Inside the Milano's lounge, no one spoke.
The Orb sat on the table. Purple light seeped through the seams of its metal casing—ominous, dangerous.
"We should hand it over to the Nova Corps," Quill finally said. "This thing's too dangerous. They're the only ones who can safeguard it."
Gamora nodded. "Ronan was only the beginning. More will come. The Nova Corps are the law enforcement of the galaxy. It's their responsibility."
"Ha! The Nova Corps?" Rocket screeched. "They can't even catch the likes of us, and you want them guarding an Infinity Stone? Quill, are you insane? We should sell it on the black market and run!"
"I am Groot."
"See? Groot agrees with me!"
Levi leaned against the wall, silently watching them argue.
"The Nova Corps won't do," he said at last.
The room fell quiet.
"Why?" Quill asked.
"Because the one behind Ronan is called Thanos." Levi's gaze swept across them. "A madman who wants to collect all six Stones and wipe out half the universe. Do you think the Nova Corps can stop him?"
Gamora's face went pale. As Thanos' adopted daughter, she knew better than anyone what that name meant.
"He's right," she said hoarsely. "If Father comes personally… the Nova Corps wouldn't last a day."
"Then what do we do?" Quill snapped. "We can't just carry it around! It's a ticking time bomb!"
Still stubborn, he shook his head. "The Nova Corps have guarded the galaxy for thousands of years. They're not that weak. I'm going to Xandar. Let them evaluate it themselves."
Levi's patience thinned. Reasoning with them was exhausting.
"Fine. If you want to go, I'll take you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers.
The surroundings distorted instantly. The Milano's metal walls dissolved into flowing light. A wave of weightlessness hit them, sending everyone stumbling.
The next second, the light solidified.
They were no longer aboard the ship, but standing in the center of a vast white hall. At the far end, Nova Prime Irani Rael had risen abruptly from her throne, Nova officers around her drawing their weapons.
The Milano—and everyone aboard it—had been directly teleported into the Nova Corps' command center.
"You…" Quill's mouth hung open.
"Now you can ask," Levi said calmly.
Irani Rael recognized him. She motioned for her officers to lower their weapons and descended the steps, her expression grave.
"My lord, this is—"
"He wants you to safeguard this." Levi tossed the Orb to her. "I said you can't. To prove it, let me show you its power."
With that, he tapped the Orb lightly.
The casing opened. The Power Stone blazed with brilliant violet radiance. A pure, destructive energy wave swept across Xandar in an instant, then rippled outward into the depths of space.
…
In a distant corner of the cosmos, a shadow upon a throne stirred.
He felt that familiar power.
"Power…" he murmured, a faint smile curling his lips.
Through unseen means, he beheld Xandar. He saw Levi. He saw Ronan fleeing.
"Useless."
He raised a finger. A beam of deep violet darkness pierced across infinite space and injected itself into Ronan's flagship.
On the bridge, as Ronan raged, the energy struck him. He roared as black power enveloped his body. Muscles swelled, veins bulged. His strength surged wildly.
"My master…" Ronan fell to his knees, intoxicated by the unprecedented might flooding him. "Thank you for your gift!"
"Go. Reclaim what is mine. Destroy that planet," the cold voice commanded in his mind.
"As you command!"
The Dark Aster turned, tore open space, and jumped once more toward Xandar.
…
Alarms blared through Xandar's command center.
"Mass fleet warp detected! It's Ronan!"
Outside, the Dark Aster returned with an even larger fleet, blotting out the sky.
"All Nova fighters, launch! Activate planetary defense matrix!" Irani ordered decisively.
Tens of thousands of golden star-shaped fighters surged into the sky like a swarm, clashing with the Kree armada. Energy beams and explosions painted the heavens red.
But it was a massacre.
Nova shields crumpled like paper under Kree bombardment. Fighters exploded midair, turning into fireworks of destruction.
"His power… it's increased tenfold!" Irani's face drained of color.
"Believe me now?" Levi asked calmly.
Quill and Gamora stared at the apocalyptic scene outside, speechless.
At that moment, the Dark Aster's main cannon began charging. A beam of dark violet energy—several times thicker than before—lanced down toward the command center.
Nova fighters formed a living shield, attempting to block it. They were vaporized instantly.
Levi sighed.
He stepped forward, appearing in midair above the command center.
Facing the city-destroying beam, he simply raised one hand.
The beam struck.
The instant it touched his palm, it vanished—as though it had never existed.
[Law of Force · Nullification].
All the energy, all the particles composing it—their interactions forcibly severed, reduced to absolute nothingness.
On the Dark Aster, Ronan's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Levi lifted his gaze, his eyes piercing across tens of thousands of meters to meet Ronan's.
"I gave you a chance. You wasted it."
He slowly clenched his fist.
On the bridge high above, Ronan's heart seized. He found he couldn't move.
Looking down, horror consumed him.
Starting from his fingertips, his body disintegrated into the smallest particles, scattering silently.
The strong nuclear force binding his very matter was forcibly shut down.
[Law of Force · Disintegration].
"No—!"
He tried to scream, but no sound came. Then he, his armor, and his warhammer decomposed completely—reduced to a handful of cosmic dust.
He was dead.
No body. Not even a single intact cell remained.
With Ronan's death, the Kree fleet descended into chaos.
Levi made no further moves. The rest was for the Nova Corps.
Returning to the command center, he found Irani Rael and the Guardians staring at him as if at a god.
"Now," Levi said, resealing the Power Stone within the Orb, "let's discuss custody."
Irani inhaled deeply and bowed low.
"My lord, Xandar thanks you for its salvation. We… do not have the power to safeguard it," she admitted bitterly. "But we request that you leave it here temporarily. We must study it—advance our technology—to prepare for Thanos' next assault. In exchange, Xandar's entire technological archives and all explored star charts will be open to you."
Levi considered. Thanos wouldn't attempt to claim the Power Stone again for many years. Letting them study it briefly posed no issue.
"Very well," he said. "Three years. I'll return for it then."
"Thank you, my lord!"
The deal was struck.
Days later, the Milano departed once more.
Levi sat in the cabin, eyes closed, absorbing Xandar's vast technological knowledge while contemplating the fusion of the Laws of Space and Force within him.
The ship cruised steadily through the stars, performing jump after jump.
After one such jump, something appeared ahead of them.
It wasn't a ship. It looked like a living planet—massive, with eyes.
A gentle voice echoed through the Milano's comm system.
"Peter Quill… my son. I've been looking for you for a long time."
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