"Damn it!"
Ronan the Accuser screamed in agony.
His body lay twisted in the crater carved into the prison floor. Bruises covered him from head to toe, blood pouring from countless wounds. One of his wrists had been crushed completely under Ethan Drake's earlier strike.
Ethan stood above him calmly.
With a simple movement of his foot, he stepped down and picked up the fallen war hammer. The massive weapon, still embedded with the glowing Power Stone, rose effortlessly into his hand.
"No…!"
Ronan's voice trembled with desperation.
The stone represented power he had never possessed before. Even as death approached, he refused to let go of it.
Bang!
Ethan's foot descended again.
The impact shattered Ronan's ribs instantly. The Kree warlord's chest collapsed inward, forming a horrifying cavity as blood erupted from his mouth.
"Aaaagh!"
Ronan nearly blacked out from the pain.
His mind reeled as the shock overwhelmed his senses. Blood foam filled his throat, and he could feel the organs inside his body tearing apart.
"No… give it back…"
Even while dying, he still tried to cling to the stone.
Suddenly, flashes of light erupted from every direction.
Kree soldiers had arrived.
Dozens of energy rifles opened fire at once. Their commander had been humiliated before their eyes, and none of them could simply stand aside and watch.
Beams of energy rained down on Ethan's body.
Ding. Ding.
The blasts struck him repeatedly.
But nothing happened.
The beams didn't even create sparks.
They failed to leave a single mark on his body. Even the black Kryptonian battle suit he wore remained completely untouched.
Ethan glanced at them with cold indifference.
"Idiots."
A pale blue glow appeared in his eyes.
The next second—
A freezing beam erupted.
The icy ray cut across the prison like a scythe, slicing through walls and pillars alike. The blast swept through the entire chamber in seconds.
Stone columns shattered instantly.
The Kree soldiers fared even worse.
Their bodies were sliced apart without resistance as the beam tore through the battlefield.
The prison structures began collapsing.
Blood flowed across the ground.
"No…"
Ronan still tried to move.
With the last of his strength, he pulled a sharp alloy blade from his belt and stabbed it toward Ethan's ankle.
Clang.
The blade snapped instantly.
The carefully forged Kree weapon shattered into fragments without leaving the slightest scratch.
"This… this is impossible!"
Ronan spat blood in disbelief.
He simply couldn't understand.
What kind of body did this Kryptonian possess?
Why was it impossible to injure him even slightly?
But he would never learn the answer.
"Mosquito bites are insignificant," Ethan said calmly.
"But they're annoying."
His foot descended again.
Crack.
The force behind the step exploded outward.
Ronan's skull shattered instantly like a crushed watermelon.
Blood and fragments of bone sprayed across the shattered ground.
The once-feared Accuser of the Kree Empire was dead.
In Ethan's hand remained the prize Ronan had coveted above everything else.
The Power Stone.
The moment Ethan removed the gem from the hammer, the purple crystal pulsed violently.
Hum.
An immense force surged outward.
The stone radiated a vast and endless power that flooded into Ethan's palm.
"Hmm…"
The energy attempted to erode his body instantly.
The destructive force was terrifying, attempting to break down every cell in his hand.
Such was the nature of the Infinity Stones.
Not everyone could wield them.
If an ordinary human touched one, their body would collapse instantly. Even someone with a demigod lineage like Star-Lord couldn't safely hold it for long.
In many ways, the energy contained inside the stones was closer to divine power than anything mortals should command.
Ronan had been clever enough to embed the gem inside his hammer.
By using the weapon as a conduit, he could channel the stone's power without fully touching it.
In the future, even Thanos would require a special artifact—the Infinity Gauntlet—to properly control the power of multiple stones at once.
Ethan examined the glowing crystal in his hand.
"Vast," he murmured quietly. "Endless."
"It truly deserves its reputation as a cosmic treasure."
The six Infinity Stones were not the only powerful artifacts in existence, but they certainly ranked among the greatest forces in the universe.
This single gem alone connected directly to limitless cosmic energy.
The Power Stone amplified physical strength and destructive capability to unimaginable levels. With it, nearly any attack could become unstoppable.
It represented the absolute concept of power.
No wonder someone like Thanos had built the Infinity Gauntlet just to unleash the stones' full potential.
A faint chill passed through Ethan's eyes.
He knew very well what would happen if all six stones were gathered.
With a single snap of Thanos's fingers, half the life in the universe would vanish.
That had always been the Mad Titan's ultimate goal.
Ethan had no intention of allowing such madness to succeed.
After all, the Kryptonian race now existed under his rule. He would never allow Thanos to erase half the universe—including his own people.
Just then—
A notification echoed in Ethan's mind.
Ding.
"Unknown cosmic energy detected."
"New ability generated: Power Stone LV1."
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly.
The Oracle system had activated again.
It was a pleasant surprise.
Only moments earlier, he had been considering how to safely utilize the Power Stone. Now the system had already provided a solution.
"Power Stone LV1," the system explained.
"Grants access to near-limitless cosmic energy. Even minimal release can create devastating energy shockwaves capable of knocking down large numbers of enemies."
The simple description was enough.
Ethan immediately understood the essence of the ability.
Curious, he began examining the new power within his mind.
Around him, the prison remained in chaos.
But Ethan paid no attention.
The surviving prisoners stared at him in fear, none daring to approach. In their eyes, he looked less like a man and more like a god of destruction.
Even Star-Lord kept his distance.
Peter Quill glanced toward the shattered remains of the Orb with deep frustration. The artifact he had hoped to sell for a fortune was now gone forever.
But there was nothing he could do.
He was simply too weak to interfere.
"Let's get out of here," someone shouted.
The Kyln prison had collapsed.
Most of the guards were dead, and the remaining prisoners quickly seized the opportunity. Criminals began escaping through every available exit.
Peter Quill tried to slip away unnoticed.
Unfortunately, Groot wrapped a branch around his torso.
"Hey!" Quill shouted.
Rocket laughed.
"Congratulations," the raccoon said. "You're my bounty now."
Star-Lord immediately began struggling, and the two of them ended up rolling across the floor in a chaotic scuffle.
Nearby, Drax slowly regained consciousness.
He sat up and looked around in confusion.
Then his eyes fell on Ronan's lifeless body.
"My wife… my daughter…"
His voice trembled.
"Can you see it among the stars?"
"Ronan is dead."
The massive warrior suddenly dropped to his knees.
He bowed deeply toward Ethan.
"You are my benefactor," Drax said loudly. "Please allow me to repay this debt."
Ethan glanced at him calmly.
He recognized the man instantly.
Drax the Destroyer.
With a quick sweep of his perception, Ethan also noticed the others nearby—Star-Lord, Rocket, Groot.
The future Guardians of the Galaxy.
At this moment, however, they hadn't yet formed their famous team.
That thought amused him slightly.
The Guardians were known across the galaxy not only for their battles but also for their chaotic humor.
It would be a shame if they never came together.
An idea crossed Ethan's mind.
"Your family is gone," he said calmly. "And your revenge has been fulfilled."
He gestured toward the group fighting nearby.
"You should start a new life."
"Repayment isn't necessary. Go build something new with them."
His finger pointed toward Star-Lord and the others still wrestling on the floor.
"What?"
Peter Quill froze instantly.
....
Join my P@treon get free advanced chapters.
Paid members can get upto 60+ chapters ahead of the public release.
Link : [email protected]/KittyLovesMilk