190

Chapter 190: The Defeat of Thanos

Proxima Midnight did not come alone; she was accompanied by a group of commandos who were swiftly dealt with by a flurry of flying swords, turning them into skeleton warriors.

Now, she was pinned to the wall by a black dagger, her vision fading, with only one thought circling in her mind—she feared she would never witness Thanos' victory.

It seemed that she was not the only one left in the dark. Thanos, too, was oblivious to the turn of events.

With a loud crash, the Overlord's Heavenly Blade was shattered, split in two by Stormbreaker.

Thanos stared in disbelief at the remains of his once-unbreakable weapon, which had been a symbol of his invincibility, much like himself. Yet, today, it had broken and could not withstand the might of Stormbreaker.

Inside the Sanctuary in New York, there was a long silence. Thanos attempted to initiate a call but received no response.

He knew something was wrong.

In the air, Stark suddenly received a message and shouted with excitement: "Good news! Steve told me that Corvus Glaive has been defeated! Strange also reported that Ebony Maw is dead!"

A Chitauri-turned-skeleton soldier emerged from the direction of the Sanctuary, carrying Proxima Midnight's weapon and presenting it to Thor.

Thanos observed Thor with a complex expression. More than a decade ago, he had seen this young Asgardian for the first time and could never have imagined that this would become his greatest adversary.

Thanos gave a wry smile. Back then, Thor was merely a brash young warrior, not yet the formidable force he had become. It wasn't until Thor, Wanda, and Carol had thwarted his plans at Nidavellir and caused him to lose Black Dwarf that Thanos took him seriously.

Thor remained vigilant.

He understood better than anyone how relentless Thanos was. Concepts like surrender or defeat were foreign to him.

Even at the end of his previous life, with most of his body shattered by Stormbreaker, Thanos had stubbornly clung to his plan to snap his fingers.

As expected, Thanos, holding the remnants of the Overlord's Heavenly Blade, charged at Thor with a vengeful aura.

Proxima Midnight's plan had failed, and Dormammu's so-called support had probably fallen apart. But surrender was not in Thanos' vocabulary.

A fierce battle ensued, destroying nearly everything around them, before finally coming to a halt.

"Cough, cough..."

Thanos, drenched in blood, propped himself up on his hands and knelt on the ground, coughing uncontrollably. Stormbreaker had inflicted a severe wound on his chest, exposing his thick bones in a ghastly display.

If it had been anyone else, they would have succumbed long ago. Yet, Thanos bore at least three such wounds.

He sighed as he met the gazes of the Avengers Alliance members.

Ultimately, it was a failure.

Despite his early psychological preparation, this was a path of no return.

He would either achieve his goal, live the life he had always envisioned, and witness the sunrise amidst the gratitude and curses of half the universe, or die fighting for his ideals.

"Clang..."

The Overlord's Heavenly Blade fell to the ground.

With everyone watching, Thanos said, "I request a dignified death."

As the battle drew to a close, many from the other battlefields gathered to witness the end of an era.

Among the crowd stood a hooded magician, observing Thanos with apparent contemplation. Being from Kamar-Taj, he was accustomed to remaining unnoticed.

Thor, with a heavy heart, picked up his battle axe and approached. Gamora beside him could not help but close her eyes.

Thanos glanced at Gamora with a conflicted expression before closing his eyes once more, awaiting his fate.

As Thor's footsteps grew closer, Thanos, who had been waiting for death, suddenly felt a surge of determination.

No! He had not yet lost!

Thanos opened his eyes abruptly and, seeing Thor almost at his side, quickly extended his right hand, shaking his head.

A brilliant ray shot out from the Infinity Gauntlet, heading straight for Thor.

"Dammit! Thanos, you bastard!"

Caught off guard, Thor swore and instinctively raised his axe to block the rays, but was thrown back several meters.

"Boom..."

The ray, deflected by Thor's axe, shot off in all directions, tearing up the ground and creating a long scar as smoke and dust filled the air.

As the smoke cleared, everyone stared in astonishment at the field—

Where was Thanos?