Chapter 305: I Need to Pick a Place to Hit You?
Ego led the group into the palace.
Along the way, he constantly showed Star-Lord the energy garden, the buildings generated by thought, and the evolutionary process of his long life.
Star-Lord grew quieter and quieter as he listened.
Peter, however, looked completely uninterested; watching this old geezer act only made him feel disgusted.
He simply turned to Gamora and asked,
"Where's your sister?"
Gamora immediately looked toward the spaceship, only to realize that Nebula had slipped away at some point.
This allowed the group to naturally split into two teams.
Ego and Star-Lord continued their reminiscing, while Petertook Gamora and the others to find Nebula, with Mantisproactively joining the team as a guide.
The group had just left the palace when the shriek of an incoming aircraft echoed from the distance.
It was Nebula, piloting a small craft and firing frantically at Gamora.
"Nebula, stop."
Gamora shouted, trying to stop Nebula while leading the others to dodge.
But it was clearly in vain.
Just as Gamora was hesitating over whether to attack her own sister,
Peter, standing to the side, casually kicked out a Tempest Kick.
Boom!
A hundred-meter flying slash struck the aircraft, blowing it up on the spot.
Nebula jumped out in a sorry state, but she didn't give up. Instead, with a suicidal attitude, she grabbed an energy weapon and charged at Gamora, screaming:
"You win every time, and every time he tears off another part of me!"
Gamora's voice carried a hint of trembling:
"I never wanted you to become like this, but I had reasons why I had to become strong!"
Nebula sneered:
"You weren't the one in pain, so of course you can say whatever you want!"
Looking at the awkward sisters, Peter crudely interrupted this long and tedious family drama.
"Sorry, I'm not in the mood for a melodramatic soap opera today."
As he spoke, he directly moved to subdue both Gamoraand Nebula.
Following that, he reached out and pressed his hand onto the struggling Nebula.
The white light of the Horse Talisman quickly covered her body.
The mechanical parts on Nebula's body began to fall off rapidly, twisted interfaces healed, the metal spine was replaced by flesh and blood, and the cold armor on her face vanished bit by bit.
Nebula's struggling strength grew weaker and weaker.
She looked at her hands in bewilderment; her mechanical fingers were now covered in flesh, and she could no longer feel the phantom pain of torn flesh.
Gamora stood to the side, her eyes turning red.
"Nebula..."
Nebula looked at Peter, then at Gamora, a tsundere expression appearing on her face:
"Don't think this will make me forgive you."
Gamora sheathed her blade and directly hugged her sister:
"I'm sorry, it's my fault for always ignoring your feelings."
Nebula's body stiffened for a moment, but the frost on her face finally melted:
"How do you plan to compensate me?"
Gamora spoke with a determined attitude:
"Anything you want, as long as I have it."
A hint of a smile finally appeared in Nebula's eyes:
"I don't want anything, I just want to kill him with you."
Rocket couldn't help but complain:
"Can you two stop speaking in riddles? Who is 'he'?"
The two looked at each other and spoke the name in unison:
"Thanos!"
...
Watching Peter heal Nebula so easily, Brandt's antennae twitched slightly, and the hesitation in her eyes became more obvious.
Peter looked at her and gave a smile:
"What do you want to say?"
Brandt walked quickly toward Peter and couldn't help but reach out and touch his forehead.
Feeling Peter's memories, her body gradually stopped trembling.
"You care very much about family."
Peter replied as if it were a matter of course: "Of course, family is the most precious treasure."
Brandt was deeply touched and then plucked up the courage to say:
"Please follow me."
...
At the same time Brandt was taking Peter and the others to see her dead siblings,
"Did you ever even love my mom?"
Faced with Ego's invitation, Star-Lord only asked this one question.
Ego's expression softened:
"She made me waver."
"So when I put that thing in her brain, my heart truly ached for a long time."
The air went still.
Peter and the others returned to the palace at that moment, just in time to see Star-Lord raise his blasters at Ego.
The firepower of the two energy guns poured into Ego, riddling his upper body with holes:
"Fuck! You killed my mom!"
Ego's body rapidly restored itself in the energy, and the fatherly love on his face vanished completely.
"I gave her love, and I gave you life."
Star-Lord continued to pull the trigger.
"To hell with your life!"
The disguise on Ego's face peeled away layer by layer, and he raised his hand. Blue-white energy rose from the ground to form countless tentacles, binding Star-Lord's limbs.
"You're still too young, child."
Star-Lord roared as he struggled.
"Don't call me child!"
Ego's voice gradually turned cold:
"You belong to me."
As he spoke, the ground split open, and countless energy tentacles coiled toward everyone present.
Gamora slashed one apart, but a second tentacle immediately wrapped around her waist.
Nebula rushed forward to save her but was also pinned to the ground by energy tentacles.
Rocket's energy gun fired frantically, but the energy tentacles ignored the firepower and hung him upside down.
"Damn it, this thing doesn't follow physics!"
Drax hacked wildly with his knives; for every one he cut, three more appeared.
"I like their enthusiasm, but I don't like them touching me!"
Groot was wrapped into a ball, a pained expression on his face.
"I am Groot!"
Sif drew her sword and slashed the energy tentacles at her feet, constantly moving closer to Ego.
But faced with more and more energy tentacles, she eventually seemed overwhelmed.
Ego looked at Sif with appreciation, the greed in his eyes fully revealed.
"The Asgardian bloodline is indeed excellent."
"I've tried many races, but an Asgardian female, I truly haven't tried yet."
Sif's voice came through gritted teeth:
"In your dreams!"
Ego only gave a smug smile:
"Don't be in a hurry. Once I have control over Quill, I'll have plenty of time to accompany you."
As he spoke, Star-Lord's eyes began to glaze over, and the blue-white energy within him was forcibly drawn out.
But just then, Peter, who was bound by tentacles, suddenly took a step forward.
The energy tentacles binding him tried to tighten, only to be shattered by a terrifying energy in an instant.
Ego looked at him and couldn't help but threaten:
"I know you're strong, Peter Parker, but this is my body."
Slap!
His words had just fallen when Peter's massive slap struck his face, sending him flying.
In that instant, all the energy tentacles lost control.
Star-Lord fell from mid-air and was caught by Gamora.
Rocket hit the ground but shouted excitedly:
"Do it again, man!"
Boom!
Ego stood up from the rubble, his energy erupting wildly, causing the entire palace to shake violently.
"You dare attack me on my Planet?"
Slap~
Peter flashed in front of him again, raising his hand and slapping the other side of his face:
"What? I need to pick a place to hit you?"
Chapter 306: I Am the Planet!
"You... are quite something!"
The human-like skin on Ego's face shattered completely, revealing a semi-solid form made entirely of energy inside.
In billions of years, this was the first time he had been slapped in the face in public—and twice in a row at that.
"Humble lower race, it seems I must teach you a lesson today!"
As he spoke, Ego's body began to swell.
No, not just his body.
Instead, the entire Planet was shaking violently at this moment, and the distant sea of flowers was withering in large patches.
