However, it was clear that Nebula's belief was completely unfounded.
Her father, Thanos, whom she considered invincible, was now deeply embroiled in battle, and the situation was increasingly turning against him.
The unfavorable situation was evident as she saw Thanos and Thor engaged in an exceptionally fierce fight, with Thor even appearing to gain the upper hand. Yet, this very scene revealed the underlying danger to Nebula.
One Thor was enough to put Thanos in a stalemate.
What about that white-haired kid? From the astonishing speed and strength he displayed, Nebula briefly thought she was facing her father Thanos.
It wasn't his demeanor, but the power that only someone at her father's level could possess.
Moreover, three individuals were flying in the sky. Nebula didn't understand magic, but that didn't mean she was ignorant. On the contrary, under Thanos's meticulous training, she wasn't just a warrior and assassin but also a very powerful spy.
She possessed the highest level of espionage skills, and one essential ability of a spy was to be knowledgeable and observant.
Thus, she could see that the three people in the sky were preparing a kind of magical barrier. Clearly, their purpose was to seal off the entire planet to prevent Thanos from escaping. If they were doing this, it meant they were confident enough to believe they could kill Thanos.
No matter how much she believed in her father, faced with the facts, Nebula had to admit that the situation was very unfavorable, extremely unfavorable.
She needed to find a way to resolve the crisis.
The fleet was one option, but she didn't know if its firepower could break the barrier.
Nebula was deeply worried.
Meanwhile, Thor and Thanos were fighting fiercely. The exhilarating battle made Thor's fighting spirit even more intense. Thanos's strength exceeded Thor's expectations; he initially thought their powers were evenly matched.
However, many of Thanos's abilities surprised him greatly.
In terms of combat skills and battle intelligence, Thor found himself completely at a disadvantage, and Thanos's strength and speed were not inferior to his.
The most critical aspect was Thanos's double-edged sword, into which he had embedded the Power Stone.
This significantly enhanced Thanos's efficiency in using the Power Stone's power.
Each swing of his sword unleashed the Power Stone's energy, making every clash feel like Thor was colliding with the Power Stone itself.
As a product of the Big Bang, the Power Stone's energy was nearly infinite. If this stalemate continued, Thor knew he would inevitably be defeated, but he wasn't worried at all. He fought Thanos head-on without a care.
Because he wasn't relying solely on himself.
Sure enough, from the sky, an intense blue light burst open, and the entire planet was instantly covered by ripples that spread like waves.
The planet Morag was completely and thoroughly surrounded.
This was the super large magical barrier jointly cast by Wanda, Bella, and Loki. This barrier had extremely strong defensive capabilities, absorbed impacts, disrupted space, and even had the ability to automatically counterattack.
Such a large barrier required considerable time and the combined efforts of three people to cast.
Otherwise, an ordinary small barrier wouldn't take nearly as long.
Boom!
Thanos swept his double-edged sword, accompanied by a burst of purple energy, knocking Thor, who was blocking with Mjölnir, into the air. Floating in mid-air, Thanos glanced upward.
At this moment, the originally dark sky had completely turned crimson.
Reflected in his pupils was a massive fireball burning like a meteor, its crimson light painting the ground of planet Morag. Thanos let out a furious roar, rotating his double-edged sword with his right hand, and the Power Stone embedded in the sword immediately emitted a dazzling purple beam.
The surging purple energy column shot straight into the sky, colliding with the massive fireball descending in flames.
Boom!
The ground shook, and the world trembled. The magnificent spectacle unfolded as the immense purple beam clashed with the giant crimson fireball, purple energy and crimson flames intertwining and spreading around, like the forced collision and fusion of two colors.
Ripples swept across the sky, and violent airwaves ravaged in all directions.
On the ground, the terrifying energy and scorching heat nearly evaporated everything, causing the already burdened ground to crack open with deep, bottomless fissures.
Amid this apocalyptic scene, Thanos floated in the sky, scanning his surroundings and seeing, about a hundred meters away, Wanda, Thor, Loki, and Pietro quietly watching him.
Bella stood even further away.
