Thanos didn't want to be a villain.

Many major cosmic powers and interstellar alliances across the universe are watching the Empire's movements closely.

Now, the empire is clearly showing signs of going to war, which has everyone on edge.

The video call came through very quickly.

"Could you please tell me why your country is frequently and on such a large scale mobilizing its military forces?" a diplomat asked nervously.

The Imperial diplomat was a retired Space Marine named Titus, a victorious member of the Ultramarines, and a former member of Hela's honor guard. He was also one of the members who saved Hela from the Supreme Evolution.

Titus said expressionlessly, "Don't be nervous. We're just conducting a simple troop rotation, at most a military exercise."

"Is this a rotation of troops?! You've already pointed your cannons at us!" some members of the Interstellar Alliance roared. They were getting a little cocky, relying on their recent surge in strength. "Are you planning to start a war?!"

"We have said more than once that we will not be the first to start a war, nor will we fire the first shot. But that doesn’t mean we are without temper. If you continue to slander us, we will consider it a provocation!" Titus’s eyes flashed with a cold light, his killing intent palpable.

"Is that so? Then we'll slander you, so what? Consider it a provocation? Come and hit me then!"

A very irritating voice came from behind. Titus looked around and found the person in the corner.

According to the intelligence he had gathered, the other party was the Covenant that had recently acquired some kind of antimatter weapon.

The Star Alliance is the most powerful organization among all cosmic alliances.

However, the Covenant kept a low profile. When the Supreme Evolution united to attack the Empire, the Covenant deployed troops in the middle and rear, with few soldiers and weapons. In fact, they didn't even fire many bullets during the entire battle.

After the war, they surrendered to the empire's accusations without hesitation, earning them the nickname "Cosmic France" from Dio.

That's not all; their diplomats speak in a very irritating tone, even when they are being extremely obsequious.

Titus's face lit up with delight, a sinister grin spreading across his face: "Fine, since you want war, then let's start!"

"Remember, we're waging war against the Star Alliance. If anyone tries to join the fray and gets their ship destroyed, don't blame us for being bad marksmen!"

Because of his military achievements, Titus was transferred to the position of diplomat after retiring from military service. He represented the empire's attitude towards foreign affairs and held a very high position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was also able to obtain first-hand information on the latest news from both inside and outside the empire.

They were even instructed before this diplomatic mission that if necessary, they could propose war, and the Empire would cooperate.

"what!"

Those cosmic nations and interstellar alliances all showed expressions of astonishment.

What the hell? We're just here to ask, when is war going to start again?

The Star Alliance was also dumbfounded. How did they start a war without warning?

Why the rush?

The Star Alliance's top brass panicked immediately.

It's good that they have powerful weapons, but they suddenly announced that they wanted to start a war, which caught us completely off guard.

Originally, they were just there to scare the Empire, but who knew the Empire would play by its own rules!

The meeting did not end there; the information that Titus obtained from the Servant Skull was sent to the diplomats of the Interstellar Alliance and the Cosmic Nation.

“This is a smuggling ship we intercepted, and we found an item that the Covenant was trying to smuggle into the Empire. We also received reliable information that the Covenant already possesses large-scale antimatter weapons of this kind, and they have even been deployed to the military!” Titus’s tone became calm, but to the Covenant it was like a thunderclap.

"This gives us a reason to start a war. Star Alliance, prepare to face judgment!"

As he spoke, Titus observed the expressions of the diplomats from the Interstellar Alliance and the Cosmic Nations.

Their expressions changed drastically, and they sent the information they had received back to their superiors. After receiving orders, these diplomats all pointed the finger at the Star Alliance.

"Star Alliance people, what are you trying to do by researching this kind of thing?!" a Star Alliance diplomat shouted sternly.

"Does this mean they want to eliminate us all without anyone noticing?!"

Frankly speaking, this kind of antimatter weapon that can create a singularity is really powerful, no less than the nuclear bombs that Earth developed in the past.

The difference is that this antimatter weapon is actually bacteria that grow in the stomach.

If you take it out and throw it into the enemy's capital, then there will truly be nothing left. If you do it discreetly, in the end, no one will even know how the other party died or who killed them.

So, just like nuclear deterrence, the Covenant has created a singularity deterrence this time.

Seeing that their scheme had been exposed, the Star Alliance members stopped pretending and directly broke off all pretense.

