Marvel: The Villain Chapter 397 Speech

"In that speech just now, I only heard your immense hatred for Thanos, but you didn’t mention his feelings for you at all." Jason keenly spotted the flaw in her narrative.

Upon hearing this, Gamora shook her head with a helpless, cold laugh. "Feelings? You don’t actually believe Nebula’s nonsense, do you?"

Jason analyzed, "As a bystander, Nebula naturally sees things more clearly and rationally than you do."

Gamora spoke solemnly, "She is no bystander; she was right there with me. When we were children, we were forced to fight each other constantly. The loser had to undergo cybernetic augmentation. Because she kept losing, Thanos turned her into a machine. Think about it—in such an extreme environment, her mind was bound to develop severe issues. She doesn’t dare resent Thanos, so she can only hate me, blaming me for ’stealing’ his love."

Jason countered, "From where I stand, your hatred for Thanos has blinded you. It’s caused you to miss the fact that he has entirely different feelings for you than he does for Nebula. One is master and servant; the other is father and daughter."

Hearing this, Gamora’s disdain deepened. "Stop talking nonsense. Father-daughter feelings? Thanos’s dream is to kill half the universe to maintain balance. To achieve that goal, he is willing to kill anyone."

"Kill half the population to balance the universe? Interesting. Is this guy the head of a cosmic family planning department?" Hearing about Thanos’s grand ideal, Jason’s eyes sparkled; he was becoming even more interested in the Titan.

Gamora continued, "To this day, Thanos has invaded tens of thousands of planets. Billions have died at his hands. How could there be any room for love in the heart of such a man?"

Jason shook his head slightly, disagreeing with her view. "Gamora, every now and then, there are people in this world who are willing to endure immense inner agony and sacrifice their dearest loved ones for a greater cause or an ideal."

Gamora’s expression went from disbelief to a sudden, startling realization. Her eyes widened. "You... you aren’t thinking of...?"

Jason leaned in closer, nodding with a smile. "Gamora, I have a bold idea. Do you want to hear it?"

The two discussed for a long time in the bath. Eventually, Gamora walked out of the room and left the alone in a scout ship. No one knew where she went, only that Jason had given her a special, exclusive mission.

Half a month later, aboard the .

Thanos sat alone in the command center, gazing at the magnificent tapestry of stars before him. On his left hand was a golden gauntlet. Five of its six slots were empty, with only one Infinity Stone embedded within. This was the Infinity Gauntlet, crafted for him by Eitri, King of the Dwarves, whom he had coerced with force to help him control the Stones.

Once he found all six and slotted them into the gauntlet, Thanos would only need to snap his fingers to fulfill his life’s dream: wiping out half the population to bring balance to the universe.

However, since obtaining the Reality Stone at Knowhere over a year ago, he had made no further progress. Even sending out his most capable lieutenants had yielded nothing. But through the Collector, he had gained detailed intelligence on Jason. It was now certain that Jason possessed two Stones: the Power Stone and the Mind Stone.

But what did that news matter? Having witnessed the true power of the Stones, Thanos knew very well that with only one Stone, he was no match for Jason. He needed at least one more before he would have the courage to challenge him. But where was the second Stone going to appear?

The command center door opened, and a guard walked in. "Master, we have captured Gamora on Centauri-IV."

Thanos emerged from his reverie, asking curiously, "She should be on Xandar. Why was she on Centauri-IV?"

The guard said excitedly, "She burned a map just before her capture. We suspect her mission was related to the Infinity Stones. Unfortunately, no matter how much they tortured her, she refused to divulge the contents of the map."

At these words, Thanos stood up abruptly, a new glimmer of hope appearing. "Idiots! Gamora is under the control of the Mind Stone; her loyalty belongs only to Jason. Even if you cut her into a thousand pieces, she won’t utter a word. And..."

Thanos’s voice suddenly turned cold. "Without my permission, you dared to torture my daughter!"

