"All right, looks like the situation has changed." At this moment, Tohka was also rather helpless, because she and Miku were thrown straight out, and Tohka could only randomly open a hole somewhere, after which everyone rushed inside. However, Tohka didn't intend to let Miku use her powers—there was no helping it, since the soldiers here were mechanical lifeforms and couldn't be controlled.
"Forget it, we'll just force our way through. Be careful." Seeing the soldiers pouring toward them, Tohka drew the longsword from her back, not even bothering to summon her Astral Dress. After all, these opponents were simply too weak.
"So these are mechanical soldiers again, no wonder I can't control them." Just then, Miku frowned as she watched the soldiers Tohka had sliced down sparking on the floor without bleeding.
"Yeah, alien technology is extremely advanced. These people might have been flesh and blood once, but for various reasons they were transformed into things like this." Tohka wasn't making it up—look at Gamora's sister, who had been remodeled by Thanos. Her whole body was practically a killing machine. This was the universe—there were many places where concepts like mercy simply didn't apply.
"Let's go, just fight our way in. The Power Stone is still in Ronan's hands, so I can't destroy the ship outright. And be careful—don't try to control them, just attack." Tohka wasn't exaggerating. She couldn't guarantee her attacks wouldn't kill Ronan outright and make the Power Stone fall to the ground. If that happened, they wouldn't need Ronan to do anything—Xandar would be destroyed instantly. Wasn't that exactly why the Nova Corps, after wiping out Ronan's forces, weren't attacking the ship itself but forming a net outside?
"Okay. You be careful too." Then Miku followed Tohka as they cut their way through the ship's interior. Along the way, there were no real obstacles. These soldiers were stronger than ordinary humans, but in Tohka's eyes, they weren't worth mentioning. And since they were all machines, she didn't hold back as if they were Tony's armor—she attacked with full force. Unfortunately, they made one huge mistake.
"So...which way do we go now?" As Ronan's flagship, this vessel was enormous—at least several times the size of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier. Soon enough, Tohka and Miku were hopelessly lost. Without Gamora's guidance, they had no idea where to head.
"Forget it, Miku, follow me—I'll have to use a more...direct approach." Unable to find the path, Tohka gave up on subtlety and smashed a hole in the ceiling. Then she led Miku upward.
But before they could locate Ronan, a huge explosion suddenly rocked the ship, sending it plummeting from the sky.
"So, in the end, I was just playing support?" Understanding what had happened, Tohka could only roll her eyes. She'd planned to finish off Ronan herself and hand the Power Stone to the Nova Corps. Clearly, she'd miscalculated. With no other choice, she grabbed Miku, who was trying to fly, activated their shields, and let the ship fall with them inside.
"Boom."
"All right, we've landed." With a deafening crash, Tohka knew the ship had hit the ground. She blasted away the wreckage pressing on their shields and burst out.
"Follow me—Ronan must be over there." Then she dragged the still-dazed Miku and flew off. Before long, she spotted Star-Lord dancing and Ronan staring dumbfounded. Seeing this, Tohka wasted no time—while everyone was distracted, she slipped behind Ronan.
"What are you—" Ronan, stunned by Star-Lord's antics, started to speak, but before he could finish, a blade erupted from his chest.
"You..." He stared blankly at the sword impaling him, unable to process what had happened. But Tohka gave him no chance to react—he was holding the Power Stone. With one kick, she sent him flying off her blade and seized the purple gem in her hand. In that instant, an overwhelming surge of energy coursed up her arm.
"Tohka, are you all right?!" Seeing her move, Miku panicked. She'd seen what happened to the last person who tried that.
"Don't come over—stay back!" At this point, not only Miku but Star-Lord and the others rushed forward, wanting to help share the burden. But Tohka knew there was no need.
Then, before their eyes, the purple markings covering her skin abruptly vanished. The energy capable of obliterating a planet was simply suppressed by Tohka.
She didn't waste a moment—one hand gripping the Power Stone, the other flipping over to reveal a blue gem: the Space Stone.
"That's the Space Stone—so that explains it..." Seeing the blue gem, everyone froze. Suddenly, they remembered the data the Collector had shown them. Like the Collector, Tohka was also a bearer of an Infinity Stone. No wonder she could control the Power Stone.
"Mm..." Ignoring everyone's reactions, Tohka held one gem in each hand. Using her body as a conduit, she began channeling the Power Stone's energy into the Space Stone. Deep in her mindscape, Reverse Tohka opened her eyes, and under her control, the Kabbalah Tree of Life blazed brilliantly.
"Ahhhhh—" On the outside, Tohka looked unharmed, but in truth, she was in agony. Even with the Kabbalah Tree, she could withstand the Power Stone's might only barely. Her arm felt as if it were being incinerated from the inside out—and because she lacked an Infinity Gauntlet, her body itself had to conduct the energy, sending the burning pain spreading from her arm across her whole torso.
From the outside, everyone saw Tohka wreathed in a swirling vortex of blue and black-purple energy. Then a beam of light shot into the sky. As a portal opened, the vortex dissipated, and the Space Stone vanished from her palm, leaving only the glowing Power Stone. Because her "ghost armor" didn't cover much, everyone could see that Tohka's exposed skin was drenched in sweat. But she ignored it all, carrying the gem over to Star-Lord and holding it out.
Seeing this, Star-Lord scrambled to produce the container he'd prepared in advance.
"Hah...it's over." Watching the Power Stone sealed inside, Tohka finally exhaled. Her body wobbled, nearly collapsing, but Miku reacted instantly and caught her. Meanwhile, Tohka's arm hung limp—it wasn't ruined, but after such severe overload, it had gone completely numb.
"Is your arm okay? Are you hurt?" Tohka's reaction had been too obvious. Miku anxiously asked, her voice full of worry.
"I'm fine. It'll recover in a while." Tohka shook her head to reassure her. Then she spoke with bright excitement: "See? The passage is complete. We can leave now. Also, Star-Lord—give this to Xandar. You've seen for yourself—I already have the Space Stone. I'm really not suited to keep another."
"Er...got it." Star-Lord, still processing everything, could only nod automatically.
"Mm. Then, everyone—farewell. Till we meet again." With that, Tohka took Miku's hand and stepped into the portal beside them. The moment they entered, it vanished, and Star-Lord and the others, who instinctively started forward, could only stop in place.
"Be careful—this isn't the Bifrost. It's not stable." On the other side, as Tohka and Miku entered, they were buffeted by a raging energy storm. After all, this was a passage spanning two entirely different universes—how could it be calm? As they sped along, they saw the stars outside rushing past in reverse. Soon, even those stars vanished, and in the distance loomed an enormous barrier. The tunnel they were in led straight toward it.
But just as they were about to reach the huge gap in the barrier, a tremendous force slammed down from above, shattering their energy passage. A golden three-faced giant appeared before them.
"Tohka Yatogami—I was ordered to wait here for you. You may not take the Space Stone out of this universe." Before Tohka could say a word, the giant's voice boomed out.
"...Tch. The Living Tribunal. So, in the end, I still drew the attention of these cosmic powers." Seeing the figure blocking her way, Tohka sucked in a sharp breath. That golden giant with three faces—she recognized him. In the Marvel universe, he was one of the true heavyweights. And just imagining who could order the Living Tribunal, Tohka felt her stomach ache. She had never expected she'd end up noticed by that being.