Phew! It's so lucky I didn't go berserk.
Releasing all the excess energy in one breath, Artoria's sanity returned. The power of the holy lance was suppressed by Artoria in an instant and sealed away once more. The silver spear body again encased the golden energy spear body, and Artoria's pressure lightened considerably. She didn't lose her mind this time and maintained good control, thanks to the results of her arduous cultivation by the Ancient One's side. However, it was still not perfect; Artoria had only mastered a tiny bit until now. Rhongomyniad with five seals undone had almost made Artoria 'lose her sanity.' One must know that the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad has fourteen seals on it, meaning Artoria couldn't even properly utilize one-third of Rhongomyniad's power, let alone its full release.
This made Artoria quite embarrassed. As the holy lance was sealed again, Artoria's golden pupils also returned to their original holy green, and the high-pressure aura on her body slowly returned to normal. What comforted Artoria the most was that, compared to the last time she released her Noble Phantasm where she could barely stand, she still had the strength to fight now, which was very heartening.
"Is it over?"
In the distance, Gamora looked at Artoria, who was standing in place panting, and then at the cylindrical pit on the ground opposite Artoria. Artoria's light cannon had caused the earth to evaporate in an instant. One could imagine what had happened to the enemy. Thinking of this, Gamora focused her attention on the spot where Ronan had been standing; the smoke had not yet fully dissipated, so the situation inside was invisible, but Gamora didn't think the opponent could survive after taking that hit.
"Hey! Where did that bastard big guy go?"
At this time, the observant Rocket noticed that the big black guy, who always looked like he had a deep-seated grudge, had actually disappeared at this moment. This was a rare opportunity to see the Death of his sworn enemy with his own eyes—what a satisfying moment—yet he was gone now. What was that jerk doing?
"I don't know! He was just there..."
Star-Lord looked at Groot and then around; indeed, that guy was nowhere to be seen. But no one thought he would flee, especially after their time together; this guy was definitely someone who would seek revenge for any grievance. Now, with his enemy right in front of him, he wasn't here—so where could he have gone?
"I guess it's over!"
The smoke gradually cleared, and Artoria saw an arm holding a war hammer. The Power Stone on the war hammer was emitting a faint purple light, showing off its charm. Artoria thought for a moment and reached out her right hand. The hammer on the ground was lifted by an invisible force and slowly floated toward her. Although the Power Stone was right in front of her, Artoria was in no hurry to catch it with her hand. She looked around and finally, with her extraordinary vision, found the separated Cosmic Orb. Using Telekinesis, she picked up the Cosmic Orb. Artoria controlled her powerful Telekinesis to crush the Kree War Hammer; the hammer, corroded by the Power Stone, easily turned into powder. The Power Stone slowly entered the Cosmic Orb. Artoria closed the Cosmic Orb, and with that, her journey had come to an end.
"There's still a life aura?"
After getting the Cosmic Orb, Artoria didn't put it away immediately. Instead, she felt for the opponent's vitality. She sensed a faint trace of breath on the other side. Artoria immediately stepped forward, prepared to deliver the finishing blow. With a light wave of her arm, a gust of strong wind instantly blew away the dust blocking her view. After seeing the situation in the ground crushed by the Noble Phantasm, Artoria was instantly speechless.
"How did this guy end up here?"
Looking at Drax, whose body was buried in the ground with only his head exposed, and Ronan, of whom only half a head remained in front of him, she found the scene somewhat comical for some reason. But this guy's vitality was indeed resilient. Even though Ronan had blocked most of the Noble Phantasm's power in front of him, he still managed to survive. Truly a tough skin and a powerful life force.
"This big idiot."
Just as Artoria was about to pull him out of the ground, Rocket had already run to her side. It was also quite speechless looking at the head in the pit. If not for the faint breathing, no one would have thought this person was still alive. Without needing Rocket's arrangements, Groot stretched out his hand. Vines grew from Groot's hand, quickly entering the soil and soon wrapping around Drax to pull him out, protecting him from secondary injury. This time his wounds were severe; half the flesh on his chest was gone, leaving only bone and a layer of membrane for protection. One could clearly see his heart still beating slightly. If this were an Earthling, they would have died long ago, but he stubbornly survived, and he was even recovering. The surrounding muscle tissue began to grow rapidly; it seemed he would be out of danger in a few hours.
"I'll leave this for you to handle!"
Artoria took the 'Cosmic Orb' out of a small bag she was carrying and threw it directly to Star-Lord. Her appearance of being completely unswayed by power indeed made everyone believe her. Star-Lord looked at the 'Cosmic Orb' in his hand and then at Artoria. He opened the 'Cosmic Orb'; a beautiful purple gem lay quietly inside. Star-Lord closed the 'Cosmic Orb' and nodded to Artoria in gratitude.
"Our dear little partner, we've had such a hard time looking for you!"
Just when everyone thought things were over, a guy who made Star-Lord tremble with fear appeared. He opened his mouth and smiled wickedly, his mouth full of gold teeth creating a sharp contrast with his blue skin. There was a red substance on his blue head. This image was exactly Yondu, who was looking for Star-Lord. Having witnessed the battle just now, he had been hiding to the side watching. If Artoria had failed, he would have immediately taken Star-Lord and left. The outcome, however, was beyond his expectations; Artoria won.
"Yondu, I left the Raiders long ago. I don't want to be a bandit anymore."
Star-Lord spoke indignantly, but he didn't notice a flash of relief in Yondu's eyes. Artoria, however, noticed this. This was a good father; he acted like a villain just to protect Star-Lord and help him grow. It was just that Star-Lord hadn't realized any of this; he was still like a rebellious child, completely oblivious to his guardian's concern.
"Oh! Oh! Oh~! Miss, please don't move. This is a matter for us Raiders. If you move, I can't guarantee you'll make it back alive."
Yondu exaggeratedly put on a very despicable villainous face, while a Golden Arrow flew above everyone's heads. Yondu was very afraid that Artoria would interrupt his conversation with Star-Lord. Seeing Artoria move slightly, he used this to threaten everyone, telling Artoria not to move.
"If you want freedom, fine. Give me the Cosmic Orb, and I'll stop bothering you."
..."
Star-Lord eventually gave the 'Cosmic Orb' to Yondu, but Artoria knew it was a fake, containing only a small doll. This was a little maneuver of Star-Lord's that Artoria had seen with her own eyes. This hand speed—worthy of a man who had been single for years—was indeed very fast. Yondu chatted with Star-Lord and continued to provoke him, the implication being to make him grow up quickly. After all, Yondu already knew that Star-Lord's father had started looking for him. To prevent Star-Lord from following the old path of those dead children, he could only let him grow to a point where no one could catch him.
Yondu left with the 'Cosmic Orb' and his reluctance to leave Star-Lord. Artoria acted as a bystander throughout the awkward feelings of the two; as the saying goes, the spectator sees more clearly than the player. She saw through it all, and at the same time, she realized a truth: fatherly love is a type of love that isn't spoken; one can only understand it by analyzing and comprehending it. Sometimes he might be stubborn or play the villain, but every move contains the deepest affection, even if you don't understand it yet.
Only by breaking open the hard shell can you truly feel the flavor within. Artoria saw Yondu's love for Star-Lord; it was a great love. But Star-Lord didn't know; he was still gloating over having just tricked Yondu. Artoria could only shake her head; she couldn't expose it, she could only let Star-Lord discover it himself, otherwise, it would be an insult to Yondu's love for him.
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