Mountains crumbled, and lakes boiled.
Those things that were originally as beautiful as products of a fairy tale World now completely revealed their truest form—energy!
Nearly endless blue-white energy!
The blue-white energy accumulated thicker and thicker, gathering more and more, gradually forming a super-sized giant over a hundred meters tall.
"Now, let me see who is going to slap whose face!"
Ego let out a low roar, making everyone's eardrums ache.
Rocket Raccoon couldn't help but adjust his energy gun to maximum power and fire a shot.
This energy cannon, powerful enough to blast a high-tech fighter into cosmic dust, landed on the giant's skin but couldn't even produce a single ripple of energy.
"Shit, what the hell is this monster? I feel like he's much more troublesome than Ronan with the Power Stone."
Ego didn't bother to pay attention to Rocket at all, simply raising his massive right foot and pressing it down towards Peter with overwhelming force.
This move had a bit of a Heavenly Silkworm Foot feel to it.
Before the massive energy foot even landed, the terrifying wind pressure it generated blew Star-Lord and the others away, and caused the ground beneath Peter's feet to begin cracking inch by inch.
Peter stood his ground, his clothes fluttering loudly under the immense wind pressure.
Looking at his solitary and upright back, Star-Lord gritted his teeth, forcibly channeling the Celestial Energy he had just mastered within his body, and reached out his hand toward Ego.
He tried to help Peter in his own way.
Surprisingly, his attempt was actually an unexpected success.
The downward movement of the sky-blotting foot paused for a moment due to his successful operation.
Star-Lord endured the immense pressure and roared at Peter:
"Get out of the way!"
Peter glanced back at him and gave him a smile. Just as he was about to say something, he was forcibly interrupted by Ego:
"My foolish child, all of your abilities originate from me."
He looked at Star-Lord with a mocking smile:
"Do you think you can use what I bestowed upon you against me?"
"Shut up!" Star-Lord's nose was bleeding because he had over-exhausted his mental power to mobilize the Celestial Energy:
"Stop flattering yourself."
"You're not my father."
"I have only one true father, and that's Yondu!"
Hearing this, the energy giant's body trembled visibly, and then, the mockery in the giant's eyes vanished.
Leaving only endless coldness:
"Very well! Since you can even say such things, then... you are not qualified to inherit my energy!"
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a ball of energy flew out from Star-Lord's chest. Star-Lord passed out on the spot because the Celestial Energy was drained away.
And that energy foot also broke free from Star-Lord's control, crushing down toward Peter once again.
Boom!
The foot landed, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
Gamora and the others widened their eyes involuntarily, and Mantis couldn't help but shed tears, thinking her request had caused Peter's death.
Rocket couldn't help but scream:
"Dude, weren't you supposed to be tough? Don't die! Don't make me look down on you!"
Just when everyone except Sif thought Peter had been crushed to death by Ego's foot, a frivolous voice suddenly came from the dust:
"You foul-mouthed raccoon really aren't cute at all~!"
The moment the voice fell, a strong wind swept away the thick dust, allowing everyone present to see Peter's situation clearly.
Peter was standing there unscathed. Above his head, a thick wooden shield with a demon face pattern was steadily resisting Ego's stomping foot.
Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!
Seeing that this Wood Release actually resisted his foot, Ego felt somewhat embarrassed. He couldn't help but increase his power output, trying to crush the shield.
Noticing his actions, Peter couldn't help but sneer:
"Is your sole itchy and you want to step on someone's head? Be careful not to have your sole pierced through, old geezer~!"
As he spoke, he casually raised a hand. In the next second, countless branches sprouted from the wooden shield, directly piercing through that foot.
Wood Release: Cutting Technique!
The moment his foot was pierced, Ego's expression changed.
It wasn't that he actually felt pain, but rather he noticed that these branches were quite unusual.
They were actually... absorbing the Celestial Energy within his body to constantly grow!
"Young man, I admit I underestimated you, but this is my body."
As he spoke, he increased the energy output of his right foot, causing the Cutting Technique branches embedded in his sole to instantly explode!
"I am this Planet. Compared to an entire Planet, all of your attacks are nothing more than scratching an itch for me, do you understand!"
"Inside my true form, how can you possibly defeat me?"
Facing Ego's roar, Peter didn't respond. He looked down at the Omnitrix on his wrist and lightly turned the dial halfway.
This movement was too small, so small that no one present noticed.
Only Sif saw it.
She stood to the side with her arms crossed, her previous worry gone, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
She knew that there was about to be another good show!
Glancing satisfied at the Omnitrix's progress bar and confirming that gene collection had officially begun, Peterlooked up, smiled slightly at Ego, and then spoke in a flat tone:
"How will I defeat you?"
"The answer is, of course... trees!"
As he spoke, Peter clapped his hands together. The ground instantly split open, and countless wooden Roots emerged from the cracks, expanding in all directions at a visible speed. Each trunk was as thick as a dozen men's embrace, and the leaves were so dense that Ego couldn't even see exactly where Peter and the others were.
Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
"I am Groot!" Seeing this move again, Groot couldn't help but exclaim, a hint of admiration appearing in his eyes as he looked at Peter.
But such a formidable-looking attack only made Ego curl his lip in disdain:
"Laughable. The entire Planet is my true form. Do you expect to hurt me with such primitive attacks?"
After speaking, Ego channeled part of the energy from his body into the ground.
In the next second, he caused the energy-based ground beneath his feet to petrify again.
The wave of petrification energy spread outward from beneath Ego's feet. Wherever it passed, the sea of trees summoned by Peter began to turn to ash rapidly from the Roots, branches solidified, leaves shattered, and the Roots that had entangled the tentacles broke off one by one, turning into powder and falling to the ground.
The entire forest that had taken over ten seconds to appear was completely petrified in less than ten seconds.
Looking at his masterpiece, Ego couldn't help but burst into wild laughter:
"You fool, do you still not understand? I am not just an energy body. All the energy of this Planet can be controlled by me at will. Whether it's an energy form or materialization, it's all within a single thought of mine!"
Chapter 307: Villains Are So Unoriginal
Drax looked at the result, a guttural sound escaping his throat.
"This..."
Rocket Raccoon's mouth was also an 'o' shape at this moment, silently mouthing 'we're screwed'.
"You are the strongest outsider I have seen since my birth."
Perhaps feeling that victory was already in his grasp, Ego's voice returned to the elegant calm cultivated over long ages.
"But that's all it is."
"After all, no matter how you struggle, you are merely dancing in the palm of my hand."
Hearing these incredibly arrogant words, Gamora and the others couldn't help but gasp.
Nebula even couldn't help but glance at Sif, stammering:
"You... aren't you worried about his safety at all?"
"Worried?" Sif, who had been relaxed the entire time, chuckled.
"Why should I be worried? You don't think... Peter only has this much ability, do you?"
The moment her voice fell—
Crack, crack!
The tree roots that Ego had petrified with energy suddenly broke free from their petrified shackles, then continuously converged, entangled, and solidified towards Peter's direction.
