"So powerful! Is this the power of a Mage?"
"So Earthlings call powerful warriors Mages."
"I am Groot."
Seeing the scene before them, the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy exclaimed in succession.
Quill: "..."
He really wanted to correct his teammates' misunderstanding, but the facts were right before his eyes, leaving him with no way to argue.
Even he couldn't help but harbor doubts; were the fairy tale books he read as a child all pirated? Was a real Mage actually a melee class?
Quill muttered, "That's not right. I clearly remember in the fairy tale books, a Mage's staff is used to cast magic."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the pharaohs scepter in Darian's hand suddenly glow with a white light, and at the same time, he gave a loud shout.
"Flying Rock Technique!"
The next moment, Darian swung the pharaohs scepter like a baseball bat, slamming it hard into a half-person-tall boulder beside him.
Driven by terrifying strength, the boulder instantly left the ground, turning into a cannonball that whistled as it smashed toward the pit where Ronan was!
Quill: "Awesome..."
"Why haven't you left yet?"
Darian glanced at Quill's bunch of idiots, his mouth twitching.
What time is it, and they're still here watching the show?
Ronan himself was certainly dangerous, but the legion that was currently approaching was the true threat.
According to the honest man Korath's disclosure, Ronan had a Necrocorps under his command. It wasn't something a bottom-tier legion like the Chitauri could compare to.
Aside from being slightly inferior in numbers, it completely crushed the Chitauri legion in every other aspect. If this legion had invaded Earth during the Battle of New York, it's hard to say what the outcome would have been.
Once Ronan's legion fully arrived, even if he could escape, the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy would all have to stay here.
"Oh, oh!"
Quill finally snapped out of it and hurriedly called his teammates to make a run for it.
"Old friend, you must hold on! We'll bring the spaceship to pick you up right away!"
The Guardians of the Galaxy retreated incredibly fast, bringing along the once-again-pacified-to-sleep Drax, vanishing in a flash as if they had rehearsed it countless times.
Amidst the swirling dust, Ronan had stood up again. There wasn't much damage on him, and his cold eyes were fixed on Darian like knives.
"Damn Earthling!"
Ronan's equipment had already identified Darian's origin, and a surge of anger welled up within him.
He was no stranger to Earth. Back when he was young and aggressive, he had once gone to that barren Planet to purge the remnants of the Skrulls.
Who would have thought he'd run into a square-faced woman glowing all over, who used her indestructible pectoral muscles and head to forcibly smash his cosmic cruiser? Ultimately, under the deterrence of that square-faced woman, he could only leave Earth dejectedly, and to this day, he didn't dare go back to settle the score with her.
That was definitely one of Ronan's most humiliating memories.
Now encountering an Earthling again and being beaten so pathetically by him, old and new grudges instantly intertwined.
"I will make you pay a heavy price!"
A look of ferocity flashed in Ronan's eyes as he tightened his grip on the war hammer known as the universal weapon, blue energy rapidly gathering on the Hammerhead.
In the next second, he blasted out several dangerous energy rays!
Darian reacted extremely quickly, moving rapidly among the ruins to avoid the incoming energy rays. Meanwhile, he continuously swung the pharaohs scepter, smashing stones, metal fragments, and even various unknown creatures at his feet toward Ronan!
"Hmph!"
Ronan snorted coldly, swinging his war hammer in front of him so tightly that not even the wind could pass through, knocking away all the flying debris one by one.
The Collector: "Ah!!"
Ronan: "..."
It seemed like something strange had also flown over.
Just then, another unknown object flew over rapidly. Without even thinking, Ronan instinctively swung his war hammer to knock it away.
Bang!
In an instant, Ronan's vision was covered by a burst of white light, and he could see nothing.
Damn it! It's a flashbang!
Ronan was caught off guard and was blinded directly.
He didn't expect Darian to be so insidious, actually mixing a flashbang among those messy flying objects, playing such underhanded tricks!
"Siphoning Strike!"
Darian seized the moment Ronan's vision was obstructed, his body lunging forward. He swung the pharaohs scepter in a wide arc, the tip of the staff blooming with a dazzling white light as it smashed down fiercely toward Ronan's head!
Ronan, whose eyes had just been flashed by the intense light, was still recovering his vision, the stinging pain forcing him to squint.
Seeing Darian looking like he was unleashing an ultimate move, he didn't dare to act cool like before. He immediately gripped the war hammer with both hands and blocked upward with all his might.
However, when the pharaohs scepter landed on the war hammer, the force was much smaller than he had imagined.
"Not good!"
Ronan instantly realized it was a feint, but his body was too late to make an effective reaction.
Darian delivered a left front kick, slamming it hard into his chest!
Boom!
