Marvel: The Villain Chapter 393 Predatory Gold

Inside the freezing hall, Ronan’s corpse slumped at Jason’s feet. His head rolled away, those deep blue eyes staring wide in a permanent mask of disbelief. Even in death, the Kree general could not comprehend how he, a commander of the Kree Empire, had fallen at the hands of a complete nobody.

Silence hung heavy in the hall. Everyone stood frozen, staring at Ronan’s body. They had expected a world-shattering fight between titans, but the battle had ended almost as soon as it had begun. The anti-climax left them feeling hollow and dazed.

Perhaps they were simply too unexposed to true power. As Valkyrie had said, Ronan and Jason weren’t even in the same league. If they ever met, Ronan would be nothing more than a momentary distraction.

"Ronan..."

Drax, his body mangled and covered in blood, forced himself to crawl across the floor. He reached Ronan’s head and raised his foot, slamming it down with everything he had left.

"Murderer! Demon! Bastard! Son of a bitch!"

Drax stomped repeatedly until Ronan’s head was flattened, until the blood, bone, and viscera were a pulpy mess that would never be recognized again. Finally, he collapsed to his knees, let out a gut-wrenching roar, and began to sob uncontrollably.

While Drax was busy desecrating the remains, Jason reached down and picked up the heavy hammer. As his hand touched the handle, the Power Stone flared with an intense light, as if sensing the presence of a fellow cosmic artifact.

Jason’s eyes shifted to a brilliant gold. He reached out his fingers and forcefully pried the gemstone from the hammer, clutching it in his palm.

"Arrrgh!"

Jason let out a roar as purple light surged up his arm. The moment the Stone touched his flesh, he felt a terrifying torrent of energy flooding his body. The Infinity Stones, born from the Big Bang, possessed a sentience far beyond any living creature. Mortals were not meant to touch such things; this agonizing surge was the Stone’s trial. Pass, and you earned the right to wield it. Fail, and you were torn apart at the atomic level.

Of course, there was the third way—Ronan’s way—to cheat by using a powerful conduit to bear the burden. But for Jason, that was unnecessary. The energy was vast, but it was nowhere near his breaking point.

Moments later, Jason absorbed the energy entirely. The Power Stone went quiet, resting obediently in his palm. He lifted it to his eyes, examining it closely. The gem, harder than anything in existence and virtually indestructible, radiated a regal, intoxicating purple light.

"Beautiful."

"Congratulations, Master, on acquiring the Power Stone. Only four more to go until the set of six is complete," Valkyrie said, stepping toward him.

"Hmm." Jason pocketed the Stone and turned to her. "A few flaws in the execution, but congratulations on completing your mission."

"It was my honor. I will do better next time," Valkyrie said, dropping to one knee.

"Hey! Can the small talk wait until we’re not on a crashing ship!?" Rocket Raccoon screamed from the viewport, staring at the rapidly approaching ground.

Jason turned to look at Rocket, his expression one of genuine surprise. "Honestly, if you didn’t speak, I would have assumed you were a plush toy."

Rocket threw up his paws and shook his head. "Whatever! Just do something!"

"Master, this is the pet I brought for you. This little raccoon is a master of sarcasm, a genius with a sharp tongue, and a prison-break specialist who has successfully escaped twenty-three facilities. Oh, and he builds weapons with devastating power," Valkyrie whispered into Jason’s ear.

"I’ve heard Peter’s stories, but seeing it in person is still quite extraordinary. I’m satisfied with this gift," Jason said, watching Rocket with intrigue.

The raccoon felt a chill run down his spine. "Stop whispering! We’re all gonna die!"

"Relax! As long as I’m here, none of you will die." Jason stepped forward, a wave of energy erupting from his body to cocoon everyone present.

"What is this?" Gamora asked, staring at the pale blue sphere of light.

"An energy shield. One of the Master’s many abilities. Behind this, not even a storm of bullets can touch you," Valkyrie explained.

"And it can take you for a flight." Jason pulled the Power Stone out of his pocket.

The group watched him with curiosity. Ronan was dead and gone; what more did he need the Stone for?

"This ship has zero value. I have no intention of cleaning up this heap of junk on the ground. I might as well just erase it now."

With that, Jason gripped the Power Stone and expertly channeled its power. There were many similarities between the Stones. Having already mastered the mind stone, he felt no problem. Even using the Power Stone for the first time was second nature to him.

The gem in his hand erupted with a blinding purple light. With a deafening roar, the was infested by veins of purple energy that rapidly tore the structure apart.

"Look out!"

"Oh my God..."

The hall shook violently as massive chunks of the ceiling began to fall. Everyone lost their footing, sliding across the deck, but Jason held them firm. The energy cocoon immediately lifted them into the air.

"Keep your eyes open. This is the best part."

The purple veins grew more dense, spider-webbing across every corner of the ship. Finally, the —a vessel built to carry thousands of soldiers—erupted in a final, earth-shaking blast. A shockwave rippled through the sky as the flagship was reduced to cosmic dust.

Less than a thousand meters above Xandar’s surface.

Jason and the others hovered in mid-air, watching as the was consumed and vaporized by the purple light. The group remained silent for a long time, awestruck by the Power Stone’s sheer might. Before a power of this magnitude—a fundamental law of the universe—Ronan and his flagship seemed like nothing more than fragile toys.

Gamora and Nebula, the more observant of the group, noticed something else. Even though it was his first time using it, Jason’s control over the Stone far exceeded Ronan’s. The purple energy had perfectly dismantled the ship, yet the surrounding skyscrapers of Xandar remained untouched. This level of precision was terrifying. If it had been Ronan, the city beneath them would already be a smoking ruin.

"So this is Xandar." Jason led them in a slow descent.

