Chapter 534 Gladiator Oath
After several days of space jumps, the spaceship finally arrived at Knowhere.
Grandmaster did not break his word.
The "spectacle" he spoke of was far grander than anyone had imagined.
The Universal Arena was a massive spectacle materialized through the laws of the primordial gladiator coins.
It floated amidst colorful nebulae, its size comparable to a small satellite.
Surrounding the arena, tens of thousands of interstellar warships, cruise ships, and Raiders spaceships were docked densely.
All the prominent civilizations in the Universe, besides established interstellar powers like the Kree Empire and the Shi’ar Empire, had sent delegations to watch, including over a thousand other civilizations of varying sizes.
After all, a duel like this was a rare sight, occurring perhaps once in ten thousand years.
Furthermore, many of the civilizations watching had suffered at the hands of Thanos and hoped to see this cosmic butcher brought to justice.
Inside the arena, the spectator stands were arranged in circular tiers, capable of accommodating a million alien spectators.
At this moment, the stands were packed, filled with all sorts of bizarre-looking alien creatures.
In the very center of the arena lay a massive ring, enclosed by a barrier of energy laws.
On either side of the ring floated two independent preparation platforms.
With a flash of light, Homelander led the Earth team onto the preparation platform on the left.
As the tough guy who soloed the planet Ego, Homelander had already risen to fame across the Universe.
Homelander walked to the edge of the platform, smiling and waving to the alien spectators in the stands.
"This place is way livelier than the Super Bowl," Tony said, looking around. "You should have put Vought’s advertisements up here."
"Focus, Tony. Our opponents are here," Steve Rogers said, gripping his shield and staring straight ahead.
On the preparation platform to the right, a flash of purple light appeared.
Thanos appeared out of thin air with his team.
Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, Starfox (Eros), and the two sponsored by Mephisto: The Hood and the Iron Inquisitor.
Six people.
Thanos stood at the very front, his gaze crossing the vast distance to lock onto Homelander.
When enemies meet, their eyes are ablaze with hatred.
The moment Nebula saw Thanos, her fingers clenched tightly, and murderous intent boiled in her eyes.
"They’re missing one person?" Captain Rogers keenly noticed the number of people on the opposing side.
"Maybe they’re scared and didn’t dare to come," Thor said, shouldering stormbreaker and laughing loudly.
Just then, Peter Parker tugged at the hem of Tony’s suit and leaned in to whisper:
"Mr. Stark, look over there. That guy dressed like a medieval executioner. He has a suit of armor almost identical to yours, but it looks way more evil."
"You call that armor? Kid, you need to get your eyes checked," Tony Stark said, his face full of undisguised mockery.
"That thing looks like a cross between a second-hand microwave and some No. 47 concrete. If he meets me in the arena, it’ll only take me three seconds to smash it into eight pieces."
Peter scratched the back of his head. "But he looks very imposing..."
"Imposing presence comes from ignorance," Tony shrugged. "When I shove my repulsor blast into the exhaust pipe on his backside, you’ll know what ’imposing’ really means."
"Don’t be careless," Ancient One warned. "The guy in the red cape and the one in armor both reek of dark magic."
Before long, a rousing electronic track echoed throughout the Universal Arena.
Colorful fireworks exploded in the sky one after another.
Grandmaster, wearing a glittering, floor-length robe and standing on a hoverboard, slowly descended from above the arena.
Behind him, a massive holographic screen, larger than ten football fields, lit up simultaneously, projecting his bust to dominate the entire starry backdrop.
"All the humans, vermin, scavengers, trash, warriors, and those slimy creatures whose names I can’t even pronounce in the Universe!"
Grandmaster spread his arms wide, looking spirited.
"Welcome! Welcome to the Universal Arena!"
"Today, we are not just witnessing history; we are creating it! Two of the most elite teams will engage in an ultimate showdown here for the supreme power of the Universe! No retreat, no mercy, only the purest slaughter!"
"On my right is the cosmic butcher who makes half the Universe tremble in fear, the Mad Titan—Thanos! And his Black Order!"
"And on my left, from a remote but short-tempered little rock! Led by the current hottest Guardian in the galaxy—Homelander—is the Vought Corps!"
"Who will be able to take away the supreme Space Stone? Who will leave with a smile? Let us wait and see!"
On the preparation platform, Homelander ignored Grandmaster’s grand opening speech and pulled out a miniature quantum broadcasting device.
After activating it, he instantly captured the signal frequency of Grandmaster’s universal broadcast.
"Skynet, connect the signal," Homelander commanded through the communication channel.
"Received, sir. The signal has been synchronized globally," Skynet’s gentle voice sounded in his ear.
At the same moment, in every corner of Earth.
All televisions, social media platforms, and outdoor screens across the globe were forcibly switched to the feed again.
The incredibly grand scene of the Universal Arena was clearly displayed before the eyes of billions of Earthlings.
Earth instantly erupted into a frenzy once again.
The popularity of the discussion online soared to number one globally.
"WTF, is this the aliens’ arena? It’s so spectacular!"
"Look at that purple head, is that Thanos? He looks so ugly!"
"Homelander is still so handsome, NO. 1!"
In the arena, Grandmaster’s speech finally came to an end.
The preparation platforms on both sides slowly moved toward the center, eventually merging perfectly with the main ring.
The two teams stood face to face, no more than a few dozen meters apart, the air seemingly sparking with tension.
At this moment, Grandmaster retreated to the side.
An ancient coin flew from his hand and hovered in the center between the two teams.
The coin emitted a dazzling light, and a phantom figure separated from the radiance.
This was the Gladiator Spirit born from the primordial gladiator coin.
It had no facial features, and its entire body was composed of mysterious runes.
"The Gladiator Oath ceremony begins," the Gladiator Spirit’s emotionless voice sounded in everyone’s ears. "Offer your wagers, and the contract will be established immediately."
Grandmaster slowly pulled a cube emitting a blue glow from his robe—it was the Tesseract.
He placed the Tesseract into a transparent container manifested by the Gladiator Spirit.
The surface of the container was covered with a dense layer of golden runes, locking it completely.
"Base wager confirmed," the Gladiator Spirit turned to look at Thanos and Homelander. "Both sides have declared a raise; offer up your Infinity Stones."
As soon as the words fell, a betting pedestal covered in runes appeared in front of both Homelander and Thanos.
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