Everyone had survived the ordeal, but their hearts still trembled with fear.
Although it was just the tip of the iceberg, the destructive power shown by the Power Stone undoubtedly left everyone who witnessed it in shock, fearing the calamity it could bring.
If the Power Stone fell into the hands of the wrong people, the entire galaxy might face an apocalyptic disaster.
Star-Lord's face was ashen, and he swallowed hard, having guessed the reason.
One of the Supreme Accusers of the Kree Empire, Ronan, was seeking the Orb at all costs, likely because of this Power Stone. With its power, destroying the Xandar Empire would be a matter of thought!
No... No way!
Star-Lord immediately realised the gravity of the situation.
They absolutely could not let Accuser Ronan get his hands on this terrifying Power Stone; otherwise, with his warlike nature, more life-bearing planets would be destroyed, starting with Xandar.
Gamora, standing by his side, came to the same realisation.
They both dashed towards the Power Stone in that moment of shared understanding.
The stone could not end up in Ronan's hands, nor could it stay with the greedy Collector, who had just proven himself utterly inept at protecting the Power Stone.
They had to retrieve the stone and hand it over to someone capable of safeguarding it!
However, standing in Star-Lord and Gamora's way was an insurmountable mountain, the mysterious figure who had just saved them.
His form seemed somewhere between reality and illusion as if it were made of pure energy.
If one didn't pay close attention, he could easily be overlooked.
Yet only those eyes, as deep and vast as the cosmos, a light blue radiating unfathomable depths, made Star-Lord and Gamora feel as though all their secrets were laid bare.
While they hesitated about whether to act, the man raised his hand in a casual gesture.
An invisible force immediately drew the Orb containing the Power Stone, flying straight into the mysterious figure's hand.
Seeing this, Star-Lord and Gamora's pupils shrank, and their faces turned pale.
The consequences were unpredictable, with the Power Stone in the hands of an unknown entity. If he was anything like Ronan, they couldn't avoid a disaster.
Should they just attack?
Gamora sent a questioning look to Star-Lord, asking if they should take action.
Star-Lord's face soured, and he shook his head subtly, signalling to hold off and observe for now.
They knew from earlier that the mysterious figure had subdued the Power Stone with just a flick of his finger. Now, with just a few of them, it was nearly impossible to stop him.
Looking around, Star-Lord realised their team had nearly all slipped away.
At that moment, Rocket was already sneaking out the door with Groot.
He didn't want to get involved in this mess, especially after that mysterious figure's appearance, which only solidified his ominous suspicion that that damn man was setting him up!
If not now, when?
Would they stay there, waiting for someone to come after them for a showdown?
"Damn, raccoon!"
Star-Lord cursed inwardly. The moment there's trouble, he's the first to flee!
Already with slim chances of success, and now with two teammates, those chances were even slimmer.
The mysterious figure toyed with the Orb in his hand, giving them a calm glance amidst Star-Lord and Gamora's tense and worried expressions and then casually tossed it back to them as if throwing out trash.
"!!!"
Gamora was utterly shocked by this act.
Star-Lord instinctively caught the Orb, the cold metallic touch in his hands giving him a surreal feeling.
The Power Stone was just thrown over like that!
But the cool touch and the purple glow of the stone in his hands were undeniable truths to Star-Lord and Gamora, confirming it was the actual Power Stone.
Then, with a flick of his finger, the mysterious man sent them flying out of the collapsing ruins with an invisible force.
Despite their excellent physical conditioning, rolling and flying out of the ground made their stomachs churn, nearly vomiting last night's dinner, their faces white as they looked outside.
But that one look sent chills down their spine.
Like a twisted rectangular prism, a vast black warship floated above the mining city's skyline.
That warship... they knew it all too well.
The flagship of one of the Supreme Accusers of the Kree Empire, Ronan – the Dark Aster!
It looked like wings twisted together from the outside, housing hundreds of thousands of Sakaaran soldiers, fearless of death, piloting craft equipped with the most advanced neuroblasts.
Simply put, Ronan's Dark Aster had the power to destroy a life-bearing planet.
"No... it can't be!" Gamora stepped back, dismayed. "How could Ronan possibly find the coordinates to the Knowhere?!"
"What else do you expect?" Rocket raged, glaring at someone off to the side.
Star-Lord followed his gaze and saw Drax standing there, weapons in hand, and he understood the reason: "You... you leaked the coordinates to Ronan?"
"I told you we shouldn't have brought this moron!" Rocket cursed. "If it weren't for him leaking the coordinates, how could Ronan have found us?"
"Ha ha ha ha..."
Drax spread his arms as if welcoming Ronan's arrival, roaring with enthusiasm, "I can finally face my enemy and kill him myself, avenging my wife and daughter!"
As Ronan's ship approached, Nebula, recognising the launch of three mining crafts, immediately guessed Gamora's intent and turned to the soldiers, shouting, "Stop those three crafts; they must be in there!"
Chaos erupted instantly.
...
...
...
Compared to the noise outside, the Collector's Museum was quiet.
The Collector sat among the ruins, thankful for his narrow escape.
Surveying the shattered display cases around him, his life's work primarily gone, the pain was indescribable.
"What do you want?"
The Collector looked listlessly at the mysterious figure as if he had lost all hope: "Now that this place is in ruins take whatever you want; just consider it a reward for saving my life."
"I want information on one thing."
The mysterious figure didn't care about the collectables, his gaze fixed on the Collector: "It is said that the Collector, who has lived nearly forever from the previous chaotic universe, should know some secrets unknown to others."
"Heh, I'm not that impressive."
The Collector didn't even look up, saying, "But I know many things, depending on what you want to ask."
"The Twins."