In an instant, when they saw a chance to survive, the Kree soldiers, like their commander, managed to convince themselves. They felt justified in using the sacrifices of their comrades to ensure their own survival. This was a form of human nature or perhaps simply an instinct for self-preservation.
With a swift "whoosh," the space lock surrounding them was lifted, much to the subtle relief of the Kree soldiers, and their main ship quickly disappeared from Xandar's sky.
"Huh?" Robert, who had been bombarding another starship, was momentarily surprised. He hadn't expected the Kree commander to give up on counterattacking and flee so abruptly.
It was well-known that the main ship's firepower was stronger than the other auxiliary ships. Robert thought it would continue attacking along with the others, yet it had fled without a fight.
"Commander?" While Robert was merely surprised, the remaining soldiers on the three auxiliary ships were utterly dumbfounded. They never expected their commander to abandon them. No, this wasn't just abandonment—it was blatant betrayal! The previous orders made it clear that the commander intended to use their ships as cannon fodder.
For Kree soldiers, such actions were absolutely unacceptable. In their warlike culture, dying in battle was far more honorable than being labeled a deserter or traitor.
Of course, this was because they knew they wouldn't be the ones escaping. Had they been on the main ship, their thoughts would have been the same as those of the soldiers on board—sacrificing others to save themselves.
As for escaping now? The three starships didn't have the time. They were still in the midst of firing powerful energy beams at Robert. Even with their advanced technology, the Kree couldn't initiate a space jump while firing weapons. Otherwise, they could simulate Robert's energy wave and instant movement.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
To make matters worse, Robert no longer needed to detonate the energy beams. He kicked them back one by one, using the Kree's own attacks to bombard their ships.
"How is this possible?!" the Kree soldiers gasped in horror. They already feared Robert's strength, but this went beyond their imagination. He was terrifying, beyond what they had ever thought possible. They were so stunned they momentarily forgot their commander's betrayal.
But they didn't have much time to dwell on it. Under the combined force of the returned energy beams and Robert's own attacks, the starships, already damaged from earlier, exploded just like the first.
A massive explosion lit up the sky above Xandar, creating a scene where it seemed as if three suns had risen. The light blinded the inhabitants below, making it impossible for anyone to see what was happening.
However, Queen Nova and her people, who had been closely monitoring the battlefield, knew the outcome. Even she could barely believe it as she murmured, "Did we really win? How is this possible? Is such power even attainable by mortals? Not even the gods of the stars could do this!"
Xandar and the Nova Empire had witnessed the era of gods, even though their deities had long since faded into history. Still, they were familiar with the gods of various planets in the universe.
But even then, Robert's strength surpassed anything Queen Nova and her people could comprehend. He was beyond divine, leaving her wondering how to process what she had just witnessed.
The Nova Empire had no record of such a powerful being, not even the infamous Titan Thanos or the Celestial who destroyed planets with the Power Stone.
"This wasn't the Nova Corps' victory. It was his. We still don't know what his intentions are," one of the councilors nervously reminded Queen Nova.
"Having such a powerful individual on Xandar may not be a good thing for us. Based on the connection between Star-Lord and this individual, it might have been him who killed Ronan and took the Power Stone…"
"That doesn't matter!" Queen Nova interrupted. "If it weren't for his intervention, both the Nova Corps and Xandar would be gone. He saved us—no, he saved our entire civilization!"
"Regardless of his intentions, we must maintain the proper attitude. If he had malicious intent, destroying Xandar would be far easier for him than obliterating those starships!"
Queen Nova wasn't just impressed by Robert's strength; she understood that whether or not he harbored ill will, the Nova Empire had to treat him as if he didn't. They couldn't afford any conflict with someone so powerful.
Having barely survived the Kree invasion, she didn't want the Nova Empire to face another existential crisis. It wasn't fear that drove her, but the realization that the Nova Empire simply couldn't withstand another disaster.
"He's appeared!" someone exclaimed as Robert's figure materialized in the sky. The Kree starships had turned into cosmic dust, and no debris fell toward Xandar.
"It's over. Commander, you should try to make contact with him," Queen Nova ordered, exhaling deeply.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The commander, though fearful of Robert's power, detached from the fleet's formation and flew toward him.
Meanwhile, Robert's eyes gleamed as he scanned the surroundings. He had been tracking the Kree commander's energy signature, ready to teleport and deal with him, along with securing the advanced starship.
However, the commander's ship hadn't yet emerged from the space jump, and his energy signature was far weaker than Ronan's, making it harder for Robert to pinpoint his location immediately.
"Found it!" With a "whoosh," Robert vanished from his spot, leaving the approaching Nova Corps commander stunned and staring at the now-empty space.
"Where did he go? Is he gone?" The commander looked around, bewildered. The space around Xandar was so clear it seemed like no battle had taken place at all. If not for the loss of his comrades, he might have thought it was all an illusion.
"Return to base. And make sure to bring Star-Lord and his team back… as our guests," Queen Nova ordered, recovering more quickly than the commander. "It's only right we thank them properly through Star-Lord."
Meanwhile, aboard the Kree starship, after traveling through a long-distance wormhole, the ship was now close to Hala, the Kree homeworld in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The commander believed they were finally out of danger.
But a new problem loomed—how would they explain this to the Supreme Intelligence?
The commander had said many things to ensure their escape, but how much useful information could they really provide? They had little more than footage of Robert's fight.
If the Supreme Intelligence demanded answers, the commander knew they wouldn't be able to avoid responsibility. It wasn't a fate he was eager to face.
Only the commander seemed to worry. The ordinary soldiers, however, weren't concerned. After all, they had merely followed orders—no, they hadn't even had the choice to disobey. It was all the commander's doing, nothing to do with them.
"Just how far are we from our destination?" the commander asked, trying to distract himself with calculations.
"Not far, just one more wormhole and a short flight," someone replied. The commander frowned, not recognizing the voice's tone.
"Alert! Saiyan intrusion! Saiyan intrusion!" the ship's AI blared suddenly, causing the commander to scowl.
"Saiyan intrusion? Impossible! You must be malfunctioning. We're a long-distance wormhole away from Xandar. There's no way he could follow us here!" the commander snapped back.
"Why didn't you just turn around and look? Then you would have seen me," came Robert's mocking voice. The commander's face turned pale as he whipped around toward the source of the sound.
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