Peter's line—"Just a mere Ronan"—was like tossing a heavy boulder straight into a pot of boiling oil.
The command center fell dead silent for a split second, and then completely exploded.
"A mere?! And nothing more?!"
A Nova Corps Centurion's face flushed a deep, ugly shade of purple from a mix of pure anger and suffocating fear. Pointing a shaking finger at the screen where the ominous Dark Aster hovered, his voice cracked hysterically:
"Look at that thing! That's the Dark Aster! Even before he got his hands on the Power Stone, there were barely a handful of beings in the entire galaxy who could stop him! Not to mention that both he and his warship are now directly amplified by an Infinity Stone!"
Another Centurion buried his head in his hands, wailing in utter despair: "We're finished! Xandar is going to become the very next planet reduced to cosmic dust!"
With the two of them driving the panic, the morale inside the command center plunged straight off a cliff. Some officers were already pulling up their communicators, frantically trying to contact their families to figure out an escape route!
"Hmph!"
Seeing their scattered, spineless display, Sif let out a cold, sharp sneer: "And here I thought the Nova Corps was something special. Turns out you're nothing but a bunch of spineless cowards!"
"What did you say?!" A Centurion glared furiously at Sif.
"What, did I stutter?" Sif slammed her hand onto the tactical console with absolute authority: "We Asgardians don't fall into internal squabbles when a formidable enemy approaches, nor do we spend our energy plotting how to run away like dogs! And my Peter certainly wouldn't run away like you cowards!"
The Centurions' faces flushed crimson with rage, with several of them reaching for their sidearms, ready to pick a fight with Sif on the spot.
"Enough!"
This time, forget Sif—even Irani Rael, Nova Prime herself, couldn't take it anymore.
Though her face remained noticeably pale, years of leading a star empire allowed her to maintain her authority and composure forcibly:
"The Asgardian lady is right. Facing Ronan, we have nowhere to run! The only option left for us is to fight with everything we've got and resist until our very last breath for the sake of all Xandarians!"
Taking a deep breath, she turned her gaze toward Yondu: "Captain Udonta, we're all in the same boat now. I need you and your Ravagers to lend us your firepower."
Yondu blew a low whistle, his lethal Yaka Arrow hovering lazily near his lips. Tilting his head with a crooked, rogue-like grin, he looked at Irani Rael: "Helping out is fine and dandy, Nova Prime, but as you know... our price for putting our lives on the line doesn't come cheap."
"If we survive this, you can name your price from Xandar's treasury!" Irani Rael gritted her teeth.
"Deal!" Yondu bared his teeth in a wide grin, turning around to roar at his crew: "You heard the lady! Time to work, boys! For the cash!"
"For the cash!" The Ravagers instantly erupted into high-energy cheers.
"Mr. Parker!" Irani then turned back to Peter. After a moment's hesitation, under the disbelieving gazes of her officers, she bowed deeply to him:
"This crisis had nothing to do with you, and I have no right to demand that you fight alongside us. However, if you are willing to lend your strength to this battle, you may set any condition you wish, just like Captain Udonta."
"Furthermore... if we manage to survive Ronan today, Xandar will forever remain Earth's stanchest ally in the deep cosmos."
Noticing Irani's respectful attitude, Peter smiled with satisfaction, raising his glass toward her from afar: "For your sake, Nova Prime, I'll provide whatever help is necessary when the critical moment comes."
Seeing his easygoing, relaxed posture, the Centurions who had been doubting him all along ground their teeth in frustration. But under Nova Prime's intense pressure, they had no choice but to swallow their sarcastic remarks.
Under Irani's mobilization, the fragile alliance was officially forged. She immediately stepped up to order:
"All fighters, launch immediately! Form the defensive perimeter!"
"Initiate the Star-Net Defense System! Boost energy output to maximum level!"
At Nova Prime's command, Xandar's defensive grid was fully activated.
Thousands of golden Nova starfighters swarmed into the skies like a glittering cloud of bees, rising from every corner of the metropolis to merge with Yondu's battered ship, the Eclector, and his fleet of Ravager craft—forming the final shield over Xandar.
In the high atmosphere, the Dark Aster steadily drew closer. The crushing shadow cast by its massive, cross-shaped hull almost blanketed half of Xandar's capital.
"Fire!" Rhomann Dey roared into the comms.
In an instant, tens of thousands of cannons erupted at once!
Streams of golden and crimson energy rained down like a heavy storm against the surface shield of the Dark Aster, bursting into brilliant yet utterly futile ripples of light.
The purple energy field around Ronan's ship merely flickered faintly before settling back into an impenetrable barrier.
"It's no use! Our firepower can't even scratch his shields!" a starfighter pilot shouted in utter desperation.
"Star-Net attempt to lock on... Connection failed! The enemy's energy signature is too absurdly high; our core network is being completely overwhelmed!" A technician's report dropped the temperature in the war room down to absolute zero:
"Breaking through the Dark Aster's defensive field with standard artillery is literally impossible! Even if we pour every last drop of output we have, we'll only manage to tear open a tiny, temporary seam!"
This was the terrifying authority of an Infinity Stone. Merely the passive energy radiating outward from the Power Stone was enough to completely cripple an advanced interstellar civilization's proudest planetary defense network.
"Let us go in!"
Realizing the moment to risk everything had arrived, Star-Lord and his group finally stepped forward:
"This whole disaster started because of us, so we oughta take responsibility for it! Let us breach the hull—if we get inside, we might find an opening to snatch the Power Stone back!"
Hearing this, both Yondu and Irani instinctively turned their eyes to Star-Lord's squad.
It truly seemed like the only viable Hail Mary left to try.
And yet... sending this ragtag bunch of unhinged misfits to face Ronan directly—what were the actual odds of success?
Just as everyone was hesitating over whether to send Star-Lord's group on a suicide mission, Peter—who had been quietly watching the drama unfold from his seat—finally moved:
"Alright, save the tear-jerking melodrama for later. Things haven't devolved into a tragedy just yet."
Stretching his arms lazily, Peter stood up.
A brilliant, starlight-like radiance visibly surged across his entire frame.
In the very next second, his whole body transformed into a beam of blinding light, shooting straight out of the command center and ascending into the sky!
Without wearing a single piece of protective gear, without holding a single weapon, he charged entirely alone toward the colossal, sky-blocking Dark Aster—like an ant charging straight at a speeding chariot!
"Is he out of his mind?!" Star-Lord's eyes nearly popped right out of his head.
"What an idiot! Is he going out there just to die?!" Rocket threw his arms up, screeching in utter disbelief.
Rhomann Dey and Irani Rael turned deathly pale. In their eyes, Peter's action was nothing short of suicidal madness—the most meaningless sacrifice imaginable in the middle of this disaster.
Only Sif stood with her arms crossed, watching the main tactical display with total composure, a subtle, playful smirk curling at the corner of her lips.
The real show was just getting started.
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