"Welcome back, Lord Lothar."
"Prepare for a space jump, Woz."
Though it was his first time stepping into the Babel Tower, a structure filled with anomalous force fields, Lothar showed no sign of discomfort.
"Woz is synchronizing data and constructing the route."
The spacecraft, modified by the Babel Tower, did not have the coordinates for the Black Quadrant. To return, Woz first had to pinpoint the correct destination.
Fortunately, this time, Lothar had all the time he needed.
The war fleets of both empires had crumbled before the speeding Planet N52, their wreckage and corpses reduced to cosmic debris, awaiting scavengers.
"You lunatic!"
"Madman!"
Diana, pinned beneath The Other's boot, was pale and utterly powerless. She no longer had the strength to even meet Lothar's gaze. Struggling to reach him, she was struck down again with a brutal blow from The Other's staff.
The Pirate Queen, once capable of bantering with the high command of both empires, now seemed as helpless as a newborn.
"Cease these pointless actions, Lady Diana," The Other warned. "Otherwise, I will begin questioning the necessity of your continued existence."
Diana's expression darkened with rage.
Her life was bound to the core of Planet N52—and she knew her time was running out. Lothar and his people could simply leave, disappearing into the depths of the Black Quadrant, but Planet N52 had no such luxury.
Contrary to their plans, the planet had failed to escape this war-torn star system. Diana was certain that both the Kree and Skrull fleets nearby had already begun their next move.
The six remaining titans, now devoid of power, were in no position to stop the vengeance of the two furious empires. The planetary core of N52 would undoubtedly be destroyed, and when that happened, Diana—who was bound to it—would perish alongside it.
Her fate was sealed.
"I have nothing left. My power, my life—I've lost everything I ever had."
Seated weakly against a cold stone pillar, Diana glared at Lothar, who sat upon the throne of the Babel Tower—her throne.
"Tell me, what do I have left to fear? What else can I possibly lose?"
"...You're angry?"
Lothar, in the midst of taking control of the Babel Tower's systems, dismissed the obstructive holographic interface with a wave of his hand. He stood, his gaze descending upon Diana as he stepped down from the throne.
"You feel betrayed?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Diana snapped, locking eyes with him fearlessly. In her mind, men were meant to be used, nothing more.
The next moment, Lothar's left hand tightened around her throat.
Boom!
For the first time, Diana realized how hard the pillars of the Babel Tower were—and how much it hurt to be slammed into one.
"Lord Lothar," Woz's voice interjected, "I advise you not to end Lady Diana's life just yet. The Babel Tower's weapon systems remain beyond my control; I require her authorization to access them."
The timely interruption allowed Diana to breathe once more.
"Cough… cough…"
She gasped violently, her back pressed against the freezing stone as she struggled to calm her racing heart. Her disheveled hair concealed the seething hatred in her eyes.
"You haven't taken full control of the Babel Tower?"
"Correct, Lord Lothar. Time was limited, so I prioritized control over the propulsion systems first."
There were seven Babel Towers, and each had different weapon configurations—only their propulsion systems were identical. Given the urgency of the situation, Woz had opted to take control of the planetary propulsion system first.
"Information network fully constructed. Map data uploaded. Location locked. Lady Diana, please authorize the encryption key transfer."
A system prompt appeared before Diana, requesting permission to transfer control.
With a bitter, defeated laugh, she had no choice but to comply.
"You see? If you hadn't played so many mind games, he might not have thought of this approach."
Astra, who had been silently watching, bit into a cup—where he got it from was anyone's guess—and sat beside Diana.
"Drink?" Astra offered, raising the cup. "To borrow that guy's favorite phrase—let's celebrate our shared captivity."
He gestured toward The Other, who was still speaking with Lothar.
"You don't look like a prisoner," Diana remarked, finally shifting her gaze from Lothar to Astra. His beard was unkempt, his face stained with the remnants of a drink he had clearly just finished.
"You could think of me as a 'guest of honor.' From a certain point of view." Astra shrugged.
"Weapon systems online. Energy levels at full charge. Space jump in five seconds."
"Five… four… three… two… one… Jump initiated."
Before Astra could even find a stable position, his entire body was thrown into disarray by the sudden loss of gravity. The same fate befell Diana, whose face turned even paler.
...
Centauri System – Black Quadrant.
Adorned in golden armor, Thanos stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression unreadable as he gazed at the flickering hologram before him.
The Supreme Leader of the Kree Empire.
"Thanos, I hope you understand the gravity of this situation," the Kree leader warned coldly.
"Order your son to return Astra to Hala. If you refuse, the Kree Empire will wage an intergalactic war."
The Kree leader's words were like ice, his voice laden with menace.
Yet Thanos merely shook his head in disappointment.
"You still have no idea what kind of secrets lie within Dr. Astra's body… how pitiful."
"What did you say—?"
Before the Kree leader could finish, Thanos dismissed the hologram with a wave of his hand.
"Fools often make the most foolish decisions."
Thanos strode toward the entrance of his command base, lifting his gaze toward the infinite cosmos above.
"And that, my lord, is exactly why this universe needs you," a voice responded smoothly.
It was Ebony Maw, following closely behind, offering a subtle yet practiced flattery to his master—the one he recognized as the universe's true ruler.
"Send Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive to the Kree Empire. The Supreme Leader will soon understand what must be done."
The Kree Empire was already locked in war with the Skrulls. If Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive's forces joined the battlefield, the balance of power would shift dramatically.
"As you command, Lord Thanos."
Ebony Maw bowed deeply—just as a shadow fell upon them.
A vessel appeared in the sky, reflecting in Ebony Maw's eyes.
It was no warship.
It looked more like a beacon tower.
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