With his ambition driving him forward, Thanos arrived at Xandar to begin his plan.
Meanwhile, Luo Bai had returned to Kamar-Taj, intending to refine his abilities once again.
After all, he had absorbed a vast amount of power recently—especially the integration of the Phoenix Force, which had significantly enhanced his strength.
Although these energies were balanced by the Power of the Fairies, a lack of complete mastery could still lead to instability when wielding them.
Thus, Luo Bai returned to Kamar-Taj, entered the main hall, and began to meditate.
He started analyzing all the powers fused within his body:
The Power of Vishanti
Dark Magic
Odinforce
The Power of the Celestials
The Phoenix Force
And many more…
Though these forces seemed vastly different, they actually shared certain similarities.
For instance, while Thor, who inherited the Odinforce, preferred close combat, Odin's true power allowed for both physical and magical cultivation.
As a result, a portion of the Odinforce resembled both light and dark magic, making it easier for Luo Bai to analyze.
As for the power of the Celestials—after thorough examination, it could essentially be understood as a form of creation energy.
Simply put, once one mastered this power, they could manipulate matter at the molecular level.
However, Ego's strength had been limited, preventing him from fully utilizing this ability.
Even with Luo Bai's thorough understanding, the Celestial power could only be wielded within a single universe at most.
Then there was the Phoenix Force—one of the most terrifying cosmic forces.
However, what Luo Bai currently possessed was merely a fragment of it.
For now, this fragment could only influence a single universe or, at best, multiple universes.
If he were to unleash its full power, he could restart an entire universe—essentially recreating reality from scratch.
Additionally, the Phoenix Force specialized in mental suppression.
If Luo Bai used it for mind control, he could dominate every living being in the universe.
Of course, that was only the ability of a single fragment.
If he were to collect all fragments, he would become the White Phoenix of the Crown.
And when combined with the Power of the Fairies, Luo Bai would ascend to the level of an Omnipotent Universal Entity.
To put it simply…
With just a single thought, he could control, restart, or reshape the entire Marvel Multiverse.
Thinking about this, even Luo Bai found it terrifying.
He had to gather all the Phoenix Force fragments.
However, locating them was a challenging task, as they were scattered across different realities in the Multiverse.
This meant that Luo Bai would have to embark on a multiversal journey—one that could take up to half a century, at least in Earth's timeline.
At the moment, he had no plans to do so. Such a grand endeavor required careful preparation.
Instead, his mind shifted to another matter.
With both the Ancient One and Odin gone…
Wasn't it time for Thanos to make his move?
Given how obsessed the Mad Titan was with collecting the Infinity Stones, there was no way he would simply abandon his mission.
As Luo Bai pondered, he decided to expand his cosmic awareness, using his current power to observe the entire universe.
His goal was simple:
To see whether Thanos was already in motion.
And sure enough, he caught him.
What a coincidence.
Thanos was leading his army toward Xandar, preparing to steal the Power Stone.
This piqued Luo Bai's curiosity.
"Doesn't Thanos know that I already have four Infinity Stones? How dare he make a move while I'm still here?"
Intrigued, Luo Bai decided to eavesdrop on Thanos' conversation with his subordinates.
Sanctuary II — Thanos' Flagship
At this moment, Thanos and his army were aboard Sanctuary II.
This massive warship—also known as the Mad Titan's Mobile Throne—was so enormous that it could house an entire planet's population.
And within its core chamber sat Thanos' throne, suspended high above the ground, crafted from immense slabs of dark stone.
Beneath it, Thanos stood, discussing matters with his five most trusted lieutenants—the Black Order.
Their conversation revolved around one person.
Luo Bai.
"According to the Universal Laws of the Infinity Stones, to prevent them from being too close together, the stones on Earth are meant to be separated—guarded by the Keepers of Kamar-Taj and Asgard."
"Logically, Kamar-Taj should only be protecting the Time Stone. So why is Luo Bai, the supposed guardian of only one stone, in possession of four?"
Thanos asked as he walked forward, his deep voice laced with doubt.
He found this matter deeply puzzling.
His subordinates knew even less about the specifics.
"We are unsure of the full details, my lord," Ebony Maw responded respectfully. "However, we have confirmed that Luo Bai traveled to Asgard and somehow brought the Space Stone back with him."
