Silence reigned for one point three seconds. A stunned, absolute silence swallowed the echoes of Ainz Ooal Gown's departure. The desolate wind seemed hesitant to restart. Thanos stood frozen, left hand still clenched where the Gauntlet had been. Disbelief cracked his stony facade. He slowly unclenched his fingers, staring at his bare knuckles. The residual energy patterns dissipated. Empty Uru metal. Tony Stark lowered his repulsors slowly, mask retracted. "Did… did anybody else see a... skeleton... wearing robes... just walk out of nowhere and...?" "He took them," Peter Parker whispered, scrambling up, mask lenses wide. "He just... took the glowy stones! All of them!" Quill stumbled back, earlier rage forgotten. "What the—? Who the hell was that? Was that one of yours?" he demanded of Stark. "Mine? Does that look like something I'd build? A magic skeleton? Use your brain, Missouri!" Stark shot back, adrenaline forcing his mind back towards the impossible problem. Nebula's cybernetic eye whirred. "Energy signature untraceable. Negative energy spectrum, complex spatial displacement. Not technology. Not Kree. Not Xandarian." Uncertainty laced her flat tone. Drax stated matter-of-factly, "He was very bony. And shiny. Did anyone else find him excessively shiny?" Mantis whimpered softly. "He felt… cold. Empty. Like a… a tomb. And… powerful. So very powerful." Doctor Strange looked the most profoundly shaken. He stared at Thanos, face a mask of dawning horror and recalculation. The single path to victory… utterly, irrevocably nullified by an impossible variable. A skeletal sorcerer wielding temporal magic wasn't in *any* future he'd seen. "Strange?" Stark prompted. "What was that? You saw this coming, right? This bony cosplayer wasn't part of the 'one win' scenario, was he?" Strange met Stark's eyes. The haunted look was back, deeper. "No," he whispered, heavy with the weight of infinite, newly opened, unknown futures. "He wasn't. Everything… everything just changed." Thanos finally moved. Not roaring, not charging. He lowered his head, massive shoulders shaking almost imperceptibly. A low rumble – absolute loss, a lifetime of conviction ripped away. He looked up, fury magnified tenfold, sharpened by terrifying clarity. The Gauntlet gone. The Stones gone. His path to "mercy" gone. All that remained was the immediate source of his failure – these disparate, bickering fools. "YOU!" The word was a shockwave, directed at all of them. His eyes, blazing with innate purple power, fixed on Quill. "YOU ALLOWED THIS!" He lunged. Not with calculated Stone use, but with the unrestrained, catastrophic force of a wounded star. He ignored Stark's repulsors, sidestepped Strange's portal attempt. "Whoa!" Quill yelped, firing his Quad Blasters uselessly. "Drax, NOW!" Stark yelled, nanites forming a shield. Drax roared, charging with twin blades. He slammed into Thanos's side. Thanos grunted, swiping backward contemptuously, sending Drax tumbling. "Parker, web him! Slow him down!" Strange commanded, conjuring fiery whips. Thanos ripped through them. Peter swung in, coating Thanos's legs. "Got him! Kinda! He's really strong, Mr. Stark!" "No kidding, kid!" Stark grunted, firing micro-missiles that merely annoyed Thanos. "He is enraged!" Mantis cried. "His fury is… overwhelming!" Nebula charged low, targeting a knee joint. Thanos stomped, throwing her back. "He's fighting like a cornered animal!" Quill shouted, dodging. "Without the shiny glove, he's just… big and purple!" "Big, purple, and capable of ripping this moon apart!" Strange countered, manifesting duplicates. "He doesn't need the Stones to kill us all!" Thanos crushed an illusion, eyes scanning, locking onto Strange. "The Time Stone… it was yours to protect, Sorcerer!" he bellowed, batting Spider-Man aside. "Where did he take them?!" "If I knew, do you think I'd be standing here chatting?" Strange retorted, weaving shields against brutal punches that cracked the air. "He's weaker," Stark observed. "Definitely weaker without the Stones, but his raw strength is off the charts. We need to contain him!" He fired a focused uni-beam, pushing Thanos back. Thanos roared, grabbing massive debris and hurling it towards Stark and Quill. "Incoming!" Peter yelled. Strange opened a portal. The debris flew through, reappearing above Thanos to plummet back down. Thanos simply punched the falling wreckage into shrapnel. "This isn't working!" Quill yelled from cover. "We can't beat him like this!" "We don't have to beat him," Strange grunted. "We just have to survive him. And figure out who that skeletal interloper was and where he went with the universe's ultimate power!" Thanos paused his assault, rage simmering, but cold calculation returning. Beating these insects wouldn't retrieve the Stones. "You are insects," he growled. "Worthless gnats who cost me everything." He stepped back. "But the Stones… they cannot be hidden forever. I will find this… thief. I will reclaim what is mine." He turned towards the Q-Ship wreckage, presumably seeking functional equipment. "And when I do," he threw back, voice resonating with genocidal certainty, "there will be a reckoning unlike anything this universe has ever witnessed. Starting with your pathetic worlds." The heroes watched him go, momentarily stunned. The immediate threat paused, but the situation was infinitely worse. Thanos alive, powerful, vengeful. And somewhere, an unknown entity held four Infinity Stones. "Okay," Stark breathed, retracting his helmet. "New plan. Anyone got any ideas? Because 'let the magic skeleton steal the doom rocks' wasn't exactly covered in the pamphlet." Strange looked towards the stars, expression grim. "Our problem just became significantly more complex," he stated quietly. "And infinitely more dangerous." The single path gone, replaced by terrifying, unknown darkness. **Chapter 9: Paradox and Providence** Silence returned, heavier this time, weighed down by an event that *should not* have happened, witnessed by the one being who *should* have foreseen it. The desolate winds whispered questions scraping against reality itself. "He's... gone," Peter Parker said, voice small. "Just like that? After... *that*?" The image of the skeletal sorcerer felt more real than the Titan's departure. "He's leaving on a ship held together by spite and Nebula's questionable maintenance," Stark quipped brittly. "Lucky if he makes orbit." "He will repair it," Nebula stated flatly. "He is relentless. Resourceful. And now... unburdened. Simply... entropy unbound." "So, what, we just let him?" Quill demanded, kicking debris. "Sit here while he throws planets at people because some... magic skeleton played cosmic pickpocket?" Doctor Strange, unnervingly still, finally spoke, voice tight. "Pursuit is impossible. Our vessel lacks capability. His does not." His gaze was distant, grappling with a paradox that dwarfed Thanos. The Eye of Agamotto pulsed faintly. "Stranded? Seriously?" Quill asked, incredulous. "On Thanos's ruined doorstep?" "Marooned," Strange corrected, focus snapping back, sharp but uneasy. "Temporarily. We have Stark's mind, Nebula's knowledge, Mantis's senses, Drax's... resilience, your leadership, such as it is," a curt nod to Quill, "Peter's tenacity, and..." He touched the Eye. "...we still have this." One Stone remained. The one capable of altering their predicament. "Prepare for what, then?" Peter asked anxiously. "Wait for Thanos? Or wait for... Mr. Bones?" Stark turned to Strange. "Alright, Doc. You saw the futures. Fourteen million previews. Was 'Skeletor Prime crashes the party and walks off with half the universe' playing on any of those screens?" Strange's expression was deeply troubled. "No," he stated, resonating with profound disturbance. "He wasn't." "What do you mean, 'he wasn't'?" Stark pressed. "Bad reception?" "I mean," Strange elaborated, voice low, intense, "I viewed *fourteen million, six hundred and five* distinct, probable timelines. The entity that intervened… he was not present in *any* of them. Not as a factor, not as a