At that moment, Peter Quill's expression changed dramatically.
Not just shock, but terror.
That was Drax.
The being known as the Destroyer possessed terrifying strength and near impenetrable defense. Within the entire Guardians of the Galaxy, he was arguably the strongest.
Even Peter, after awakening his divine power, still had little chance of defeating him. In truth, there was almost no hope at all.
Drax's only weakness was his lack of intelligence.
Yet such a powerful warrior had been instantly defeated by Thanos.
Now he lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.
How were they supposed to defeat a monster like that?
While Peter Quill was still gripped by fear, Tony Stark's voice rang out.
"Hold him down. Don't try to face him head on."
Tony's voice was steady and controlled.
Of course, he was also terrified of Thanos. The enemy's power had far exceeded anything he had imagined. But after the brief shock, he forced himself to think clearly.
What they needed now was not fear. They needed a way to win, or at least a way to escape.
Fear would not change anything.
Hearing Tony's words, the others snapped back to attention.
That's right. They had simply been shaken. The battle was not over. The outcome was not decided.
With renewed resolve, they charged at Thanos again.
Thanos remained calm as they rushed him.
He held his warblade loosely in one hand. At the moment Quicksilver moved in at extreme speed, Thanos' eyes shifted.
His gaze tracked the incoming figure, then his head slowly turned.
Quicksilver's pupils shrank.
The warblade lifted instantly.
Quicksilver reacted fast, attempting to retreat, but Thanos was faster.
A cold sensation flashed across his back, followed by a violent impact as he crashed to the ground.
"Damn it…"
He cursed under his breath.
A deep gash had been carved into his back. If he had been even a fraction slower, that strike would have killed him.
But even now, he was badly injured.
Before anyone could react, Thanos shifted his attention to Tony Stark, who was retreating nearby. The warblade came down again.
Tony tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
He did not have Quicksilver's speed.
The blade struck his vibranium armor with a deafening impact.
Even with the armor absorbing part of the force, Tony felt as if his entire body had been struck by lightning.
He coughed up blood.
In an instant, three of their strongest fighters were effectively taken out.
Thanos looked at them with a faint, almost mocking expression.
To him, this was no different from playing with toys.
Across countless worlds, only one being had ever truly pressured him.
That was the mysterious man from the Locke Technology Company, Nolan Locke.
Even when Thanos used the power of the Infinity Stones, he had failed to capture him.
That man was the only one worth his attention.
As for the others, they were nothing more than children playing at war.
The remaining fighters hesitated. Their earlier fighting spirit was already beginning to crumble.
Yet Peter Quill still roared and charged forward.
Thanos smirked and raised his warblade again, ready to kill him.
Peter was injured in a single strike.
But before Thanos could deliver a second blow, a voice screamed out.
"Let them go! I'll go with you!"
Gamora rushed forward, her face filled with pain.
Thanos paused.
Slowly, he lowered his weapon.
He looked at Gamora, his expression complicated.
After a moment, he said quietly,
"If that is your choice, then come with me."
He ignored the heavily injured Peter Quill and walked toward her.
Gamora glanced back at Peter, her eyes filled with regret.
This might be the last time she saw him.
Even she did not know what Thanos intended to do with her. But she knew one thing clearly. Once she was taken back, leaving again would be impossible.
Nebula watched from the side, her eyes burning with resentment.
So no matter what Gamora did, Father would still forgive her.
Why?
She could not accept it.
But she had no power to change anything.
Thanos reached Gamora and placed a hand on her shoulder.
No one dared move.
Just as he was about to leave, a sonic arrow suddenly flew in.
Thanos tilted his head slightly. The arrow brushed past his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.
He slowly turned.
Yondu stood in the distance, whistling as he controlled the arrow.
He would not let Gamora be taken so easily.
Especially not when she meant so much to Peter Quill.
Thanos touched the cut on his face and saw the blood on his fingers.
A rare trace of anger appeared in his eyes.
It had been a long time since anyone had managed to wound him.
The arrow returned to Yondu's side.
"You think everyone just listens to you?" Yondu said coldly.
Thanos raised his warblade again.
The atmosphere instantly turned tense.
But Gamora suddenly grabbed Thanos' arm.
"Father…"
Her voice was soft, pleading.
Thanos hesitated again, then slowly lowered his blade.
"Next time," he said coldly, "I will wipe the Ravager homeworld from existence."
Yondu stiffened.
He knew Thanos could do it.
In that brief hesitation, Thanos had already taken Gamora back to his ship.
Nebula's expression twisted with hatred.
But she did not know the real reason Thanos spared them.
It was because Gamora still had a purpose to fulfill.
Back on the ship, Thanos gently touched Gamora's face, his expression unreadable.
A moment later, Nebula returned as well.
Thanos spoke calmly.
"Let's go. I will honor my promise and spare the Guardians of the Galaxy."
"But if they interfere again, I will show no mercy."
"I don't think they will," Gamora replied quickly.
Soon after, Thanos' ship departed.
On the battlefield, the remaining heroes were left in silence and frustration.
"Damn it," Yondu muttered.
He walked over to the injured Peter Quill.
"Hey kid, still breathing?"
Peter stared blankly for a moment.
"I'm going to get her back," he said through clenched teeth.
Yondu nodded.
"Yeah. I'll help you."
Later that night, the injured group recovered in a hidden location.
Tony Stark woke first.
"That bastard… this isn't over."
Drax also regained consciousness, his recovery astonishingly fast.
"I will kill him next time," he roared.
Peter Quill looked at Tony.
"So what now?"
Tony frowned.
He did not have a good answer.
Facing Thanos directly was suicide.
But doing nothing meant losing Gamora forever.
Rocket suddenly spoke.
"Maybe we wait. Thanos is always conquering somewhere. When he leaves, we strike."
Tony shot him a look.
"If he targets anywhere, it will be Earth."
"And if he succeeds, the entire universe is finished."
Silence fell over the group.
Eventually, Rocket added,
"Or we sneak into his territory and figure out where Gamora is."
Before they could continue, a ship suddenly landed.
Yondu stepped out.
But behind him was Nebula.
The group immediately became alert.
Yondu raised his hands.
"She's not here to fight."
He looked at Peter Quill.
"She's got information about your girl."
All eyes turned to Nebula.
Nebula looked uneasy.
Moments ago, they were enemies. Now she was betraying Thanos.
Still, she spoke.
"If you want to save my sister, you need to move fast."
"Thanos already knows the location of the Soul Stone."
"And to obtain it, he needs to sacrifice the one he loves."
Gasps filled the group.
Tony frowned.
"Why should we trust you?"
Nebula clenched her fists.
"I didn't think I would do this either."
"I always thought Father would care about me."
"But I saw Gamora's memories."
"I realized I was wrong."
"I have no way to save her alone."
"So I need your help."
Silence followed.
Wanda stepped forward and placed a hand on Nebula's head.
A faint red glow spread.
"She's not lying," Wanda said.
Tony exhaled.
"How much time do we have?"
"Less than half a month," Nebula replied.
"He will finish his preparations, then go to the Soul Stone's location."
"I know the planet."
"I don't know the exact location, but if we get there first, we might have a month to prepare."
A month.
Tony made his decision immediately.
They would go there.
Because this was their only chance.
Then he activated a communicator.
After a delay, a familiar voice came through.
"Hey, is this thing actually working? Tony Stark?"
Bruce Banner spoke first.
Then Thor's voice followed in urgency.
"Damn it, they're coming again!"
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