Chapter 1182 Exchanging souls for souls, inevitable clashes during battle

On the planet Vomir, a massive ring-shaped spaceship landed.

Thanos led Gamora down the gangway and looked at a snow-capped mountain in the distance, illuminated by the faint sunlight. "The Soul Stone would be better off on the mountain, otherwise your friends and your sister will all be doomed."

Gamora remained silent, and Thanos, unconcerned, walked straight toward the snow-capped mountain.

The mountain wasn't high, and the snow wasn't too heavy. The two walked for more than ten minutes and were close to the summit.

"Welcome, Thanos, son of Alars."

"Gamora, daughter of Thanos."

A tattered black cloak floated in mid-air, blocking their path, and a hoarse voice spoke.

"Do you know us?" Thanos asked.

"I am cursed to know everyone who comes here."

Where is the Soul Stone?

"You should know... that obtaining it comes at a great cost."

Thanos took a few steps forward, his attitude unwavering. "I'm ready."

“That’s what we all thought at first.” The black cloak drifted down nonchalantly, illuminating his face in the dim light, revealing a red skull.

Red Skull was originally the leader of Hydra during World War II. He was transported here by the energy of the Space Stone during his final battle with Captain America and has remained there ever since.

Compared to more than half a century ago, the Red Skull's face now looks weathered, as if it has been washed away again and again by the relentless passage of time and loneliness.

"But we were all wrong."

Red Skull didn't say much, and silently led the two to the mountaintop.

Between the two rows of huge stone pillars is a road surface cracked by wind and snow, with broken wood and stones scattered everywhere. At the end are two symmetrical giant rocks that tower into the clouds.

"How do you know this place so well?" Thanos asked.

"In my previous life, I also wanted to find the Infinity Stones, and I even held one in my hand once, but it exiled me here, guiding others to find treasures I could never possess." Red Skull walked expressionlessly to the end of the road, gazing meaningfully at the precipice ahead.

"What you are looking for is right in front of you, and what you fear is also there."

“What is this?” Gamora asked.

"The price," Red Skull explained directly, "Among the Infinity Stones, the Soul Stone is very special; you could say it possesses a certain degree of intelligence."

“Tell me what it needs.”

"To ensure that the person who possesses it understands its power, the Soul Stone requires a sacrifice."

What should be sacrificed?

"To obtain the Soul Stone, you must lose what you cherish."

"One soul for another."

Upon hearing this, Thanos fell silent.

Gamora couldn't help but laugh, her smile clearly showing smugness and mockery.

She knew Thanos all too well; how could he possibly possess anything he considered precious?

"All my life, I've dreamed that one day, for a moment, I can make you get the retribution you deserve."

And I always get disappointed, but now...

You kill, you torture, and you call it mercy.

The universe has judged you; you desired a reward, but it denied you.

"You failed, do you know why?"

Because you've never loved, you love no one.

"Do not."

Thanos slowly turned his head and denied it.

His eyes were glistening with tears, and he dared not look at Gamora.

"No way! He's even crying." Gamora was a little surprised. Even if his dream was shattered, someone as ruthless as Thanos wouldn't be sad and cry.

“He wasn’t crying for himself,” Red Skull explained calmly.

Gamora froze for a moment, her smile instantly turning to dust as a ridiculous joke flashed through her mind.

At the same time, Thanos slowly walked towards her, each step incredibly heavy.

“No.” Gamora stepped back in disbelief. “This is not love.”

“I have neglected my own destiny, and I cannot repeat the same mistake, not even for you.”

Gamora forced herself to calm down, and after a moment of silence, she quickly turned around, took out a dagger, and stabbed herself in the heart.

She couldn't kill Thanos, but she could end her own life, so it wouldn't count as a sacrifice.

She was convinced that Thanos had no other "cherished possession," and that if she committed suicide, Thanos would never obtain the Soul Stone, and his so-called destiny would become a joke.

puff!

Gamora did not feel the expected stinging pain.

With outstretched arms, the dagger vanished, replaced by a cluster of bubbles that dissipated in the wind.

Gamora realized what had happened and closed her eyes helplessly and in pain.

