Sandal Defense

Xandar, central control room of the capital.

The automatic doors opened, and a centurion entered the command room to begin his report.

"Your Majesty, the Nova Corps is in position. Whatever those Ravagers are planning, we can keep the enemy outside the planet."

Queen Adora stood before the holographic screen, sighed, and said, "If it were only the Ravagers, I wouldn’t be too worried. The Nova Corps would make them suffer a crushing defeat. But if what the man named Quill said is true, and Ronan has obtained the Infinity Mu Jins, then Xandar may be facing utter destruction."

"As long as we can stop Ronan from landing, he won’t have a chance to use the Infinity Mu Jins." Centurion Rhomann Dey saw how tense the atmosphere was and hurriedly spoke up.

Adora realized it as well. She took a deep breath and said, "That’s right. No matter who the enemy is or what they intend to do, we cannot retreat. We must stop them outside the planet. In addition, once the war truly begins, immediately activate the emergency plan and evacuate the civilians outside the city."

Suddenly, countless points of light appeared from nowhere on the holographic screen. When the view zoomed in, they could be seen to be fighter craft.

"Your Majesty, the Ravagers’ fighter fleet has appeared. Should we attack them?"

Queen Adora hesitated, then shook her head. "Not for now. We still don’t know their intentions. Prepare our defenses first. If they dare attack Xandar, counterattack immediately."

The centurions accepted the order and immediately split up to make their preparations. However, after waiting for a long time, they saw only the fighter craft hovering in the sky with their backs to the planet. Clearly, they were guarding against enemies attacking from space.

"Centurion Rhomann Dey, contact the man named Quill and ask him when Ronan will arrive."

Quill was clearly very excited when the connection went through. This meant their chances of survival had increased by quite a bit.

"I’m glad you believed the information I sent you, Centurion Rhomann Dey."

Rhomann Dey kept a stern expression and asked meticulously, "Before you and Ronan actually engage in battle, I won’t completely believe what you say. You said Ronan would attack. When will he arrive?"

"Uh…" Quill’s expression froze for a moment. "Under normal circumstances, he should already be here. But our detection radar hasn’t found Ronan’s warship at all. I don’t know if he’s secretly plotting some other scheme. After all, Thanos is backing him."

Gamora leaned over and cut in, "Thanos is determined to obtain the Power Stone, and I don’t know what kind of support he’ll give Ronan. I wouldn’t be surprised even if a hundred warships appeared. Don’t underestimate them."

Queen Adora nodded solemnly. "Thank you for providing us with this information. No matter the outcome of this battle, the Nova Corps will always remember your kindness."

As she spoke, an alarm suddenly sounded. A huge red blotch appeared on the holographic screen. Ronan’s warship had appeared.

Zhan Liu and the other person had no idea that the war hammer on the ground contained an Infinity Stone. Thus, Nebula successfully retrieved Ronan’s war hammer. She then pointed at the Power Stone on it and shouted at the two of them, fierce on the outside but weak within.

"Do you know what this is?"

"This is the Power Stone!"

"It’s one of the six Infinity Mu Jins!"

"This gem can destroy everything!"

"If you don’t want to die with me, leave this place immediately!"

As an Asgardian Valkyrie, Valkyrie naturally knew of the Infinity Mu Jins’ reputation, so she immediately stopped attacking. Zhan Liu cast her a strange glance, and Valkyrie translated Nebula’s words for him.

"The Power Stone?"

After hearing the name, Zhan Liu worked backward through the plot and characters. He immediately realized that the bald, cyberpunk woman before him was Nebula, Thanos’s daughter, and that the fellow lying on the ground and wailing incessantly had to be Ronan the Accuser.

This should be the part of the story where Ronan had just obtained the Power Stone and planned to destroy Xandar, only to be distracted by Star-Lord’s painfully awkward dance and eventually defeated through Rocket Raccoon’s reversal.

Ronan had died such an unjust death!

The Power Stone was a good thing, even though it wasn’t particularly useful to him.

In terms of sheer power, Zhan Liu could also destroy a planet. However, the Infinity Mu Jins had another advantage: their weight in the hierarchy of reality was high enough. As the cornerstones of the Marvel universe, nothing had a higher level of authority than these six gems.

If Zhan Liu had possessed a Power Stone when he faced the Dual-Core Space War Fortress, he wouldn’t have been helpless against the shield formed by the Space Stone. If he hadn’t possessed the technique that struck through barriers, Dr. Zola would probably have been the final victor.

When he had obtained the Aether before, Zhan Liu had been unable to use it because he had no magic power, so he hadn’t been interested in it and had casually given it to Asgard. But even a club-wielding fool like Ronan could use this Power Stone. There was no reason he couldn’t.

