Thanos's ship had merely been going through the motions before. It had either been blocked by the Astral Dimension, unable to bombard them directly, or stopped by Wakanda's energy shield.
But this time was different. The surprise attack directly destroyed the entire laboratory!
Deep ravines had been blasted into the ground, and magma surged forth.
Yet amid the lava, which had turned the place into a hellish volcano, a towering, isolated stone pillar stood out conspicuously.
The laboratory's core area, along with the Avengers members, had been shielded by an impenetrable invisible force field.
This was the only place in the entire area that had not been affected in the slightest, standing firm amid the lava.
On the shore beyond the vast sea of magma, Thanos was already sitting quietly with his weapon in hand.
"I saw you. You defeated me and even achieved my goal, but you still left behind flaws and hidden dangers."
Sitting atop a boulder, Thanos spoke calmly.
"Why are you still protecting them?"
"Why? Perhaps because I'm the only one allowed to kill them..."
Xu Yue tilted his head and replied to Thanos with a smile. His entire left arm was charred black. The backlash to his soul and origin in particular meant that even with his abilities, he would need at least a year to recuperate.
Even so, merely standing there drew the attention of both the Avengers and Thanos!
Hulk and Abomination had both reached their limits with a single snap. Although they each still had one hand left, their wounded souls prevented them from snapping again.
The other Infinity Gauntlet lay quietly on the ground.
"Join me. Return the universe to chaos, create a new world, and restore balance to the world."
Leaning on his long blade, Thanos rose from the ground