Chapter 392 Head Slumped

Reluctantly, Rocket followed the group into the throne room for the final showdown, leaving the "soft target," Nebula, to Gamora.

The team stormed the hall. The defenses inside were surprisingly thin, with only two Necro-soldiers guarding the entrance. Drax and Valkyrie dispatched them silently and efficiently, their blades ending the lives of the soldiers before they could even draw breath.

"Ronan is just ahead. Stay sharp," Yondu warned them again.

"Rocket, you ready?" Valkyrie looked at Rocket.

"The Quantum Rocket Launcher is primed and ready, but I suddenly feel a bit faint. My hands are shaking. I don’t think I can pull the trigger," Rocket grumbled, waving his paws dismissively.

"What a coward!" Valkyrie rolled her eyes.

"Fine! I’m a coward! Then you, the brave one, can take the damn thing." Rocket handed the heavy weapon over.

Valkyrie, being a Valkyrie, took the launcher without a second thought. She signaled the others: "Let’s go!"

Ronan stood by the ship’s viewport, staring at the rapidly approaching Xandar. In his mind, he was already imagining himself treading upon Nova Prime, forcing every Xandarian to kneel at his feet.

Suddenly, he felt movement behind him.

He spun around to find the group of inferiors standing there, weapons drawn. Valkyrie stood at the front, cradling the strangely designed weapon.

"Go to hell, Ronan!"

Valkyrie aimed for Ronan’s chest and squeezed the trigger.

BOOM!

A missile streaked through the air, followed by an explosion. Before Ronan could even react, he was completely engulfed in raging flames.

Rocket is a genius when it comes to weaponry. Using nothing but scrap parts from the ship, he had assembled a launcher of terrifying power. The shockwave from the blast made the entire hall tremble.

"We did it!"

Seeing Ronan fall without a sound, Drax’s face was filled with raw emotion. Avenging his wife and daughter was his life’s purpose. Even if it was by another’s hand, he had finally seen Ronan defeated.

"Steady on. It’s not over yet," Yondu whistled to summon his Yaka Arrow, his voice cautious. Ronan had the Power Stone; he wouldn’t be taken down that easily, or he never would have had the balls to invade Xandar.

Valkyrie lowered the launcher, her gaze heavy and focused.

As the thick smoke cleared, Ronan slowly pushed himself up from the floor. The attack had been so sudden he hadn’t had time to dodge, but even a direct hit from a Quantum Rocket Launcher had only knocked him down. With the Power Stone in his hand, he wasn’t going to be killed that easily.

"Fucking clowns!"

Seeing Valkyrie standing with the Ravagers, Ronan finally understood. This woman never intended to join him. Her story about Infinity Stone intel was just a ruse to buy time for her rescue.

If Valkyrie had fled the ship immediately after being freed, Ronan might have had a hard time catching her. But for these idiots to think they could kill him with a rocket launcher? That was just asking for death.

Ronan’s hammer spun slowly, and a shockwave erupted toward them.

Bang!

The group was sent flying into the air, crashing into the floor in a heap. Ronan didn’t even use the Power Stone yet. He wanted to personally deal with these arrogant fools. He wanted them to know that even without the Stone, he was Ronan the Accuser, a name feared across the cosmos—not someone these inferiors could insult.

Drax was the first to scramble back up. He drew his twin knives and charged at Ronan with a guttural roar. "Ronan! You killed my wife! You killed my daughter! I will have your blood!"

Seeing Drax charge alone, Ronan gave a cold smirk. He tucked his right hand, still gripping the hammer, behind his back.

One hand!

Drax felt the sting of the insult, and his rage burned hotter. He reached Ronan and swung his blade at the Accuser’s throat. Ronan shifted his weight slightly, dodging the strike with ease. Drax missed the slash and immediately transitioned into a horizontal sweep. Ronan moved like lightning, grabbing Drax’s wrist mid-swing. Drax raised his other arm, but Ronan delivered a brutal headbutt that sent the big man spiraling away.

