Astra collapsed onto the ground, a bitter expression clouding his face.
"The hardest choices require the strongest wills."
Thanos's meaning was clear—painfully so. And Astra… he had no power to resist. He couldn't even defeat Lothar, let alone Thanos. If he'd known things would turn out like this, he'd have kept his mouth shut. Now, with the king of Planet B48 dead, the one forced to make the decision… was him.
He wanted to believe that this planet and its people were none of his concern, but the old man's dying plea still echoed in his mind, gnawing at his spirit.
In his head, a voice whispered on repeat:
Don't say it… you mustn't say it…
"Can you tell me… what you want to do with that so-called Infinity Stone?"
Astra looked up at Thanos with a wry smile as Lothar strode into the throne hall, having eliminated the last of the planetary defenders.
"Does it matter to you?" Thanos replied, driving his massive blade into the crystalline floor. He looked to Lothar, who had returned to his side, and smirked faintly.
"Ah, I suppose it does. I'm just curious… Curious enough to wonder what you're willing to sacrifice an entire planet's life for."
A golden glint flashed across Astra's eyes as he lowered his gaze.
"War always comes with sacrifice and bloodshed, Astra. You shouldn't need reminding of that."
Sensing something off, Thanos turned, towering over the kneeling Astra like a judge presiding over fate.
"But war has a purpose. So what's yours?"
"To restore balance to the universe."
"This universe has gone astray. It needs correction."
Astra's lips curled into a faint, almost playful smile. But to Lothar, something about his tone was… wrong. It didn't sound like the Astra he knew.
"Restoring balance to the universe isn't exactly what I'd call fun," Thanos said solemnly, eyes lifting to the boundless stars. He closed them, and memories of his long, grueling struggle flooded back to him.
"So… who exactly do you think you are? The creator of the universe?" Astra asked, genuinely curious.
"No. Just a survivor. One left standing after the disaster."
"Hm?"
Ebon Maw had just entered the shattered throne hall when he caught sight of Astra's disrespectful posture before Thanos. He opened his mouth to scold him—only to have it instantly covered by Lothar. The Other, holding his cerulean scepter, wisely stepped back and fell silent behind Lothar.
"My homeworld, Titan… it was once like many others. Beautiful. Prosperous…" Thanos stepped slowly toward the Crystal Throne. With each step, fragments of Titan's past replayed before his eyes.
"But like many others, it faced a dire crisis. Too many mouths to feed… and too little to go around. When extinction loomed, I proposed a solution."
His towering figure settled onto the throne as he calmly recounted Titan's tragic history.
"Eliminate half of all life, at random. Reset the balance between population and resources. A radical idea… wouldn't you say, Thanos?"
"Brutal, perhaps. But it was the only way."
On the throne, Thanos opened his eyes. Determination blazed within them. He'd believed in this path from the start—and never strayed from it.
"Are you serious?" Astra lifted his head, golden light surging in his eyes, glinting beneath his emerald helmet.
"The universe is finite. Resources are finite. If life grows unchecked… extinction is inevitable."
"It's simple logic. Yet I'm the only one willing to act on it. The only one who knows it, really." Thanos raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.
In that moment, Astra's pupils blazed with light—his body began to levitate!
"Interesting philosophy… though I can't say I agree."
In a blink, Astra appeared directly before Lothar, catching the warrior's instinctive punch with ease.
"And what about you? Why do you fight in this war?"
Lothar's brow furrowed. He struggled to break free from Astra's grasp—but couldn't.
"Prince Lothar!"
The Other raised his staff and charged at Astra—only to slam into an invisible wall and crash to the floor, groaning in pain.
"Who are you?" Lothar growled, face tight with rage. Power spiraled up from beneath him, lifting dust and tossing aside The Other like a rag doll.
"Look into my eyes, Lothar. And answer me."
Their gazes locked—and suddenly, Lothar was somewhere else.
A world ablaze.
The cry of a newborn.
The savage grin of a murderer.
A mother's gentle face.
And a promise made under a starlit sky… to his adoptive father, Thanos.
Voices and memories crashed over him in an overwhelming tide.
"GET OUT… of my body…!!!"
"GET OUT!!!!!!!!!!!"
Fists clenched, veins bulging, Lothar roared to the heavens—his energy erupting in a violent shockwave that shattered the ground beneath him.
Astra, badly damaged from the blast, laughed softly.
"You two really are something, father and son."
The ground trembled. The energy tower, struck by Lothar's rage-filled wave, tore free of the earth and soared toward Thanos and Lothar.
A yellow gemstone dislodged itself from the core of the tower and hovered before them.
Astra's floating body crashed to the ground—his green helmet split clean in half by the blast.
"Tch… So this is an Infinity Stone, huh…"
Lothar reached out—but Thanos stopped him.
"Your body can't withstand its side effects, Lothar."
With calm authority, Thanos reached out and took the Mind Stone himself. The instant he touched it, a blinding light and surging energy snaked across his armored body.
Lothar watched in shock. Thanos—the father figure he'd never seen wounded—suddenly had radiant gashes torn across his chest, the power of the stone biting into him.
"What?!"
The Other, barely back on his feet, saw his staff wrenched from his hands by an invisible force—drawn into Ebony Maw's grasp, who delivered it to Thanos.
"Lord Thanos…"
Snap!
A clear, sharp crack echoed through the hall.
The sacred relic of the Chitauri—the royal scepter—had fused with the Mind Stone. Its form and color began to shift, changing into something altogether more formidable...
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