The instant Thanos entered the massive red supergiant, an overwhelming heat engulfed his body from every direction.
Hundreds of thousands of degrees of stellar heat wrapped around him like an ocean of fire. Under normal circumstances, even an ordinary god would have been vaporized instantly.
But instead of pain, Thanos felt relief.
For the first time since activating the power of ten million stars, the violent energy raging inside his body finally began reacting against an external force. The unbearable pressure within him loosened slightly as the stellar heat forced the overflowing power to resist instinctively.
His muscles relaxed a fraction.
His mind became clearer.
Without hesitation, Thanos continued flying deeper into the star.
He knew this was an opportunity unlike any other.
The terrifying energy inside him would eventually disappear if he failed to absorb it properly. Since the Ultimate Evolution Module had temporarily granted him this level of power, he naturally intended to squeeze every possible benefit from it.
One hundred kilometers.
One thousand kilometers.
Ten thousand kilometers.
He descended deeper and deeper into the crimson inferno.
The pressure surrounding him increased continuously while the temperature climbed to increasingly terrifying levels. Waves of nuclear fire slammed into his body without pause, enough to annihilate planets instantly.
Soon, Thanos had already traveled more than one hundred thousand kilometers beneath the stellar surface.
At this depth, the temperature had already reached millions of degrees. The pressure was hundreds of thousands of times greater than normal.
Countless nuclear reactions occurred every second around him.
Atoms split apart.
Atoms fused together again.
The endless chain reactions generated nearly inexhaustible energy capable of sustaining the star for millions of years.
Yet even so, the power of ten million stars inside Thanos still showed no signs of weakening.
His expression gradually became more serious.
Then he continued descending again.
He no longer knew how much time had passed.
Nor did he know how deep he had traveled into the ancient red supergiant.
The surrounding environment had become so violent that even space itself seemed distorted by the immense pressure and heat.
Hundreds of millions of degrees.
Pressure tens of millions of times greater than normal.
This was no longer an environment ordinary life could comprehend.
And finally—
Thanos felt the discomfort in his body begin fading rapidly.
The endless stellar power raging through him started changing.
Or rather, it was being absorbed.
Under the terrifying external pressure, the energy inside his body had nowhere left to escape. Instead of rampaging uncontrollably, it began merging directly into his cells.
Every fiber of his body started evolving.
If an ordinary creature had attempted this, they would have exploded instantly under the power of ten million stars. Even most cosmic entities would never dare absorb such terrifying energy directly into their bodies.
But Thanos was different.
He was a Titan.
A being born with incomparably powerful genes.
His body possessed absurd durability and evolutionary potential far beyond normal races. Each of his cells was like a miniature furnace capable of enduring impossible levels of power.
Now, beneath the pressure of the dying supergiant, those cells began strengthening continuously.
His bones became denser.
His muscles grew tougher.
His energy pathways expanded further and further.
The process was agonizing.
Yet at the same time, it filled him with exhilaration.
He could clearly feel himself evolving toward a more perfect lifeform.
A stronger body.
A stronger soul.
A stronger existence.
Meanwhile, while Thanos continued cultivating inside the dying star, massive upheaval was spreading throughout the Zeus Galaxy.
And this time, the chaos had nothing to do with Hercules' defeat.
Although the Alliance of Gods had lost nearly six million warships during the previous conflict, that loss alone wasn't enough to shake the foundation of their civilization.
The real problem was something far more terrifying.
Entire planets were disappearing.
One after another.
No warning.
No survivors.
No explanation.
Inside the Planet of the Gods, the atmosphere had already become extremely tense.
This massive world possessed a diameter of nearly one hundred thousand kilometers. Because of its enormous size, both the gravity and atmospheric pressure here were absurdly high.
Ordinary lifeforms simply could not survive in such an environment.
Only powerful races like gods and divine beasts could exist here naturally.
Even the vegetation looked monstrous.
Towering trees hundreds of meters tall stretched across the landscape while giant mountains pierced the clouds like pillars supporting heaven itself.
This was the birthplace of the gods.
The sacred origin world of the Olympian pantheon.
Within the highest conference hall of the Alliance of Gods, an emergency meeting was taking place.
