The fe-world of Nidavellir was enormous, a floating foundry in the space. The big star shone i its ter, giving power to the old maes of the dwarves. Tall buildings made of shials with great detail carvings stood across the rge ring-shaped world. The dwarves of Nidavellir had been produg powerful ons for hundreds of thousands of years, like the famous Mj?lnir and Gungnir.

  The dwarves worked hard, their big hands moving with care as they shaped raw metal int and good ons for their allies. Above them, the Asgardian guards stood at signifit pces, watchful, their golden armor shining in the bright light of the fe.

  Now, though, tensions ran high. They heard about the Mad Titan on the move, so, they were extra vigint.

  Well, their fear has arrived...

  A massive shadow fell over the star as the earth trembled beh the dwarves' feet. From the darkness came big warships; their bodies dark, glowing with menace as they peered down into Nidavellir. The rgest ship, a dreadnought shaped like a bde, loomed at the forefront, and aboard it stood the Mad Titan.

  Thanos.

  With the weight of his massive golden armor upon his back, he seemed strong and invincible. His cold calcuted eyes swept across the fe-world as he beamed down. Following him was a massive ente of his loyal Bck Order and Chitauri warriearing up t battle.

  As Thanos walked forward and stopped before the gate. In the ter of Nidavellir was the fe's master, Eitri, the King of the Dwarves. Eitri was very tall, even taller than his fellow dwarves, and he looked strong with powerful arms built from years of making things. o him, his warriors and the Asgardians that were there stood ready, with their ons prepared.

  Eitri's voied loud and strong. "Thanos, this is no pce for a Titan. Turn back, or face the sequences."

  Thanos paused and a small, serious smile spread across his face. "Ah, Eitri," he said. "King of the fe. Creator of wonders. I e not as your enemy, but with an offer."

  Eitri squinted. "We do not desire anything from you."

  "You misuand me, I need your talent," Thanos said, his voice steady but full of power. "A tool—no, a vessel—to harhe full power of the Infinity Stones. A new Infinity gau, made from the stro metal in the universe. Make that for me, and I'll let you and your people live. A fair deal, I say."

  A ripple of murmurs spread through the dwarves, but Eitri silehem with a raised hand. He stared directly at Thanos, his jaw set. "We do not fe for tyrants. You'll find no ally here."

  Thanos gazed angrily. "I wished you would uand," he said. "But if you will not make the gau on your own, then I will take it from you by force."

  Eitri stepped forward a his great hammer on the ground with a crash. "Dare threaten Nidavellir? We are not so easily quered, Titan."

  Thanos didn't say anything; he just raised his hand. In a single movement, the sky was filled with chaos.

  The Chitauri desded like a pgue, their grotesque forms raining down from ships that bed the sky. Screeg war beasts and h craft swarmed the massive foundry, their energy ons firing indiscriminately.

  The Asgardian guards immediately sprang into a. Shouts of ands rang out as golden shields rose to form an imperable phanx. With spears glowing with celestial energy, they unleashed a volley of bsts, cutting through the first wave of Chitauri. Dwarven ons, embedded in the fe's walls, roared to life, spitting molten projectiles that vaporized enemy ships in mid-air.

  Eitri himself led the charge, swinging a massive war hammer fed from uru metal. With each strike, he crushed enemies beh him, their bodies crumpling like brittle gss. His warriors fought valiantly, their axes and maces tearing through the Chitauri ranks with uing fury.

  But Thanos was not idle.

  Thanos strode through the chaos. Energy bsts ricocheted off his armor as though they were mere sparks. A group of Asgardian warriors charged him, armed with an arsenal glowing from entments. Thanos sent them flying with a single sweep of his massive arm, causing the armor to crumple under sheer strength.

  The Bck Order—Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, Cull Obsidian, and Corvus Give—ehe fray, all individually causing mayhem. Ebony Maw floated enormous ks of maery down at the dwarven defenses with the precision of telekinesis. Proxima Midnight dahrough the battlefield on her spear, slig through Asgardians and dwarves alike. Cull Obsidian smashed through fortified walls with brutish force, and Corvus Give sliced in with deadly precision.

  Among the disarray, Thanos came upon the tral fe. There Nidavellir's molte pulsed with a blinding light, and in the way of Eitri stood a hammer crag with raw power.

  "You will not desecrate this fe, Titari roared.

  Thanos stopped, his expression unreadable. "And who will stop me? You?"

  Thanos lu Eitri, his fist right above the dwarf's face. Eitri's hammer met Thanos' gaus in a shower of sparks, but the Mad Titan's strength was overwhelming. He caught Eitri's strike with one hand and drove a brutal punto the dwarf king's chest, sending him sprawling.

  Though Eitri was down, the dwarves fought on with uing fury. Massive automaton structs, built to defend the fe, came to life. These t maes, fed from uru and powered by the star itself, tore through the Chitauri ranks with meical precision. Their massive fists crushed ships, and beams of energy shot from their cores, iiire squads.

  But even they were no match for Thanos.

  The Mad Titan grabbed oomaton by its arm and smmed it on the ground before stomping on its head with his gia, crushing it almost instantly. Theore apart its arm with a siing d used it to batter another mae into a heap of metal. His sheer power was unstoppable. It didn't take long for him to rip apart those maes.

  Eitri struggled to his feet, bloodied but unbowed. He raised his hammer once more, but Thanos seized it mid-swing, shattering it in his grip.

  "Enough," Thanos growled, his voice a low rumble. "You have ce, Eitri, but ce will not save you."

  One by ohe defenses of Nidavellir crumbled. The Asgardians fought to the st man, their golden armor now scorched and broken. The dwarves, too, refused to yield, their ons g against the uing tide of Thanos' forces. But the oute was iable.

  As the final automaton fell, Thanos stood amidst the wreckage, unscathed and triumphant. The survivors were at his mercy. He turo Eitri, who y battered but alive at the base of the fe.

  "You will fe the gau," Thanos anded, his tone leaving no room fument. "Or I will wipe out every st dwarf and scatter the ashes of your precious fe across the stars."

  Eitri's gaze burned with hatred, but he knew resistance was futile. Slowly, he nodded, his voice a bitter growl. "I'll make your cursed gau. But know this, you will never win."

  Thanos smirked, the fai glimmer of satisfa in his cold eyes. "Victory is iable. I will burn this universe and offer every single soul to my Mistress. Only then will I receive her love and be worthy enough for her."

  And as the fmes of Nidavellir dimmed uhe shadow of the Mad Titan, a neon was born—a oio reshape the os. The Infinity Gau.

  ...

  [Knowhere]

  The Collectrandiose archive on Knowhere stood as a moo his obsession with all things rare and powerful. This massive, hollowed-out head of a celestial had bee the universe's most infamous repository of treasures and curiosities. Its dim corridors, lined with unbreakable dispy cases, held a somber stillness—until such silence was shattered by anguished screams.

  Taivan, the Collector himself was bound to a chair made of shining alieal. Ornate robes were torn and smeared with blood. His normally arrogant and fmboyant figure was now quivering in paiched all over his face. Opposite him, Gamora stood still with an icy expression as her bde pressed into his throat.

  "Where is it?" Gamora asked, her voice calm yet ced with menace.

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  AN: 1 more chapter before this vol ends.