In the distant, cold expanse of deep space, on a desolate and lifeless abandoned planet.
Broken meteorites floated all around, faint Cosmic Rays flickered sporadically, and the entire star field was desolate and silent.
Thanos sat atop an ancient, massive stone throne, his imposing body shrouded in darkness, his oppressive presence radiating across the cosmos.
Before him, Nebula, covered in wounds, knelt on one knee and recounted the entire story of what had happened on Xandar.
After speaking, she raised her hand to activate the portable holographic projection.
A three-dimensional and realistic scene unfolds instantly, playing Xandar.
In the projected image, a fleet of Nova blotted out the sky, and countless energy cannons fired in unison, beams of light piercing the heavens and earth, a continuous barrage capable of instantly obliterating a super-megacity.
In the center of the battlefield, Wenwu stood alone, unmoved and untouched by the barrage of artillery fire, all the destructive energy silently absorbed by his body.
Thanos stared intently at the screen, his previously indifferent expression gradually hardening, a rare look of solemnity and apprehension appearing in his eyes.
"Master! This person has stolen your Power Stone! Please give the order to immediately march on Xandar, flatten the planet, and seize the gem!"
Corvus Glaive knelt heavily on one knee, his tone stern, and volunteered for battle.
Thanos slowly shook his head, his deep, resonant voice echoing through the desolate hall.
"Let's leave it alone for now."
He looked up at the rough, heavy Infinity Gauntlet in his hand, which he had forged himself.
Within the groove of the glove, a clear and bright yellow Mind Stone is quietly embedded, its radiance soft and captivating.
That's right, this is the Mind Stone. Two years ago, the Ancient One took it from Wenwu and sealed it away in the unknown depths of the universe.
But unexpectedly, it returned to Thanos's hands.
In order to control the Mind Stone, Thanos painstakingly crafted this custom Infinity Gauntlet to house the stone.
"This person is a human from Earth."
Thanos's gaze was deep as he slowly began to speak.
When the Chitauri Army invaded Earth, the entire battlefield was transmitted back to space in real time, and he still witnessed it all.
The terrifying combat prowess displayed by Wenwu in the Battle of New York left a deep impression on him.
In just two short years, the opponent's strength has increased to such an unbelievable level!
Even now, with the Mind Stone in his hands, he still doesn't have complete confidence in defeating his opponent head-on.
"Pass down the order: everyone must search for the Soul Stone at all costs."
Thanos's voice was soft, yet it carried the absolute majesty of someone who held the power of life and death over the universe.
"Once the Soul Stone are collected, this person and the entire Earth will be nothing to fear."
"Yes! We will do everything in our power to retrieve the Soul Stone for our Lord!"
The Black Order bowed and knelt down in unison, swearing an oath.
"In addition."
Thanos's eyes narrowed, and he gave the order again in a deep voice.
"Immediately initiate a fleet-wide modernization project, and develop specialized countermeasure technologies to specifically counter the capabilities of magnetic field control and metal manipulation."
He knew perfectly well that Wenwu's special abilities had a devastating, natural advantage against the interstellar fleet.
If caught off guard, even the largest interstellar fleet is nothing more than scrap metal to be manipulated at will, utterly powerless to resist.
"Yes, sir!"
The Black Order respectfully accepted the order, daring not to slacken in the slightest.
Thanos then turned to Nebula, who had remained silent and bowed her head the entire time, and said coldly:
" Gamora has been searching for the Infinity Stones for years and may have already obtained clues to the Soul Stone's hidden secrets. You must set off immediately and bring her back to my side."
"Yes, Father!"
Nebula bowed her head and accepted the order, her eyes filled with complex emotions, yet she dared not disobey in the slightest.
At the edge of the vast and boundless Andromeda Galaxy, the immense starry sky transforms into a continuous battlefield.
The Kree Empire and the Nova Empire, two top interstellar civilizations, have completely broken off relations and gone to war!
Within a vast expanse of stars, countless interstellar warships crisscross, stretching out into an endless sea of steel.
Countless medium-sized frigates and small fighter jets shuttled back and forth, attacking and defending, and sped through the dark universe.