As he looked down upon the planet from his height, a look of genuine delight spread across his face.

Valkyrie flew beside him. "Yes. Xandar is the capital of the Nova Empire and a world-renowned trading hub. The scenery is beautiful, and the people are simple and honest..."

"Hmph! These people are all dull-witted and slow. Simple? Please. Don’t forget the Nova Corps threw you in the slammer," Rocket grumbled dismissively.

"Whether they are simple or not, I don’t know and I don’t care. But... I’ve truly fallen in love with this place," Jason said, his expression joyful.

"What?" Rocket stared, wide-eyed. Even with his eyes bugged out, he couldn’t see what was so special about this planet.

"The blue sky... the clear rivers... the lush forests... the grand, magnificent architecture... this planet looks a lot like Earth. This city... it’s like New York, hundreds of years in the future."

The sight stirred old memories in Jason, leaving him momentarily nostalgic.

"Earth? New York? Peter, is that your home?" Gamora asked. Valkyrie had mentioned that both Jason and Peter were "Terrans."

"No, I’m not from Earth. I was born in Missouri..." Peter said with a straight face.

"Missouri is on Earth," Jason mocked.

"Haha..." Gamora burst into laughter, not holding back.

Everyone was laughing and cheering—except for Nebula and Drax. Nebula was still, for all intents and purposes, a prisoner. What would Jason do with her? Execution? Imprisonment? The thought kept her from smiling.

Gamora noticed Drax’s somber expression and tried to comfort him. "Your wife and daughter can finally rest. You’ve had your revenge."

Drax looked at Gamora, his voice heavy. "Yes. But Ronan was merely a puppet. The one I truly need to kill is the mastermind—Thanos!"

Gamora froze, unable to find the words.

They touched down on a city street, but as they looked around, there wasn’t a soul in sight.

"The people must have evacuated to the shelters. The Nova Empire treats its citizens much better than other empires," Gamora explained.

"It doesn’t matter. Too many people just ruin the mood anyway," Jason said, leaning against a railing to admire the futuristic cityscape.

A few moments later, several hovercars approached and landed before them. A woman with a commanding presence and blonde hair stepped out, flanked by an escort of soldiers. She walked up to Jason and offered a smile and a hand.

"I am the ruler of the Nova Empire. You may call me Nova Prime. On behalf of the Nova Corps, I offer you our highest respect and our deepest gratitude for saving Xandar."

"Is that so? You truly wish to thank us?"

"Of course. If there is anything you require, we will do our utmost to fulfill it," Nova Prime said sincerely.

"Excellent. I happen to have a request," Jason said with a wicked grin.

"Please, speak."

"Your planet, Xandar... it really is too beautiful. It is exactly the vision of a future world I had in my childhood dreams. The air is clean, the water is crystal clear, the architecture is magnificent..."

"Thank you for your praise!" Nova Prime laughed happily.

"However... a planet this beautiful almost fell to a man like Ronan because of your incompetence. That simply proves you are not fit to rule it."

The group stood in stunned silence. Gamora and the others exchanged nervous glances. Nova Prime and her soldiers looked completely bewildered.

"You... you fool... what are you talking about?"

"Nothing! I’ve decided I like this planet. So you can all get out!"

"How dare you speak to the Prime that way!" The soldiers roared, raising their weapons.

"Wait!"

Nova Prime held back her men and turned back to Jason. "If you truly like Xandar, I can grant you a fiefdom, a territory of your own..."

"Grant?"

Jason interrupted her with a cold laugh. "That word only applies when the strong speak to the weak. And you... you’re just a school of defenseless fish. What right do you have to grant me anything?"

Nova Prime’s face flushed with rage, but she couldn’t find the words to argue—the truth was exactly as he had said.

"I have already spoken. From this moment on, I rule Xandar. If you don’t want to die, get out now!"

Watching Nova Prime’s look of utter despair, Gamora leaned toward Valkyrie and asked frantically, "Hey, what the hell is going on here?"

Valkyrie said indifferently, "As you can see, if Jason likes something, he takes it. But don’t worry. He has no interest in slaughtering the weak. As long as they know their place, they’ll live."

"..." Gamora was speechless with rage.

Just because he liked it, he was going to forcibly occupy someone’s home and kick them out? How was this any different from when Thanos slaughtered her people?

Gamora’s anger boiled over. She watched the back of Jason’s head and reached for the laser pistol on her hip.

"Get moving. You don’t have time to consider. I—"

The gunshot echoed suddenly. A bullet left the barrel and struck Jason square in the head. However, the moment it touched his skin, it dropped harmlessly to the ground.

Jason turned slowly, his eyes cold and pitiless as he glared at Gamora. A second later, a stunned Valkyrie snapped out of her trance. She drew her Dragonfang and struck the gun out of Gamora’s hand, leveling the blade at her throat.

"Gamora! What the hell are you doing!? Are you insane!?"

"Hmph!" Gamora scoffed, offering no defense.

"I’ve heard of your deeds. You’ve spent years slaughtering people for Thanos. With your hands covered in blood, what right do you have to act more righteous than a saint? Don’t tell me you suddenly found a conscience," Jason said mockingly.

Before Gamora could respond, the Nova officers saw an opening and began firing at Jason’s back. A hail of bullets struck him, but to no effect. Jason let out a weary sigh and flipped his palm outward. A blue energy sphere erupted.

A violent explosion followed. The Xandarians were reduced to nothing but ash. Since they hadn’t taken the chance he gave them, he saw no reason to be merciful.

"Whatever. I have zero interest in your excuses. I was missing a step anyway, and now that everyone is here, I might as well finish the collection!"

Jason looked at the group, and his pupils shifted into a brilliant, predatory gold.

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