Gradually, these tree roots gathered into a human form.
Then, that human form slowly became clear, condensing into a scene that left everyone present utterly shocked.
It was a majestic Buddha statue, also over a hundred meters tall, with tens of thousands of hands growing from its back.
Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!
"Do you know? On my Planet, there's a legend that a Tathagata Buddha suppressed a monkey for five hundred years with his palm."
As he spoke, Peter placed his hand on the giant Buddha statue beneath him.
With his action, a black substance rapidly covered the entire Buddha statue like flowing water.
The originally majestic Wood Buddha was instantly dyed into an Iron Buddha!
The jet-black luster of Armament Haki tightly wrapped around each arm, making every pattern glow brightly under the blue-white light of Ego.
Having completed all this, Peter looked up at the shocked Ego and slowly said:
"But unfortunately, you are not the Tathagata Buddha, and I am not that monkey!"
As he spoke, the Great Buddha began to move.
The tens of thousands of giant hands on its back seemed to come alive, clenching into fists, then changing direction and descending from all sides of Ego.
Summit Buddha!
Boom, boom, boom!
Iron Fists rained down.
Ego, confident in his strength, simply chose to take the blows head-on.
This wrong decision was destined to make him regret it for life.
The Iron Fists smashed down, creating violent ripples across his body.
But this was not what truly terrified him.
What truly terrified him were the energy ripples generated by the impact of the fists.
Those ripples could vaguely create a terrifying resonance, a strange internal destruction that even made his energy flow sluggish.
Ego gritted his teeth, attempting to repair himself using his powerful self-healing ability.
But before he could complete his recovery, the second round of Iron Fists came crashing down.
The third wave.
The fourth wave...
The force of each punch was not decreasing, but increasing. Each time the Armament Haki-clad Iron Fisttouched his body, it drilled deeper, as if driving piles into Ego's core.
Mantis was the first to react.
Her gaze fell upon the heart of the energy giant—that was Ego's energy core!
On the other side, Ego gradually began to panic.
He discovered a terrifying truth—
Because the strange energy vibration restricted the flow of energy, his recovery couldn't keep up with Peter's rate of destruction!
Mantis stared intently at Ego's heart, her antennae on her forehead twitching violently.
She sensed Ego's true state at this moment.
Fear.
Not anger towards Peter, but fear.
This was the first time in all the countless years she had followed Ego that she felt such a strange emotion emanating from his core.
Beside her, Sif also spoke with a smile:
"The victor has been decided."
"Impossible!"
Ego shrieked and began to retaliate with full force.
Hundreds of giant palms were shattered in this counterattack.
But what good was that?
True Several Thousand Hands had thousands of hands, and they could continuously regenerate and recover!
In fact... Peter's recovery speed far exceeded Ego's destruction speed!
Ego watched the continuously regenerating giant palms, and the cracks gradually spreading towards his heart.
For the first time in battle, a thought he had never considered arose.
He couldn't win.
The giant palms continued to fall, getting closer and closer to his heart.
Ego felt the vibration of his core.
A real, physical vibration.
Once the core was destroyed, he would die!
The moment he realized this, he made a crazy decision.
His body strangely shrunk!
Energy began to compress in reverse, gathering inward from every corner of his body, no longer expanding outwards, but stacking towards the core.
Nebula noticed the change in Ego's body; the light at his heart suddenly brightened several times, and at the same time, the earth began to tremble wildly:
"What's happening?"
Mantis's face gradually turned pale.
"He's charging himself."
Gamora frowned: "Charging for what?"
Rocket, the explosion expert, looked at Peter's continuously falling fists, then at Ego's increasingly grim expression, and finally voiced his guess:
"He wants to... self-destruct."
The air paused.
Star-Lord:?
"He wants to take us all down with him?"
"Using the entire Planet as a bomb," Rocket's tone was flat, not assessing a threat, but stating a fact, "the explosion radius will affect ten surrounding star systems."
Drax's eyebrows furrowed into a line.
Nebula moved half a step closer to Gamora, remaining silent.
Ego stood directly above the core, energy accumulating densely around him. His outline began to glow, and the color of his eyes changed from their normal hue to pure blue and white.
He finally spoke, his voice filled with hysterical madness:
"I have existed for billions of years."
"Death, to me, is not failure."
"My seeds are spread throughout the Universe; after some time, I will always be reborn in some corner of the Universe!"
"And you, you can only accept your predetermined failure!"
Peter looked down at the shrinking Ego, and suddenly let out a sigh:
"You villains,"
"Why do you all love this self-destruct trick so much?"
Ego didn't reply; the core's compression continued.
"It's really unoriginal," Peter shook his head, then jumped down from the True Several Thousand Hands and landed on Ego's body,
"And you think I don't know what you're trying to do?"
He looked down at the Omnitrix on his wrist.
His finger rotated the dial one full notch.
Not the half-turn from before, but a complete, definite notch.
Something on the dial lit up, then a visible green light flashed.
Chapter 308: Your Path Just Got a Whole Lot Wider
As the dial of the Omnitrix rotated, an icon resembling a glowing Planet emerged—
That was the exclusive energy icon representing the Celestials!
Snap!
Peter tapped the Omnitrix, and in the next second, he instantly completed his transformation.
This was probably the most inconspicuous of all his transformations.
There were no special effects to speak of; only Peterhimself could sense the changes in his body.
At this moment, he had completely turned into a Humanoid Energy Entity!
He could freely manipulate his body to undergo any form of transformation!
At the same time, he could unleash energy attacks powerful beyond imagination.
Furthermore, he had one hundred percent control over these energy attacks!
Just as a human can flexibly use their own fingers!
Perhaps because Peter's change was so subtle, Egoactually didn't notice a thing.
At this moment, he was still rambling through his final, mad speech.
"Lowly creature, don't even think about stopping me! Once the self-destruction process begins, there is absolutely no possibility of interruption. You are all destined to perish with me..."
Before he could even finish his sentence, Peter thrust his hand directly into Ego's Energy Core.
His palm passed through the crystal-like shell, reaching deep into the core made entirely of energy.
Ego's long-winded speech suddenly halted, and a blank expression appeared on his face—one Mantis had never seen before.
It felt as if a person had suddenly seen... another version of themselves!
Seeing his stunned expression, Peter couldn't help but tilt his head at him, revealing a mocking smile:
"Keep talking. Weren't you just being very loud?"
Ego didn't respond.
He couldn't speak.
Because he sensed something that he, an ancient being who had lived for billions of years, could not accept no matter what—the energy within his body was draining away.
It wasn't a leak; it was a torrent.
Like a dam bursting or a sudden avalanche, the Celestial energy he had accumulated for billions of years was now surging into Peter's body at an absurdly fast rate.
Moreover, once his energy was absorbed by Peter, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, completely severed from his main body, with no response whatsoever.
Even as the energy drained, he could vaguely sense the Energy Seeds he had sown throughout the Universe over billions of years.
