"Become a god?"
"I refuse."
The old man, who referred to himself as the Great Sage, earned nothing but a scornful laugh from Lothar. His eyes brimmed with disdain.
What was so great about being a god?
Lothar didn't know if Malekith, who he had beaten so badly the dark elf forgot his own lineage, could even be considered a god. Just recently, he had pinned down Hela, who proclaimed herself the Asgardian Goddess of Death, and hammered her into submission. Not to mention those so-called deities he had taken out on earlier missions, dark gods, light gods, and even those with dominions over wind, fire, thunder, and lightning, they had all died pathetic deaths.
The only one who had gotten off easy was a so-called God of Cuisine, who wielded a weapon dubbed the Blade of Light and Shadow. Lothar spared his corpse because his food had actually tasted decent, even if the portions were small.
Sure, divine power looked flashy, but in the end, it all came down to a single strike from him.
They'd use the most extravagant moves, only to deal negligible damage, all while blabbering on and on.
Saying things like how their rage would be his doom.
The only halfway decent one was Hela, and even she had surrendered her spoils of war without a fight.
So what was so great about being a god?
"You seem to have misunderstood what it means to be divine."
The Great Sage, Gubo, coughed uncontrollably as he caught the contempt in Lothar's eyes. The coughing was so violent that Jennifer had to reach out and gently support his... turtle shell?
"Master, your body..."
Jennifer looked at the elderly sage with concern. The man who had raised her since childhood was deteriorating day by day. That was exactly why she had risked everything to seek out Lothar and made a deal.
As Gubo himself had put it: if he didn't get out and move around soon, this old bag of bones might really fall apart for good.
"True gods are rare in this vast universe," Gubo said, waving off Jennifer's concerns and lightly tapping his cane on the ground. "What you've encountered are merely those who possess godlike attributes."
"They, like you, merely have the potential to become divine."
"There's no need to be so guarded, child."
"Sit."
With a ripple of energy, a table and chairs of stone slowly materialized. Gubo smiled gently as he took his seat.
"How do you know what I'm thinking?"
Lothar narrowed his eyes, a dangerous gleam flickering within them.
He hadn't mentioned any of the so-called gods he'd encountered, so how did Gubo know?
"If I told you I could read your mind, would you believe me?"
In the blink of an eye, Lothar's fist was a breath away from the old man's nose.
BOOM!!
The shockwave sent Jennifer's dress fluttering in the wind, yet Lothar's fist couldn't push forward an inch further.
It was as if an invisible wall stood firm between him and Gubo.
"Master!"
Realizing what had happened, Jennifer cried out. Violet energy flared around her fists as she launched a straight punch at Lothar's back.
"Eh?"
"Ehh?!"
Without even turning around, Lothar's crimson tail whipped around, coiling tightly around her arms and flinging her straight into a pile of stone debris!
In a flash of golden-red light, Lothar shifted into his Super Saiyan form. The energy flared through his hair as his eyes locked coldly onto the elderly figure, who wasn't even as tall as Woz.
The blocked fist opened, and energy began gathering in his palm.
"Relax, child," Gubo said calmly. There wasn't a trace of fear on his face. The purple glow swirling over the turtle shell on his back pulsed, and the cracking energy shield solidified once more.
"I no longer possess the recklessness of youth to pry into others' thoughts uninvited."
"If you still want the Infinity Stones, then the most rational thing you can do right now... "
"... is to sit down and talk with me."
"What do you say?"
"I say... I might be changing my mind," Lothar said coolly.
"That's not the decision a true king would make."
Gubo smiled. The tip of his staff suddenly flared with blinding light, an overwhelming force instantly repelled Lothar.
"This is the Power Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones. Aside from the Soul Stone map, I'm willing to give this one to you as well."
A brilliant purple gemstone emerged from the tip of Gubo's staff, causing Lothar's pupils to constrict sharply.
"Alert! Alert! Lord Lothar, the Power Stone's energy field has been fully activated!"
"Alert! Alert! Lord Lothar, this is a fully active Power Stone!"
"Aler—"
Woz's emergency warnings blared in Lothar's ears as his feet dragged across the ground, carving a trench with the sheer force pushing him back. His entire body went on high alert.
Each Infinity Stone holds world-shattering power.
That was something recorded in his foster father Thanos' Infinity Stone Compendium.
"So that's it. The Infinity Stone isotope embedded in that woman... came from you."
The true wielder of the Power Stone wasn't Jennifer, as Lothar had first assumed, it was this aged, white-haired sage.
"Master!"
Jennifer emerged from the rubble, disheveled and dirty, and rushed to Gubo's side.
"Now then, Lothar. Tell me your decision."
"...I agree."
The golden aura faded from Lothar's body as he casually ignored Jennifer's glare.
"Then let's go."
"...Huh? Right now??"
Jennifer blinked, clearly caught off guard.
"Yes," Gubo replied, his smile vanishing, replaced with a grave determination.
"If we delay any longer... it'll be too late."
...
Gafa Control Center.
Hela awoke from unconsciousness, her eyes fluttering open to reveal the form of King Rodus of Gafa.
Purple armor. Purple helmet. Fully armed.
"You bastard!"
Fueled by fury, Hela struggled with all her might, but the bindings of the crucifix she hung on held fast.
"It's useless," Rodus said, looking out over the city without turning around. "That chain was specially designed for you. Even your divine authority over death won't break it."
"...Is that so?"
After a few more attempts, Hela gave up and slumped in resignation.
"To think you'd betray the Collector... all for that Soul Stone map?"
She vividly remembered Rodus sneaking into her chambers and stealing the map right before she blacked out.
"I never pledged loyalty to him."
Rodus turned around, his cosmic eyes reflecting the stars as he locked gazes with the sneering Hela.
"I only serve my own ideals."
"And now, I've found a true opportunity to make those ideals reality."
The Soul Stone, equal in power to the Power Stone and one of the six Infinity Stones, was more than enough to replace the mechanical behemoth the Collector had once bestowed upon him.
"Your ideals?"
"That's right. My ideals."
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