Marvel: The Villain Chapter 390 They Mean Nothing

Everyone boarded the Commander as the ship's engines flared, leaving Morul behind.

Inside the main throne room of the ship!

Peter, Yondu, and the Ravagers were bound tightly with shackles, kneeling on the floor. A group of guards stood behind them, guns pressed against their heads.

"Peter, you idiot! I'm getting screwed because of you!" Yondu roared at Peter, his spit flying onto the younger man's face.

"When I brought you back from Earth, you were just a kid! Those guys wanted to eat you—they'd never tasted a Terran before. I was the one who stopped them! I was the one who raised you with my own sweat and blood!"

"And how do you repay me? By betraying me, stealing my money, stealing my gear, and bringing this massive headache down on my head!"

Hearing this, Peter's pent-up emotions finally exploded.

"Oh my God, can we please stop talking about this? You've been nagging in my ear for twenty years, like not eating me was some grand achievement!"

"I've never seen a normal person who thinks about eating people all day. Why the hell should I be grateful for something that twisted?"

"You people kidnapped me! You took me away from my family..."

With their lives hanging in the balance, Peter lost control, venting all the resentment he'd buried deep in his heart for years.

Seeing that the kid's wings had grown and he dared to talk back, Yondu's angered increased.

"You don't care about your planet, and you don't care about us! You're a selfish little brat! You only care about yourself!"

Peter shouted back even louder, "If I only cared about myself, why the hell did I come back to save you!?"

Yondu pouted, gesturing to his shackles. "Look at me! Did you save us? What is wrong with your head? You knew how terrifying that man was, so why did you come back to die?"

Peter glared at Yondu with bloodshot eyes. "Why? Because if I left, you bastards would be dead meat!"

Yondu frowned, looking frustrated. "You moron! Your brain must have been kicked by a mule! If you had escaped, maybe we'd all still have a chance!"

This hit Peter like a bucket of cold water, but after a moment of silence, he lowered his head dejectedly.

"I grew up with you guys. Aside from you bastards, I don't have anyone else I can trust. If you're all caught, who else could I get to save you? Especially when the opponent is this powerful."

Hearing this, the "father" and "son" both sighed deeply and fell silent.

After a few moments of quiet in the hall, Yondu asked in a slightly calmer tone, "Peter, give it to me straight. Who did you piss off this time? Who the hell is that guy?"

Peter glanced at the guards and shook his head.

"I don't know. This was the first time I met him. Word is he's a Terran like me, but as you saw, his power is freakish. He wiped out Morul single-handedly."

"What!?" Yondu's face filled with shock. "That explosion on Morul was his doing?"

"What else did you think it was? You should've seen it," Peter said, confused.

Yondu's eyes widened. "Bullshit! I thought he used some superweapon to nuke the planet. Who knew that was his own power? If I'd known he was that strong, I would've bolted immediately—who cares if you live or die!"

Peter: "..."

A moment later, the hall doors slid open, and Jason walked in.

"You guys seem to be having a lively chat. I could hear you from outside."

Hearing his voice, Yondu and Peter stopped talking, lowering their heads to await their fate.

Jason walked up to them and smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you."

"Really!?" Peter snapped his head up.

"Hmph," Yondu muttered, looking away in disdain.

"Of course. Because from now on, you're my people."

A smirk played on Jason's lips. His eyes suddenly shifted into a brilliant gold.

Caught by that strange gaze, Yondu, Peter, and the rest of the Ravagers suddenly went slack-jawed, their eyes becoming glazed and hollow.

A moment later, they returned to normal, looking up with reverent eyes. Together, they spoke: "Master!"

Jason walked to his throne and sat down. "Excellent. Release them."

The guards behind them unfastened the electromagnetic shackles.

"Now, tell me. What was the plan?"

"Master, I was tricked by this kid. He lied to me, saying there was a massive score to settle. I had no idea about the details," Yondu immediately threw Peter under the bus.