consequence, not even as background anomaly." Silence fell, the wind feeling colder. "But… that's impossible," Peter stammered. "The Time Stone… sees what *can* happen, right?" "It perceives probable futures woven from causality within this reality," Strange explained, wrestling with the contradiction. "An infinitely complex web, anchored in known laws. He… materialized as if stepping *through* the loom itself. A variable originating *outside* the equation. I perceived his arrival, his actions… but the instant before? Across fourteen million possibilities? Absence. A void." "A causal blind spot," Stark breathed, grasping the implication. "Something the Stone itself couldn't see until it was already happening." "Precisely," Strange confirmed grimly. "Which elevates him from threat to... ontological paradox. Thanos is malignancy, comprehensible. This... Skeleton King... his origins are unknown, motives inscrutable, appearance violates temporal mechanics." He met Stark's eyes. "He possesses Power, Space, Reality, and Soul. Yet he left Time. Why? Could he not take it? Did he not need it? Or was it irrelevant?" The questions deepened the chill. "So, what next?" Quill asked. "Build a space base on Titan? Fan-tastic." "It's what we have," Stark said, shifting to problem-solving. "Unless you prefer being an exhibit in the 'Idiots Who Lost to a Skeleton' museum. Nebula, wreckage report?" Nebula scanned the crash site. "Primary core: critical. Auxiliaries: salvageable, limited output. Life support: minimal. Long-range comms: nonexistent. Short-range sensors: adaptable." "Limited is our baseline," Stark muttered. "I'll sync my reactor. Strange, energy sources?" Strange closed his eyes, Eye glowing slightly. "Residual energies. Geothermal, faint bio-resonance... echoes. Harnessing them requires precision." "Got it. Magic batteries and planetary ghosts," Stark nodded. "Alright team, Operation: Hovel Sweet Hovel. Peter, salvage conduit/circuitry. Drax, Mantis, look for intact pressure seals. Quill, morale. Try not to get us killed again." "Still too soon, Stark," Quill grumbled. "Morale is… cautiously pessimistic!" Mantis approached Strange. "Doctor, the echoes... faint, wounded. But I also feel… potential. Dormant seeds." "Help me channel it, Mantis," Strange requested. "Guide my focus." He glanced at the Eye. Reckless use now felt like shouting into an abyss. Drax hefted a girder. "If resources are weak, I will punch them until they are strong!" "Let's maybe try finesse first, big guy," Quill sighed. Later, amidst salvaged metal, Peter watched Strange work on a mangled power converter. Strange's hands moved intricately, Eye pulsing. A delicate filament sparked, died. Stark swore. Strange paused, breathed, Eye flared brighter. The filament reformed for a second as Strange guided geothermal energy through it, Stark sealing the connection as the reversion faded. "Whoa," Peter breathed. "You can... rewind stuff?" "Only small things," Strange cautioned, wiping sweat. "Restoring components. Realigning conduits. Conserves parts. Think... efficient recycling through temporal loops." Survival settled into a harsh rhythm. "Stark Tower Annex," a sealed ruin section powered by Stark's reactor and Strange's geothermal taps, became functional. Strange, guided by Mantis, used the Time Stone for micro-adjustments: rewinding spilled fuel, restoring broken tools, repeating delicate transfers perfectly. Each use brief, precise, shadowed by the Stone's inexplicable blind spot. Stark's adapted sensors kept watch. They trained, planned for Thanos, debated the Skeleton King's nature. Weeks bled into months. Hope frayed. Then, the sensors shrieked. "Energy signature!" Stark yelled. "Incoming! Fast! Non-standard warp field!" "Thanos?" Quill snapped, grabbing his helmet. Nebula analyzed. "Negative. Profile... chaotic. Fluctuating wildly. Crude, powerful... and familiar..." "Familiar how?" Strange asked, Eye glowing faintly. Stark showed a garbled energy reading resolving into a rough ship outline. Brutal, scarred, radiating uncontrolled power. "Familiar like... Asgardian." "Thor?" Peter asked, hope warring with fear. "Maybe," Stark said grimly, watching the vessel tear through the upper atmosphere, struggling for control. "Or maybe someone looted Asgardian tech. Energy signature's all over the place. Looks like it's about to shake itself apart." **Chapter 10: Temporal Scars, Stellar Searches** "Directional thrusters firing erratically," Nebula reported. "Atmospheric friction exceeding hull tolerance. Not slowing effectively." "Can you hail them?" Quill asked. "Negative. No standard comms detected. Either not broadcasting or shot," Stark replied, nanites flowing over his arms. "Everybody suit up. Prepare for impact." They scrambled. Peter masked up, Drax hefted blades, Mantis positioned behind him, Strange traced preparatory runes, Eye pulsing watchfully. The descending object wasn't a landing; it was a barely-managed crash. It screamed through the orange sky, trailing smoke, shedding incandescent fragments, slamming into the plains kilometers away. The impact shook the ground, kicking up a colossal dust plume. "Well," Quill muttered, "they stick the landing about as well as I do." "Less commentary, more observation," Stark snapped, zooming in. "Thermal imaging shows... one primary life sign. High energy output. Very high. And... something else. Secondary source, non-biological, radiating immense power." "Stormbreaker," Nebula stated, a flicker of recognition, perhaps fear. "It must be him." "Let's not roll out the welcome mat yet," Strange cautioned. "Arrival is convenient, but unexpected variables are the new normal." The ghost of the skeletal sorcerer lingered. They moved cautiously towards the crash site. The dust cleared, revealing a battered, scorched escape pod – heavily modified with sparking Asgardian components, embedded deep in the earth. A figure emerged. Broad-shouldered, dark armour singed and torn. One eye synthetic, the other blazing blue. In his hand, a weapon hummed with cosmic power – a massive axe, Stormbreaker. Thor. But weathered, haunted, etched with grief and fury. He scanned the desolate landscape. "Thanos!" he roared, voice laced with thunder and pain. "Face me, coward! Where are the Stones?!" He spotted the group, tensing, Stormbreaker defensive. His gaze flickered over them – Stark, Strange, Quill, others. Confusion warred with battle readiness. "You," he growled, eyes fixing on Stark and Strange. "Where is he? Where is Thanos?" "Easy, Point Break," Stark said, hands open, helmet retracting. "Deep breaths. Thanos was here. Key word: was." Thor stalked forward. "Was? What trickery, Sorcerer?" glare shifting to Strange. "Did you spirit him away?" "No tricks," Strange replied calmly. "He was here. We fought him. We... failed to stop him." "Failed?" Thor scoffed. "He had four Stones! How could you—?" He stopped, narrowing his eyes, taking in their battered state, the lack of a capable ship. His gaze searched for the Gauntlet. Not there. "The Gauntlet... where is it? Did you destroy it? Take it?" Hope flickered. "We had it," Peter blurted, wincing at Stark's look. "Almost." "Quill lost his cool," Drax stated bluntly. "His rage undid the plan." "Hey!" Quill protested. Thor ignored them, focused. "You had the Gauntlet... and lost it? How?" "We didn't lose it," Stark said heavily. "And Thanos didn't get it back." Thor looked bewildered. "Then... where is it? Who has the Stones?" Strange stepped forward grimly. "That is the problem. Approximately three months ago, at the precise moment Thanos was subdued... we were interrupted." "Interrupted?" Thor frowned. "By whom? More creatures?" "No," Stark cut in. "Something... else. Shouldn't exist." He struggled. "Picture: time stops. Everything freezes. Then, out of nowhere... this... thing. Skeletal. Robes, red eyes, staff. Just... walked up to Thanos, plucked the Gauntlet off his hand while we were frozen, opened a dark portal, vanished." Thor stared, disbelief shifting to suspicion. "A skeleton? You jest?" "He