Marvel: What If Thanos Adopted A Saiyan?-Chapter 206 - 207: The Counterattack Begins

Five minutes gao, Xandar.

After much coaxing and calming, Nova Prime, the future Queen of the Nova Corps, finally recovered from the psychological trauma inflicted by Hela. Rhomann Dey’s plump cheeks quivered with barely contained excitement.

The gods were merciful, Xandar’s next ruler hadn’t been mentally broken.

"Commander!"

"Latest alert, planetary defense systems have detected the presence of the Cosmic Syndicate."

"What did you just say?!" Nova Prime’s eyes snapped open, her attention instantly regained as the report jolted her from her daze.

"Based on current data, their fleet rivals the strength of ten Kree Imperial Legions."

The officer overseeing Xandar’s security streamed live footage from the surveillance system directly to Nova Prime’s display.

Even as brilliant sparks from explosions flared across the screen, Nova Prime’s gaze locked onto the golden-haired figure weaving effortlessly through the enemy fleet—Lothar, son of Thanos, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

"That guy..."

"Is he really that strong?!"

Lothar’s overwhelming power made the entire Xandarian high command, including Nova Prime and Rhomann Dey, break into a cold sweat.

To him, their endless enemy armada was nothing more than a pile of discarded children’s toys, crushed with a single punch, shattered with a single kick.

The son of Thanos, truly terrifying.

If he had started this battle directly on Xandar... Rhomann Dey involuntarily shivered as the thought crossed his mind, the color draining from his already ruddy cheeks.

"Activate our planetary defense systems, Alpha-level. Immediately! Go!"

Now fully recovered and clear-headed, Nova Prime wasted no time issuing a decisive command: repel the enemy at all costs.

"The remnants of the Cosmic Syndicate have grown far stronger than in the past. We hold the line, until reinforcements arrive."

She wasn’t deluding herself.

The Nova Corps’ personnel on Xandar were nowhere near full strength. Charging out to meet the Syndicate head-on would only lead to a disastrous defeat.

As a leader who used her brain, Nova Prime wasn’t about to make that mistake.

"Prime... what about Thanos’s son, and Odin’s daughter?" Rhomann Dey turned to her, the weight of the decision resting on her shoulders, as they both watched the two struggling figures adrift in the chaos of space.

"...The plasma Star Annihilation Cannon, is it still operational?"

After a moment of silence, Nova Prime’s fingers brushed her throat, where Hela’s grip had left dark bruises. Her gaze was chilling, so cold that Rhomann Dey shuddered.

"And... dispatch a team to track the location of the purple sphere."

Only when the live feed no longer showed Lothar and Hela did her expression finally soften.

She didn’t believe the appearance of the Cosmic Syndicate was coincidence.

That purple orb had originally belonged to the Syndicate, and had been stored in the Nova Corps headquarters for a long time. Now, with Lothar suddenly trying to take it, and a full-scale battle erupting just outside Xandar, she suspected a betrayal among Lothar’s allies.

"I understand."

Rhomann Dey nodded and gave the order, power up the orbital weaponry and lock it onto Lothar’s retreating position.

"That is..."

Just then, a former high-ranking member of the Syndicate, Jack Jones, who had only recently regained his strength, stopped in his tracks as he was about to slip away. His eyes widened in shock as he turned toward the battlefield.

Thanks to his now-restored senses, he could see it all with perfect clarity: the chaos unfolding across the stars.

Each of the countless warships bore the unmistakable insignia of the Cosmic Syndicate.

"That’s... that’s Seven’s symbol!" Jack Jones began to tremble uncontrollably, voice hoarse with disbelief.

No... no, Seven’s dead.

The wave of emotion quickly passed as Jack forced himself back to calm.

He remembered vividly: every member of the upper echelon, except himself, had been wiped out in the Nova Corps’ ambush.

"Former subordinates of Seven, then?"

Raising his head again, Jack’s now-cold eyes gleamed with bloodlust. A spark flared from the bracelet on his left wrist, and he vanished without a trace...

Amid the chaotic noise of the cosmos...

Lothar and Hela stood back to back, surrounded on all sides. Between them, they projected a massive energy shield, large enough to protect a small starship. Finally, they had carved out a moment of respite amidst the onslaught.

"What the hell did you do?"

"Why are they all after you?!"

Hela, gasping for breath, downed the nutrient solution Lothar handed her. Her chest heaved as she struggled to regain her strength.

"Woz."

Lothar’s forehead was slick with sweat, but he didn’t answer her. Instead, he called to the AI assigned to enemy analysis.

"No results yet, Prince Lothar," came Woz’s reply.

Inside the barely-stable ship beneath the shield, the feline-shaped AI known as Woz deployed eight mechanical limbs and continued its data-cracking efforts in orderly precision, but still no breakthrough.

The Kree Empire and the Skrull Empire were both dominant galactic powers. The elite units now engaging them wielded technologies comparable to those of Woz, forged in the shadowy depths of the Black Quadrant itself.

Uncovering their true origins would not be easy.

BOOM.

Under the combined assault from three fronts, their energy shield began to shake after just three minutes, spiderweb cracks already forming along its surface.

"At this rate, we’re both going to die here, Lothar!"

Hela’s voice was tight with frustration as she scanned their surroundings.

Enemy warships were still swarming them, seemingly endless. Behind them, Xandar’s planetary defenses lay in wait, blades drawn and ready to strike at any moment.

"That’s only what you think."

Lothar turned his gaze toward Xandar, then to the advancing fleets. There wasn’t a trace of despair in his eyes, in fact, if Hela had seen it clearly, she might’ve sworn he looked... thrilled.

But the moment passed too quickly for her to be sure.

"Prince Lothar! Our army has reached the battlefield!"

Onboard the ship, the Chitauri Chieftain clutched his staff tightly and finally breathed a sigh of relief as the presence of his kin surged into range.

From a corner of the star-speckled void, shadows began to emerge, massive silhouettes of the Chitauri war fleet, cloaked until now.

"You brought a fleet?!"

Still panting, Hela stared in disbelief as the Chitauri ships fearlessly intercepted incoming fire, siphoning away pressure from the besieged duo.

You had an army this whole time and didn’t say anything?!

"Well then... ready, Hela?"

Lothar turned, golden energy blazing from his feet, so bright it nearly blinded The Other, who stood aboard the ship behind them.

"Ah. Of course."

Hela’s lips curled into a savage grin as the dark energy of death surged through her. With part of the pressure relieved, she licked her lips, eyes glinting with a bloodthirsty gleam.

After being under this hellish barrage for so long, even a stone statue would’ve lost its temper.

"The counterattack begins, NOW!"

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