"I'm sorry, little one."

Thanos grabbed Gamora's arm and dragged her toward the cliff.

"no no..."

Gamora struggled incessantly, but to no avail.

Thanos closed his eyes in anguish, suppressing his heartache as he threw his only beloved off the ground.

Gamora fell heavily to the ground, and her life ended with her death.

Thanos stared blankly at the motionless figure at the bottom of the cliff, his breath stopped, and tears streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks.

At that moment, a pale white beam of light shot straight into the sky behind him, causing the clouds to churn and lightning to flash.

The rumbling thunder suppressed Thanos's grief, and he involuntarily closed his eyes.

When Thanos came to his senses, he found himself emerging from the surface of a lake, with a crystal emitting an orange glow in his right palm.

The weight of the soul was immense, and Thanos trembled as he embedded the Soul Stone into the groove on the little finger of the Infinity Gauntlet.

Having achieved his goal, Thanos left the snow-capped mountain without looking back.

Ebony Maw stood quietly by the spaceship. Upon seeing Thanos return and the addition of an orange crystal to the Infinity Gauntlet, he immediately knelt respectfully on one knee.

"Great master, congratulations on taking another step closer to your goal."

Thanos glanced at him, then boarded the spaceship expressionlessly.

Ebony Maw followed closely behind, and as for why Gamora wasn't there, he wisely refrained from asking further.

"Master, what's our next step?"

“Asgard,” Thanos said in a deep voice, “but you don’t need to go. I order you to gather all the troops and stand by on Earth. Once Ragnarok arrives, launch an attack immediately.”

"Yes, sir." Ebony Throat bowed.

......

Asgard.

Thor glared at the Warriors Three, furious at their incompetence, but managed to hold back his curses. "The three of you, three against one, and you still managed to let them get away."

“Not one, but two,” Vostagg said in a muffled voice. “A man and a woman, neither of them easy to deal with.”

“Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight,” Loki said. “Among Thanos’s henchmen, they are the only male and female duo.”

“Luckily, the three of us went together. If we had encountered them individually, we would definitely be the ones who died,” Hogan said with a grave expression.

"Even if you are two enemies, you are still the renowned Warriors Three of Asgard!"

"Ugh! Shameful, utterly shameful." Valkyrie made no attempt to hide his disdain. "Is this the level of warriors in Asgard these days?"

“You should be prepared,” Loki said with a sarcastic laugh. “It’s normal for warriors in peacetime to have different combat strength than those in expansionist periods.”

“Loki, we’ve been in far more wars than you have,” Fandral said irritably, then looked at Valkyrie. “You are indeed stronger than us, but you won’t be able to take down those two anytime soon.”

Valkyrie shrugged, unconvinced, and said, "I'm still quite confident in my abilities."

“It has little to do with strength,” Hogan said. “The three of us could still beat two, but after our first encounter, they had absolutely no desire to fight us anymore.”

"They turn and run as soon as they see us, and what's worse, they run towards the patrolling undead soldiers," Fandral cursed indignantly. "We were worried that making too much noise would attract Hela's attention, which is why we let them escape time and time again."

"Alright! Alright!" Thor pursed his lips. "You stay here to protect the remaining people. This time, I'll go myself. We must destroy them before Ragnarok, no matter what."

The Warriors Three of Asgard looked at each other, and after a few seconds Fandral chuckled and said, "Thor, we can't let you take the risk."

"You forgot, your hammer is broken."

“Even without Mjolnir, I am still the God of Thunder,” Thor said earnestly. “But thank you for reminding me, I do urgently need a suitable weapon.”

After I've dealt with things in Asgard, I'll go to Nidweal and ask King Eitrich of the Dwarves to help me forge it.

“Wait, that’s not important. What’s important is that I can beat those two even without the hammer.” Thor confidently drew his longsword from his back and swung it twice. “You know my strength.”

"Give me the compass. I can take care of them before the Monster ship returns."

"Ah this..."

"What's wrong? Is there any problem?"

“That’s the problem.” Fandall scratched his head awkwardly, then placed a compass with a fist-sized dent on its surface on the table.

