Chapter 145: Adamantium

"I have to admit, human, you surprise me." Ronan's holographic image flickered before them. "Earthlings... I find you more and more unpredictable. Once, you were merely insignificant allies to the Kree Empire. But it doesn't matter—you still can't change anything."

Garus could hear the unease beneath Ronan's words. He wasn't as composed as he pretended to be.

"Centurion Rider," a voice crackled through Rider's Nova Corps helmet. "We're about to enter Kree territory. This could reignite the war. Should we retreat?"

Garus finally understood Ronan's true intention. But, in the end, it had little to do with him.

"Ronan, are you trying to start a war?"

Ronan smirked with satisfaction. "That's right. The higher-ups in both the Kree Empire and the Nova Corps want to avoid another war. So I'll be the one to ignite the flames."

Boom!

Drax lunged at the spot where Ronan's image was projected, throwing a punch at the alloy wall—only to recoil in pain, his own hand trembling from the impact.

Throughout the heated battle, their attacks hadn't left a single mark on that wall. Its resilience was undeniable.

Ronan, piloting his warship toward Kree territory, sneered as he watched them struggle. "That wall is forged from a rare cosmic alloy. You cannot break through it."

Boom!

Unwilling to accept defeat, Drax grabbed a battle axe and struck with all his might—only to have the impact rebound, nearly hitting him instead.

Meanwhile, Rider summoned a blazing sphere of golden energy in his palm. Yet, even the heat capable of melting most metals failed to leave a trace on the barrier.

"Oh, by the way," Ronan turned to Garus with a smug grin. "This metal exists on Earth as well. You call it Primary Adamantium."

Adamantium? The name caught Garus off guard. In the Marvel universe, Adamantium was one of the hardest substances known, a mysterious extraterrestrial alloy.

"You're not wrong—breaking through this wall would be a nightmare." Garus drove Frostmourne into the surface with all his strength, managing only to carve a faint scratch. It was a commendable feat, but cutting through it entirely in a short time was impossible. By then, the Kree's forces would have them surrounded.

"Centurion, we need to leave immediately!" one of Rider's subordinates urged.

Rider sighed in resignation. They had no time to sabotage the ship from within.

"Let's go. I still have bounties to collect."

"I am Groot!"

Ronan watched them attempt to flee but could do nothing about it. He still needed to jump through three more wormholes to reach his destination.

Before leaving, Rider cast one last glance at Garus.

As the inheritor of the Nova Force, Rider instinctively disliked Garus, a wielder of death magic. But he also knew they were powerless against him.

Judging by Garus' display of strength, Rider estimated he'd need to wield the full power of the Nova Force to stand a chance against him.

Before departing, Rider offered a final warning. "I hope you don't become another Thanos. The Goddess of Death is not a benevolent force."

Garus, who had met her before, knew that Death wasn't as terrifying as legends suggested. She was more… tsundere, if anything. If she truly wished to annihilate all life, she could have done so effortlessly.

Of course, her role in Thanos' descent into madness still baffled him. How could she have corrupted someone who, as a child, hesitated to even kill small creatures?

"Uh, Garus? Drax?" Star-Lord took a few steps, then stopped. "Aren't you guys coming?"

Drax shook his head. "Killing Ronan is my top priority. I won't leave until he's dead."

As the Nova Corps withdrew, Garus spoke. "I have a way to bring Ronan out of there."

"What? Are you serious?" Drax immediately perked up, his large hands reaching for Garus' shoulders, but Garus dodged just in time.

Rocket, Gamora, and the others also turned to stare at him, intrigued.

The reason he hadn't revealed this plan earlier was simple—he didn't want to showcase too much of his power in front of the Nova Corps. Their Nova Force repulsed him.

Ronan laughed. "Hah! As if you could—"

Before he could finish, Garus gripped Frostmourne, and a spectral, white soul drifted from the blade—the soul of Apocalypse.

Activating his teleportation ability, Garus enveloped himself and Apocalypse in a shimmering purple barrier. A moment later, they materialized right next to Ronan.

Before Ronan could react, Garus seized him and instantly teleported back outside.

!?!!

Ronan was utterly confused.

"Capturing you didn't require breaking through that Adamantium wall. You see that now, don't you?"

"AHHH!"

Ronan howled as Frostmourne pierced his foot, pinning him to the ground.

"Drax, he's all yours." Garus stepped back, granting Drax his long-awaited vengeance.

Ronan, wild with rage, roared, "I am the Accuser of the Kree Empire! You dare—"

WHAM!

Drax silenced him with a flurry of brutal punches, pounding Ronan's face until it was a swollen mess. Even the others turned away, unable to watch.

Perhaps finding no thrill in beating a defenseless foe, Drax finally grabbed an axe and brought it down upon Ronan's skull.

And just like that, the infamous Kree Accuser fell—his unseeing eyes wide with unwillingness.

[System Notification: Assisted the Guardians of the Galaxy in eliminating Ronan. Reward: 150,000 Exchange Points.]

"Thank you, Garus. You allowed me to take my revenge with my own hands."

"It was nothing. But we need to leave now." The warship was in shambles, barely holding together as it continued drifting toward Kree space.

Gazing at the passing stars, Garus turned to Gamora. "Can you stop this ship? I'd rather not land in Kree territory."

"I can."

With Apocalypse's help, Gamora managed to halt the ship's course.

But the greatest reward of all wasn't the Exchange Points.

It was the massive Adamantium chamber before him.

Yes, an entire fifteen-square-meter chamber made of Adamantium. The sheer amount was staggering—probably more than all the Adamantium on Earth combined.

Unfortunately, this wasn't raw ore. Once forged, Adamantium became virtually unbreakable and impossible to rework.

After considerable effort, Garus managed to carve out a large chunk, storing it in his dimensional inventory. It might make an excellent prison.

As they prepared to depart, Star-Lord suddenly asked, "Garus, when are you heading back to Earth?"

"It'll be a while. Why?"

"I want to visit Earth again. Let me know when you're going."

"Sure. No problem."

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