High-energy beams of red, blue, and purple light rained down, traversing the void and clashing wildly!
Boom boom boom--!
A series of massive explosions erupted in deep space!
Clusters of scorching, dazzling white fireballs continued to rise and explode.
Every second, countless fighter jets are lost, warships are pierced, and their hulls are blown up!
The entire star field has been completely transformed into a brutal battlefield engulfed in flames!
Behind the Nova Empire fleet, a Nova main battle mothership, nearly three kilometers long, painted in silver and exuding an imposing presence, hovered in deep space.
In the bridge command room, a veteran general of the Nova Empire with gray hair and a weathered face stared intently at the battlefield images of Xandar transmitted back to him.
The scene unfolds before our eyes: the entire main fleet of Nova is forcibly imprisoned and annihilated by a strange magnetic field.
The old general clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fury, yet also filled with a deep-seated apprehension and fear.
The Nova Prime, the Nova High Command, and a large main fleet were all wiped out, and the Imperial Capital Star fell into enemy hands!
A once-mighty interstellar civilization that has stood tall in the universe for countless years has suddenly become a laughingstock of the entire cosmos!
The empire's dignity and face were utterly trampled underfoot!
As the only remaining elder of the empire and a general whose status was second only to the Nova Prime, he was appointed to succeed the Nova Empire as its supreme commander in a time of crisis, bearing the heavy responsibility of washing away the national humiliation and recovering the capital!
"All military research and equipment departments must immediately commence operations at an accelerated pace!"
"At all costs, expedite the development of magnetic field countermeasures and metal-based shielding and defense technologies! We must quickly overcome the enemy's bizarre abilities, prepare our troops for war, launch a counterattack on Xandar, and pay tribute to the Supreme One and the countless martyred soldiers!"
The entire army immediately accepted the order, and the entire Nova Empire entered full operation.
Time flies, and a whole month has passed in the blink of an eye.
After its fall, Xandar was completely wiped out by the Ten Rings, who eradicated all remaining resistance forces.
The entire planet was restored to order and brought under the rule of the Ten Rings Empire.
Xandar is a core trade hub in the Andromeda Galaxy and even the Milky Way, a bustling center of the cosmos.
Over the past month, countless interstellar caravans, wealthy individuals, tourists, and neutral forces' spaceships have arrived in the airspace, submitting requests to bring back their stranded personnel.
Wenwu did not refuse, but he also set a unified rule: all extraterrestrials who wish to leave must pay the corresponding amount of universal currency to leave safely.
At the same time, Wenwu secretly activated his Mind Stone power to silently brainwash and alter the memories of those who left, completely erasing the true battle situation on Xandar and the intelligence information of the Ten Rings Empire, preventing all secrets from being leaked.
In the capital city of the planet, in a private, secluded room isolated from all detection.
The Wenwu figures sat cross-legged in the center of the ground, surrounded by a faint golden divine radiance.
After a long while, Wenwu slowly opened his eyes, his eyes revealing a hidden glint of intelligence, and a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
Over the past month, he has devoured a massive number of Nova soldiers, as well as the souls and life force of nearly a million rebels.
After digesting the substances day and night, his soul and body were elevated once again!
His soul strength doubled, leading to a surge in mental power and Mind Stone control, and an increasingly powerful and precise mastery over all superpowers.
He slowly rose and walked out of the secret room.
The overall defense system for the entire Xandar has now been initially completed.
The group of Wenwu clones used dark matter energy as their core power source to create a giant defensive shield that covered the entire planet.
The shield is a translucent, dark purple, thin and hazy, seemingly soft and sparse, but in reality, it is incredibly sturdy.
It is powerful enough to withstand a devastating offensive, including saturation nuclear bombardment and a salvo from the main guns of an interstellar fleet!
Ordinary interstellar artillery fire simply cannot penetrate its defenses!
Relying on the Dark Elves' top-notch dark matter capture technology, coupled with the Reality Stone's ability to rewrite the underlying rules, he can continuously extract cosmic dark matter as energy, providing endless power and enough to support high-intensity interstellar warfare!