Star-Lord pulled a long, mournful face, complaining discontentedly to Peter:
"Bro, we're literally seconds away from dying together here. Is taking advantage of me right now really that funny to you?"
Peter rolled his eyes so hard they almost flipped into the back of his head:
"Taking advantage of you? Do you honestly think I want a ridiculously dumb son like you?"
"Is there a zero-percent chance in your brain that your actual biological dad just pulled up?!"
Star-Lord froze dead in his tracks.
And in that very instant of his hesitation, a sleek, silver-white starship tore through the cosmos at incredible velocity.
As it approached, thousands of brilliant white energy beams burst from its hull. Wherever the beams passed, the Sovereign fighters tailing the Destiny exploded into spectacular fireballs.
In a single salvo, it had completely cleared the Sovereign fleet!
"Whoa~"
Rocket nudged Star-Lord in the ribs with his elbow:
"I mean, you might not love hearing this, but honestly? Claiming a dad like this doesn't sound like a bad deal at all!"
Drax the Destroyer added his own sharp insight:
"Are you truly his offspring? He is infinitely stronger than you."
Groot giggled uncontrollably: "I am Groot~"
Ignoring their endless teasing, Star-Lord simply stared dumbfounded through the viewscreen at the white-haired old man standing atop the silver ship. After a long silence, he couldn't help but voice his confusion:
"I get the grand entrance, but why... why is he riding an egg?"
Rocket, Groot, Gamora, and Drax: ...
Still bound hand and foot, Nebula couldn't help but glance at Gamora, letting out a cold, mocking sneer:
"So this is your taste? You rejected all the young, talented elite of Titan, only to pick an absolute idiot as your boyfriend."
"Shut your mouth!" Gamora snapped back, her composure cracking.
Inwardly, though, she couldn't help but side with Star-Lord:
Quill isn't even wrong! That old guy's ship literally looks like a giant, floating egg!
A few moments later, a silver-haired old man wearing elegant robes—bearing a gentle, approachable aura that practically screamed "I haven't been a mob boss in years"—knocked on the Destiny's viewport with a polite smile.
Noticing the gesture, Peter and Sif shared a quick glance, instantly reaching an unspoken consensus:
Play along!
Although Peter was mentally roasting the old guy outside, there was no helping it. Who told him to crave his body...
Wait, that sounded horribly wrong.
Who told him to crave his Celestial genetics...
Fuck, that sounds even weirder!
Either way, Peter opened Destiny's airlock, letting Ego step inside.
The moment he set foot in the cabin, Ego opened his arms wide toward Peter, his face brimming with paternal affection:
"Peter Quill! My beloved child, I have finally found you!"
Ego had tracked them down precisely because someone had absorbed the raw surge of the Power Stone, awakening the latent Celestial lineage within the galaxy.
Consequently, he instinctively assumed that the absolute strongest entity in the room must be his long-lost son.
Without a second thought, he locked onto Peter.
This single act plunged the entire cabin into a surreal, suffocating silence.
After what felt like an eternity, Drax—whose threshold for comedy was notoriously nonexistent—pburst into a roaring laugh, falling onto the floor and rolling around while clutching his stomach.
Rocket couldn't resist elbowing Star-Lord's shin again:
"Well, look on the bright side—you can save the money on a paternity test. You're definitely his kid."
"I am Groot~" Groot, completely out of the loop, giggled along blindly.
Star-Lord was the only one clutching his forehead in sheer agony. Having his biological father—missing for over twenty years—mistake someone else for him the very second they met was enough to make anyone break down.
He pulled a scowling face, glaring at Ego:
"Old man! Until you pay off twenty-five years' worth of child support, don't expect me to say a single word to you!"
Watching Star-Lord turn his back in anger, Ego finally realized his embarrassing blunder.
The sheer awkwardness of the situation made even a Celestial who had lived for millions of years feel like digging a hole with his toes right through the deck.
Ego offered Peter an apologetic smile before turning his gaze toward Star-Lord:
"Son, child support or whatever else you desire is no problem at all. As long as you are willing to return with me, I shall bestow an entire planet upon you."
"Dad~!"
About ten minutes later, Ego finished explaining his origins and nature to the team.
Star-Lord and the Guardians naturally agreed to travel alongside Ego to his homeworld.
En route to Planet Ego, the old man couldn't resist casting frequent glances toward Sif.
It suddenly occurred to him that he had never produced an heir with an Asgardian before.
The unique physique and divine bloodline of an Asgardian might yield a power vessel far superior to Star-Lord for his true form.
Driven by this thought, the old man paid zero heed to the fact that Sif was currently leaning comfortably into Peter's embrace, striking up a conversation with startling boldness:
"You are the most breathtaking Asgardian woman I have ever laid eyes upon. Might I have the honor of knowing your name?"
Peter: ???
It wasn't just that Peter felt this old creep was actively seeking a swift death.
More importantly...
Old man, your target selection is severely politically incorrect!
SCHWING~!
Sif drew her longsword without a second word.
Peter's response was even more direct—his Conqueror's Haki flared violently out into the room!
Even though he refrained from directing the pressure at Star-Lord and the others, it still made their hearts skip a beat in terror.
"Old guy, take one more peek, and see if I don't gouge your eyeballs out and stomp on them like firecrackers."
Under normal circumstances, with Ego's ancient temper, he would have dropped his friendly facade right then and there.
However, the current situation was delicate.
His son—his only remaining hope of achieving the Expansion and conquering the universe—was standing right beside them.
And right now, that very son was glaring at him with a deeply displeased expression:
"Father, I think you're lacking the most basic respect for my friends!"
To prevent his grand plan from falling apart before it even began, Ego had no choice but to forcefully suppress his rage, forcing out a diplomatic smile:
"It was merely a lighthearted joke. Think nothing of it, young man. As an apology, allow me to invite you all to enjoy yourselves on my planet."
Exchanging a glance with Sif, Peter felt her sheath her blade before commanding coldly:
"Get off my ship."
Ego was surprisingly cooperative. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned and exited the Destiny, though dark thoughts festered in his mind.
Once we reach my main body, and once I have Quill under my absolute control, the rest of you will be nothing more than ants in my palm.
It had to be said—Ego's planet was undeniably beautiful.
So beautiful it bordered on unreasonable.
As the Destiny breached the cloud layer, endless oceans of vibrant flowers stretched as far as the eye could see.
The distant lakes and mountain ranges shimmered with multicolored luminescence, looking for all the world like a fairytale kingdom.
When the ship finally touched down on the landing pad, a young girl with two soft antennae sprouting from her forehead stood waiting dutifully near the entrance, bowing respectfully before stepping quietly behind Ego.
It was none other than Star-Lord's half-sister—Mantis!
Ego made no attempt to introduce Mantis as his daughter.
He never viewed offspring who failed to inherit the Celestial Light as true children; in his eyes, Mantis was nothing more than a convenient tool to help him sleep at night.
Following his introductions, Mantis bowed politely to each member of the group in turn.
Yet when Ego introduced Peter, Mantis's small frame suddenly trembled violently.
She felt it.
Through her empathic abilities, she could sense that the emotions this man harbored toward his family... were overwhelmingly, terrifyingly vast!
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