At this moment, they were disconnecting from his body one by one!
Finally, Ego came to his senses and couldn't help but let out a roar.
This time, the terror and madness contained within it were clearly audible to everyone present:
"Damn lowly creature, what have you done to me?!"
"Nothing much."
Peter shrugged and then thrust his other hand into Ego's core, his expression as calm as if he were discussing the weather:
"Just absorbing a bit of energy from you. Not much, just... all of it."
Hearing this, everyone on the scene was dumbfounded.
Peter... was absorbing the energy of a Planet?!
And he even claimed he would suck it dry?!
How could such a thing be possible!
"Impossible! This is impossible! I have existed for billions of years; no one can strip me of my energy..."
"Old geezer," Peter interrupted him, "you only have a few minutes left to live. Are you sure you want to waste your limited life on these meaningless conversations?"
Ego's face turned flushed red, but his voice was exceptionally pale:
"You're lying! You're simply dreaming!"
"My consciousness covers countless Planets."
"My seeds have taken root throughout the Universe."
"Over the past billions of years, the energy I have absorbed is comparable to an entire Sun!"
"By absorbing me, you are forcibly stuffing a cosmic-level life structure into your body."
"Doing this will only blow you up from the inside out!"
Hearing Ego's words, Star-Lord and the others couldn't help but glance at each other.
Rocket, the most intelligent in the group, couldn't help but look at Sif and ask:
"I think the old geezer has a point. Are you sure your boyfriend won't run into any problems doing this?"
"Don't worry!" Sif looked completely relaxed, even finding the time to pull out her phone and open a single-player mini-game Peter had developed to pass the time:
"Peter never fights a battle he isn't prepared for!"
As time passed minute by minute, everyone gradually noticed that Ego's body... was actually starting to shrink again.
And the speed of the shrinking was terrifyingly fast.
When he first shrank earlier, he was about thirty to fifty meters in size.
But now, in less than a minute, he had shrunk to less than ten meters tall.
Sif, who had finished a game due to a mistake, looked up and, seeing the ever-shrinking Ego, couldn't help but say:
"Almost there."
"Almost what?" Mantis's voice trembled slightly.
Sif glanced at her and Star-Lord beside her, adding with a relaxed expression:
"Your father is just about finished."
Sure enough, just as she finished speaking, Ego began to beg for mercy.
His voice changed from the previous mad roar to a humble plea.
At this moment, his energy form was faintly beginning to dissipate, and his once clear facial features were gradually becoming blurred:
"Young man, I think we can have a good talk. You are the strongest being I have ever seen in this Universe. If we can cooperate, I can share many things you need with you!"
"My knowledge."
"My star maps."
"I have witnessed the origins and growth of many civilizations since the birth of the Universe."
"I even know cosmic taboos that many super-powers in the Universe are unaware of."
"I can teach you how to sow seeds inside Planets, how to evolve life, and how to create new energy vessels."
Facing Ego's persuasive coaxing, everyone was truly worried that Peter would agree to his terms.
But Peter did not disappoint them after all.
His answer was crisp and direct:
"Idiot!"
"Is there a possibility that after you die, all these things will also belong to me?"
"What right do you have... to negotiate terms with me now?"
Realizing that persuasion was ineffective, Ego decisively switched his target:
"Quill."
Star-Lord's body stiffened.
"Child, stop him. Can you allow an outsider to kill your father right in front of you?"
Gamora immediately stepped in front of Star-Lord:
"Don't listen."
But Star-Lord did not choose to listen.
He stepped out from behind Gamora, raised the Energy Gun in his hand, and aimed it at Ego's head.
Bang!
Star-Lord pulled the trigger and roared:
"I said, I only have one father, and that's Yondu!"
Star-Lord fired several shots in succession, as if venting:
"This shot is for my mom."
"This shot is for Yondu."
"This shot is for all those siblings you discarded so carelessly."
"This shot is for... for you peeking at my friend's girlfriend just now."
Hearing Star-Lord's last sentence, Peter's movements couldn't help but pause.
He couldn't help but look back and praise Star-Lord:
"You kid, well done. Your path just got a whole lot wider~"
Chapter 309: This Feeling is Familiar
Facing Star-Lord's roar, Ego didn't speak again.
It wasn't because he'd had a change of heart, but because he no longer had the spare energy to sustain his voice.
Peter clenched his fingers into a fist; with this movement, Ego gasped sharply.
He felt his final means of resistance completely collapse.
Peter's absorption speed more than doubled again.
Correspondingly, Ego's energy form began to disintegrate; the drifting blue-white particles didn't vanish but gathered toward Peter along an invisible path, entering his body bit by bit.
An unprecedented sense of fullness surged through him, causing Peter to narrow his eyes comfortably.
Ego's final whimper was swallowed by the air, leaving behind not even a single last word.
This perverted God, who had lived for eons, traveled through countless galaxies, and fathered a brood of children only to kill them and their mothers with his own hands, vanished completely from the Universe in an extremely undignified manner.
He died silently.
When Peter withdrew his hand, he instinctively squeezed his fist, feeling his skin turn slightly transparent.
It had to be said that the energy Ego had accumulated was indeed exaggerated; even with the help of the Omnitrixand the Tiger Talisman, it nearly blew him apart.
Of course, by "blowing him apart," he didn't mean his body would literally explode and die.
Rather, he almost couldn't maintain his human form and was on the verge of becoming a sentient Planet like Ego.
While he was reflecting like this, Star-Lord and the others discovered a fact that made their scalps tingle.
The Planet beneath their feet... was disappearing.
This was no surprise.
The entire Planet was Ego's body, and now Ego had been completely absorbed by Peter.
The remaining energy remnants would dissipate into the wind; it was naturally only a matter of time.
"Holy cow~"
A crack opened between Rocket and Groot, nearly swallowing Rocket.
Fortunately, Groot was still in his giant form, allowing him to quickly grab Rocket's branch-like limbs.
"Run!" Rocket shouted, quickly signaling Groot to hurry toward the destiny—
It wasn't that he wanted to be lazy, but with his short legs, trying to make it on foot would surely end in tragedy...
The group began sprinting toward the destiny.
But they seemed a bit slow; their running speed couldn't keep up with the Planet's collapse.
More fatally, as the Planet crumbled, gravity was also rapidly vanishing.
If nothing changed, in less than half a minute, they would be completely exposed to space, where the extreme cold and lack of oxygen would quickly kill them!
"No, we can't make it!" Drax couldn't help but roar in despair!
Mantis had already given up struggling.
She simply stopped where she was, staring at where Egohad vanished.
The antennae on her forehead drooped; her expression was hard to define as joy or sorrow, likely a mix of many things—grief and relief perhaps, but neither was complete.
"Hey!"
Peter shouted to her:
"Don't tell me you're planning to be buried with that scumbag father of yours."
Mantis snapped out of it and looked up at Peter; her lips trembled, but she didn't know what to say.
Maybe dying here wouldn't be so bad; after all, she had no necessity or value for existing.