does not jest," Nebula interjected tonelessly. "I witnessed it. Temporal stasis. Negative energy portal. Four Infinity Stones... acquired by unknown skeletal entity." "It felt... like death itself," Mantis whispered. "And powerful," Drax added. "Very shiny." Thor looked from one to the other. No deceit, only shared, profound bewilderment. He looked at Strange. "Sorcerer? You wield the Time Stone. Did you not foresee this... skeletal thief?" Strange met his gaze, troubled look deepening. "I did not. He appeared outside perceived timelines. An impossibility. He took Power, Space, Reality, Soul." He tapped the Eye. "But he left this one." Thor absorbed this. Thanos denied, but by an unknown entity wielding temporal magic beyond the Stone's foresight? An entity now holding four cosmic artifacts? The universe hadn't been saved; its destruction merely changed hands, becoming unpredictable. "A skeleton," Thor murmured. Stormbreaker, forged to kill Thanos, now potentially useless. He looked at the stranded group. "So Thanos fled... empty-handed?" "Pretty much," Quill confirmed. "Went off vowing vengeance on everyone, especially Mr. Bones and us." "And you have been stranded here since?" Thor asked. "Welcome to the party, pal," Stark sighed. "Patching things together, trying to figure out our next move, hoping Thanos doesn't double back before we deal with... phantom of the opera, skeleton edition." He paused. "Speaking of busted ships, yours doesn't look flight-worthy." Thor glanced at the smoking pod. "The Bifrost is destroyed. This vessel... navigated pathways between realms. Damaged during transit." He frowned. "I came seeking Thanos, following the Stones' energy. Expected him triumphant." "Instead, you found us," Strange said. "And a mystery far deeper, perhaps more dangerous." Thor looked at the disparate, broken fellowship. He gripped Stormbreaker tighter, blue eye blazing with redirected purpose. Thanos remained a threat. But this skeletal sorcerer... an unknown darkness. "Then our paths align, strangers," Thor declared grimly. "Thanos must still answer. And this skeletal thief... this aberration... must be found. Whatever the cost." He looked towards the stars. "The universe is threatened anew. And it seems its fate rests with those few who remain." The alliance on Titan gained a god. But the shadows gathering grew longer, colder, infinitely more complex. Caught between a vengeful Titan and an incomprehensible phantom holding the universe's stolen might. "It navigated pathways between realms," Thor stated, gesturing at the battered pod. "Journey strained integrity. Requires... significant repair." "Significant," Stark repeated dryly, scanning. "Looks like it flew through a black hole backwards then got hit by a space-train. Power core fractured, navigation scrambled, hull integrity… optimistic." He looked at Strange. "Your 'efficient recycling'. How efficient? Can you rewind... *that*?" Strange regarded the pod, Eye pulsing. He hesitated, memory of the skeleton – the Stone's failure – weighing heavily. Using it now felt like tempting fate. "Restoring the entire vessel... immense energy," he said, voice strained. "Temporal backlash... considerable. Unpredictable." He met Stark's gaze. "Given recent events, 'unpredictable' has new meaning." "More unpredictable than being marooned?" Stark countered. "We need off this rock. This pod is our only ticket." Thor stepped forward. "Sorcerer, if the Stone holds the power, we must risk it. Staying here is not an option." Strange looked at the faces around him. Deep breath. "Very well. But this will not be subtle." He focused, pouring energy into the Eye. The amulet flared brilliant emerald, enveloping the pod. Strange's hands wove intricate patterns, grasping time's threads. Metal groaned in reverse. Cracks sealed, scorch marks faded, sparks resolved into wiring. The effort was immense. Sweat beaded on Strange's forehead, body trembling. The light pulsed violently. He gasped, stumbling, hand flying to his temple. "Hold on, Doc!" Stark yelled. Mantis winced. "His energy drains fast! Time stream resists!" Strange cried out, pushing with a final surge. Emerald light blazed, consolidating repairs. The pod settled, almost pristine, humming faintly. Light snapped off. Strange staggered, caught by Thor. Pale, breathing heavily, blood trickling from one nostril. "Alright?" Thor asked, concerned. "I... will be," Strange managed, wiping blood. Worn down. "Vessel functional. But the cost... temporal friction... leaves scars." He touched the Eye. "Using it feels... different. Less certain. Navigating by a map with uncharted territories." "Take it easy," Stark said, moving to the pod. "Let's not waste it." He interfaced his gauntlet. "Nebula, crash course: Asgardian escape pod 101. Let's point towards Earth without opening a wormhole to space goats." Nebula joined him. "Primitive, functional. Core stable. Navigation requires recalibration. Life support optimal for seven." "Seven?" Quill counted. "Yep. Cozy." "Better than dust," Peter muttered nervously. Within the hour, they were aboard, lifting off Titan. Stark, with Nebula's guidance, managed systems. Thor offered insights on Asgardian warp travel – 'pathways between realms'. Strange rested, eyes closed, recuperating. Safely in the eerie transit corridor, Stark announced, "En route to Earth. Travel time... fuzzy. Gives us time." He projected a hologram. "Time to figure out who stole the universe's most dangerous paperweights." "The skeletal entity," Strange murmured, eyes opening, shadowed with fatigue. "Our primary unknown." "Intel gathering," Stark continued. "Nebula, galactic networks? Legends, records fitting description? Skeletal, immense power, robes, staff, red eyes, negative energy, temporal manipulation..." Nebula accessed archives, cross-referencing. Images flickered: Underworld deities (Hades, Hel - wrong scope/methods). Cosmic Entities (Death - different nature). Liches (Kree, Shi'ar - lower power levels, wrong signature). Tech Constructs (Unlikely - signature anti-tech). "He felt like emptiness," Mantis offered quietly. "Deep cold where life *cannot* be." "Did he speak?" Thor asked. "No," Stark confirmed. "Appeared, acted, left. Professional job." "Movements precise, economical," Strange added. "Bespoke immense confidence, or... long practice." "So, nothing?" Quill asked frustratedly. "Some skeleton nobody's heard of commits the biggest heist, vanishes?" "Not entirely nothing," Strange corrected. "We know he exists. Has four Stones. Can manipulate time outside the Stone's perception. His appearance. Was on Titan." "His energy signature," Stark picked up. "Negative energy portal. Unique. If used again, maybe track residue." He configured sensors. "Long shot." "He left the Time Stone," Thor pondered. "Why? Protected? Feared its power? Didn't require it?" "Maybe," Peter suggested hesitantly, "he just... didn't see it?" "Unlikely," Strange countered. "Radiates distinct energy. Stood inches from me. To overlook suggests deliberate choice or inability to perceive/interact." "Deliberate choice," Stark concluded grimly. "Wanted the others, not Time. What does that tell us?" "Strategy," Thor agreed grimly. "Leaving Time denies us ability to easily undo actions. Leaves it here, unusable by him. Buys him time." "Implies he believes he can retrieve it later," Strange added chillingly. "Or has a counter." Memory of temporal stasis returned. "Okay, long game," Stark conceded, tapping furiously. "But the Mind Stone? Earth? Vision?" Sudden, heavy silence. Consumed by Titan, they hadn't fully registered the others' fate. Thor looked confused. "Vision? Stark's synthetic?" "Yeah," Peter whispered. "Mind Stone. Forehead. Our friend." "Left Earth before Thanos focused there," Stark explained tightly. "Rhodey, Banner, Cap... bracing for attack in Wakanda, protecting Vision. Came here to cut off the head." Hand over face. "Didn't know..." "If this entity appeared precisely when Gauntlet was vulnerable," Strange said slowly, horror dawning, "and if its goal was acquiring