After hearing Saiki Kusuke's explanation back in the future, Natasha and Clint's perspectives underwent a seismic shift. Simultaneously, a profound respect surged within them for Saiki Kusuo, the young man who had inadvertently saved them. If one of them had died on Vormir and they had brought the Soul Stone back, only for Steve to order its return… that sacrifice would have been utterly meaningless. Clint, who had been consumed by guilt just moments before over their failure to retrieve the stone, now breathed a sigh of relief mixed with the giddy joy of someone who had narrowly escaped disaster.
Meanwhile, Saiki Kusuo traveled non-stop towards Xandar. However, his control over the newly created Time Stone wasn't entirely stable yet, resulting in a slight deviation in his arrival time.
He materialized to find Thanos already laying siege to the planet, conducting a bloody massacre to claim the Power Stone. The air hung thick with the stench of death and decay; debris and bodies littered the landscape. Saiki covered his nose, carefully navigating the carnage. He needed to find War Machine, who was supposed to secure the Power Stone, and fast.
A critical complication had arisen: Thanos, through interfacing with Nebula, had learned about the Avengers' future time-heist plan. He now intended to use Nebula to travel forward six years himself.
Saiki searched but couldn't locate War Machine anywhere. Did Rhodey already manage to return to the future? He briefly projected his consciousness forward six years but found no sign of him there either.
He reached out mentally to his brother. "Kusuke, is there any way to contact War Machine?" Saiki hadn't bothered informing Kusuke or the others that Thanos knew their plan; he figured that successfully changing the past would simply reboot the future timeline anyway. Whether Thanos managed to wreak havoc six years later was irrelevant for now. The priority was securing the Power Stone from War Machine.
Kusuke's mental voice came back, tinged with concern. "The communication device is integrated with Nebula, Kusuo. But I can't establish contact with her at the moment. I don't know if something's happened. Could you go back and find Nebula? She has the means to contact War Machine directly. Finding her would save you the time of searching for him yourself."
Saiki sighed internally but conceded the logic. He reluctantly shifted his temporal focus, traveling back to the point where Nebula had been captured by Thanos.
He found her—the Nebula from six years in the future—currently attempting to persuade her own past self and the past version of Gamora, her sister, to turn against Thanos.
The context was heavy: Thanos had sacrificed Gamora for the Soul Stone in the original timeline. This younger Gamora was already harboring doubts about Thanos's brutal methods. Hearing Future Nebula address her as "sister" seemed to be the final push. The two sisters now stood united against the still-loyal Past Nebula.
If this wasn't literally my past self, Future Nebula thought furiously, I would stab this stubborn, infuriating idiot twice. It wasn't until she confronted her younger version that she truly realized how insufferably chuuni—how cringey and blindly devoted—she herself had once been.
Ultimately, the combined efforts of the sisters resulted in Past Nebula being subdued. Feeling it wasn't his place to interfere further in complex family dynamics, Saiki finally stepped out from his observation point.
"Who's there?!" Future Nebula spun around, instantly wary. She didn't recognize Saiki and wasn't familiar with his connection to the Avengers.
Saiki braced himself. He suspected that no matter what he said, she would immediately assume he was one of Thanos's lackeys.
He was right. Before he could utter a word, Nebula's mind had already jumped to that conclusion. She scoffed coldly. "Another one come to die? Why doesn't that monster come himself?"
Gamora, however, assessed Saiki more carefully. "Don't be hasty, Nebula," she cautioned her sister. "I don't recognize his face. He doesn't look like one of Thanos's soldiers."
"Don't let him fool you, sister," Nebula retorted, her voice tight with hatred. The deep reverence she once held for Thanos had curdled into an equally profound loathing. Ignoring Gamora's warning, Nebula lunged towards Saiki.
Just as Saiki was debating whether to simply subdue her or perhaps control her mind briefly to get War Machine's location, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed nearby. Both Gamora and Nebula instantly tensed, preparing for battle.
