"Cough, cough, Thanos, you seem overly confident now! You seem to have forgotten that the Infinity Stones are in our hands. With a single snap, you and your forces will turn to dust!"
"I wonder where your confidence comes from, daring to challenge us all!"
Watching Thanos boast before him, Li Yue couldn't help but respond sarcastically.
"..."
"Who are you? I've been curious. I've never encountered you in all the future visions I've seen. There's no record of you at all."
Thanos, unbothered by Li Yue's sarcasm, asked curiously.
"My name is Li Yue. Remember it well because you will die by my hand today!"
Li Yue declared boldly.
"How dare you talk so big before me without my permission?"
...
Thanos was indeed somewhat angered. He was Thanos, and in the entire universe, few would dare to speak to him so arrogantly. Yet, this seemingly frail human stood before him, talking with such disdain.
Even if Thanos couldn't entirely see through Li Yue, he couldn't believe any ordinary human could be stronger than him.
"I didn't expect someone so small to have such a big mouth! Want to kill me? Give it a try!"
Suppressing his anger, Thanos spoke, readying his double-edged sword for Li Yue's attack.
"Try? I was just thinking of seeing how powerful the infamous Thanos truly is!"
Equally eager for a fight, Li Yue took a few steps forward, matching Thanos' stance.
"But since you have a weapon, I should also bring out mine!"
Saying this, Li Yue extended his right hand, forming a half-clenched fist, and silently summoned his weapon. A brilliant blue light flashed, and a uniquely shaped gun appeared in his hand: his trident halberd!
"Whoa, how did that thing appear in his hand out of nowhere? It's even more convenient than my Stormbreaker!"
Everyone watched in astonishment as Li Yue's weapon materialised, especially Thor, who couldn't believe his eyes. He thought his ability to summon Mjolnir and Stormbreaker was impressive, but Li Yue's weapon appeared from thin air and was a whole new level.
Ignoring Thor's exclamations, Li Yue pointed his trident halberd at the ground, struck a pose, and then spoke to the equally surprised Thanos.
"I'm ready! We can start now!"
...
"Wait, Mr. Li Yue! We are deeply grateful for everything you've done, but you've already helped us so much!"
Captain America suddenly called out as the battle was about to begin, stopping Li Yue.
"And now, we cannot just stand by. Thanos is extremely powerful. It's time we ended this together!"
Captain America's eyes were filled with determination, but his expression showed deep concern for Li Yue. The others shared the same sentiment. They had all experienced Thanos' might firsthand, and while they appreciated Li Yue's help, they felt it was wrong to let him face Thanos alone.
"Yeah, brother Li Yue, let's all fight together and take down this purple menace quickly!"
Thor's body crackled with silver lightning as he summoned his Stormbreaker and Mjolnir, proposing they fight together.
"You don't need to worry. I'm confident in my strength. Thanos can't do anything to me! Even if I can't kill him easily, defeating him will be no problem!"
Li Yue looked back at the concerned faces of his comrades, feeling touched. But he still declined their offer to join the fight.
"Besides, your main task is to protect the Infinity Stones. We can't let them fall into enemy hands, or everything we've done will be in vain!"
"Alright, everyone, that's settled! Now, you should back away to a safe distance!"
Seeing Tony and the others wanting to say more, Li Yue interrupted, then turned and walked alone towards Thanos.
...
"Are you sure you don't need their help to fight me alone?"
Thanos watched with interest, not making any move during their conversation.
In Thanos' view, even if they all attacked together, they wouldn't pose much of a threat. Besides, his invincible army was stationed above.
While Thanos had his pride and avoided underhanded tactics, he wasn't foolish. Everything he did was with a plan in mind. He would order his forces to attack without hesitation if he truly couldn't win.
"Don't worry about that. We've wasted enough time. Let's start the fight before it gets dark!"
Li Yue, gripping his trident halberd, walked slowly towards Thanos, the blade scraping a long line in the ground.
"Alright, then! Prepare yourself. Don't embarrass yourself by being unable to take even one hit!"
Reaching just a few dozen meters from Thanos, Li Yue warned him and readied himself to attack.
"Come on! Show me if your confidence is from your strength or just arrogance!"
Thanos gripped his double-edged sword, ready for Li Yue's assault.
Seeing Thanos ready, Li Yue wasted no more time. His legs exploded with power, launching him like a cannonball towards Thanos, leaving a crater in the ground from the force.
With Li Yue's speed, the distance between them closed instantly.
Li Yue gripped his trident halberd with both hands and swung it down at Thanos in a powerful, straightforward attack!
Though Li Yue knew few weapon techniques, he could easily execute such simple, strength-based moves!
...
"Damn! How is he so fast?"
Seeing Li Yue's speed, Thanos' heart sank. He barely had time to react, instinctively raising his double-edged sword to block the strike.
Li Yue didn't care about Thanos' defence. He didn't even use his energy, relying solely on his strength to attack.
As Thanos lifted his sword to block, Li Yue's strike landed.
Boom!
The clash of their weapons sounded like an explosion!
Thanos' face changed as he felt the overwhelming force behind Li Yue's strike.
But he had no choice but to take it head-on!
The ground beneath Thanos' feet cracked and sunk from the impact, spreading like a spider web and breaking into chunks until stopping over ten meters away.
A visible shockwave burst from the point of impact, sending debris flying like a storm, scattering in all directions!
...
"Damn, what a monstrous level of destruction! No wonder Mr. Li Yue told us to step back!"
The shockwave swept over the group hundreds of meters away, but luckily, none were harmed.