Lucien spoke the word near Thanos's corpse, expecting the familiar surge of dark energy that would create his most powerful shadow soldier yet... even stronger than Sukuna in the aspect of strength. The Mad Titan would make an incredible addition to his army.
Black shadows began to swirl around Thanos's body, coiling and writhing as they prepared to extract his essence. But then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the shadows dispersed and vanished as if they had never been there at all.
Lucien stared at the corpse in shock. His extraction had never failed before, not once since he'd gained the ability.
A system notification appeared in his vision, providing an explanation that only raised more questions.
[Target is bound to another entity with higher authority over the dead. Cannot be extracted.]
[Level up Shadow Extraction to override.]
"Higher authority over the dead?" Lucien muttered, confusion evident in his voice. Who could possibly have more control over death than the Shadow Monarch himself?
He then considered the second part of the notification. Level up Shadow Extraction.
The system made it sound simple, but he had no idea how to actually improve his skills beyond their current level.
There were no obvious upgrade paths, no experience points to distribute.
For now, extracting Thanos's shadow would have to wait.
Just then, a new idea occurred to him.
If he couldn't turn the corpse into a shadow immediately, perhaps he could store it in his inventory until his abilities improved. The body would be preserved perfectly, ready for extraction whenever he figured out how to level up his skills.
Lucien reached toward the corpse, activating his inventory storage ability. But instead of the familiar sensation of an item being absorbed into his dimensional space, something completely unexpected happened.
Thanos's body began to dissolve.
The corpse turned to dust starting from the extremities, the particles flowing away on a wind that seemed to come from nowhere. Within seconds, nothing remained of the Mad Titan except empty air and the memory of his presence.
"What the hell?" Lucien snarled, his composure finally cracking.
Whoever the system had referred to as having "higher authority" had just claimed Thanos's remains right in front of him. The interference felt like a personal insult, a reminder that despite his growing power, there were still forces in the universe that operated beyond his reach.
Lucien raised his foot and slammed it down into the crater, sending cracks racing through the stone. The impact created a spider web of fractures that spread outward for dozens of feet in all directions.
He was pissed. Not just annoyed or frustrated—genuinely angry in a way he rarely allowed himself to feel. The Mad Titan should have been his prize, his proof that no enemy was beyond his reach.
After taking a moment to regain his composure, Lucien made his way back toward the palace. Black Bolt needed medical attention, and there might be other survivors who required help.
As he approached the throne room, he could hear voices coming from inside.
Lucien entered to find the Inhuman king sitting up against a pile of rubble, his injuries severe but not life-threatening. Beside him stood a man with dark hair and sharp features, while a massive dog-like creature with a tuning fork antenna on its forehead watched the entrance warily.
The moment they saw Lucien, both the man and the giant dog shifted into defensive positions. The man's hands moved toward what looked like concealed weapons, while the dog's antenna began to glow with teleportation energy.
"Who are you?" the man demanded, his voice carrying authority despite the desperate circumstances.
Black Bolt raised his hand, stopping them from taking any aggressive action. His powers not allowing him to speak normally, but his meaning was clear—this newcomer was not a threat. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ n0velfire.net
"I'm the one who took out the guy that just beat up your king," Lucien replied simply.
The man's frown deepened, but he didn't argue with the explanation. A digital screen on his arm device suddenly lit up with urgent alerts, causing him to shift his attention away from the potential threat.
Lucien sensed something was wrong and moved closer to the group. Without ceremony, he pulled a high-grade health potion from his inventory and tossed it toward Black Bolt.
"Brother, don't," the man said, immediately taking his attention off the screen. "Who knows what it is? It could be poison or some kind of control serum."
"It will just heal him up," Lucien said with obvious impatience.
Black Bolt looked between his brother and the stranger who had saved his life. After a moment of consideration, he uncorked the potion and drank it despite his brother's protests.
The effect was immediately visible. The cuts on Black Bolt's face began to close, the bruises faded, and his breathing became easier as his internal injuries healed. Color returned to his pallid complexion as the potion restored his strength.
Maximus stared at his brother's rapid recovery with obvious amazement. "Ugh... whatever. We've got another problem at hand," he said, looking back at the urgent alerts on his digital display.
"What happened now?" Lucien asked. "Thanos is defeated, and I'm sure the forces in Wakanda, along with the heroes, should have been enough to handle the Outriders."
Maximus's expression grew grim as he read the data streaming across his screen. "Who gives a crap about Wakanda. On Thanos's mothership, there's an antimatter bomb that's going to go off in a few minutes."
"How much damage are we talking about?" Lucien asked, though he suspected he wouldn't like the answer.
"The entire planet would be destroyed," Maximus replied matter-of-factly.
To Lucien's surprise, Maximus actually smiled. "Don't worry about anything. Lockjaw here will take care of it."
The massive dog's antenna lit up brighter, energy crackling around the tuning fork structure. Without warning, Lockjaw simply vanished, teleporting away from the throne room in a flash of interdimensional energy.
"Now what?" Lucien asked, staring at the space where the giant dog had been moments before.
"Now we wait," Maximus said, settling back against a piece of rubble with surprising calm.
Black Bolt nodded his agreement.
Lucien found himself in the strange position of having his fate dependent on a giant dog he'd just met.
The idea that Earth's survival now rested on a teleporting canine was almost absurd.
"How exactly is your dog going to stop an antimatter bomb?" Lucien asked.
Maximus pulled up additional data on his device, showing a schematic of Thanos's massive ship. "Lockjaw can teleport anywhere in the galaxy. The plan is simple—he teleports the bomb somewhere it can't hurt anyone."
"And if he can't move it?"
"That won't happen," Maximus replied with a shrug.
The casual way Maximus discussed moving objects capable of destroying the whole planet was yet another reminder that the universe was full of powers that operated on scales beyond normal comprehension.
Minutes passed in tense silence. Through the broken walls of the throne room, they could see the night sky above New York, where Thanos's ship hung like a dark star among the clouds.
"How long does he have?" Lucien asked.
Maximus checked his readings again. "About thirty seconds."
The ship in the sky remained still, showing no sign of any explosion.
"Well," Maximus said, powering down his device, "that's taken care of."
"Where did he send it?" Lucien asked.
"Probably the same place he always does," Maximus replied. "An uninhabited planet, far enough from any populated systems that an antimatter explosion won't hurt anyone."
"He'll be back in a few minutes. Teleporting across galactic distances takes him a bit longer than local jumps."
As if summoned by the mention of his name, Lockjaw reappeared in the throne room with another flash of energy. The giant dog looked tired but satisfied, his antenna still glowing softly from the effort of moving the bomb.
"Good boy," Maximus said.
Lucien looked around at the group—an injured king who could not speak, his ambitious brother, and a teleporting dog who had just saved the planet.
After everything that had happened today, this felt like the strangest moment yet.
He gained quite a few levels today, but the only thing that had irritated him was the fact that he could not make Thanos his Shadow.
'Well, I'm sure that the universe has a lot more beings to offer to be my shadows.' Lucien thought in an attempt to console himself.
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