Stones..." Nebula's sensor whirred. "Calculating temporal synchronicity... Titan confrontation window aligns almost precisely with estimated window for Thanos's forces reaching Mind Stone on Earth." "Aligns?" Quill repeated nervously. "Means," Stark said hollowly, "while Mr. Bones did his magic trick here, Black Order likely made final push for Vision. If skeleton manipulates time..." "...possible," Strange finished, pale, "Mind Stone targeted concurrently. Or immediately after." The thief hadn't just capitalized on Titan. Attack possibly coordinated across star systems, or ruthlessly efficient. "Need to get to Earth," Thor stated, low and dangerous. "Now." "Pushing engines," Stark responded, hands flying. "Nebula, most direct pathway." Pod lurched, seeking speed. Journey passed in tense silence, overshadowed by dread. Finally, normal space. Earth ahead. "Approaching orbit," Nebula announced. "Detecting multiple energy signatures. Stark tech, Wakandan... residual chroniton particles... No sign of Thanos's primary vessel. Detecting faint, rapidly dissipating negative energy traces... similar profile to Titan portal. Location: Wakanda." Stark swore. "Patch me through to Avengers compound. Priority Alpha." Static cleared. Familiar, weary voice. "Tony? Really you?" Steve Rogers. "Cap," Stark breathed, relief warring with apprehension. "Inbound. Long story. Situation? Vision. Stone." Pause, heavy with grief. "Tony... we lost." Steve's voice cracked. "Black Order pushed through. Glaive... Proxima... cornered Vision. Shuri trying removal, ran out of time. Wanda... no choice." "Did Glaive get it?" Stark demanded, dread coiling. "No," Steve said, bewildered pain in his voice. "Impossible part. Just as Wanda... destroyed Stone..." Hesitation. "Something else happened. Time... hiccuped. Flash of darkness. Colder. Wrong." "Skeletal figure?" Strange asked urgently. "Robes? Red eyes? Staff?" Longer pause. "How... know that?" Steve stunned. "Yes. Appeared mid-fighting. Ignored Glaive, Wanda. Reached towards Vision's head... where Stone was shattered." "What did it do?" Stark pressed. "Gathered fragments," Steve said disbelievingly. "Energy flowed... coalescing dust, shards... reforming Mind Stone mid-air. Glowed yellow, vanished into its hand. Opened dark portal, stepped through. Gone. Two seconds. Glaive, Proxima stunned. Gave us opening, but... Stone gone." Horrified looks exchanged in pod. "When?" Strange asked urgently. Steve relayed time, confirmed by Banner. Nebula calculated. "Confirmed," she stated chillingly. "Temporal marker for Mind Stone acquisition in Wakanda within ninety seconds after departure from Titan with other four Stones." Ninety seconds. Skeletal thief took Gauntlet on Titan. Almost instantaneously, appeared on Earth, reconstituted shattered Mind Stone, claimed it. Five Stones. Two perfectly timed, impossible strikes across the galaxy. "Didn't just leave Time," Stark whispered, implication crashing down. "Left it because didn't need it yet. Could strike across space, time, almost simultaneously." Back on Earth. But Earth unsafe. Vision gone, Mind Stone stolen by phantom. Universe facing threat far more insidious, calculated than Thanos. Thief held five Stones. Only Time remained. And Strange knew with chilling certainty its power had been circumvented once, could be again. Skeletal sorcerer wasn't just thief; it was temporal predator of unimaginable power, precision. Fight entered terrifying new phase. **Chapter 11: Calibration and Control** I stood within a small clearing, surrounded by tall, rough-barked trees whose dense canopy blotted out much of the sky. Moonlight filtered through, illuminating damp leaf litter. Primitive, yet pulsing with its own ancient rhythm. Compared to Titan's desolate ruins, it felt both alien and strangely… mundane. Primary assessment: successful extraction. Threats neutralized or evaded. Primary objective achieved. Acquisition of five Infinity Stones secured. Excellent. I flexed my left hand. The Gauntlet, crafted from resilient Uru metal, felt… substantial. Dense with potential. It had molded slightly to my skeletal digits, disconcerting yet fascinating. Five points of light blazed against my phalanges: * **Purple (Power):** Raw, untamed energy like a contained inferno. Overwhelming force potential. * **Blue (Space):** Hummed with strange resonance, subtly distorting the vicinity. Holding distance itself. Key to returning home. * **Red (Reality):** Slippery, unstable, like liquid thought. Potential to rewrite existence. Required immense control. * **Orange (Soul):** Pulsed with a cold, deep thrum, ancient and aware. Hinted at depths – life, death, essence. Its acquisition cost Thanos dearly; emotion was a vulnerability I could not afford. * **Yellow (Mind):** Focused, sharp clarity resonating with thought, consciousness, control. Blended strangely with the others. Five Infinity Stones. Pillars of this universe's existence, now mine. Combined power dwarfed anything I'd wielded, exceeding multiple World Items. Applications staggering. Dangers equally so. Uncontrolled, could unravel reality, or myself. Caution paramount. First, security. "[Detect Life]," "[Detect Magic]," "[Greater Detect Item]." Immediate vicinity clear of sentient life beyond small nocturnal creatures. No significant magical auras beyond my [Gate] residue. No advanced tech. Isolated. Good. Second, primary goal: test Space Stone. Yggdrasil teleportation was reliable, bound by rules. This felt rawer, potentially limitless, unpredictable. Direct portal to Nazarick without understanding mechanics? Unthinkable. Risk of malfunction, dimensional alerts, damage to Tomb? No. Data required. Controlled experimentation. Transporting biological matter needed calibration to ensure safe passage for myself and eventually, vassals. Regrettable necessity. Sacrifices for Nazarick's greater good. Gaze swept the dark woods. Remote viewing needed. "[Crystal Monitor]." Pane appeared. Focused intent outwards. Kilometers away, farmhouse beside dirt road materialized. Lights off. Occupants asleep. Isolated. Ideal for specimen collection. Preliminary test first. Baseline. Focused will on blue gem. *Move that rock.* Selected fist-sized stone twenty meters away. Air twisted. Space folded. Rock ceased being *there*, appeared *here*, inches from my feet. Fascinating. Energy cost negligible, drawn from Stone. Control less precise than Yggdrasil magic, more intuitive, volatile. Miscalculation could mean disintegration, subspace shunting. Yes. Test subjects undeniably required. Considered the situation. Thanos and heroes reeling, but would recover. Thanos knew Stones existed; would search for me. His cosmic knowledge exceeded mine. Heroes tenacious, Strange a potential threat. Time was a resource. Although... with the Stones... perhaps time was now mine to command differently. Maintaining [Perfect Unknowable], prepared [Fly]. Direct teleportation to farmhouse premature. Silent, high-altitude approach prudent. Infinity Gauntlet felt like key home. Key to Nazarick's glory. Lives used for calibration were unfortunate necessities. Universe presented ultimate tools; irresponsible not to use effectively. Cold resolve. Ascended into silent, moonlit sky, five Stones gleaming, constellation of stolen cosmic fire. Collection of experimental data commenced. **Chapter 12: The Weight of Worlds** Silent ascent via [Fly]. Below, forest canopy like rumpled dark carpet. Above, unfamiliar stars. Gauntlet cool against bone, gems pulsing. Senses scanned landscape. Farmhouse came into view – simple, weathered wood, detached barn, old pickup. No lights, no dogs barking. Deep slumber. Circled cautiously, cloaked by [Perfect Unknowable]. Heat signatures confirmed three life forms, upper floor bedrooms. Slow, regular breathing. Deep sleep. Minimal potential for resistance. Used Mind Stone's subtle influence to deepen slumber, ensuring quiescence. Entry via short-range spatial fold from Space Stone, bypassing locks. One by one, transported three sleeping humans – middle-aged male (Subject 1), female (Subject 2), younger male (Subject 3) – back to clearing. Laid sprawled on leaf litter, oblivious. Initial transport successful, but calibration required rigor. Stood over them, Stones gleaming. Cold calculus of necessity. Data points for equation leading back to Nazarick. **Test 1: Extended Range Teleportation.