Chapter 924: The Future Is Bright, Purple Sweet Potato Spirit (Part 2)

The cosmic boundary many imagine does not truly exist; or rather, every point in the universe is its boundary—a position that cannot be defined by conventional distance or direction.

In a void of dark emptiness, a black-haired girl radiating faint light swept her hands through the air, unleashing brilliant luminescence; a bright screen appeared before her, displaying a figure with purple skin.

“Respected Emperor Thanos, how have you been? I come to report recent progress on your task of securing benefits for the Dark Dimension within the universe—no significant advancement has been made thus far.”

“However, regarding your request that I find a way for you to return to the universe, I’ve made some headway.”

Thanos frowned on the screen and said: “You mean you’ve found a way to bring me back to this universe? What is it?”

Loki smiled and said: “Respected Emperor Thanos, don’t forget—I am not your subordinate, merely fulfilling a transaction to assist you. Asgard’s tradition is simple: payment in hand, goods in hand; only then can we proceed to deeper cooperation.”

Thanos snorted coldly: “You shouldn’t be called the God of Deception—you should be called the God of Greed. You haven’t done anything for me yet, and already you demand payment?”

“Your Majesty, you’d better understand the current situation,” Loki said, voice rising, expressionless. “You’re trapped beyond the cosmic barrier, yet still refuse to abandon your dream of conquering the universe.”

“The cosmic barrier isn’t something that can be breached by simple physical means. Across the entire universe, only a handful can communicate with you this way—besides the Aesir, only humans. If you don’t want me as your partner, I can help you find Tony Stark—see if he’s interested in this deal…”

Thanos’s face darkened; Loki had struck his weakness—he had designs on Earth and knew the Avengers’ strength all too well.

The current Thanos possessed neither the Gauntlet nor the Stones. The Dark Dimension’s development remained stuck at the planetary civilization stage, even lacking interstellar colonization.

His personal power was formidable, but whether he could withstand a combined assault from Odin and the Ancient One remained uncertain. His civilization’s strength far surpassed Earth’s, yet among interstellar societies, it was merely mid-tier.

Worse still, both he and his civilization were now trapped beyond the universe. Without the Gauntlet and without ascension, Thanos lacked the ability to traverse the multiverse. Leaving the Dark Dimension, he couldn’t even move—and had no idea how to return to the universe.

So far, the only being willing and able to communicate with him was this treacherous God of Deception. To escape his current predicament, he had no choice but to rely on Loki.

So even though he knew she intended to demand an exorbitant price, Thanos had to endure—for he believed that someday, he would reclaim every penny, interest included. After all, Ragnarök for Asgard was not far off.

“What do you want?” Thanos asked.

Loki smirked dismissively: “Asgard has no interest in your Dark Dimension’s spaceship technology. Those backward, primitive-level vessels are beneath us. But your unique war vehicle tech? That’s intriguing. The Allfather wishes to acquire some research materials. You understand…”

Loki offered a sweet smile: “I can ascend beyond the universe and use magic to bring these devices back. But you know—this method won’t work on any lifeform with a soul. It won’t work on you.”

“Then what is the method you mentioned for returning me to the universe?” Thanos asked.

“Patience,” Loki said calmly. “I’ll explain slowly. Though I don’t know why you came here, there’s a simple way to return.”

“What is it?” Thanos’s voice betrayed a hint of urgency—he’d endured enough of this imprisonment.

Though he’d once willingly stayed in the Dark Dimension, burying himself in army development, willingly staying and being forced to stay were two entirely different experiences.

Moreover, research without practice would eventually lead the technological tree astray. Thanos knew this well—he desperately needed combat to resolve the problems emerging from his studies.

“Death,” Loki said bluntly. Seeing Thanos’s expression—“Are you mocking me?”—she smiled again. “I mean: die, then be resurrected.”

“Whether inside or outside the universe, the souls of the dead belong to Death. But if you’re resurrected, I can first transport your body into the universe, while your soul passes through the resurrection ritual to Valhalla, then returns to your body within the universe. Thus, you return.”

Loki explained the process clearly, yet Thanos narrowed his eyes: “I know Asgard has Valhalla—but do you think I’d hand my soul over to you, letting the Aesir manipulate it?”

Loki shrugged. “You don’t need to trust us. After all, it’s not us who’s desperate to return.”

Loki turned to leave. Thanos, as expected, called out to her: “Is this the only way?”

Loki sighed. “Your Majesty, you must understand—the cosmic barrier isn’t a simple physical wall. It appears to exist, but in truth, it doesn’t. You cannot leave the Dark Dimension not because a wall blocks your door.”

“But because unascended lifeforms cannot even perceive the wall’s existence. Without perception, there can be no breakthrough.”

“I’m making this deal with you precisely because of Asgard’s unique circumstances—we need every possible power to face Ragnarök. Otherwise…”

Loki snorted dismissively. Her implication was clear: she had already ascended—why bother negotiating with Thanos? In three words: Do you even qualify?

