Chapter 223: Gamora and Nebula

Thanos felt no shame at all.

He had never been noble. Although he claimed to distribute the universe's resources and eliminate half of the population for the sake of the universe, that was not his true intention.

He was despicable, cunning, and domineering. These contradictory traits shaped the Thanos we know today.

When facing the weak, Thanos always displayed authority and dominance. But when confronting powerful enemies, he would show deep-rooted cunning and treachery.

To defeat his opponents, he would not hesitate to use any means, no matter how despicable.

And now was no exception.

Thor, Loki, Wanda, and the others were each as powerful as him, if not stronger. In such a dire situation, Thanos naturally employed every possible tactic to create favorable conditions for himself and seize a chance of victory.

However, Thanos' plans were completely seen through by the five.

The other four were all highly intelligent. Thor, out of his love for Loki, did not believe Thanos' lies at all. On the contrary, such words only enraged Thor.

"Despicable scoundrel, I will rip out your heart, cut off your head, and let the world scorn your corpse."

Boom!

Thunder roared, and Thor's angry voice echoed through the sky. Accompanied by a flash of lightning, Thor charged at Thanos. The lightning was so fast that it made one's scalp tingle. In the eyes of Gamora and Nebula, it was over in an instant.

Before they could react, Thanos and Thor had already clashed.

A surging wave of energy blew Gamora and Nebula away. They didn't know how far they were thrown or how many times they tumbled in the air before crashing into a large rock, cracking its surface.

The violent collision's loud noise still echoed in their ears.

Ignoring the intense pain from the impact, the two women looked up to see, in the distant sky, Thanos' purple energy-enveloped fist colliding with Thor's lightning-wrapped hammer.

The powerful clash caused the surrounding space within a hundred-meter diameter to start distorting.

The magnetic field had already become chaotic, and the violently fluctuating energy was collapsing and compressing within the distorted space, crushing everything mercilessly.

Just one glance made the two women feel a heavy pressure on their chests.

The overwhelming pressure almost made them want to vomit.

Gamora was no exception, and even though Nebula was partially mechanical, she was still half flesh and blood, with a central nervous system in her brain, so her senses, including pain, were intact.

Few would erase their senses, as they are part of the soul and will. Erasing them would easily cause distortion.

Thanos understood this well. Cruel and despicable, he saw Nebula as just a pawn to temper Gamora. He also knew Gamora's feelings for Nebula, and to ensure Gamora's loyalty, he wouldn't erase Nebula's will.

Otherwise, Gamora would completely abandon him, something Thanos could never accept.

Unfortunately, despite his genuine feelings, what Thanos received in return was Gamora's complex hatred.

Seeing Thanos cornered by Wanda, Thor, and the others, Gamora felt both happy and excited.

She knew that her revenge might be realized today.

And Thanos' blood-soaked path might finally come to an end.

Gamora stared ahead intently.

She eagerly awaited that moment.

Meanwhile, unaware of his daughter's heartfelt wish for his demise, Thanos was locked in combat with Thor. The fist, empowered by the Power Stone, struck Thor's hammer, returning a force equal to his own.

This shocked Thanos.

He had closely followed Thor and Loki's growth due to his plans. The two brothers, despite their confined development, had grown significantly over thousands of years. Thor was somewhat better, while Loki was not worth mentioning.

But now, in such a short time, the brothers had grown to this level.

Thor could even clash with him, holding the Power Stone, without falling behind.

Though shocked, Thanos knew he was truly in a dire situation. Yet, as a formidable figure, Thanos was already planning a way out.

The best outcome would be to escape with Gamora and Nebula using the Hover Throne.

The worst outcome would be sacrificing Gamora and Nebula.

Although Thanos had developed feelings for Gamora, these feelings were insignificant compared to his own interests.

Thanos always had a plan and an escape route in battle.

Thor was unaware of Thanos' thoughts, but his sole intent now was to crush his enemy with his hammer.

Wanda, Bella, and Loki had yet to act.

Pietro was watching, ready to support at any moment.

This is not some Asgardian knightly spirit. Instead, Wanda, Bella, and the third person had already begun preparing a joint magical barrier to seal off the area as soon as they arrived on the planet Morag.