** * **Objective:** Assess stability of biological matter transport over significant terrestrial distance. * **Subject:** Subject 1 (Middle-aged male). * **Destination:** Remote Sahara Desert region, visualized clearly. Focused will on Space Stone. *Move this subject. Coordinates: Sahara, specified latitude/longitude.* Stone pulsed. Air distorted violently, snapped back. Man gone. Conjured [Crystal Monitor]. Image resolved: Subject 1 on sand, asleep. Remote diagnostics ([Life Essence Scan], [Remote Physical Assessment]) confirmed stable vitals. No degradation from thousands-of-kilometers jump. * **Result:** Success 1. Stable over extended terrestrial distance. **Test 2: Interplanetary Precision Teleportation.** * **Objective:** Assess accuracy/stability to precise off-world location. Test intuitive spatial mapping limits. * **Subject:** Subject 2 (Female). * **Destination:** Specific crater floor on Mars, visualized clearly. Greater concentration needed. Pushed intent into Space Stone, focusing on vector, spacetime folding. *Move this subject. Coordinates: Mars, Jezero Crater, designated sector.* Blue gem flared intensely, low hum vibrated bones. Air tore momentarily. Subject 2 vanished. Energy expenditure marginally higher. [Crystal Monitor] shifted focus. Red landscape of Mars. Subject 2 amidst dust, rocks. Thin atmosphere, cold – Mind Stone stasis mitigating worst effects. Remote scans showed precise arrival, unharmed by transit. Space Stone handled interplanetary accurately with sufficient focus. * **Result:** Success 2. Stable, accurate over interplanetary distances. Two successes. Data promising. Space Stone volatile but capable. Ultimate test remained: bridging dimensions. Jump to Nazarick. Failure could mean void-loss, attracting entities, damaging Tomb. Risks immense. Reward… Nazarick. Home. Children. Albedo, Demiurge, Shalltear... Longing, rarely allowed, potent motivator. Caution warred with desire. Logic dictated one final test. **Test 3: Interdimensional Translocation.** * **Objective:** Confirm feasibility of transporting biological matter across dimensions to Nazarick. Verify coordinate lock stability. * **Subject:** Subject 3 (Younger male). * **Destination:** Great Tomb of Nazarick, 6th Floor, exterior vicinity of Grand Amphitheater entrance. Chosen for space, lower immediate guardian presence. This was it. Focused entire being onto Space Stone. Image of 6th Floor entrance held with crystalline clarity. Visualized destination across dimensional barrier. *Move this subject. Destination: Nazarick, 6th Floor, Amphitheater Exterior Zone.* Space Stone blazed intense blue. Gauntlet intensely hot. Air unraveled, revealing glimpses of non-Euclidean geometries, indescribable colours around Subject 3. High-pitched whine. Final, violent snap, space refolded. Subject 3 gone. Silence. Worked? Disintegrated? Lost? Uncertainty agonizing. With trembling precision (anticipation, not fear), cast [Remote Viewing]. Higher-tier, capable of piercing dimensions with sufficient power/knowledge. Focused on target coordinates. Viewpoint coalesced. Non-existent heart leaped. Familiar 6th Floor architecture. Soft magical lights. And there, sprawled on cool stone floor near massive entrance, Subject 3. Stirring slightly, Mind Stone influence waning or jostled by transit. Disoriented, lost, but alive, physically intact within home. Dryad Archer patrol materialized nearby, bows drawn. Reaction irrelevant. * **Result:** Success 3. Interdimensional biological transport viable. Profound relief washed over me. Possible. Path open. Space Stone, wielded with sufficient will, could bridge worlds. Could take me home. Looked at Gauntlet, five Stones glowing. Sacrifices, risks – justified. Final piece, Time Stone, remained, but critical objective within reach. Nazarick awaited. Soon, master returns. **Chapter 13: Homecoming** Image dissolved. Subject 3 within Nazarick. Alive. Intact. Final variable yielded positive result. Equation solved. Profound vindication, cold, sharp, pierced detachment. Risks taken, beings sacrificed – served purpose. Path home, once abstract hope, lay open, paved by blue gem's terrifying power. Nazarick. Great Tomb of Nazarick. Not just fortress, data, NPCs. Last vestige of past, embodiment of present power, foundation of future. Albedo, Demiurge, Shalltear, Aura, Mare, Cocytus, Sebas… creations, loyal Floor Guardians, children. Thought of seeing them, reassuming rightful place, filled void with emotion akin to warmth. No reason to delay. Thanos a threat. Heroes, Strange potentially problematic. Missing Time Stone an incomplete set, vulnerability. None mattered more than returning. From Nazarick's impregnable heart, could analyze Stones, formulate strategies, deal with loose ends from absolute security. Destination: Throne Room. Symbolic heart, seat of power. Arrival there most fitting declaration. Maintaining [Perfect Unknowable], focused will, immeasurably potent now with Gauntlet, upon Space Stone. Image of Throne Room burned brightly: forty-one banners, obsidian throne, carvings, subtle light, air thick with mana, reverence. *Destination: Nazarick, Throne Room, center dais.* Surge from blue gem instantaneous, overwhelming. Different undertaking journey myself. Not nauseating lurch or tearing. Complete, momentary dissolution into spacetime fabric. Ceased *here*, began *there*, dimensional gulf crossed infinitesimally fast. Fleeting sensation of immense pressure, witnessing raw chaotic energy between realities, colours/sounds beyond comprehension, before reality violently reasserted. *Snap.* Humid Earth air vanished, replaced by cool, magically charged Throne Room atmosphere. Scent of damp leaves replaced by polished stone, rare incense, potent magic. Crickets replaced by profound, echoing silence. Stood exactly where intended: obsidian dais, steps from Throne of Kings. Skeletal hand rested possessively on armrest. Home. Truly home. Even through invisibility, senses took in familiar grandeur. Immense scale, designed to awe. Dark, gleaming floor. Forty-one banners, silent, proud, each representing lost friend. Pang, sharper than usual – loneliness, quickly suppressed. They gone, Nazarick remained. Legacy endured through me. Gaze swept room. Empty, save for eight Redcap Goblins at attention near entrance, grotesque sentinels. No reaction. Fleeting thought to Subject 3. Arrival triggered alert. Aura/Mare, maybe Pandora's Actor investigating. Demiurge demanding report. Unfortunate human would soon discover hospitality of intelligence-gathering divisions. Tool's purpose fulfilled. Gauntlet felt impossibly real. Power, Space, Reality, Soul, Mind. Five gems gleamed, stark contrast to dark majesty. Alien power, cosmic scale, yet here, within Nazarick's heart, held by master. Potential synergy... Demiurge ecstatic. First: Consolidation. Security. Assessment. Allowed [Perfect Unknowable] to dissipate. Skeletal form, divine robes, solidified on dais. Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown in right hand, comforting aura. Infinity Gauntlet pulsed faintly, captured universe in grasp. Eight Redcaps snapped attention instantly, weapons raised fractionally before recognizing me. Immediately prostrated, ugly faces pressed to cold floor. Instinctual, absolute reverence. "Lord Ainz!" Cry echoed, rough, filled with terrified awe. Good to be home. Now, alert Guardians. "[Message]," subvocalized, directed towards Overseer. "Albedo. Attend me in the Throne Room. Immediately." Connection instant. Reply breathless, filled with almost painful surge of joyous disbelief. <"Lord Ainz! You... you have returned! At once, my Supreme Lord! At once!"