The night on N52 was as rowdy as ever.
Pirates, pockets overflowing with the spoils of their latest raid, laughed heartily as they indulged in extravagant pleasures, celebrating the simple fact that they had survived another day.
Crime. Filth.
Lothar sat alone in a tavern, sipping a drink rumored to be a specialty of N52. A sultry dancer swayed her hips before him, doing her utmost to captivate the towering brutes scattered throughout the bar. Yet, despite securing the best seat in the house, Lothar remained utterly detached from the revelry around him.
Still no signal?
Bored, he lifted his gaze toward the distant Babel Tower. Night had long since fallen over N52, but the signal from Woz had yet to arrive.
"Hey there, handsome. Drinking alone?"
A woman with fluffy ears atop her head and a tail swishing behind her sauntered over, her crimson lips curved into a tempting smile. The scent of blood and battle still clung to her tight combat suit, evidence of recent violence.
"A lone drinker—"
"Leave."
"What?" A flicker of confusion crossed the woman's delicate features. Fresh from the battlefield, she wondered if the exhaustion had made her mishear.
"I won't say it again."
"Get out."
Lothar's gaze lifted, sharp as twin blades stabbing straight into her soul.
"…Interesting." She withdrew the hand that had been tracing the armor on his chest. In all her years here, no man had ever told her to leave.
Most came looking for fun. If things didn't click, they'd simply part ways over a toast, no hard feelings. But this guy? Straight to rejection with the force of a hammer.
What a waste of a face like that.
Her expression twisted into disdain as she opened her mouth to retort—only to find his hand clamped around her throat.
A terrifying strength rendered her powerless. Her feet kicked in vain, but she was already airborne, helpless.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Lothar hurled the woman onto the bar counter. The loud crash drew gasps from every corner of the tavern.
"I told you," someone muttered. "Doesn't matter who approaches—women are just a nuisance to him."
"Who the hell knows what his deal is?"
Shattered glass, spilled liquor, and a groaning body sprawled across the bar—the fragmented scene played out in real-time within Babel Tower, where all eyes took in the unfolding spectacle.
"Your master is quite the heartless bastard," Diana mused, twirling a golden whip between her fingers. She glanced at The Other, who was cowering in a corner, clutching the Casket of Ancient Winters, and then at Astra, who was busy massaging her shoulders. A cold smirk touched her lips.
Clearly, the pirate queen was thinking of her own experiences.
"This is the guy?" The Flash, a man with a jagged bolt-like scar on his forehead, toyed idly with a set of beads. "I dunno. He doesn't seem that impressive."
"Alright, it's time to begin." Diana cracked her whip, her gaze narrowing. "I've made arrangements with the Skrulls and the Kree."
She pressed a button on the control panel of Babel Tower.
A dazzling explosion of fireworks lit up the sky, reflected in Lothar's cold smirk.
Raw energy surged through his body. In an instant, an invisible shockwave blasted through the tavern, shattering its ceiling.
"It begins."
The windstorm blinded the bar's patrons. Before they could curse, Lothar was gone, vanishing in a blink. Only a lone glass remained, spinning wildly on the table before crashing to the floor, shattering into pieces.
"Alert! Alert! Unidentified energy source approaching at high velocity!"
"Alert! Alert! Unidentified energy source approaching at high velocity!"
"Alert! Alert! Unidentified energy source approaching at high velocity!"
Beyond N52, alarms blared in unison across both the Skrull and Kree fleets, sending their forces scrambling into battle stations.
"Can anyone tell me what the hell that is?!"
There, floating before the combined might of two empires, stood Lothar—clad in gleaming silver armor, his presence radiating raw power.
"General! It's Lothar, son of Thanos!"
"What's he thinking? Does he have a death wish?"
Neither Aurgus, commander of the Skrull fleet, nor Dudek and Vanas, leading the Kree, could fathom Lothar's sudden arrival.
Was he here to surrender Astra and call it quits?
"General! Something's wrong! Look at N52!"
Behind Lothar, the eastern hemisphere of N52 lit up—countless planetary thrusters igniting all at once!
Energy exhausts blazed behind Lothar, their brilliance washing over his silver armor, refracting into a mesmerizing glow.
"Damn it! Those seven lunatics are trying to break N52 out of its orbital path!"
"Attack! Take out those planetary thrusters!"
Realization struck the fleet commanders like a thunderbolt. Furious, they roared their orders.
Destroying the planetary thrusters became their top priority.
"So it finally begins."
Lothar tilted his head slightly, casting a glance back at the planet behind him. His lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin.
"Then let's begin… the hunt."
In the vast void of space, wrapped in a corona of energy, Lothar let out a vicious laugh. Twin beams of raw destruction burst from his hands as he launched himself into the fleet.
Everywhere he passed, carnage followed.
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions erupted across the fleet, the detonation of warships and star missiles painting the battlefield in a chaotic symphony of fire and light. Blasted off-course by the sheer force of his attacks, Lothar staggered mid-air before regaining his footing—only to rise once more, standing defiant before the gathered forces of two empires.
"What the hell is this guy?!"
"Not even an Eternal Titan's body could withstand this level of bombardment without a scratch!"
"Keep firing! He's just one man! Focus on destroying N52's thrusters!"
Missiles rained down in endless waves. There was no way Lothar could intercept them all alone.
"…Alright, I take it back."
Back on N52, within one of the seven Babel Towers, Flash, who had been standing guard with Superman, shook his head in disbelief.
"This guy is even stronger than I imagined."
With someone like Lothar absorbing the brunt of the assault, the Babel Tower plan was as solid as ever.
"Don't get cocky," Superman warned, still observing Lothar's battle. "The Kree and Skrull fleets have massive reinforcements stationed nearby. Once Aurgus and Dudek call them in, they'll be here in minutes."
And then—he noticed something off.
"Wait… that trajectory isn't right…"
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