Chapter 143: The Pursuit of the Nova Corps

"Lord Ronan, three Nova Corps capital ships have been detected approaching our position."

Within the detection range of the Meteorite ship, three warships had suddenly appeared. Judging by their design, they were undoubtedly the main fleet of the Nova Corps from Xandar.

At this moment, more than half of Kyln Prison lay in ruins, yet many prisoners and guards were still trapped inside, awaiting rescue. One of the Nova Corps ships was forced to break off and head toward the prison to assist those still within.

The other two ships, however, were advancing straight toward the Meteorite ship.

"Prepare for a jump into the wormhole," Ronan ordered. Confronting the Nova Corps directly was not an option; he was not yet ready to take them on, especially with intruders making their way toward the uppermost deck of his warship.

One of his subordinates hesitated before asking, "Lord Ronan, where are we heading?"

"Hala."

Hala, the homeworld of the Kree in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Steering their warship toward that destination at this moment—what was Ronan planning? His subordinates didn't understand, but they obeyed nonetheless.

The Meteorite and the Nova Corps vessels engaged in a relentless chase, jumping through one wormhole after another. The destruction of Kyln Prison had enraged the Nova Corps leadership, prompting Centurion Richard Rider to issue an extermination order—Ronan was to be executed on sight.

"They're almost here," a voice spoke as a cybernetically enhanced woman stepped into the chamber.

"Nebula, I need you to hold them off. Delay them as much as possible so I can carry out my plan," Ronan commanded.

He was referring to Garus and his companions, who were making their way up from the lower levels.

"Understood," Nebula nodded. Gamora had always wanted a real fight with her—now was the perfect opportunity.

Both Nebula and Gamora were adopted daughters of Thanos, raised through relentless training to become his weapons. Yet, in their countless battles against each other, Nebula had always lost. Each defeat led to another brutal augmentation, her body further altered until she became the being she was now.

Hiding in a corner, Star-Lord and his team quickly took cover. A formation of Kree soldiers stood in perfect ranks before them. If they all fired at once, the Guardians wouldn't stand a chance.

"Gamora, you traitor!" Nebula emerged from behind the armed Kree warriors. "If you have any courage, face me in single combat!"

Gamora was about to respond when Garus suddenly used Death Grip to yank Nebula toward him.

"You can duel later. Right now, we need to deal with Ronan."

Nebula was dumbfounded. This wasn't how things were supposed to go—wasn't she supposed to get a chance to stall for time? And why wasn't Gamora saying anything?

Garus tossed Nebula over to Abomination. "Hold onto her."

Struggling against Abomination's iron grip, Nebula let out a furious shriek. "Let me go!"

"Boom!" A deafening explosion erupted among the Kree soldiers, a wave of fire consuming them in an instant.

Garus turned to see Rocket in the corner, clutching a weapon almost as big as himself, smoke still rising from its barrel.

Catching Garus' glance, Rocket smirked. "Just whipped this thing together. Not bad, huh?"

"Less bragging, more shooting!" Star-Lord barked as more Kree soldiers rushed in. "Fire again!"

"No more energy left!" Rocket groaned as his cobbled-together weapon crumbled apart, leaving only a lone grip in his hands. "Didn't have time to build it properly..."

Looking around, they realized not a single Kree soldier was left standing.

"That was fast... my barrel's still hot..." Rocket muttered in awe.

Drax grabbed Star-Lord by the arm. "Move! Ronan is just ahead!"

The thought of avenging his wife and daughter sent a surge of anticipation through him.

They arrived at the final door, only to find it tightly sealed.

"It's been deadlocked. We need to destroy the control crystal to open it. I'll take care of it," Gamora said, stepping forward.

"No need," Garus interrupted. "I'll handle it."

Frostmourne's blade was sharp beyond measure. So far, nothing had proven capable of resisting its edge. Cutting through this door should be no problem.

"Screech!" The chilling sound of metal being torn apart filled the air as Frostmourne pierced the alloy door.

Inside the control chamber, Ronan watched in disbelief. He hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly—Nebula had been utterly useless.

Even half a meter of reinforced alloy could not withstand Frostmourne's destructive power.

"Boom!" With a powerful kick, Garus sent the now-ruined door flying open and strode in.

"Ronan. We meet again."

"Earthling, why do you insist on standing in my way?" Ronan demanded, barely containing his fury.

"Because everything you want is in conflict with what I want. You wanted the Skrulls—I want them working for me. You wanted the Orb—I wanted it too. So…"

"Wait, you said Skrulls?" Rocket's ears perked up. "Where are they? That's the biggest bounty I've ever seen!"

"Can you not think about money for one second?" Drax snapped before turning back to Ronan. "Ronan, you murdered my wife and daughter. Today, I will finally have my revenge!"

Without hesitation, he lunged forward, wielding a short dagger.

Ronan swung his hammer, unleashing a powerful shockwave that sent Drax flying across the chamber.

"Lord Ronan, the Nova Corps warships are closing in!" a Kree officer reported, fear evident in his voice.

But Ronan had no time to concern himself with external threats. He turned back to Garus. "Earthling, how about we make a deal?"

Garus was intrigued. "What kind of deal?"

Before Ronan could answer, the ship suddenly shuddered violently. The Nova Corps had begun bombarding their shields from the outside.

A brilliant flash of light tore through the ceiling of the Meteorite's command center, leaving a massive hole. A powerful vacuum force surged in, setting off alarm sirens throughout the ship.

"Quick, repair the shields!"

At that moment, over a dozen figures descended rapidly into the chamber.

"Ronan! For violating the peace accords and attacking Kyln Prison, you will stand trial before the Nova Corps!"

The intruders were the elite of the Nova Corps, each empowered with the might of the Nova Force. Leading them was Centurion Richard Rider.

"Stand trial?" Ronan sneered. "When the Nova Corps slaughtered my parents, did you ever put yourselves on trial first?"

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