“Elissen, don’t look at me like that. One of them has already reached your country. I’m telling you, if you want to live, come and pledge allegiance to the Covenant. Otherwise, you can just wait to die!” The diplomat began to shout at the top of his lungs.

Basically, everyone's expression changed drastically on the conference panel.

Then, they behaved themselves.

Because the Star Alliance directly smuggled the items to the capital planet, watched the news broadcast, and openly revealed the location of the antimatter weapon, allowing entry but not exit.

When these countries found out, they immediately tried to block the news, but it was no use. They couldn't stop the news reporters who wanted to become famous, and soon, these countries were in complete chaos.

"Titus, what does it matter if your empire finds out? We are now a true unified entity. There is no future in staying in the empire. Why not come with me!"

The Star Alliance members' eyes lit up when they saw others expressing their desire to join forces, and they stared intently at him.

Dio's biochemical modification technology was quite advanced; the Astartes and the Imperial Guard were the best examples, making it highly coveted by people throughout the universe.

The only supreme evolution that they managed to obtain was cut into pieces by Dio before they could even share the technology.

"Heh, you're insulting me!" Titus's face darkened.

Because Dio didn't like the Warhammer world's method of directly brainwashing the Astartes, he could only use ideological and political education to make them loyal to the Empire and its people!

As for whether or not to remain loyal to him, Dio replied, "I'm retired, it's up to you."

Now, the Covenant is blatantly allowing a retired Astartes veteran to betray the Empire and its people he has protected his entire life, forcing them to switch sides. Isn't that an insult?

Titus was furious, but his anger quickly subsided.

Because in the video where the Covenant diplomats were, he saw several Imperial Fist Astartes walking out of portals, carrying the red antimatter weapons that the Covenant used for threats.

Soon, amidst the other party's screams of surprise, these items were placed in front of the diplomat.

The other diplomats also quickly received the news. The Astartes entered the heart of their country through a portal, blasted the man's upper body off with a single shot of thermal melting, and took the antimatter weapon into the portal.

The Covenant diplomats didn't believe it and hurriedly inquired about the people who had gone to other alliances and nations to place antimatter weapons, but received no response. However, when they saw an arm still attached to some of the bottles, they instantly understood.

Soon, the Astartes put down the antimatter they had captured, walked through the portal, and disappeared.

A cruel smile appeared on Titus's face.

"What's wrong? Weren't you so awesome just now?" Titus's expression was in stark contrast to that of the Covenant diplomat.

"You bunch of chickens and bricklayers, the Empire hasn't attacked you only because it doesn't need such a vast territory for the time being. You are already in the Empire's grasp, and it's only a matter of time before we conquer you. Don't take our temporary mercy as a reason for you to insult the Empire at will." Titus's expression changed rapidly, and after he finished speaking, his arrogant expression was completely undisguised, giving him a condescending air.

The meeting ended quickly, and a potentially imminent interstellar war was averted by the appearance of a space gate.

After all, this thing is a deadly weapon for decapitation. In a short time, various space technologies began to be researched quietly within countries and alliances.

Various interdimensional teleportation technologies and portals were subsequently developed.

Another arms race has begun.

After the meeting ended, Titus rubbed his face.

To be honest, Titus is the kind of person who is very good at managing emotions, and he really doesn't have any emotional changes unless necessary.

But there was no way around it; the order he received the moment he took office was to be as arrogant as possible, and ideally, to display the arrogant attitude of "I am the best in the world."

For this reason, Titus even spent money to study at a performing arts school for a period of time.

Even though Titus graduated with almost a perfect score, he still wasn't used to it.

"You've worked hard, brother. How about we grab a bite to eat after get off work? It's on me." Another retired Astartes veteran came up and patted Titus on the shoulder.

“Sure, order whatever you like, I’m all happy to oblige!” Titus’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

Inside the empire.

“I didn’t expect the Covenant to be so crazy this time, actually using smuggling to send weapons in. After this, those smugglers are going to have a hard time.” Seven turned off the TV and said to Hyperion.

"The Empire has long prohibited it and ordered severe punishment for those smugglers. Smuggling is a transaction that brings together many criminal activities. Regardless of whether the Star Alliance wins or loses this time, those smugglers will have a hard time making a living and will be struggling to survive," Hyperion said eloquently.

"Wow, you've become more and more bookish since becoming an official." Seven looked surprised.

"Come on, who isn't? Imperial librarian," Hyperion said sarcastically.

“At least, I don’t have to worry about anything.” Seven spread his hands, looking quite content.

