As time passed, the discussion about ideals gradually came to an end. Calling it a discussion was generous; in truth, Thanos had merely been instilling his own beliefs into his adopted son, Beckett.
Beckett was only three years old and still ignorant of the world. How could he understand what a lofty ideal was? Moreover, since he had yet to fully grasp all kinds of knowledge about the universe, he could not go anywhere. His daily range of activity was limited to the Sanctuary, and his understanding of the outside world depended entirely on Thanos's teachings...
Fortunately, Beckett himself did not find it boring. He studied and trained in the Sanctuary every day. When Thanos returned, he would spar and chat with him to strengthen their father-son bond. His days were quite fulfilling.
The visible improvement in his strength delighted Beckett. As he grew older, driven by Thanos and the dream of revenge in his heart, seven-year-old Beckett had firmly set his sights on becoming the strongest in the universe.
Only by becoming the strongest warrior in the universe could he help his adoptive father Thanos achieve his grand ideal to the greatest extent. And only by becoming the strongest warrior in the universe could he find Frieza, wherever he had hidden himself, drag him out, and kill him.
Yes, Beckett had always believed that Frieza was hiding.
When he was six, Beckett had begun to think independently. Yet he found no records concerning Planet Vegeta or Frieza, the Cosmic Emperor, in the Universal History Thanos had given him. He could understand the lack of records about Planet Vegeta, since it had already been destroyed by Frieza. But after searching through all of Thanos's books, he still found no mention whatsoever of Frieza, whom his mother had called the Cosmic Emperor.
Young Beckett had no concept of a multiverse, and Thanos had no habit of explaining the concept of a multiverse to a child. Thus, Beckett concluded that something must have happened to Frieza, causing him to vanish from the universe.
Psychologically, Beckett did not want Frieza to die just yet. Or rather, he did not want Frieza to die at someone else's hands.
Frieza, who had killed his mother, could only die by his hand.
Gazing at the magnificent starry sky above the Sanctuary, young Beckett once again saw Frieza's wildly grinning face before his eyes. A new surge of strength suddenly rose through his exhausted body, supporting him as he refused to fall in his battle against Ebony Maw.
"Beckett, are you still unwilling to give up?" The frail Ebony Maw looked at the child who was still forcing himself up from the ground, his eyes filled with admiration and astonishment.
Today was the first time he had fought Beckett under Thanos's orders. This seven-year-old boy had truly shocked Ebony Maw. He should have collapsed long ago, yet that young body had broken through its theoretical limits again and again, shattering Ebony Maw's preconceived notions of Beckett.
As long as he was not beaten to death, beat him until he was.
That was the conclusion Ebony Maw had reached after reflecting on what Thanos had told him before returning. But in this situation, Ebony Maw was genuinely afraid that if he used too much force, five-tenths of his strength would be enough to nail Beckett permanently to the wilderness outside the Sanctuary.
From twenty percent at the beginning to forty percent now, the combat strength displayed by seven-year-old Beckett left Ebony Maw endlessly amazed.
As expected of Thanos's most valued adopted son. That combat talent alone was enough to crush everyone in Thanos's army. Just think—what had the rest of them been doing at seven?
Every last one of them had still been playing in the dirt on their own planets.
"Why are you the one here this year?"
After steadying his staggering body, Beckett wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He looked up at Ebony Maw, who stood with one hand behind his back and clearly had no intention of continuing, then finally voiced the question that had been bothering him.
Every previous year, Thanos had personally returned to test Beckett while also deepening their father-son bond. Yet this year, it was Ebony Maw instead—the greatest flatterer among Thanos's subordinates in Beckett's eyes.
They had started fighting the moment they met, leaving Beckett no chance to ask. Now that the test was over, he could no longer suppress his curiosity.
"Beckett, your talent for battle is very high. But precisely because of that, you need to encounter more fighting styles. Do you understand?" Broken stones shifted freely in Ebony Maw's hand at the command of his will. He spoke slowly, as though afraid Beckett would not understand.
After seven years of Thanos's personal instruction, Beckett had grown accustomed to fighting only Thanos. He needed to escape the trap of having a single opponent and begin facing all manner of monsters and freaks with vastly different abilities.
Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, and even Cull Obsidian—the Black Order under Thanos would certainly have to fight Beckett. Not to mention the other gifted oddities in Thanos's army, all of whom would join Thanos's training plan for Beckett over the coming year.
In Thanos's eyes, seven-year-old Beckett had grown up a little. It was time for him to leave the familial circle his old father had drawn for him and step onto a new battlefield. The resources at Thanos's command were beyond what ordinary people could ever hope to reach. He could create an exceptionally favorable environment for Beckett's growth—so favorable that even Ebony Maw sometimes felt jealous.
They, too, called Thanos father, but the attention they received was nowhere near Beckett's level. Using the strongest members of an entire army to accelerate Beckett's growth—Ebony Maw had once considered such indulgence utterly insane. He had even wondered whether Thanos had gone mad because of what happened on Titan.
But now, he understood. Thanos was doing everything in his power to cultivate a future overlord. The potential within this child was unfathomable. Especially earlier, when Beckett had roared in rage, a faint golden glow had appeared over his body. It had been weak, but the imposing presence in that instant had left an indelible impression on Ebony Maw.
Ebony Maw did not know what the golden glow coursing across Beckett's body meant, nor did he know why it had vanished without a trace after flickering for several seconds. But he understood that Beckett, the Son of Thanos, possessed combat talent absolutely no less than Princess Hela, who was only ten years old and already followed Odin alongside Asgard's army on campaigns. He might even surpass her.
"Over the next year, you will take part in many battles and encounter many people with strange abilities. They can help you grow faster. Of course, you may also die."
"And if you want to become the strongest warrior in the universe, this is only the beginning. So, are you afraid, Beckett?" Ebony Maw crushed the stone in his hand into a sphere and extended his hand toward Beckett, his meaningful gaze fixed on the dirt-covered boy whose eyes remained exceptionally resolute.
"I will become the strongest warrior in the universe. That goal will never change. Never."
Before you continue