Marvel : Super Soldier at the Start

"According to our intelligence, ever since Ronan was defeated here by your team last time, he went to seek out the Mad Titan, Thanos. Meanwhile, one of his small squads headed to a planet called Morag."

"We're not sure of their objective yet, but our people have been keeping a close watch in the vicinity. Once Ronan leaves Thanos' territory, we'll arrange for you to carry out your mission."

Thanos.

The name echoed in Blake's mind as he mulled it over.

Tony, however, couldn't resist breaking the silence.

"Mad Titan? That doesn't exactly sound like the nickname of a good guy. Who is he? One of Ronan's allies? If needed, we could take both of them on—just sweeten the deal a little, maybe throw in a few extra planets or something," Tony quipped.

Tony's offhand remark made the faces of everyone from the Nova Empire turn pale.

Even Blake silently gave Tony a mental thumbs-up for his boldness—straight-up proposing to skip levels and tackle the final boss? That takes guts.

Sensing the awkward tension, Tony quickly followed up, "Did I say something wrong? Is this Mad Titan really that hard to deal with?"

"Thanos, the Mad Titan, is one of the most powerful beings in the universe in recent years," Nova Prime began, her voice tinged with both awe and dread. "Since the ancient Celestials fell, two entities have been universally acknowledged as the closest to their level of power: Odin, the All-Father of Asgard, and the Mad Titan himself."

She sighed softly before continuing her explanation to Tony, Blake, and the others. "Unlike Odin, no one truly knows what Thanos' goals are. He controls thousands of planets, and the combined strength of his forces surpasses even that of the three great empires."

"He rarely takes action himself, but when he does, every planet he visits suffers the same fate: half its population is slaughtered. It's completely random, utterly indiscriminate. There's no rhyme or reason to it—it's just senseless slaughter."

"This is a terrifying individual. He alone can annihilate powerful fleets. No one in the universe willingly provokes him unless absolutely necessary."

Nova Prime's tone carried a sense of exasperation when discussing Ronan, but when she mentioned Thanos, it shifted to deep-seated fear and apprehension.

The palpable fear in her voice was enough to stop Tony from further attempting to negotiate. Instead, he asked directly, "If this Mad Titan is so untouchable, and Ronan has gone to him, wouldn't taking on Ronan risk provoking Thanos' retaliation?"

Nova Prime shook her head slightly, as though trying to dispel the terrible name from her thoughts, before responding. "No, he wouldn't. Thanos has never avenged his subordinates' failures. His massacres are completely random and purposeless. If his subordinates fail, he simply lets it go. You can rest assured on that front."

Tony shrugged noncommittally and shifted his gaze to Blake.

Blake gave Tony a subtle look, as if to say, Don't take unnecessary risks. We still have Earth behind us to think about.

To be honest, now that Blake was in this world, he couldn't rely entirely on what he'd seen in the movies. Without absolute certainty, he wasn't about to clash with Thanos head-on just yet.

At the very least, he intended to wait until they had control over two more Infinity Stones before even considering a direct confrontation with Thanos.

"Then I guess we'll wait a few more days," Tony said, stretching lazily. Truth be told, he wasn't in a rush. They'd only just arrived on Xandar, and he hadn't had his fill of experiencing its exotic charm. Spending a few more days here wasn't so bad.

Blake spent his days taking Natasha out sightseeing, while Tony roamed the planet with Groot, hunting for Xandarian wines. In just a few days, Groot had already been drunk multiple times.

Nova Prime had even provided each of them with several hundred thousand units of universal currency and arranged for the Nova Corps to assist them, ensuring they enjoyed their stay. Everyone had been having a good time.

If it weren't for Captain Rogers insisting on periodic team training sessions, Tony would've been tempted to fly the rest of the crew over here for a full-blown party.

"Blake, is it really okay for Groot to be drinking with Tony every day? He's so small—won't it be bad for him?"

When it came to the adorable little tree-like creature, most women found themselves completely defenseless against his charm.

In the base, everyone led by Natasha treated little Groot as if he were a child, even though they all knew how powerful the tiny tree-being truly was. 

But watching the little guy following Tony around, drinking heavily every day, inevitably left some of them feeling a bit worried. 

"Blake, let's go check on little Groot. I've noticed that many people here on Xandar are carrying weapons. If Groot keeps tagging along with Tony, drinking all the time, he might get into trouble," Natasha said, her concern evident. 

Blake burst into laughter. "Don't worry! With Groot's abilities, even if something does happen, it'll be others who end up at a disadvantage. Besides, the Nova Corps is keeping an eye on us in secret—everything will be fine." 

"But..." Natasha still seemed uneasy. Before she could finish her sentence, Tony's voice rang out from the distance. 

"Let go of me, you damn... What the hell are you? A rabbit or a squirrel?!" 

The two of them instantly recognized Tony's voice. Just as they were about to head toward the commotion, another sharp voice joined the fray. 

"You're the one who's a 'thing'! Listen up, my name is Rocket. Hand over that little Groot you're holding—he's family to my pet. You damned alien trafficker, I don't know where you stole that little tree guy from!" 

"Idiot! Groot, save the reunion for later—it's time to fight!" 

The scene unfolded on Xandar's busiest street. By the time Blake and Natasha pushed through the crowd and arrived, they were greeted by a chaotic sight: 

A small, raccoon-like creature was tugging on Tony's pant leg with one hand while pointing a large energy gun at him with the other. 

Standing nearby was a towering tree-being, nearly three meters tall, cradling little Groot in its massive hands. The two trees were staring at each other in utter confusion—big eyes locked onto small eyes. 

It was none other than Groot and Rocket from the Guardians of the Galaxy. 

"I am Groot!" 

"I am Groot!" 

This peculiar exchange between the two Groots, who hailed from different universes, left everyone baffled. 

Blake turned to Natasha. "You keep an eye on Groot," he said, then strode forward, grabbing Rocket by the scruff of his neck with one hand and pulling Tony away with the other. 

"What's going on?" Blake asked, holding Rocket as far away from him as possible, directing his question at Tony. 

"Blake, you're just in time. This little stuffed animal-looking guy and that oversized tree won't stop insisting on taking Groot away! And let me tell you, this guy's mouth is even filthier than mine. I swear, I'm going to shave all the fur off his head with my razor!" 

As Tony rambled on, Rocket, realizing that the situation was turning against him, called out to Groot a couple of times. When he got no response, he promptly cocked his gun in mid-air. 

"Bang! Bang!" 

Without hesitation, Rocket fired two shots directly at Blake's face.

*******************************************

You can get access to early chapters on patr*on.

If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.

My patr*on account is S_Pandey_0170