Hyperion remained silent, but a hint of envy flashed in his eyes.

He had also longed for a leisurely retirement life, but now if he made any mistakes, he would really get a severe beating, the kind that leaves a deep impression!

It's unclear what Dio was thinking, but he made Seven, a talented individual with both literary and martial skills, work as a librarian after leaving the police station, while Seven went to the personnel department after leaving the police station and rose to the position of deputy director.

……

"This incident, which almost escalated into war, has become a topic of conversation within the empire."

Thanos, also known as Thanos, was an extremely brutal cosmic tyrant, but in this universe he changed his name to Dio. He did not become a tyrant, but rather a benevolent ruler of an empire.

The observer, Yuatu, found Dio's universe in the prism, glanced at it, and subconsciously began to speak.

"After an accident that didn't actually happen, he once again retired. Without Thanos frantically searching for the Infinity Stones, the Avengers' Battle of New York would have been a thing of the past. But as a scientist, Tony Stark was still invited to study the Tesseract..."

The observer's gaze turned to Earth, where Tony Stark was conducting research inside S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Stark, are you really capable of handling this?" Nick Fury, standing far away, held his hands in front of him to block the dazzling Tesseract.

The instrument also emitted unsettling noises for unknown reasons.

"Of course! Who am I! I'm Tony Stark!" Iron Man Tony Stark was adjusting the equipment in front of him.

But I caught my breath when I saw the data change on the screen.

"Fuck!" Tony Stark cursed under his breath, and quickly pulled Nick Fury back.

However, the data changes were too drastic for Tony himself to react. His thoughtful butler, Jarvis, quickly manipulated the Iron Man suit to wrap Tony Stark up as soon as the data changes showed any signs of change.

But just as it was about to take off, the Tesseract suddenly unleashed a massive amount of energy, shattering the protective glass instantly. The Iron Man suit, which had just left the ground, was also temporarily shut down as a result. Before Tony Stark could be blown away by the energy blast, he was sucked into the Tesseract.

In that fleeting, coincidental moment, Tony Stark was swallowed up by the Tesseract!

"No!" Nick Fury cried out, watching helplessly as Tony Stark was swallowed up, with the surrounding guards not even having time to react.

ten minutes later.

Rescue workers have searched several times. The area they've examined isn't particularly large, but they haven't found Tony Stark. They can only conclude that he was killed by the energy of the Tesseract.

Just like the soldiers killed by the energy weapons of Red Skull's men during World War II.

No bones left!

Nick Fury, who had just been bandaged up, received a message because his promise had resulted in the death of the son of a S.H.I.E.L.D. veteran, a loss of a highly intelligent scientist who could have led humanity forward. The cost was immense, and thanks to Alexander Pierce's strong advocacy, he was dismissed from his post.

All his property was confiscated, all his records since joining S.H.I.E.L.D. were erased, he has no credit cards, no house, no money, and now he can only beg.

He received the message half an hour later; it was from Melinda.

Nick Fury covered his face. He knew this was a good outcome; if things had really gone wrong, he should have been shot.

From then on, Nick Fury never recovered, even though he had many anonymous safe houses containing enough money to secure his future.

S.H.I.E.L.D. also promoted a Hydra agent to a higher position.

"But none of this matters to Tony Stark, who is currently adrift in space. He's been lucky enough to land on a ship."

Rewind half an hour, and Tony Stark was swept away by the energy of the Tesseract.

A spaceship was traveling through space when suddenly a flash of light appeared inside.

"boom!"

A tremendous roar resounded.

A retired veteran who is 2.7 meters tall suddenly got up from his bed.

"Boarding! Someone has boarded!" The veteran, without clothes on, grabbed his gun and rushed out of the room.

His movements startled everyone on the ship, who instantly assumed a fighting stance.

"Boarding? Where did this boarding come from?!" A gasp came from inside the spaceship, which turned out to be a Transformer!

"How old are you? Are you senile? What else could this commotion be but a boarding raid?!" the veteran roared.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" The spaceship stopped the veteran after performing a self-check.

"No one boarded, and my outer shell is completely undamaged, but a figure suddenly appeared inside and I've locked him in place," the spaceship quickly responded.

"Someone's there?" The people on the spaceship snapped out of their daze, exchanged a suspicious glance, and then rushed over.

A person wearing red and gold power armor was seen being held captive by tentacles inside the spaceship, struggling slightly.