Chapter 59: That Pathetic Trash, Thanos

"So they've finally arrived? A stage for a bunch of pathetic clowns... well, at least it promises some fleeting entertainment."

Martin sat calmly in his chair, surrounded by a wall of mobile holographic screens. Countless images flickered by every second, he absorbed each one, memorizing them all.

He saw Loki standing atop Stark Tower, quietly overlooking the city below. Martin watched him for a moment... and then chuckled.

"A clever son of Jotunheim. Truly worthy of Laufey's blood."

Rising slowly to his feet, Martin's tone turned cold.

Truth be told, creatures like the Chitauri weren't even worth his time. Galactic scavengers, infamous across the cosmos, they only found some semblance of discipline after becoming Thanos' lackeys. But even then, their combat strength was middling at best, flawed and overhyped.

From the very beginning, Martin had never regarded the Chitauri as a serious threat.

The Black Order, on the other hand, each of them starting at sub-Skyfather level, was a different matter entirely.

Especially that one looming above them all—Thanos.

"Only Thanos is worth my attention. The rest? Garbage. But if I get the Infinity Stones into my hands… then even a sub-Skyfather like Thanos will lose half his power."

Hands clasped behind his back, Martin's gaze turned icy.

Everyone knew the truth, base-form Thanos was a minor-league threat at best. A mere sub-Skyfather. Nothing more.

His true terror never came from himself... but from the way he could wield any weapon with terrifying mastery.

Infinity Stones, Heart of the Universe, Cosmic Cube—each of these artifacts elevated Thanos to terrifying new heights: multiversal, omniversal, and even conceptual-limit level power.

Within the vast hierarchy of Marvel's cosmology, Thanos stood out, an anomaly in every sense. In a way, the movies had gotten it right: it really did feel like "destiny" chose him.

But fate was no match for someone who could rewrite the rules.

And Thanos? Without time to grow, without the right tools in hand, he was easy to squash.

Martin's expression grew colder still as he summoned his warriors.

"Another war has begun. This time, it's aliens invading Earth. Anyone interested, you're welcome to join in. Think of it as a chance to get some firsthand experience with this universe's interstellar civilizations. Practice for what's to come. Sooner or later, we'll go to war with every single one of them. And when the time comes to make them spit out everything they've devoured… we'll do it with blood and slaughter."

He stood in the center of a massive, circular war room. The space was colossal, each tiered level surrounding him filled with ranks of seated delegates. All of them looked down at Martin, who stood there like the axis of their universe.

Truthfully, the war room was outrageously oversized. Every seat had been designed for multi-meter-tall Transformers. To someone like Bruce Banner, it felt outright alien.

"I'll send the Decepticon Legion into battle this time!" Megatron snarled, rising from his seat with a twisted sneer.

Optimus Prime hesitated, then spoke in his grave, resonant tone:

"If war is inevitable, then to reduce casualties in future conflicts, the Autobots will join this battle as well."

Megatron scoffed with disdain, arms crossed.

"Join if you want. Either way, the enemy doesn't have much muscle. This seems more like a probe than a true assault, just testing the responses of the Nine Realms connected to Yggdrasil. Testing the Ancient One. Testing me. What comes next depends on what they learn."

Martin's voice was detached, emotionless.

He himself would participate in the battle, not for some shallow thrill of slaughtering weaklings. The Chitauri simply weren't worth conquering.

What intrigued him… was something far more important.

"Is this universe's Thanos chasing the Infinity Stones out of some twisted dream of balance? Or is he just a lovesick fool?"

That answer would make all the difference.

If it were the film version's 'population-control Thanos,' that could be dealt with. All it would take is a proper plan and a swift elimination.

But if it were the comic version of Thanos… things would get complicated.

That Thanos, the one corrupted from childhood by Mistress Death herself, was her most loyal servant. A simpering devotee. Even his universe-halving genocide was just a desperate plea to please her.

"If that's the case… then killing Thanos will absolutely alert Death herself. Even if it's only a fragment of her essence tied to this universe… it will still be a nightmare to handle."

Martin stood silently, deep in thought.

His ultimate goal was to break away from Earth and build Cybertron anew, a planetary superpower that would consume the resources of this entire universe to fuel explosive expansion. From there, he would plunge into the vast, unfathomable multiverse, going head-to-head with ancient gods and terrifying cosmic species alike.

A path carved from metal and blood, an ascension through chaos and war.

A miracle of mechanical divinity.

And Martin believed it fully.

"Let's move." That was all he said before fading from sight.

In that moment, the entire massive base sprang to life.

Transformers surged into motion, many who had been lying dormant in vehicle form now rapidly transformed, their exoskeletons reshaping with thunderous metallic roars.

Dozens, hundreds, of war machines assembled, weapons drawn, optics gleaming with savage intent.

The air grew thick with battle-fury, the entire compound vibrating with war-readiness.

All that remained... was for the Ground Bridge to open and hurl them into the heart of the battle in New York.

-------

Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]