Despite Thanos' relentless barrage, he couldn't inflict any damage on Li Yue. However, Li Yue didn't intend to let the assault continue; he had no penchant for masochism.
As Thanos raised his sword for another strike, Li Yue used his superpowers to vanish, reappearing behind Thanos. With a sweeping motion, he swung his trident halberd at Thanos, reciprocating the attack.
Boom!
Without expecting Li Yue's sudden disappearance, Thanos struck the ground with full force, creating a large crater.
"Damn!"
Seeing Li Yue vanish, Thanos didn't have time to ponder how it happened. He turned hastily to locate him. As he turned, he sensed a sudden gust of wind beside him.
Relying on his combat experience, Thanos instinctively positioned his sword to block the incoming strike.
Boom! Crash...
Thanos successfully blocked Li Yue's attack, but the sheer force sent him flying. Thanos crashed into a massive boulder, shattering it and burying him beneath the rubble.
...
However, the debris soon flew away at high speed as Thanos emerged, covered in dust but otherwise unscathed. His resilience was indeed formidable.
Shing!
As Thanos reappeared, Li Yue didn't relent. His eyes glowed red, unleashing twin crimson beams toward Thanos.
Surprised by this new attack, Thanos quickly spun his sword in front of him like a windmill, deflecting the red beams, which sizzled as they were blocked.
Seeing that his heat vision was ineffective, Li Yue ceased the attack and launched himself at Thanos, moving at incredible speed.
The force of his movement tore up the ground behind him, and within an instant, Li Yue was in front of Thanos. He aimed his trident halberd directly at Thanos and thrust forward.
Thanos, still holding his spinning sword, continued the motion to block Li Yue's thrust.
Clang!
Despite successfully blocking, the force of Li Yue's attack sent Thanos sliding backward, creating a deep trench before he came to a stop. Inspecting his sword, Thanos found a small dent where Li Yue's weapon had struck. Considering his sword was made of Uru metal, this was surprising.
He was not contemplating why or how Li Yue felt a rare desire to continue the fierce battle. So far, he has only used his physical strength without tapping into his stored energy, except for heat vision—a natural ability of his superhuman physique.
Though not as strong as Li Yue, Thanos proved to be a worthy opponent, withstanding powerful blows that sent him flying without sustaining injuries.
"If I want to harm him, I might need to use my stored energy," Li Yue mused.
Feeling a hint of defeat, Thanos realized his all-out attacks were being countered effortlessly by Li Yue. Though Li Yue's strikes couldn't mortally wound him, Thanos knew prolonging the fight was not in his favor.
...
Despite his thoughts of retreat, Thanos faced Li Yue's relentless assault once again.
"Seriously? Again?" Thanos thought, feeling a mix of frustration and exasperation. His speed was inferior to Li Yue's, and his strength, once his pride, now seemed lacking.
"I need those Infinity Stones!" A sudden idea sparked in Thanos' mind. But Li Yue was upon him once more before he could devise a plan.
Thanos raised his sword defensively, preparing to block Li Yue's next attack. This time, instead of leveraging his speed for a powerful strike, Li Yue stopped before Thanos and engaged in a furious assault.
Using his trident halberd, Li Yue launched a flurry of chaotic strikes at Thanos, even teleporting around him to attack from unexpected angles.
Initially, Thanos struggled against the unpredictable attacks, but soon, he adapted, blocking Li Yue's relentless strikes with greater ease.
...
"Alright, it's time to end this fight!"
After several minutes of intense combat, Li Yue felt the battle had continued. He decided to unleash his full strength.
With one powerful blow, he sent Thanos flying again. As Thanos was propelled backward, Li Yue didn't follow up; instead, he planted his trident halberd in the ground and prepared for his finishing move.
Silver lightning crackled around Li Yue, converging into a brilliant energy ball between his hands.
"This is incredible! Mr. Li Yue is so strong that Thanos can't even retaliate! He's just taking hits!"
The Avengers, watching from a distance, were astonished. Thanos, who had previously bested them, was now at Li Yue's mercy.
"This... is this the power of thunder? Impossible! Only I should be able to wield it, yet Li Yue can use it effortlessly?"
Thor couldn't believe his eyes as he saw the silver lightning. Never before had he seen a human wielding thunder like him. It made him question his nearly 1,500 years of life.