"Retreat!"
"Fall back!"
The Kree general looked horrified. His eyes were locked on the man in the battle suit standing before him, tearing through the battlefield like a ghost in no man's land. The Kree's fleet of spaceships meant nothing to this man—more than half had already been physically torn apart by him.
The special alloy hulls of their spacecraft crumpled like paper in his hands, offering no resistance.
"How can someone be this powerful? Who is he?"
"This guy... he's definitely not just some unknown freak!"
"Run! Run!!"
The general's command reached the soldiers' ears, and they exhaled in relief—finally, they had permission to flee. As they piloted their ships to escape, their eyes stayed fixed on the man, filled with uncontrollable terror.
They had never faced an enemy with such overwhelming individual power.
This wasn't just strength—it was godlike.
Undefeatable.
But what was that orb?
Why would anyone provoke a monster like this over it?
A flood of questions surged through their minds.
But Superman had already noticed their attempt to flee. Without hesitation, his heat vision swept across the sky, slicing several fleeing ships clean in half.
Boom!
Boom boom boom!
The ships crashed to the ground, leveling skyscrapers and smaller buildings alike in the region known as Nothing Land, reducing it all to rubble.
At the same time, deep beneath the city, inside a massive underground safehouse, civilians watched the scene unfold in real time via satellite surveillance.
Not a single soul was angry with Superman.
On the contrary—they were stunned, breathless, and in awe. They revered this man. Worshipped him.
The universe, like nature on Earth, followed the rule of survival of the fittest. The strong ruled.
If someone is just a little stronger than you, envy might grow. You may fantasize about surpassing them.
But when someone's strength utterly eclipses your understanding—you feel only awe, and a deep, instinctual admiration.
Superman had transcended imagination.
Even the Kree felt it.
They didn't curse Superman.
They cursed their own commanders—why had they been sent to provoke such a terrifying being?
In the end, only a few Kree ships managed to escape.
They fled far from the lands of Nothingness.
Superman silently watched their ships shrink into the distance, vanishing from his view. Then, slowly, he turned to the green-skinned woman who had been silently watching him the entire time, not daring to make a move.
In the entire universe, the last of the Zehoberei tribe: Gamora.
Seeing Superman standing so calmly, his expression unreadable and gaze almost floating in its detachment, Gamora felt a chill run through her. Nervous, her voice faltered as she tried to speak.
"F-First... sir, please allow me to introduce myself—"
She was interrupted before she could finish.
"Gamora. Daughter of Thanos," Superman said calmly.
"I know who you are. I know everything about you. We were meant to be enemies. But what you just did… has bought you your life."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"So, now that you're alive, what do you want?"
"...Cooperation."
Gamora gritted her teeth. "Sir, I want to cooperate with you."
"Oh?"
Superman squinted at her.
"Because of Thanos?"
Meanwhile.
In another part of the city—where Carol, Yondu, and the others were located—
A wall near Star-Lord suddenly shattered to dust under a surge of explosive energy.
Several pairs of eyes peered through the gaping hole.
And as they landed on him—
Peter Quill froze. Completely stunned.
"Star-Lord, Peter Quill—you've really let me down."
Carol's voice was calm, but the weight behind it made Peter break into a cold sweat. His back went rigid. It felt like a mountain had crashed down on him—he couldn't even twitch, let alone move.
He knew Carol had locked onto him.
Next to her, Nick Fury raised an energy gun and aimed it directly at him.
Peter knew that if he so much as flinched, two deadly attacks would pierce through him in an instant.
Even with advanced galactic medicine, surviving that kind of internal damage would be a miracle—less than a ten percent chance. And that's only if treatment came immediately.
Without it? Certain death.
"I surrender," Peter said quickly.
His voice was genuine.
"Whatever you want to do, do it to me. Just let the others go. I know you're not the bad guys. Please!"
He dropped to his knees before Carol, desperation in his eyes.
He had no other cards to play. No way out. Mercy was all he could ask for.
"Begging for mercy?"
