Ronan's "blessing" wasn't taken too seriously by the group. What they were most relieved about was kicking Ronan, the "narrator," out of the lab.
As for being kicked out, Ronan didn't mind at all.
He turned and walked into the hall, arriving at the time-travel machine.
Nebula, the traitor, stood not far away, her face filled with excitement.
"You're too late!" she sneered. "Father has already brought his army!"
Hearing Ronan's footsteps, Nebula stepped in front of the machine. Behind her, the machine had already begun to activate, and the Avengers' base defense systems were coming online.
This meant that while Bruce Banner was preparing to snap his fingers, the Thanos from another timeline would soon arrive in this world.
"Ah... I know," Ronan responded indifferently, even sitting down on a nearby sofa.
Nebula stared at Ronan in disbelief. She couldn't understand how he could say such a thing so casually.
Thanos! The galactic warlord! Someone feared across the universe!
Even if this sorcerer didn't know who Thanos was, surely someone had told him? Why wasn't he nervous at all? Why did he look so calm?
This wasn't right!
"Don't give me that clueless look," Ronan said, crossing his legs and sighing. "Didn't your father ever tell you that the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth can see the future?"
Ronan's relaxed posture only made Nebula more confused. In terms of parenting, Thanos clearly had room for improvement—both his daughters wanted nothing more than to kill him.
One had already betrayed him, and the other was now eager to drag him into this timeline, essentially leading him to his death.
As they say, you can choose the wrong name, but never the wrong nickname. Thanos, the Mad Titan, certainly lived up to his name.
"You knew all along?" Nebula's voice wavered with disbelief. "Then why didn't you stop this? Or are you different from that other sorcerer? Are you planning to side with my father?"
Nebula seemed to think she'd found a reason that made sense.
Ronan rolled his eyes. In just a few hours, Thanos would turn to dust. Siding with him now would be like joining a sinking ship.
"Looks like Strange left you all with the impression that the Sorcerer Supreme is an easy target," Ronan muttered, stretching his neck as if warming up. "Should I be thanking him for making you underestimate us or blaming him for being too weak?"
The approaching invasion of Thanos' army wasn't something Ronan had planned to face head-on.
But those minions—pure experience points.
The real battle would be left to the Avengers. It was their time to shine. As for the small fry, Ronan didn't mind lending a hand.
Nothing wrong with gaining some EXP, after all.
"Hmph, I don't understand what you're talking about," Nebula scoffed. "But you won't be arrogant for long. My father's army has arrived!"
She laughed maniacally as she sensed Thanos' ship approaching.
As soon as she finished speaking, Thanos' warship burst out of the time vortex, ripping apart the ceiling of the Avengers' base.
At the same time, an immense surge of energy exploded from the lab, sweeping across the entire world.
"It's begun," Ronan murmured to himself, closing his eyes.
An Interdimensional Portal silently appeared behind him, enveloping him within its protective embrace.
Then came the deafening sounds of destruction.
Bomb after bomb detonated within the Avengers' base, and waves of fire erupted, consuming everything.
The ground split, and the sea roared.
Dust and smoke filled the sky, shrouding the entire area in chaos.
The Avengers' headquarters, built by the water, crumbled as seawater rushed in.
Ronan, standing on a distant pile of rubble, watched the scene unfold with a look of mild exasperation.
Luckily, he had been prepared. At the critical moment, he teleported to Kamar-Taj, snagged an apple from Wong's desk, and then teleported back.
It wasn't time for him to rampage yet, but watching the epic battle between the three heroes and the Purple Potato? That wasn't a bad way to pass the time.
Watching top-tier gameplay videos might not improve his gaming skills, but at least it was entertaining.
Crunch.
Ronan took a bite of his apple, his eyes on Thanos as the Titan teleported down from his ship.
The height, the build, the menacing appearance...
And, of course, that ridiculous dream of his.
Classic villain material.
As Ronan observed Thanos, the Mad Titan also noticed him.
At the same time, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and Thor emerged from the rubble.
The three Avengers and Thanos had finally come face to face.
The real show was about to begin.
"So, you're the sorcerer Nebula mentioned?" Thanos unexpectedly spoke to Ronan first.
"Huh?" Ronan stopped chewing his apple, surprised. "You shouldn't even know who I am."
"I don't know you," Thanos admitted. "But Nebula told me you allowed her to bring me here. You're a strange sorcerer."
Thanos' voice was quiet but loud enough for the others to hear.
What the hell!?
This was a setup!
Ronan couldn't believe that a galactic warlord like Thanos would pull such a tactic.
Wasn't Thanos supposed to be the brute-force type? Since when did he start using mind games like these?
Since when did you become a master tactician, playing psychological warfare so smoothly?
"Slander! You're slandering me!" Ronan protested. "I'm just a simple high school student. How could you say such things?"
Ronan had no interest in being framed.
As he had said before, even if he had claimed Nebula was a traitor, would anyone have believed him? After all, she had fought alongside Tony Stark, someone the others trusted deeply.
Meanwhile, Ronan was still an outsider. He was already doing them a favor by dealing with the grunts—why bother with thankless tasks?
"Hmph!" Thanos snorted, saying nothing more. But he threw his massive blade toward Ronan.
The double-edged blade spun rapidly as it flew toward Ronan at a frightening speed.
"Sigh... I'm just a narrator, why so much anger?" Ronan muttered, stretching out his right hand casually.
His fingers opened, and a cold smile crept across his face.
A classic villain's grin.
In the blink of an eye, Thanos' whirling blade was upon Ronan.
"Thanos, itami o kanjiro (feel pain)..."
"Expelliarmus!"
Whoosh!
The three Avengers' eyes widened in disbelief.
They could hardly process what had just happened.
Because...
Thanos' double-edged blade had vanished just as it was about to strike Ronan!