"As you wish!"
As the words fell—
Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive responded and their figures flashed, shooting out like bullets, instantly closing in on Superman not far away.
Unlike Ebony Maw, the two of them were melee fighters, and their combat skills had reached an extremely high level—far surpassing most powerhouses in this universe.
The only difference lay in strength and defense.
Not to mention, one wielded a god-forged spear and the other a battle blade—both awe-inspiring, with few worthy opponents.
Superman watched as the two charged at him, information about Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive flashing through his mind.
The two were actually husband and wife.
What more, among the Black Order, Proxima Midnight was definitely the most loyal subordinate to Thanos—her spear was personally forged by him. Corvus Glaive, on the other hand, could be considered the least loyal. In the comics, he even betrayed Thanos.
Put together, you wonder if the two fought each other in bed every day.
Then again, although it was the Black Order that appeared before him, Superman also knew that in the comics, they were originally the Black Order of five.
But one of the members—Supergiant—was removed from the movie universe due to her overpowered abilities.
Supergiant possessed powerful telepathy and mind control abilities, similar to Mantis from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but far beyond her. She could even perceive specific memories of others…
Reportedly, Marvel officially believed that if such a character appeared in the cinematic universe, it would easily create plot loopholes—making even surface-level logic hard to maintain. To balance the power levels, Marvel simply deleted her from the Black Order.
Thus, the famous Black Order of Five in the comics became the tragic and pitiful Black Order of Four in the films.
That thought flashed by.
Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive had already closed in on Superman.
One thrust her god-spear.
The other swung his war blade.
Boom!
The air exploded instantly, and the ground of the arena beneath their feet caved in piece by piece.
"You're still distracted while facing us, Superman? You're too arrogant!"
"Do you really think we're some trash like Black Dwarf?"
"Die!!"
"I'll pray for you!"
The shouts from Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive rang in Superman ears.
At that moment, the audience seated around the arena could feel the overwhelming pressure from the duo movements.
The sheer oppression released as they swung their weapons made it hard for everyone to breathe.
Their eyes widened instinctively, pupils shrunk to the size of needlepoints, and an unprecedented fear sprouted in their hearts, instantly sweeping through their entire mental world.
No one thought the fighters launching their attacks now were any weaker than Sakaar reigning champions.
Even on the remote planet of Sakaar, the name of the Black Order was frequently mentioned.
The people of Sakaar, who revered violence, worshipped the strong far more fervently than those of other planets.
"This is terrifying!"
"They're joining forces against Superman... Just who is he?"
Many muttered under their breath.
Everyone knew that while the Black Order was powerful, and Black Dwarf had been easily defeated, the Superman who now forced Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive to attack together must be even more terrifying than the Black Order.
Boom!!
As Proxima Midnight thrust her god-spear, it instantly transformed into three black energy rays. Intense energy waves gathered, locked onto Superman, and shot toward him like lightning.
Corvus Glaive battle axe didn't change form at all. He believed in overwhelming force—using sheer power to subdue all. With brutal strength, he intended to cut Superman down.
Even though Superman had previously shown incredible speed and strength, Corvus Glaive had fought across the cosmos for years.
He had encountered superpowered beings like Superman before. The battles might have been tough, but in the end, he always emerged victorious.
Corvus Glaive never doubted his own strength.
Even if Thanos stood before him, he believed a day would come when he'd take his place.
Of course, Thanos was well aware of his ambitions.
But Thanos didn't care.
The Director of the Universe Birth Control Committee, the philosopher Thanos, never truly sought conquest.
No one knew that his invasion of countless worlds was, in truth, simply to reduce population and realize his ideal.
Of course, to others, Thanos was just a bloodthirsty madman who took joy in slaughter.
That explanation actually made sense.
Whether or not someone intends to be a villain doesn't matter. As long as they act like a villain—do what a villain would do, and meet every condition of being one from beginning to end—then they are, by all definition, a villain.
Clang!!
Corvus Glaive war blade came crashing down on Superman head, as if striking the hardest material in the universe.
A loud metallic ring burst through the air, and everyone eyes widened even further, as if witnessing something utterly unbelievable.
No one was more shocked than Corvus Glaive himself.
