Chapter 238 239: Thanos's Actions

Mavuika's brow furrowed slightly. He had heard of Thanos; there were records of him in Asgard's ancient archives.

The last survivor of Titan, a conqueror with infinite ambition. His fleet ran rampant throughout the Universe, conquering countless Planets, yet he had always maintained a subtle distance from the Nine Realms.

Eitri continued, "His fleet is massive, the flagship is even larger than the Dwarven Kingdom. They blocked all the passages, controlled all the bridges, and then—Thanos walked down himself."

He paused, and in his eyes was a trace of something Mavuika had never seen on his face before—fear.

"He was wearing armor and holding a double-edged sword. He walked up to me and said: 'Eitri, I need you to forge a gauntlet for me.'"

Mavuika's voice sank. "A gauntlet? What kind of gauntlet?"

Eitri looked up, locking eyes with Mavuika.

"He showed me the blueprints. The gauntlet had six slots that could be inlaid with six stones. He said he needed a gauntlet capable of bearing the power of the Infinity Stones."

Mavuika's eyes narrowed slightly. Infinity Stones?

"You made it for him?" Mavuika asked.

Eitri lowered his head. "I had no choice. He captured over a hundred Dwarves and threatened me with their lives. If I refused, they would all die."

He raised his hands, which were covered in new scars and burn marks—the result of five hours of non-stop forging.

"After the gauntlet was finished, he took it and left. He departed with his fleet, quietly and without a trace."

Mavuika was silent for a moment. "The Dwarven Kingdom wasn't destroyed?"

Eitri shook his head. "He didn't destroy Nidavellir. He only wanted the gauntlet. Once he had it, he left."

"He didn't kill anyone?"

"No."

Mavuika's brow furrowed even tighter. Thanos was a tyrant known for slaughter and conquest. He had come to an undefended Dwarven Kingdom, obtained what he wanted, yet didn't kill a single person or destroy any buildings. This wasn't normal.

Unless he didn't want to alert the enemy.

Unless he didn't want Asgard to know that he had already obtained the Infinity Gauntlet.

Mavuika stood up, his gaze sweeping across the workshop. "How did you find the opportunity to send a message to me?"

Eitri said, "I took advantage of a moment when he wasn't paying attention and mixed the Rainbow Stone into the slag. He thought it was waste material and didn't pay it any mind."

Mavuika looked down at Eitri. "You are injured and need treatment."

Eitri shook his head. "It's nothing, just superficial wounds. Your Highness—you must be careful. Thanos is not an ordinary enemy. His power... I could feel it. When he held that gauntlet, the surrounding energy was trembling. He wants the Infinity Stones; he must be planning something big."

Mavuika was silent for a while.

He thought of the Reality Stone in Asgard's vault, the Time Stone guarded in the Kamar-Taj sanctuary, and the Space Stone kept by S.H.I.E.L.D.

There were three Infinity Stones within the Nine Realms. If Thanos had already obtained the other three, then his next target would be either Asgard or Earth.

"Eitri," Mavuika said, "I have to return. There are matters on Earth. You must be careful—if Thanos returns, notify me immediately."

Eitri nodded. "I will, Your Highness. That man... the feeling he gave me was different from any other enemy. He wasn't just strong; he was also very..." He paused.

"Very composed, as if everything was within his plans."

Mavuika looked at him and gently patted his shoulder—though he could only reach his arm.

"Take care of yourself. Nidavellir needs you."

He raised his hand, and the Thousand Blazing Suns condensed once again. Golden-red flames poured into the blade, and the light of the Bifrost Bridge descended from the sky.

"I will return soon," he said.

The light enveloped him. He turned into a stream of light and shot into the sky.

Nidavellir's workshop returned to silence.

Eitri sat beside the blast furnace, watching the disappearing light, silent for a long time.

...

The light of the Bifrost Bridge exploded over the Norwegian coastline. The seven-colored band of light fell from the sky like a waterfall, illuminating the seaside hotel and the surrounding land, which was scarred and pitted from the battle.

Mavuika stepped out from the light, his golden-red hair fluttering in the night wind, with tiny specks of light from the Bifrost Bridge energy lingering on his body.

His expression was calm, but there was something in his eyes that Hela rarely saw on his face—a sense of urgency.

Hela jumped down from the hotel roof and landed in front of Mavuika.

The black-green Death Energy dissipated around her. She looked Mavuika up and down, confirming he wasn't injured, then spoke: "How is the Dwarven Kingdom?"

Mavuika walked to her side, lowered his voice, and recounted what he had seen in Nidavellir.

Eitri was coerced, the Infinity Gauntlet was forged, and Thanos had descended in person before quietly departing. He didn't kill anyone or destroy anything; he only took what he wanted.

Hela's brow furrowed. "Thanos? That Titan?"

Mavuika nodded.

Thor and Loki also came down from the roof. Thor was carrying Mjolnir, and his face still bore a few bruises from the recent battle.

"Big Brother, how is the Dwarven Kingdom? Is Eitri okay?"

Mavuika briefly recounted the story. Thor's expression became grave. "Thanos wants the Infinity Stones? What does he want to do?"

Loki leaned against the hotel doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, a sharp glint flashing in his emerald-green eyes.

"With all six Infinity Stones gathered, almost any wish can be fulfilled. His ambition—it's not as simple as conquering a few Planets."

Just then, Mavuika's phone rang.

It was a phone he had brought with him before leaving Earth for Nidavellir—a special one given by Tony, capable of receiving signals anywhere. He picked it up and saw the name displayed on the screen—Fury.

He answered the call.

"Ms. Mavuika." Fury's voice came from the other end of the line, low, urgent, and tinged with suppressed anger.

"I'll keep it brief. The Tesseract—is gone."

Mavuika's fingers tightened slightly. "When? How did it happen?"

Fury said, "About five hours ago. The Agent guarding the Tesseract was controlled by some bizarre means. He was unconscious, like a sleepwalker, and opened the safe containing the Tesseract. By the time he came to, the Tesseract was gone. Three other Agents in that group were seriously injured; one is still in critical condition."

He paused, his voice dropping lower.

"We checked the surveillance, and there was nothing."