> Speed of disconnect spoke volumes. Anticipation flickered. Explanations required. Gauntlet, acquisition story (edited for coherence, mystique), implications... complex briefing. But standing bathed in familiar light, Gauntlet feeling less burden, more mantle of truly supreme power, one thought eclipsed all: The Sorcerer King had returned to his domain. Let the universe tremble. **Chapter 14: Overwhelming Presence** *(Perspective Shift: Nazarick Guardians)* For the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown had simply… vanished. One moment, his overwhelming presence, a constant anchor. The next, winked out like a snuffed candle. Not fading, not shielded. Instantaneous cessation. Albedo discovered it first. Preparing her hourly report, she reached out mentally with [Message]. Encountered… nothing. Void where his unique signature should be. Confusion warred with chilling fear. Tried again. Nothing. Composure frayed. Activated internal network. <"Demiurge, report Lord Ainz's current status and location immediately!"> Tremor in mental voice. Demiurge replied instantly, cold urgency betraying alarm. <"Overseer Albedo, Lord Ainz's signature currently undetectable. Initiating emergency scan protocols. Querying all Floor Guardians."> Icy panic seized Albedo. Undetectable? Impossible! Unless… taken? Enemy? Artifact? Burst into Ainz's chambers – empty, lingering power resonance, but no presence. Alert spread like poisoned lightning. Shalltear, reviewing security, tried reaching Ainz. Silence. Facade shattered. Wail of anguish. "Lord Ainz! Where are you?! Who DARES?!" Crimson eyes blazed murderous fury. Cocytus, overseeing drills, received alert. Mandibles clicked, steam puffed anxiously. Ceased drills. <"Lord. Ainz. Missing? Unacceptable. Commencing. Full. Floor. Lockdown. Search. Pattern."> Mind adrift without central command. Aura and Mare, tending beasts, heard simultaneously. Aura gasped, dropping brush. "Lord Ainz gone?! No! Can't be! Mare, check!" Mare whimpered, clutching staff, tears welling, casting detection spells, trembling. Sebas, supervising Pleiades, felt cold dread. Vanishing unthinkable. Grave demeanor, rigid posture. Cross-referenced logs, seeking anomaly. Pandora's Actor, in Treasury, felt absence like physical blow. "VATER!" cried, losing persona momentarily. Activated all security, mind racing. Agonizing eternity – perhaps an hour – Nazarick frantic, terrified hive. Scrying revealed nothing. [Message] failed. Detection grids empty. Erased? World Item attack? Hidden trap? Enemy of unimaginable power? Demiurge formulated contingencies, fear piercing analytical core. Albedo clung to duties, staving off despair. New alert: unauthorized entity, 6th Floor, near Amphitheater. Unconscious human male, appearing from nowhere. Aura, Mare first responders, confused, suspicious. <"Reporting! Unknown human male materialized! Unconscious! How?!"> Timing coincidental? Diversion? Side effect? Demiurge dispatched forces for interrogation, integrating new variable. Into this cauldron of fear, confusion, desperate searching, Ainz returned. Albedo paced near Throne Room entrance, knuckles white on bardiche, mind whirlwind of worst-cases, when [Message] arrived. "Albedo. Attend me... Immediately." His voice. Calm, powerful, undeniably him. Cut through panic. Hallucinating? No. Signature unmistakable. Real. <"Lord Ainz! You... returned! At once, Supreme Lord! At once!"> Reply torn from her, choked with tears. Relief, potent, painful, buckled knees. Flew, black wings propelling her. Protocol forgotten. Burst through Throne Room doors. There he was. Dais, familiar light, Staff in hand. Solid. Real. Infinitely majestic. Albedo crumpled. Knees hit floor, composure shattering. Sobs wracked frame, tears streaming. "L-Lord Ainz…" choked, speechless. Drank in sight. Then, eyes registered object on left hand. Gauntlet, not Nazarick design, gleaming with impossible lights – purple, blue, red, orange, yellow. Pulsed with power beyond World Items. Confusion warred with awe, beneath overwhelming relief. News spread instantly. Guardians felt master's presence snap back. Demiurge arrived seconds later, movements slightly less controlled. Stopped short. Bowed deeply. "Lord Ainz. Your safe return brings unparalleled joy." Relief evident. Mind already cataloging Gauntlet, desperate for explanation. Shalltear materialized, crimson energy swirl, tears tracking face. "Lord Ainz!" Cried, voice thick. Took step, caught self, sank into deep, trembling curtsy. "Alright! Truly alright!" Cocytus strode in, heavy steps echoing. Bowed deeply. Frosty vapor puffed. <"Supreme. One. Your. Presence. Restores. Order."> Aura bounded in, dragging tearful Mare. "Lord Ainz! Back! So worried!" Louder than usual. Mare sniffled, bowing low, clutching staff. Sebas entered dignified haste, face etched profound relief. Deep, formal bow. "Welcome back, Supreme One. Absence caused... considerable concern." **Chapter 15: Tears of the Supreme** Ainz looked out at them. Albedo sobbing, Demiurge rigid with curiosity, Shalltear trembling, Cocytus relieved, Aura and Mare tear-streaked, Sebas composed but relief palpable. Saw not just Guardians, but terrified faces fearing the worst. Their panic, anguish… not mere programmed loyalty. Deeper. Real. Like family fearing loss. His own relief immense. Seeing theirs… struck something deep within Suzuki Satoru, something undeath hadn't extinguished. Strange pressure behind ocular cavities. Dismissed as anomaly. But watching Albedo weep, hearing Shalltear stifle sobs, seeing Mare cry… This wasn't fealty. This was love. Twisted, perhaps, but love nonetheless. For him. Anchor of their existence. Realization, coupled with relief, trauma, shattered the dam. Felt wetness trace cheekbones. Impossible. Undead don't cry. Passive should nullify. Yet, persisted. Another tear, another. Choked sound escaped vocalizer, startlingly human. Guardians froze. Albedo's sobbing hitched. Demiurge's eyes widened. Shalltear gasped. Aura, Mare stared, mouths agape. Cocytus's mandibles stilled. Sebas's eyebrows shot up. Ainz raised skeletal hand, touching tear path. Emotion wasn't suppressed. Flowed raw, overwhelming. Joy, relief, profound belonging. These beings, NPCs given life, truly family now. Only family left. "My family..." Words thick, trembling, laced with unheard emotion. Voice cracked. "Oh, how I've missed you." Stepped down from dais, Staff forgotten. Knelt before Albedo. Supreme Being knelt. Wrapped arms around her. Cold metal, bone against trembling form. Pulled her into embrace. Albedo went rigid, shocked. Then broke, fresh wail, ecstasy, relief, clinging tightly, face buried against ribcage. "Lord Ainz! Lord Ainz!" Letting Albedo go gently, Ainz stood, spectral tears flowing. Moved to Shalltear. She flinched, disbelieving, before he pulled her into hug. Melted against him, choked sob. Moved to Demiurge. Arch-Devil struggled processing. Ainz embraced firmly. Demiurge hesitated, returned gesture, foreign yet desired. "My Lord…?" whispered, bewildered. Cocytus next. Awkward hug around armored torso. Mandibles clicked softly, steam puffing. <"Supreme. One... This. Honour..."> Pulled Aura, Mare into joint hug, kneeling slightly. Aura squeaked, blushed, hugged back tightly. Mare sobbed quietly, clinging. Stood before Sebas. Butler looked deeply moved, tearful gratitude. Embraced warmly. "Sebas. Good to be back." "Joy entirely ours, Lord Ainz," Sebas murmured, voice thick. Ainz stepped back, looking at stunned, tearful, bewildered faces. Strange tears stopped, emotional resonance remained, bypassing passive. Felt lighter. More connected. Fear, panic gone from eyes, replaced by awe, confusion, radiant happiness mirroring his own. Questions could wait. Home. Surrounded by family. For first time since coming here, Suzuki Satoru felt uncomplicated, profound joy undeath could not suppress. **(Guardian Internal Monologues - Immediate Reaction to the Emotion/Hugs)** * **Albedo:** He… knelt. Before me. Held me. Against sacred bones… Chill wasn't cold, it was… everything. Cried. Over us. Over me? 