Chapter 135: Collapse, Flee, and Retreat

To Thanos, only Hela seemed worth his attention. He sensed a vast surge of energy emanating from her, while everyone else appeared to be nothing more than small fry. He was confident in his own strength, especially now that he knew Odin was absent. He believed the Tesseract of Asgard was well within his reach. Having just learned from Ebony Maw that three Infinity Stones were present, and observing the energy reactions radiating from Hela, he was certain the stones must be in her possession. At the same time, he felt he had stumbled upon a pleasant surprise; it seemed he wouldn't need to visit Earth to acquire three of the stones after all. A delightful turn of events.

However, the next moment, tension gripped him. Hela, whom he had been watching, remained motionless, but he noticed the handsome young man beside her—yellow, blue, and purple lights were flickering simultaneously on his person. All three stones were manifesting on one individual! Thanos froze, his expression hardening. He wondered if some variable he hadn't accounted for had emerged. He glanced at Gamora, who simply shrugged, spreading her hands in a gesture that suggested she was powerless to help.

Something was wrong. This was very, very wrong. He could understand the Space Stone being in Asgard, and he could understand the Power Stone being there because of Gamora and her group, but having two stones on one person was beyond his comprehension. More importantly, why was the Reality Stone there too? This made no sense. Thanos looked toward his strategist. Ebony Maw was shaking his head, equally bewildered by the situation. This was completely different from what he had anticipated. His eyes had locked onto Kel'Thuzad from the start, sensing a deviousness and cunning that mirrored his own—not the mark of a hero. He decided that if a fight broke out, this would be the first person he needed to eliminate. Similarly, Kel'Thuzad looked back at Ebony Maw. As one mage judging another, he found the Maw equally displeasing. Both sides stared at each other in silence, each plotting where to strike first to neutralize the other’s primary strength in the shortest time possible.

The forces under Thanos were all looking at Roald, the armored man. They had expected to walk through Asgard unopposed in Odin's absence, only to find that his absence had brought forth an even thornier opponent. Three Infinity Stones appearing out of nowhere, and held by the same person, was preposterous. Most beings could not master even one, let alone three. Space, Reality, and Power—all three were formidable in battle, and his own master had yet to master even one of them.

Thanos’s complexion turned grim. He began to calculate his next move. While he felt his own power was immense, it was not enough to ignore the influence of three Infinity Stones. More importantly, the Hela on the other side didn't look weak either! If he had even one stone in his possession, Thanos might have had a chance, but he held neither the Space Stone nor the Mind Stone. Thinking of this, he prepared to grab a scapegoat, scanning the crowd of green-clad figures on the Bifrost for Loki. But the shrewd Loki had already transformed himself into someone else and gone into hiding.

"Hey, are we about to start?" Thor, seeing the eerie silence fall over the field, leaned over to Hela and asked.

"Hmph! If he begs for mercy, I suppose I might spare him!" Hela retorted, mocking Thanos. Hearing this, Thanos’s expression darkened further. He turned to the Black Order behind him, raised a hand, and issued a low, silent command.

More landing pods descended from the massive *Sanctuary* warship, and swarms of Chitauri soldiers poured out. Thanos himself charged straight at Roald, hoping to seize a stone immediately.

"I've been waiting for this!" Thor raised his hand, snatched his hammer from a Scourge soldier standing nearby, and hoisted it high. "For Asgard!!!"

Hela rolled her eyes at her foolish brother and kicked him aside. As for Loki, he had long since transformed into the likeness of a random Scourge soldier, hiding the moment Thanos appeared. He feared that if he didn't, he would be the first one Thanos cut down—after all, he was the man who had stood Thanos up. For Loki, the priority was to see Thanos killed here and now, or his history as a double agent would be exposed.

The Chitauri behind Thanos poured out in a swarm, while the Scourge soldiers on Roald’s side surged forward like a tidal wave. The two forces collided violently on the Bifrost. Unlike the Chitauri, the Scourge soldiers were bolstered by the combined might of Kel'Thuzad and Roald. With the Obelisks in place, Kel'Thuzad could summon Scourge soldiers indefinitely, and in a final pinch, he could even risk opening a Dark Portal. Because of this, Roald held a positive outlook on the battle.

Ragnaros the Firelord raised his longsword. Having been summoned by Roald, this was his first time participating in such a massive conflict, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of primal passion. "Hahahaha! Come! It has been far too long since I had a proper fight! Let me see how many of my sword strikes you wretches can endure!"

As he spoke, Ragnaros grew in stature, becoming a full-fledged fire giant. Flames erupted from the twin-bladed sword he held in both hands. He slammed the weapon down in front of the incoming Chitauri.

"By fire be purged!"

A chant echoed, followed by a roar. A massive wave of fire suddenly surged forward from Ragnaros’s position, sweeping into the charging Chitauri. A vast number of them were incinerated instantly as Ragnaros’s ten-meter-long flaming blade blocked their path.

"Oh, he is a real powerhouse!" The sight left Quill breathless, and he blurted it out instinctively. Everyone turned to look at him. "Uh, I mean... that thing looks pretty effective..."

Thanos, who had been charging forward, gripped his double-edged blade and stopped in his tracks, staring at the ten-meter sword in Ragnaros’s hands. Things were looking quite wrong today. Hela was a threat, this fiery oaf was something else, the armored man didn't look easy to deal with, and that wizard looked incredibly cunning. Why was it that with Odin gone, Asgard's strength had actually increased? And those soldiers—he could feel a thick, suffocating aura of death emanating from them. Thanos was starting to feel out of his depth.