After the Cosmic Orb flew into Karl's hand, the device's outer shell began rotating rapidly.
The mechanical layers unfolded one after another.
Soon, the purple Power Stone was revealed inside.
Karl casually picked up the gem, glanced at it briefly, and then tossed it into his system space as if it were nothing special.
Gamora struggled under the crushing pressure of Karl's aura.
"You can't take it!"
"That stone will bring you disaster!"
"There's someone in the universe searching for the Infinity Stones!"
"You have no idea what you're about to face!"
Her voice trembled as she forced the words out while pressed against the ground.
Star-Lord was thinking about something entirely different.
"You bastard!"
"That Orb was mine!"
"I found it first!"
"You owe me one billion credits!"
Even under overwhelming pressure, he was still thinking about the bounty.
Rocket and Groot glared angrily at Karl.
Karl looked down at Gamora calmly.
"Oh?"
"The Mad Titan?"
"Thanos?"
"You think he's powerful?"
"That's just your opinion."
"If you see him, tell him to come find me."
"I'm from Earth—also known as Midgard, one of the Nine Realms of Asgard."
"He's welcome to come anytime."
Karl spoke slowly, completely unconcerned.
After saying that, Karl withdrew his aura.
The suffocating pressure vanished.
Then he casually walked away with Dark Phoenix and Ganata, as if nothing had happened.
The Nova Corps leadership of Xandar quickly arrived.
Their commander personally came to greet Karl.
He had clearly seen Karl arrive via the Rainbow Bridge of Asgard.
And he had also felt the terrifying pressure emanating from Karl's body.
Whether Karl was truly from Asgard or not didn't matter.
His strength alone demanded caution.
The Xandarian leader respectfully escorted Karl, Dark Phoenix, and Ganata around the city.
They were shown various important locations across Xandar.
Later, the Nova Corps even hosted a formal banquet in Karl's honor.
Meanwhile—
Star-Lord and his companions were not treated nearly as well.
They were immediately arrested and imprisoned.
Inside the prison, Star-Lord replayed Karl's words in his head.
He hadn't expected that the man who stole the Orb was actually from Earth.
Yondu had also once mentioned Earth to him.
But what shocked him most was Karl's overwhelming strength.
The Orb he had worked so hard to obtain—
Had been taken effortlessly.
At that same moment—
A massive warship appeared on the outskirts of Xandar.
Its owner was none other than Ronan the Accuser.
He had come for the Power Stone.
And to destroy Xandar.
After receiving intelligence reports, the Nova Corps fleet mobilized immediately.
Fighter squadrons launched toward Ronan's warship.
Meanwhile, Star-Lord and his companions were busy planning their escape from prison.
Karl, on the other hand, was enjoying himself.
He was staying in a magnificent guest residence provided by the Nova Corps.
His plan was simple:
Spend a few days exploring Xandar with Ganata and Dark Phoenix.
Then return to Earth.
At one point, Karl briefly considered leaving Ganata on Xandar.
But he quickly rejected the idea.
If she got angry and somehow returned to Earth on her own—
That would be a disaster.
Besides, she had already given him the Soul Stone.
Karl couldn't bring himself to abandon her.
And if she truly had been sent to Earth by Galactus, then abandoning her elsewhere might provoke Galactus himself.
That would be even worse.
After spending time together, Karl realized something.
Ganata was essentially just a cosmic child.
She was curious about everything.
Her understanding of the universe was shallow.
She loved exploring new things and occasionally complained about being hungry.
But she never caused trouble intentionally.
Karl even began suspecting she had grown somewhat attached to him.
Meanwhile, the battle outside Xandar intensified.
BOOM!
BANG!
The Nova Corps fleet was no match for Ronan's warship.
Their ships were destroyed one after another.
At the same time, Star-Lord and his group managed to escape from prison.
Soon afterward, they encountered Ronan himself.
In the chaos that followed, they managed—through a combination of luck and reckless action—to destroy Ronan's warship.
However—
Ronan himself emerged from the wreckage completely unharmed.
He stepped out of the burning debris, holding his massive war hammer.
His cold gaze fell upon Star-Lord and the others.
"Where is the Orb?"
Ronan demanded.
His weapon was already raised.
He had been ordered by Thanos to retrieve the Orb.
Destroying Xandar would simply be an added bonus.
Star-Lord immediately pointed the blame elsewhere.
"The Orb isn't with us!"
"It was taken by a guy in gold armor!"
"I swear it's true!"
"You've got to believe me!"
Gamora glared at him furiously.
She knew Ronan was working under Thanos, her adoptive father.
The last thing she wanted was for him to obtain the Power Stone.
But Star-Lord had already exposed everything.
Ronan's voice became even harsher.
"Where is he?!"
"Tell me!"
"Or you die!"
Nearby, the Xandarian leader was watching the scene unfold.
He knew exactly who had taken the Orb.
But he didn't dare say a word.
Those people were far more terrifying than Ronan.
Suddenly—
A voice came from above.
"I took it."
"What?"
"You want it?"
"Then come and get it."
Karl appeared in the sky.
He wore his Gold Cloth armor, hovering above the battlefield.
His expression carried clear amusement.
To him, Ronan—who was merely planet-level in strength—wasn't worth taking seriously.
Ronan's anger erupted.
"Hand it over!"
"Or die!"
He roared.
Before Karl could even move—
Dark Phoenix became annoyed.
With a casual gesture, she released a wave of fiery red energy.
BOOM!
The energy blast struck Ronan directly.
He was launched violently into the wreckage of his own warship.
Star-Lord and the others stared in shock.
They never expected Ronan—the terrifying warlord who had just destroyed Xandar's fleet—
To be sent flying by a single casual attack.
Ganata looked curiously at the wreckage where Ronan had landed.
Then she raised her hand.
A surge of terrifying blue cosmic energy gathered in her palm.
She pointed toward the wreckage.
BOOM!!
The energy beam blasted downward.
The entire wreckage—
Including Ronan—
Was completely annihilated.
When the light faded, only a bottomless crater remained.
Ronan had vanished without a trace.
Karl couldn't help twitching slightly.
The power Ganata had just released was terrifying.
Even he could clearly feel the overwhelming cosmic energy within it.
She had definitely held back.
Otherwise—
The entire planet Xandar might have been destroyed.
After all, Ganata was the daughter of Galactus, one of the five primordial cosmic entities.
Her life level and soul were probably already at the Single-Universe level from birth.
And she would only grow stronger over time.
Gamora and the others stood frozen in fear.
Moments ago, Ronan had seemed unstoppable.
Now he had been erased as if he were nothing.
Gamora looked at Karl with a complicated expression.
She remembered what he had said earlier.
Perhaps—
He truly hadn't been exaggerating at all.