Carol scoffed, seeing straight through his intentions.
"If we weren't stronger than you, you'd have run off with the Orb without a second thought. If begging worked, there wouldn't be so many goddamn enemies in this universe."
She looked down at Peter, bitter disappointment in her expression.
Still scheming. Still calculating.
"You're wrong about one thing," she continued. "No one who roams the universe is a 'good' person."
Her tone shifted coldly. In her heart, she knew: after this moment, these people would never stop resenting her.
Especially the kid.
Yondu, as a seasoned Ravager, was stronger than most. Stronger than Peter.
And this crew? If an enemy hired them, they'd be a pain in the ass.
Better to kill them now.
Tie up the loose ends.
A sharp gleam of killing intent flickered in Carol's eyes.
"No!"
Peter's instincts screamed. He'd grown up in the dirt and shadows—he knew when someone was about to kill. And Carol wasn't hiding it.
He lunged at her, grabbing the energy pistol at his waist and—instead of aiming at Carol—he fired at the cuffs binding Yondu and the others.
Zap!
The shot cut through the restraints.
BOOM!
Carol's retaliation was immediate. Her energy blast slammed into Peter's chest like a cannonball.
CRASH!
He flew backward, smashing through what was left of a crumbling building behind him. Dust and debris filled the air, masking the area in a smoky haze.
But in that brief moment—Peter had done it.
Yondu was free.
The Ravager captain whistled, and a bent, half-destroyed arrow lifted from his belt. It had been damaged in an earlier fight with Superman—but it could still fly.
The arrow zipped through the air, snapping off the remaining handcuffs on his crew.
The entire Ravager team was now liberated.
"Damn it!" Yondu growled, eyes burning with fury.
"That woman just killed Peter—but she's not walking away from this. We take her down! For Peter!"
"For Peter!"
"REVENGE!!"
The Ravagers roared and charged at Carol and Nick Fury, fists clenched.
Nick's face tightened. He quickly backed up, raising his weapon and firing blasts of energy, trying to keep the swarm at bay.
But there were too many of them. He was surrounded.
Carol's approach is much simpler.
The The power Carol possessed was far beyond anything Nick Fury could match.
In the final battle, she had gone toe-to-toe with Thanos—a feat that proved she was one of the most powerful beings in the universe. A group of ordinary Ravagers like Yondu's crew didn't stand a chance against her.
Even Yondu, who controlled the deadly Yaka arrow, could only pose a limited threat.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The flying arrow darted around Carol like a flash of lightning.
Carol dodged the attack with ease. She raised her hand, unleashing a terrifying energy blast that tore through the Ravagers surrounding her.
One by one, Yondu's crew members dropped lifelessly to the ground.
The situation spiraled out of control in an instant.
Yondu's eyes turned bloodshot with rage.
Over the years, he had built this team with his own hands—and now, in just a few moments, a third of them were dead. Even the most dangerous missions he had ever led hadn't taken such a brutal toll.
"Damn bitch... you goddamn woman!"
Yondu clenched his fists, and his whistle took on a sharper, deadlier tone.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a distant explosion rang out overhead.
"A spaceship...!"
"The Kree ship—it's retreating!"
"They've run!"
Yondu's heart dropped.
If Carol—or the Kree traitor she'd clashed with—was barely within the range of what they could possibly handle, then the man who single-handedly drove off the Kree fleet was something else entirely.
A monster. A force beyond comprehension.
And now that he was done with the Kree... they were next.
"Run!"
Yondu turned to his crew.
"Get out of here! I'll hold her off!"
"Captain!"
"Go! Don't let my sacrifice be for nothing!"
The Ravagers had been through enough battles to understand. There was no other option. This wasn't a fight they could win.
Without another word, they broke off from the skirmish with Nick Fury and scattered in all directions, vanishing into the debris and shadows.
Nick looked stunned.
Carol, on the other hand, remained composed. Her gaze narrowed, locking onto Yondu.
"You think they can escape?" she sneered.
"Don't try to distract me," Yondu said flatly.