Thanos observed the five's positions and strategies, his eyes flickering slightly. He glanced nonchalantly at Bella in the distance, holding an exquisite staff.
With his keen eyesight, it was obvious that these individuals' combat roles were clear.
Among them, the woman standing far away was likely not proficient in close combat but was a long-range spellcaster.
Such a spellcaster could cause severe consequences if left unchecked in battle.
Especially the enormous, scorching fireball just now—Thanos had just experienced its immense power. If anyone were to be eliminated, it should be the long-range attackers in the rear. This thought flashed through Thanos' mind.
Meanwhile, outside the planet Morag, with the appearance of the space matrix module hive, warships continuously arrived through space jumps.
They were so densely packed that it was impossible to count them all.
The most eye-catching among the fleet was the gigantic mothership, Sanctuary II, which was as large as a planet.
Thanos' fleet had arrived.
Seeing the fleet, Thanos did not feel relieved because he was well aware of the strength of his enemies. Against ordinary enemies or armies, his fleet would easily overwhelm them, but against foes of this caliber, the fleet's firepower would be ineffective.
Moreover, he could see that the magical barrier set up by Wanda and her companions included defensive attributes. Even the most powerful star-destroying weapon system on Sanctuary II could not break the barrier in a short time.
So, after a brief glance, Thanos refocused his attention on Wanda and the others.
Thanos knew well, but the fleet commander did not share his view.
The fleet commander was not one of the Black Order. The Black Order was executing other missions for Thanos. This commander was one of the earliest cosmic pirates recruited by Thanos and was extremely loyal to him.
In the dim and vast command center of Sanctuary II, the commander, with grayish-white skin and clad in armor, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the huge holographic projection before him.
He saw his master Thanos surrounded by Wanda and her companions.
The commander did not act hastily but waited for a report.
At this moment, his subordinates' voices came through.
"Commander, there are five enemies. Three of them have no data in our records. The other two are Thor and Loki, sons of Odin from Asgard."
"Additionally, there is a magical barrier outside the planet Morag. The structure is being analyzed, but it is very strong."
Hearing the report, the commander's expression changed slightly.
"Thor and Loki?"
"Yes, Commander."
"Asgard? Why would they ambush our master?" The commander was puzzled. There was no known connection between Asgard and them.
Moreover, although Asgard still had activities in the universe, they mostly operated within the Nine Realms and would not provoke them without reason.
Could Thanos have done something to Asgard that led these warriors to seek revenge?
The commander did not know what Thanos had done to Asgard, but considering Thanos' methods, his guess might be correct. Understanding this, the commander did not complain about Thanos provoking those reckless warriors.
"We must find a way to break that magical barrier. How long will the analysis take?"
"The analysis is complete, Commander. The barrier is of level five strength, and with our current firepower, it will take three days to breach it," his subordinate reported, bringing unwelcome news that displeased the commander.
"Try other methods to break through."
The alternative was to bypass the barrier's permissions using their technology to take control. This was not surprising, as technology in this universe was closely intertwined with magic, and in some ways, technology was akin to magic.
However, achieving this was not easy.
After all, the magical barrier was jointly created by Wanda, Bella, and Loki, three sub-Celestial, and had been meticulously prepared. It was not something easily taken over.
The commander then received another frustrating piece of bad news.
"Commander, we cannot seize control of the barrier."
"So our only option is to forcefully bombard it?"
The commander took a deep breath.
"Yes, Commander," his subordinate replied helplessly.
"Then commence. Direct all fleet firepower for a saturation bombardment of the planet Morag. I want that damned magical barrier broken within three days," the commander shouted angrily.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Accompanied by the commander's order, along with the second Sanctuary, the entire fleet's firepower targeted the planet Morag for bombardment. Terrifying beams of energy fired like blossoming fireworks.
The pouring firepower bombarded the planet Morag, but the magical barrier outside the planet rippled. The energy shield appeared thin, but regardless of the attack, it sustained no substantial damage.
Moreover, the magic barrier absorbed the massive bombardment and automatically triggered an attack on Thanos.
The attack was not external but a binding type.