In the original comics, when Loki met Thanos, he was a prisoner—a disgraced second prince of Asgard, a trickster god, a brother in rebellion.

Now, he was the Radiant Goddess who had seen beyond the universe, a Prince of Asgard, one of the actual rulers of the Nine Realms.

From a civilizational standpoint, he could speak to Thanos as an equal. Indeed, Asgard was far older and far stronger than Thanos’s Dark Dimension.

From a personal power standpoint—even without ascending to Radiant Goddess, if he fought Thanos, even if he couldn’t win, he could escape. Thanos with the Gauntlet couldn’t catch him.

The initiative lay entirely with Loki. Thanos had no choice but to endure her demands. He hesitated, then said: “I cannot give my soul to Asgard. That is my bottom line. The events in the Milky Way long ago made me distrust every race in this galaxy. I will never accept this condition.”

Loki waved her hand in weary resignation—as if she’d expected this. “Fine. You’ve caught a lucky break. Valhalla isn’t exclusive to Asgard anymore.”

“Civilizations with resurrection abilities discovered their resurrection slots were capped. They united to demand answers from Death.”

“Death restructured resurrection permissions and established a Unified Heaven. There, every civilization within the human cultural sphere holding resurrection rights has set up an office. You may choose to be resurrected there. But if you wish to use Valhalla’s slot, the cost is…”

Thanos’s chest rose and fell—he knew he’d be gouged again.

After prolonged haggling, they reached an agreement: Thanos would use Asgard’s resurrection slot, resurrected via Unified Heaven, and pay in return: planetary landing vehicle technology, full equipment of a mature war vehicle force, certain equipment developed by the Eternals, and crucially, historical records concerning the Eternals and the Celestials.

Thanos assumed Loki sought these materials to uncover a way to break Ragnarök. After all, the Celestials—such mysterious beings—might touch the universe’s most fundamental layers. Their secrets could be the key to unraveling Ragnarök.

Thanos provided the data, though incomplete. Loki didn’t care. After reaching preliminary cooperation, the entire resurrection process proceeded smoothly.

Loki ascended beyond the universe, retrieved Thanos’s fleet weapons and his payment, and returned them to the universe. Thanos’s body was also brought back. After dying using Asgard’s resurrection slot, Thanos did not enter the Realm of Death—he entered Unified Heaven.

From Unified Heaven, resurrected into his body within the universe, Thanos officially returned to the universe.

But Loki could not bring back all of the Dark Dimension’s fleet. She brought only the main fleet Thanos had prepared—and didn’t station it in the Dark Dimension. Instead, she casually abandoned it at the edge of the Milky Way.

After reviving in the life-support pod of the main fleet’s command center, Thanos did not head straight for his target. He remained wary of Loki, so he decided to follow a random course, exploring nearby space.

As the fleet drifted through the empty cosmos, Thanos felt a strange sense of familiarity. Then suddenly—he saw a brilliant rift ahead. All alarms blared.

“Warning! Warning! Warning! Unknown fleet detected approaching…”

“Anti-warp device activated… Anti-warp failed! Trap detection activated… No anomalies detected…”

“Gravity trap struck—three escort vessels destroyed.”

“Anomalous energy concentration detected! Shields deployed! Shield loss! Shield loss! Shield loss!”

Standing in the command center, Thanos saw through the viewport: in an instant, a million starships filled his vision—every direction, predatory capital attack vessels, ready to devour.

“Terrorist Thanos! Surrender your weapons! Do not resist! You will pay for provoking the Three Empires!”

“Terrorist Thanos! Surrender! Surrender! Repeat: you have violated interstellar peace and security protocols. Shut down all weapon ports! Cease charging! Any resistance will result in annihilation!!!!”

Thanos gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the console: “What the hell is this?! That damned liar Loki!!!”

“I am Thanos! This is a misunderstanding! I can—”

“Warning! Warning! Warning! High-energy signature ahead! High-energy signature ahead!”

In Thanos’s vision, a brilliant beam slashed through space. The ship shuddered violently. He had no time to think—he dodged flying sparks at blinding speed, then fled desperately through the smoking corridors until he boarded an escort vessel.

In the crisis, a small craft ejected from the hull. Thanos piloted it at top speed toward the nearest planet, hiding behind it.

Inside the tiny ship, he watched helplessly as his main fleet vanished beneath endless bombardment.

Understanding this place was no longer safe, Thanos fled in his escape vessel at maximum speed. He didn’t notice a green figure flicker past nearby.

A brilliant ring, trailing dazzling light, pierced the dark void, briefly illuminating the entire universe.

The ring struck the vessel. Fireworks lit the night sky. When the light vanished, only Thanos remained alone.

No fleet. No weapons. No Infinity Stones. No path home. Centuries of effort, utterly erased.

Now, the cosmic overlord Thanos stood utterly alone—and forever, the future remains promising.