The Right and Wrong Person

Caesar remained in complete control of the Thousand Stars Strike. Though its power had diminished somewhat, it was still a force of unimaginable destruction. He couldn't let his guard down for even a second—if he lost control, the resulting explosion would leave few survivors on Nidavi.

Holy Kaisha led the Angel Legion, their psychic scepters raised high, waiting for the moment when the Thousand Stars Strike's range would be safe. They were poised to encircle Thanos and finish him off.

Everything appeared to be going according to plan.

But then, behind Thanos, someone was struggling to stand.

Corvus Glaive suddenly sprang into action, kicking off with all his strength and leaping over Thanos. He landed on one knee, gripping the Sword of the Dead with both hands, positioning himself to take Thanos' place in the path of the Thousand Stars Strike. Even though the energy had weakened, it was still deadly.

In mere moments, Corvus Glaive's skin and muscles began to disintegrate, vaporizing from the sheer heat and force of the attack. Yet, with nothing but the skeletal remains of his hands, he slammed the undead warblade into the ground, facing the full brunt of Caesar's destructive power.

The undead warblade, already glowing red-hot, began to melt. Molten iron dripped slowly from it, mixing with what was left of Corvus Glaive's essence. Despite enduring this agonizing fate, he had temporarily taken Thanos' place, withstanding the violent baptism of a thousand stars.

Meanwhile, Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf weren't standing idle.

Ebony Maw, pushing his abilities to the limit and risking his life, unleashed every ounce of his psychokinetic power. His body began to turn to ash as he exerted himself, straining to twist space itself in front of him. While Doctor Strange could manipulate space with ease using magic, Ebony Maw had to bend reality using sheer force of will and mind.

His body scorched and his mind overwhelmed with excruciating pain, blood began to pour from Ebony Maw's eyes, ears, and nose. His brain screamed in agony, and before his body fully burned to ash, his senses failed him. The once-sharp gleam in his eyes faded to black.

Yet, the space he had distorted with his life's final effort remained intact.

Black Dwarf wasted no time. As Corvus Glaive leaped into action, Black Dwarf stepped forward and seized Thanos' arm, still radiating intense heat. Without hesitation, he shoved Thanos into the twisted space created by Ebony Maw.

The Black Order knew their leader, Thanos, had sustained serious injuries from Caesar's Thousand Stars Strike. Their army lay in ruins, completely wiped out by the destructive force. Caesar's Angel Legion remained unharmed, and it was clear that the battle was lost.

But the Black Order understood that while they might all perish, their mission was larger than themselves. Their ideals, and their master Thanos, must not die here.

The universe still needed balance.

In her final moments, Proxima Midnight, close to death, exchanged a glance with Ebony Maw. Both had resolved to do whatever was necessary to ensure Thanos survived—even if it meant sacrificing their own lives and the life of Proxima's beloved, Corvus Glaive.

If Caesar had been unaware of Corvus Glaive's secret, he might have assumed the warrior was dead. After all, no one would expect someone to deliberately destroy such an indestructible weapon.

And so, the final act of the Black Order began, as they played their last hand in a desperate effort to save their master.

Caesar could sense everything happening but couldn't spare the power of the Space Gem to restore the warped space. His full focus was on controlling the Thousand-Star Strike.

Holy Keisha, noticing his growing anxiety, stepped into action. She forced the energy of the Mind Scepter and entered the strike's range, where the powerful energy immediately attacked her.

Her once-pure white wings blackened as they neared the attack's core, and feathers began to fall off. Her skin turned red, scorched by the overwhelming heat, which burned both enemies and allies alike.

But Keisha didn't care. Wielding the Mind Scepter, she charged forward, aiming directly for the injured Thanos, intending to decapitate him.

Corvus Glaive was on the verge of unconsciousness, barely holding off the Thousand-Star Strike with what little strength remained. Only half of his Revenant War Blade was left, the rest reduced to molten metal on the ground. He was too weak to help, and Ebony Maw had lost all senses, possibly even his life.

But Black Dwarf still had his strength.

Seeing Keisha advancing toward Thanos with reckless determination, Black Dwarf went into a frenzy. He pushed Thanos into the twisted space before hurling himself at Keisha in a final, desperate charge.

When Thanos or Corvus Glaive had blocked the Thousand-Star Strike, it hadn't been a perfect defense. Instead, the attack created a golden light curtain around them, forming a small safe zone, while the remaining energy surged in every direction.

Holy Keisha forced herself through the searing light curtain. Despite her control over the powerful Mind Gem, her body wasn't as durable as Caesar's or Thanos', and she was badly injured, moving slower with each step.

Under Black Dwarf's brutal charge, her aim faltered. The psychic scepter only grazed Thanos' face, cutting a few strands of muscle and taking his right eye, but it fell short of the killing blow.

The force of the impact threw both Holy Keisha and Black Dwarf out of the safe zone and into the scorching light curtain. Keisha suffered further injuries, while Black Dwarf's immense body disintegrated into ashes in an instant.

Ignoring her worsening wounds, Keisha tried to push through the light curtain once more to continue her attack.

But it was too late.

Thanos had vanished into the twisted space, his face marked by a mix of pain and surprise. He hadn't expected such a sacrifice from the Black Order.

With Thanos gone, Keisha abandoned her effort to face the Thousand-Star Strike head-on. Flapping her charred wings, she slowly approached Caesar. She used the energy of the Mind Gem to quickly replenish her divine power. One by one, her blackened feathers fell and vanished, leaving her once again in her sacred, regal form. Though her body, now reddened and raw from the fight, showed she would need several days to fully recover.

Ebony Maw's charred body still stood, maintaining the warped space, though it was now meaningless. Chasing after Thanos into that space was pointless. Maw's lifeless body finally crumbled, turning to ash. The universe's greatest master of telekinesis had met his end.

Corvus Glaive knelt before the Thousand-Star Strike, gripping the remains of the Revenant War Blade in both hands. The energy of the strike was fading, and as it weakened, Corvus' body slowly began to recover, though only in appearance. His form was still human, but without skin or muscle, only a skeleton remained.

The Thousand-Star Strike flickered one final time before fading completely. The rotating core of the attack, once a mighty star, stopped spinning, covered in massive cracks. With a soft click, Nidavellir's star core, the source of energy for countless years, shattered into fragments. Dwarf King Eitri could only watch in despair.

On Corvus Glaive's skeletal remains, small patches of flesh began to grow back. But the flesh was disordered, growing chaotically like rotten meat. His Revenant War Blade had mostly melted, and his soul was shattered, leaving his body without consciousness or purpose. Corvus Glaive was dead, though his body continued to regenerate mindlessly.

Caesar stepped forward, glancing at the ashes of Ebony Maw. He then stepped on the half-melted warblade, halting the grotesque growth on Corvus' skeleton. The chaotic regeneration finally ceased, and after a moment, it all vanished. Corvus Glaive was gone. A warrior as fearless as he should never have been reduced to such an ugly heap of flesh.

Caesar could kill Thanos and his armies without hesitation—for the sake of ideas and power. Had it not been for their conflicting philosophies and the pursuit of the Infinity Gems, Caesar might have even become friends with Thanos. He might have supported some of Thanos' methods, as long as they didn't interfere with the balance of the worlds under his control.

Were they wrong? No, none of them were. Thanos, the Black Order, Caesar, even the Angel Corps—they weren't wrong. In the end, it wasn't about right or wrong. Civilization was about ideals and interests, and how far one was willing to go to achieve them.

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