For example, chains would occasionally burst from the space behind to bind Thanos. Wanda could also alter the magnetic field here at any time, changing the gravitational structure, subjecting Thanos to thousands or even tens of thousands of times the normal gravity.
However, the more changes made, the more energy consumed.
Yet the effect was absolutely excellent.
Thanos experienced this firsthand. He ignored the continuous, raindrop-like bombardment from above Morag, focusing solely on facing Thor, Pietro, Wanda, and Loki's attacks.
Among them, Loki's close combat skills were the weakest.
Despite being a mage, Loki had a heart for close combat. So, while his magical skills grew rapidly, he also dabbled in close combat. However, compared to the others, he was still significantly lacking.
Even Wanda, with her inherent magic, had fully enhanced life levels. So, at the sub-Celestial level, her strength and speed were also outstanding among her peers.
She just couldn't match Pietro, who had super speed.
Additionally, her close combat skills were somewhat lacking, but she had some ability. Sparring daily with Thor, Pietro, and Hulk, she picked up a few skills quickly due to her high talent.
As Thanos was besieged and on the verge of despair, he seized Loki's close combat weakness, launching a frenzied assault as if determined to kill him.
Loki wasn't frightened by Thanos' ferocity. As an Asgardian, he had no concept of fear towards death.
He was just very frustrated and then furious.
Thanos' behavior clearly implied that he considered Loki the weakest among them. Realizing this, Loki went berserk. What kind of power would a berserk God Of Mischief unleash?
Thanos roared, unleashing all his cosmic energy, wielding his double-bladed sword. A sweeping strike, combined with the power of the Power Stone, forcibly knocked back Wanda, Pietro, Thor, and even Loki.
Thanos then decisively charged at Loki, moving at the speed of light.
Thanos intended to eliminate the weakest first, even if it meant sustaining some injuries, which Loki had long anticipated. Seeing Thanos charging furiously, Loki became enraged.
To Loki, this was nothing short of an insult.
However, in extreme anger, Loki became extremely calm instead of losing his sanity. So calm that it seemed as though time had slowed down. Thanos' light-speed approach appeared significantly slowed.
Loki's heart was calm and steady. He gently thrust his long spear forward.
A brilliant beam of golden energy burst from the spear's tip, instantly hitting Thanos. Thanos, unable to react in time, was struck in the chest and sent flying. As he was knocked back, Loki intercepted him from the front.
Extending his left hand, ripples formed in the surrounding space, and massive ice pillars emerged from all directions, crashing into Thanos.
Under such high-speed impact, the force made Thanos cry out in pain. He felt his proud body had sustained damage, and even his grip on the double-bladed sword loosened, causing it to fall towards the ground.
Thanos, furious, found himself trapped among the ice pillars. Enraged, he opened his arms, and a torrent of cosmic energy shattered the ice pillars. As ice shards filled the sky, Thanos wanted to move but found his feet bound by something.
Looking down, he saw that the flying ice shards seemed to come to life, controlled by an invisible force, transforming into chains that locked his feet and began winding around his body.
Like terrifying serpents.
In almost an instant, Thanos was bound by the ice chains, with runes inscribed on them.
These runes granted the ice chains extraordinary power, preventing even Thanos' planet-moving strength from breaking free.
In such a high-level battle, being bound had only one outcome. Loki, already raising his long spear, aimed at Thanos' head. The sharp spear, imbued with Loki's divine power, would mean certain death for Thanos if it pierced his brain.
Thanos never expected that Loki, whom he deemed the weakest and easiest to handle, could unleash such unimaginable power.
In fact, with his knowledge and experience, Thanos understood Loki's current state.
Such a state is extremely rare, occurring only under specific conditions, usually when one has absolute talent or sufficient knowledge, triggered by life-or-death situations or extreme emotions.
In this state, both the body and soul enter a wondrous realm.
In this state, everything seems slowed, and the brain becomes highly active, dozens of times more than usual, allowing complete control over any magic used.
Loki was now in such a state, though maintaining it required vast amounts of energy.
Clearly, Loki had no such worry now.
~~~
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