Nebula had been watching the powerful enemy before her with extreme caution. Hearing them converse in a language she didn’t understand, she hurriedly switched the Interstellar Translator’s function so she could listen to what they were saying. Then she saw Zhan Liu’s eyes suddenly light up as he reached for the war hammer in her hand.

"Die!" Seeing that negotiations had failed, Nebula immediately swung the war hammer at Zhan Liu.

She had great confidence in the Power Stone’s might. She believed that anyone struck by the war hammer would have no hope of survival. As for whether she herself could survive the Power Stone’s eruption, she could only leave that to luck.

But plans were always full and reality was always lean.

Zhan Liu twisted his wrist, avoided the hammerhead, and reached out to seize the handle.

"Combat is about technique. You can’t simply rely on brute force and clash head-on." Zhan Liu mocked Nebula, then exerted a little force and snatched the war hammer away.

Half sighing and half warning himself, Zhan Liu said, "Power that isn’t your own is ultimately an illusion. External objects may be used, but never relied upon."

As he spoke, he reached out, crushed the hammerhead, and held the Power Stone in his hand.

Nebula had yet to recover from the terror of losing the war hammer when she saw the enemy foolishly touch the Power Stone with his bare hand. She couldn’t help but laugh wildly in excitement.

"Hahaha… You must have been born stupid!"

"The Power Stone can’t be touched with bare hands, or else… or else…"

Then she was astonished to discover that the hand holding the gem was completely unharmed. She stared blankly as Zhan Liu tossed the gem back and forth like a marble, without the slightest sign of destruction.

"H-How is that possible?" Nebula’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

In all her life, she had seen only one person who could touch an Infinity Stone with his bare hands and survive: her nightmare, the source of all her suffering, her adoptive father Thanos.

But even the world-destroying overlord Thanos, powerful as he was, probably couldn’t handle an Infinity Stone as casually as this man before her, could he?

In reality, in a place invisible to the naked eye, the Power Stone’s violent energy had already entered Zhan Liu’s body and was continuously destroying his cells. Zhan Liu, meanwhile, kept driving Cellular Reconstruction, constantly repairing and regenerating them.

Zhan Liu wasn’t playing with the Power Stone. By tossing it up and down, he was making it leave his body temporarily, buying more time for his body to recover and preventing himself from ending up covered in cracks and streaming with blood, completely ruining his aura.

Nebula and Valkyrie, however, had no idea about this. They were completely stunned by how effortlessly Zhan Liu handled the gem.

Valkyrie took it relatively well. She had already witnessed Zhan Liu’s overwhelming strength, so she wasn’t too surprised. She had merely raised her assessment of him again, from the level of Hela, the God of Death, to the level of Odin, the God-King.

Nebula, however, had no such mental preparation. She was instantly cowed, realizing that Zhan Liu was actually on the same level as Thanos, a powerhouse of the cosmic overlord tier. She already had a psychological shadow over Thanos. Now that she had encountered Zhan Liu, someone of equal rank, she was completely at a loss.

The brave warriors of the Kree Empire continued rushing forward one after another, trying to rescue their commander, but bravery could not fill their stomachs. Their only result was to add more achievements to Valkyrie’s record.

The area around Ronan was already piled high with corpses, making it difficult for the warriors behind to get in. Yet they had no other choice. If Ronan died, they could select an acting commander according to the Kree Empire’s wartime regulations. But Ronan was still alive, wailing miserably. He sounded full of energy, without the slightest sign of weakening.

They couldn’t win, couldn’t rescue him, and couldn’t flee. Helpless, they could only turn their eyes toward the person with the highest status besides Ronan—Nebula. They hoped she would make a decision, such as surrendering or something.

Nebula’s will had been completely crushed by Zhan Liu’s performance. She swallowed and said stiffly, "Ronan serves the cosmic overlord Thanos. The Power Stone also belongs to Thanos. You can’t just take it away like this."

Her outwardly tough but inwardly weak appearance amused Valkyrie. "If you spoke a little louder, I might believe you."

Nebula took a deep breath and calmed herself somewhat. "I’m telling the truth. I can contact Thanos right now and have him speak with you."

Zhan Liu continued tossing the Power Stone up and down. He glanced at her and said,

"Since ancient times, the treasures of this world have belonged to the virtuous. This Power Stone and I are fated to be together. You can’t use Thanos’s name to escape. From today onward, you and your people are my slaves. If Thanos is dissatisfied, he can come find me himself."

Nebula spent a long while working up her courage, but still didn’t dare refuse.