Zzzzzzz!
Seeing Superman completely unscathed, he instinctively flicked his weapon, dragging it across Superman skull.
Sparks flew—right into his face.
And then he realized in horror: even under the force of his cleaving strike, not a single strand of Superman hair had fallen.
"How is that possible?"
The thought had barely formed when a sharp pain exploded in his chest. His bones shattered instantly, and his torso collapsed inward just like Black Dwarf.
A tremendous force surged into his body, flinging him backward uncontrollably.
He landed beside Black Dwarf and the Grandmaster in a pitiful row.
The dazed Grandmaster didn't respond at all. He was completely out of it.
Black Dwarf, though—bloody, motionless, yet still conscious—looked at his fallen comrade with a trace of mockery. Not a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
The twitch of his facial muscles made his pain spike, but he seemed not to notice. To him, everything he and Corvus Glaive had just done in front of Superman felt like a clown show in a circus.
His gaze locked onto Proxima Midnight, who had just thrown her god-spear.
He knew exactly what was coming.
Another clown was about to take the stage.
Superman strength had far surpassed anything he could've imagined. He had every reason to believe that even Thanos—despite his countless victories and endless battles—might not be able to defeat the man standing before them now.
"What?"
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.
Just as Corvus Glaive was sent flying, the god-spear that Proxima Midnight had thrown transformed into three black energy rays and slammed into Superman chest.
Crack-crack-crack-crack!
The rays traveled across the surface of Superman body but failed to pierce through. They couldn't even shave off a single body hair.
"Is this supposed to tickle?"
Superman let out a soft chuckle, radiant as the sun—like the dreamy boy every girl crushes on during her teenage years.
But to Proxima Midnight, that smile looked nothing like sunshine.
It looked like Death himself.
Death, grinning joyfully as he came to reap a soul.
"Damn it!"
Proxima Midnight abruptly leapt backward.
At this moment, she had no thought of avenging her husband or her comrades.
Even if she wanted revenge, she'd need to stay alive to take it.
Charging in now would be suicide.
Crack-crack-crack!
Just as she pulled back, Superman reached out and grabbed the black energy rays that had been dancing over his body. In an instant, the three rays merged back into the god-spear.
The very next second, Proxima Midnight tried to summon the spear back.
Bzzzzzz—
The spear trembled violently in Superman grasp but wouldn't budge.
Snap!!
Before her stunned eyes, the god-spear—personally forged by Thanos—was crushed in half by Superman single hand.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
The broken weapon bounced across the arena floor, clinking again and again before finally settling into silence.
On the battlefield...
Proxima Midnight was completely speechless.
Even Black Dwarf and Corvus Glaive, lying half-dead at the edge of the arena, struck down by a single punch, held their breath in utter fear—nearly choking on it.
"lord Thanos god-spear… crushed with one hand…"
Not far away, Ebony Maw—who had been locked in battle with Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers—had been watching Superman fight the entire time.
What he saw was nearly beyond belief.
Superman display of power had far exceeded what any of the Black Order had anticipated. Even Thanos himself probably never expected Earth to produce a being like this.
And based on the intel Thanos had gathered, nearly all the Infinity Stones had surfaced across the universe.
At least two of them were directly connected to the man standing before him now—this monster of power.
Which meant, no matter what, a battle between Thanos and Superman was inevitable.
"Can Lord Thanos truly defeat this terrifying man?"
The question echoed through Ebony Maw mind.
Boom!
Suddenly, Captain Marvel launched an attack.
Ebony Maw shifted his stance, pulling a massive boulder from the arena wall to block Carol strike. The rock shattered into dust.
"Damn it, is running away all you know how to do?"
As a headstrong fighter, Carol found the slippery Ebony Maw absolutely intolerable.
This kind of combat was exactly what gave her the biggest headache.
As someone who could manipulate energy, she was confident she could go head-to-head with anyone who possessed any kind of power.
But this guy—he was just too fast, always dodging. She couldn't land a single hit, and she had no idea how to deal with it.
"You're a warrior trying to fight a sorcerer head-on. Isn't that just a bit shameless?"