She was just a tool needed by Ego; now that Ego was dead, the tool naturally lost its reason for being.
Thinking this, she slowly closed her eyes, prepared to die in the endless void of space.
Just then, she felt a hand grab her wrist.
Then, with an unquestionable dominance, the other person forcibly pulled her into his embrace!
Mantis opened her eyes, looking at Peter in shock.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I just can't stand by and watch someone die."
Peter said, continuing to fly her toward the destiny.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"Still no good, we're too far from the destiny!" Rocketcouldn't help but look back at Peter.
"Man, is this the time to be picking up girls?"
"Use that invincible brain of yours to think of something!"
Peter glanced at the mood-killing, foul-mouthed raccoon, then raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
The next second, the destiny flew toward them at high speed under the control of the Wheel of Fortune.
It even sprouted countless mechanical arms along the way, grabbing them firmly and then quickly retracting, tossing them one by one into the destiny's cabin.
"Phew~ Saved!"
Rocket couldn't help but sigh with relief.
Everyone looked like they had just escaped death.
Only Peter frowned slightly as he looked toward the spot where Ego had completely vanished from the Universe.
He suddenly felt like he'd missed out.
Before, he was too busy using the Celestial genes to absorb the energy in Ego's body and forgot to find an opportunity to grab something of Ego's to sacrifice to the system.
For example, that egg-shaped energy ship; if he had sacrificed that to the system, it would have been worth at least ten or twenty thousand sacrifice points.
Setting that aside, the rewards from this trip to Planet Egowere still very abundant.
Not only did he directly obtain Ego's Celestial genes, but he also absorbed all of Ego's energy.
Just the energy from Ego that he had digested and purified was roughly equivalent to...
He frowned and did a quick conversion; it was roughly equivalent to... the energy reserve of more than half an Infinity Stone?
Not bad; this cosmic trip could be considered to have come to a successful conclusion.
Thinking this, Peter took a deep breath and decided to part ways with Star-Lord and the others on Xandar.
They would continue being the Guardians of the Galaxy, while Peter himself should prepare to return to Earth.
Star-Lord and the others naturally wouldn't object to his choice; they were used to being free and easy and didn't want to go back to Earth to live with Peter.
Parting ways now was the best choice.
Of course, if Peter ever needed them in the future, they would definitely come back at the first opportunity to repay his kindness.
Only... would Peter really ever have a need for them in his life?
...
After waving goodbye to Star-Lord and the others on Xandar, Peter prepared to turn around and head back to Earth.
Just as he finished setting the course, footsteps suddenly came from behind him.
It was Mantis.
She stood at the cockpit door, not entering, just standing there with her antennae twitching slightly as if she were weighing something.
Peter didn't turn his head: "Something the matter?"
"I..." she paused, "I have nowhere else to go now."
These words were very direct, so direct there was no room for maneuver.
Peter was silent for a moment, then glanced at Sif nearby:
"So, what do you mean?"
"Can I go to Earth with you?" Mantis finally plucked up the courage to voice her thoughts. "I won't take up much space, and I don't need much food..."
Before she could finish, Sif's voice, tinged with a hint of a smile, came from the cockpit:
"Peter, doesn't this conversation feel a bit familiar to you?"
Chapter 310: Oh No, My Mind Was Read!
Peter tilted his head.
Those words really left him stunned.
He instinctively looked back and remembered that after the crisis in Asgard ended, Sif had made a similar request in much the same way—to follow him back to Earth.
Only, Sif back then was clearly more direct, coming right out and saying she wanted Peter to be her husband.
In comparison, Mantis was much more subtle, only asking for a place to stay.
But thinking about it carefully, she clearly had a biological brother in the Guardians of the Galaxy, yet she chose not to go with her own kin, opting instead to ask a man she had known for less than a day to take her in.
This in itself spoke volumes, didn't it?
Turning to glance at Sif, who was leaning against the control panel with her arms crossed and a "watching a good show" smile on her face, Peter truly didn't know how to answer for a moment.
In the end, he could only choose to be as impartial as he was back then:
"Why aren't you going with Star-Lord? Isn't he your brother?"
"He actually already invited me," Mantis's voice was soft and sweet, her large eyes filled with naive and direct innocence, "but I turned him down."
"Why?"
"Because..."
Mantis hesitated for a moment, then extended a finger and lightly tapped Peter's forearm.
"I can feel your heart."
As she spoke, a bright smile suddenly bloomed on her face, as if she were describing something that she herself found incredible.
"There is so much love in your heart—for your friends, for your family, and..."
At this point, she tilted her head, seemingly unable to understand the emotions she was sensing for a moment:
"A romantic love, and... a lustful love... for her!"
She suddenly pointed her finger at Sif, causing Sif, who had been prepared to enjoy the show, to blush, looking somewhat flustered.
"This kind of emotion," she looked up at Peter, her eyes clearly reflecting his image:
"I lived by Ego's side for so long, yet I never experienced it."
Good grief.
Peter took a sharp breath, suddenly feeling that he had underestimated the young girl before him.
Who said this girl was subtle!
This direct hit... caught him completely off guard!
While feeling such sentiment in his heart, Peter couldn't help but take a serious look at the girl in front of him.
He hadn't paid much attention back on Planet Ego, but looking now, Mantis's appearance far exceeded his expectations.
In the movies he saw in his past life, Mantis's eyes were entirely pitch black, with pupils so large they almost filled the entire eyeball; while she had her own unique cuteness, it was ultimately quite far from normal human aesthetics.
The Mantis before him was completely different.
Her eyes were a deep emerald green, and they were so clear and bright they contained not a single impurity.
Her pupils were only slightly larger than a normal person's, which didn't feel strange at all; instead, it gave her a sense of purity like that of an infant.
Her long, straight black hair reached her waist, and paired with two slightly pointed elf-like ears, she didn't feel like a Mantis at all, but more like a butterfly fairy from a fairy tale.
The only thing that ruined the overall aesthetic was the two antennas on her forehead.
Peter really found those a bit hard to accept.
They indeed greatly detracted from Mantis's beauty.
Thinking of this, before Peter could even say anything.
Mantis's expression suddenly changed:
"You don't like my antennas."
It wasn't a question, but a statement.
"It's not that I don't like..." Peter instinctively tried to explain, but stopped halfway through.
Dammit, how could I forget—Mantis's spiritual perception is comparable to Scarlet Witch's!
As long as this girl has physical contact with someone, she can accurately capture all of their current emotions and thoughts.
And right now, her finger was poking his chest!
In other words, all those stray thoughts he just had about her looks—
She had perceived every single one of them exactly as they were.
Facing such a situation, even Peter, who was used to great storms, couldn't help but feel awkward for a moment; his toes could almost carve a three-bedroom apartment into the deck of the destiny.
"Uh..." Peter scratched his face awkwardly and said unnaturally:
"Sorry, I don't think you're ugly, really. It's just those antennas of yours... for Earthling aesthetics, they're a little bit... ahead of their time."
