The people of Xandar all secretly felt their hearts sink — the hope that had just flared up was snuffed out once again.
Lock's punch had been terrifying, far beyond anything they could have imagined. He was truly worthy of the title Prince of the Gods.
But even such a mighty blow had failed to shatter Ronan's shield — something none of them had expected.
Nova Prime exhaled slowly and said solemnly:
"This cannot be Kree technology. If the Kree Empire had access to such a shield, Xandar would have fallen long ago."
After saying this, she closed her eyes briefly, as if steeling herself, before giving the most difficult order a leader could make:
"In the name of Nova Prime, I order a full-scale planetary evacuation. Every ship that can reach orbit must be filled with civilians and launch immediately. Scatter in all directions and flee to other Nova worlds.
Xandar itself… may no longer be savable."
But Lock did not step back.
He didn't throw another Infinite Divine Fist — not because he was afraid of wasting his effort.
He knew that if he unleashed thousands of those punches in a single breath, even Ronan's shield would eventually collapse.
But this time, Lock wanted to try something else.
Something far more dangerous.
The Power Stone.
The Space Stone inside the Tesseract was never meant for raw destruction — it was a tool of distance and manipulation.
But the Power Stone… the Power Stone was pure annihilation.
No other Infinity Stone could reduce a planet to dust on its own.
Only this one could.
Its violent, unrestrained nature made Lock's blood stir with anticipation.
He remembered the story: when Star-Lord had first grabbed the Power Stone bare-handed, its energy nearly burned him to ashes.
Only by linking hands with Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot had he been able to balance the Stone's power and survive.
But Star-Lord had been only a half-celestial. The others? Mortals.
Lock, however, had a Nine-Refined Divine Body — something beyond even most gods.
He could endure it.
And even if he couldn't… they were in space. If he lost control, the Stone wouldn't fall onto a planet's surface.
He would have time to put it back in its container.
With that thought, Lock slowly took out the Orb — the artifact that held the Power Stone.
Seeing this, Nova Prime's heart leapt with a sudden spark of hope.
When a god draws a weapon, the result is always stronger than their fist.
Even so, she did not revoke the evacuation order. A leader had to prepare for the worst.
In the Dark Aster, Ronan also saw it.
That punch earlier had shaken him — though his shield had held, he had never seen such a strike before.
He had assumed that perhaps Lock could only unleash that kind of attack once.
But now, seeing him take out the Orb, Ronan's face darkened with caution.
"Raise the shields to maximum! Prepare for emergency disintegration!" he barked.
Lock ignored him.
He carefully examined the Orb, figuring out how to open it. He could simply crush it, but then he'd have nothing to store the Stone in afterward.
Infinity Stones required special containment to keep their energy stable — without it, no ordinary matter could withstand them.
The Space Stone had the Tesseract.
The Reality Stone had the Aether's fluid form.
The Mind Stone had the Scepter.
The Time Stone rested in the Eye of Agamotto.
The Power Stone had this Orb.
Only the Soul Stone was held raw — though its price was higher than any other.
Lock pressed the halves of the Orb with divine power.
Slowly, the two halves rotated in opposite directions.
A deep purple light spilled out, glowing brighter and brighter.
The top hemisphere shifted away, revealing a faceted purple gem suspended in the center.
With a mere pull of his left hand, the Power Stone floated out and landed in his palm.
Lock gritted his teeth and closed his fist around it.
"Ahhh—!"
The energy erupted instantly.
Purple power surged through him, hundreds of times more violent than when he first touched the Tesseract.
Energy leaked from his skin, his entire body glowing like a cracked porcelain vessel about to shatter, every vein blazing violet as if he were a living furnace on the verge of exploding.
But his Nine-Refined Divine Body repaired itself faster than the Stone could tear it apart, forcing the energy to circulate and channel outward.
The excess energy burst out of him, forming a spiraling purple storm.
Within seconds, a massive tornado of energy spun around him, growing taller and taller until it eclipsed even Ronan's mothership.
If they were on a planet's surface, it would have caused extinction-level damage.
Xandar's energy monitors went into chaos — their readings maxed out and began flashing red warnings.
Even Ronan, warlord of the Kree, felt fear clutch his heart.
"Disintegrate the ship! NOW!" he roared, running from the bridge.
Lock raised his palm.
A single gesture — and the storm roared forth.
The purple tornado smashed through Ronan's shield like it was nothing but mist.
Then it struck the Dark Aster's main hull.
The titanic ship — a dreadnought of the Kree — had alloy armor designed to withstand nuclear bombardment.
But before the Power Stone, it was no more than paper.
The storm ripped it apart, tearing the entire central section into molten fragments that were sucked into the cyclone and scattered into the void.
The Dark Aster was left with a gaping hole where its heart had been, its two wings barely connected by twisted beams.
Lock did not strike again.
He merely floated in the void, wrapped in a spinning column of purple light, silent and still — like some ancient demon god awakening from the dawn of creation.
On the surface of Xandar, every single being — soldiers, civilians, Nova Prime herself — stared upward, stunned into silence.
Lock had been right — his body could endure it.
But he could also feel the Stone's overbearing nature — holding it for too long was not wise.
With a thought, he guided the Stone back into the Orb, sealing it shut.
Only then did the tornado begin to die down.
Nova Prime let out a long breath, her hands trembling.
She turned to her advisors.
"Is the payment we offered… too low?"
She had thought her earlier promise was already generous, but after seeing that, she felt as though she had tried to buy a star with pocket change.
One minister, clad in ceremonial gold, said carefully:
"Supreme… I doubt a god like this cares for credits. Perhaps we should sweeten the offer with territory.
If we can persuade him to reside permanently within Nova space, then even the Kree would think twice before threatening us again."
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