"What?" Thanos and the Grandmaster exclaimed almost simultaneously at the telemetry of their respective computers. The indication was that of the outcome being a draw.

"A draw? How is that possible?" Quasar asked.

The Grandmaster’s computer seemed to comply with the request. It teleported all participants to the field where the battle had taken place.

Thanos and the Grandmaster looked at each other. They quickly turned to look at the combatants. Vance, Firestar and Captain America were frozen in a stasis field. Apparently, at the same time this had been generated, Vance had surrounded both Elders in a telekinetic field. In effect, both participants were frozen, unable to affect the others or themselves.

"A perfect stalemate," the Grandmaster finally spoke. "No winner can be decided until the outcome of this battle is ended. I wouldn’t have thought you would pursue such a strategy. "

"I didn’t," Thanos answered. "I play to win."

"Then who?" the Grandmaster turned around to the others.

Immediately, both he and Thanos turned their eyes to Warlock.

He stepped forward. "I did. It was clear that there were high stakes involved, and until I knew what they were, I did not intend to let either of you win."

The Grandmaster started laughing. "You think you can come into the game late and defeat me?" he continued to laugh. "This was a minor battle. It matters not to the overall scheme. While you pretenders have been busy engaging my fellow Elders, I’ve been amassing different energies. The combination of which will be the end of the universe."

"What does that mean?" Quasar said getting worried. It was his job to protect the universe, although currently he felt quite powerless.

"I have obtained a multitude of energies which I have calculated that combined are sufficient to destroy Galactus. We will kill two birds with one stone as the human saying goes."

With the wave of a hand, the Grandmaster absorbed the telekinetic energy of Vance surrounding the two Elders. Simultaneously, he released the trapped Avengers also. An orb formed around the now released telekinetic energy. The Grandmaster held it in his palm. Five other glowing globes appeared. A larger sphere appeared in the middle.

"Witness true manipulation, dark Titan!" the Grandmaster gloated. "Behold!" The Grandmaster pointed to one of the orbs. "The Power Cosmic of Firelord’s and Terrax’s weapons." Energy poured from one orb to the larger one. "The Speed Force…" The second orb blasted it’s energy into the larger one. "Ionic energy…" The third orb divulged its glowing energy into the continually glowing larger sphere. "Soul gem energy…" the Grandmaster continued as the next orb regurgitated its energy much like the others. "Drax’s chronal energy…the Avenger’s telekinetic energy," he said finishing up, as the last remaining orbs poured into the larger orb.

A melting pot of energies, the Grandmaster had collected and merged them. The smaller orbs disappeared as the larger one glowed intensely.

"Now," he paused to look at his group. "Coupled with all our Power Primordial energies combined, we can at last do what we’ve wanted for so long! Vanquish once and for all time, the being known as Galactus! The universe will become stagnant and collapse inward upon itself. And the Elders shall emerge onto a new universe as its masters. A clean slate to do with as we please."

The other Elders cheered. They all merged their power primordial energies into the sphere. The Grandmaster held the sphere up high. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The sphere unloaded a blast of energy shooting toward the sky.

"We will allow you to witness the fruits of my labor," the Grandmaster said. "And then, Titan, we will expect you to remove you and your kind from this universe forever!" With the wave of a hand, Thanos and his group were teleported to the bridge of his ship.

In space, Galactus prepared to devour a nameless planet. Ego speedily approached the location.

Activating his machines, Galactus settled back to wait. The planet began breaking up.

An explosion occurred as an unknown ray of energy traversed through the planet decimating it into subatomic particles.

Galactus looked at his machinery. No energy had come through. The computer had aborted and was retracting its mechanisms. According to the data, there was no longer a planet there.

"No, Galactus," the leader of the Elders smiled. "You will stand no longer."

From the bridge of Thanos’ ship, the heroes watched. The Elders all focused their energy into the sphere, Ego included. They fired at Galactus.

Galactus let out a scream, as the energy seemed to cause his form to begin dissipating.

"We have to do something," the Silver Surfer jumped up.

"There is little you can do," Warlock answered never taking his eyes off the front screen. The entire cast of heroes had become as powerless as they ever had been. They stared in awe as the fruits of the cosmic chess game unfolded before them. Within, even the Surfer and Quasar felt helpless, though they constantly frequented the cosmic winds of space.

