Marvel: What If Thanos Adopted A Saiyan?-Chapter 203 - 204: The Collector Holds the Map to the Soul Stone

"That guy... doesn’t look like he’s learned his lesson at all."

Amidst the ruins, Hela looked up at the floating figure in the sky, unable to stop herself from recalling the sight of Lothar hunched over, scribbling out a self-reflection essay not long ago.

She still remembered catching a glimpse of the title he’d written: "Some Thoughts and Corrections Regarding My Arrogance and Hubris."

But judging by what was happening now...

So you admit your mistake, but you’ll do it again anyway?

The corner of Hela’s mouth twitched involuntarily. She shook her head and glanced at The Other standing nearby, who, true to form, still wore the expression of a loyal lapdog.

His eyes burned with feverish excitement as he stared at Lothar.

"Yes! That’s it, Prince Lothar!"

"Kick their asses!"

"No one can stand against Prince Lothar!"

"That’s the spirit!"

Muttering fervent praises while gripping the Scepter of Mind, The Other’s expression lit up with worshipful adoration. This bold, unyielding Lothar was the one he recognized, the one he revered.

To be honest, ever since Lothar had written that self-criticism, The Other had sensed a noticeable tempering of his arrogance. For a while, he’d feared he might never again witness the fearless Lothar of old.

But now? He knew he’d been wrong.

Whatever had happened, Lothar was still Lothar.

Even if he’d been forced to write an apology, even if reality had dealt him a brutal lesson, he remained the same man:

The man who answered only to Thanos.

The man who stood above all others.

"Like master, like servant," Hela muttered, clicking her tongue. Flames flared in her palm, drying the soot-black tips of her hair. She was curious to see how Lothar planned to clean up this mess.

Something that could’ve been resolved with a well-executed plan, he just had to blow it out of proportion.

And now it might be too late to backpedal.

With sharp eyes, Hela had already spotted the vast arsenal of high-tech weaponry rising from the Nova Corps military base.

Xandar’s technological prowess wasn’t for show, it had been forged in direct confrontation with the Kree Empire.

"Release Nova Prime!"

"If you do that, we’ll consider this incident null and void!"

Rhomann Dey staggered out from the rubble, wincing with each step. After receiving emergency treatment from Nova Corps medics, he looked up and began negotiations with Lothar.

He wanted to bring Lothar to justice, of course, but lacking the power to enforce it, all he could do now was resort to soft tactics.

"Oh?"

"You’re still alive?"

"Talk about lucky."

Floating above, Lothar raised an eyebrow, his voice laced with derision. His offhand remark made Rhomann Dey’s face flush with anger.

"Son of Titan, this is a negotiation."

"I can guarantee that if you release Nova Prime, you and your companions will be allowed to leave Xandar unharmed."

Rhomann took a deep breath. With most of Nova Corps’ top brass off-world, he was now the highest-ranking officer present.

This wasn’t an easy decision. For an organization built on justice, such a concession was disgraceful. But he had no choice.

Nova Prime, the next leader of Xandar, had the highest possible clearance. Her safety came before all else.

"Four minutes left."

Lothar’s eyes drifted to the countdown ticking away on a massive screen. The woman bound by his crimson tail was flung before him, an energy sphere forming at his fingertip that radiated raw, terrifying power.

"I’ve changed my mind," he said calmly. "I’ll start counting. If I don’t get what I want by the time I finish..."

Bloodlust gleamed in his eyes, chilling Rhomann Dey to the core. The killing intent was palpable. Nova Prime, closest to Lothar, seemed like a fragile leaf in a hurricane, teetering on the brink of annihilation.

"Ten."

"Lothar!" Rhomann shouted, his face burning with rage.

"Nine."

Unfazed, Lothar let the orb spin at his fingertip, drifting even closer to the trembling Nova Prime.

"You—"

"Eight."

"Stop! I agree to your terms! Get what he wants from the vault!"

The pressure finally broke Rhomann Dey’s resolve. He gave in.

"Seven."

"Why are you still counting?!" Rhomann cried out, face contorting with suppressed fury. "I already said yes!"

"You agreed. But where’s the item?"

Lothar’s mocking smile sent another flush of anger through Rhomann’s face.

"Six."

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

Just as the energy sphere came within a hair’s breadth of Nova Prime’s forehead, Rhomann Dey raised his hands, cutting through the tension.

"I’ve got it! Here it is! The item you asked for!"

In his hands: a round, violet orb and a metal base, exactly what Lothar demanded.

"Hela."

Lothar halted his countdown, calling out naturally.

"Don’t order me around. I’m not your subordinate," Hela replied coldly, her long black hair whipping around her as she rose into the air and took the items from Rhomann’s hands.

"You have what you wanted. Let her go."

Rhomann Dey urged, watching as Hela secured the items. Behind him, the Nova Corps stood battle-ready.

"Of course. But not yet."

"After all, how do I know if these are real?"

Before the words finished leaving his mouth, Nova Prime felt herself lifted into the air, then flung like a ragdoll directly at Hela!

???

Caught off guard, Hela barely managed to catch Nova Prime, slamming into her chest. In the same moment, Lothar snatched the two items from her grasp.

"Until I return, this place is yours."

"I said stop giving me orders! I’m not your underling!" Hela snapped, one hand tightening around Nova Prime’s throat, grumbling her protest.

The chokehold, classic Lothar.

On the ground below, hidden among the crowd, a Frost Giant disguised in Xandarian form thanks to the planet’s warmer climate turned quietly.

Asgardians have traced us to Xandar. I must report to the king immediately!

Boom!

Lothar crashed down in front of Jack Jones’ home, shattering the stone at the doorstep. The old man, who’d been watching the livestream the whole time, stared at Lothar like he was a monster.

"How the hell did you come up with this plan?"

"You’re not afraid you’ll be trapped on Xandar?"

"The deal is done. The intel on the Soul Stone... and that thing the woman wanted."

Lothar didn’t bother to explain. He casually tossed the retrieved items to the laid-back Jack Jones.

"In this universe," Jack said, fiddling with the violet orb, "there are a few beings who have lived for countless eons."

"One of them, a man who calls himself the Collector, holds a detailed map to the location of the Soul Stone."

Slotting the violet orb into the metal base, Jack then pressed it onto the diamond-shaped bracelet on his left wrist...

"The Collector?" Lothar’s eyes flickered with surprise.

...

Elsewhere in the cosmos, Knowhere.

After being thoroughly beaten down by Thanos, the Collector had finally recovered. Today marked the first time he’d stepped out of Knowhere since the incident. Gazing at the splendor of the universe, he gave himself a silent pep talk.

The nightmare was over. He had nothing to do with Thanos anymore.

After a set of cosmic calisthenics for body and soul, the Collector returned to his vault. At the center, sealed within a glass case, was a flower bud.

The Cosmic Flower, nurtured for thousands of years on Gafa.

It had almost bloomed, until Thanos and Odin’s arrival ruined everything.

Planted in stardust, nourished in the Milky Way, this flower would one day bloom forever in the silence of the cosmos.

It would never wither.

Of course, the reason the Collector had gone to such lengths, even braving a beating from Thanos, was not just its rarity, but because...

The moment it bloomed, the Cosmic Flower was said to be breathtakingly beautiful.

Perfectly aligned with his aesthetic ideals.

Now, he was taking this relic, one that required immense life force to nourish, to seek out the next life-rich planet.

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