"No, it wasn’t my order! It was the fleet commander who joined your forces; it was his command!" The guard backed away in terror.

"Order him to stop immediately. If anything happens to Gamora, I will have his entire fleet pay with their lives."

"Yes, I’ll notify him at once."

"Wait! Mobilize the fleet. I am going to Centauri-IV personally!"

Centauri-IV, Underground Prison.

Within a dark, damp cell, Gamora was suspended in mid-air, her hands bound by electromagnetic chains. Her bare feet had no support, dangling uselessly toward the ground. Her clothes were in tatters, soaked with dark red blood, and her arms and legs were covered in the gruesome marks of whipping and abuse. It was a harrowing sight.

Gamora’s eyes were half-closed, her mind drifting. Her body was reaching its limit; she even wondered if she could hold on until Thanos "rescued" her.

"Quick! Get her down! Don’t let her die!"

Hectic voices rang out from outside, and the door of the cell was suddenly thrown open. A group of soldiers rushed in, clumsily freeing her from the chains. Seeing the panic-stricken expression of the interrogator, Gamora knew she had succeeded. But before she could muster a word of sarcasm, her consciousness blurred, and she fell unconscious.

She didn’t know how long she was out. When Gamora finally opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a soft, large bed. Warm sunlight streamed through the bedroom window. Gamora shielded her eyes and frowned, enduring the physical pain and the blinding light to take in the room.

The room had soft tones and was decorated with a mixture of luxury and warmth, looking like the bedroom of a princess or a noble lady. She dressed herself and pushed open the door. Looking at the spacious corridors and the decorations along the way, Gamora became even more certain she was in a royal palace.

"Aaargh!"

Suddenly, a miserable scream came from outside. Gamora quickly grabbed a decorative longsword for defense and ran toward the source of the sound.

Running out of the palace and into the backyard, she found a large group of fully armed soldiers executing prisoners en masse. Lawns, ponds, gardens, courtyards... bodies and severed limbs lay everywhere. At a glance, the scale was appalling—estimated at tens of thousands of corpses.

"This... what is going on?" Gamora hid behind a corner, her eyes wide with shock.

"My daughter, you are finally awake." A deep voice rumbled behind her.

Gamora spun around. Thanos was striding toward her from the main entrance, dragging a man who had been beaten beyond recognition.

"Tha... Thanos!"

"How rude. Has the Mind Stone made you forget how to even call me Father?" Thanos let out a dissatisfied snort and tossed the man at Gamora’s feet.

"Who is he?"

"You don’t remember him? He’s the fleet commander who ordered your torture. This coward tried to flee on a ship, but I caught him. No one harms my daughter and gets to walk this earth unscathed."

Gamora looked closely. This lump of meat did indeed bear some resemblance to the fleet commander. The man had been tortured to the point of being unrecognizable, yet he was still breathing.

Thanos said, "I saved him specifically for you. Do it!"

Gamora didn’t hesitate. She raised the longsword and plunged it violently into the man’s thigh.

"AAARGH!!!"

The wretched scream echoed through the palace. Gamora pulled the sword out and stabbed again... and again...

Thanos leaned against a pillar, watching with interest as Gamora slowly tortured her enemy to death. When the man finally drew his last breath, Gamora tossed the sword aside and said coldly.

"Don’t think I’m grateful for this. These were your men. This debt still falls on your head."

Thanos sighed, sounding helpless. "Gamora, there are hundreds of local factions that have joined me. I cannot control every word and action of every individual. It’s truly unfair of you to treat me this way."

"..." Gamora turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

"But it doesn’t matter. I know you are a kind-hearted child. The reason you are like this is simply because you are under the control of a man. Don’t worry, I will liberate you now."

With that, Thanos clenched his left fist, and the Reality Stone emitted a dazzling red light. Gamora was enveloped in the crimson glow, her body freezing in place. A moment later, everything returned to normal.

Thanos stepped forward and pulled Gamora into an embrace. "My daughter, you have suffered."

