One second.
Two seconds.
Before anyone noticed, a minute had passed.
It was as though the universe had been put on pause. No one spoke, and no one moved.
Everyone's brains had completely crashed.
It was not until Homelander slowly opened his mouth that the suffocating silence was broken.
"Announce the end of the match." Homelander's tone was calm, as though it were only natural. "I have things to do."
That sentence was like cold water dripping into a pan of boiling oil.
It exploded! The entire venue instantly erupted!
Every alien spectator leaped from their seats, frantically clawing at their hair as they stared wide-eyed at the corpse split into two halves.
Ear-splitting screams, disbelieving roars, and terrified wails swept through the entire arena.
"What the fuck... did you guys see what happened?! Was that Thanos?! That had to be a fake, right?!"
"Impossible! This has to be an illusion! How did Thanos suddenly become two halves?!"
"My money! My interstellar mines! This can't be happening! It's rigged!!"
"I'm never gambling again! I want to go home! This universe has gone insane!"
"I think Earth needs to be classified as the highest-level restricted zone in the universe. Anyone who messes with him dies!"
On the platform.
The heroes stood frozen in place, their faces filled with disbelief.
Tony Stark slowly took off his sunglasses, rubbed his eyes, then put them back on.
"Steve, you have to promise me something. If I ever get drunk and decide to provoke him after we get back, beat the living hell out of me. Don't hold back."
Star-Lord Quill whistled, forcing himself to remain composed. "Actually, if I'd gone out there, I would've used that move too. You know, pull out a gun and shoot him while he's talking. I understand that kind