An icy wasteland stretched endlessly across the horizon, winds howling through jagged glaciers. Two forces faced each other amid the blizzard—on one side stood Thanos's lieutenants, the Black Order; on the other, the defenders of Earth. Among them was Kurogai.
The moment Kurogai arrived, he understood what he was seeing. The three figures before them—Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, and Cull Obsidian—were unmistakable. They were Thanos's subordinates, envoys of destruction.
So Thanos has taken notice of Earth after all, Kurogai thought, eyes narrowing. But he hasn't confirmed the situation himself. If he had, he'd be here personally, not sending his generals.
That realization gave Kurogai a sliver of relief. It meant Thanos still knew little of the Infinity Stones' exact locations.
"Which means," Kurogai murmured to himself, "he's guessing. And guesses can be turned to an advantage."
There were still things he didn't fully understand—but he intended to find out, directly from Thanos's servants if necessary.
Then the fighting erupted.
Three enemies, three defenders—an even match, at least on the surface. The Ancient One moved first, her sigils flaring gold as she engaged Ebony Maw, their duel a clash of precision and intellect. Thor, his hammer crackling with lightning, squared off against Cull Obsidian, the brute strength of the warrior meeting divine thunder.
That left Proxima Midnight to face Kurogai.
"Human," Proxima hissed, her voice sharp as her blade. "You don't know what you're up against. You'll die without ever understanding true power."
Her weapon gleamed—a spear forged for her by Thanos himself, designed to channel her energy and amplify her strength. Confidence radiated from her, though beneath it was a flicker of unease she couldn't explain. Something about the calm man before her set every instinct on edge.
"True power?" Kurogai's voice was soft, almost amused. "You're the one who doesn't understand it."
He wasn't posturing. To him, her threat was empty—she simply didn't realize the gap between them.
Still, this wasn't the place to unleash his full strength. The Ancient One and Thor were too close. So Kurogai decided to move the fight elsewhere.
As Proxima lunged forward, her spear slicing through the cold air, Kurogai didn't raise a defense. Instead, he used kamui, then golden light burst open in front of him.
A portal.
Before Proxima could react, she fell straight through it, the force of her own attack carrying her beyond the battlefield.
An instant later, she crashed into the burning sands of a vast desert. The temperature shift was jarring—the air rippled with heat.
"Coward!" she roared, glaring at the empty sky. "If you have any courage, fight me face-to-face instead of hiding behind tricks!"
Her words were met with a calm reply.
"You misunderstand," said a voice behind her.
Proxima whirled around. Kurogai stood there, hands behind his back, his expression unreadable.
"I didn't send you here to run," he said, his tone level and quiet. "I brought you here so no one else would see what comes next."
For a moment, Proxima said nothing. Then her lips curved into a cold smile. "Fine. I don't know what you're planning, but I can tell—you're dangerous. Which means you die first."
She leapt, faster than sight, her spear a streak of silver light. She aimed straight for his heart, putting everything she had into a single, decisive strike. There was no hesitation, no restraint—she'd learned long ago that mercy got you killed.
The ground split under the pressure of her attack.
But Kurogai didn't move.
He watched her approach, expression unchanged, a faint trace of admiration flickering in his eyes. Decisive, he thought. If only she'd chosen a different opponent.
Just as the tip of her weapon neared his chest, the air rippled. The fabric of space bent and folded around his body.
Proxima's spear froze mid-motion.
She frowned, confused. She tried to pull it back—nothing. The weapon was suspended, unmoving, as though time itself had turned against her.
"What—?"
Before she could finish, an invisible force surged outward.
Kurogai lifted his arm slightly, and the space around her distorted like glass under pressure. The ground cracked. The next moment, an immense force slammed down upon her, pinning her to the sand. She struggled, teeth gritted, but her strength meant nothing against the crushing gravity of the power binding her.
No matter how much she fought, she couldn't move.
Proxima Midnight—one of Thanos's elite generals—was utterly defeated.
The entire exchange had lasted no more than a few seconds.
Kurogai looked down at her, his voice calm, almost regretful. "You talked about true power," he said quietly. "But you never even recognized it when it stood in front of you."
The desert wind howled between them, carrying her weapon's faint hum through the heat.