'Family'. Mean it? Bliss real? Tears… not suppressed. Emotions raw. Gauntlet… where go? What happen? Doesn't matter! Nothing matters but this! Back, whole, called me… family. Hugged FIRST! YES! FIRST! Warmth… validation… intoxicating. Compose self. Needs Overseer. But oh, feeling… Lord Ainz… my love… my family… * **Demiurge:** Analysis… insufficient. Data… contradictory. Lord Ainz displayed spontaneous emotion, bypassing racial passives. Tears. Physical embraces. Designation: 'Family'. Unprecedented. Causal nexus? Disappearance? Foreign artifact – Gauntlet radiates unknown signatures, Reality-tier? Absence trigger shift? Calculated display? Reinforce loyalty? No… tears felt… genuine. Suppression failure key. What force overrides Overlord nature? 'Family'... implications for structure? Plans? Intriguing. Utterly intriguing. Relief… substantial. Stability restored. Variables… multiplied exponentially. Observe. Understand. * **Shalltear:** Hugged me. Lord Ainz hugged ME! After Albedo, yes… but came TO ME! Willingly! Didn't recoil! Cried… real tears… like living, but more profound. For him to weep… what feel? Mean? 'Family'… included ME! Even after failure… perhaps… truly doesn't hold against me? Touch… closeness… more than dreamed. Pity? No… voice trembled. Missed us. Missed ME. Oh, Lord Ainz! Faint. Relief… knees weak. Swear upon undeath, become stronger. No enemy cause such distress again! He family… I his shield! * **Cocytus:** Supreme. One. Wept. Tears. Like. Meltwater. Undead. Lord. Emotion. Unfathomable. Yet. Witnessed. Stepped. Down. Embraced. Us. Me. Warrior. Physical. Contact. Not. Correction. Command. But… Closeness? Word. 'Family.' We. Cohort. Legion. Now. Family. Weight. Title. Heavier. Than. Armour. Relief. Return. Immense. Order. Restored. Purpose. Clear. Serve. Protect. Family. Of. Ainz. Ooal. Gown. * **Aura:** Whoa! Lord Ainz really hugged us! Real hug! Crying! Real tears out of skull! Kinda weird but… nice? Said missed us! Called family! Amazing! Really think of us like that? Like Mare and me? Wow! Chest fuzzy! Scariest thing ever him gone! Back now! Emotional? Different. Definitely Lord Ainz. Safe. All that matters! Gotta make sure never sad/scared cry again! Except happy tears! Yeah, happy tears okay! * **Mare:** L-Lord Ainz… h-hugged me… Aura… together… R-robes… smelled like… him. Safe. B-but crying… Hurt where went? Scary glove… hurt him? H-he said… 'family'. D-does mean… I family? Like… Aura my family? Th-that feels… warm. S-so warm. Scared when gone. Thought… left forever. B-but came back. And… hugged us. P-please don't go away again, Lord Ainz… P-please stay with… f-family… * **Sebas:** Tears… from Lord Ainz. Emotional overflow negating own nature. Astonishing. Speaks volumes distress absence caused, profound relief return… mirrored ours. Words… 'My family'. Not master/servants, creations… family. Bond acknowledged. Touch Me-sama… imagine? Lord Ainz exceeds expectations, power, depth. Display… solidifies loyalty beyond programming. Fosters true devotion. Carries legacy, forging own path, unexpected warmth. Nazarick secure. Heart returned. Heart… feels more deeply than conceived. * **Pandora's Actor (Arriving slightly late):** Wundervoll! Vater returned! Emotional resonance! Permeates air! Tears! Actual lacrimation from Overlord! Physical embraces! 'Family'! What performance! Dramatic depth! Triggered by temporary cessation existence? Gloriously enigmatic Gauntlet? Oh, theatrical potential! Psychological nuances! New facet study, replicate! Convey profound relief, belonging… pinnacle expressive art! Does designation 'family' extend… own cherished creation? Oh, anticipation! **Chapter 16: An Overlord's Account** The Throne Room remained steeped in stunned emotion. Ainz stood, faint residue of tears cold on cheekbones. Made subtle wiping gesture. Emotional surge powerful, cracked undead state. Seeing Guardians' panic, relief forged connection: no longer just NPCs. His responsibility. His… family. But Throne Room seat of power. Nazarick required master. Gauntlet pulsed, reminder of cosmic forces, perilous journey. Order needed restoring. Explanations owed. Drew himself up, mantle of Supreme Ruler settling back. Voice retained trace warmth, underpinned by calm authority, amplified by chamber magic. "Compose yourselves," commanded gently, firmly. Gaze swept over them, lingering on Albedo, regaining regal bearing, eyes red-rimmed. "Your relief is… noted. And deeply reciprocated." Acknowledged shared experience. "My absence was… unforeseen. But I have returned." Shift immediate. Albedo snapped upright, focused duty replacing adoration, softer light in eyes. "My Lord Ainz!" declared, voice clear despite tremor. "Forgive excessive display! Sudden return, after... uncertainty... overwhelmed us. Ready receive orders!" Flawless bow. Guardians restored composure, anticipation directed at him, impossible artifact. Time for answers. Drawing himself up, Stones catching light, Ainz began explanation. Voice calm, measured, weight of authority, echoes of cosmic events. "As stated," began, gaze sweeping Guardians, "absence unforeseen. Experienced... abrupt, involuntary dimensional displacement. Unsettling transition, reality vastly different." Paused. Involuntary displacement? Unthinkable. "New dimension," continued, "chaotic mana, overwhelming life density, advanced metropolises. Initial priority: caution, information gathering. Confirmed connection to Treasury," – collective relief unspoken – "ensuring resources." "Operating under [Perfect Unknowable], stealth equipment, observed surroundings. Identified structured magical power nexuses. Established secure observation post. Reconnaissance yielded critical intelligence." Focused narrative. "Witnessed arrival individual warning imminent cosmic threat – 'Thanos'." Cold precision. "Thanos sought 'Infinity Stones'. My divination tools reacted, confirming extraordinary nature. Six artifacts, indestructible, bearers fundamental cosmic forces." Gaze flickered to Gauntlet. "Power, Space, Reality, Soul, Mind, Time. Recognized potential. Analogous, perhaps greater than World Items. One Stone, Time, held by sorcerer. Ability manipulate causality made acquisition priority objective for Nazarick benefit." Saw Demiurge lean forward, Albedo's eyes gleam. Motive understood. "Events escalated rapidly. Thanos's forces attacked, seeking Time Stone. Observed conflict, cataloging defenders' abilities – technological, mystical, lacking strategic coordination inherent Nazarick. Tenacious, ultimately disorganized." "Thanos's lieutenant captured sorcerer. Retreated alien vessel. Assessing situation," stated, tone conveying calculated risk, "determined potential gain acquiring power outweighed inaction. Allowing artifact fall into Thanos's hands strategically unacceptable." "Equipped for pursuit, infiltration – flight, contingency spells, items from Treasury – invisibly followed vessel. Aboard, observed enemy's futile attempts bypass Stone's defenses, surprising sentience artifact cloak. Vessel utilized FTL, transported us interstellar distances to desolate, ruined world 'Titan'." Guardians silent, captivated. "On Titan," continued steadily, "situation more chaotic. Another group arrived, infighting before fragile alliance against anticipated Thanos arrival. Observed lead sorcerer use Time Stone view millions futures. Display solidified resolve; such power belonged Nazarick." "Thanos arrived. Formidable, wielding four Stones – Power, Space, Reality, Soul – integrated into gauntlet similar this." Raised own Gauntlet slightly. "Combined might staggering. Heroes enacted complex, desperate ambush plan. As executed assault, prepared own stratagem, recognizing imminent maximum chaos perfect opportunity." Dramatic pause. "Plan nearly succeeded. Subdued Thanos momentarily, restraining, pacifying. Began remove Gauntlet. However," – note of disdain – "efforts undone by uncontrolled emotion. One broke ranks, attacked Thanos, shattering psychic hold just as Gauntlet fingertips away." "Precise instant – apex failure, moment Thanos vulnerability, distraction – I