BOOOOOOM—!!!
The dome of Ego's temple shattered like a fragile eggshell.
Chunks of stone rained down like meteorites.
Then—
A pillar of light shot down through the massive hole in the ceiling.
At the center of that beam of light, a red-and-blue figure slowly descended.
Behind him, the Stars and Stripes cape snapped violently in the turbulent air.
The perfect lines of his muscles were faintly visible beneath the tight suit.
Hidden beneath the illusion of reality, the Infinity Gauntlet glimmered faintly.
The red gem on it emitted a subtle glow.
Antony quietly adjusted the refraction index of the atmosphere, tweaking the color temperature of the light.
Dust particles floated through the golden glow, producing a stunning Tyndall effect that gave the scene a hazy, epic beauty.
The clouds above were tinted a tragic, majestic dark purple, creating the perfect contrast to the bright hope of the star-spangled suit.
Suspended in midair, Antony slightly lowered his head.
His golden hair glowed like fire under the light.
His eyes were hidden in shadow—
Only two faint crimson sparks burned within, like the gaze of a god looking down upon mortals.
"Perfect."
Antony silently gave himself full marks.
If this moment were frozen into a painting, it would have more artistic value than half the masterpieces hanging in the Louvre.
-----
At the same time—
A grand orchestral score erupted inside the global livestream.
It was Skynet's work.
She had precisely captured the timing of her boss's entrance and seamlessly triggered the heroic background music.
After all, her boss once said:
A hero's entrance without background music is like fries without ketchup—completely flavorless.
Naturally, the music was also provided by the boss himself.
He claimed it "suited caped heroes perfectly."
For a moment, viewers across the world fell into stunned silence.
The combination of visuals and music hit like a tidal wave.
Then—
The chat exploded.
Servers groaned under the strain of billions of viewers hammering the comment feed.
After a brief lag, the chat window filled with the most intense emotions human language could express.
[Oh my God… is he an angel?!]
[No—he's the incarnation of God himself!]
[Screenshot! Screenshot! This is the moment of divine descent!]
[My mom asked why I'm kneeling in front of the TV…]
[That pose… that gaze… I'm putting this image on my living room wall!]
[Who said they were going to wipe out earlier? Step forward! As long as Homelander exists, despair doesn't exist!]
Across bars, plazas, and homes all over the world—
People cried.
People cheered.
The feeling of being dragged back from the edge of hell drove countless people into ecstatic frenzy.
Inside Ego's Temple
Antony didn't hold the pose for long.
A hero's rescue must be efficient.
Letting people die would ruin the aesthetic.
His gaze locked onto the energy tendrils binding the Guardians.
ZZZT!
ZZZT!
ZZZT!
Heat vision burst from his eyes with surgical precision.
The blue tendrils wrapped around Gamora, Drax, Yondu, and the others snapped instantly when touched by the beams.
Including the one suspending Peter Quill, who was nearly unconscious after being drained by over a dozen tendrils.
Meanwhile—
Nebula, whose tendrils had been severed midair, began falling toward the massive crack below.
A gust of wind suddenly swept through.
Nebula felt her body become weightless.
Strong arms caught her firmly.
She looked up.
A handsome face with sharp features.
A charming smile curved at the corners of his lips.
Golden hair shimmered under the light.
Homelander.
He floated midair, holding her in a perfect princess carry.
"Are you alright, cyber sweetheart?"
"Looks like I arrived just in time."
Nebula stared at him blankly.
Her entire life had been filled with pain, killing, and brutal cybernetic modifications.
No one had ever held her like this.
Gently.
Carefully.
A strange feeling rose within her.
Her blue cheeks—
Actually flushed faintly purple.
"I… I'm fine. Thank you…"
She stammered.
Probably the first time she had ever said those words.
[System Notification]
Special Popularity +15000 (from Nebula)
-----
Earth — Missouri
The rampaging Celestial seed rapidly dimmed.
The glowing blue energy faded.
It turned back into lifeless gray stone.
"Did… did it stop?"
Wanda nearly collapsed to her knees in exhaustion.
"The energy source has been cut off."
Steve Rogers wiped blood and dust from his face and let out a long breath.
"Nice work, Homelander…"
He smiled with relief.
"You always show up in the final minute."
"That's obvious," Tony Stark said, opening his helmet for fresh air.
"That guy never misses a chance to make a dramatic entrance."
All around them, Vought's city heroes—who had been prepared to die—collapsed onto the ground.
Some hugged each other.
Others simply lay there in relief.
They had survived.
-----
Back on Ego's Planet
Antony gently set Nebula down.
He looked around at the battered group.
Quill leaned on Gamora.
Though weak, the color was returning to his face.
After all, his Celestial bloodline made him far tougher than ordinary humans.
Rocket dusted debris off his fur.
Baby Groot returned the camera to Jessica.
"Nice work, everyone."
Antony placed his hands on his hips and nodded approvingly.
"You surprised me. Really."
"You faced a Celestial… and didn't run."
"You held the line with mortal bodies and slowed down a god."
He walked over and patted Quill on the shoulder.
"Especially you, Star-Lord."
"You proved that even if your father is a bastard…"
"…his son can still be a hero."
Quill managed a weak grin.
"Thanks… but that wasn't on my bucket list."
"Alright."
Antony clapped his hands.
His expression suddenly turned serious.
"Listen carefully."
"Your mission is finished."
He pointed toward the temple entrance.
"My ship is outside."
"Take Quill and leave immediately."
"This old man…"
"…I'll handle him."
"What?" Gamora frowned.
"We're not abandoning you. This is a war. We're a team."
"Leave?" Drax shouted.
"No! I want to fight! I'm going to pull that monster's intestines out!"
"It's not that I look down on you," Antony said calmly, sweeping his gaze across them.
"But the battle that's about to happen…"
"…isn't something you can participate in."
He paused.
His eyes darkened.
"Because in a moment…"
"…this place will become a real hell."
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals