Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Approaching Eternity, the Core Destroyed!
"How could this… happen?!"
Rocket picked up the remains of Star-Lord from the ground, only to find that even the bones had become as light as feathers, disintegrating into dust before his eyes.
"No… impossible. This must be fake! That scoundrel Star-Lord could never die so easily!"
Seeing his foster son, whom he had imbued with familial love, die so tragically in front of him was a reality Yondu couldn't accept.
He kept telling himself that it was all a lie, that everything he was seeing was fake.
His immense grief nearly drove him to madness as he frantically searched the surroundings, hoping to find an intact Star-Lord.
"Stop it. We all know what just happened is real."
Rocket, having witnessed yet another comrade die in front of him, was suddenly reminded of painful memories from his past.
The fluffy face that once looked like a cuddly toy now appeared cold and hardened.
"Why? Why did this have to happen?"
Yondu finally came to terms with the fact that Star-Lord was truly gone, and he couldn't help but shout out in anguish, as if questioning the universe itself.
"Alright, we should leave this place. It seems like everything's collapsing."
Drax, although deeply saddened by Star-Lord's death, had once seen his own family perish before his eyes. Now, amidst his sorrow, he retained a semblance of rationality.
Feeling the intense tremors and the collapsing rocks around them following Star-Lord's death, he urged the other two to leave.
"Leave?"
Rocket and Yondu looked up, sensing the increasing tremors around them. Their eyes grew resolute.
"You go first, I'll…" ×2
The two exchanged a glance, their thoughts aligned.
"Haha, in that case, let's take down this damned bastard together!"
"You… you guys?"
Drax looked at the two who had reached an agreement, his eyes showing a hint of hesitation.
But the next moment, his gaze turned resolute: "If you're not leaving, then neither am I. Let's avenge Star-Lord together!"
The three of them exchanged a determined smile and then boarded the spaceship.
Whoosh.
The spaceship started up, but instead of heading out of the planet, it flew deeper into the core.
…
"WTF, what on earth has this guy done? How did he suddenly become so powerful?"
On the other side, beyond the planet, Thor stared in disbelief at Ego. He could hardly believe it. In just an instant, this being who was already immensely powerful seemed to have become countless times stronger. Ego's body, which was originally as large as a small planet, suddenly began to expand.
It was as if a massive, overwhelming force had been poured into him, making his entire form seem almost illusory. He rapidly swelled, enveloping the entire expanse of the starry sky where they stood. Then, under their shocked gazes, Ego's form gradually contracted, eventually returning to its original size, though perhaps a bit smaller than before.
Despite this apparent reduction, Thor did not underestimate the figure before him. In this new form, he sensed an aura of immense power, comparable to that of the ancient gods he had once seen lurking in the shadows.
"Damn it, let me see what's going on."
Thor wasn't deterred by the sudden surge in Ego's power. His pride as the God of Thunder left no room for retreat. He gripped his battle-ax, ready to charge forward and test his opponent.
"Wait, Thor, something's off with this guy."
Magneto appeared beside Thor, his face grave as he observed the unusual figure before them.
"What did you notice?"
Thor's expression was equally serious as he asked.
"Inside him, a new force seems to be constantly emerging. And it's a power so vast it's almost inconceivable."
At that moment, Magneto's face grew increasingly grim. He realized that with every passing instant, Ego's power was exponentially increasing. It had now reached a level that they could scarcely fathom.
"Hahaha, I've done it! I've finally succeeded."
Having absorbed Star-Lord's body and fused with the godly power within him, Ego had become incredibly strong. However, this was not the most crucial part. As his divine power grew, the seeds of his power, which he had planted on countless planets, began to expand at an accelerated rate.
The immense energy consumed entire medium-sized planets in an instant. Under the wails and desperate flights of countless intelligent beings, this colossal energy swept across the surfaces of numerous worlds like a tsunami. In mere moments, tens of thousands of planets were annihilated, consumed by this godly force.
While some planets, like Earth, had powerful protectors who eradicated the threat of the divine seeds in advance, Ego's influence had spread across the galaxy over millennia. He had left his seeds of power on countless worlds. Now, with countless planets being devoured, the essence of innumerable lives was assimilated into Ego's divine force, ultimately becoming his own strength.
Although he hadn't yet achieved his plan to become the eternal ruler of the universe in a single instant, Ego could feel it—he had broken the constraints of the universe. With a bit more time, he could transcend the universe and confront the true eternity beyond the infinite cosmos.
"From this moment on, the entire universe will be mine!"
Lost in the ecstasy of his ever-growing power, Ego seemed to foresee the moment when he would fully control the entire universe and become the supreme being!
…
At the same time.
In the distant reaches of the cosmos, a colossal nebula drifted aimlessly through the infinite expanse of space.
Suddenly, the nebulous form paused, as if sensing something. In the next instant, the entire star cloud surged forward, accelerating at an incredible speed across the universe.
In the blink of an eye, it traversed the cosmic void, arriving before a planet.
"Who dares... to seize... my sustenance?"
Before the nebula lay a scene of utter desolation. The planet's surface had been enveloped by a massive energy, all traces of life thoroughly consumed.
