Noah could be stubborn. Sometimes unreasonable.
But this time, he wasn't wrong.
In the current situation, Ronan was very likely dead.
That was... awkward.
Under Noah's attack, the massive warship had been blown apart into burning fragments. Finding a survivor inside that wreckage would be difficult, to say the least.
Noah shook his head and slowly descended from the sky. Thor followed behind him, his expression dark.
When they landed, they ran straight into the Nova Corps' commanding officer and several other commanders rushing over, along with pilots who were just finishing their descent.
Everyone's gaze instinctively locked onto the source of the destruction.
The battle had been absurdly short. Just a few seconds.
But the impact was overwhelming.
That was Ronan's flagship.
A Kree warship.
It had its own energy shield.
And yet that shield hadn't even lasted a second.
They had watched it collapse instantly under the pressure of a gigantic fire dragon, followed by the warship itself being rammed and detonated into flaming debris.
Wreckage still burning had fallen straight into Xandar's urban districts.
Fortunately, Noah's warning had arrived early. The damage was limited to property losses. Casualties were nearly nonexistent.
As for the Nova Corps pilots?
None were hurt.
Noah had been faster than they were.
They'd barely taken off when the ship exploded.
That alone avoided a disastrous outcome.
Noah had come to deal with Ronan, not to watch the Nova Corps' air force get wiped out like in the original timeline. In that sense, he'd done them a favor.
"Your Excellency Fénnir," the commanding officer swallowed before asking, "is it... resolved?"
"Of course," Noah nodded, then sighed lightly. "They were careless. They didn't even manage to block a single spell."
Now we'll have to trouble you."
The Nova Corps officials felt even more depressed.
Careless?
A joke.
Their shields had been fully activated.
And he was saying they hadn't blocked a single spell?
Who could block that?
If that fire dragon went on a rampage across Xandar, the planet's civilization would be gone in no time.
And this man looked... regretful?
Was he regretting blowing up the ship too easily?
Suppressing her thoughts, the commanding officer hesitated. "You mean the wreckage? Or..."
"Search for survivors," Noah said directly. "Ronan, if possible. Alive is best. If he's dead, so be it."
"I understand."
She immediately gave orders.
Noah glanced once, then turned and left.
On Xandar, he wasn't worried about being hard to find.
As they walked toward the bar, Noah knew Yondu and his crew would be waiting. That had been arranged.
Thor, however, was visibly unhappy.
Now that it was over, he couldn't hide it anymore.
"You scoundrel!" Thor finally snapped. "Why were you so impulsive? We agreed he was mine."
"I couldn't help it," Noah sighed. "How was I supposed to know it would end like that?"
He paused.
"Honestly-what did you think of that warship?"
Thor thought briefly. "It looked impressive. But it still can't compare to Asgardian combat vessels."
"But it wasn't bad, right?" Noah spread his hands. "Which means it was still strong. I just attacked the way I normally do when fighting you."
"Who knew it would turn into this?"
Thor stared at him.
Then realized Noah was dodging the topic.
But the deed was done.
After glaring at him, Thor said nothing more and followed him into the bar.
Noah chuckled.
Thor clearly wasn't going to press the issue.
Still, Noah couldn't help imagining what would've happened if Thor had attacked with the Power Stone.
The result would've been worse.
In the original story, Peter-that idiot-had used the Power Stone to blast Ronan directly. Even after tanking a specialized missile, Ronan still fell.
Peter's bloodline hadn't even awakened yet.
Thanos himself had once used the Power Stone to punch Carol away like a meteor.
That was the level of power involved.
Thor was Ninth Tier now.
Even without the Infinity Gauntlet, his strike would've been terrifying.
Possibly worse than Noah's.
One axe swing might've split Xandar's downtown in half.
After realizing that, Noah felt relieved.
Letting Thor attack would've meant unavoidable compensation.
Though, to be fair, Thor could probably afford it.
When they reached the bar, Noah was surprised.
Yondu and his crew were standing stiffly at the entrance.
Especially when they saw Noah and Thor approaching.
Fear was written all over their faces.
Yondu wanted to strangle Peter.
That damned brat hadn't told him they were terrifying to this extent.
He'd dismissed Peter's stories as nonsense.
Mirror dimensions. Long-distance teleportation. Subduing the Power Stone.
All bullshit.
Except it wasn't.
Yondu finally realized something.
They really had come to save Xandar.
Three people.
To stop Ronan.
He'd thought it was a joke. Or a political move between Asgard and Earth.
Three people couldn't possibly do anything.
Reality slapped him in the face.
One person had done it all.
Yondu's only comfort was that he'd been polite at the start.
Out of fear of Asgard.
That scrap of caution had saved his life.
Now he understood.
That seemingly foolish, plump man was anything but simple.
Someone who could casually erase Ronan's flagship was not to be provoked.
Yondu bowed deeply.
Uncharacteristically so.
He hadn't been this respectful even as a slave.
"What's going on?" Noah and Thor looked at the nearly ninety-degree bows, both confused.
"Congratulations, esteemed sirs, on completing this... employment," Yondu said carefully.
He'd almost said mission, but corrected himself instantly.
The word employment stabbed him in the heart.
Whether the employment existed or not, he had to pay.
And it had to be enough.
No refunds from Xandar.
No cutting corners.
This was about sincerity.
Facing beings like these, sincerity mattered more than money.
If he misstepped, who knew how he'd die?
Yondu wasn't gambling on that.
"About the payment..." Yondu clenched his teeth. "I'll sell my ship. I can raise one billion-"
"One billion?" Noah tilted his head. "Didn't we agree on three cosmic credits?"
"...Huh?"
Yondu froze.
Three?
That cheap?
Or was this a test?
He thought hard.
It didn't feel like a test.
People at their level didn't need to play games.
And then he understood.
The employment was a pretense.
A way to save Xandar and kill Ronan without causing diplomatic fallout between Asgard and the Kree Empire.
Yondu wasn't stupid.
There was a difference between someone hiring mercenaries and Asgard acting directly.
Noah's goal had probably been Ronan's death from the start.
And that had nothing to do with him.
Relief washed over Yondu.
He smiled broadly, just as he was about to speak-
A Nova Corps officer suddenly ran over.
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