Besieged on Three Sides

The command, brimming with satisfaction and anticipation, was issued. In an instant, multicolored energy cannons locked onto the sleek warship emblazoned with the symbol B!

The hidden technology of the two empires’ core elite forces had slipped past Woz’s security scans. The sudden barrage wove a massive web through the magnificent cosmos, surrounding one ship and one horse in an instant!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Warning! Warning! Two massive armies have been detected lying in ambush at the two forward 45-degree angles!"

"Warning! Warning!…"

Woz’s alarms rang incessantly beside Beckett’s ears. Scarlet warning lights flashed through the luxuriously decorated spacecraft, casting shifting shadows across Beckett’s face.

"Woz, who is it?"

A chill that inexplicably suffocated The Other’s chest flickered in Beckett’s eyes.

"Judging by the markings on the fleet, they should be the Universal First Crime Syndicate, which was once eradicated by the Nova Corps."

"His Highness Beckett, we may have been drawn into a gang revenge incident."

While steering the ship wildly from side to side in an effort to evade the attacks, Woz displayed the full enemy fleet she had scanned before Beckett.

The emblem of the former Universal First Crime Syndicate was engraved across that endless fleet!

"What did you say? Revenge?"

Bang!

Before Beckett could finish speaking, two figures slammed onto the ship’s main screen.

The Flying Divine Horse, which had lost its wings amid the dense barrage, and Hela, with traces of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

Unlike Beckett’s ship, which was controlled by the Artificial Intelligence Woz, Hela, who relied entirely on a horse for travel, once again suffered from the drawbacks of outdated transportation.

The overwhelming, cost-be-damned bombardment and the enemy’s unmistakable intent to destroy the planet were far beyond what Hela could withstand at this moment.

"Hela?"

The fading bloodstains on Hela’s body made Beckett’s pupils contract instinctively.

"His Highness Beckett, we—"

Before The Other, seated with his scepter in hand, could finish speaking, a shower of sparks suddenly erupted from the ship’s right side!

Bang!

The spacecraft shook!

Hela and the Flying Divine Horse, wounded and perched atop the hull, were instantly thrown into the boundless universe!

"Warning! Warning! The third thruster system has been damaged!"

"Warning! Warning! The third thruster system has been damaged!"

"Warning! Warning!…"

Woz’s piercing alarms kept ringing by Beckett’s ears, making his expression grow even darker.

"Open the hatch, Woz."

"The Other, awaken the Chitauri fleet."

After fastening the miniature spacesuit device around his waist, Beckett walked to the hatch.

"His Highness Beckett, Woz does not recommend that you do this."

"The enemy’s fire suppression is too fierce. Your spacesuit device could easily be damaged by the crisscrossing barrage."

And once the spacesuit was damaged, even if Beckett covered his body with the energy inside him, he would not be able to endure for long.

Saiyans, even in Super Saiyan form, could not survive in space for extended periods. This was Beckett’s only weakness in space combat.

"Please trust Woz. Woz will definitely get you out safely—"

"I said open the hatch, Woz." Without looking back, Beckett pressed the button on his spacesuit at his waist, his voice icy.

"Yes, His Highness Beckett. The first hatch has been opened."

Unable to defy the fact that Beckett was her master, Woz opened the hatch. The figure whose body was gradually wreathed in Golden Lightning landed before Hela in an instant.

Where the dazzling golden energy blast swept through, warship wreckage was strewn everywhere!

"Beckett…?"

The pressure on Hela’s shoulders suddenly eased as she desperately held up her shields against the firepower of the two empires’ elite legions. Her bloodstained red lips parted as she looked at the golden figure standing between her and the warships.

"Not dead yet?"

The moment Beckett spoke, the towering godlike image Hela had formed of him quietly crumbled.

"I think I said it before. Even if you die, I won’t." Countless weapons condensed in space behind her. Hela wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, took the spacesuit device, and fastened it around her waist. Her voice immediately transmitted into Beckett’s ears.

Glancing at the miniature spacesuit device around Beckett’s waist, Hela waved a hand. Countless weapons met the innumerable energy blasts head-on, clanging loudly!

"Fire! Keep firing!!!"

"Hit him hard!!!"

"Today, I’m going to beat him with sheer numbers!!!"

"The dignity of our Skrull Empire, once trampled by Thanos—I’ll collect some interest from his son today!!"

Under their commander’s orders, the Skrull Empire’s elite forces, all disguised as members of the Universal First Crime Syndicate, continued attacking the golden figure without restraint.

Because of the special relationship between Xandar and the Kree Empire, the Skrull Empire had always stationed heavy forces in this region. It had originally been to prevent the Kree Empire and Xandar from secretly joining forces, but now it had become an overwhelming advantage in their siege of Beckett alone.

"Commander, it seems we’ve run into actual gang remnants who intend to take revenge on Xandar?"

A heavily disguised Kree Empire fleet entered the Skrull commander’s field of vision.

"?"

Competitors?

Or allies?

"Target the spacesuit device at the Son of Thanos’s waist!"

Unlike the Skrulls, who sought to reclaim their empire’s dignity, Rocco, a member of the Kree Empire’s Supreme Accuser Corps seeking revenge for his father, was clearly much calmer.

Thanks to having long commanded five army groups at Xandar’s border, facing off against Xandar’s Nova Corps, he now had more than enough troops and firepower to accomplish his goal of revenge.

"If you want someone to blame, blame yourself for being so high-profile."

Narrowing his eyes at the figure radiating golden light across the screen, Rocco’s eyes gleamed viciously.

If Beckett had not been so ostentatious that all of Xandar witnessed him kidnapping Nova Prime, the spies Rocco had planted on Xandar might not have informed him.

"Commander, it seems we’ve encountered genuine gang remnants."

The adjutant’s report made Rocco frown. The image on the screen clearly showed Skrulls, every one of them disguised as gang remnants.

Competitors?

Or allies?

Bang!!

The black round shield shattered under the endless barrage, and several more wounds inevitably appeared on Hela’s body!

"Beckett! Leave!"

"Go back to Xandar!"

"There are too many of them!"

"They have firepower equivalent to ten army groups!"

Whoosh!

Brilliant energy beams collided with dense artillery fire and even plasma anti-aircraft cannons on the level of Star Destroyer Cannons. The dazzling fireworks of exploding warships illuminated Beckett’s face.

"These… bastards…"

The intense energy output over a short period made Beckett’s breathing slightly unsteady. His gloomy gaze swept across the fleets still tirelessly firing their energy cannons.

He was certain now. These people were not some so-called gang at all—they had come specifically for him!

"His Highness Beckett, Xandar has activated its Planetary Defense System and has activated the Star Destroyer—"

Smack!

The last miniature spacesuit device Beckett carried was shattered by artillery fire that grazed past him.

Buzz!

Energy rapidly gathering over his body drove away the suffocating pain.

Looking back, the fully armed Nova Corps warships had already activated the planetary defense grid. The muzzles of their conventional anti-planetary weapons were aimed at Beckett, with Hela, standing with her hands on her hips and catching her breath, included as well.

Energy gathered in the muzzle of the Star Destroyer Cannon. Hela, still panting with her hands on her hips, pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Great. Now we can’t even go back to Xandar."

Thanks for the tip, Wasteland Law~