The Hardest Choices Require the Strongest Will

"No, that's absolutely impossible."

Inside the shattered Crystal Palace, the old man holding two hammers looked at the "guest" who had come from afar, shook his head firmly, and spoke with an unquestionable tone.

"Protecting the Infinity Stones is the mission that this universe has bestowed upon our race."

"No, this is not the mission of your race; it is merely a shackle imposed upon you by your ancestors. The Infinity Stones are both enhancing your power and destroying you."

Thanos, having plunged his Great Blade into the Crystal ground, raised his hand, stating his position. Unless absolutely necessary, Thanos had no intention of slaughtering this race that hadn't disrupted the balance; moreover, his target was merely the Infinity Stones.

"Perhaps, but that's not a reason for me to give you the Infinity Stones."

The elderly man with graying temples did not refute Thanos's words. He had long been aware of the racial crisis under the illumination of the Infinity Stones. Since ascending the throne, he had spent countless resources researching alternatives to the power of the Infinity Stones, all to address the weakness of his race: the rapid physical degeneration and the freezing of entire planets after the loss of the Infinity Stones' power.

However, now that his life is nearing its end, he has still gained nothing.

In order to thoroughly understand the energy composition of the Infinity Stones, and unwilling to experiment on his own people, the old man made an exception and left B48 Planet, using the Pete, to rescue a young man named Astre in space.

He then silently injected some of the Infinity Stones energy he was carrying into the other's body, feigned death to escape, and returned to B48 Planet to closely monitor the energy changes within the [Astre] body.

Over the course of a century, the old man witnessed firsthand the changes in the power within Astre's body. Astre, now using the alias Shafrin, provided the B48 Planet Science Research Department with an extremely valuable, and possibly unique, report on the changes in the energy of the Infinity Stones within living beings.

However, to the old man's regret, not long ago, the gem energy in Shafrin's body reached a peak and then inexplicably disappeared. According to the research department's speculation, it was because the gem energy went berserk, causing his body to be unable to withstand it, resulting in his death by explosion.

"You will regret this." Thanos shook his head, picked up the Great Blade that had sunk into the Crystal ground with his right hand, and looked at the old man with cold indifference.

Every race that stood in his way met its doom. His reputation as Destroyer Overlord was forged in countless wars filled with blood and fire.

"You'll regret this." Energy surged on the silver twin hammers, and a faint red glow flickered in the old man's graying temples. The next second, an indistinct energy phantom appeared behind him and rapidly expanded to enormous size!

The colossal phantom, blotting out the sky, roared, waving its cloak behind it, its arms crossed in front of its chest, and a cross-shaped energy beam shot straight toward Thanos in the center of the hall!

"That is..."

Outside the Crystal Palace, Beckett still seemed to be easily overwhelmed by all the warriors of B48 Planet, pierced the chests of more than a dozen enemies with an energy ray. He looked up at the sky, and the giant phantom under the starry sky reminded him of Shafrin on U40 Planet.

As the latter burned his life force, a crimson giant phantom appeared behind him.

Is it a coincidence?

Beckett, who casually dodged the attack, narrowed his eyes. The next second, a milky white blade of light tore through the sky, splitting the red giant in two!

"How is this possible?!" The old man who was controlling the giant phantom collapsed to his knees, powerless. The energy that had erupted from Thanos had directly disrupted the flow of power within his body.

Now, tell me.

Thanos, wielding Great Blade, walked step by step toward the kneeling old man, his terrifying aura emanating from him.

"Absolutely impossible."

Although the energy flow within his body had been disrupted, the old man's answer remained unchanged.

"You wouldn't even care about genocide?"

Thanos pointed towards the Crystal Palace, where a massive warship slowly descended, and planet-destroying weapons rose under Ebony Maw's control, their spearheads aimed directly at the royal city of B48 Planet!

"Of course, this is the destiny of our clan." The old man closed his eyes, blood still clinging to the corner of his mouth.

The ancestors considered the possibility of such an extreme situation when they built the Holy Land, so they added a backup plan to the Holy Land program.

Once the royal city is destroyed, the energy radiating tower containing the Infinity Stones will automatically hide itself within the Star Core using the stones' energy.

Thanos remained silent and raised the Great Blade in his hand.

"I know where that power is!"

A voice rang out, causing Thanos to stop what he was doing. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw the unshaven Astra raising his chained hands, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

He rushed as fast as he could, and finally made it back to Thanos.

"Thanos, I know where that gem is." Astra had already entered and exited the sacred grounds of the Olo Clan twice, stated her purpose without hesitation.

"You were sent by him?!"

The old man, who had closed his eyes and was waiting to die, suddenly opened his eyes upon hearing Astra's voice, his eyes wide with anger.

"No, he and I are just business partners. It's just that I'm a person of my word, so I have to take responsibility to the end. Oh, by the way, there's one more thing. You guys really hurt me a lot in prison."

Crouching down, Astra stared directly at the old man whose throat was locked by Thanos and who was completely unable to move. Her tone, which was filled with a hint of vengeful pleasure, was as she held out her hands to him.

You can't do that!

"The Infinity Stones are the energy source that powers this planet. If this planet loses the Infinity Stones, not only will our Olo Clan annihilation, but all other races on this planet will also suffer a catastrophic disaster!"

"At that time, hundreds of millions of living beings on this planet will be frozen, and B48 Planet will be completely reduced to a lifeless dead star!"

The old man's voice was unusually serious, Astra's expression immediately froze.

Life on an entire... planet?

He was a ruthless killer, but all he had ever planned to kill were the Skrulls who caused the destruction of Planet L77, and now...

"Kree, I beg you, on behalf of all life on B48 Planet, I beg—"

Thanos's Great Blade silenced the old man's pleas. The blinding crimson light caused Astra's pupils to contract sharply, and she involuntarily swallowed, uttering, "Thanos— "

"This is a difficult decision, Astra."

Thanos's tone as he pulled the Great Blade from the old man's chest showed no emotion whatsoever.

"I trust you, you won't let me down."

Astra's expression was uncertain; the man before him had quite a bit of blood on his hands.

"You are a researcher with a strong will."

"And the most difficult choices often require the strongest will."

The Mind Stone arc is finished~ Please recommend!

By the way, I'll be spending a long time at the hospital tonight. After the injection and dressing change, I'll have a follow-up check-up to see if the wound has worsened and how well it's healing. So, there will only be one update today. I'll resume the normal double update schedule tomorrow.

While I was getting an IV drip at the hospital tonight, I took the opportunity to sort out the plot of the upcoming Reality Stone arc.

Finally, I wish everyone good health!