Why Have the Armies of Two Great Empires Become Bandits?

"Yes, The Collector."

Jack Jones, who had reattached the fully assembled purple sphere to the diamond-shaped bracelet on his left wrist, closed his eyes and picked up where Beckett had left off.

"He came from a mysterious race that had existed since the birth of this universe. He possessed an endless lifespan and was fond of collecting all kinds of strange and unusual items from across the cosmos."

"And as far as I know, The Collector obtained the detailed map to the Soul Stone’s burial site many years ago."

"But for some reason, there had never been any news of him obtaining the Soul Stone."

After the Universal First Crime Syndicate’s base had been captured by the Nova Corps, Jack Jones had narrowly survived and become a cosmic drifter. He had once sought out The Collector, hoping to obtain an item from that mysterious being that would restore his power and allow him to complete his revenge.

Unfortunately, he had been refused.

Because he simply could not offer a price that would tempt The Collector.

The map to the location of the Soul Stone, one of the Infinity Stones, had also been among the exchange items The Collector openly displayed before Jack Jones.

Old Jack’s heart had surged with excitement, but in the end, he had no choice but to leave.

Ah…

The steadily replenishing power caused Jack Jones to open his tightly shut eyes. His burly body somehow seemed far more powerful than before.

Put simply, he no longer looked bloated. He looked genuinely strong.

"If I remember correctly, The Collector should be on Knowhere, where the Cosmic Auction House is. He has been there for a very long time."

With his power restored, Jack Jones spoke with noticeably greater confidence.

With a flick of his hand, six chips flew into Beckett’s palm.

"These are what the daughter of Odin wanted. Now, we’re even."

Knowhere…?

Casually storing the six chips in Woz’s bracelet space, Beckett turned to leave.

Ego, whom he had encountered on Knowhere, was the strongest enemy he had faced so far. Though he had eventually completed his eye-for-an-eye, tooth-for-a-tooth revenge on Sakaar, that did not mean he would forget the deep impression Ego had left on him.

"Woz, can you locate The Collector?"

"His Highness Beckett, Woz cannot pinpoint him, but Woz can provide you with information about The Collector’s headquarters."

"According to the updated database, The Collector’s headquarters is in a place called Knowhere."

"Knowhere?"

"Yes, Knowhere."

All sorts of information regarding Knowhere appeared on the light screen before Beckett’s right eye.

"Knowhere’s location has always been little known throughout the universe. According to the records, this place is actually formed from the head of a fallen god. That is why ordinary people find it difficult to locate Knowhere."

"But you are different."

"On Sakaar, the Cosmic Switch that Ms. Vanessa gave you before her departure, forged from the remains of a god, can resonate with Knowhere’s power."

"Woz can determine Knowhere’s exact location based on the energy ripples from that resonance."

Woz gave Beckett a fairly good answer.

At the very least, he was no longer completely in the dark about Knowhere.

"Then begin."

Turning over the Cosmic Switch Vanessa had left him in his hand, Beckett pressed the button on top.

An unusual wave of energy instantly spread outward from Beckett, sweeping across all of Xandar and the entire universe.

"What you wanted."

While Roman Day, the Nova Corps’ temporary commander, was anxiously pacing like an ant on a hot pan, Beckett finally appeared within his sight.

Smack!

After taking the six chips, Hela casually flung the woman in her hand into Beckett’s arms as though tossing away a torn sack.

"You really weren’t afraid she would die?" Beckett immediately spotted the extremely obvious five-finger marks around Nova Prime’s throat.

Holding the woman, whose eyes were numb and vacant and who looked as though she had been thoroughly played with, in one hand, Beckett slowly flew over to the utterly tense Roman Day.

He raised his hand, released her, and the vacant-eyed woman began to free-fall.

Roman Day hurriedly reached out. Only then did Nova Prime, ruined by Hela, return to the Nova Corps’ embrace.

"It’s time to go."

Without even sparing the nervous little fat man, the next Nova Prime, a glance, Beckett raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

The crisp sound seemed to ring within everyone’s heart. After waiting three seconds, a small orange figure climbed onto Beckett’s shoulder.

Its little pink tongue hung out, and it looked utterly listless. Clearly, it had yet to recover from the bitter drink from earlier.

Beckett’s personal spaceship, marked with a B symbol, roared ostentatiously through the sky under Woz’s control. In the blink of an eye, it arrived before Beckett.

The turbulent air currents lifted Hela’s shoulder-length black hair. The spaceship’s flashy design made Asgard’s Goddess of Death quietly resolve that once she returned home, she would build something even cooler.

It was not as though they lacked the technology. Since they had obtained it from Beckett anyway, Asgard’s technical division had already begun researching it day and night.

"Did you ride here on horseback?"

The words echoing beside her ears made Hela’s face darken.

What was wrong with riding a horse?!

Couldn’t she exercise along the way?!

After putting away the chips, she turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

So what if he had a spaceship?!

"Are you ready?"

"News from Xandar says the Son of Thanos is preparing to leave."

In space, beyond Xandar.

Rocco, the Kree Empire’s Supreme Accuser, gripped his warhammer with a grim expression as he asked through his earpiece whether his companions had finished their preparations.

"We’re ready, Rocco. As long as Beckett dares to leave Xandar’s sphere of influence, our people will immediately open fire at full power."

"Good. Remember, under no circumstances can we reveal our identities during the attack."

"Right now, we are remnants of the Universal First Crime Syndicate that the Nova Corps wiped out back then, not the Kree Empire’s elite combat forces."

At that moment, Rocco, one of the Kree Empire’s Supreme Accusers, was wearing the very uniform once worn by members of the Cosmic Gang.

"Don’t worry."

They had played this trick so many times that they knew it inside out.

Beckett, I’ll make you pay the price.

After ending the transmission, Rocco gazed at the magnificent Xandar and closed his eyes. His mind was filled with the scene of returning to his homeworld, Hala, to attend his father’s funeral.

Gripping the warhammer he had received from one of his father’s comrades, Rocco tried hard to calm his surging emotions.

Father, watch closely. I will avenge you with my own hands.

Elsewhere in the universe, a fleet group nearly equal in size to the Kree Empire fleet was likewise lying in wait.

"General, I—"

"How many times have I told you?! Don’t call me commander! Call me Seventh Master!"

"Our current identity is that of remnants of the Universal First Crime Syndicate, here to take revenge on Xandar!"

The Skrull commander, whose appearance had been altered through mimicry, launched into a furious tirade.

"Keep your eyes open!"

"The moment you see Beckett, the one who caused the Empire such tremendous losses, hit him hard! Hit him like you never have before!"

At the thought of the resources Thanos had personally extorted from them, the Skrull commander’s heart ached so badly he could barely breathe.

Now that they had finally encountered Beckett, the true culprit, they naturally had to conceal their identities and blast him to pieces.

If they did not do it, they were no Skrulls!

For that reason, he had specifically ordered his subordinates to mimic former members of the Universal First Crime Syndicate, preparing to stage a genuine "revenge."

As long as they did not expose themselves, no one could possibly know they were responsible.

"Seventh Master! The target has appeared! The target has appeared!"

The instant the Skrull commander finished speaking, Beckett’s flashy spaceship and a Flying Divine Horse flapping its wings appeared on the surveillance screen.

Fire!!!

Fire!!!

Fire!!!!