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[Emperor Thanos]

"You're right," Holkes said, pacing back and forth in the room. "Thanos has always been very disrespectful to me, often not even bothering to see me. But I didn't expect him to be this arrogant."

The corner of the Deathblade General's mouth twitched into a smile.

"Follow me," Holkes waved and left the room first, followed by General Deathblade( Corvus Glave Code name in organisation).

Here was a massive spaceship. Hork's legion originated from interstellar pirates. Though their power now rivalled the empire's, Hork, as the supreme leader, still preferred life aboard the spaceship.

Holkes took General Deathblade, some vassals, and guards, heading straight to Thanos' residence.

At that moment, Thanos was buried in a sea of books. The once spacious room was now filled with various manuscripts scattered across the central desk. The number two of Hork's Corps was obviously engrossed in something.

"History is always so similar..." Thanos closed the ancient book in his hand, shut his eyes, and sighed softly.

*Boom!*

Holkes, General Deathblade, and the others burst through the door, their entry menacing.

"Thanos!"

But Thanos slowly opened his eyes, looked at them, and smiled faintly. "I've just discovered something interesting in many ancient history books. Would you like to hear about it?"

"I don't care about that. Don't play dumb, Thanos. Let's talk about you!" Holkes snorted coldly.

Clearly eager to share his viewpoint, Thanos frowned after being rudely dismissed. He seemed to accept the rejection and muttered to himself, "On most planets, life and civilization originate in nature. Evolution, stars, and planets often take billions of years to accumulate sufficient resources to foster civilization."

Infuriated by Thanos' ignorance, Holkes erupted, "Enough, Thanos! You arrogant fool! By the authority of the Legion Lord, I command you to kneel!"

Thanos still paid him no heed, engrossed in his own discourse, "However, post-civilization, resources and negative entropy accumulated over billions of years seem extremely scarce. A mature agricultural civilization can drain its planet within tens of thousands of years."

"Generally, once a civilization masters agricultural technology, nature begins a countdown to its demise. Without the ability to extract resources from aliens within 100,000 years, its collapse becomes inevitable..."

Unable to contain himself any longer, Holkes lunged forward, seizing Thanos by the collar, and snarled, "You're plotting against me and the Legion, aren't you, purple-skinned bastard?"

Since joining Horx's command, Thanos had never engaged in battle. He remained reclusive and taciturn, his robust physique concealed beneath a voluminous robe, leading some to mistake him for a nerd or even effeminate.

Holkes struggled to hoist Thanos up by the collar but failed after several attempts.

"Plotting?" Thanos' voice grew cold. With a flick of his fingers, he effortlessly broke free from Holkes' grasp.

"Horkes, you've saved me once, so I respect you for that."

Pausing, he emphasized his tone, fixing Holkes with a stare, "But you know the Legion's success stems from me—transforming a lowly interstellar survivor into a Legion that dominates the Shiar Empire."

Holkes' face alternated between pale and flushed with anger at Thanos' words. His hands trembled violently. "You..."

"I forgive your earlier words, and I have no intention of leaving the Legion—for now. But there won't be a next time," Thanos said calmly.

"Forgive?" Holkes felt his temper about to explode. In a fit of rage, he drew his sword from its scabbard.

The blade flashed coldly as Holkes thrust it at Thanos, snarling, "Go to hell!"

*Crack!*

A crisp snap rang out as the sword, seemingly sharp beyond compare, struck Thanos but promptly shattered. Its tip clattered to the ground.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the broken sword.

Thanos fell silent for a moment. Then, like lightning, he seized Holkes by the neck, lifting him effortlessly.

"What are you doing!" Holkes struggled in terror, but to no avail.

Thanos' voice turned icy, "Horkes, though I've not fought since leaving my homeworld, you seem to think that makes me weak?"

Horkes paled, realizing only now that Thanos was not the bookish weakling he'd imagined.

Finally releasing him, Thanos said coolly, "Leave. You're better suited to piracy."

Holkes, once the mighty rebel invader of the Shia Empire, now lay on the ground like a lost dog, humiliated.

To his further indignity, throughout the ordeal, his vassals and guards had stood idly by, watching his humiliation.

Holkes gasped for breath, feeling the world spin as though it were collapsing around him.

Then, his gaze fell on the peerless blade in General Deathblade's hands—the famed weapon of Shiar.

Clamping his teeth, he rose from the ground, snatching the peerless blade from the general.

Initially, General Deathblade instinctively attempted to evade, but after a moment's hesitation, he relinquished the weapon to Horkes.

Brandishing the blade, Horkes roared at Thanos once more.

But Thanos, caught off guard, received a sharp cut across his shoulder.

*Clang!* Under Thanos' loose robe, devoid of armor, the blade struck, producing a metallic ring.

Furious, Thanos whirled around, delivering a powerful punch to Holkes.

*Boom!*

Holkes disintegrated into a spray of flesh and bone under the force of Thanos' blow, showering everyone around him.

General Deathblade and the others stood dumbstruck.

Thanos tore off his coat, revealing exaggerated muscles, and inspected his shoulder. A shallow wound oozed blood, as though scraped by a knife.

But despite its appearance, the minor injury resulted not from a blade scratch but the peerless blade itself.

"Your weapon is impressive, but this man's arms are too weak," Thanos remarked to General Deathblade.

The general broke out in a cold sweat.

As the owner of the peerless blade, he knew its sharpness well.

Even if Horkes lacked the strength to wield it properly, the blade could cut through almost anything, including a Gods' body.

Yet against Thanos, such a formidable weapon only managed a superficial scratch.

The Deathblade General realized, even if he'd swung the blade at Thanos unawares, he wouldn't have inflicted a fatal wound.

This level of physical defense far surpassed his understanding.

Once conceited about his own strength, he now understood how laughable that arrogance had been, believing himself a match for the universe's renowned gods.

Surveying Thanos, radiating with steel-like muscles and a deadly aura, the general's disdain turned to panic.

After a moment's hesitation, he knelt, "Lord Thanos, you are the Legion's true master, the empire's sole ruler—our emperor!"

Others in the room followed suit, "Your Majesty Thanos!"

Thanos wiped the blood from his shoulder, scrutinizing General Deathblade, who knelt before him.

After a pause, he spoke slowly, "Henceforth, Corvus Glaive, you shall be my General of black order"