Death Suits You Well

If this had been a TV drama, film, or literary work on Earth, then after Hela suddenly turned on him and drove that sword in, the battle would naturally have entered a pause.

First, the victim of the backstab—Thanos—would have been shocked, confused, and furious as he demanded to know why his ally had suddenly betrayed him. Hela, meanwhile, would naturally and with a clear conscience have bluntly explained her reasons for turning against him.

Then Xiang Qian, who had been locked in a fierce battle with Thanos, would have voluntarily stopped to listen to both sides confront each other face-to-face. If he himself had been the mastermind behind Hela's betrayal, he would have explained his scheme with smug composure at this point.

Once everyone had talked themselves hoarse, they would have squared off and started fighting again.

But none of that happened.

The moment Thanos screamed, Xiang Qian acted as though he had foreseen everything that was happening. He immediately intensified his attack and, heedless of the danger posed by the turbulent gemstone energies, launched himself forward.

All the combat training he had received since childhood taught him one truth: strike while the enemy was down and finish him off.

Controlling the Infinity Stones required their wielder's utmost concentration. No matter how formidable Thanos's body and mind were, the sudden backstab inevitably scattered his focus.

After all, that sword had been thrust by a super-enhanced Hell Lord.

That brief moment of distraction created an irreparable flaw in the energy tide formed by the Power Stone and the Space Stone, allowing Xiang Qian to overwhelm it in one stroke.

Thanos's reaction was not slow, but when he desperately blasted Hela away to evade her second sword, Xiang Qian was already upon him.

What horrified him most was not Xiang Qian's