Kakakaka—
The screech of tearing metal echoed. From the spot where Saitama's palm pressed against the Dark Aster's hull, cracks spiderwebbed outward, splitting the alloy armor apart.
The fortress warship, stretching for tens of kilometers, roared as its engines blazed at maximum power. Yet its speed slowed… and slowed… until it nearly stopped.
"Commander! I can't hold on!"
A Nova Corps soldier screamed as his battleship crumpled, engines collapsing under overload. The golden links of the barrier shattered one by one as ships fell from the sky.
"Damn it! We can't retreat! Hold the line!!" Rhomann Dey bellowed, blood flowing freely as he rammed his already-twisted command ship into the fight.
But then—
"Commander… look!!"
His adjutant pointed, eyes wide with disbelief.
Their engines were dead. Their barrier had collapsed.
And yet the Dark Aster… did not move.
Like welded in place, the massive warship could not advance even an inch.
"…Impossible…"
The Nova Corps pilots stared. Even with their ships powerless, the enemy couldn't push forward. Only the image of a single bald man—so tiny he was like an ant before a mountain—held it back.
The projection zoomed in, and Nova Prime finally saw it clearly.
One man. One hero.
Saitama.
Though millions oppose—he alone was enough.
Outside Xandar, among the Ravager fleet—
"Boss, Xandar refused to pay. Should we…" a lieutenant muttered.
"My friends are still there! Gamora's still there! We're saving them!" Quill shouted.
"But it's Ronan," another mercenary warned. "If we fight him, the Kree will cut us off—and he'll hunt us down!"
"Heh…" Yondu's eyes narrowed, lips twisting into a grin. "All ships, set course for Xandar! Destroy the Dark Aster!"
"Boss?!" His lieutenants balked, one even reaching for his weapon.
"You forget who's boss?" Yondu pulled back his coat, revealing the Yaka Arrow. Instantly, every mercenary stiffened. Yondu had clawed his way up through corpses—none dared defy him.
"Xandar must not fall. That's final."
On the Dark Aster, Ronan sneered at the chaos he had unleashed on Xandar. With the Power Stone burning inside his hammer, his arrogance swelled.
"After I crush Xandar, I'll crush Thanos himself!" he laughed, drunk on power.
But alarms blared across the ship.
"Warning! Bow armor integrity 20%! Unknown lifeform has breached the ship!"
The screen flickered, replaying the sight of Saitama, hand braced against the hull, holding the massive warship still.
"What is this?! One man… stopping the Dark Aster?!"
Ronan's face darkened. This was no ordinary foe. Not Xandarian. Not Kree. Something else.
Because of him, the Nova Corps losses were far fewer than expected. Because of him, the invasion was faltering.
"Damn insect!!"
He raised the hammer, the Power Stone's glow pulsing. A wave of purple energy ripped through the Dark Aster and out into space, annihilating dozens of Ravager ships in a single strike.
"ROOOONAN!!" Yondu roared, fury twisting his face as the Ravager fleet pressed on.
"Hmph. Trash like them is yours, Nebula," Ronan spat, turning away.
For there was only one opponent that mattered now.
The bald intruder.
"…That bald bastard!!"
(End of Chapter)
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