"Ugh..." Drax lay on the floor, his nose twisted and bleeding, groaning in pain.

"I do not remember killing your family," Ronan said, walking toward him coldly. "And I will not remember killing you."

He raised his hammer high, ready to crush Drax’s skull.

Whistle—

A sharp whistle echoed through the hall. Ronan sensed the danger immediately and gripped his hammer. The Power Stone flared with purple light, surrounding him in a protective shroud.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Yaka Arrow struck the barrier repeatedly, but it couldn’t penetrate the purple light. Valkyrie crouched low and lunged forward, swinging her Dragonfang with everything she had.

Clang!

Sparks flew, but even her blade couldn’t breach the barrier.

"Rocket! Groot! Get up! Everyone, together!" Peter scrambled to his feet, firing his twin blasters at Ronan.

"Dammit, I’m on it!" Rocket groaned, clutching his dizzy head as he pulled out a laser rifle.

The Ravagers didn’t hold back either, unleashing every trick in their arsenal. Some took the front line to distract him, while others sniped from a distance or tried to snare his movements. They worked in perfect sync. If it weren’t for the Power Stone, Ronan would have been carved into pieces by now.

But in reality, there were no ifs.

Ronan looked clumsy under the combined assault, lacking the grace of a master. He had wanted to capture them alive—especially Valkyrie for her intel—but it was clear now that without using the Stone, he would be picked apart by these insects.

The problem was that even with the hammer as a conduit, Ronan couldn’t fully control the Power Stone. Once he unleashed it, their survival would be up to luck.

"Annoying pests! DIE!"

Ronan roared. The Power Stone flared again, and he fired a concentrated beam of purple laser.

"GET DOWN!"

Valkyrie screamed a warning and dove to the side. The beam was incredibly fast, but for these battle-hardened veterans, seeing Ronan’s movements allowed them to predict the trajectory and dive for safety. Most managed to dodge the lethal strike.

However, a few Ravagers were too slow.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion rocked the hall. Those Ravagers were vaporized instantly, leaving nothing but ash. A massive hole was torn into the side of the Dark Aster.

Everything happening in the hall was being transmitted back to the Commander via a hidden camera on Peter’s suit.

Watching Ronan use the Power Stone like a primitive cannonball, Jason gave a cold scoff and rose from his throne.

He didn’t need to see any more.

Ronan was a waste. He wasn’t wielding the Power Stone; he was a puppet being dragged along by it. Jason had been too cautious in sending Peter and the others to test him. It was a waste of time.

The Commander’s hangar doors opened. Jason’s internal energy surged, forming a protective shroud as he accelerated, turning into a dazzling meteor streaking toward the Dark Aster.

The battle between the sisters, Gamora and Nebula, finally came to an end.

Unsurprisingly, Gamora emerged victorious once again.

"Sister, stop helping that madman. Let’s join forces and take him down together," Gamora pleaded, kneeling beside the heavily injured Nebula.

"Hmph. In my eyes, you’re the mad ones," Nebula scoffed, coughing up blood. "You don’t understand how strong Ronan is now. With one wave of his hand, he erased the Nova fleet. To oppose him is to seek death."

Gamora refused to give up. "We have help. If you join us, we can stop him."

Just then, a wave of screams echoed from the throne room.

Gamora stood up instantly, her face full of tension.

"Hahaha..." Nebula laughed, lying on her back. "It sounds like your help is failing. Just surrender. You can never defeat Ronan."

Gamora drew her sword, her gaze hardening. "Even so, I will die fighting beside them."

She turned to run toward the throne room, but a sudden, bone-chilling gust of wind stopped her in her tracks. She covered her eyes as the pressure mounted. When the wind settled, the two sisters were stunned to find a man standing before them.

"Thanos’s daughter?" Jason asked, his eyes cold.

"Who are you?" Gamora raised her sword, shielding Nebula.

Jason didn’t even look at them as he walked toward the throne room.

"Who is he?" Nebula asked.

