Marvel: What If Thanos Adopted A Saiyan?
Chapter 172 - 173: In the Name of the Savior, I Command You

Chapter 172: Chapter 173: In the Name of the Savior, I Command You

"I... did I really see the Savior?!"

"Alive... he’s alive?!"

"Am I dreaming?!"

The man clad in a silver robe trimmed with gold trembled as he raised both hands, the two wispy mustaches on his upper lip twitching uncontrollably with excitement.

"Ah, no, Savior, please wait a moment!"

As if suddenly remembering that he had yet to complete his duty to exorcise evil, the man quickly took a few steps back. After bowing respectfully to Lothar and Hela, he formed a hand seal and began to chant an incantation in a language steeped in ancient obscurity.

Moments earlier, the villagers, who had believed themselves blessed with endless resurrection, now silently faded into oblivion beneath an invisible pressure. Deep yellow sand drifted down like rain, its pattering sound making Lothar loosen the energy he had been gathering in his palm.

"Savior?"

Now this was interesting.

Lothar didn’t recall ever being anyone’s "savior," nor was he the kind of man who played that part.

In his eyes, if this universe had a true savior, it was his adoptive father, Thanos, not him.

"Why is our likeness engraved on the badge on his chest?"

Hela, ever the more observant of the two, had her eyes fixed on the metal plaque worn on the mage’s chest.

The detailed carvings of both Lothar and Hela’s faces were etched into the badge. Below their images was a name, Menis, which gave the impression of an official identification tag.

"Could it be... from that group?"

As memories flooded her mind, Hela was instantly reminded of their first arrival in Midgard, when she and Lothar had rescued a group of native survivors from the United Vanguard of the Nine Realms.

To be precise, she had rescued them.

And it still grated at her.

She was the one who had acted first...

Lothar had only intervened after being provoked by the Vanguard. So why did he get equal recognition?

She was, after all, a Princess of Asgard, future ruler of the Nine Realms!

Zzt!

A circle of light flickered around Lothar’s wrist, and with a soft crunch as metal met sand, Woz materialized atop the golden grains.

"Woz?"

Lothar blinked at his companion’s sudden initiative. This was...unusual behavior for the typically laid-back machine cat.

"Prince Lothar, these sands seem to carry an odd dimensional energy signature," Woz explained while pulling a large jar from its belly pouch and sweeping sand into it with its stubby metallic paws.

"Mrrrow~"

The orange tabby cat lounging on Lothar’s shoulder yawned lazily, squinting at Woz with the half-lidded curiosity of one feline staring down another.

"That power comes from another dimension, my Lord Savior."

Having completed his exorcism, Menis stepped forward and bowed deeply to Lothar and Hela before elaborating respectfully.

"On Midgard, many tribes have fallen under the sway of Outer Gods. They offer up their souls in exchange for power far beyond mortal limits."

"This tribe was one of them."

"Impossible!"

As the future sovereign of the Nine Realms, Hela immediately rejected the claim.

Her father, Odin, would never permit such abominations to corrupt Midgard.

It was a realm long annexed by Asgard, and her father was the kind of ruler who would never tolerate chaos within his dominion.

She was absolutely certain of it.

"Nevertheless... it is true, my Lord Savior," Menis replied hesitantly, unsure how to convince her otherwise.

"You don’t seem very wary of us."

Lothar didn’t care much for demons or gods, but what piqued his interest was how this stranger, Menis, regarded him and Hela.

Logically speaking, a stranger meeting another stranger should always maintain a degree of caution, especially on first contact.

But Menis was different.

From the moment they met, it was nothing but reverent cries of "Lord Savior."

Religion? Worship? Lothar didn’t buy it.

He hadn’t performed any divine miracles on Midgard like Odin had. He had done nothing to earn that kind of blind faith.

"Of course... perhaps you don’t remember, but... half a year ago, I was among the ones you saved!"

At the mention of that day, Menis’s eyes sparkled with admiration, and something more fanatical.

He would never forget the sight: golden hair and emerald eyes descending like a god, tearing through the United Vanguard like a force of nature.

It was Lothar who had reignited his will to live.

Lothar who had pushed open the gate to the path of power.

It was because of Lothar that, upon receiving powers from an Outer God, Menis had dyed the front third of his jet-black hair gold, a tribute to Lothar’s dual appearances: his normal form and his Super Saiyan transformation.

Two-thirds black, one-third gold—his way of honoring the Savior.

"My eyes will never deceive me. They never lie."

"So, my Lord Savior, I could never mistake you for anyone else!"

With that, Menis dropped to one knee and bowed his head in solemn devotion.

He knew that his loyalty might mean little to Lothar, but even so, he wanted to offer it wholeheartedly.

"..."

Off to the side, Hela seethed inwardly.

She was the one who had—

She had been the first to act. The first to fight the United Vanguard...

So why did Lothar get all the glory?

Was it just the blond hair and green eyes?

She seriously considered getting a new dye job when she returned to Asgard.

"Earlier, you said you finally caught up to them?"

"What did you mean by that?"

Lothar’s voice finally broke the strange silence that had hung in the air as he looked down at the kneeling mage.

"Lord Savior, I’ve been tracking this tribe for a long time," Menis explained with burning zeal.

"Their power comes from an Outer God—Orphe."

"Recently, I discovered they had captured a Flerken, and were planning to exploit its powers to break dimensional barriers and descend upon Midgard in full force."

"I couldn’t allow that to happen, so I gave chase. But I never imagined... that the Flerken they caught was your pet, my Lord."

Hearing this, the orange tabby’s golden-brown eyes gleamed with menace. It bared its teeth, every strand of fur standing on end in fury.

"Orphe, the Outer God..."

Lothar stepped forward slowly until he loomed directly over Menis. Leaning in, he braced his arm on one knee, a grin spreading across his face—one full of anticipation and just a hint of bloodlust.

"Can you bring him out?"

"Huh?" Menis blinked, then nodded reflexively. "I—I can, but—"

"Then do it."

"In the name of the Savior, I command you."

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