Hearing the words "ahead of their time," Sif couldn't help but turn her head and give Peter a "you've got to be kidding me" look.
Doesn't her man usually have one smooth line after another when coaxing girls?
Why was he suddenly acting like such a clueless straight man now?
Just when she thought Mantis was definitely going to be angry, or even burst into tears.
Mantis herself didn't seem offended at all; instead, she tilted her head cutely, thought for a moment, and then nodded seriously.
"Ahead of their time... I think I understand what you mean."
"If I go to Earth looking like this, it would definitely cause trouble for Earthlings!"
As she spoke, Mantis lowered her head.
At the same time, the two antennas on her forehead slowly shortened.
Just like the two tentacles of a snail retracting after being touched, her antennas completely vanished beneath her skin within a few seconds, disappearing without a trace.
When she looked up again, her forehead had become smooth and flat, no different from a human girl's.
"This should be fine now, right?" Mantis looked at Peterexpectantly.
"How did you manage to retract them?" Peter couldn't help but ask curiously.
"It's a biological instinct of mine," she answered frankly, "but when I retract the antennas, the range of my emotional perception shrinks significantly, and my spiritual influence on others weakens."
At this point, she paused, her voice becoming a bit downcast:
"Ego felt that this would affect the speed at which I help him fall asleep, so he never let me retract them."
This was said nonchalantly, but Peter could hear many things behind it.
That so-called "Father of the Celestials" merely used Mantis as a humanoid melatonin.
Not only did he never give her an ounce of love, but he treated her entirely as a tool.
This damn old geezer, he truly deserved to be drained dry!
Thinking of this, Peter couldn't help but take her hand and say:
"If you don't like retracting your antennas, you don't actually have to force yourself."
"You are free now; there's no need to force yourself into a form you don't like just to please others."
Hearing this, Mantis couldn't help but show a lovely smile:
"It's okay, actually, if I could, I wouldn't like to keep the antennas extended all the time; they are very fragile and consume a lot of my physical energy."
"Also... thank you for calling me cute."
"And thank you for caring about me; this is the first time anyone has ever cared about me!"
"This feeling is truly wonderful."
"Ah?"
Peter looked bewildered.
When did he call her cute?
Then, he suddenly slapped his forehead.
Well~ she read my mind again!
Chapter 311: Skrulls, you've done well!
Realizing that Mantis could eavesdrop on his thoughts at any time, Peter felt somewhat helpless for a moment.
It wasn't that he had any shameful thoughts in his head.
But the feeling of having whatever he was thinking forcibly known by someone else... was just too strange!
Maybe... he should keep a thin layer of Armament Hakiover himself from now on to block her ability?
Forget it, that would be too much trouble, and it wasn't really necessary.
While Peter was lost in these idle thoughts.
Mantis silently leaned in half a step closer, bringing her face quite near to Peter's; they were so close that Petercould have kissed her with just a slight tilt of his head.
"So, can I go live on Earth with you?"
She took Peter's hand, her emerald-green eyes looking at him with anticipation, like a clingy puppy.
"Please, please, I'm begging you~"
Her tone rose as she spoke, the end of her sentence trailing off with a little lilt that sounded incredibly coquettish.
She didn't actually know what the point of doing this was.
It was just that Peter's emotions told her that doing this would make him happier.
Sensing Peter's happiness, she would feel happy in turn.
"Hiss~" Peter couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
Who could resist this!
Especially when he noticed her eager expression—she was clearly prepared to follow his inner thoughts and do something even bolder.
Peter didn't dare hesitate for a second longer; he immediately took a step back, breaking physical contact with Mantis.
It wasn't that he wanted to refuse, it was simply that Sifwas still standing just three steps away.
How could he engage in some kind of flirtatious play with a new girl right in front of his actual girlfriend!
How is that any different from cheating right in front of her face!
"Um..."
Shaking off those messy thoughts, Peter looked into Mantis's eyes and spoke with a serious expression.
"I can take you to Earth."
Mantis's eyes lit up.
"But I have one condition."
Mantis's eyes dimmed slightly.
"I need you to first experience the emotions and lifestyle of Earthlings properly, to understand what it means to like someone, what love is, and what is simply gratitude and dependence." Peter spoke slowly, trying to keep it simple.
"You've been by Ego's side for too long."
"There is no love in that place, only obedience. So when you feel love for the first time, it's easy to be influenced by that emotion and make irrational judgments."
"But in reality, you don't know me at all. Your current curiosity about me is less like affection and more like... an instinctive pursuit of the first ray of light after walking out of the darkness."
Mantis listened quietly without interrupting him.
"So, I think you should try living independently on Earth for a while."
To prove he wasn't just leading her on, Peter took her hand and said earnestly:
"Once you've met more people and experienced more types of emotions, think again about whether you still want to stay by my side."
"If your answer is still the same then, then we... will talk about it then."
"Of course, during this process, if you want to return to your brother's side, you can tell me at any time, and I will reunite you siblings."
Hearing this, Sif couldn't help but show a satisfied smile.
Although these words sounded somewhat familiar, they only proved that Peter wasn't the type of scumbag who took advantage of people in vulnerable positions; she hadn't misjudged him after all.
The man she had chosen was the most outstanding and clear-headed being in this Universe!
On the other side, Mantis remained silent for a few seconds, carefully sensing Peter's emotions.
After a moment, she suddenly looked up and gave Peter a firm nod.
"Okay."
...
After deciding to take Mantis back to Earth, the destinyofficially began its return journey.
Under the control of the Wheel of Fortune, the destinyinitiated consecutive space jumps.
Meanwhile, Peter began to think about matters on Earth.
He wondered if the Avengers would run into any problems during his absence from Earth.
Also... he wondered if those Skrulls were behaving themselves according to the rules he had set.
Thinking of this, Peter couldn't help but rub his temples, feeling a bit of a headache coming on.
It was only now that he realized, in hindsight, that he had actually broken his word, just like Nick Fury.
He had originally intended to use Ego's home Planet as a new home for the Skrull refugees after dealing with him.
An entire Planet, with enough space and resources, far from the conflicts of various factions—it was a very ideal habitat.
But plans can't keep up with changes.
He hadn't expected that old geezer Ego to be so uncooperative, insisting on self-destructing.
It had forced him to drain the other party completely, flesh and bone, and the entire Planet had turned into cosmic dust as a result.
As such, the matter of settling the Skrulls naturally became impossible.
"Sigh, what a headache!"
"If only these Skrulls were as restless as they are in the movie and comic Universes."
"Then I could just use their restlessness as an excuse for punishment and gloss over my broken promise."
Just as he was thinking this, the mechanical notification sound of the Wheel of Fortune suddenly reached his ears:
"Space jump complete. Returned to the Solar System. Synchronizing Earth's communication network."
Hearing this, Peter's spirits lifted, and he immediately began receiving the news summary—which he had specifically asked Hill to keep updated before he left.
The first half wasn't anything special.
Basic daily mission reports, personnel transfer records, resource procurement lists—all trivial matters.
He scrolled down.
