173

Chapter 173: Rage

After mastering the Soul Gem, Thor immediately consumed the Red Skull's soul.

The Red Skull was never a pleasant individual.

Anticipating Thanos's return, Thor had laid a trap, asking Loki to use an illusion to disguise himself as the Red Skull. The Soul Gem could handle the difference in souls, making it easier to deceive Thanos, who was a straightforward fighter.

Using the mysterious magic circle beneath the cliff, the chance of success was high.

Unfortunately, Thanos was not deceived. Despite Thor's modified plan and desperate efforts, Thanos managed to escape— a major setback.

However, the outcome wasn't entirely unfavorable. At least one of Thanos's arms had been severed, and Stormbreaker's power could restrain the gems, making it difficult for even the Time Gem to recover swiftly.

The Soul Gem floated up and returned to Thor's hand.

"It's worthless!" Thor exclaimed angrily. "I went through all this effort, and he still escaped..."

The plan had almost succeeded. If the Soul Gem had managed to consume Thanos's soul, it would have been the end.

Unfortunately, the gem had been disrupted by the Time Gem at a crucial moment, allowing Thanos to leap back.

The Soul Gem seemed to be expressing frustration. The opportunity had slipped away...

Thor refocused on Gamora and said with a smile, "I saved your life. Are you aware of that?"

Gamora looked at him suspiciously.

"The true test of the Soul Gem is to sacrifice someone you love the most. And the person Thanos loves the most is you."

"What?!"

Gamora's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible! That monster never loved anyone!"

"Thanos loves you the most. If he were to make a sacrifice, it would have to be you."

The Soul Gem's emotionless voice echoed.

After a moment of shock, Gamora fell silent and asked quietly, "So, he would choose to sacrifice me, wouldn't he?"

Thor nodded. "Yes, he once avoided his destiny, which led to the destruction of Titan. This time, he won't escape, even if it means sacrificing you. For his goal, he would pay any price."

Even though Thor was an adversary, he was blunt and straightforward. He had no interest in backhanded tactics.

Confrontation with Thanos was a tactical necessity.

"Thanos is a deeply contradictory person.

Strictly speaking, he isn't purely evil.

Everything he does is in the name of balancing the universe.

Unfortunately, his approach is fundamentally flawed.

A good person doing bad things is far more dangerous than a bad person simply being bad.

Because, no matter how many evil acts he commits, he believes he's doing it for a greater good.

In contrast, truly evil people don't need to be hostile; like the Grandmaster and Kingpin, they have their own desires, and Thor can cooperate with them because their motivations are clear. Thanos, however, has no personal desires, only an ideal he's pursuing.

If his ideal were correct, it would be acceptable, but Thanos has simply gone astray and become a deluded fool."

Gamora remained silent.

Thanos boarded his spaceship and entered a space wormhole without a second thought. Once he confirmed Thor wasn't in pursuit, he felt some relief.

The once-majestic overlord of the universe was now being hunted. It was a bitter irony.

Clenching his fist, Thanos activated the Time Gem's light, reattaching his severed left arm and healing his shoulder wound.

In some respects, the Time Gem acted like an unlimited health potion—no matter the injury, it could be instantly healed.

"Um?"

Thanos frowned in pain. He realized a mysterious force seemed to be resisting the Time Gem's power . Thanos wasn't a fighter not a Socceror dedicated to mastery time stone , he couldn't use its full potential. Buu

The ability to reverse time was hindered; injuries that could usually be healed instantly were now recovering slowly, relying on Thanos's Titan physique.

Thanos gritted his teeth in frustration.

He activated the screen to set his destination, planning to return to the base camp.

The screen lit up, inundated with countless communication messages. Thanos stared in shock at a message from Ebony Maw...

In his rage, Thanos smashed the screen with a punch.

He never expected that upon his return, his base would be gone.

If Thor were here, Thanos might have lashed out in anger... Ah, forget it. The theft of his base was unforgivable.