Peter quickly explained, "I was blind to your greatness before. I was worried you wouldn't be able to rescue Valkyrie and Gamora alone, so I wanted to pull Yondu in to help."

Jason said. "And if I turned out to be a villain, you'd team up with Yondu to take me down."

"I..." Peter looked ashamed, stuttering and unable to find words.

"Fine, that's water under the bridge," Jason waved it off dismissively. "The things you told me about Ronan... you didn't leave anything out, did you?"

Peter shook his head firmly. "Absolutely not."

"Good." Jason continued, "As for rescuing Valkyrie and reclaiming the Orb, do you have any suggestions?"

Yondu shook his head.

Peter, however, had a proposal: "Master, I think we should leak the information about Ronan's attack on Xandar and the existence of the Infinity Stone inside the Orb to the Nova Empire. Let them get the news early so they can prepare for war."

"When Ronan's fleet reaches Xandar, the Nova Corps will fight to the last man. They'll throw everything they have at him. We can sit back and watch the show. Once both sides are battered and broken, we strike and seize the Orb for ourselves."

"Heh. Let the snipe and the clam grapple while the fisherman reaps the rewards. Not a bad plan. Let's do exactly that," Jason said.

*

Xandar, Nova Empire Headquarters.

A soldier rushed into the briefing room, breathless. "Nova Prime, I've just received a message from a Ravager. They say Ronan has obtained something called an Infinity Stone and is heading for Xandar to wipe us out."

"My God!" Nova Prime's expression instantly turned grave.

As the leader of the Empire, she knew the Infinity Stones. She had seen records of the disaster and destruction they could bring. If Ronan truly had one, Xandar was facing extinction.

"They're criminals, liars," The Nova Corps commander spat, not believing a single word of such "nonsense."

"Why would they think we'd believe them?" Nova Prime asked.

The soldier replied, "He said they just broke out of prison. If they weren't serious about helping, they wouldn't come back here to die—that would be 'infinitely stupid.' Those were his exact words."

"Do you believe him?" Nova Prime asked after a moment's hesitation.

"I think 'infinitely stupid' might be an exaggeration..."

"I'm asking if you really believe they're here to help."

"Yes. I do," The soldier said.

"Then let's get ready. I am officially declaring a state of war. Evacuate the capital immediately. All Nova Corps combatants, check your weapons and stand by," Nova Prime ordered.

The commander looked puzzled. "Prime, do you really trust the word of these criminals?"

"Commander, I know the power of an Infinity Stone. In a situation like this, it's better to be safe than sorry."

With the orders issued, the Nova Empire's military mobilized. They began distributing ammunition and running diagnostic checks on their ships. Once complete, every pilot sat in their cockpit, waiting for the next command.

A few hours later, in the command center, they finally detected Ronan's fleet.

Nova Prime felt a mix of relief and dread. "They were telling the truth. Ronan really has an Infinity Stone."

They knew exactly how many soldiers and ships the Dark Aster carried. On his own, Ronan destroying Xandar was a pipe dream—which was why he had allied with Thanos. Now, for him to launch such an overt, unshielded attack, the Stone must be his source of confidence.

"All combat ships, launch immediately! We must destroy Ronan's fleet in deep space. Whatever you do, do not let him enter Xandar's atmosphere, or everything on this planet will be lost."

The order went out, and thousands of Nova ships took flight, converging in orbit to meet Ronan's fleet head-on.

*

The Dark Aster.

Ronan sat upon his throne, the Cosmi-Rod in his hand.

Nebula rushed into the hall, her voice tight with urgency. "Ronan, Xandar was ready for us. They've deployed their entire fleet."

Ronan's eyes were cold and indifferent. "Deploy the Necrocraft. Wipe these insects from the sky!"

With a single command, the Dark Aster's hangar bays opened, and hundreds of Necrocraft swarmed out to meet the Nova Corps.