The hall itself resembled a palace built for giants. Vast golden pillars extended upward while priceless treasures and divine artifacts decorated every corner.
At the highest seat sat Zeus himself.
Around him stood numerous gods nearly five meters tall.
Poseidon, God of the Sea.
Hades, God of the Underworld.
Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture.
Athena, Goddess of Wisdom.
Apollo, God of Light.
Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt.
Ares, God of War.
Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty.
Hephaestus, God of Fire.
Every single one of them possessed strength greater than Hercules himself. Together, they formed the true core of the Alliance of Gods.
On their own planets, they were supreme rulers worshiped like living emperors.
Yet inside this hall, every single one of them lowered their heads silently beneath Zeus' fury.
"This is the forty-third planet!"
Zeus' roar shook the entire hall violently.
"Forty-three planets gone! More than ten thousand gods dead! And none of you can even tell me what happened?!"
The terrifying pressure radiating from the King of Gods caused the surrounding atmosphere to feel suffocating.
No one dared answer.
Zeus continued cursing for several more minutes before another god hurried into the hall from outside.
"God King, Hercules has sent the latest battle report."
Hearing this, Zeus' expression eased slightly.
A smile even appeared on his face.
"Hahaha! Good. Hercules must've crushed that purple potato monster by now. Let's hear the good news."
Recently, Hercules had been sending victory reports almost every day. Conquering planets. Occupying star systems. Expanding the Alliance's territory rapidly.
Naturally, Zeus assumed this report would be no different.
However, the messenger hesitated visibly.
Seeing this, Zeus frowned impatiently.
"Speak!"
The god swallowed nervously before responding.
"God King… Thanos encountered an extremely powerful enemy. Most of our fleet has been destroyed. Hercules is currently retreating."
The smile on Zeus' face vanished instantly.
"What?!"
His terrifying voice exploded throughout the hall.
"They lost most of the fleet? What enemy could possibly do that?"
The messenger immediately shook his head.
"I don't know, God King."
Zeus stared at him coldly for several seconds before waving his hand dismissively.
"Get out."
Once the messenger left, Zeus looked toward the gathered gods with a gloomy expression.
"Asgard has already fallen. Now Thanos wants to conquer the galaxy itself. This is absolutely unacceptable."
"If the Alliance of Gods allows this to continue, how will the rest of the universe view us?"
Still, no one answered.
The atmosphere became increasingly awkward.
Finally, Zeus turned toward a handsome male god with long golden hair nearby.
"Apollo."
The God of Light immediately raised his head.
"I command you to awaken your true body and personally lead the conquest of the Milky Way."
The moment those words were spoken, Apollo's face became ugly.
The Olympian gods possessed incredibly long lifespans, often living for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.
But even that was insignificant within the scale of the universe.
To pursue even greater longevity, the gods usually sealed their true bodies away in cultivation while only allowing avatars to move freely outside.
That was why Zeus himself often behaved so recklessly.
Because the current Zeus was merely an avatar.
Hercules was also highly valued because avatars possessed limited power compared to true bodies.
Now, awakening his true form meant interrupting cultivation and accelerating lifespan consumption.
No god liked doing that.
Still, Apollo could only nod reluctantly.
"Yes, God King."
Just then, the beautiful woman seated beside Zeus suddenly spoke.
Her long brown hair cascaded down her shoulders elegantly while a faint smile rested on her face.
"Zeus, are you almost finished absorbing that Titan?"
The Titans had once ruled the Zeus Galaxy before being defeated by the Olympian gods long ago. Since then, they had essentially become living batteries used to fuel the gods' cultivation.
Zeus turned toward the woman and smiled faintly.
"Almost. I assume the same is true for you, Hera."
Hera.
Queen of the Gods.
His lawful wife.
Although the two had barely interacted for centuries, her status remained completely unshakable because her strength was no weaker than Zeus himself.
Hera simply smiled calmly without replying further.
Clearly, her progress was equally impressive.
Just as Zeus prepared to continue discussing the situation, another subordinate suddenly rushed into the hall in panic.
"God King! Another planet has disappeared! This time, someone escaped alive… and they brought back a message!"
.....
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