This was a pre-planned strategy decided by the five of them.

Facing five opponents, unless Thanos is foolish, he would undoubtedly choose to retreat or call for reinforcements.

To create space for both individual and group battles, a joint magical barrier would be essential to establish such conditions.

This would completely cut off Thanos's reinforcements and escape routes.

As for Pietro, he was to be on standby to support and gang up on Thanos, preventing him from attacking Wanda and the others. Additionally, Pietro needed to observe Thanos's fighting style from a distance, as viewing the battle from a third-party perspective would make it easier to spot Thanos's weaknesses.

He would then relay these weaknesses to Wanda and the others, ensuring that once the joint magical barrier was complete, the five of them could gang up on Thanos and guarantee a quick kill.

Thor's task was singular: to engage Thanos in a solo battle, disregarding everything else.

This was also Thor's favorite task.

Knowing that Wanda, Bella, and Loki would not need much time to prepare their joint magic, Thor cherished these moments greatly.

Wielding Mjölnir, Thor clashed with Thanos. After a brief stalemate, Thanos was the first to change tactics. Just as his fist touched Mjölnir, he suddenly withdrew his force, causing Thor to tilt downward due to inertia. Thanos seized this opening and opportunity, aiming a powerful punch at Thor's abdomen.

This forceful punch, if landed, would undoubtedly send Thor flying, giving Thanos more room and time for subsequent maneuvers.

However, what surprised Thanos was that Thor also capitalized on this opening. As Thanos's punch was thrown, Thor sidestepped, letting the punch graze his metal armor. Thanos's reaction and combat awareness were exceptional. In an instant, he altered his move, aiming upward to grab Thor's arm.

Yet, Thor's physical combat awareness, honed through years of intense fighting, was not to be underestimated. Thor's left hand punched without hesitation, striking Thanos's wrist.

Thor then spun around, using the rotational force to swing Mjölnir in his right hand at Thanos's head.

With immense power and speed, Thanos realized that his counterattack would be too slow. He immediately retreated, creating a shockwave that narrowly dodged the hammer.

Thanos could fly.

At the level of a Celestial, flight was a common skill. However, integrating flight into combat was quite rare.

Aerial combat differed significantly from ground combat. Aerial combat required proficiency in flight, and the speed must be high. Maneuvering while flying, such as generating or dissipating force, advancing, and retreating, all required mastery of the ability.

Thanos had maximized his skill in flight.

Despite his large size, even more so than the Hulk, Thanos's speed and agility were unmatched.

His flight was neither sluggish nor cumbersome.

Thanos retreated quickly. In an instant, he advanced again, shooting forward and throwing a heavy punch with his right hand holding the Power Stone. This punch aimed precisely at the moment Thor's Mjölnir missed. Thor's reaction was swift; unable to change his move, he decided to counter with his left fist.

Two mismatched fists collided.

Boom!

A tremendous force erupted. Purple energy and lightning exploded, sweeping waves of air in all directions. The powerful clash sent both Thanos and Thor flying backward.

They flew back one or two hundred meters before stabilizing.

Floating in mid-air, Thor looked at Thanos ahead, his eyes crackling with lightning. His fighting spirit had reached its peak. The previous exchanges had made Thor aware of Thanos's tenacity.

Thanos's strength, speed, and agility were not inferior to Thor's.

Moreover, in terms of combat intelligence, reaction, judgment, and physical combat skills, Thanos might even surpass Thor.

Thanos precisely exploited several openings with decisiveness and ruthlessness. Thor realized that with his previous fighting style, even if his strength and speed matched Thanos's, he would quickly be defeated.

This highlighted the differences in combat skills and intelligence at the same level of close combat.

Thor's excitement soared. His fighting spirit burned fiercely, while Thanos increasingly felt something was amiss.

He clearly understood that despite his immediate reactions and the openings he exploited, Thor managed to counter them all.

Was this still the Thor he knew?

The Asgardian warrior who only knew to charge forward recklessly?

When did Asgardians change their fighting style?

But now was not the time to ponder such things. Thanos locked eyes with Thor while keeping an eye on the white-haired figure a hundred kilometers away. He then looked up at the sky.

