Thanos' own spaceship.
Right under his nose.
And yet, in the blink of an eye—his throne was stolen.
The most infuriating part?
Neither he nor his subordinates—the so-called feared warriors of the Black Order—had even noticed it happening.
No wonder Thanos' face darkened with rage, his purple skin turning an even deeper shade.
His fury was immense, but at the same time… he was curious.
Who had the ability to pull off such a feat?
Kamar-Taj – The Main Hall
Luo Bai wasn't particularly concerned about Thanos' wrath.
After all, at this moment, he was comfortably seated on Thanos' throne, admiring it from every angle.
And he had to admit—it was impressive.
Massive. Intimidating.
Even though it was carved from stone, its sheer presence was enough to command respect.
Luo Bai leaned back, testing it out.
As expected of a stone throne—it was a little hard, but surprisingly comfortable.
What was more interesting was its floating ability.
It could move in any direction, hovering effortlessly in the air. There was no need to touch the ground—you could travel anywhere just by sitting on it.
"Not bad. A bit too large, though… Feels a little excessive to use all the time." Luo Bai muttered.
Having thoroughly examined it, he sent out a telepathic message to Wong, instructing him to bring Tony Stark and Doctor Strange over.
Although Luo Bai wasn't too worried about Thanos coming to Earth—he could handle Thanos himself if needed—he saw this as a great opportunity.
Thanos was going to make a grand entrance, which meant…
It would be a perfect training exercise for the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj.
Especially for Stark and Strange—these two had been studying magic for quite some time, but had yet to put their skills to the test.
That's why Luo Bai wanted them here.
A Short While Later
Wong, Stark, and Strange arrived at the main hall.
As soon as he entered, Stark looked excited.
"Oh, my dear friend. Finally, we meet again."
Luo Bai chuckled. "Tony, how are you finding Kamar-Taj?"
Stark shrugged. "To be honest? Not great. I always thought magic was easy—until I actually tried learning it."
He sighed, rubbing his temples. "And then I hear your story. The way you mastered magic in such a short time… It's just unfair. How did you even do it?"
Stark's voice carried a hint of frustration, clearly feeling the struggle of learning magic.
Before Luo Bai could answer, Strange chimed in.
"I was wondering the same thing. I always considered myself to be highly talented… but after witnessing your abilities, I have to admit—you're on an entirely different level, Sorcerer Supreme."
If an ordinary person learned about Luo Bai's talent, they might not understand the significance.
But for those who practiced magic, his abilities were downright terrifying.
Luo Bai simply smiled, then joked:
"Well, there's a reason I'm the Sorcerer Supreme, after all."
A brief silence followed.
Because, honestly… there was nothing wrong with what he said.
Breaking the silence, Stark suddenly noticed the massive floating object in the room.
His eyes narrowed.
"Okay… so, what the hell is that?"
He pointed at the floating throne, clearly intrigued.
Luo Bai casually replied:
"That? Oh, that's Thanos' throne."
A moment of confusion.
"Thanos?"
Everyone looked at each other, unfamiliar with the name.
Stark raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell is Thanos?"
Luo Bai smiled.
"A 'big villain' who's about to invade Earth."
"...What?"
Stark blinked.
Did he hear that right?
"Hold up—did you just say 'invading Earth'?"
His voice immediately shot up in excitement.
"So what you're saying is… our Justice League is officially assembling? Alright, tell me more about this Thanos guy!"
Luo Bai chuckled, then began his explanation.
"Thanos was born into the Eternal race on Titan. The Titans are different from humans—they are far stronger, both physically and mentally. Among them, Thanos is one of the most powerful."
"He possesses immense strength, willpower, and resilience. On top of that, he's also a strategic mastermind."
After hearing this, everyone finally understood.
In short, a powerful alien was coming to attack Earth.
And Stark?
He was pissed.
He crossed his arms, frowning.
"So, Titan is planning to invade Earth?"
But Luo Bai shook his head.
"Not exactly. This isn't a planetary invasion. This is entirely Thanos' personal mission."
"He once witnessed his home planet being destroyed due to overpopulation. Because of that, he came up with a… let's say, unique solution."
Wong, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "Solution? What kind of solution?"
Luo Bai thought for a moment, then explained:
"To put it simply—he plans to reduce the universe's population by half. Or in other words… he wants to make half of all living beings disappear."
Silence.
And then—
"HE WANTS TO DO WHAT?!"
Stark practically shouted.
His brain took a second to process what he had just heard.
Reducing the universe's population by half?
That wasn't just genocide—that was on an entirely different level of insanity.
"Is this guy crazy?!"
Stark had seen plenty of villains trying to conquer Earth before.
But someone who wanted to commit mass intergalactic murder in the name of "balance"?
He was the only one Stark had ever seen.
What if Thanos succeeds?
Let's not even talk about the entire universe—just imagine what would happen if half of Earth's population suddenly disappeared...
For the planet, it would be no different from the end of the world.
Thinking of this, Stark couldn't help but ask, "Is there any way we can stop him?"
"Of course," Luo Bai replied.
Hearing this, Stark—who had been visibly tense—immediately felt relieved.
His gaze shifted to the floating throne in front of him, remembering that Luo Bai had said it belonged to Thanos.
Then, a realization hit him.
"Wait… You said this throne belongs to Thanos. But you took it. And not only that—you also seem to know all of his plans. So from the very beginning… you already had a way to deal with him, didn't you?" Stark asked.
Luo Bai nodded. "Of course."
Stark let out a breath and smirked. "I knew you'd figure something out."
Just as Stark was about to relax, Luo Bai spoke again.
"However, Thanos may bring reinforcements this time. We could be facing an all-out invasion of Earth. That's why I called you here—I want to see how your training is going. I heard you two have been studying magic on your own?"
Both Stark and Strange nodded.
Luo Bai smiled. "How much have you learned?"
Stark immediately responded, "I've already completed all the courses related to Kamar-Taj on my own. Right now, I'm focusing on space and time magic."
The moment he finished speaking, Strange chimed in.
"Same here. My progress is about the same."
The fact that they had both reached this level on their own was impressive.
Luo Bai had always known about Strange's talent, but he hadn't expected Stark's magical aptitude to be so high as well.
That was… surprising.
But also a good thing.
Kamar-Taj needed more powerful sorcerers—especially ones who could take on leadership roles.
Thinking of this, Luo Bai suddenly turned to Strange and said,
"Strange, I'd like to appoint you as the Guardian of the New York Sanctum. Are you willing?"
"Guardian of the New York Sanctum?"
Strange didn't answer right away.
Instead, he fell silent, his expression thoughtful.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Sorcerer Supreme… I know this may be impolite to ask, but… is there any benefit to taking on this role? I mean, will it affect my studies?"
Luo Bai shook his head. "Of course not."
He explained, "You'll have your own private quarters, and the New York Sanctum contains a vast library of magical texts—resources that will help you grow even faster.
"Plus, the Sanctum is close to both your home and your old workplace. So if you ever have free time, you can visit your family… or spend time with someone special."**
Strange was a practical man.
And after hearing all these benefits, he immediately agreed.
"It would be an honor to serve as the Guardian of the New York Sanctum, Sorcerer Supreme."
Luo Bai nodded in satisfaction.
Strange was pleased, but someone else wasn't.
"Hold on a second!"
Stark immediately objected.
He turned to Luo Bai with a mock-offended expression.
"Luo Bai, aren't we best friends? Why the hell aren't you making me the Guardian of New York? I started learning magic before he did!"
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