Galactus’ dissipating form abruptly stopped as he changed into energy briefly and then began to re-materialize. The Elders all stared in astonishment and renewing fear as the Grandmaster gaped in complete confusion.

"I don’t understand! I proved the formula mathematically myself!" The Grandmaster turned, looking at the other Elders.

The Explorer was the first recipient.

Galactus blasted him with a barrage of unknown energy. Light sprang from his hands, his mouth and eyes. Energy swirls erupted within the travel of the plasma-like white energy originating from his form. On the receiving end, the form of the Elder outlined itself in space as the inner material vanished literally into nothingness.

The Elders looked at each other, all frozen in their positions. It had been said that being nullified was the equivalent of being confined to an eternity of solitude. A worse hell none could imagine!

Galactus fired again, a new victim chosen this time. The Elders turned and scattered desperately as the Architect screamed a painful nullification. His scream seemed to echo as his form slowly vanished.

The Elders spread out. Most teleported away, erupting powerful blasts that flooded the area as their form vanished. The Runner sped the fastest, as the others awkwardly shot out multiple blasts in all directions. Thanos’ kilometers-sized ship rocked.

"Why are they doing that?" Vance asked. He had not been close enough to grab a steady object and had been thrown across the other side of the bridge of the ship.

"They are surrounding the area with different energies to make it difficult to track their positions," the Silver Surfer finally spoke. He had been happy to see his master survive but now knew he would retaliate. In most things, Galactus tended to be passive. But when directly attacked, Galactus would always respond as a predator would. And the poor fools would always turn and run. He had seen it countless times as Galactus’ herald. The Elders would regret their mistake.

The Surfer watched as Galactus summoned his ship and blasted forward, "Perhaps still able to track them?" the Surfer thought. He turned as Thanos spoke.

"I thank you all for fighting valiantly today." He walked slowly over to his throne with his hands behind his back and his head down, dejected.

The Captain wondered if Thanos would keep his word, having failed to defeat the Elders.

Thanos spoke again. "We did our best with what we had." He looked up, his back now facing them. "Computer. Return them."

Lights flashed as the heroes on the bridge disappeared one by one.

"The Elders don’t make mistakes," Warlock said to Thanos. "What did you do?"

"Eh?" Thanos turned his head behind quickly.

Adam Warlock stood alone with his gem glowing, his hands and body hidden under his bright red cape. A controlled sinusoidal-like soul energy pulse had not let the transporter beam lock on to him. "I would like my Eternal Orb returned," Warlock responded still not moving from his original position.

Thanos looked at him momentarily. Then he turned around nodding to a worker robot nearby. "How did you know?"

"You would need access to a library of massive information in order to develop a plan to counter the Elders and anything they might throw at you. A lot you played on the moment, but your overall plan appears to have been to tempt them to make a mistake for you to capitalize on. To understand them that well, you must have done some very complex psychological profiles on them."

"Not exactly to tempt them, but to force an error," the Titan said smiling.

"Is that where you switched Firelord’s staff and Terrax’s axe with duplicates?" Warlock questioned.

"Ahhh, you knew?" Thanos questioned.

"No, I just made the connection now."

"The first battles we lost were my measuring battles to see what they really were after," Thanos explained as though saying something obvious.

A large robot stopped and hovered by Adam. A bottom compartment opened as steel shards resembling fingers clasped the Eternity Orb and extended it to Adam.

Adam grabbed it from him. "Please leave me out of your future endeavors," Warlock spoke preparing to teleport.

"I can give no promises," the Titan smiled. He pressed a button on the throne and a beam of light transported Adam away.

On his throne, Thanos sat. "A worthwhile achievement," he thought, "and mildly diverting."

"SR-32," he called. The transporters came online as Thanos entered some coordinates. They energized and transported an object to Thanos’ side.

"Yes, Lord Thanos," the robot scurried over to his master’s command.

Thanos looked at the dark black screen of empty space in front of him.

"What day is tomorrow?" he asked.

The robot quickly searched a personal database it always held. Failure to respond quickly enough would mean termination.

"Truce Day, sir," it said finding an entry within.

"As I thought," he said softly. "Set course for planet Carus Frater," Thanos answered. "Send my brother the coordinates," he continued as he looked over the large energy sphere at his side.

"A nice choice for a desolate planet, sir," the robot answered in a soft, reverent tone. "And a very nice gift."

In the black sea of space, a spec within a solar system entered hyperspeed.