Those who truly weren’t afraid of death had already died at Thanos’s hands. They hadn’t lived until today. To put it bluntly, every one of Thanos’s subordinates feared death, and Nebula was no exception.

After subduing Nebula and the Kree behind her, Zhan Liu ordered the warship to continue forward, heading straight for Xandar.

Ronan’s warship was far more impressive than the private luxury spaceship Zhan Liu had obtained from the Grandmaster, but its consumption was also astonishingly high. To say nothing of anything else, its energy requirements for flight alone were ten thousand times those of the private luxury spaceship. In addition, weapons and ammunition, daily maintenance, food, water, and other supplies all amounted to astronomical figures.

When Ronan had been the leader of the Kree Accuser Corps, the Kree Empire had naturally provided him with support. After leaving the Kree Empire, Ronan could only obtain energy blocks through plunder.

Zhan Liu now deeply missed the Human Life Battery that Arnim Zola had created. If he could just stuff eight or ten warriors at the First Heaven Magnetic Field Rotation level into this warship, it could surely serve as a perpetual-motion machine.

But he didn’t have that technology, nor could he find any Magnetic Field Warriors to use here. He could only proceed by conventional means, resupply on Xandar, then head to Sovereign and properly repay them for wrecking his private luxury spaceship. Besides, Sovereign’s energy batteries seemed to involve highly advanced technology. He could probably make a killing by getting his hands on some.

Once he had enough energy, he could pilot Ronan’s warship back to Earth. Wouldn’t that be much more impressive than the small ship he had used before?

As for the war on Earth, the Space War God created by Dr. Zola was gone, so it should have ended long ago, right? Even if it hadn’t, it didn’t matter. Zhan Liu didn’t particularly care who won or lost.

They were all just infighting among his disciples. They were flesh of his flesh, no matter which side he favored. Tony and the others had a closer relationship with Zhan Liu, so it would of course be better if they won. But if Killmonger’s side won, that would be fine too.

Thus, the warship arrived later than it had in the original plot.

When the warship appeared in Xandar’s airspace, it immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Just as Xandar was preparing for battle, an open communication suddenly came through. Queen Adora’s side received it, and so did the Ravagers.

"I’m sure Ronan wants to say something harsh and vent his successful revenge before Xandar is destroyed." Quill curled his lips, disdainful of Ronan’s behavior, but connected the call anyway.

As soon as the signal connected, Gamora was startled. "Nebula?"

Nebula wore a gloomy expression. She was extremely unhappy, yet helplessly announced, "This warship no longer belongs to Ronan the Accuser. From today onward, this warship, as well as…"

She unhappily turned her head and glanced to the side before continuing, "As well as every living creature aboard the warship, belongs to the cosmic overlord from Earth, the great head of the Ultimate Limit Sect, the Earth’s War God, His Excellency Zhan Liu."

After she finished, the camera turned toward Zhan Liu, seated on Ronan’s command throne, and Ronan, wailing not far from Zhan Liu’s feet.

The news was so shocking that everyone was left speechless.

Queen Adora hurriedly asked the people around her,

"Has any of you heard of this cosmic overlord?"

"What empire is this Earth the capital planet of?"

"What kind of personality does this Zhan Liu have? Judging by the bloody man at his feet, he seems extremely brutal!"

Everyone scrambled to search for information. After considerable effort, they finally found the relevant intelligence.

"Your Majesty!"

"According to the wanted notice sent from Sovereign, this so-called cosmic overlord named Zhan Liu is actually a Ravager with inferior genes and a vile, shameless character. He gathered accomplices to steal Sovereign’s super energy battery and ambushed the Sovereign Guard with a trap!"

Quantum communications were instantaneous. No matter how vast the universe was, they experienced no delay. Thus, long before Zhan Liu arrived, the Sovereigns’ wanted notice had already reached every corner of the universe.

"…" Queen Adora was speechless.

"In other words, this so-called cosmic overlord is a fake, merely a trick Ronan devised to deceive us?"

"Not only that, Your Majesty!" The aide filled in the gaps. "Since this Zhan Liu is a Ravager, he probably knows Yondu and the others. He may even be one of their accomplices."

"I suspect that the so-called Ravagers led by Yondu to help us stop Ronan may also be fake, part of a deception tactic. This group of Ravagers might stab us in the back at any moment."

None of them recognized that the bloody gourd at Zhan Liu’s feet was Ronan, whose skin had been stripped off and whose limbs had been severed.

"Stay on alert. Do not initiate an attack. Closely monitor the Ravagers’ movements."

Xandar merely suspected something. The Ravagers, meanwhile, simply didn’t believe it.

Rocket grinned mischievously and poked Quill in the butt with a claw. "Hey, Quill, that’s your fellow Earthling. Go up and strike up a conversation…"

For some reason, this touched one of Drax’s comedic nerves, and he laughed so hard he rocked back and forth.

Quill rolled his eyes and hummed hesitantly, "Maybe Earth’s technology advanced really quickly while I was gone…"

Groot waved the branches atop his head and said the same old line, "I am Groot!"

Only Rocket and Thor could understand Groot language. Everyone else had no idea what he was saying and simply acted as if the words didn’t exist. Rocket alone leaped for joy, clapped Groot’s body, and laughed loudly.

Only Gamora remained relatively normal. She stared at Nebula’s unpleasant expression on the communication screen, as well as the humiliation and fear hidden in her eyes, and said with a tremble, "There’s only one person who can make Nebula feel fear."

"Only Thanos can make Nebula this obedient in the entire universe."

"We have to be careful. From now on, our enemy may no longer be Ronan, but Thanos!"

"What?" Everyone was shocked, their hearts rising into their throats.

No one could ignore Thanos’s reputation.

Only a fool like Drax still waved his arms and shouted, "I’m going to kill Thanos!" No one took his idiotic remark seriously.

Meanwhile, aboard another fighter craft, Yondu split his mouth in a grin, revealing a row of rotten teeth, and laughed loudly.

"Earth?"

"That dump in the corner of the universe could produce a cosmic overlord?"

"He obviously dug up the term from some corner and then made up this identity!"

"If I hadn’t been to Earth, they might really have fooled me."

"I don’t care whether he’s a cosmic overlord or not. As long as the Orb is aboard that warship, he’s my enemy!"

"Brothers, stop talking nonsense. Attack!"

With Yondu’s order, the Ravagers responded as one. They started their fighter craft and lunged toward the warship.

Facing the fighter craft swarming toward them, Valkyrie and Nebula both turned to look at Zhan Liu.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"They’re attacking. Fight back."

"Don’t expect me to act. If I have to handle everything myself, why did I raise a bunch of useless trash like you?"

After being cursed at by Zhan Liu, Nebula turned around and began issuing combat orders, directing the Kree warship to return fire.

Valkyrie rolled her eyes and took out a wine flask she had found somewhere. As she poured wine into her mouth, she muttered,

"Don’t look at me. My pegasus mount died in battle long ago."

She stood behind Zhan Liu and simply refused to fight.

Asgardian warriors could swing blades and fight in close quarters, but they had no interest whatsoever in exchanging fire with warships.

Zhan Liu didn’t mind. Now that he had Kree people working under him, he wasn’t missing one person.

Aliens were endless, so there was no need to care about casualties. More lackeys would certainly come seeking refuge in the future, so he didn’t have to worry about having no one to use. As for the fact that these people varied greatly in quality, Zhan Liu cared even less. An obedient dog was a good dog. Why bother worrying about whether it was good or bad?

It was easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality. Once he had grown used to ordering others to handle everything, he no longer wanted to do things himself.

Only someone with something wrong in the head would personally handle everything and take the field to hack people apart despite having numerous subordinates, making himself live like some street-corner thug.

Zhan Liu sat on Ronan’s throne and watched coldly as the Kree and Ravagers became embroiled in battle.

Actually, when Zhan Liu had watched the movie back then, he had never understood how the regular army of one of the Three Great Cosmic Empires could possibly fail to wipe out a band of space pirates. What had given Yondu the courage to steal Ronan’s things?

But now that he was at the scene, he understood the reason.

A warship of Ronan’s level was rare even within the Kree Empire. There were only a few of them, and an ordinary small planet truly couldn’t afford to support one. It was like an aircraft carrier on Earth. Even if a small country could afford to buy one, it couldn’t afford to maintain it.

Fighter craft used energy shields for defense, and energy blocks were needed to maintain those shields. Without the support of energy blocks, a fighter’s shield naturally wouldn’t last long.

Ever since Ronan had broken away from the Kree Empire, he had been seriously short of energy blocks. Although plundering provided some replenishment, the amount was too small. It was enough to maintain the giant warship’s daily operations, but once a battle began, its energy would be severely depleted and it would lack reserves.

If Ronan concentrated the energy blocks on the warship, there wouldn’t be enough fighter craft to deploy. If he maintained enough fighters for battle, then the energy shields of each individual fighter would be relatively weak.

Although Kree soldiers could use superior tactics and piloting skills to make up for some of the difference, in a large-scale battle, the effect of that advantage was negligible.

The Ravagers, meanwhile, all used small fighter craft. They didn’t need a giant warship, so their energy requirements were relatively low. During battle, they could devote all their energy to powering the fighters’ energy shields.

In short, everything came down to money.