"After all this time, you're still as foolish as ever."
Staring at the holographic screen displaying his younger brother Astra's image, long-buried memories suddenly surged back into the man's mind.
A hundred years ago, Planet L77, under Kree Empire rule, was ambushed by the Skrull Empire's forces. A joint task force led by Generals Baltan and Gazzler executed a swift and ruthless massacre, eliminating all Kree on the planet.
Astlon, the eldest son of the former Supreme Commander of L77's garrison, was en route to reinforce the planet when he was ambushed by a Skrull squad led by Magar. He was blasted out of his warship and declared missing.
Initially, his status was classified as "missing in action," but after three decades of relentless searching by the Kree Empire's intelligence division, no trace of Astlon was found. Even Astra, who had stubbornly believed his brother was merely lost, was ultimately forced to accept the grim reality—his brother had perished somewhere in the vast cosmos.
But in truth, Astlon had not died.
At the moment his warship was ambushed and obliterated by Magar's forces, Astlon, through sheer will and power, fought his way through the chaos and crash-landed on an unknown planet at the fringes of both empires' territories.
On that desolate asteroid, he encountered a kind old man named Pitt, who tended to his wounds. A few days later, Pitt succumbed to age and passed away, leaving Astlon, still gravely injured, to struggle alone on the barren world.
Once his wounds healed, driven by the burning desire to avenge his parents and fallen comrades, Astlon made a harrowing decision—he genetically altered himself, stripping away his noble Kree heritage and replacing it with the inferior Skrull genome.
Through his investigation, he discovered that after the fall of L77, his enemies—Baltan, Gazzler, and others—had risen to prominence within the Skrull Empire. He knew that without absolute certainty of success, the Supreme Accuser Tribunal of the Kree Empire would never risk deploying forces to aid his revenge.
He knew those conservative nobles all too well.
Alone, a single Kree warrior could never exact vengeance on a battlefield dominated by the Skrulls. But that did not mean Astlon would abandon his quest.
If he couldn't crush the enemy's fortress from the outside, he would rot it from within.
Thus, Astlon began his gruesome transformation. He secretly executed over a thousand Skrulls, harvesting their DNA, and turned himself into the first test subject of Skrull genetic assimilation. The process was perilous, and he survived hundreds of near-death experiences. But in the end—he succeeded.
He had fully transformed from a pure-blooded Kree into a pure-blooded Skrull. Through countless painful experiments, his body had developed extraordinary and unforeseen abilities. However, his face had become utterly unrecognizable.
The fusion of over a thousand Skrull genetic samples had left his visage grotesque and monstrous. So, he donned a mask, buried his past, and took on a new name—Shafrin—before enlisting in the Skrull Empire's military.
Starting from the lowest ranks, his exceptional skill and strategic prowess quickly propelled him upward. Within mere decades, he had not only passed the Skrull Empire's rigorous political screenings but had also amassed every honor the empire had to offer, steadily climbing to the pinnacle of Skrull power.
Once he secured his foothold within the empire's upper echelon, Shafrin finally set his revenge in motion.
His first step was a calculated mistake—an intentional blunder that allowed him to request reassignment to Planet U40, where Baltan, Gazzler, Aurgus, and Magar were stationed. The Skrull Empire's capital was too dangerous for him to act; he could not take on the empire alone.
Thirty years had passed. Three decades of scheming and preparation had led him to this moment—only for him to discover that two of his enemies, Magar and Aurgus, were already dead.
One had fallen on Torfa, while the other had been crushed by Planet N52, which had veered off course.
And the most intriguing part?
Both deaths were caused by the same individual.
"Foolish as you are, you've given me quite the unexpected surprise. Thanos' son… he's a promising candidate."
Overlooking the bustling city below, a glint of calculation flickered beneath Shafrin's mask as he re-evaluated his plans.
His original scheme had been simple: assassinate Baltan and Gazzler, then activate Project Extermination, wiping Planet U40—his domain of thirty years—off the star maps.
After that, he would assume a new identity and disappear into another galaxy.
But now… things had changed.
Lothar, son of Thanos…
Assassinate Baltan and Gazzler. Destroy Planet U40…
Shafrin had found the perfect scapegoat. And if Lothar took the fall, then "Shafrin" could continue to exist even after his enemies were dead, allowing him to remain a powerful player in the Skrull Empire's political arena.
More importantly, if Lothar died on Skrull territory, Thanos would have to respond. Regardless of the circumstances, the Titan of the Centauri System would be forced to act, and an invasion of the Skrull Empire would become inevitable.
And if Thanos redirected his attention to the Skrulls, the biggest beneficiary would be the Kree Empire.
The forces of the Black Quadrant were not sufficient for Thanos to wage war against both empires simultaneously.
A plan that secured his revenge, shifted the balance between the Kree Empire and the Black Quadrant, and placed immense pressure on the Skrulls—it was an opportunity too perfect to ignore.
"Now, Lothar… let's see if you can live up to my expectations."
A sinister smile curled beneath Shafrin's mask as he signed and issued the bounty order displayed on his holographic screen. The numerous honor medallions on his chest jingled with each step he took, his crimson cloak billowing behind him.
"The opportunity is yours. Let's see if you're worthy of it."
"Lord Shafrin, the victory banquet celebrating Generals Baltan and Gazzler's return has been prepared."
A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts. A Skrull soldier placed a hand over his chest in salute, delivering the report.
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
"Prince Lothar, where do we go now?"
Amidst the ruins of an estate, The Other was visibly unsettled. Though U40's security forces had yet to arrive, he could not shake his unease.
They had been completely cut off from the outside world. Worse still, Lothar's face had just been plastered across a most-wanted notice. This was a first, even for The Other.
"We go where we're meant to."
Lothar folded the holographic display hovering before him. With a flick of his fingers, the projection condensed into a lens-sized module, which seamlessly integrated into the tracking device on Woz's wrist.
Fastening the modified device over his right eye, Lothar smirked coldly and began heading toward the location displayed on his screen.
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