Marvel: What If Thanos Adopted A Saiyan?-Chapter 161 - 162: End of Super Saiyan 2 Arc

On the vast expanse of Sakaar, The Other’s voice boomed, carried across the land with vigor and solemnity.

Standing atop a black amplifier box that magnified his voice a thousandfold, The Other, staff in hand, stood proudly at the edge of a jagged cliff. Bathed in moonlight, he chanted a sacred hymn dedicated to one person alone: Lothar.

Beside him, Woz, mechanical feline and self-proclaimed connoisseur of engine oil, nonchalantly tossed aside the rag he had just used to wipe himself down. He plopped down on a second black amplifier box pulled from the dimensional pouch on his stomach, casting a disdainful glance at the theatrically emotional The Other, as if he were the one who’d just returned from the battlefield. Clutching an open oil drum, he tilted his head back and guzzled greedily.

"Buuurrrp~"

"Just another guy who sits back and watches."

Satisfied, Woz let out a full-bodied belch, then sprawled across the box, slapping his plush belly with delight.

"What did you just say?!"

"You’ve got no right to talk, oil-guzzling junkheap!"

The Other, having just finished the last note of his reverent chant, kicked over the box in a burst of irritation. Caught off guard, Woz tumbled off and landed face-first with a comical splat.

"Haaah!"

The azure-furred catbot sprang upright, evidently a little buzzed from all the engine oil. Pale white jets of energy whooshed out from beneath his stubby feet, launching his rotund body into the air like a missile—forehead aimed squarely at The Other’s chest!

"Oww! That hurts!"

Unfortunately for Woz, the only victim of his headbutt was himself. Dazed, he collapsed and began to snore before morphing into a silver wristband and zooming back to Lothar’s arm.

"Huh?"

"Had enough playtime?"

Lothar raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the freshly returned silver bracelet, moments after obliterating a partial manifestation of Ego.

"Congratulations, Prince Lothar—hic~"

Woz’s dazed robotic voice slurred into Lothar’s ear.

Sakaarian oil is that good?

Lothar frowned slightly, puzzled as to why Woz had grown so fond of the local brew. Maybe before leaving Sakaar, he’d ask the Grandmaster to pack up a few barrels of the stuff.

"You’re celebrating over just defeating one of Ego’s avatars?"

A familiar voice echoed as Hela stepped onto the desolate battlefield that had just witnessed Ego’s "death."

"An avatar?"

"I’ve told you before," Hela said, arms crossed. "Ego’s true form is a planet. Unless you destroy that, no matter how many times you kill his avatars, he’ll just keep coming back."

"The only difference is how much energy he wastes doing it."

Her black-heeled boots ground against the sand as if Ego himself were beneath her feet.

"So you couldn’t even take down an avatar?"

"I just wasn’t being serious."

Hela, now experienced enough to lie without blushing or blinking, responded with effortless arrogance.

For the proud Princess of Asgard, Lothar, who had outpaced her in power despite being her age, represented both a challenge and a point of pride. She had to preserve what little dignity she had left. Besides, Asgardians grew stronger with age. She’d catch up.

Eventually.

Lothar gave her a sidelong glance and said nothing.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them rumbled ominously.

BOOMMMMM!!!

A network of glowing cracks burst from beneath Lothar’s feet, spiderwebbing outward in all directions. The explosive tremors launched both him and Hela into the sky.

Inside Sakaar’s central control room, the Grandmaster peeked out cautiously, noticing the coast seemed clear. With a sigh of relief, he pulled the dagger out of his chest and stood up.

"Finally, it’s over—"

KABOOM!

A fresh tremor sent him diving for cover, arms over his head, trembling.

You can’t see me, you can’t see me, you can’t see me...

As he muttered that mantra, a thought struck him:

Wait a minute... this isn’t just random seismic activity. This feels like... a starcore destabilization.

Eyes wide, the Grandmaster sprang into action. He threw open the console’s override panel and began frantically scanning the readouts.

"Damn it! The energy shockwave cracked the starcore shielding—energy’s going haywire!!"

Realizing the cause, he slammed the emergency override switch and collapsed back into his chair, exhaling deeply. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

That was close.

If he hadn’t prepped the backup systems in advance, Sakaar might have been toast. All his painstaking work, nearly obliterated in a single moment.

"Hey! What the hell’s going on?!"

Jennifer burst into the control room, sensing something had gone very wrong.

Waving her off, the Grandmaster reassured her:

"Everything’s under control. The planet’s not going to explode."

But that guy who could destroy it? We can’t let him stick around much longer.

The thought of Lothar gave the Grandmaster a headache.

Fighting wasn’t an option. Not only was Lothar insanely powerful, but he was backed by Thanos, who had famously cleaved Ego in half with a single strike.

But if he didn’t act, what if Lothar decided to stay a few more days?

Ironically, the defense systems he’d built for Ego were now saving the planet from Lothar.

Still, Ego’s dead. There’s no reason for Lothar to remain here now, right?

The Grandmaster leaned back, deep in thought.

He’d have to be proactive. Maybe... arrange a ship. A nice, fast one. A gift for the prince and his companions. Yes. That would be wise.

The very idea made him miserable.

He’d remember this.

Once Odin was dead, he’d settle accounts with the old man’s heirs.

And Thanos, too.

The Grandmaster had one superpower, he could outlive every cosmic threat he couldn’t beat.

...

Centauri Galaxy – Black Quadrant.

The warship touched down slowly. Out of its massive hatch stepped Thanos, clad in radiant golden armor.

"Welcome back, Lord Thanos."

This time, Ebony Maw had not accompanied him, Thanos’s sortie had been a spontaneous act of will.

"Update Asgardian records. Replace target with Odin. Add: Destroyer Armor."

"As you command, my lord."

Ebony Maw bowed respectfully, watching Thanos disappear into the shadows of his stronghold.

...

Asgard.

Descending upon the Rainbow Bridge atop his flying steed, Odin was greeted by Frigga, who had long awaited his return.

"Well?" she asked.

"Hela lives. I believe she’ll return soon, with the information I need."

"Then all is well..." Frigga sighed in relief.

"Don’t worry," Odin smiled, removing the Destroyer Armor and wrapping his arm around her waist as they walked past Heimdall.

The Eternal Titans, eh... Thanos...

Odin’s eyes flicked subtly in the direction of the Centauri galaxy as he laughed with his queen.

...

Elsewhere in the Cosmos.

In a remote region of space, a Flerken, the first creature Ego had tossed out of Gafa, growled, fur bristling, eyes blinking slowly.

On all fours, it snarled at the unfamiliar lifeform before it, baring its fangs...

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