos roared.
His warriors dropped from the skies, flooding into the Nova capital.
And at that mont, the Elders on the outskirts gave their order.
"All Transforrs—attack!"
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