Cruel

Without even a single cry of anguish, they vanished without a trace.

As if they had never existed.

All who witnessed this scene swallowed hard in unison.

They looked at Zane in the sky with fear.

Zane seemed to show a hint of displeasure at the Chitauri who had interrupted him.

Zane lifted his head to gaze at the other end of the space-time wormhole. Accompanied by the quick rhythm of the Death Rule deep within his soul, an ancient crown suddenly appeared atop Zane's head.

"In the name of the God of Death, I pronounce you blasphemers and sentence you to death!"

"Hmm... let's just kill half of them first." Zane suddenly seemed to think of something and changed his mind.

His casual demeanor made it seem as if he were shopping at a market, rather than sentencing lives to death.

In the next moment, without any energy fluctuations and without using any divine power of death, the Chitauri war fortress stationed at the other end of the space-time wormhole silently turned to dust.

It exposed hundreds of thousands of Chitauri within.

Immediately afterward, half of the Chitauri soldiers, including those charging towards the wormhole, silently turned to dust.

The eyes of the remaining soldiers became vacant as Zane took control of their minds.

The next moment, the remaining Chitauri piloted their aircraft, transforming into streaks of meteors that swiftly descended to the ground through the wormhole.

Dust filled the battlefield in an instant.

Countless ordinary people, as if waking from a nightmare, let out piercing screams and began to flee in panic.

Seeing this, Zane nodded in satisfaction once more.

This time, he did not use any skills or even a trace of his deathly divine power.

Instead, for the first time, he exercised his divine authority as the God of Death.

The divine authority of death is simple to understand.

It is the power to pronounce life or death on all things, both living and non-living.

Though Zane is just a lower deity now, passing judgment on these Chitauri grunts was effortless for him.

This is also the fundamental reason why Hela is madly pursuing the divine authority of death.

The feeling of having the life and death of all things in the world in one's hands is simply too wonderful.

"Alright, now I will announce the rules of the game." Seeing that everyone present had calmed down, Zane continued.

"The rules are simple. You ugly aliens are one team, and the weaklings of Earth are another team."

"I will open up a battlefield where you can send your people for a life-and-death duel."

"The number of participants you send is up to you, best of three rounds."

"But each person can only participate in one battle."

"Those who participate repeatedly, die!"

"Those who flee in battle, die!"

"In each round, the last person standing determines the winning team."

"Now, I will give each team three questions. Cherish them."

A mischievous smile flashed across Zane's lips, and his eyes were full of anticipation.

Like a child sitting in front of the TV, eagerly waiting for his favorite cartoon to start.

So pure!

Yet so cold!

As Zane's words fell, the entire scene fell silent; no one dared to speak first.

Everyone was terrified by the shocking scene they had just witnessed.

The space-time wormhole was two-way, and on Earth, they could see the Chitauri warship's destruction in space.

Thousands of lives had turned to dust right before their eyes.

And all of this was because of one word from the man dominating the scene.

"Is no one going to ask a question? You only have one chance!"

Seeing no reaction from below, a hint of impatience flashed in Zane's eyes as he smiled and spoke.

After a moment, the scene remained silent, with no one speaking.

Everyone was still immersed in the terror they had just experienced.

Just as Zane was about to announce the start of the game, Loki, who had already been beaten and battered by the Avengers, suddenly spoke up.

"Lord Zane, may we use weapons in the duel?" Loki asked loudly.

"Yes, any weapon can be used freely."

"I only care about the result; the process is up to you."

Zane summoned a bone throne and sat on it in the sky, making his presence even more intimidating.

"Little Loki, do you have any more questions?" Zane asked, seeing Loki's hesitant expression.

"Uh, Lord Zane, may I boldly ask, will you favor any side?" Loki raised his head and seriously watched Zane's expression as he nervously asked.

Given his intelligence, Loki should not have asked this question.

But from the scene, it seemed Zane might favor the Earth side.

If that were the case, the game was doomed from the start, and they would surely lose.

If that were the case, clever Loki would surrender immediately to save his life.

After Loki asked this question, Zane also took a deep look at this clever little trickster, causing Loki to break out in a cold sweat.

However, Zane did not seem angry and directly answered his question.

"I will not favor any side. The selection is up to you."

"Once you enter the duel, unless there is desertion, I will not intervene."

Upon hearing Zane's response, Loki let out a long breath of relief.

"One last question, Lord Zane, will the game start immediately?"

After a sigh of relief, Loki's quick mind immediately thought of this crucial question.

This hidden question could directly decide the outcome of the duel.

Most of the Chitauri were still full of energy, only slightly frightened.

But the Avengers and other arriving superheroes were covered in wounds and barely able to stand.

Zane instantly saw through Loki's little calculation.

For some reason, Zane now felt like a grandfather watching his clever grandson's tricks when he looked at Loki.

Zane even started to like this clever little imp.

"Yes, once the questions are done, the duel begins immediately."

Instantly, joy flashed across Loki's face, while the Earth side's faces darkened.

"This is unfair! With our current state, we'll be slaughtered!" Hawkeye shouted loudly.

Zane slowly turned his head towards the voice.

"Did I allow you to speak, ant?"

As Zane's icy voice fell, dozens of golden ripples quickly spread out behind him.

Then dozens of sharp spears, with a sharp whistle, pierced Hawkeye's chest, turning him into a bloody pincushion pinned to the ground.

Often, Zane felt more comfortable staying in the cosmos.

Because out there, there weren't many fools.

People in the cosmos deeply understood the law of the jungle: survival of the fittest.

In the face of a stronger opponent, unless it's a last resort, no one would resist.

Unlike on Earth, where brainless people who didn't know to respect the strong were everywhere.

Didn't they know that when adults talk, children who interrupt get smacked?

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