Gamora shook her head. "I don’t know... but if I had to guess, that’s Jason."

"Valkyrie’s Master!?" Nebula gasped.

"I have to see this." Gamora whispered, following him cautiously.

"Hey! I’m coming too!" Nebula struggled to crawl after her.

Inside the hall, the Ravagers were decimated. Only a few remained standing.

Valkyrie and the others were slumped on the floor, heavily injured and unable to fight back. Only Ronan remained standing, unscathed. He raised his hammer high, triumphant. "Pathetic ants! This is the price of defiance—"

"A waste who uses an Infinity Stone like a cannonball has no right to speak."

Ronan spun around in shock, staring at the intruder.

"Jason... haha... you finally came..."

Valkyrie had blood trickling from her mouth, but she couldn’t help but drop her dagger and laugh as she lay on the floor.

Jason was here. It was over. This man always brought a sense of absolute security—you didn’t need a reason, you just trusted him.

"Jason... Jason?" Ronan repeated the name. "So you’re her Master. The one who wanted to trade for the Orb."

"That’s me," Jason said indifferently.

Ronan asked with burning curiosity, "That woman said she had info on the Mind Stone. If she wasn’t lying, then you’re the one she got it from."

"Yep. Also correct."

Ronan’s eyes lit up with greed. "What is the intel? Tell me, and I might let you live!"

"Sure." A slight smirk played on Jason’s lips. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an Infinity Stone radiating a brilliant gold light.

"The intel is that the Mind Stone is already in my hand."

Ronan’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He stared, unblinking, at the glowing gem. Behind him, Rocket, Drax, Gamora, and even the crawling Nebula were frozen in shock.

An Infinity Stone! Another one!

Gamora and the others finally understood why Valkyrie had claimed Jason had the power to destroy worlds. But they were also curious about something. It might have been their imagination, but the gold light of the Mind Stone seemed a bit dimmer than the purple of the Power Stone.

"You... this..."

Ronan’s shock was so great he could barely form words. Infinity Stones were the stuff of legends. How had they suddenly become so common? Not only were two present at once, but the owner of the second one was a complete nobody.

After a few heartbeats, Ronan regained his composure. He frowned. "How are you holding the Mind Stone directly? What is the secret?"

Ronan remembered the agony of holding the Power Stone—the feeling of his body being torn apart, like a balloon being over-inflated until it burst. But Jason held the Mind Stone with casual ease.

"Because I am stronger than you. It’s that simple."

With that, Jason tucked the Mind Stone away and held out his hand. "Alright, Q&A is over. Give me the Power Stone."

"What did you say?" Ronan gripped his hammer, the purple aura intensifying. He roared, "You think I’ll just hand it over? On what grounds!?"

Jason said. "On the grounds that a piece of trash like you doesn’t deserve to hold it."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ronan retreated a few steps in rage and fired a purple laser from his hammer.

Jason gave a cold smirk. A golden light flickered around his body.

BOOM!

The purple beam hit Jason head-on, blasting a massive crater into the floor. But before the smile could even form on Ronan’s face, a figure streaked out of the smoke.

In the next heartbeat, Jason appeared in front of Ronan—so fast the Accuser couldn’t even process it. Jason’s hand shot out, passing through the purple barrier like it wasn’t there. He gripped Ronan by the throat and lifted him into the air.

"Gack... ugh..."

Ronan’s eyes bulged in terror. He frantically swung his hammer, striking Jason repeatedly.

One blow. Two blows. Three blows.

Jason didn’t even bother to dodge. The attacks did absolutely nothing.

"Before you die, I’ll tell you one thing for free," Jason said coldly.

"The effects of Infinity Stones can neutralize each other."

"In other words, if two Stone-wielders fight, the one with the higher strength wins."

"And as far as I’m concerned... you are far too weak!"

Jason’s grip tightened with a violent snap, crushing Ronan’s throat.

Crack!

With a sickening sound, Ronan the Accuser’s head slumped to the side, his life extinguished instantly.

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