Gamora lowered her head, stunned for several seconds, then an expression of disgust appeared on her face as she pushed Thanos away with all her might. "Get off me!"

Seeing the expression on her face, Thanos looked utterly bewildered. Gamora’s mind should have been restored, so why...?

"Fine. You are heavily injured and in a foul mood; I can understand that. I won’t bother you for now. Remember to return to your room and rest early. Tomorrow, I will have breakfast with you."

With that, Thanos turned and left the palace. After the soldiers finished clearing the corpses, they left the backyard to take up defensive positions around the palace.

"Hmph! House arrest..." Looking at the vast palace, a cold expression settled on Gamora’s face. "Ugh... the wounds are bleeding again." In the effort of killing the commander, she had strained her injuries. "Forget it, I’ll go back." The smell of blood in the backyard air made her extremely uncomfortable, so she leaned against the wall and carefully made her way back to her room.

After cleaning her wounds, Gamora sat on the bed holding her knees, lost in memory. From her first meeting with Peter and the others on Xandar, to the group escaping prison together, to the ship being attacked and her being captured again... It took half a day, but she finally sorted through the memories in her mind.

But even as the sun set and night fell, Gamora remained restless. The Mind Stone hadn’t erased her memories, so Jason’s plan was still etched clearly in her mind. It had to be said—Jason’s plan was perfect. Even knowing she was being used as a tool, Gamora felt an irresistible urge to act. Because whether the plan succeeded or failed, Thanos would meet his end. Compared to Jason, Gamora’s hatred for Thanos was much more deeply ingrained.

The next morning, as Gamora was being helped by servants to apply ointment and dress, several guards entered the palace on time. "Gamora, Lord Thanos summons you."

"Lead the way." Gamora’s face was cold, her head held high as she followed the guards, looking like a warrior heading for a heroic death.

Upon arriving at the , Thanos was waiting in the great hall, the table laden with food. "My daughter, I imagine you are hungry. These are all your favorites."

Gamora sat in the chair opposite him, remaining silent. Thanos picked up a plate of food and handed it to her, asking, "After a night’s rest, do you feel any better?" He didn’t dive straight into interrogating her about the map; instead, he showed concern for her well-being.

However, these false "sugar-coated bullets" were useless against the strong-willed Gamora. She looked at Thanos coldly, showing her disgust without concealment, then suddenly grabbed the food and hurled it at the throne in the hall.

Thanos’s throne was thoroughly defiled. "I feel much better now... I’ve hated that chair for a long time."

The smile on Thanos’s face gradually faded. He sat back down and sighed. "You’ve said that before... but even so, I still hope you will sit there after me."

Gamora said coldly, "I hate this room. I hate this ship. I hate my life!"

"It’s not the first time you’ve told me these things. Every day, for twenty years."

"Twenty years... I was a child when you took me."

"I saved you!"

"No!" Gamora said solemnly. "We were happy on our home planet."

Thanos looked dismissive. "Happy being hungry and cold? Your planet was on the brink of collapse, and I prevented the tragedy."

"Do you know what it’s like there now? Children are born with plenty to eat and drink; they can grow up healthy in the sunlight. It’s like a paradise now."

Gamora stared coldly. "Because you slaughtered half the planet. Billions of lives, including my parents."

"That was but a small price for salvation."

"You are insane!"

Thanos said earnestly, "My daughter, the logic is simple. The universe is not infinite, and resources are certainly not infinite. If life continues to breed without restraint, then one day all life will cease to exist. I needed to provide a correction..."

"You don’t understand anything!"

Thanos said disappointedly, "I am the only one who understands this logic. At least, I am the only one with the will to act on it. Once upon a time, you shared this dream. That is why we fought side by side. But after this trip out, I feel you have changed completely. You’ve become a stranger to me."

Gamora looked up at Thanos and said. "I haven’t changed. I am still me. It’s just that this adventure has finally given me the courage... the courage to resist you."

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