"Oops!" Loki opened his mouth, a smug smile spreading across his face. "Luckily, I didn't break it, otherwise..."

Gulu!

Thor involuntarily swallowed, staring blankly at the wildly swinging hands. "What's going on?"

"There was a slight mishap," Volstagg said guiltily. "Mishaps are inevitable in battle."

"But...this isn't mine." Thor was on the verge of tears, completely at a loss. "How am I supposed to explain this to Aaron?"

He had finally managed to persuade Aaron to lend him this compass, and it had only been a short time since then when it was broken.

“Let’s keep it a secret for now!” Fandall said. “After we send this last group of people away, we’ll go and apologize to him.”

“I advise you to go apologize to him now,” Loki laughed. “I dare say I know him better than anyone else. Delaying is not a wise move; it will only make him feel cheated.”

Thor nodded thoughtfully. "You're right, but..."

“But what?” Loki interrupted. “Don’t forget that Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight are still in Asgard. If we can’t handle them, it will be a huge threat.”

But can we find it ourselves? We still need this compass, and it seems the only person here who can fix it is its owner!

Thor was speechless, looking at his three friends with a helpless bitter smile, "Let's go! Let's get scolded together."

The three looked at each other in silence and followed Thor toward the villa, which was about ten meters away from the shelter.

When they arrived, Aaron was having breakfast with Wanda and warmly invited them to join them.

"Um... there's something I wanted to tell you."

Aaron paused for a moment. "Is it troublesome?"

"It'll probably be troublesome!" Thor said uncertainly.

"Then don't bother asking," Aaron said nonchalantly, casually cutting off a piece of meat and placing it on the grill. "It might spoil your appetite."

"Since that's the case, then..."

"Then tell me!" Wanda's tone was a little tired. If it weren't something important, Saul wouldn't have the nerve to come knocking on her door again.

Asgard is related to Hela and the child in her womb, so she can't help but care.

Thor forced an awkward, stiff smile and placed the broken Gaius compass on the table with apologetic expression.

"Feel sorry."

"Heh!" Aaron chuckled in exasperation, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. "It really does affect your appetite!"

"I think now you can understand why I'm unwilling to lend this to anyone else!"

"I understand. It's too fragile."

“That’s only one aspect. The other is that the person using it simply doesn’t have the ability to protect it.” Aaron glared at Thor with a reproachful look, then picked up the compass and began to examine it carefully.

"It's alright, at least you didn't take it apart."

"Can it be fixed?"

Aaron snorted coldly, and the pattern of the horse talisman appeared in his pupils.

I lightly tapped the compass with my index finger, and the dent miraculously returned to normal, and the needle stopped swinging.

"So easy?" Thor asked in astonishment. He had felt guilty before coming, but he didn't expect it to be done with just a few clicks.

"That's it?" Volstagg looked at the compass, now restored to its original state, in disbelief. "Your magic is far more powerful than Loki's."

"If I can't even beat Loki, I should find a noodle and hang myself."

"If you have nothing else to say, you can leave. Don't bother me."

"That compass..." Thor hesitated, still wanting to try and persuade him.

Aaron didn't give him a chance at all, throwing the compass into his spatial ring right in front of him. "I gave you a chance, but you didn't seize it."

But if you push your luck any further, I'll shave off the last bit of hair on your head.

Thor suddenly remembered the strange old man who had cut his hair on Sakaar and shuddered involuntarily. "Sorry, we won't bother you any longer."

"But those who infiltrated Asgard were Thanos's henchmen, Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight, and we can't find them..."

"What does that have to do with me? All they want is the Cosmic Cube."

Thor's eye twitched slightly, and he was speechless.

Aaron and Wanda stayed in Asgard only because of Hela; they seemed to care nothing about the Infinity Stones or Thanos' snap.

At that moment, Aaron suddenly sensed something, gently rubbed the ring on his hand, and summoned the Book of Prophecy.

"Master, there is a new prophecy."

"Speak." Before he could finish speaking, Aaron noticed the curious looks from Thor and the others. "Wait, I'll see for myself!"