Without further hesitation, Thanos raised the sacred artifact high and slowly absorbed the floating Mind Stone into the vessel.
Hum~
In an instant, the golden light was swallowed by the artifact, and the mysterious runes on its surface began to glow brighter, pulsating with golden energy.
Under Charlie and the others' astonished gazes, the artifact erupted in a brilliant display of purple starlight, instantly enveloping Thanos' body.
The next moment, Thanos' expression twisted into agony.
"Ahh!! No, what is this?!"
He clutched his head and wailed, feeling his blood boil inside him. His entire body was wracked with intense pain, which overwhelmed him. In his mind, shocking and despairing images flashed before his eyes.
Seeing Thanos suddenly collapse and struggle, Charlie and the others instinctively stepped back dozens of meters.
"What's happening to him?"
"Is he trapped in a hallucination again?"
"No, it seems different this time."
Charlie observed carefully, noticing that as Thanos struggled, his purple skin deepened in color. His bones cracked and groaned, and his purple-gold armor was torn apart by his expanding muscles. His body grew larger and more imposing.
Even his trademark large chin became more pronounced, and soon, his once-thick black hair rapidly fell away.
"When he wakes up, he's going to be devastated—because he's now bald," Lizard Parker muttered, rubbing his own hairless head with a sigh.
"He's bald, but he's stronger," Charlie nodded.
His Spider-Sense warned him that Thanos was becoming increasingly dangerous.
"What exactly is happening?" Carter asked, puzzled.
Charlie ventured a guess. "He's likely evolving."
"Evolving?"
"Yes."
Charlie explained, "Thanos killed countless of his own people, aiming to become an Eternal Titan, the only way to begin the Exile Journey and save Titan. He never succeeded. But now, it seems he needs the power of the Infinity Stones, combined with the artifact, to transform into an Eternal Titan."
Infinite Tony quickly grasped the meaning of Charlie's explanation.
"The Exile Journey has already begun, thanks to you. But without you, Thanos could never have started the Exile Journey on his own, and he wouldn't have become an Eternal Titan."
Old Steve chimed in, "Without becoming an Eternal Titan, he could never open the Exile Journey. It's a paradox. What's the real purpose of the Exile Journey?"
Carter, thinking quickly, said, "I'm guessing there's more than one Infinity Stone, right?"
Infinite Tony nodded. "There are six Infinity Stones. No one understands their power better than I do."
As he spoke, his right hand trembled involuntarily, and a flicker of fear passed through his eyes.
"But why is it that only the Mind Stone appeared here?"
Charlie's eyes narrowed as a theory began to form in his mind.
Soon, as Thanos' body neared the end of its transformation, the glowing light from the artifact dimmed.
"Hu~~"
At the top of the cliff, the towering purple figure knelt on the ground, panting heavily.
The artifact rolled from his hand, and the light from the Mind Stone flickered weakly.
Looking at the golden stone before him, Thanos, drenched in sweat, had eyes filled with despair.
Though his life had ascended to a new level and the power of the Eternal Titan now coursed through him, making him feel stronger than ever before, there was no joy in his transformation.
Before, Spider-Man and the others could defeat him, but now, he could easily crush them.
Yet, despite this newfound strength, there was no satisfaction in becoming an Eternal Titan.
Because as the Mind Stone activated his Eternal Titan bloodline, he had seen the darkest secret of the Titan race.
The Celestials!
Lurking within the core of Titan was a newborn of this terrifying species.
It was invincible!
As long as life on Titan reached a certain threshold, the biological energy they emitted would complete its incubation.
Celestials are born with the size of planets, and no world can contain their presence.
Even as an Eternal Titan, Thanos could never defeat such a terrifying being.
Because the birth of an Eternal Titan came from the Celestials themselves.
The Celestials had created the Eternal Titans for the sole purpose of protecting life on planets, ensuring they would rapidly grow and hatch the seeds of the Celestials.
Eternal Titans were both guardians and executioners.
Thanos had never imagined that his seemingly fair slaughter, done to initiate the Exile Journey and save Titan, was actually the only way to prevent the planet's destruction.
Yes, the only way.
Slaughtering half the population was the only means to delay the birth of the Celestial.
So, the Exile Journey was never about finding a way to save Titan.
It was about reminding the Eternal Titans who arrived here of their true mission.
To protect life on Titan, and then witness its destruction.
Over countless years, as the Titan race regressed, no one remembered this secret.
Thanos, now an Eternal Titan, knew the truth—and was utterly devastated.
He slowly rose to his feet, picked up the sacred artifact, and retrieved the Mind Stone.
At the edge of the cliff was another stone altar.
He would return to the planet he loved.
That was his home.
And it would soon become a blood-soaked battlefield.
His hands would be stained with blood.
He had made up his mind.
A new Celestial was about to be born, and there was no time to evacuate Titan's population.
To ensure that half of Titan's people survived, he would become the universe's greatest villain, the most ruthless tyrant, the destroyer of worlds.
From this moment, he had lost the right to be a leader.
What awaited him was the endless hatred and nightmares brought by the massacre of life.
He had no other choice.
Staggering with each step, Thanos walked toward the altar, as if all his strength had been drained.
There were no desperate roars, no struggles, none of the helpless tears he'd shed that night in secret.
Watching Thanos' lonely figure, Infinite Tony felt a strange sense of sorrow.
"Did he find a way to save Titan?" he asked.
Old Steve's face was calm. "Maybe he did, but he didn't want to accept it."
Lizard Parker mused, "I think he's just upset about going bald."
"That's the price of getting stronger."
Charlie paused. "And the price of saving Titan."
"If he saves Titan, he'll become a hero to everyone," Carter said with a smile.
Charlie shook his head. "If he could choose, he wouldn't want to be a hero," he said with certainty.
As Thanos finally disappeared into the altar, no unexpected events occurred.
This time, the Resurrection Match had only consumed three resets, and Charlie found it almost surreal.
Am I really this good now?
But thinking it over, this match wasn't particularly difficult.
Then, a system notification appeared before everyone's eyes.
Old Steve glanced at the reward and immediately covered his face in dismay.
"Oh no, this isn't the reward I wanted..."
Lizard Parker, however, was crying tears of joy. "My lizard abilities have become an active skill. I can live a normal life again!"
"Congratulations, Peter. And, of course, congrats to me as well," Infinite Tony said with a smile, his furrowed brow finally relaxing.
He could finally return to his own world.
Pepper, Morgan, Peter... He could hardly wait.
Carter was also beaming with joy, but then she looked at the others with a puzzled expression.
"Did we get different rewards?"
"Obviously," Old Steve said, feeling down. "Spider-kid, when are you going to die?"
He looked at Charlie with a hint of anticipation.
Charlie: "..."
"Sorry, I have important things to do next. I won't be able to join you in any more Resurrection Matches."
His gaze dropped to the five-pointed star shield in Old Steve's hand, and a cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
Captain Hydra, I'm coming back!