I'm Listening

From retreating after Thanos into the alternate dimension to being transported to Russell's side, it all happened in the blink of an eye. Because he was fully focused on guarding against Russell's pursuit, he had no idea that an enemy might appear behind him, which is why he exposed this weakness.

Russell did not appear behind him, nor did he move an inch. He simply used spatial teleportation to reverse his direction and make him crash into the fist.

The heavy punch slammed into Thanos's back, the force so great that the entire fist sank into Thanos's muscles. Russell used the technique of the Galaxy Explosion to send the power extracted from the Infinity Stones into Thanos's body, detonating it instantly at his heart.

Pfft!

Thanos raised his head and spat out a mouthful of hot blood. The purple destructive power coursed through his cells, making him even more purple, with a purple aura rising from the east, until the purple turned black.

Russell may not be good at much else, but he's good at kicking someone when they're down and taking advantage of them... cough cough, but he never holds back in a fight. He would press his advantage and deliver three or four punches and kicks, repeatedly striking Thanos in the back, and each time hitting the same spot.

Drawing energy from the Power Stone, each strike was powerful and heavy, blasting into Thanos and producing crackling explosions.

Thanos nearly fainted from the immense pressure on his heart. The Mind Stone strengthened his will, allowing him to withstand the pain, and his eyes blazed with murderous intent.

Ignoring the danger, he drew upon Cosmic Energy, storing it within his body and accumulating it all at the back of his heart. He then detonated it the instant Russell threw his punch, delivering an extremely powerful counterattack.

Boom!!!

A mushroom cloud rose from the spot, and Thanos was blasted into the sky by the shockwave of the explosion, breaking through the dark clouds and continuing upwards with unstoppable momentum.

Russell lost control of his body and was thrown backwards into the distance, smashing stone pillars like a cannonball, his momentum crushing a small hill and burying it in the ruins.

The opportunity to strike was fleeting. Russell swung his fist, clearing away a large amount of debris, and looked up at the sky. Through the dark clouds, he accurately sensed Thanos's figure.

With a casual swipe, he tore open a portal to another dimension and vanished from the spot. The effect of opening the portal for the first time was immediate; he had to do it a couple more times!

High in the sky, Thanos coughed up blood. One careless move had cost him everything, and he admitted that he had been careless. However, he was, after all, a powerful being of the cosmic overlord level, arrogant and aloof, confident that he had the ability to win this duel.

Ripples spread through the air. Thanos narrowed his eyes, sensing Russell's presence disappear on the ground. He sneered, gripped the Infinity Gauntlet tightly, and flipped over to blast it into the sky.

Cosmic Rays surged forth, and the rift in the alternate dimension that had been opened was shattered by energy, disappearing as soon as it was partially revealed.

Thanos was horrified when he succeeded in his attack. He had fallen into a trap again. Sensing Russell's presence, he quickly turned around.

The feint attack had successfully fooled Thanos. Thanos was a step too slow to react and was punched in the chin by Russell. The portal to another dimension opened in front of them, and the two of them fell in together.

Thanos's vision blurred, the sky and the ground disappeared, replaced by a pitch-black Knowhere, with countless lines curving and stretching from the end of the void, forming an arc-shaped hemispherical model.

He stood between two models, with countless celestial bodies standing still, lost in the weightlessness, motionless and extremely eerie.

The Mind Stone shone brightly, and Thanos's eyes blazed with boundless confidence. He believed that the fragile space could not possibly contain him. His spirit spread out, searching for the spatial node from which he had come, and he suddenly swung a heavy punch from mid-air.

Click!

Unexpectedly, this punch shattered the other dimension, much more easily than he had imagined, and... he hadn't even exerted much force!

Something unusual must be going on. Thanos glanced around and realized that he had somehow arrived outside the atmosphere of Morag. Alarmed, he absorbed Cosmic Energy and unleashed a burst of energy that impacted all directions.

Crack!

The space behind Thanos shattered, Russell, his body glowing purple, withstood the Cosmic Rays, and his whip-leg axe came crashing down, striking Thanos's purple head.

Snap!

Thanos's whip kick with a raised hand, then grabbed Russell's ankle with his other hand, spun him around in the air a few times, and threw him violently toward Morag.

Buzz buzz buzz!

The portal to another dimension opened, Russell disappeared, and reappeared behind Thanos, opening the portal directly on his back, leaving him no time to retaliate.

Russell slammed his elbow into Thanos's back, the momentum carrying both of them as they plummeted toward the surface of Morag.

"System, use 'Skill Card: Earth Throw'."

The skill activated, Russell knelt on one knee behind Thanos, grabbed his wrists, and pressed his knee against the back of Thanos's neck, accelerating as he dove vertically.

Like falling meteors, the two streaked across the atmosphere with a whooshing roar, leaving a long, brilliant, fiery red trail. Their speed increased rapidly, illuminating half the sky as if it were ablaze.

Looking up at the sky from the ground, a white light twinkled like a star amidst the fiery clouds, falling to the ground in the blink of an eye.

Time seemed to stand still, the world seemed to freeze for a moment, then a deafening roar erupted, and a massive mushroom cloud rose from the ground.

Rumble—

The shockwave swept across the land like a pebble falling onto a calm lake, causing the earth to tremble violently and undulate like ripples spreading outwards.

The battlefield, already ravaged by Russell and Thanos, now bears a new scar: a meteorite crater.

This side of Morag was ravaged; several volcanoes erupted with deafening roars, the intense heat whipped up ash that obscured the light, thunderstorms flashed in the dark clouds, and the ground continued to tremble—it all seemed like the end of the world.

Russell, panting heavily, released Thanos's arms, thankful he'd made himself a Golden Armor; otherwise, that attack would have shredded him to dust. He looked down slightly and was surprised to find that Thanos's underwear was still... oops, Thanos was still alive, though his body was burning hot.

Finishing blow!

Russell drew energy from the Power Stone and began smashing it repeatedly against the back of Thanos's head. After a moment, he rubbed his hands behind his back and then began stomping on the purple head with his feet.

The scene was hilarious, but each of his attacks was enhanced by the Power Stone. The terrifying force was channeled through Thanos's body into the ground, causing the abyss to spread and splitting the massive meteorite crater into more than ten pieces like a cake.

Snap!

With a stomp of his foot, Thanos braced himself with his hands on the ground, his head resting on Russell's golden boots as he stood up.

Rumors of impending danger came from his Sixth Sense, and Russell retreated rapidly. He had only taken two steps when Thanos grabbed his head with his massive hand.

"Kid, you've really angered me!"

Russell strained with both hands, purple light emanating from beneath his skin, and slowly pried open Thanos's hand. What appeared before him was a large, imposing purple face.

He would look even more imposing if he didn't have two bloody noses!

"Kid, listen to me carefully, I..."

Bang!

A green light leaped from the soil, Stegers charged forward, wrapping his arms around Thanos and bracing his shoulders against his side, before crashing into the distance with a loud bang.

Russell stood there dumbfounded, then shrugged and said to the air, "I'm listening, so say something!"