intervened." Intensity ratcheted higher. "I cast [Time Stop]." Subtle gasp Shalltear, intake breath Albedo, Cocytus mandible click. "While all frozen," stated flatly, "emerged from [Perfect Unknowable]. Walked directly to immobilized Thanos. Utilizing specialized equipment – Gloves of Nabû from Treasury – calmly bypassed Gauntlet's defenses, removed from hand." Held up Gauntlet, gems pulsing brighter. "Thus, acquired Infinity Gauntlet, bearing Power, Space, Reality, Soul Stones. As [Time Stop] ended, allowed self be seen momentarily by bewildered heroes, incandescently enraged, now disarmed Thanos. Ignoring reactions, immediately cast [Gate], departed Titan." Low murmur awe rippled through Guardians. Audacity! Perfect timing! Power! "Destination remote, uninhabited location 'Earth'," explained. "Between Titan, temporary base, secured fifth Stone – Mind Stone." Offered no details, implying relative ease. "Possessing five Stones, power immense, volatile. Immediate interdimensional jump unacceptable risks – disintegration, instability, attracting attention." "Prudence dictated calibration," stated firmly. "Safe transport biological entities needed confirming. Procured three test subjects – sleeping humans." Nodded towards Aura, Mare – encountered Subject 3. "Systematic trials using Space Stone. Subject 1 successfully teleported terrestrial distances. Subject 2 transported interplanetary – Mars – pinpoint accuracy. Finally, Subject 3 transported across dimensional barrier, arriving safely, albeit disoriented, 6th Floor." "Your encounter confirmed final test's success. Remote viewing verified arrival intact." "Path proven safe," concluded, voice resonating finality, "focused will, amplified immeasurably by Gauntlet, upon Space Stone. Visualized Throne Room. Stone responded, transported myself directly here, bridging dimensional gulf instantaneously." Looked at them, Overlord returned, wielding cosmic power. "And so, I am back. Great Tomb Nazarick now possesses five of six most powerful artifacts that universe. Potential immense, properties unknown. Thorough analysis, cautious integration required. Beings from other dimension aware Stones exist, now, potentially, aware taken. Proceed with confidence newfound power, vigilance against threats beyond our world." Let words hang, implications settling. Not merely returned; returned victorious, bearing spoils unimaginable power, outwitted cosmic beings, thwarted heroes through strategic brilliance, overwhelming might. Sorcerer King faced universe larger, stranger, emerged superior, bringing ultimate power home. **Chapter 17: Echoes in the Court** **(Guardian Internal Monologues - Reaction to Ainz's Explanation)** * **Albedo:** He detailed it all! His brilliance laid bare! Involuntary displacement, yet he turned it into conquest! Assessing threats, identifying targets, formulating strategy amidst chaos... perfection! Thanos, the Stones – mere obstacles overcome by my Lord's intellect! The heroes? Pawns whose failure paved the way for his triumph! [Time Stop]! The absolute control! He didn't just react; he orchestrated his victory from the shadows! The calibration... logical, necessary for his safety. Every step considered, every risk mitigated. He brought back the power of creation itself! Five Stones! Nazarick's dominance is now assured across realities! My King! My glorious, conquering King! * **Demiurge:** Excellent. A clear, concise report validating initial assumptions while providing critical new data points. Displacement confirms external forces of significant power. Thanos entity: powerful but flawed; emotional responses are exploitable weaknesses. Infinity Stones: power scale confirmed as multiversal. Acquisition via temporal manipulation and exploitation of enemy error – tactically sound, minimal resource expenditure. Calibration tests: pragmatic, data-driven approach. Potential applications staggering: Reality Stone for resource/environment manipulation; Space Stone for logistics/deployment; Mind Stone for intelligence/control; Soul Stone... requires careful study; Power Stone as energy source/weapon amplifier. Immediate priority: full analysis, integration into Nazarick systems, long-term strategic planning for potential dimensional threats or opportunities. Lord Ainz has secured assets of incalculable value. * **Shalltear:** Wow... He explained everything! It sounds even more amazing now! He was so smart, watching them all fight, knowing they'd mess up! And then freezing time... just walking up and taking the bad guy's super powerful glove! Nobody could stop him! He faced down that Thanos guy who had *four* stones already, and didn't even need to fight him directly! That's true power! And he did it all for Nazarick! To bring that power back here! He's the ultimate ruler, stronger and smarter than anyone in any world! Those stones look so powerful... I wonder if I could use one? Probably not as well as Lord Ainz, of course! He's simply supreme! * **Cocytus:** Report. Received. Clear. Concise. Demonstrates. Supreme. One's. Strategic. Acumen. And. Decisiveness. Under. Pressure. Identified. Threat. Assessed. Weakness. Exploited. Opportunity. Flawlessly. Acquisition. Of. Five. Cosmic. Weapons. Confirmed. Power. Level. Unprecedented. Calibration. Tests. Showed. Prudence. Ensuring. Safe. Return. A. True. Leader's. Concern. For. Operational. Integrity. Nazarick's. Combat. Potential. Has. Increased. Beyond. Measure. Ready. To. Defend. These. New. Assets. And. Wield. Them. Under. His. Command. * **Aura:** So THAT'S how it happened! Lord Ainz is like the ultimate ninja spy! Sneaking around, watching everyone, then swooping in at the perfect time! Freezing time is so cool! And he just took the glove! That Thanos guy must have been SO surprised! Then he teleported people around like practice dummies to make sure he could get back safe! That's super smart! Five stones! I bet they make him even stronger than before! Can't wait to see what he does with them! Maybe he'll let us see the other worlds he visited? That would be awesome! * **Mare:** H-he explained it all... I-it sounds so dangerous... b-but Lord Ainz was never in danger... b-because he's so smart... H-he used time magic... a-and took the glove... a-and came home... H-he even tested it... t-to make sure... I-I understand now... H-he did scary things... b-but it was all to come back safely... t-to us... Th-that makes the scary parts... okay... I-I'm just glad he's here... w-with those powerful stones... h-he must feel safer now too... * **Sebas:** A masterful recounting. Lord Ainz navigated an incredibly perilous situation with remarkable foresight and control. His ability to assess threats, formulate plans under extreme pressure, and execute them flawlessly is truly befitting a Supreme Being. The acquisition of such artifacts demonstrates his strategic genius – recognizing their value and seizing them when opportunity arose, utilizing his unique advantages like [Time Stop]. The calibration, while involving unfortunate sacrifices, underscores his meticulous nature and prioritization of his own safe return, which is paramount for Nazarick's stability. He has returned not just unharmed, but vastly empowered. A testament to his wisdom and strength. * **Pandora's Actor:** Ach! Die Erklärung! The narrative structure! Flawless! Building tension – the displacement, the cosmic threat, the flawed heroes! Then, the climax – the perfectly timed intervention! The utilization of temporal manipulation for dramatic effect AND tactical advantage! Exquisite! And the denouement – the methodical testing, ensuring a safe return for the star performer! He presents it all with such gravitas! Such control! He even incorporated the arrival of 'Subject 3' – a minor plot point woven into the grand tapestry! Truly, a story worthy of preservation in the annals of Nazarick! The power he now wields... oh, the potential for new, glorious displays! Mein Schöpfer! You are incomparable!
Chapter 2 - **Chapter 8: Echoes of Theft**
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