Accompanied by a dull thud, Ronan was kicked off his feet, flying backward and crashing heavily onto the ground, sending dust flying all around!
Darian triggered the hidden passive of kicking a dog while it's down, giving Ronan no chance to breathe. He immediately leapt up, holding the pharaohs scepter high, and with the momentum of his fall, he was about to smash it down on Ronan on the ground!
"Bastard!"
Although Ronan was down on the ground, his combat instincts hadn't diminished in the slightest.
He roared and swung his war hammer, and a strong shockwave spread out in all directions with him as the center, attempting to forcefully blow away the pouncing Darian in mid-air.
Unstoppable!
Darian instantly activated the skill, while his entire body erupted with dazzling white light!
The shockwave, which was enough to flip a car, hit Darian like waves crashing against a reef. His figure in mid-air wasn't affected in the slightest, and his descent speed didn't even slow down.
To him, that shockwave seemed like nothing more than a breeze passing by.
"What!?"
Ronan's pupils contracted, his face wearing a 'this is unscientific' expression.
In that split second he was dazed, Darian's pharaohs scepter had already broken through the dust, bringing with it a heart-palpitating whistle as it smashed fiercely toward his face!
Boom!!
A heavy impact sounded as the pharaohs scepter smashed directly onto Ronan's head!
However, a nearly invisible translucent ripple suddenly flashed across Ronan's body, helping him block this damage.
The defensive power of this energy shield was extremely terrifying; it could even block a direct hit from an interstellar battleship's main cannon, let alone the physical strike of a mere cane.
As expected of the Kree Empire, which was as famous as the Nova Empire; the technological level of this equipment was indeed impressive.
Darian looked at it with envy.
If he could take down Ronan, how many top-tier items would drop?
While the Unstoppable effect hadn't disappeared yet, Darian launched a fierce attack without hesitation. The pharaohs scepter swung out continuously with the sound of breaking air, smashing into Ronan's shield like a torrential rain.
Bang! Bang!! Bang—!
Every heavy blow caused ripples to spread across the shield, the translucent waves vibrating violently at the point of impact.
Darian's offensive was extremely sharp, every strike aiming at the same spot on the shield, attempting to break the surface by focusing on a single point.
However, the defensive attributes of this equipment were truly ridiculously high. After enduring over a dozen consecutive heavy blows from Darian, the energy shield remained as stable as ever, without even a sign of dimming.
"Enough!"
Ronan was furious.
Being suppressed and beaten like this, even if he wasn't injured, made him feel he had lost all face.
He simply gave up on defensive moves, raised his war hammer, and fired several energy rays at Darian in succession, forcing Darian back.
"All units, fire! Blow this guy to pieces!"
Ronan didn't pursue; instead, he loudly gave the command.
Unbeknownst to them, a group of alien soldiers had already surrounded them; it was none other than the Necrocorps under Ronan's command.
These alien soldiers, dressed in uniform-issue armor, formed three tight layers of encirclement, all muzzles locked onto the center of the field.
Almost at the same instant Ronan gave the command, they pulled their triggers without hesitation. Dozens of energy beams whistled in from all directions, the dense light beams weaving into a web of death that completely enveloped Darian.
Darian leapt high into the air, instantly switching to his spider-man suit. He sprayed webbing and swung to a high point, standing on the wall using his Gravity Boots.
"I'm done playing, I'm leaving."
Seeing more and more of Ronan's Necro-soldiers gathering below, Darian knew he would definitely lose out if he continued fighting, so he decisively chose a tactical retreat.
Seeing this, Ronan roared, "Want to run? Stop him!"
As his voice fell, countless energy beams immediately concentrated fire on Darian's position.
But Darian was prepared. The mechanical device on the back of his suit quickly deployed, extending four metal spider claws that slashed rapidly against the wall. The wall was immediately cut as neatly as if it were tofu.
Then he leapt, and his whole person jumped out of the hole.
Ronan's face was ashen: "Pursue him! Don't let him escape!"
The Cosmic Orb was still in Darian's hands. He had spent so much effort searching for it for so long; how could he just watch the treasure he had finally gotten fly away like that?
With Ronan's command, the Necrocorps immediately went into action. The Necro-ships waiting on the periphery roared their engines, like a school of sharks that had smelled blood, all rushing in the direction Darian had fled.
Darian was currently swinging through the air at high speed using his webbing, evading the pursuit of the Necro-ships.
Fortunately, the terrain of the Knowhere was quite complex, providing perfect attachment points for his webbing everywhere. If it were an open, flat place, this spider-man suit probably wouldn't have been useful.
After all, he didn't know Peter's trick of sticking webbing to the void.
Under the warning of his Spider-Sense skill, Darian easily dodged the energy cannons firing at him. He even shot webbing in mid-air to stick to a Necro-ship and, relying on his terrifying strength, forcefully changed its trajectory to smash into another Necro-ship.
