Star-Lord's body hit the ground.
Supergiant's cold smile was chilling to behold.
Yandu's furious roar meant nothing to her. In her eyes, even Yandu was no match for Proxima Midnight, so how could he possibly stand against her master?
As for these so-called Guardians of the Galaxy, they were nothing more than a joke.
The galaxy was vast. Even Captain Marvel could not dominate every opponent. Yet these reckless youngsters dared to claim they protected it. Absurd.
Drax the Destroyer charged in from a distance.
He had witnessed everything.
Rage surged through him, and in his mind, that rage made him stronger.
With that belief, he hurled himself at Supergiant once more.
This time, he was not alone.
Every member of the Guardians roared in fury, unleashing their strongest attacks to give shape to their grief and anger.
But it was useless.
The gap in power was absolute.
No matter how fiercely they fought, all they could do was barely hold their ground.
"So this is your strength? This is the so-called Guardians of the Galaxy?"
Supergiant mocked them without restraint.
Rocket and the others felt a deep, suffocating frustration. Their companion had fallen, yet they could do nothing.
None of them noticed the faint glow forming around Star-Lord's body.
Star-Lord was the son of Ego, a primordial Celestial with immense power.
That power had always existed within him, sealed and dormant.
But now, under the force of Supergiant's attack, his body had been pushed to the brink.
An ordinary man would have died instantly.
He did not.
Instead, something inside him began to awaken.
Rocket was the first to notice.
He said nothing.
Whatever was happening to Star-Lord, it was not over yet. They needed time.
"Hey, big guy," Rocket shouted, grinning wildly, "you know why you're so ugly? Because you've never been blessed by my gun!"
He burst into laughter, his tone dripping with provocation.
As expected, Supergiant's expression darkened.
"You're asking to die."
Her power surged once more.
Just like before, Rocket barely avoided her attacks, relying on teamwork to stay alive.
After a while, Supergiant suddenly paused.
Her gaze shifted.
She had finally noticed the change in Star-Lord.
Frowning, she moved toward him, intending to finish him off.
There was no rule in battle that said you should let your enemy evolve.
If he could survive one blow, she would simply take his head off. That would be the end of it.
The others tried desperately to stop her, but their resistance was fragile at best.
Just as her strike was about to land—
A whistle-arrow shot through the air.
The brief interruption was all it took.
Star-Lord's eyes snapped open, locking onto hers.
Supergiant felt a chill.
In that instant, a powerful force erupted from his body, blasting her backward.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Star-Lord said as he rose to his feet, stretching his limbs.
He could feel it clearly now.
The power inside him.
It felt familiar.
Not long ago, he had met his father, Ego… and killed him with his own hands.
This power was the same.
His father's power.
Now, it had awakened within him.
"Now this… this is something else," he laughed.
Who wouldn't love power? Especially him.
Gamora rushed over and embraced him tightly.
"Looks like I've been given a second chance," Star-Lord said with a grin.
Their reunion was brief.
Supergiant rose again.
At the same time, Ebony Maw turned his attention toward them, and Proxima Midnight stepped away from Yandu to join the others.
Seeing this, Yandu regrouped with the Guardians.
"Kid, I knew you weren't dead!" he said, smacking Star-Lord on the head.
Star-Lord winced. "I might survive enemies, but I won't survive you if you keep that up."
Yandu snorted. "Now it's time for father and son to fight together."
Star-Lord nodded, then glanced toward the sky.
"Do you think our ally can win?"
Yandu followed his gaze.
The sky was ablaze, torn apart by endless explosions. At its center, a towering mech clashed with a giant figure, each strike shaking space itself.
Even Yandu, confident as he was, had no desire to get involved in that battle.
"Of course," he said firmly. "Isn't that obvious?"
Even if he had doubts, this was not the time to voice them.
As long as Nolan could hold Thanos off, they could wipe out the rest of his forces.
No matter how powerful Thanos was, he could not fight an entire army alone.
"Then let's fight!" Yandu shouted.
His whistle-arrow shot forward once more, targeting the three enemies.
The Guardians followed up with everything they had.
Star-Lord, though still unfamiliar with his newfound power, could already wield it effectively.
This battle was far from decided.
Meanwhile, Nolan and Thanos had reached the peak of their clash.
To be precise, it was Nolan and his entire mechanical army against Thanos.
Thanos' fleet attempted to provide support, but Nolan's forces excelled in one thing above all else.
Numbers.
Under Red Queen's control, a defensive network blocked every advance.