"Whether they make it out or not, I gave them a chance. The rest is up to fate."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As he spoke, his arrow continued to weave through the air, targeting Carol's face.
She raised her hand, conjuring a translucent energy shield. The arrow bounced harmlessly off.
But just then—
Whoosh!
From the ruins across the battlefield, an energy blast came flying.
It struck Carol's shield, staggering her slightly.
She turned, surprised.
It was Peter Quill.
He was alive.
Nick Fury's eyes widened.
Even Carol was caught off guard.
She'd hit him with a direct energy wave—he should be dead.
"Hmm?" she muttered, narrowing her eyes.
"Looks like you came prepared."
"Damn right."
Peter gasped for breath, blood in his mouth, pain radiating from his ribs.
The tech armor he wore had protected him—barely. But two ribs were definitely broken.
"If I have to face you," he growled, "I'm not going down without being ready. Even if I die—I'm taking you with me."
This wasn't luck. He'd expected something like this to happen.
He had planned for it.
"Nick."
Carol glanced at Fury.
"He's mine."
Nick gave a solemn nod, stepping back and aiming his weapon at Yondu instead.
But his mind lingered on Peter.
This guy had survived a blast that should've killed him. That made him dangerous.
Even more dangerous than expected.
Nick Fury—once a Level 10 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, a world-class sharpshooter, Earth's top spymaster—had come to realize something painful:
In the universe, almost everyone knows how to shoot.
Sharpshooting wasn't a special skill anymore. It was basic survival.
Here, in the vastness of space, Nick wasn't exceptional. He wasn't a commander or a hero.
He was just... average.
Even Peter Quill—cocky, reckless, infuriating Peter—was a step above him now.
Therefore, to Nick Fury, Star-Lord was now an absolute enemy.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Energy blasts lit up the air as both sides fired at each other.
The battle erupted once more.
Carol pressed Yondu hard. Although his flying arrow posed only a limited threat to her, his relentless and fearless fighting style made it difficult for her to break away and chase after the escaping members of his Ravager team.
That responsibility would have to fall to Superman.
As that thought crossed her mind, Carol glanced toward the sky.
Not far away, Superman—who had already finished dealing with the Kree—was lingering on the rooftop of a building, seemingly engaged in something else.
"What's that guy doing?"
Carol frowned, momentarily distracted.
"You're not focused!"
Yondu's eyes lit up. Seizing the moment, he sent his arrow streaking toward her, aiming straight for her head.
Whoosh!
At the last second, Carol tilted her head slightly. The arrow narrowly missed, slicing a thin gash across her cheek.
A single strand of golden hair drifted to the ground.
"You actually managed to hurt me. I guess that's worth celebrating."
Carol snapped back to attention, her gaze now blazing with anger. She locked eyes with Yondu, fully intent on making him pay.
Superman, still engaged in conversation with Gamora, raised an eyebrow. He had sensed what was happening with Carol and found her decision a bit unexpected—but not out of character.
After all, Carol had roamed the galaxy for nearly two decades, and she'd long since proven herself a decisive and fearless fighter. In some ways, she and Nick Fury were the same—confident, calculating, and unafraid to make hard choices.
It was no surprise that the two had agreed to let the Skrulls stay on Earth.
"Cooperation is fine," Superman said, turning his gaze back to Gamora. "But you're going to need to show some sincerity."
Gamora took a deep breath.
"Since you have the Orb, I'm sure you already know about the Infinity Stones and the secrets it holds."
She hesitated, then added,
"I know where the Soul Stone is."
Superman gave a slight nod.
He already knew that information—but her willingness to offer it unprompted spoke volumes about her sincerity.
"Good."
"Then let's work together. We'll talk more later—I've got some trouble to take care of."
Boom!
A gust of wind blasted past Gamora, whipping her hair and scraping against her cheeks.
When she looked up, Superman was already gone.
The wind slowly died down, but her heart swelled with something she hadn't felt in a long time:
Hope.
Maybe, just maybe, she could finally break free of Thanos' grip.
….
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