Still nothing.
But further down.
Peter's finger suddenly stopped.
A large number of reports regarding the United Nationsopposing the Avengers and the privatization of Superheroes appeared on the screen.
Faced with this sudden flood of negative news, others might not know what was going on, but how could Peternot be clear?
At this thought, he immediately leaned back in his chair and let out a cold sneer:
"Skrulls, you've done well."
"I worked so hard preparing to find you a new home, and yet you're actually as restless as I imagined, daring to cause trouble on my turf!"
His voice wasn't loud, but both Sif and Mantis heard him.
Sif walked over, glanced at the content on the communication screen, and raised an eyebrow. "Something happened on Earth?"
"More than just something happening."
Peter pushed the communication panel toward Sif, letting her see for herself.
Sif scanned it a few times, her expression shifting from relaxed to amused.
"These... are clearly the handiwork of those Skrulls you mentioned, right? These guys have some nerve."
"More than just nerve." Peter stood up and walked to the porthole.
"They've calculated that I would die in the Universe and wouldn't be able to go back and deal with them!"
"In that case, I'm going to have to give them a grand gift!"
Chapter 312: Losing to Me, You Don't Need to Feel Inferior!
the destiny was traveling at high speed through the Universe.
Peter stood before the porthole, watching the azure Planetgradually enlarge in his field of vision.
Almost home!
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a familiar voice suddenly came from the Captain's quarters—
This was because the destiny was getting closer to Earth, automatically connecting to the Avengers' private communication channel.
Just after connecting, Peter heard an incredibly familiar female voice:
"Is Mr. Hawkeye still unreachable?"
The owner of this voice was none other than Gwen!
Peter's heart stirred, and a strong feeling of longing involuntarily welled up within him.
He wanted to speak to Gwen right then and tell her how much he missed her, but the words suddenly caught in his throat—
He wanted to see how much Gwen could achieve without him by her side.
While he was thinking this, Natasha's voice came through the communication channel:
"Still no contact. Barton has been missing for over 24 hours! The Barton in the news committing terrorist attacks is undoubtedly just a fake."
"Almost as soon as I dealt with those blind fools, Bartonlost contact... How could there be such a coincidence in this World?"
"This must be the work of those damn green-skinned goblins too!"
As soon as Natasha finished speaking, Tony's voice followed in the channel:
"Barton, Steve, Banner, Davis... the number of missing people is increasing. Damn it, haven't they already stolen our abilities?"
"Why are they still going after them?"
"Guys, haven't you been following the latest news!" Daisy's voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of rapid keyboard typing:
"New Superheroes have been appearing all over the World. Among them, guys codenamed Mockingbird and Dragonfly Man even defeated the fake Hawkeye and fake Captain America in the streets!"
"Without a doubt, this is their latest plan!"
"Those goblins intend to kidnap us, the originals, one by one, then have their people pose as us to cause destruction, and finally have another group of their people dress up as new Superheroes to step in and stop it."
"This way, they can not only brand us as villains but also logically inherit our popularity and our standing in the eyes of the public!"
"They want to completely replace us! Then, through our influence, they can better seize our place!"
After hearing Daisy's analysis, the Superheroes in the communication channel all turned pale with anger.
This plan of the Skrulls was truly insidious.
It completely blocked all their paths for a counterattack; in this situation, even they didn't know how to respond.
After all, the current situation was entirely against them, and the power the enemy possessed was in no way inferior to theirs. It was almost an irreversible dead end.
Just as they fell into silence, racking their brains for a way to break the deadlock.
Clap clap clap!
A strange round of applause suddenly came through the channel.
Everyone was stunned to hear the applause.
A look of exasperation appeared on Tony's face. Which blind idiot dared to interrupt his thoughts by clapping at a time like this?
He instinctively wanted to lash out, but just as the harsh words reached his lips, he suddenly froze.
Wait, why was this style of doing things so similar to a certain bastard?
Just as this thought occurred to him, a lazy voice drifted in lightly:
"Not bad, Daisy. A very thorough analysis! I really didn't misjudge you."
The moment they heard this voice, the communication channel instantly exploded with activity.
Everyone couldn't help but exclaim in unison:
"Peter?!"
Only Gwen, currently in her single dormitory at Empire State University, involuntarily pursed her lips, her heart feeling as tangled and uncomfortable as a mess of hemp.
Peter... had heard their entire previous conversation.
What should she do? Would Peter think she was useless?
Even though he had specifically instructed her before leaving Earth, she had still messed everything up.
She had performed miserably in this Secret War against the Skrulls, failing to fulfill her responsibilities as a leader.
Peter must be very disappointed right now.
Would he... stop liking her because of this?
The more Gwen thought about it, the worse she felt. She instinctively muted her microphone, not wanting Peter to hear any emotional distress from her.
Her performance was already bad enough; she didn't want to show a fragile side to Peter and make him think she was just a useless burden.
...
"Eh? Sister Sif, where's Peter?"
In the cabin of the destiny, Mantis, who happened to be passing by, noticed that Peter had suddenly disappeared from the Captain's quarters. She couldn't help but turn back to ask Sif what had happened.
Sif glanced at the empty Captain's quarters and then spoke with a slightly sour tone:
"He must have gone back ahead of time to coax his 'main wife'! Don't mind him; even if he's not here, the destiny will land at the designated location anyway."
"Main wife?" Mantis tilted her head:
"You mean Sister Gwen?"
Thinking about how much Peter cared for Gwen, Mantisdidn't feel jealous but instead felt incredibly envious.
This feeling of being infinitely cared for must be wonderful!
I really hope that one day... Peter can care for me like that too, so I can feel what that kind of emotion is like.
...
At the same time Mantis was secretly fantasizing about this.
Gwen, who was quietly weeping, suddenly noticed a purple light glowing on her body.
This is...
Seeing this long-unseen purple light, Gwen was first stunned.
Then, she felt a pair of strong, powerful hands hugging her from behind.
There was only one person in the World who could appear by her side so stealthily without triggering her Spider-Sense...
"Who upset my little crybaby again?"
"Peter, how could you..."
Peter reached out and gently stroked her short hair, saying in a casual manner:
"My 'main wife' didn't lead the welcome for my return; wasn't that enough to catch my attention?"
The incredibly gentle voice rang in Gwen's ear, causing all the exhaustion and grievances in her heart to surge up like a tide at that moment.
She couldn't help but turn around and throw herself into that familiar and warm embrace, sobbing breathlessly as she spoke:
"I'm... I'm sorry, Peter. I messed everything up."
"Mr. Barton has lost contact, Mr. Rogers has lost contact... those fakes are hurting civilians everywhere in our name, and the whole World is cursing us."
"I established a Mutual Trust Protocol and made contingency plans in advance, but it wasn't enough... I'm so useless, I couldn't stop them at all."
Facing Gwen's intermittent narrative, Peter just listened silently, while distressfully reaching out to stroke Gwen's heavy dark circles and her slightly pale lips.
