As the final enemy ship exploded, Erik hovered in the air amidst the smoldering wreckage, his eyes surveying the battlefield as his [Resurrected army] headed back inside [Beelzebuth's stomach].
The once empty, red landscape was now a graveyard of twisted metal and broken bodies. The scent of scorched sand lingered in the air. Erik, his girls, and his army were brutal.
Though they had annihilated most of the invading forces, he couldn't ignore the nagging worry that gnawed at his mind.
Somehow, Gamora had found this place, and following her arrived Kree and Xandarian ships.
While most of the Xandarian warships and Kree necroships lay in ruins, a few still had managed to escape the onslaught.
'Even though Chitaurian army, did its best... welp, it was somewhat inevitable in a space battle but still leaves a bad, taste...'
He knew those fleeing ships would report back to their respective empires, detailing what monstrosity they had encountered here on Mars.
"The Xandarians don't worry me too much," Erik thought, his eyes narrowing as he turned his gaze skyward. "They're predictable and weak, overall manageable. But the Kree..."
The Kree Empire's alliance with Thanos was a serious problem. Erik knew that once the Kree reported back, it wouldn't take long for Thanos to recognize the situation for what it truly was. Even if Thanos doesn't think 'Erik' is 'Ebony Maw', there is still a little chance that he'll let 'Erik' off after what he had done. What's more 'Erik' possessing Chitaurian army would definitely attract him to 'Erik' for answers.
But still, Thanos really might deduce that Erik is Ebony Maw, after all... The similarities were too glaring to ignore: the same army, the same strategies, fighting styles, and even the same fucking Maw suit.
Erik clenched his fists, his jaw tightening with resolve. "Thanos will know. And once he knows, he'll come for me."
For a long time, Erik had chosen to leave Thanos alone. He believed that in the cannon Marvel Universe had plunged into chaos only after the Mad Titan's death. Surely, there were other reasons for multiversal shit too but... Erik thinks there's some linking for sure.
'Something like fate...?'
Erik had a theory: After Thanos's death, due to the vacuum or in other words... due to the absence of a main 'antagonist'. The universe turned multiversal, searching for new big bad, a more dangerous and unpredictable than the previous.
He believed that both Thanos's death as well as the invention of Time travel, was a trigger for that. He had plans to interfere with the events of Antman, perhaps kill Hank Pym in order to prevent the quantum realm shenanigans in the future as well...
Anyway...
He had hoped that by allowing Thanos to live a little longer, the universe would experience a few years of relative peace, a brief respite before the inevitable storm.
The peaceful years would allow him to grow in power if possible...
But that's no longer possible it seems.
He simply can't allow Thanos to be the first to attack.
'I can't let him have the initiative...'
"I'll have to kill him," Erik decided, his eyes blazing with determination. "For the greater good of this little ol me."
For a moment he glanced at Cindy and Wanda who were chatting on the surface, the way they were smiling, glistening with sweat... it was as if they just came out of a quick workout instead of annihilating a whole portion of an army.
With a deep breath, he went to them to tell them a bit of the danger.
"Girls, I need to tell you something important." He called out, "You remember how I told you for some curse or whatever reason I woke up in my previous body, and after a long adventure I found my way back to Earth and also stole that mothership from the bad guy that had instigated the invasion of New York?"
Wanda and Cindy nodded, while Erik had a somewhat carefree tone in his voice, they could sense his inner turmoil.
"Well, the bad guy I stole this ship from, was the old body's boss and adoptive father. It's a long story but I betrayed him and now he will try to kill me, so I'll just have to kill him first."
"You sound really worried, Erik, is he more powerful than even Infinity Ultron and Morlun?" Cindy asked with concern.
"Well, no, not stronger than Infinity Ultron, I don't know much about Morlun though." He replied, "Anyway, we have to kill my 'adoptive father' so, let's go..."
He mentally ordered Strange to open a portal to SANCTUARY, the Domain Of Thanos...
But... Strange wasn't able to open a portal.
'Odd...' Erik narrowed his eyes.
Erik then took out Wong from [Beezlzebuth's stomach] but even he couldn't open the portal to Thanos.
After a bit of trial, he found out that it wasn't that the portals weren't working, it was just some mystic force, definitely Eldritch in nature, was preventing magic portals anywhere near Thanos's domain and anywhere near the jump points of Sanctuary.
Erik calculated the possibilities, even after he used everything he possessed, it would take at least 6 hours to reach the Sanctuary at the minimum.
Erik's heartbeat quickened at the realization.
Someone was buying time.
Someone who had centuries of experience in eldritch magic and worked for Thanos...