The two forces clashed in the void.

The battle was horrific. Ships were torn apart and sent spiraling into the abyss every single second.

As time passed, Ronan's Necrocraft began to lose ground. On one hand, the Nova Corps outnumbered them two to one. On the other hand, the Nova Corps far outclassed Ronan's forces in terms of weapon systems, tactical maneuvers, and pilot skill.

If Ronan didn't have the Infinity Stone, this reckless assault would have ended in his utter defeat.

Half an hour later, Ronan's escort fleet was decimated. The Nova Corps pressed their advantage, firing long-range batteries at the Dark Aster. A barrage of lasers and missiles filled the sky, and for a moment, it looked as though the flagship was about to become space junk.

Suddenly, a layer of purple energy rippled across the ship's hull.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Violent explosions rocked the exterior, but when the smoke cleared, the Dark Aster was completely unscathed.

The Nova Corps pilots stared in disbelief.

How is this possible? Even with an energy shield, that level of bombardment should have crippled the ship.

"Stay calm! Keep firing!" The commander barked, refusing to believe what he was seeing.

Boom!

Another massive explosion, yet the Dark Aster continued its steady descent toward Xandar.

Ronan's goal was simple: land the ship on the planet's surface. The larger the contact area, the more devastating the Stone's power would be. In open space, he couldn't unleash its true potential.

In the command center, Nova Prime watched the screen, her face ashen.

"The Infinity Stone... it really is the Stone."

Up until this point, she had tried to convince herself that Ronan might have some other secret weapon. But seeing that purple glow shattered her illusions, dragging her back to reality. She also saw through Ronan's plan. He wanted to ground the ship and vaporize the entire world.

"All ships, link up! Form the blockade! We must stop the Dark Aster from reaching the surface!"

At her command, the remaining hundreds of Nova ships lined up, connecting to one another via electromagnetic tethers. They formed a massive golden net, surrounding the Dark Aster.

Every ship pushed its engines to the breaking point, their exhausts flaring with white heat. The Dark Aster's descent slowed. Gradually, the massive ship ground to a halt, even showing signs of being pushed back.

Seeing this, Ronan stood before the flagship's viewport, clutching his hammer.

"Citizens of Xandar, prepare to receive your judgment. Your pathetic peace treaty cannot save you now. This fire will burn you to ashes!"

With that, Ronan raised his hammer.

The Power Stone let out a blinding surge of purple energy, instantly vaporizing the ships directly in front of him. Because the ships were all linked, the terrifying energy of the Stone cascaded through the entire network.

Boom! Boom!

The Nova Corps ships exploded in a rapid chain reaction, popping like dominoes until the entire fleet was reduced to burning wreckage.

Nova Prime watched the carnage, a look of pure despair washing over her. The Nova Empire's greatest defense, the Nova Corps, had been annihilated.

What little military force remained wouldn't even be a speed bump for Ronan. Once the Dark Aster touched the ground, the power of the Infinity Stone would let him erase Xandar with ease.

It was over. Everything was over.

On the Dark Aster, Ronan stood by the window, watching the destruction he had wrought with wide, hungry eyes. Even he was feeling the rush of the Power Stone for the first time. The raw power was intoxicating—addictive beyond measure.

Ronan looked down at his hammer, a savage grin slowly spreading across his face.

With this, I will become the Emperor of the Universe.

Soon, whether it be the pathetic politicians of the Kree Empire or the would-be overlords like Thanos, they will all kneel at my feet.

I am the ultimate ruler of this cosmos!

"Ronan!" Nebula burst into the hall again.

"What now!" Ronan snapped.

Nebula said frantically, "We've detected two fleets approaching from behind. One looks like the Ravagers, and the other is a fleet we've never seen before."

"Do not concern yourself!" Ronan sat back on his throne, resting the Cosmi-Rod across his knees.

"Our objective is to ground this ship. As for those nobodies, let them scurry. They mean nothing."

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