To make Gwen, whose physical fitness far exceeded ordinary people's by a hundredfold, look so haggard, showed how much pressure she had been under recently.
"You've already done very well."
While using the Horse Talisman to help Gwen dispel her fatigue, Peter gently stroked her hair and comforted her:
"I've generally understood the situation. If you hadn't been supporting things, and Steve or Tony had led the situation instead, things would only be worse than they are now."
"You've achieved a level that many people couldn't, even if you're still a tiny bit short compared to your omnipotent boyfriend."
"But obviously, there's no need for self-abasement for losing to me!"
Chapter 313: One Person, One Sentence, Public Opinion Directly Reverses!
Listening to Peter's smug speech, Gwen couldn't help but break into a smile through her tears.
In her heart, she felt an incomparable warmth.
She knew, of course, that Peter was only saying that to make her happy.
In this World, it seemed only Peter would pamper her like this at every moment.
At this thought, she first gave Peter's chest a light punch:
"How annoying, you always know how to make fun of me!"
But then, she couldn't help but stand on her tiptoes and proactively kiss Peter's lips.
After a long while, she leaned against Peter's sturdy chest, slightly out of breath, and murmured:
"Peter, it's so good to have you here."
Hearing the deep exhaustion in Gwen's tone, Petercouldn't help but gently pat her back:
"Sleep. When you wake up, all the problems will be solved!"
He thought saying this would relieve the pressure in Gwen's heart and allow her to get a good night's sleep.
Unexpectedly, Gwen gently patted her own cheeks and then shook her head, saying:
"Since you've put it that way, I definitely can't sleep now."
She took Peter's hand, wrinkled her small nose, and spoke in a fierce but cute tone:
"My boyfriend is going to stand up for me, so of course, I have to see those bastards get beaten black and blue by you before I'm willing to sleep!"
Seeing her adorable appearance, Peter couldn't help but reach out and gently flick her perky nose:
"In that case, I'll have to deal with those green-skinned monsters sooner. I can't let those pieces of trash delay my Lady Girlfriend's beauty sleep!"
After saying this, he gave Gwen one last gentle kiss on the forehead:
"Then stay here and rest well. Wait and see how I make those green-skinned monsters regret provoking you!"
...
Not long after,
Sif arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters with Mantis.
Here, the Superheroes who hadn't gone missing, aside from Gwen, had already gathered together.
"Sister Sif, who is this?" Daisy couldn't help but ask curiously.
"This is Mantis Brandt. She's a partner Peter and I met in space."
After a brief introduction of Mantis, Sif returned to the main topic:
"Peter has already gone to handle the Skrulls. He said you guys have worked hard enough during this time, so there's no need to keep busy. Just staying here to watch the show is enough."
Hearing this, the Superheroes present all looked at each other.
Good grief, this attitude was arrogant beyond measure, yet left one with no room for rebuttal.
One could only say... this was very Peter!
Just as everyone crossed their arms, ready to watch the show,
Peter, who had left Empire State University, immediately took action.
The first thing he did was call JJJ.
The phone was picked up before it even rang twice.
On the other end, JJJ's voice was so excited it changed pitch:
"Mr. Parker! You're finally back! My god! Do you have any idea what has happened to this World while you were away?"
"I know." Peter directly interrupted his long-winded speech. "Old James, arrange a nationwide live broadcast for me."
"A nationwide live broadcast?" JJJ froze for a moment, then realizing something, he spoke with immense excitement:
"Sir, give me ten minutes!"
Ten minutes later.
The Daily Bugle's studio was temporarily cleared.
JJJ personally sat at the control desk, with twelve cameras simultaneously aimed at the center of the studio.
The signal was pushed simultaneously to 376 television channels across the U.S. and all mainstream network platforms via satellite and a presidential order.
At this moment, all television programs across the U.S. were collectively interrupted.
"Damn, what's going on?" Clueless viewers were about to start cursing.
The next second, they all collectively gasped in shock.
On the television screen, besides JJJ's iconic grumpy face, a figure wearing a black-and-gold Battle Suit slowly walked from the studio corridor—it was The Arbiter!
"Long time no see, everyone."
"Sorry, I went on a long trip and made you all worry."
Just two simple greetings like that.
No impassioned speech, no righteous statement.
The tone was as casual as if he had gone to the supermarket downstairs to buy a bottle of water and then greeted a neighbor on the way back.
But the effect was absolutely explosive!
The comment sections and live chats were instantly flooded:
"The Arbiter is back!!!"
"Waaaah, My Lord Arbiter, you're finally back! I was worried to death!"
"With My Lord Arbiter here, I'm at ease. No matter what state this World falls into, we don't have to worry anymore."
While the viewers were discussing so intensely, they saw The Arbiter on the screen speak with a calm face:
"Recently, many incidents have surfaced worldwide where Superheroes are allegedly persecuting citizens of various countries."
"As the leader of all Superheroes in America, I will give you a reasonable explanation within one hour! Everyone, please look forward to it!"
The moment the words fell, the live broadcast ended.
The whole process took no more than two minutes.
But it was this brief two-minute appearance that stirred up a storm in the court of public opinion ten times more powerful than the effect the Skrulls had spent an entire week creating.
On American social media, the direction of the wind began to reverse almost visibly to the naked eye.
The anti-Superhero sentiments that the Skrulls had painstakingly cultivated in the shadows collapsed instantly the moment Peter appeared.
The reason was very simple.
The Arbiter had already saved the people of the U.S. twice.
Now, everyone in America believed that when Earth faced another existential threat, the person standing at the very front to protect everyone would only be him!
This kind of trust wasn't built on propaganda and packaging, but was forged through actual actions.
Of course, not everyone was willing to buy it.
On a certain social media platform, a big influencer secretly controlled by the Skrulls was trying to stir up trouble in a final struggle.
"The faces of other Superheroes are already so ugly, how much better can The Arbiter be? Who knows if he's also done something unspeakable behind the scenes."
Before this post had even been up for three minutes, the comment section was flooded by angry netizens. Then, in just ten short minutes, the platform crashed directly due to the excessive number of users online.
Following that, something even more outrageous happened.
Netizens in the city where this influencer was located actually organized themselves spontaneously and doxxed his current location.
Twenty minutes later, a new video began to go viral on the internet—
In the footage, seven or eight burly American guys cornered this 'opinion leader' at the entrance of a cafe, madly beating him up while shouting angrily, 'Who are you to insult The Arbiter?'
When Tony saw this video on the big screen at Avengers Tower, the cola in his mouth almost sprayed out of his nose.
"Good grief..." He wiped the corner of his mouth and looked at the screen with a complex expression. "If I were being beaten up on the street, it would at most make the social news section.
In contrast, if someone says one bad word about Peter, his fans will directly beat them up for him."
Seeing this, Natasha couldn't help but have a proud smile appear on her face, and then she teasingly said to Tony:
"In Peter's words, this is called 'the gap between people is sometimes larger than the gap between a human and a dog'."
Tony:...
I'm reporting this; she's making a Personal Attack on me!