"Damn Xandarians. Signing a peace treaty with you was the Kree's biggest mistake. I, Ronan, do not recognize it. Every last one of you deserves to die!" Ronan roared with fury.
With that, he ignored Xandar's warnings and ordered the attack.
Bolts of interstellar energy, crackling with blue lightning, shot out with destructive force toward the Nova Corps fleet.
In response, the Nova Corps opened fire in rage, and the space war erupted instantly.
"Now! Break through!"
Watching the sky light up with endless beams of fire like falling stars, Gamora's face hardened.
Rocket's grin twisted. One paw pulled the throttle, the other slammed the fire button. Their cannons spat energy bolts straight at Nebula's ship.
"You dare fight back? Then I'll finish you myself!" Nebula snarled.
"Destroy them. Dead or alive, I only want the Orb!" she ordered her fleet.
Dozens of ships moved in at her command, pressing the attack. Without the Nova Corps, Gamora's group wouldn't have lasted seconds. With their help, they at least had a sliver of hope, but even that quickly faded.
Under the concentrated assault of hundreds of fighters, their ship was shredded. Smoke poured from every deck. Escape became impossible.
Rocket cursed and steered them back toward the Kyln prison, hoping the structure could shield them.
"Hey, this is my ship! My best memories are on this boat! What the hell did you guys do to it?!" Star-Lord shouted as the battered craft crash-landed inside the prison yard, clutching his recovered Walkman.
Gamora snapped. She kicked him hard and screamed, "You idiot! Because of you, we lost our only chance to escape. Ronan's fleet is here. The Nova Corps only brought a few hundred ships. They can't hold out. We're trapped!"
Her words proved true almost immediately. Nebula stepped inside, flanked by a tall blue-skinned man carrying a massive warhammer.
It was Ronan the Accuser himself.
"Worthless trash. Hand over the Orb!" Ronan bellowed. He swung his hammer, releasing a shockwave that sent the team flying.
"Ronan! You killed my wife and daughter! I'll kill you!" Drax roared, charging like a beast.
But Ronan barely acknowledged him. With one swing of his hammer, Drax was hurled away.
"I don't even remember you. I've killed too many weaklings for me to notice," Ronan sneered.
Drax, stubborn as ever, clawed his way back up and lunged again. Ronan grabbed his throat, slammed him into the ground, and left him broken through the floor of another prison level.
Ronan turned to Star-Lord's bag, extending his hammer. A magnetic pull ripped it from Peter's grip.
"No! If he gets the Orb, Xandar is finished!" Gamora cried, rushing forward, but Nebula cut her off, forcing her into combat.
Star-Lord and the others tried to hold on to the bag, tugging with all their strength, but the straps tore apart. The Orb tumbled to the floor, rolling into Ronan's waiting hand.
"Damn it!" Star-Lord lunged, but Ronan unleashed another energy wave that sent them all flying, even Nebula.
He opened the Orb. Inside was a glowing purple stone the size of a thumb. The Power Stone.
Ronan's laughter shook the prison.
"What the hell is that?!" Star-Lord gasped.
Nebula smirked. "One of the six Infinity Stones. With this, Ronan can rival even Thanos. My dear sister, did you think you were the only one to betray him? You were just too stupid. Following this bunch of fools was your downfall."
Without hesitation, Ronan pressed the stone into his hammer. A torrent of purple energy surged through him, feeding into his body. His power skyrocketed beyond imagination.
The Kyln prison cracked and split apart under the pressure.
The Guardians scrambled back to their ship, trying to flee, but Ronan raised his hammer. Space itself shuddered. Their ship shattered into debris.
They floated helpless in the void, death moments away.
Then, a golden portal opened and swallowed them whole.
When they blinked, they were inside a strange starship, surrounded by women they had never seen before.
These were Akagi and her fleet.
They had watched everything unfold, from the Kyln escape to the battle between Nova and the Kree. They had not intervened, only observed, waiting for their moment.
Seizing the Power Stone was easy for them, but they wanted more. Their true plan was to let Ronan devastate Xandar, then swoop in as saviors, turning Xandar into a planet of faith for their master, Roland Phils.
Faith mattered more than any stone. Faith fueled their master's rise beyond gods and kings. That was why they had waited until now to act.
Star-Lord stared around in awe. "Who the hell are you?"
Akagi smiled faintly. "We serve the Lord of Life. He commanded us to reclaim the Power Stone. Seeing your danger, we saved you."
Drax blinked. "Lord of Life? What's that? Can you eat it?"
"Silence! Our master is the supreme god. You dare blaspheme?" Akagi's fleet snapped in unison, unleashing a crushing pressure.
The Guardians collapsed to their knees, unable to breathe. The sheer force was more terrifying than Ronan with the Stone. Gamora shivered. This was power only Thanos had ever carried. Maybe even stronger.
"We were wrong! Please, spare us!" Star-Lord begged, grinning nervously.
Akagi's eyes were cold. "Next time, you'll be cast into space to die."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll keep these idiots in line!" Star-Lord promised quickly.
Outside, the war still raged. Hundreds of Nova ships struggled under Ronan's assault. Linked together, their shields formed a massive energy net, barely holding off the Kree fleet. Reinforcements arrived from Xandar, intensifying the battle.
But then Ronan emerged from his mothership, glowing with purple energy, warhammer in hand.
"Xandarian insects! Your doom is here! Wail in despair. I, Ronan, will enslave you for eternity!"
With a single swing, he unleashed a tidal wave of destructive energy. The Nova fleet's shield, strong enough to withstand thousands of ship cannons, shattered like glass. Hundreds of ships exploded into fireballs across the void.
Everyone was stunned. One strike had annihilated an entire fleet.
"This… this is the Power Stone?!" Nebula's eyes gleamed with obsession.
"It's over," Star-Lord muttered in despair.
But Akagi only smiled. "So weak. To think he can barely use the Stone's power. Sisters, the time has come."
Kaga cracked her neck, smirking. "Finally, some fun."
Monica scoffed. "A fight where I already know the ending? Hardly worth dealing the cards."
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