The sudden change surprised even Thanos. Before he could react, two power rings simultaneously pushed Thanos and his cleaver back several meters. Then, the power rings from two other disabled ring warriors detached and, along with the two that had blocked Thanos's attack, were all worn by a single ring warrior.
In an instant, the power of five power rings converged on one person, instantly healing all his injuries and granting him tremendous combat strength. Of course, such immense power could not be easily controlled by a mere physically strong Wakandan warrior. While gaining strength, the power rings were also burning through his life force, a temporary surge of power in exchange for his life.
The ring warrior understood all of this. He knew he had no choice. By accepting, he might still have a chance to fight, perhaps even defeat Thanos. By refusing, he would be instantly killed, and Wakanda would become a paradise for zombies.
With five power rings, the ring warrior's strength exploded. He easily swept away the surrounding alien zombies and even managed to put the zombie Thanos on the defensive for a time.
Facing an opponent attacking with manic frenzy, Thanos showed a hint of impatience. It wasn't that Thanos felt he couldn't handle a drugged lunatic, but rather that he noticed many delicious little snacks escaping Wakanda. For zombies, every living person is an irresistible delicacy. Perhaps an intelligent being like Thanos could resist, but if the Infinity Stones were also taken away by these little snacks, what would be the point of his grand invasion of Wakanda and the expenditure of so many troops?
While zombies can increase their numbers by infecting other living beings, Wakanda is no pushover. It should be noted that those fighting the zombie horde were the most elite Wakandan warriors, second only to the Royal Guard. For every alien zombie a Wakandan warrior killed, they were already at no loss; every additional kill was a profit. Coupled with technological weapons and traps, they could shatter six or seven zombies at once. All in all, no matter how one calculated it, if Thanos didn't get the Infinity Stones, the zombie Thanos would be the one losing.
However, under the relentless assault of the ring warrior, even Thanos couldn't escape on his own for a time, nor could the zombie horde. Faced with Wakandan warriors fighting to the death, they couldn't push further inward. Losing patience, Thanos finally decided to use the power of the Infinity Stones.
The last time he shattered the shield, Thanos used the Power Stone. Would he resort to the same tactic against the ring warrior? Of course not. Thanos had sought the Infinity Stones for many years and had his own understanding of them, knowing well the strengths and weaknesses of each. The Power Stone was indeed powerful, capable of destroying a planet when fully unleashed, but it wasn't suitable for this situation. Facing a slippery, flying ring warrior, to defeat him, one first had to land a blow. While the Power Stone could grant Thanos immense strength, all of that was predicated on hitting the opponent.
Therefore, this time, Thanos didn't use the Power Stone; instead, he utilized the power of the Reality Stone. Thanos removed the red Reality Stone from his gauntlet and held it in his hand. As Thanos raised his hand holding the Reality Stone high, a beam of red light shot into the sky, directly at the ring warrior.
The ring warrior, unaware of the consequences of being hit by this strange red light, instinctively knew he absolutely could not be illuminated by it. The ring warrior ran, and the red light pursued him relentlessly, like a turtle biting into raw meat. Seeing this, the ring warrior pulled a clever maneuver. He deliberately lowered his altitude, flying close to the ground, and after conjuring a shield with the power of his ring, he plunged into the zombie horde.
Protected by the ring, ordinary alien zombies couldn't break his shield, while he, with his immense speed, could shatter the alien zombies blocking his path. But that wasn't the most important part. As the ring warrior dove into the zombie horde, the red light followed, entering the horde along the same path. The alien zombies, only moments after being shattered by the ring warrior, were engulfed by the red light. Before they could react, their bodies underwent an unimaginable transformation.
The zombies bathed in the red light began to blur, like a poorly received holographic projection. As time ticked by, their bodies gradually became transparent, and finally, they vanished completely.
Good heavens! Witnessing entire swaths of alien zombies being completely erased from existence, the ring warrior exclaimed "Good heavens!" He was fortunate that this power hadn't touched him, or he might have suffered the same fate.
It wasn't just the ring warrior. Bai Qi, who was mingled with the Wakandan army, felt his heart clench upon witnessing the power of the Reality Stone. He inwardly thought, "Fortunately, I was cautious. If I had attacked Thanos directly, he might have used this power against me." Moreover, this was Thanos's home ground, and with four Infinity Stones, he could unleash their full power. If Thanos were truly pushed to his limit, the sheer power of the Reality Stone, while not capable of directly erasing Bai Qi like the zombies, could certainly banish him from this world.
For Bai Qi, this presented a perfect opportunity. If he acted decisively, with lightning speed, he could sever Thanos's hand holding the Reality Stone and seize it. Without the Reality Stone, even with the remaining three difficult Infinity Stones, Bai Qi would still have a chance to fight.
Just as Bai Qi was preparing to act, a movement from Thanos made him reconsider. Thanos was already enraged by the ring warrior. He had intended to end the fight quickly, but the opponent was so elusive. He had endured immense pressure using the Reality Stone, yet it hadn't ended the battle; instead, it had led to heavy losses for his own troops. In his fury, Thanos disregarded the strain of using the stones on his body, wanting only to end the battle swiftly and crush this "bug." Thus, while using the Reality Stone, zombie Thanos also retrieved the Time Stone, bestowing a slow-down buff upon the erratic ring warrior.