Beckett's Crisis, The Grandmaster's Plot

"Thanos".

"You have truly impressed me."

Hela stared at Thanos with a cold expression, her gaze filled with icy intent, her teeth clenched in hatred.

She, Thor, and even Frigga were all manipulated by this terrifying man.

Hela was certain that her poor mother probably never knew, until her death, that another Thor existed on Sakaar.

"If this makes you look at me in a new light..."

"Then I think it's possible that you misunderstood me before."

It was a terrible misunderstanding.

Thanos snapped his the Snap lightly, and Hela felt a lightness in her body, then realized that she had regained control of her body.

"You are no match for me."

"So, for your own sake and for Beckett's sake, you'd better pretend this never happened."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind sending you to see Frigga."

Seeing Hela's first act after regaining her freedom—to comb her hair into a fighting style—Thanos gave her a warning.

Hela's hand froze, and her face, which had been contorted with rage, suddenly fell silent, as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over her head.

"If you don't kill me, aren't you afraid I'll kill you later?"

Forcing back the sobs that welled up in her heart, Hela gripped her longsword tightly and raised her head.

"If you can do it."

Thanos's wrinkled face broke into a smile that deeply stung Hela's heart.

He, Thanos, was ordained by fate.

Having fulfilled his duty, what did he have to fear, even if death was imminent?

Death is merely the beginning of the next cycle.

From the moment he embarked on his quest for the Infinity Stones, Thanos had already prepared himself for death.

This was a path destined to be fraught with thorns, and even he wasn't entirely confident he would survive to the end. Fortunately, he had an adopted son willing to share the burden with him.

Hela was momentarily at a loss for words.

Continue the threats?

What threat could Thanos, who doesn't even care about death, possibly pose?

Hela no longer knows how to face Beckett.

Thanos was Beckett's most respected father, yet he was also the mastermind behind Frigga's suicide by jumping off a cliff.

"Slap slap slap..."

"Slap slap slap slap..."

A series of crisp, rhythmic applause erupted from the plains of Vormir, causing ripples to appear in the void. The Grandmaster, clad in a white robe with gold trim, then appeared beneath the setting sun, a smile on his face, "As expected of you, Thanos."

What are you doing here?

Thanos's expression remained unchanged. A flash of light appeared on the Infinity Gauntlet, and the Grandmaster, bathed in the setting sun, was instantly pulled in front of him and Hela by an invisible energy field.

"As expected of a man chosen by the rules of the universe, he was able to use and coordinate them so skillfully after just gathering all six Infinity Stones."

The Grandmaster showed admiration, but the words he uttered did not sound so pleasant to Thanos.

"No need to be so tense, daughter of Odin, I have no interest in you."

After praising Thanos, the Grandmaster turned his gaze to Hela, who was holding a longsword. Smiling, he said something that made Hela's eyes widen in surprise, "Compared to you, I'm more interested in your fiancé Beckett."

"Who told him to destroy my Sakaar?"

What should have been a warm, spring-like smile felt like nothing but endless chill to Hela.

A chill that pierces to the bone.

"What do you want to do to Beckett?" Hela frowned, instinctively asking.

"No, no, no, it's not that I want to do anything to Beckett."

The Grandmaster quickly waved his hand, his smile widening, "It's all about what choice Thanos will make."

"The Heart of the Universe is not so easy to obtain."

"I'm here just to remind you of one thing Thanos."

"I forgot to tell you about this before."

The Grandmaster nodded his head with his right index finger, feigning distress, but the smile that appeared on his lips suddenly made Thanos feel uneasy.

This is very abnormal and illogical.

"In fact, as one of the most powerful forces in the universe, the Heart of the Universe has been desired by many powerful individuals, and some have even possessed it."

"But in the end, without exception, those powerful individuals discovered that they could never use it perfectly, and at most they could only unleash one or two tenths of its potential."

"Do you know why, Thanos?"

The Grandmaster turned his gaze, his sharp eyes meeting Thanos's increasingly grim expression, and said, "Because those people were not chosen by the rules."

"This is just like the Infinity Stones."

"Do you know that those things were once controlled by that group of people? Do you know why we eventually abandoned them and even hid them in various parts of the universe?"

"Because they are all unable to unleash all the energy contained within the Infinity Stones like you."

"You are the chosen one."

"You are the chosen one of this era, appointed by all the rules of this universe." The Grandmaster spread his arms wide, his smile becoming increasingly unrestrained and arrogant.

In layman's terms, they are the so-called chosen ones, the trendsetters of the times.

The so-called "brain cursed by knowledge" is the most powerful proof of this.

This is why Thanos, despite not being as physically strong as those ancient gods, was able to withstand pressure and perfectly utilize the power of the Infinity Stones.

"But unfortunately, your son is not."

"He is not even a person of this universe; what is engraved in his soul is the mark of another universe."

Do you think he, in his current state, is capable of absorbing the power of the [Heart of the Universe]?

"The Heart of the Universe is far beyond the power of the World Tree."

Under Thanos's utterly gloomy gaze, the Grandmaster looked up at the sky, his white robes with gold trim fluttering without wind, and his unrestrained and arrogant laughter resounded through the heavens!

"Thanos!"

"Why would I give you the map I finally found?!"

"Why am I explaining the origin of the 'Heart of the Universe' to you?!"

There is only one answer!

"Beckett, he will die because of your choice!"

"Hahahaha!!! Hahahaha!!!!"

Boom!

Enraged, Thanos stirred up boundless winds and clouds with a mere wave of his hand!

"It's no use. Beckett should have reached his destination on the map by now." Even though his laughter was interrupted, the Grandmaster still had to tell the story of seeing Beckett set foot on the burial ground.

"That's right, that's the expression."

"That's the expression!"

"I've wanted to see that expression on your face for a long time!"

Having revealed his true purpose, the Grandmaster no longer cared about hiding it, especially after seeing Thanos's extremely gloomy expression, which made him feel incredibly happy!

With old grudges and new hatreds settled together, Thanos could only watch helplessly as Beckett disintegrated under the power of the Heart of the Universe, much to the delight of the Grandmaster.

Meanwhile, on the desolate Titan...

Beckett held a map in one hand, looked at the ground beneath his feet, and a hint of disbelief appeared in his eyes.

"Is the end of the map Titan?"

The person selling protective equipment has been reported and arrested; thankfully, no one was hurt.

The examination results showed everything was fine...