The waves of magical energy immediately told Thanos what the three above were doing.

"Thanos."

With just this one move, Thor's attack came once more. Thanos, who was still fighting, dared to be distracted. Thor's furious roar exploded like thunder, and with a flash of lightning, he had already rushed in front of Thanos.

He raised Mjolnir high and smashed it down towards Thanos's head.

Thanos extended his hands, and with a flash of light, a giant double-headed blade appeared in his hands, just in time to block the attack.

Bang!

The sound of metal clashing erupted, the piercing noise echoed through the sky. In the distance, Gamora and Nebula immediately clutched their ears in pain, feeling as if their heads were about to explode.

Without hesitation, the two women immediately got up and ran further away.

As for the spaceship?

The spaceship they arrived in had already been destroyed in the battle, so there was no point thinking about it.

As they ran, Nebula sent a distress signal, urging the fleet to come and support them as quickly as possible.

Gamora noticed Nebula's actions out of the corner of her eye and initially wanted to stop her but hesitated, thinking of Thor and the others, and ultimately didn't interfere.

She believed that Thor and the others must have anticipated this situation and were certainly prepared.

At this level, the fleet's weapons technology could hardly cause any damage except for the weapons system on Sanctuary II.

Both women were not ordinary people, and their running speed was extremely fast. The battle behind them was intense, with waves of air rolling like a raging tide. They ran even faster, their long legs almost creating afterimages.

Soon, they had run more than a hundred kilometers away. Only when the impact of the air waves was minimal did they stop.

This was a desolate and dark area, with all sorts of strange, seemingly withered trees and vegetation, and rocks. The native creatures had long since fled.

...

Just as they stopped, Nebula was preparing to contact the fleet to report the situation.

Suddenly, a somewhat lively voice came from behind.

"Hey, ladies, if you don't mind, could you kneel and surrender?"

At the sound of the voice, Gamora and Nebula's pupils contracted. Their high combat awareness made them immediately draw their weapons. Gamora took out a pair of energy pistols, while Nebula drew a pair of daggers.

The two women turned and faced their opponent. Nebula dodged to one side, while Gamora pulled the trigger, firing energy beams.

The figure in front of them didn't seem to move, and the dense energy beams passed through his form, striking a dark, muddy boulder not far behind him, shattering it into pieces with surprising power.

Taking advantage of Gamora's attack for cover, Nebula lunged with her high-frequency energy daggers towards the figure.

However, with a flash of white light, Nebula felt a heavy kick to her abdomen. The powerful force blasted a large hole in her midsection, and her body was torn in half, scattering pieces all over the ground.

"NEBULA!" Gamora shouted angrily. Despite the antagonism fostered by Thanos, which led to their strained relationship, Gamora had always secretly regarded Nebula as a sister.

Now, Nebula has been kicked in half.

Enraged, Gamora kept pulling the trigger, sending energy beams sweeping towards their foe. But the figure was too powerful, walking straight through the energy beams like a reaper from hell, inducing fear.

Gamora continued firing relentlessly.

The difference in strength was overwhelming. The opponent walked straight up to her, standing effortlessly in front of her. Instinctively, Gamora wanted to retreat, but when their eyes met, she felt a powerful pressure that rendered her immobile.

Despair filled her face as she watched the young man with white hair extend a hand and point a finger towards her forehead. The movement seemed slow, but it was just an illusion.

Death was imminent.

Just as Gamora braced for death, the man's voice, tinged with surprise, reached her ears.

In a daze, she realized the finger was only a few centimeters from her forehead, clearly indicating he had stopped the attack on purpose. Otherwise, she would have already been killed.

Sweating profusely, Gamora felt the terror of walking on the edge of death.

Pietro scrutinized the green-skinned, tall alien woman before him with some curiosity.

He had stopped attacking because he inadvertently read some of her memories and found them different from what he had expected.

"So, you're not that guy's biological daughter?"

Pietro's expression was somewhat strange.

"Neither Nebula nor I are," Gamora gritted her teeth, suppressing her fear and anger.

"No wonder. I thought it was a racial characteristic. I was wondering how a purple-skinned guy could have green and blue-skinned daughters," Pietro realized.

~~~

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