Chapter 133: The True Overlord Has Arrived

Watching Thanos’s Sanctuary II approach, Roald was deep in thought.

He was pondering a particular question: why did one have to snap their fingers to destroy the universe once all six Infinity Stones were collected? Just a snap, and half the life in the universe would vanish. Roald had even experimented with this himself, raising his armored hand to try, only to realize that a gauntlet-clad hand couldn't possibly make a snapping sound. He found himself genuinely curious about how Thanos managed to snap his fingers while wearing such a thick, heavy metal glove. Why, after gathering the power of six cosmic gems, did the activation mechanism require a finger snap? Was it some kind of perverse sense of humor? Did he want to use the muscle tremors in his fingers to perform a "King Kai Fist" of universal destruction? Roald could never quite grasp the logic behind it.

However, as the massive warship loomed in the sky, he understood one thing: due to his own presence or some other interference, the plot had skipped directly from *Thor: Ragnarok* to the *Infinity War* chapter.

"Hey, handsome," Roald called out, standing before his group and gesturing toward Quill and his companions. "Have you lot happened to see a small purple stone and an orange one?"

"A small purple stone?" Rocket Raccoon, perched on Groot’s shoulder, asked as Roald turned to look at them.

"Assuming it hasn't undergone any strange mutations, yes. A small purple stone, and another little cutie that's orange." Roald pointed to his own helmet and the hilt of Frostmourne. "I've got two other little cuties waiting for them in my collection."

"If you're talking about that purple rock," Quill replied, "it’s not in Thanos’s hands. It’s in ours."

The entire Scourge legion turned in unison to stare at the Guardians of the Galaxy. The group, led by Quill, took a step back under the collective gaze. No matter how you looked at it, they felt that this Roald fellow was far more intimidating than Thanos. Even the initially arrogant Thor had tucked himself behind Hela, peeking out timidly. And more importantly, there was Hela...

Quill hesitated, then pulled out a small orb. "Uh, what I mean is, let's make a deal. You help us kill Thanos, and I'll hand over this stone."

Roald stared directly at Quill, who was trying to negotiate. The entire Scourge legion stared directly at the five Guardians. Feeling the weight of their combined attention, Quill reached out his right hand and tossed the orb to Roald. He didn't offer a warning about the side effects of holding the Power Stone.

What happened next left the Guardians with their jaws dropped, having witnessed the destructive power of the stone firsthand.

"Hiss—" The Guardians collectively gasped. Aside from Quill and a few others, everyone who had touched the Power Stone had met a grim fate. Yet here was this armored hunk of a man, gripping the stone in his bare hand, and he wasn't exploding? It defied all science.

Quill didn't know what kind of expression to wear. "I didn't have time to warn you... using it the wrong way, uh..." His voice trailed off under Roald’s gaze. "Fine, fine, my apologies. But isn't that our goal right now?" He pointed toward the Sanctuary hovering above Asgard.

With three stones now in his possession, Roald turned his attention to Gamora. "Lovely lady, I suspect you have a surprise for me as well, perhaps an orange stone of some sort?"

"Lovely sir, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. I've never seen such a thing," Gamora said, eyeing Roald with caution.

Roald looked away, a plan already forming in his mind. Whether the Soul Stone was on Gamora or not, as long as it wasn't with Thanos, it didn't matter. He would have Sindragosa keep a close watch on her during the battle; if she had it, he would take it. If not, with three stones already in his possession, he had nothing to fear even if Thanos landed. As long as he ensured the Tesseract wasn't stolen, Thanos’s fleet couldn't perform spatial jumps, and he wouldn't be able to reach the Time Stone on Earth. Based on what Gamora and Quill had revealed, Roald knew Thanos hadn't collected a single stone yet.

That meant the "finger snap" scenario was off the table.

"Well, it seems I have nothing to worry about," Roald said, looking at Hela. "What do you think?"

"Who is Thanos?" Hela’s reply was brief and to the point. The implication was clear: Thanos was nothing but a bottom-feeder, and she, Hela, had nothing to fear on Asgard.

"Though, before that, I think we need more troops," Hela added, looking at the swarms of Chitauri appearing in the Asgardian sky.

Roald beckoned to Ragnaros behind him. The Firelord, with extreme reluctance, plucked a ball of flame from his head and handed it to Roald, who then passed it to Hela. With this fire, Hela could awaken her own army. Combined with his own undead legions, there would be no problem facing Thanos’s forces in a full-scale battle on Asgard.

Roald held three stones, backed by the Scourge, and with Hela currently in Asgard, she was practically invincible. Even though his own chaotic interference had caused the plot to veer in bizarre directions, overall, things were under control. Facing a Thanos without a single stone, Roald felt confident. The only thing he needed to be cautious about was Odin, to prevent him from suddenly appearing once the battle concluded.

To prepare, Roald handed the Eternal Flame to Hela so she could rouse her troops. He then drove Frostmourne into the ground. A surge of blue soul energy erupted, and more Scourge soldiers manifested, quickly spreading across Asgard in layers.

He didn't know why Thanos had come to Asgard without a single stone, but Roald was certain of one thing: as long as Thanos dared to land, he had the means to deal with him. Unbeknownst to anyone, he had prepared nearly a thousand effect cards—*Energy Drain*, *Mind Control*, *Dark Infusion*, and more. Roald stood silently, leaning on his sword, waiting for Thanos to arrive. Kel'Thuzad began his own incantations, summoning more Scourge soldiers, while Sindragosa, the Matriarch of the Frostbrood, unleashed her aura, filling the Asgardian sky with skeletal dragons.