The space channel unfurled like a glowing wound in reality, swirling with silver-blue light.
With the coordinates Quill had sent earlier and the miniature star map from the Collector, Soren locked onto the Sovereign system in seconds.
Before Freyja could even process the opening rift, Soren grabbed her gently by the waist and stepped through.
Her cheeks instantly lit up.
He's far too bold… But the flutter in her chest held no trace of resistance. She had already prepared herself the day she told Odin she would resign as the God of War.
She had planned long ago that, once Soren came to Asgard, she would simply follow him… wherever that path led.
And now that path led to the stars.
Darkness embraced them… impossible darkness. A million pinpricks of starlight shimmered across the void, casting faint halos that danced across Freyja's visor.
They floated in open space, far removed from the Nine Realms' familiar glow.
Cosmic radiation drifted around them like invisible mist. Freyja's spacesuit responded instantly, the runes across the surface flickered and the armor collapsed into a sleek bodysuit.
The mask became transparent, giving her a clear view of the breathtaking cosmos.
She gasped. "It's… beautiful. I've never seen the universe like this."
Soren reached outward.
His space power rippled across the void, spiritual force blooming in an invisible wave that expanded faster than light. On Earth, mind and magic were always dulled by countless barriers… atmosphere, gravity, the noise of life.
But in the pure vacuum?
His senses expanded to terrifying distances, stretching across the starfield.
He found their destination almost instantly, a pale golden planet radiating artificial perfection.
Sovereign.
"There," Soren said softly. "Let's go."
He wrapped an arm around Freyja and shot forward, streaking toward the golden world. As they approached, he condensed his spiritual power, funneling it downward, piercing through the defenses and structures of the metallic planet.
He scanned everything.
But….
There was no sign of the Guardians.
Soren clicked his communicator. "Quill. Respond."
"…" Silence.
He tried again and nothing. A cold knot formed in Freyja's stomach. "Soren… they're not here?"
"No, and I don't like what that implies."
Freyja reached out and squeezed his hand. "Calm yourself. We'll find them."
But Soren's eyes were already narrowing, piecing together fragments of memory.
The Sovereign arc, the batteries.
Rocket's sticky fingers.
The enraged Sovereign fleet pursuing the Guardians across the galaxy.
Soren could do nothing for what angered him was that he could no longer reach Peter Quill or the others.
The communicator remained silent, which meant the trail leading to the Hulk had gone cold.
With Freyja at his side, he activated a teleportation spell. In an instant, their forms sliced through the pale-gold atmosphere of the Sovereign homeworld, reappearing high above the grand palace Soren.
Soren's spiritual sense had already mapped every life signature within.
Before he and Freyja could descend— The planet lit up.
Dozens no, hundreds of weapon systems hidden across the polished ground activated simultaneously. Blinding streams of plasma and energy lanced upward, converging like a golden storm aimed directly at them.
"So many…!" Freyja stiffened, instinctively stepping closer to Soren.
Individually, the blasts weren't powerful, but the sheer volume was enough to overwhelm even an Asgardian. Sovereign did not give any warnings, Sovereign fired first.
This is how they greet guests? No wonder Quill ran.
With a flick of his hand, the air around him shuddered. Sigils of space law spiraled outward, glowing deep blue. Then~
A vast rift opened in front of them like a maw. Every incoming projectile bent mid-air, dragged mercilessly into the crack. The barrage vanished without a single explosion.
Not a spark reached Soren or Freyja.
"Your mastery… has grown again." Freyja exhaled in awe.
Soren wasn't done.
His widened the rift. The tear groaned, expanding until it cast a jagged shadow across the Sovereign capital.
Invisible suction descended.
Ground tore upward in massive chunks.
Weapon emplacements yanked free like toys, shrieking as they were pulled skyward. Buildings cracked, their perfect symmetry collapsing into rubble.
Screams filled the palace district as golden-skinned Sovereigns spilled into the streets, panicking and scrambling over debris.
Some fled and others were buried under collapsing structures.
It was instant chaos, utter disorder in a civilization obsessed with perfection.
Soren let them realize attacking him was the greatest mistake of their shining lives.
He finally closed his hand, and the massive rift swallowed the last of the weapons before sealing with a sound.
Only dust and terrified citizens remained.
Soren floated above the ruins. Freyja watched him quietly… knowing he was angry not because they were attacked, but because the Guardians' trail had slipped away.
"Soren…" she whispered.
He lowered his hand. "Enough games. We're getting answers, now."