"You want to see Madam Herta?"

Aboard the Star Destroyer, Asta stared at the request sent by Thanos, her face a mask of utter confusion.

Why on earth did Thanos suddenly want to come here? Hadn’t they just finished sending him running with his tail between his legs?

By now, the Star Destroyer had maneuvered back to the orbit of Earth. It wasn’t just for the relatively minor matter of completing the Simulated Universe tests; more importantly, the Time Stone was here.

The Ancient One would never have agreed to let it leave Earth’s vicinity.

While the Time Stone was something Herta had already picked apart and studied, there was a resonance effect between the Infinity Stones. Adding more stones would exponentially increase the burden on the user, but it would also create effects that two stones alone could never achieve.

Herta needed all six gathered in one place.

In a rare lull during her research on the Power Stone, Herta received the message Asta had forwarded.

"Thanos?"

Herta arched an eyebrow.

To be honest, she didn’t fear Thanos, nor did she particularly care about him. Her only interest in the man stemmed from the fact that he could help her acquire the stones with less effort.

Outside of that utility, she barely remembered he existed.

To come seeking an audience immediately after a crushing defeat—had he finally snapped because his grand "ideal" hit a dead end?

Of course, she only entertained the thought for a second. Herta knew well enough that Thanos’s will was as formidable as his strength; both were top-tier in this universe.

As dire as his current predicament was, it wasn’t enough to break a man like him.

So, what was he playing at?

Curiosity was the primary engine of Herta’s mind. Since the spark had been lit, she didn’t mind having a face-to-face with the Titan before she claimed the final stone.

"Let him come. But my time is limited; I’ll only give him two days."

Herta sent her reply back to Asta. Two days would be just enough to wrap up the work she had in front of her.

Thanos wasn’t surprised by Herta’s acceptance. Anyone would want to know why a defeated opponent, who had fled in disgrace not long ago, would suddenly turn around and ask for a meeting.

Chitauri warp technology wasn’t nearly as advanced or seamless as the tech from The Blue, but it was still leagues ahead of most civilizations in the cosmos.

In just over thirty hours, Thanos arrived near Earth in a small shuttle and was guided smoothly into the Star Destroyer’s docking bay.

[Why is Thanos here?]

Those at the spaceport who witnessed Thanos stepping off the ship couldn’t help but stare in shock and suspicion.

They weren’t the only ones.

Even with Asta there to personally receive him, many felt a deep sense of unease. Thanks to the "reputation" Thanos had spent a lifetime building, he was met with nothing but icy glares from everyone in sight.

It wasn’t unexpected. Thanos knew that only civilizations recognized by The Blue were allowed to maintain friendly ties or board Herta’s installations.

While this wasn’t the Herta Space Station itself, the people here hailed from those same circles.

And the criteria for being "recognized" by The Blue were simple: be kind, be grateful, and worship Madam Herta.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what people who fit that description thought of a man known for universal scale massacres.

He suspected that if it weren’t for this young girl, Asta, walking ahead of him, he wouldn’t have been able to take a single step without being stonewalled by the staff.

Fortunately, as much as they despised the sight of him, they remained rational.

Since Asta was personally leading the way, he was officially Madam Herta’s guest. And when it came to Madam Herta’s judgment, these people offered unconditional trust.

If they couldn’t understand her reasoning, they assumed the fault lay with them. How could the smartest person in the universe ever make a mistake?

As the whispers began to die down, Thanos’s expression remained unchanged. He had long since moved past the point of caring about the opinions of others.

"Thanos?"

But as he entered Herta’s laboratory, Thanos came face-to-face with the Avengers, who were gathered around the Simulated Universe, deep in conversation.

Naturally, they noticed him too. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

While Rogers and the other two who had fought him in the flesh stood their ground, Thor stepped to the front, radiating an aura of power that even made Thanos take notice.

He had thought Odin was surely the most powerful King in Asgardian history, but this God of Thunder possessed a potential that rivaled the All-Father’s. For the next King of Asgard to wield such might...

Herta’s handiwork again, no doubt... but that no longer concerns me.

Herta’s office was located in a room off to the side of the lab; one had to pass through this area to reach it.

After a cold, emotionless glance at the heroes standing at the ready, Thanos looked toward Asta.

"No need for concern, everyone. Madam Herta instructed me to bring him here. With her present, he won’t be able to make any suspicious moves." Asta offered an explanation, though her uncharacteristically sharp tone and the slight jab at his character proved she held no love for the Titan either.

With that, she led Thanos toward the side room.

"Last time, you took a Curio from me and used it to realize your ’ideal’ in certain sectors."

Herta didn’t turn around. She remained with her back to the door, staring intently at the reports scrolling across her experimental equipment.

"What is your purpose for coming here this time?"

"To confirm... and to witness," Thanos said.

"Oh?"

Herta finally pulled her gaze away and turned to face the purple giant. "That doesn’t sound like something that would come out of that head of yours."

"I have spent more than half my life pursuing the ideal of making the universe a better place."

Thanos didn’t deny it. "I have trampled over lives and discarded morality. I know how cruel my actions seem to others, but I also believe that only a calculated cruelty can allow this universe to endure. Just like nature. Nature is inherently cruel; our high intelligence allows us to rise above it, but in doing so, we break the cycle."

"And? A man like you shouldn’t be this listless just because of one loss."

One loss? From any normal perspective, this "loss" had decided the endgame.

Herta held five stones, and the location of the final one was a mystery to Thanos. When it came to finding things, how could the Chitauri ever compete with Herta?

But both of them knew that for Thanos, this really was just a setback. If there was even a sliver of hope, he should have kept hunting.

Thanos opened his mouth and gave his answer.

"I don’t know," he admitted. "Perhaps I simply want to see what this universe will look like once it is deprived of my ideal."

Just as he had always viewed Herta as the ultimate obstacle, in his heart, if anyone else was qualified to be "correct," it was her.

"How arrogant." Herta couldn’t help but let out a short laugh at his answer. But she quickly reigned it in, speaking with the air of someone granting a small favor.

"Fine. Then for the birth of a brand new universe, I’ll give you a front-row seat."

Arrogant? Thanos thought. Pot calling the kettle black.

He didn’t say another word.

--+--

T/N: I have a Patreon!

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