Antimatter Cannon

Rumble...

Bursts of fireworks lit up the dark universe. They looked beautiful.

But behind that beauty, Spaceships were being destroyed one after another, reduced to dust.

As Asgard and Thanos's forces fought to a standstill, several Space Rifts suddenly appeared on the outskirts of the battlefield.

One battered mid-sized or large Spaceship after another emerged.

Judging by their designs, they were Asgardian Spaceships.

They were the ships that had fled four months earlier.

After receiving Odin's call, the surviving Asgardians had dragged their damaged ships back to reinforce him.

It was no wonder the Asgardians had ruled the Milky Way.

They had not only tremendous individual strength, but an unshakable sense of unity.

As those ships joined the battle, the Black Order immediately felt the pressure.

They left their vessels and flew to the front lines to help.

Laufey also led his Frost Giants into battle.

Thanos had painted an enticing picture, but Laufey was a wily old fox himself. A promise alone would not sway him.

Yet he had already betrayed Odin. If Thanos lost, the Frost Giants would have no future either.

So when he saw Thanos's forces at a disadvantage, he chose to fight.

Meanwhile, aboard Sanctuary II...

Deep Blue's projection hovered in the control room. When he saw enemy reinforcements arrive, his face took on a distinctly human expression.

He frowned, deep in thought.

Their side was losing ground. Even with the Black Order and Laufey in the fight, it would not be enough.

After a moment, he issued a new order.

"Activate the main cannon. Use antimatter fusion energy. Target: Asgard Continent."

Before leaving, his master had granted him the highest level of authority, allowing him to use every function of Sanctuary II—including the Antimatter Cannon, which had not been used last time.

At Deep Blue's command, Sanctuary II ceased all attacks and defenses and began to fall back.

The large Escort Ships around it moved in front of Sanctuary II and brought their Energy Shields to full power.

Soon, Sanctuary II had withdrawn beyond the enemy's attack range, and an eerie purple light began to glow at the mouth of its main cannon.

The Antimatter Cannon required immense energy to activate. That was why the ship had to leave the battle and could not even maintain its shield.

On the front lines, Thanos, Odin, and Hela all felt a sudden chill of dread. They stopped fighting and turned to look.

Odin stared into the distance, his expression grave. "What is that? Why does it frighten me?"

Hela nodded beside him. "I feel it too. Whatever it is, we have to stop it!"

Before father and daughter could finish discussing it, Thanos smiled and charged at them, blade raised.

The Antimatter Fusion Cannon was Sanctuary II's most powerful weapon. A single shot could even destroy a large Planet.

He could not let those two interfere.

When Odin saw Thanos charging, he considered having Hela hold him off while he stopped the cannon. But he feared she could not withstand Thanos alone.

If Hela died, then even if Odin destroyed the enemy ship, he would be no match for Thanos by himself.

After a moment's thought, he sent Heimdall and Frigga instead.

He and Hela would continue keeping Thanos occupied.

Yes—keeping him occupied.

After their fight so far, Odin's goal had shifted from defeating Thanos to merely holding him back.

But events rarely unfolded as Odin expected.

Heimdall and Frigga had barely left Asgard Continent when a black radiance flared in the distance.

None of the Asgardians had ever imagined light could be black.

Black absorbed light. Normally, black light should not have been possible.

Yet there it was before their eyes.

It was eerie and strange, and it filled them with dread.

The next instant, the Antimatter Cannon fired.

Sanctuary II was over a million kilometers from Asgard Continent. Even light would have taken roughly three seconds to cross that distance.

But the black beam surpassed the speed of light. In less than a tenth of a second, it crossed those million-plus kilometers and appeared before Odin.

Every Spaceship in its path, large or small, failed to hold it back for even a tenth of a second.

Thanos had already flown clear of the Antimatter Cannon's firing path.

The beam was one kilometer wide when it emerged. It would gradually expand, but anyone who knew its trajectory in advance could dodge it easily enough.

Odin and Hela had no chance to evade it.

As the black light seemed to fill his vision, Odin sensed death approaching.

No. I can't die yet.

Asgard's legacy had endured for tens of thousands of years. How could he let it end on his watch?

How could he face his grandfather in the heavens?

How could he face the tens of billions of Asgardians on Asgard Continent?

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He grabbed Hela beside him and pulled her in front of himself.

Hela had never imagined her divine father would do such a thing.

She had no time to react before the Antimatter Cannon struck her.

The next instant, the beam slammed into Asgard Continent.

Rumble... A deafening roar swept across the continent.

Five seconds later...

The Antimatter Cannon fell silent.

A hole a hundred kilometers wide had appeared in Asgard Continent.

It pierced the entire continent. The universe was visible through the other side.

Every Asgardian and Spaceship caught in its path had vanished completely, without so much as a speck of dust left behind.

Then a chain reaction began to spread through Asgard Continent.

The land cracked and collapsed, threatening to break apart.

In truth, if Odin had not activated the shield, the Antimatter Cannon would never have caused so much damage.

But Odin had overestimated himself and underestimated Thanos.

Now, he could no longer spare a thought for Asgard.

Though he had pulled Hela in front of him, he had still suffered serious injuries.

The skin had vanished from his body, exposing red muscle and sinew. Even his bones were visible.

Hela, who had taken the blast head-on, was in far worse shape. All her muscle was gone, leaving only a skeleton.

Odin's flesh writhed. Skin rapidly grew back over it, followed by clothing.

But they were only ordinary clothes. All the divine artifacts he had worn were gone, except for Gungnir in his hand.

After all, antimatter and the matter of the Reality Universe annihilated each other on contact.

If Odin had not activated Divine Descent, he would likely have fared little better than Hela.

Even though his body had recovered, his pale face and the vanished golden glow around him made it clear that he was in terrible shape.