Sizzle~!
The purple beam of the Power Stone collided with the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad in Artoria's hand, producing a piercing sound. The Impact of the collision knocked everyone around Artoria to the ground. Artoria's silver-white boots sank directly into the earth, showing the magnitude of the force. Artoria, who had been nonchalant just moments ago, now had a very grave expression. She had underestimated the power of the Power Stone; her hands were now numb, and she had almost accidentally let go of the holy lance.
"Projection, start."
While Artoria was struggling to hold on, Ronan seemed to have no depletion at all, continuously outputting the energy of the Power Stone as if he wanted to destroy Artoria within it. Encountering such a situation for the first time, Artoria instinctively began to counterattack. Projection Magecraft was activated, and over a dozen sharp longswords appeared behind her. Under Artoria's telekinesis, the swords shot rapidly toward Ronan. Ronan stopped the output of the Power Stone and began using it to destroy the swords flying at him. His cessation gave Artoria a moment to breathe.
"Strange techniques, an impressive weapon... to actually be able to withstand the Power Stone, this woman is not simple."
Easily destroying the incoming swords and watching them vanish into blue particles, Ronan's wariness of Artoria grew. The longer this went on, the more danger he sensed from this woman. Although he didn't know what else she would bring out against him, striking first was the correct move.
"Die, woman!"
The purple light of the Infinity Stone on the Kree War Hammer flashed. Artoria's intuition told her that this time was stronger and more dangerous than before. Gamora, who had just climbed back up, saw this and wanted to rush forward to push Artoria out of the way. This attack was too dangerous, leaving Gamora terrified. However, Rocket stopped her. Rocket understood better than anyone that they were currently unqualified to join this battle. Joining recklessly wouldn't just be an issue of their own lives; it might even jeopardize the outcome of the entire fight.
"Rho Aias."
Artoria sensed Gamora's movement, but she had no intention of avoiding a direct confrontation. She looked at Rhongomyniad in her right hand; she planned to release the lance's power, which required time. If she dodged this time, would she have to dodge the next? Artoria's answer was clear. Her soft red lips parted slightly as she softly spoke the name of the Noble Phantasm she was about to use. A giant, cherry-blossom-petal-shaped shield erected itself in front of Artoria. True Name Release.
"What is that? It's so beautiful!"
Star-Lord murmured as he looked at the beautiful shield standing before Artoria. Although the petal-like layers were shattering one by one, it only added a touch of tragic beauty. He didn't notice that the big guy beside him was gone.
"I am Groot."
Who knows what Groot was thinking as he looked at the breaking shield? Then, he raised his massive fist and smashed it toward Ronan. This left Artoria, who was in the middle of releasing Rhongomyniad, momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected Groot, who wasn't usually the sharpest, to actually dare to attack Ronan. Logically, Groot's sense of danger should be much stronger than Gamora's and the others, so why would he attack the most dangerous person, Ronan? This made Artoria very surprised and moved; this truly counted as a comrade-in-arms fighting together.
"Don't go, Groot! You'll die!"
Groot might be simple, but Rocket wasn't stupid. He knew the consequences of facing that purple light head-on—it was certain Death. Having been together for so long, Groot was more than just a bodyguard to him; he was family. How could he stand by and watch his family go to their Death? But he was too far from Groot and couldn't stop him at all, only able to watch helplessly as Groot rushed toward his doom.
"Since you're so blind as to come here to die, then I won't be polite."
Ronan was already having a bit of a headache over the fact that this damn woman could resist the power of the incredibly powerful Power Stone. Seeing someone coming to their Death made him quite happy! In an instant, he temporarily abandoned his attack on Artoria. Ronan stopped the output of the Power Stone to face Groot again. His control over the Power Stone was still insufficient; after all, he had been in contact with it for less than an hour. Where would he have found the time to study it? Furthermore, the Power Stone wasn't something he could fully master; every time he used it, it took a toll on his body.
"Bastard, get out of the way, Groot!"
Seeing Ronan turn his sights on Groot, everyone's heart tightened. Artoria was so powerful that they didn't need to worry about her too much, but Groot couldn't compare to her. This strike could kill him instantly, so they were very anxious. Rocket's short legs simply couldn't compete with Groot's 'long legs'. No matter how much Rocket shouted, Groot seemed not to hear and continued charging at Ronan.
"Die!"
With a cruel smile on his face, the light of the Infinity Stone bloomed once more. The lethal purple beam flew rapidly toward Groot. Just when everyone thought Groot was certain to die there, a golden light met the purple light of the Power Stone. The two massive forces exploded, and Groot and Rocket behind him were both blown away by the shockwave.
"Thank you, Groot, for buying me time."
Artoria happily thanked Groot, who had flown to the side, but it was clear from her stiff expression that she wasn't relaxed. Her hands tightly gripped Rhongomyniad. At this moment, five of the seals on Rhongomyniad had been released, and a massive power radiated from the lance's shaft. The originally silver, twisted body of the spear was now half-transformed into golden energy; the strike that had just blocked Ronan's attack had been fired from the lance itself.
But no one knew that she was already at her limit. Having studied magic control under the Ancient One for so long, Artoria was only barely able to support the Holy Lance's liberation to this extent. Artoria could feel that she was forcing the release of those two seals; she couldn't even predict what would happen next. At this moment, the veins on the hands inside Artoria's gauntlets were bulging. The power of Rhongomyniad was pouring into Artoria's body, but she didn't dare let go. She knew that once she let go, the entire Planet would surely be destroyed. This was no joke; the moment she lost control, let alone Xandar, even the surrounding Planets would likely not be spared.
"Now, let us begin our second round!"
By now, Artoria's eyes had turned golden, and the aura about her began to change slowly, like a god looking down from above. The power of Rhongomyniad had begun to affect her, and the Spirit Core within her body also began to undergo a slow transformation. Such a change was irreversible. The golden liquid that was originally in her heart began to proliferate wildly, entering Artoria's bloodstream. Artoria was now evolving toward a new height, all because of her Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad.
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