Ebony Maw spoke calmly, his expression blank.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Just as Carol was about to respond, she noticed something breaking through the ground beneath her feet and striking toward her rapidly.
Vines?
Carol saw what it was and didn't take it seriously at first. She unleashed an energy beam, aiming to melt the vines coming at her.
But when the vines met the beam and didn't melt at all, she realized she had underestimated this frail-looking man who seemed barely alive.
Whoosh!
The vines wrapped around Carol, rendering her immobile.
"You see, if you'd just stayed in this position from the beginning, I could have communicated with you directly."
Ebony Maw floated upward, slowly approaching.
The sharp nail on his finger traced along Carol cheek, slicing it open.
Red blood trickled down her face.
Carol felt utterly humiliated.
Whoosh!
In that instant, a red beam of energy shot forth. Ebony Maw abruptly retreated, narrowly dodging the blast.
It was Superman heat vision.
The vines binding Carol were sliced apart by the searing beam.
"Thanks."
Carol flexed her arms and legs, giving Superman a glance.
"Instead of thanking me, how about taking down that undead geezer sooner?"
Superman replied.
He didn't even glance in Carol direction. His eyes remained locked on Proxima Midnight, unleashing continuous streams of heat vision that forced her into frantic evasions.
Cold sweat soaked through her armor as fear surged uncontrollably in her chest.
She finally realized the true strength of this opponent—like a mountain she could never climb.
Facing Superman felt like facing her master, Thanos.
"Where the hell did this man come from?"
As she dodged desperately, Proxima Midnight racked her brain in a frenzy.
"Earth?"
"No way… how could a backwater planet produce someone this powerful?"
Bang!
A powerful gust surged in front of her—then, as if she slammed into an unbreakable wall, she froze in place, staring blankly at the man who appeared as if he'd stepped out of time itself. Despair flooded her face.
"Little bug... you've been running long enough…"
Superman spoke calmly. "Letting you live this long—I figured you must be sick of it by now."
"No…"
Proxima Midnight murmured, "I don't want to…"
Boom!
In the next moment, with a single punch, her head exploded like a watermelon.
"No!!"
Corvus Glaive, summoning strength from who knows where, let out a furious roar.
His eyes were filled with the same despair Proxima Midnight had shown just before her death.
"Oh?"
Superman turned his head. "Almost forgot… That punch earlier didn't kill you two. You're both still alive."
"Huh?"
"No!!"
A chill ran through Corvus Glaive heart.
Black Dwarf nearly cursed aloud—What the hell was the point of mouthing off and provoking him? All that over one dead wife?
That thought barely crossed his mind before a beam of heat vision came roaring toward them.
Whoosh!
The beam swept across them.
The arena wall was pierced straight through—and under that scorching blast, their bodies melted away.
Only scattered limbs and scorched remains were left behind in the wake of Superman heat vision, a gruesome testament that the two had once dared to challenge this invincible man.
And notably, Sakaar ruler—the unfortunate Grandmaster—was also reduced to ashes in the blast.
The arena fell completely silent.
Everyone now realized that Sakaar had been dragged into a terrifying conflict.
And the ones standing in this arena—every last one of them—were far beyond what Sakaar could afford to offend.
These weren't just gladiators.
These were true cosmic powerhouses.
Amid the fear, the bloody spectacle ignited a primal desire in the bloodthirsty hearts of the Sakaarans, heating their souls to a fever pitch.
Compared to the flame burning within them, the death of the Grandmaster seemed utterly insignificant.
"So I'm the last one left?"
Ebony Maw expression turned grim.
Carol might be powerful, but she wasn't impossible to handle.
It was that so-called Superman—the overwhelming strength he had just displayed—that made Ebony Maw truly uneasy.
The infamous Black Order… now had only one surviving member.
There was no way he could fight.
Which meant there was only one option left—escape.
Whoosh!
Carol shot at him like a bolt of golden lightning.
The next instant—
Ebony Maw figure shimmered, then vanished like a mirage, disappearing from the arena entirely.
Boom!
Carol slammed headfirst through the arena wall. She quickly scanned the surroundings, fury nearly setting her ablaze.
"F**k! I was just getting fired up and the bastard ran?!"