Nolan had always believed in one thing.
If you could overwhelm your enemy, then do it.
Thanos' expression darkened.
He could feel the tide of battle shifting against him.
If this continued, defeat was no longer impossible.
But that outcome was unacceptable.
"I must admit," Thanos said coldly, "your strength is impressive. These machines, however, are as irritating as flies."
Nolan smiled.
"Thank you. Being as annoying as flies was always the goal."
Thanos stared at him, clearly not expecting such a shameless response.
Then he raised his hand.
The Infinity Gauntlet glowed faintly, the purple Power Stone pulsing with light.
Nolan's expression turned serious.
Thanos was finally using it.
He had never underestimated the Infinity Stones.
Even a single one could change everything.
Doctor Stephen Strange had used the Time Stone to hold off Dormammu.
The Space Stone had created Captain Marvel.
And the Power Stone, in Thanos' hands, was perhaps the most dangerous of all.
With all six stones, Thanos could reshape reality with a snap. But a single stone allowed him to unleash its power without restraint.
Thanos lifted his blade.
"The battle ends here, Nolan Locke. I will remember your name. Your strength has earned my respect. But there can only be one victor."
He swung.
A surge of raw energy tore through space, slashing toward Nolan.
Nolan's pupils shrank.
His AT Field expanded to its limit as he retreated at full speed.
Too late.
The energy wave struck.
The AT Field shattered instantly, as if it had never existed.
The attack did not stop.
It continued forward, slicing a nearby warship clean in half. Its shields might as well have been nothing.
"Damn it!"
Nolan cursed under his breath.
He had expected the Power Stone to be overwhelming.
But not like this.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
Yandu felt a chill run down his spine.
"Kid… it's time to run."
Against this version of Thanos, victory seemed impossible.
Thanos lowered his blade, calm and composed.
Power, to him, was only a means to an end.
Nolan exhaled slowly.
"Red Queen, we're pulling out. Notify our allies. The machines will cover our retreat."
Without hesitation, he sent every remaining unit forward to stall Thanos.
Red Queen relayed the command immediately.
Yandu did not argue.
"Fall back!" he shouted.
As the Ravagers withdrew, waves of machines surged forward to take their place.
Terminators in Mjolnir armor charged into battle, holding back the remaining Black Order.
Only when his ship lifted off did Yandu finally relax.
Yet he could still see Nolan at the front lines, facing Thanos alone.
Every swing of Thanos' blade erased anything it touched.
And still, Nolan stayed behind so the others could escape.
That was a man worth calling an ally.
After a moment's hesitation, Yandu spoke.
"Star-Lord, take your team and leave. Our ally hasn't withdrawn yet. I'm going back to help."
"I'm coming with you," Star-Lord replied immediately.
"Like hell you are. Get out of here," Yandu snapped.
Charging back now was suicide.
If anyone was going to risk it, it would be him alone.
Before they could argue further, sparks ignited in the air.
A glowing portal opened.
Through it, they saw a shattered stretch of space and a broken mech.
Then Nolan stepped out, smiling faintly.
"No need. I'm already back."
The portal closed behind him.
The last thing visible within it was a streak of energy slicing the mech apart.
Yandu stared, stunned.
"How did you…?"
Magic? He had seen sorcerers before, but nothing like this.
Advanced technology and mastery of the mystic arts.
Nolan was becoming more mysterious by the day.
"Thanos with the Power Stone is too strong," Nolan said, shaking his head. "That cost me quite a bit."
Still, the objective had been achieved.
Two members of the Black Order were gone. Only three remained. Thanos' forces had been heavily weakened.
And he had gained something even more valuable.
A reliable ally.
The losses could be replaced.
With the speed his empire was growing, money was both scarce and endless.
Only the loss of the Apostle Mech stung.
That thing had been expensive.
But it also proved something.
Against Thanos, it was no longer enough.
Nolan opened the system interface.
The Apostle Mech, based on EVA technology, had once been top-tier.
But the system held knowledge from countless worlds.
There were better options.
Much better.
His gaze settled on a particular technology.
It was expensive.
But worth every cost.
And this time, he would not hold back.
----------------------------------------
Caught in the currents of this adventure? Tell us what hooked you—your thoughts and reviews keep the story blazing! Every 300 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter, propelling the journey even further!
Nolan's path is just getting started, and the story of justice is only unfolding. Keep riding the waves with Unbound Evolution and sail beyond the horizon!
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a.