"Supergiant..." Erik rubbed his forehead, "She has returned, huh."
Indeed, according to Ebony Maw's memories, this Supergiant was not only a telepathic alien, she even knew eldritch magic, just like Ancient One and Dr. Strange.
"Who is that?" Wanda asked.
"Someone more dangerous than Thanos." Erik replied taking out the Sceptre from [Beelzebuth's stomach], "That woman's mental capabilities had outgrown the Sceptre. The reason for that is Eldritch magic, the same one Ancient One uses."
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[ SANCTUARY - Domain Of Thanos ]
[ N5X2 1O6311411+2123518 ]
[An hour ago]
In the dark and quiet throne room of Sanctuary, Thanos sat on his throne, looking serious. In front of him, Supergiant kneeled, her white robes grazing the cold dark floor.
"Sire, Ebony Maw is alive," Supergiant said.
Thanos's eyes narrowed. "Maw?"
"Yes, my Lord," she replied. "The Kree tailing after Gamora encountered him near the planet that won against Loki. He has a new physical form now, somewhat disgusting to look at, he has also grown powerful enough to destroy whole fleets of Xandarian and Kree ships by himself."
She paused, a bit of sadness in her tone as she continued, "He was alive all this time, yet hadn't returned, and fights against our own armies... this could only mean..."
Thanos's face showed a flicker of sadness. "My own child... turned against me," he murmured.
Supergiant continued, "Maw has definitely lost his intelligence that caused him to betray you, Sire, but if he still has the least bit of it left in that new head of his then he will come here to kill you. He will not miss the chance to strike first in an intergalactic battle."
Thanos clenched his fists. "He made his choice," he said firmly, "Let him come, Supergiant. I will bathe the stairways in his BLOOD!"
'Nah, uh... father... I don't want that,' She mused internally, 'While I still haven't forgiven him for doing this, I still love him dearly... but I know how Maw can be. He won't spare a thought before he kills me along with you, just to cut the loose ends...'
'That's why father, I'll have to use you...'
Supergiant was the only one in the Black Order that didn't fear Thanos at all. She only followed him because she respected him.
She looked up slightly. "Do not underestimate him, my lord. He is very powerful now. You must see this."
She showed a hologram of Erik—Ebony Maw—using [Beelzebuth], a huge vortex of darkness that devoured entire fleets. Erik's power was frightening.
Thanos watched, his eyes narrowing with interest.
"This is what he has become," Supergiant said quietly. "He is not the same Maw we knew. He has powers that can challenge even you. But my Lord, I have a way. You see, the mission you had sent me for is partially successful. Well, while I still needed a few more years to bring 'it' back, I was successful in finding it. I will need your help retrieving 'it'..."
"I see," Thanos grinned, "You've done well, my daughter."
The blue-skinned woman also grinned internally, 'Maw, my dear little brother, don't you worry. I won't let you die... this is just to teach you a lesson for betraying me, betraying my eternal love for you...'
'After you are thoroughly defeated and crushed by father, I will confine you all to myself. Then I will take away your powers, amputate your arms and legs, but don't you worry even then as I your older sister will take care of your each and every need. I will feed you with my very own mouth. I will wash you with my breasts. I will hold your penis with my delicate hands to help you pee. I will pat your head to sleep. Oh, Maw~ I wouldn't have done this if you hadn't betrayed me, I am only doing this so that you won't run away again. Stupid Maw~ faking your death like that~ You don't know how sad I was~ this will be your punishment♡'
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As Erik reached the jump point that was still open and was near to Thanos's Sanctuary, he put the Stealth ship on auto-pilot mode and headed back to where the girls were.
As Erik planned his onslaught on Thanos's base, he concluded that he needed more than one team for this task.
He needed someone who knew about his base well enough. And he had only one option.
Gamora!
'Ugh,'
This problem was only because that foolish girl came for him... Erik was kinda mad at her.
But after contemplating a bit, he decided to use Gamora, after all... and make her fight for him for the trouble she caused him, well, she was useful enough since she knew about Thanos's base well.
But for that, he will need to convince her that he wasn't the one to kill her 'Uncle' but was her 'Uncle' himself.
He told the girls a bit about the green-skinned woman who attacked them and also asked them to keep the whole body-switching phenomenon a secret from her.
And then finally, Erik took out Gamora from his [Beelzebuth's stomach].
The green-skinned Zen-whoberi's eyes were shut close and her breathing was slow, he had knocked her out before storing her and Rocket. Their previous meeting was kinda cut short due to the invasion on his planet.
'I guess, this will be our true reunion?'
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