Thanos entered, dragging a barely conscious figure behind him. Future Nebula gasped, her eyes widening in horror. It was War Machine.
Saiki's gaze immediately flickered to Thanos's gauntlet. Sure enough, the purple Power Stone now pulsed ominously within its setting.
But that's strange, Saiki thought, frowning. I've been monitoring Thanos's movements constantly since I arrived in this time period. I should have known the instant he located War Machine. Could someone be actively interfering with his perception? That was a question he likely wouldn't be able to answer until he returned to his proper timeline.
Thanos halted before them, casually tossing the half-dead War Machine onto the ground like discarded refuse. Future Nebula rushed forward, kneeling beside Rhodey and checking for breath beneath his nose. Relief washed over her face – he was badly injured, but still alive.
Saiki knew Thanos's objective: leverage his knowledge of Nebula's future plans to coerce her into taking him forward in time. If she refused, he would simply use Past Nebula (now subdued) to impersonate her, contact the Avengers, and trick them into opening the temporal gateway.
Empowered by the Power Stone, Thanos's physical strength and defenses were now virtually insurmountable. He moved with terrifying speed, appearing instantly before Gamora. He lashed out with a fist, striking his once-beloved adopted daughter. Even though he clearly controlled the force behind the blow, it was enough to send Gamora crumpling to the ground, unconscious.
Nebula stumbled back, her hand instinctively moving towards the micro-communication device clipped to her suit – her link to the Avengers. She knew she stood no chance against Thanos now. If necessary, she would destroy the device rather than let it fall into his hands. Her own life was cheap, expendable. If she died, she died.
But before she could act, Saiki—the stranger she had mistaken for an enemy just moments before—intervened. He told her to get clear, then stepped forward, blocking Thanos's next move, which had clearly been aimed at Nebula.
"An interesting little brat," Thanos rumbled, studying Saiki with cold curiosity. Even holding back considerably, as he had with Gamora, it was rare for anyone to block his punch bare-handed, especially someone who appeared so unassuming, almost frail.
That's always everyone's first impression, Saiki reflected internally, annoyed. Being underestimated repeatedly because of his appearance was starting to grate on him. Maybe I should find time to hit the gym, build some muscle. He immediately dismissed the thought. Pointless. I can lift the Hulk, who weighs several tons, with one hand. The heaviest weights at a gym probably weigh less than Hulk's little finger. It wouldn't do anything. Besides, I'd have to constantly control my strength. If I accidentally broke the equipment, my allowance for months would be gone.
The brief mental tangent caused a flicker of distraction. Thanos seemed to notice it, a cruel sneer twisting his lips. "It appears you know nothing of true power."
As Thanos spoke, the members of the Black Order moved to engage Nebula, surrounding her. Saiki prepared to teleport both her and War Machine back to Earth, intending to send them immediately forward to their proper time. But before he could act, Thanos attacked him again.
This time, facing Saiki, Thanos unleashed the full might granted by the Power Stone. There was none of the restraint he'd shown towards Gamora.
Saiki took the blow head-on. Even his incredibly resilient body, tough as bedrock, couldn't fully absorb the sheer destructive force. A sharp cry of pain escaped his lips. It was the first time he had ever truly felt pain. Yet, strangely, instead of anger, an odd, almost exhilarating sensation surged through him.
The impact shattered his glasses, sending fragments flying. As Thanos reared back, preparing to deliver a second, likely fatal blow, Saiki looked up. His gaze met Thanos's eyes directly.
Thanos froze mid-swing, his entire body locking instantly. He became utterly still, a grotesque purple statue caught in a moment of fury.
Saiki blinked. ...Oops.
Nebula stared, speechless: "..."
Gamora, stirring back to consciousness, could only gape: "..."
The members of the Black Order froze in confusion: "..."
Ebony Maw, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at the petrified form of his master, finally let out an unearthly, heart-wrenching shriek that echoed through the ruins of Xandar.
"MASTER!"
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