Chapter 528 The enemy of my enemy is my friend
Thanos felt conflicted about Ebony Maw’s proposal.
He did not enjoy pointless slaughter.
But he understood even better that in order to achieve absolute balance in the Universe, some personal emotions had to be discarded.
He closed his eyes, and the image of Gamora falling into the abyss flashed through his mind.
If he could sacrifice even his most beloved daughter, what else was there that he could not do?
For the sake of the Universe’s population control mission, he ultimately made up his mind.
"Contact Starfox." Thanos gave the order.
"As you wish, Father." Ebony Maw withdrew and took over the communication console.
...
A few minutes later, a blue light lit up in the center of the hall.
A holographic projection formed.
An extremely luxurious palace appeared in the image. The lighting was ambiguous, and the music was soothing.
Eros, Starfox, was wearing a magnificent silk shirt, open at the chest.
At this moment, he was holding a glass of an unknown liquid, with several alien beauties of different forms snuggled up beside him.
Eros turned his head and looked at the holographic projection.
When he saw Thanos’s face clearly, the smile on his face vanished instantly.
Eros put down his wine glass and patted the shoulders of the women beside him.
The women tactfully exited the frame.
Then Eros stood up and tidied his attire slightly.
"Thanos." Eros said with a hostile tone, "You always know how to ruin a wonderful night. What do you want with me?"
"If you are here to sell me your philosophy of death, you can hang up."
Thanos watched him.
"Eros... I need you to fight a gladiatorial match for me."
Eros was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Haha! A gladiatorial match? You? The most feared tyrant in the entire Universe needs me to fight for you?"
Eros shook his head and continued: "You’ve got the wrong person, brother. I am a pacifist; I only fight in bed."
"This is not a request, Eros." Thanos ignored his mockery and said calmly. "This is a seven-on-seven survival battle, and the opponents are Earthlings."
"I don’t care who your opponents are." Eros waved his hand. "I will never participate in your insane plan of slaughter. Goodbye."
Eros immediately raised his hand, preparing to cut off the communication.
"Twenty Planets." Thanos spoke suddenly.
Eros’s hand stopped in mid-air, and he frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Win the match for me." Thanos looked at him steadily with both hands, promising solemnly. "I will give you absolute immunity for twenty Planets. When my plan is completed, not a single living person will be missing from these twenty Planets you choose."
Eros stared at Thanos, a trace of struggle flashing in his eyes.
He was an affectionate person and had people he cared about on many Planets.
But this was not enough to make him an accomplice to Thanos.
"I don’t make such dirty deals." Eros gritted his teeth and said.
"Then, let’s change approaches." Thanos’s eyes turned cold. "If you refuse, my fleet will set off right now. Planet Falne, Planet Kontaxia, and Planet Tralon."
Thanos reeled off the names of several Planets.
Eros’s face turned deathly pale instantly.
Simply because on these few Planets, there were women he loved deeply.
"In the next month, the cleanup work on these twenty Planets will be completed ahead of schedule. Your romantic debts will be paid for by countless lives."
"You dare threaten me? Thanos!" Eros roared.
"I am merely stating facts, Eros." Thanos was expressionless. "My fleet is right in this sector of the Universe, and you know I keep my word."
Eros clenched his fists, staring fixedly at Thanos.
He understood his brother; Thanos never bluffed.
After a long while.
Eros released his fists and took a deep breath.
"Fine. I will fight for you..."
"But you had better keep your promise, you monster!"
"I am merely a man cursed with knowledge." Thanos smiled self-deprecatingly, "I give you three days to report to Sanctuary II."
Then the communication was cut off.
After settling Starfox, Thanos felt slightly more at ease.
Counting Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, Starfox, and himself.
That made four in total.
Although three main combatants were still missing, at least there was hope of winning.
As long as the four of them remained undefeated, they could seize the Infinity Stones.
Thanos sat back down, closed his eyes, and thought about the subsequent tactical arrangements.
But not long after, Thanos suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at his left hand.
On the Infinity Gauntlet on his left hand, the orange light representing the Soul Stone suddenly lit up.
Thanos gave a cold smile, then clenched his fist and pulled.
"Bang!"
The void in front was torn open, and a figure was dragged out of the void by the powerful pulling force of the Soul Stone, landing in the center of the bridge.
It was a man wearing a well-tailored wine-red suit, with a neatly trimmed dark beard.
This person steadied himself and revealed an elegant smile at Thanos.
Thanos stared at him, and without waiting for the other party to introduce himself, he called out his name directly.
"Mephisto."
"That is indeed me." Mephisto bowed slightly, performing an elegant gentleman’s salute. "Greetings to you, your Excellency, the Mad Titan."
"Lord of Lies." Thanos ignored his pleasantries and warned him directly.
"This is not your Hell dimension. I warn you, do not play those little tricks you use to deceive mortals in front of me."
Mephisto chuckled.
"You are always so direct, Thanos. I like this way of communicating. I know you are in trouble; you need powerful warriors."
"This has nothing to do with you." Thanos remained unmoved.
"Perhaps it does." The smile on the corner of Mephisto’s mouth widened. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. That guy called Homelander has ruined many of my plans on Earth. I can help you."
Thanos looked at him without saying a word.
Mephisto threw out his chips.
"I will bring you three top-tier warriors; they will win this gladiatorial match for you."
Thanos’s eyes flickered.
He would not easily trust the Lord of Lies. But now, he truly needed combat power.
"State their names, Mephisto."
Mephisto smiled upon hearing this, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers; two dark red flames rose up beside him.
The flame on the left receded, and a gaunt man appeared.
He was wearing a red hooded cloak, the shadow of which completely obscured his face.
He held a large-caliber pistol in each hand, and a dangerous aura radiated from his whole body.
"The Hood." Mephisto pointed at the man, "A warrior who has embraced sin; he can manipulate demonic powers and is the deadliest killer in Hell."
And as the flame on the right dissipated, a much taller figure appeared.
His entire body was covered in silver and black steel armor, with an energy furnace burning with endless hellfire embedded in the chest of the armor.
Two sharp demonic horns extended backward from the top of the helmet.
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