Pigsty

"One day, the overpopulation will completely drain this universe, turning it into a dead wasteland."

"And the forging technology of your dwarven race is a flaw in the universe."

"The weapons you forge are far too powerful, so powerful that anyone who holds them can easily disrupt the balance of the universe."

"So, I'm sorry, but you all must die!"

After hearing Thanos' words, Eitri, the Dwarf King, suddenly lifted his head, which had been slightly bowed, his eyes filled with disbelief.

What the heck? Is it a crime that our forging skills are too good?

What kind of ridiculous logic is this? Do we really deserve this?

"No! You can't! I've already forged what you wanted…"

Eitri roared angrily at Thanos.

Damn it, this isn't fair.

I've already done what you asked, and now you're saying our race is a threat to balance and needs to be wiped out.

Why didn't you say so earlier?!

But before the Dwarf King could finish, Thanos, who stood a head taller than him, grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up.

"Don't worry, in the vibrant universe of the future, people will remember your dwarven race."

Thanos said to Eitri in a solemn, almost gentle tone.

What the hell with the 'solemn tone'?!

Just because of your absurd logic, my dwarven race is going to be wiped out, and who do I turn to for justice?

At this moment, the Dwarf King Eitri no longer felt any fear towards Thanos, only an unprecedented fury.

Eitri swiftly pulled out a beautifully crafted communicator from his cloak.

He no longer cared about preserving Zane's rare chance to intervene.

If he didn't use it now, his dwarven race would truly be lost to the annals of history.

If he died so unjustly, how could Eitri face the ancestors of his race who fought so hard for survival?

But just as he was about to press the red button on the communicator—

Thanos easily snatched it from him.

Thanos examined the communicator for a moment, then sneered and crushed it into pieces right in front of Eitri.

"It's useless. Stop your futile struggle and peacefully sacrifice yourself for the future of the great universe."

Thanos said coldly, looking at Eitri.

In an instant, the last glimmer of hope in Eitri's eyes vanished.

He pounded furiously on Thanos' arm, cursing constantly.

But after realizing it was all in vain, Eitri slowly quieted down, glaring at Thanos with eyes full of rage and hatred.

"You madman, one day you'll die a thousand times worse than our dwarven race."

Yet, in the face of Eitri's dying curse, Thanos remained utterly unmoved.

In his life, he had heard such curses countless times.

None of them could shake his will.

Just as Thanos was about to snap Eitri's neck—

Neither he nor Eitri noticed the shards of the communicator on the ground, glowing faintly with a blue light.

A portal silently opened…

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Inside the mechanical planet, Zane felt the space rune inside one of the communicators he had sent out shatter.

He said to Lorna and the others, "Wait here for me. I need to take care of something."

With that, he opened a space portal out of thin air and stepped through.

In the Dwarven Kingdom, Zane silently emerged from the portal, appearing right behind Thanos.

At that moment, Eitri, the Dwarf King, who was being choked by Thanos and on the verge of passing out, saw Zane's figure. A flicker of hope flashed in his eyes.

Mustering all his strength, he gasped out, "Lord... Zane, please... save the dwarves!"

"Go ahead and die peacefully. Zane Sy should be nowhere near here right now, so stop your wishful thinking," Thanos mocked.

Not realizing Zane had arrived, Thanos thought Eitri's words were just his final desperate struggle.

But for the first time, Eitri looked at Thanos with disdain in his eyes.

Even though Thanos was squeezing harder, making it impossible for Eitri to speak, he could still move his lips.

Facing him, Thanos could clearly see his lips moving: 'You're finished!'

Reading what Eitri was trying to say, an overwhelming sense of unease suddenly surged in Thanos' heart.

Just as he was about to strangle Eitri in a fit of anger, a hand gently patted his shoulder.

Instantly, every muscle in Thanos' body tensed, and a bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

He hadn't sensed anyone approaching at all.

It wasn't until this person physically touched him that Thanos realized someone was there.

Had this person attacked him just moments earlier, Thanos wouldn't have even had time to defend himself.

Before gaining insight from Ego's billions of years of knowledge of the universe, Zane couldn't perfectly suppress his presence.

Unless, of course, he activated the [God's Absence]

But now, unless someone was at a higher level than Zane, they wouldn't be able to sense him at all—even if he stood right behind them. If they didn't see Zane with their own eyes, they wouldn't realize he was there.

Zane had perfectly concealed all power fluctuations, soul waves, and even his own aura within his body.

Not for the sake of hiding himself, but to unleash power beyond his limits at the crucial moment.

"I'm not supposed to be here, huh? Then tell me, where am I, Purple Pigsty?"

Zane's teasing voice came from right behind Thanos.

Immediately, Thanos' hand loosened, and Eitri, who was nearly suffocating, fell to the ground with a thud, coughing violently.

However, Thanos no longer paid any attention to Eitri. If his current mood could be summed up in one word, it would be "panic."

Utter panic!

That familiar voice from behind—Thanos could never forget it, even in death.

He couldn't believe Eitri wasn't bluffing.

Zane had really shown up!

This was impossible! At this moment, Zane should have been focused on increasing his strength, or hiding to avoid being found by the Celestials.

Why would he have the time to come here?

Thanos turned around, stiff like a robot.

The moment he saw Zane, who was the same size as him, his pupils shrank in shock.

The last sliver of hope in Thanos' heart disappeared completely, as if a sharp sword had been hidden away for good.

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