163

Chapter 163: Changes

In Sanctuary II, Thanos, who had just returned from his journey, felt a nagging sense of something important missing.

He thought hard but couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Shaking his head, he dismissed the unsettling thought. There were more pressing matters at hand; he would deal with this issue once the balance of the universe was restored.

In truth, he had wanted to seize the opportunity to launch a major assault on Asgard and claim the three Infinity Stones on Thor's person.

But such a risk was considerable.

If the adversaries truly risked everything to fight for their lives, there was a high chance they could defeat him...

"Drip! Congratulations to the host for triggering Vision-related missions—the tragic end."

"Mission Description: As a superhero who met his demise twice in quick succession, Vision's fate is indeed tragic. Even more so because one of these deaths was caused by his beloved.

Now that Vision's emotional ties have been severed, it's time to experience his tragic end!"

"Mission Objective: To be killed by one's beloved."

"Mission Reward: The character's exclusive enhancement is triggered once."

Just as Thanos was contemplating this, he heard the mission prompt.

The system, which had been silent for a long time, was making its presence known again.

Thor chose not to consider the task reward for now, as his concerns were with the mission's content.

By the way, the system seems to have a problem with its emotional intelligence; a "tragic end"?

Vision's demise is considered a sacrifice for righteousness, not a mere tragic end.

Hmm, could the "tragic end" be referring to me?

Thor shuddered at the thought of the multitude of women around him.

The task seemed straightforward: be killed by one's beloved.

Thor's mind raced with numerous thoughts of failure.

"Everyone's dead, this is absurd!" Thor said, noticing Wanda nearby and calling out to her.

"Wanda."

"Hmm?"

"Try to kill me."

"I won't!" Wanda shot him a glare, assuming he was joking. "Even if I die, I won't hurt you!"

Wanda stormed off angrily, leaving Thor with his hands raised in frustration.

Natalia approached, puzzled.

"What's going on? Why are you making everyone angry?"

"It's nothing... I just asked her to see if she could kill me."

Natalia looked at Thor with a mixture of concern and pity, moving to a safe distance.

Poor thing, must have been dazed by Surtur!

Natalia's heart ached...

Well, it seemed unlikely that Thor would have a chance to get this enhancement.

First of all, Thor had no chance of dying.

No one knew how powerful the Man of Steel was.

Not only did he possess the strongest defense in the universe, but his recovery ability was also exceptional, far surpassing even Surtur's.

If not for his constraints, Thor alone could have fought Surtur indefinitely...

Thor speculated that there were few beings in the universe capable of killing him, even the deceased Odin couldn't manage it.

The only possible method would be to use the Infinity Stones.

While Stormbreaker could theoretically break through his defenses, it was enchanted to harm only its wielder and would not intentionally harm Thor.

That said, why was the Vision mission triggered suddenly? And why now?

Thor had interacted with Vision numerous times without triggering this mission. Moreover, he hadn't thought about Vision recently, so why had it activated now?

What was Vision up to?

A surge of alarm struck Thor.

He immediately checked his communicator and found hundreds of missed calls!

Steve, Stark, Hawkeye, Banner... Almost all the Avengers left on Earth had tried to reach him.

During the battle with Surtur, violent energy had enveloped Asgard, cutting off all communication signals!

Realizing something was amiss, Thor quickly tried to contact Vision.

"BB..."

No response.

Thor's expression grew more serious. He considered for a moment and then called Stark.

"Thor, you bastard!"

Stark's voice was energetic but tinged with fatigue.

"What's going on?" Thor asked, ignoring Stark's outburst.

"What the hell happened..."

Stark continued his tirade for a full minute before pausing.

He took a few deep breaths and said quietly, "Thanos is here..."

"Vision is dead. Thanos has taken the Mind Stone and the Time Stone from Doctor Strange..."