From within the star cloud, a voice reverberated through the cosmos, ethereal and powerful.
Then, as if detecting a new presence, the immense nebula shifted once more. It hurtled through the boundless universe, racing toward a specific destination.
...
"Damn it, Thor! We need to retreat. This guy is beyond anything we can stop now!"
Magneto, staring at Ego's form and sensing the overwhelming power, prepared to pull Thor away. They had no chance of stopping Ego as he was now.
"Hmph, a warrior of Asgard never backs down, even against the mightiest of foes..."
Thor held his battle axe aloft, speaking boldly, when suddenly, Ego, who had been basking in his growing power with closed eyes, raised his hand and pointed towards the black hole emitting intense gravitational pull.
Instantly, a surge of divine power erupted from his finger.
Crack!
The immense energy beam seemed to pierce through the very fabric of the universe. The fierce power obliterated the black hole, a cosmic entity with a diameter of tens of thousands of meters.
With the black hole's destruction, a terrifying energy collapse ensued, causing the surrounding spacetime to rapidly contract. It felt as if the very barriers of the universe were about to shatter.
"Uh, Magneto, I think you're right. We should conserve our strength and get out of here."
Faced with the awe-inspiring scene before him, Thor didn't hesitate. Together with Magneto, they swiftly flew away.
"Hmph, think you can escape now? Too late!"
Ego, drunk on his newfound power, couldn't ignore the rage boiling within him for these two who had dared to challenge him.
Previously, he had tried to bide his time, hoping to persuade Star-Lord to merge with him. But now, with his almost omnipotent strength, crushing Thor and Magneto would be effortless.
...
Not long ago, deep within the planet.
A spaceship sped through the chaotic interior, ignoring the violent tremors and the massive rocks in its path. It was heading straight for the planet's true core.
"Rocket, are you sure destroying this planet's core will take Ego down with it?" Yondu asked, uncertainty in his voice as he looked at the rapidly evolving structure of the planet.
"Absolutely. I've analyzed this planet's essence—it's a living entity," Rocket replied confidently. "The source of its power is that core, which functions like a biological brain. Destroy it, and Ego will lose his energy source."
Rocket, being one of the smartest beings in the universe, had unraveled Ego's nature.
"But how do we destroy this brain? Something that crucial must be heavily protected," Drax interjected, causing Rocket and Yondu to exchange worried glances.
"Damn it, you jinxed it, you big lug!" Rocket snapped.
Sure enough, when they reached the core, they found it surrounded by layers of incredibly tough rock. This special rock was beyond most substances in the universe, even their energy cannons couldn't leave a mark.
"Ugh, I was just thinking such an important thing wouldn't be easy to—"
"Shut up, you oaf!" Rocket roared, cutting Drax off. He began to think of how to penetrate those tough layers and destroy the brain.
"Damn, there are some gaps, but they're too small for us to get through," Rocket said after some investigation. He found neural network-like properties in the rock, but the gaps were too small for their bodies.
"Unless we had someone smaller to slip through," Rocket muttered, frustrated.
"I have a plan..." Yondu said, looking at the impenetrable rock and the pulsating, energy-emitting brain. His expression grew resolute, as if making a significant decision.
"Yondu, you...you're not thinking of..." Rocket began, understanding Yondu's plan.
"A long time ago, Ego had me kidnap children from various planets and deliver them to him," Yondu confessed. "I never imagined he'd do such horrible things to his own son."
Yondu finally understood Ego's motives, but it had cost Star-Lord, his adopted son, dearly.
"If I get the chance, I want to tell that kid Ego doesn't deserve to be his father," Yondu said as he moved toward the spaceship.
"This mining ship can pierce the skull of a Celestial; it should get through these rocks. But if we get close to the brain, Ego will notice. So we need to strike quickly," Yondu explained. "If someone must sacrifice themselves, let it be me. At least I can avenge that kid myself and kill this bastard."
Without hesitation, Yondu climbed into the ship, tossing two space pods to Rocket and Drax. "I'll attack in three minutes. Good luck."
Rocket watched Yondu's determined figure and didn't stop him. "In truth, Star-Lord had a good father..."
With a sigh, Rocket and Drax equipped their pods and flew out of the chamber.
Three minutes later.
"Kid, watch this!" Yondu said firmly, pressing the ship's launch button.
The engines roared, and the ship shot toward the core.
Sizzling!
The surrounding rocks, reinforced by the energy absorbed from other planets, had evolved to be even tougher. But the mining ship, crafted from superior materials, drilled through, piercing the neural network-like layers.
"Damn those fools, how dare they!" Ego, far in space, sensed the intrusion near his brain but was too late to stop it.
"Die, you bastard!" Yondu roared as he saw the brain glowing blue and pulsating like a heart. He fired the energy cannon, channeling all its power into a brilliant beam.
Boom! The beam struck the brain, causing a massive explosion. The entire planet began to fracture and collapse.
The planet seemed on the verge of complete annihilation.
"He did it!" Rocket and Drax, having escaped, looked back at the shattering planet with sorrow in their eyes. Yondu had sacrificed himself.
...
(End of Chapter)
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