"#&$$#!"
Black Bolt stood upright in space, silence was his nature, but now every word he uttered tore through space itself.
His voice, barely audible at first, transformed into waves of destructive energy that ripped apart the vacuum and scattered the enemy forces.
Each explosive syllable of his words created a wave that spread from his mouth, visible even to the naked eye, like concentric rings tearing through the darkness of space.
Wherever it passed, the wave destroyed and dispersed everything it touched.
The enemy ships struck by it exploded like fragile toys, turning into countless pieces of space debris.
Just a few roars from Black Bolt were enough to destroy thousands of enemy craft. The battlefield, which moments ago was filled with the deafening noise of battle, was suddenly transformed into an eerie, deadly silence.
The once endless formation of enemy ships was now blown apart and vanished like ashes carried by the wind.
Inside Sanctuary II, Corvus Glaive silently observed the destructive power displayed before his eyes. His dark eyes were wide open, and his face bore an involuntary expression of astonishment. He could not believe that a planet like Earth had produced so many cosmic-level warriors.
His plan had been precise. After determining that the Ancient One's power had greatly weakened and that Odin was no longer present, he believed nothing would stand in the way of their assault. Everything had seemed perfectly prepared for the invasion. And yet, reality was now mocking him.
Hercules, Quicksilver, Drax, all had proven themselves to be warriors capable of standing up to cosmic threats. And now Black Bolt had shown that his power surpassed even Corvus Glaive's expectations. What he saw was not just force; it was absolute terror.
"Cosmic warriors…" he muttered quietly, almost to himself.
That term was used throughout the universe to describe individuals whose power equaled that of entire warships. They were not ordinary heroes; they were walking arsenals of space.
And Black Bolt was something even more terrifying: a cosmic warrior whose destructive power of his voice was comparable to beings on the level of the Heavenly Father, whose names inspired fear and reverence across the galaxy.
"Have Ebony Maw and the Black Dwarf returned?" asked Corvus Glaive, not taking his eyes off the battle raging on the screen before him.
One of his subordinates replied with clenched lips: "We've just lost contact with Ebony Maw and the Black Dwarf!"
"What!?" Corvus Glaive suddenly raised his head, his eyes gleaming like a blade.
"They didn't… they didn't lose the gem, did they?" he murmured softly, but a troubling suspicion began to creep into his heart.
Ebony Maw was extremely powerful and intelligent, and with the support of the Black Dwarf, there was no reason they could not ensure success. If they had failed to bring back the gem, it could mean only one thing, something had gone terribly wrong.
Corvus Glaive tried to calm himself. He told himself there was no reason to panic, but the sense of impending doom in his heart only grew, like a dark cloud foretelling a storm.
"No… I won't waste time on guessing anymore!" he suddenly declared, his voice echoing through the room.
"Prepare the Annihilation Main Cannon! Destroy that moon!" he shouted with anger and cold determination.
The subordinates beside him immediately sprang into action, their hands moving over the control panels as they aimed the main cannon at the nearby moon. One of them pressed the fire button.
But nothing happened.
"???" Corvus Glaive clenched his teeth, and his eyes flickered with anger.
"General!" the operator shouted, nervously staring at the screen in front of him. "The main ship has been attacked! The enemy has infiltrated Sanctuary II and is trying to shut down our weapon system!"
As if that were not enough, a new report arrived from the control center: "Proxima Midnight is already in combat with the intruder!"
Corvus Glaive fell silent for a moment, then a cold smile appeared on his lips. It was the smile of a man who had anticipated the arrival of an opponent and had prepared a trap in advance.
"Of course…" he murmured, almost with satisfaction.
He knew that Star-Lord and his team would try to infiltrate the main ship. That was why he had sent his wife, Proxima Midnight, in advance to wait right there in the control room, ready to confront them.
---
"Damn it!"
"I feel like our plan was leaked!"
The interior of the Second Temple was in chaos.
Star-Lord's group, who had teleported inside, was no match for Proxima Midnight.
If not for Mordo on their side, they would likely have already been annihilated.
"Scott! Go and shut down the weapon system! Everything depends on you!"
"I'm trying my best!"
Ant-Man, the second-generation Scott, had now replaced Black Panther and joined the infiltration team.
This temporary change had been crucial, without his ability to shrink, he would never have been able to slip through the gap between Proxima Midnight and Mordo and the others in the shadows.
He managed to break through to the system and shut down the weapons.
But at that very moment…
At Corvus Glaive's command, the antimatter cannons were preparing to turn the Moon into mere space debris.
The situation, however, spiraled out of control, the weapon system that had been shut down began to automatically restart.
On top of that, Proxima Midnight's power was far greater than they had anticipated.
The spear in her hand was deadly, each strike turning the weapon into three beams of dark energy that pierced through everything in their path.
Anyone struck would die instantly.
Fortunately, they all still had the protection of Mordo's magical barrier, but it was a weak and temporary shield.
After two successive spear attacks, even the toughest among them were not sure they would survive.
Because of that, the spectators in the control room watched the battle with extreme tension.
The battle itself was horrifying.
"Scott! The weapon system will restart soon! Shut it down!"
"I know! Stop yelling at me!"
Scott kept changing his size, using his abilities to break through the defenses and re-enter the main control room.
But Proxima Midnight, having learned from her previous failure, had no intention of giving him a second chance.
"Little parasite, do you think you'll succeed again!"
She raised her spear and struck it hard against the floor.
A rumble echoed through the entire temple, and a shockwave spread out like a ring.
Scott, who at that moment had shrunk to the size of an ant, had nowhere to escape.
The wave struck him with full force, slamming him into the metal wall of Sanctuary II.
He fell to the ground and lost consciousness.
"Damn it!"
"The weapon system has restarted!"
Gamora was the first to notice the terrifying blue flash in the main control room.
Her voice was tense and filled with worry.
Star-Lord instantly realized that the antimatter cannon was charging again.
He pulled the trigger and fired several shots at Proxima Midnight, but she easily dodged them.
"Mag! Teleport me there!"
Tekken didn't know what antimatter was, but he could feel the terrifying power radiating from the chamber ahead.
He was ready to risk his life.
Even if teleportation brought him to his death, he had to try.
"Ha… it's too late for you."
Proxima Midnight, as if reading their thoughts, attacked Mordo even more fiercely.
She gave him no chance to prepare the spell for teleportation.
Mordo, who was more of a warrior than a sorcerer like Wong, could not respond with suitable long-range magic.
He was forced to engage in close combat.
In such a situation, as sparks and magical waves spread throughout the temple, he could not find a moment's peace to open a portal.
In the background, a signal arrived, the main weapon had finished charging.
"Gamora… you shouldn't have betrayed us," Proxima Midnight said coldly, her eyes gleaming in the darkness.
With those words, the massive ship Sanctuary II, floating like a hovering fortress, aimed its enormous barrel at the Moon.
"We're finished…"
Star-Lord and the others stared silently at the scene before them, feeling a chilling dread spreading through their bodies.