Everyone present looked at one another, then, all at once and without a word, turned their gaze toward a figure standing beyond the crowd.
Stark carried his wineglass through the crowd and came to the other side of the corpse, facing Schiller. The moment he raised his head and met Schiller's eyes across the Queen's body, the bright, dazzling lights of the dance floor began to dim.
The intricate floral patterns on the tiles beneath their feet gradually faded away. Streak after streak of light crossed horizontally and vertically, outlining the broad stage as an enormous chessboard.
As time stopped flowing, everyone's expressions froze in that instant. The vivid colors of their skin and clothing gradually drained away, becoming gray and hard as stone.
After a series of faint thuds like heartbeats, chess pieces in various poses fell onto the board one after another.
On one side of the board stood Doom, Thor, Loki, Star-Lord, Strange, Thanos, Professor X, Sif, Odin, Frigga, Jarvis, Yondu, Rocket Raccoon, and even Prince Aran. Countless pieces stood proudly upon the board, some mounted on horses, some wielding swords. Behind the layers of pieces stood Stark, occupying the king's square.
"I linked together every faction and had them act one after another under my control, using the Queen's death as the medium through which each of them achieved their own goals."
With that, Stark pointed forward. Bang! The Yondu piece, dressed in Ravagers attire, leaped one square ahead.
"Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz."
An irritating vibration rang out. A rough, large hand grabbed the communicator, and Yondu's face was filled with irritation as he shouted into it, "Which bastard is calling so damn early? Don't you know the rules?!"
"Captain Yondu? I have a job here. I wonder if you might be interested?" A mysterious voice came