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Chapter 333: We're Taking On the Cosmic Overlord!
🕑 Added 2025-09-19 16:48:35 +0000 UTC
After returning to his quarters on Krakoa, Alex wasted no time. His figure had barely settled into the chair when he opened a comm link and called Captain Marvel.
The connection flared to life with golden brilliance. Carol Danvers appeared on the other end, her entire body wreathed in dazzling light, like a blazing comet streaking across the cosmos. She tore through the void at impossible speed, every punch detonating like an artillery shell, reducing warships to scrap in her wake.
“What is it, Alex?” she asked, her tone casual despite the chaos surrounding her. Explosions thundered behind her, but her voice carried that same cool steadiness that always reminded Alex she was used to juggling half a dozen crises at once.
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose, a faint exasperation flickering in his eyes. “Danvers, which planet are you saving this time? You’re practically addicted to being the universe’s policewoman.”
“Ah, you wouldn’t find it interesting,” she replied with a laugh. Her glowing fist punched straight through the cockpit of a small cruiser, flipping it into a fiery spiral. She didn’t even look winded.
Alex spread his hands helplessly. “Fine. Should I wait until you finish being the galaxy’s hammer of justice?”
“It’s alright. I can multitask. Say what you need.” Her voice was calm, but the booming of her strikes punctuated the conversation, warships bursting like fireworks in the distance.
Alex didn’t waste words. His expression hardened. “Do me a favor. Find Thanos’s exact location.”
“The Mad Titan?” Captain Marvel’s brows arched slightly, her light dimming just a fraction. “Looks like someone else has gotten unlucky.”
She knew Alex well enough by now. If he was suddenly seeking out Thanos, it wasn’t idle curiosity. Thanos must have provoked him. And anyone who provoked Alex… had signed their own death sentence.
“Exactly.” Alex nodded once, his voice like steel. “He just sent a fleet to invade Krakoa. That means he no longer has a reason to exist.”
Carol’s lips pressed into a thin line. She dove straight through the hull of another massive vessel, bursting out the other side in a blazing shockwave. “Understood. I’ll contact a few people. Wait for my intel.”
“Good. Then enjoy your fight for now.” Alex cut the connection.
---
Captain Marvel’s efficiency was, as always, extraordinary. Barely half a day later, Alex received a direct message with the precise coordinates of Thanos’s current stronghold.
The instant he had the data, he summoned the X-Men.
Inside Krakoa’s central hall, he laid out his plan without flourish or hesitation: they would hunt Thanos down. Not alone—this time, the X-Men would go with him.
Because Krakoa wasn’t merely his personal kingdom. Alex might be its king, but he wasn’t its eternal guardian, its sole shield. If he shouldered every threat by himself, Krakoa’s people would never grow.
And this was Thanos they were talking about. A cosmic overlord, the so-called Mad Titan. Facing him was both a test and an opportunity for Krakoa’s champions. Alex had no intention of letting that chance slip by.
---
“Alex… you want to take us off-world?” Cyclops’s voice was incredulous. His brows furrowed, his usually stern face paling at the sheer scope of the proposal. “You’re saying… we’re going to fight Thanos? The Thanos?”
Gasps rippled through the chamber.
They had fought alien invaders before, defended Earth from cosmic threats. But those battles had always been fought here, on their home soil. This time was different. This time Alex wanted to lead them into the depths of space, to confront a galactic tyrant on his own turf.
Even the battle-hardened veterans among them were momentarily stunned.
“Going to another planet to fight aliens? Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Emma Frost was the first to speak up, her lips curling into a delighted smile. “If I stayed behind, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
“Count me in!” Vanessa chimed in, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “This sounds thrilling just hearing about it!”
Magneto’s response was graver, his voice like rolling thunder. “Since Thanos dared to reach his hand toward Krakoa, there is no question. We will show him what becomes of enemies who overstep.” His tone left no room for argument.
“I agree.”
“I agree!”
One after another, voices rose in support. Storm, Cyclops, Liz, Vincent, and countless others voiced their resolve. There was no hesitation, no wavering. The decision was unanimous.
Even Charles, who in the past might have hesitated, remained silent. Compassion had its limits. Against ordinary humans, yes, restraint was necessary. But against alien warlords and interstellar conquerors? No mercy was warranted.
And so the matter was decided.
The halls of Krakoa rang with the sound of preparation. Mutants mobilized, their resolve sharpened like blades. This would be their first great campaign beyond Earth, and they would not falter.
---
Meanwhile, far away in the black expanse of space—
Sanctuary I.
A vast, obsidian citadel drifting through the void.
Inside the throne room, a Chitauri general knelt on one knee, his voice tight with disbelief as he delivered his report.
“Master… we have confirmed it. Ronan’s fleet has been annihilated. Not a single survivor remains. Even Ronan himself has fallen. Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf… they too perished.”
Thanos sat reclined upon his throne, the weight of galaxies pressing into his broad shoulders. His eyes narrowed at the words. Slowly, he straightened, his massive frame casting a long shadow.
“No survivors?” His voice was low, disbelieving. “Ronan is dead? Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf as well?”
The Chitauri general swallowed hard. “It is absolutely true, Master. We recovered the remains of Ronan and Ebony Maw. As for Black Dwarf… his body was not found, but the chances of his survival are infinitesimal.”
Thanos’s jaw tightened. The corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. Silence pressed heavily upon the chamber.
Long moments passed before his gravelly voice filled the hall again. “What happened? Did Odin intervene?”
The general’s head bowed lower. “No, Master. Asgard did not act. According to our intelligence, it was Alex. He fought alone.”
Thanos’s head snapped toward him, eyes gleaming with sudden intensity. “Alone? You mean to tell me one man accomplished all this?”
“Yes, Master.”
For once, the Mad Titan himself was shaken. His breath came slower, heavier. The report echoed in his skull.
One man. One warrior. A single being destroying Ronan’s armada, crushing Ebony Maw, felling Black Dwarf.
Storms rose in Thanos’s heart, waves crashing violently in his mind.
“How… how can there be such a force on C-53?” His voice rumbled with genuine astonishment.
The general dared to lift his head. “Master, what should we do now?”
Thanos’s expression darkened, a dangerous glint flashing across his eyes. His fingers tapped once against the throne’s armrest, sharp as the tolling of a bell.
“Hold our position,” he commanded at last. “I will learn everything there is to know about this Alex.”