However, as time passed, more and more Necro-ships appeared around him, gradually forming an encirclement.
Boom!!
Just as Darian was thinking about how to escape, an energy cannon hit a Necro-ship in front of him, blowing it to pieces instantly.
"Hey, old friend, need a lift?"
Darian looked toward the source of the voice and saw Quill and the others piloting a yellow spaceship, breaking through the smoke and hovering not far away.
Although this bunch of idiots seemed very unreliable, they were still very loyal at critical moments. Even though Ronan's Necrocorps was almost right in their faces, they actually didn't run away first, but instead risked coming back to pick him up.
Without a word, Darian raised his hand and shot a web at the spaceship, jumping onto it.
"Get in quickly!"
The hatch slid upward, and Gamora's voice came from inside.
Darian nimbly flipped into the cabin, and the hatch closed quickly behind him, blocking out the dense energy cannon fire outside.
Gamora looked at Darian, her face filled with unhidden amazement: "You're too strong, to actually be able to escape the encirclement of Ronan and so many of his soldiers."
She had spent some time around Ronan and naturally knew how powerful he was.
"It seems a bit too early to say that."
Quill, sitting in the pilot's seat, stared intently at the control screen, unconsciously swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
Behind their spaceship, a dense pack of Necro-ships was in hot pursuit, with energy cannon fire constantly whistling past the windows.
"Hurry up and lose them!"
Rocket Raccoon was frantic in the co-pilot's seat, his paws moving rapidly over the control panel.
"You think I don't want to?"
Quill's forehead was covered in beads of sweat, his hands tightly gripping the control stick, his knuckles turning white: "There are too many of them. They're like mad dogs that won't let go; I can't shake them at all!"
Although his piloting skills were good, it was difficult to operate in a situation like this.
Quill couldn't help but recall the painful experience of being chased by dozens of Ravager ships before; the only difference was that this time, the number of enemies pursuing him was even greater.
Thinking of this, Quill was practically on the verge of tears.
He had finally managed to become independent from Yondu to work alone; why did it feel like life was even worse than before?
Even though Yondu's bunch wasn't great, at least they were the ones chasing people. Unlike now, where every day he was either running for his life or on the way to running for his life.
"Step aside, let me do it."
Darian suddenly stepped forward and yanked Quill out of the pilot's seat.
Before Quill could react, he had already squeezed into the pilot's seat, his hands naturally taking over the control stick.
"Hey, hey! Old friend, can you do this? This is a matter of life and death!"
Quill, having been tossed aside, was jumping with anxiety.
Even he wasn't sure about escaping safely, let alone someone else. Moreover, he had never seen Darian pilot a spaceship before; it seemed quite unreliable no matter how he looked at it.
"Sit tight."
Darian didn't explain much, just calmly said those words.
The expressions of Quill and the others instantly froze. They felt a powerful pressure from Darian that was only seen in veteran pilots. They immediately shut their mouths and obediently found seats, pulling their seatbelts tight.
As it turned out, their intuition was correct.
In the next second, the spaceship's engine let out an ear-splitting roar, and everyone was slammed against their seatbacks by the massive thrust.
Under everyone's terrified gaze, instead of turning to avoid the two Necro-ships that were closing in ahead, Darian pushed the thrusters to the limit and charged straight at them!
"Wait! We're going to crash!"
"Stop! Stop quickly!"
"We're going to die!"
"I am Groot."
"Zzzzzz..."
"
Amidst the chaos, Darian was exceptionally calm and didn't forget to turn back to comfort them: "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here."
Hearing this, everyone suddenly felt their hearts were warm, and their corpses were also warm.
"Look at the damn front!!" *3
"I am Groot."
"Zzzzzz..."
Everyone screamed in terror; only the fellow Drax was still sleeping soundly, and no one took the initiative to wake him up.
After all, if they couldn't dodge this time, they'd all be sleeping on the spot anyway.
Just as they were about to be smashed to pieces by the two Necro-ships, everyone in the cabin suddenly felt their vision rotate ninety degrees. The entire spaceship actually passed through the narrow gap between the two Necro-ships in a nearly vertical posture, narrowly avoiding disaster.
Boom!!
Because those two Necro-ships couldn't dodge in time, they instantly crashed into a brilliant ball of fire, with fragments scattering everywhere.
"Sur... survived..."
The members of the Guardians of the Galaxy slumped in their seats, panting heavily, feeling like their hearts were about to jump out of their throats.
But before they could even catch their breath, their faces turned pale again.
Right in front of them, dozens more Necro-ships appeared in a dense formation, attempting to block their path!
However, what was even more terrifying than this was that their spaceship was still accelerating!!