"Unfortunately, Asgard's magical barriers prevent us from seeing what transpired inside their realm."
Thanos remained silent.
Something about this situation felt… off.
Given Odin's personality, how could a mere sorcerer—one who had only studied for a few years—simply take the Space Stone from him?
"Is there something special about this wizard?" Thanos continued.
"As the saying goes—know your enemy as well as yourself, and you will never lose a battle."
Before heading to Earth, Thanos wanted to fully understand Luo Bai's capabilities.
"According to our investigations, there doesn't appear to be anything particularly unique about him," Ebony Maw stated.
"He has never participated in the Mage Conference and was directly chosen as the Supreme Sorcerer by the Ancient One."
"However… according to reliable sources, on the very day he became the Supreme Sorcerer, the witch Agatha Harkness entered Kamar-Taj… and was never seen leaving."
Thanos frowned. "Agatha? Who is she?"
Ebony Maw smirked slightly. "A witch, my lord. But compared to my father, she is insignificant."
Thanos scoffed.
Then she's not worth worrying about.
"Any other information?" he asked after a brief pause.
Ebony Maw thought for a moment before replying, "None for now, my lord."
Thanos was still deep in thought. Something about this entire situation felt… off.
Before he could dwell on it further, Ebony Maw spoke up:
"My lord, there is no need to overthink this. He is merely a novice sorcerer, while you are the future ruler of the universe—a great leader destined to wield absolute power."
"With our assistance, you will undoubtedly claim all six Infinity Stones."
As always, Ebony Maw's words were filled with flattery.
Thanos pondered for a moment before nodding slightly. Perhaps he was overanalyzing the situation.
"How much longer until we reach Xandar?" he asked.
"We are almost there, my lord. Soon, your grand plan will be realized!" Ebony Maw replied with a respectful bow.
The two continued their conversation, seemingly in good spirits.
However, what they didn't know was that every single word was being monitored—by Luo Bai.
To be honest, Luo Bai hadn't expected the transmission of information across the universe to be this… slow.
Not only were they completely unaware of his Fairy Power, but their knowledge was limited to Agatha Harkness at best.
But then again, this wasn't surprising.
Luo Bai had traveled across various Dark Dimensions, engaging in rather "friendly exchanges" with black magicians.
But since these events occurred within the dimensions, it made sense that Thanos and his forces had no way of detecting them.
At present, Luo Bai was still missing two Infinity Stones.
If Thanos was going to deliver them to him personally, well… that would certainly save him a trip.
But aside from the stones…
Thanos' throne seemed quite impressive.
Since he was already here, wouldn't it be a shame not to take something?
After all, if Thanos planned to take his things, why not strike first?
With that thought, Luo Bai casually used telekinesis—the art of retrieving objects with just his mind.
Meanwhile, Aboard Sanctuary II
At this moment, Thanos stood with his back to his throne, engaged in a discussion with his generals.
They were strategizing on how to retrieve the Soul Stone after acquiring the Power Stone from Xandar.
However, in the middle of their conversation, an unusual silence fell over the room.
All of his subordinates had stopped talking.
Thanos frowned. "Why did you all go silent?"
No one responded.
Instead, Ebony Maw's eyes widened in shock, and he slowly raised a trembling finger—pointing behind Thanos.
Thanos turned around.
And then…
He froze.
Wait.
Where… is my throne?
His massive, floating throne—the very symbol of his authority—was gone.
Vanished.
As if it had never existed.
Thanos' expression darkened as he turned back to face his subordinates.
"Where is my throne?" he demanded.
The Black Order—the five most feared generals in the galaxy—looked at one another, utterly baffled.
"We… we don't know," they answered in unison.
Ebony Maw, still in shock, muttered, "I… I didn't see anything… it just disappeared in the blink of an eye…"
For a brief moment, dead silence filled the room.
Then—
Thanos erupted in fury.
He had come to steal something from Xandar, yet somehow, he was the one getting robbed?!
His face twisted with rage as he roared:
"Useless fools! Find it! I don't care what it takes—GET MY THRONE BACK!!!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to [Kamron Keitt] for joining my Patreon page!🎉 Your support means the world to me. 🙏
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
There are 40+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[One piece: Starting as a Mythical Beast]