Marvel: What If Thanos Adopted A Saiyan? 

"What happened?"

"Based on the auto-transmission logs from Woz, it appears that Lothar engaged in direct conflict with massive fleets from both the Kree Empire and the Skrull Empire on Xandar."

Thanos' voice was calm, eerily calm. And precisely because of that unnatural serenity, Ebony Maw lowered his head even further.

He could feel the storm of rage surging beneath Thanos' composed tone.

This time, Lothar had truly crossed a line.

The Kree and the Skrulls, two of the most formidable empires in the universe. Even someone as powerful as Thanos would prefer to avoid provoking them unless absolutely necessary.

After all, conquering the universe wasn't Thanos' ultimate goal. That was Odin's job, not his.

And now? After finally giving Lothar a long leash, the boy had chosen to pick a fight with both empires?

What the hell was this?

"What was the outcome?" Thanos' focus immediately shifted to Lothar's safety upon hearing that ten elite battle legions had been deployed.

"Lothar annihilated all ten elite legions. Alone."

"…"

Thanos had words ready, but paused, shifted his expression, and asked, "And then? What's this about attacking Hala?"

"Not just Hala, my lord," Ebony Maw hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and told the truth.

"According to the logs Woz uploaded, after the operation on Hala, they were planning to strike the Skrull capital world next."

Clearly, having been targeted repeatedly by both empires, Lothar intended to leave a lesson that neither would forget.

After all, destroying two super-empires singlehandedly was unrealistic.

"Shall we send reinforcements to support Lothar, Lord Thanos?"

Seeing that Thanos had yet to give any new orders, Ebony Maw mustered his courage to ask.

"Reinforcements?"

"No."

"This is his decision. He must face the consequences alone."

"He's grown up."

After a long silence filled with contemplation, Thanos ultimately chose not to intervene.

Mistakes without correction demand a price.

He wanted to see just what kind of "surprise" his son would deliver this time.

...

Kree Empire Territory, Planet Hala.

As the capital of the undisputed leading empire in the universe, Hala's prosperity was without question.

It stood under the constant protection of the Supreme Intelligence, the Kree's AI godhead and the pinnacle of their collective intellect.

Its planetary defense system was so airtight that even Woz, renowned for his prowess in cyber-infiltration, couldn't find a single vulnerability.

"It's no use, Prince Lothar. Woz is unable to suppress the Supreme Intelligence's scans."

After 98,000 attempts, Woz finally gave up.

To him, this had become a futile endeavor.

Their opponent was a terrifying construct hailed as the God of Artificial Intelligence. In comparison, Woz, merely a war-AI custom-built by Thanos, simply wasn't in the same league.

From architecture to processing speed, Woz was being completely outclassed by the Supreme Intelligence.

"Looks like your plan's going nowhere, huh?"

Hela unbuckled her harness and stood by the viewport, gazing out over the distant Kree territories.

To reach Hala, they first needed to cross into Kree space. But they had no entry clearance. They weren't even authorized to approach the outlying sectors, much less the imperial core.

"Going nowhere?"

Lothar rose from his seat and slowly walked to stand beside Hela. With his height advantage, he looked over her shoulder toward the brilliant horizon, and in his eyes, a wild idea began to take shape.

"How about we try something... riskier?"

"Hm?"

Hela raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

"We break in."

"...Break in? You and me? Into the Kree Empire?"

The look Hela gave him was the kind reserved for the truly brain-damaged.

The Kree Empire wasn't just a galactic power, it was the galactic power. Did he not understand the scale of their military might?

Just entering their territory would get them shredded by their orbital defenses.

This was a peak empire that could duel the old-guard Skrulls and simultaneously wage war with Xandar. This wasn't some crumbling relic, it was an apex predator.

"The Other."

At Lothar's command, the staff-bearing leader of the Chitauri shuffled forward.

"Prince Lothar."

"Give her the scepter."

Lothar nodded toward Hela. The Other hesitated for the briefest moment, but it passed.

He was bound by one of the Three Tenets he'd sworn to uphold: absolute obedience to Prince Lothar.

"Hm?" Hela murmured, accepting the Mind Scepter from the Other's outstretched hands.

"So? What now?"

She hadn't refused, of course not. If anything, she was intrigued. Deep down, Hela was a warrior through and through. Lothar's suggestion, though insane, had struck a chord with the primal thrill-seeker in her.

She liked danger. That was never in doubt.

"Place your hand on the gem at the top. Try to grasp the Mind Stone as firmly as you can."

After waving the Other away and silencing Woz's warnings, Lothar turned to Hela with eager anticipation.

He remembered how the Mind Stone had unlocked the power of the Super Saiyan within him.

Now, he was curious, what might Hela draw from it?

"You're serious?"

She raised a skeptical brow. Hela wasn't some naive girl, she knew exactly what that stone was. Odin had taught her well.

One of the six Infinity Stones. The Mind Stone.

"When did you get so talkative?"

Smack!

Lothar's verbal taunt earned him a swift slap, right on the Mind Stone itself.

To their mutual surprise, there was no resistance. No pain. Hela plucked the gem free like it was nothing more than a trinket, wrapping her fingers around it effortlessly.

No strange phenomenon. No backlash. No reaction.

"Nothing?" Lothar narrowed his eyes, a flicker of disappointment in his gaze.

BOOM!

The very next second, the Mind Stone blazed to life in Hela's palm, its brilliance so intense that even the Other staggered back, his vision completely overwhelmed.

"M-my body…?!"

She whispered, stunned, as her face contorted with pain.

Her power was expanding at a terrifying rate, and she had no way to stop it.

"Hela! Give me your hand!"

"Now!"

In the chaos, a voice called out, sharp and commanding.

Instinctively, she reached out, and felt a rough, calloused hand seize hers.

WHOOSH!

In that instant, the torrent of chaotic energy rampaging within her found an outlet, pouring straight into Lothar's waiting grasp.

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