After the reminder from Commander Faora, Zod finally knew.
He knew who this tall, blue-skinned male alien in front of him was.
The centre of power in the Kree Empire, Ronan the Accuser.
The most famous warlord and cold-blooded executioner in the galaxy.
He had committed inhumane massacres in the war against the planet Xandar.
His fierce reputation wasn't inferior to that of the mad titan, Thanos.
The Nova Corps had, on more than one occasion, strongly condemned such behaviour.
However, due to the huge military power of the Kree Empire, it could only remain as a verbal warning to avoid conflicts.
"In that case ..."
Considering that further entanglement may lead to more problems, Zod eased his tone.
Before the grand reconstruction of Krypton could take its first steps, starting an irreconcilable conflict with the Kree Empire, one of the three major powers in the galaxy...
Was obviously unwise.
Therefore…
The Kryptonian General was willing to compromise and back down.
"... For the sake of the Kree Empire, you can leave after you apologise."
Zod considered himself magnanimous and refrained from further commenting on Ronan's outburst and arrogant disrespect.
However, the warlord from the Kree Empire only felt that this was a blatant provocation.
"Have you always been so fearless?"
Ronan gripped the long-handled war hammer tightly, and his sharp eyes, like knives, stabbed at Zod.
"How dare you ask me to apologise? It would be the greatest mercy for me not to take your lives today."
The originally relaxed atmosphere, with the drop of this sentence, became tense once again.
The Kryptonian General's face sank. He knew that the laws of survival among the universe were no different from the natural world, focusing on individual strength and group forces.
The existence at the top of the food chain could really take whatever they wanted from the creatures at the bottom and kill them at will.
But what surprised him was that Ronan, who was heavily armed and had control over the fleet, hadn't seen the current situation clearly.
"Courage is the basic quality of a warrior. I'd like to ask. Are you so confident about yourself or the Kree Empire's fleet?"
Zod took a general glance. In terms of the strength of the other party...
if they really fought, at best, they would be in a 50-50 situation with the Kryptonian warriors.
If they simply competed in physical fitness, Ronan may also be inferior.
After all, having been enriched by the yellow sun, his Kryptonian physique was constantly evolving.
Not to mention the Kree, even the Eternals might not be enough.
"Confidence is a fundamental quality in a leader."
Ronan emerged from the crowd and looked towards the Kryptonian General.
"You turned down your only chance to survive. Do you have any last words?"
The two faced each other like gamblers who felt that they had a winning hand.
Zod thought his fists were enough to pin his opponent to the ground.
On the other hand, Ronan felt that with the Kree Empire's fleet backing him up and his own strength as a guarantee, there was no need to even look at the other party.
In all his years of conquering the galaxy, he had never met an enemy that could threaten his life.
Not long ago, the Supreme Intelligence of the Kerry Empire gave Ronan a powerful weapon as a reward.
As a result, the Accuser's confidence in his own strength was inflated as never before.
"Heh, that's exactly what I wanted to ask you."
Zod took a step forward. His terrifying momentum built up as if he was ready to slam his fist into Ronan's head.
"Gentlemen, please show some respect!"
Just as the battle was about to break out, a projection of Taneleer Tivan appeared between the two men.
"Although private duels aren't forbidden in Knowhere, this is a starport, not a gladiatorial arena."
The Collector, who was on the top floor of the Tivan Group building, saw the situation getting worse and had to intervene.
He knew exactly what kind of madman Ronan was.
The Nova Corps turned a blind eye to the existence of Knowhere.
The three galactic empires also give basic respect to the Elders of the Universe.
But this war madman of the Kree Empire wouldn't follow those rules.
In case Ronan got angry, his fleet might fire at Knowhere, destroying it.
Afterwards, the Collector couldn't hold him accountable.
The status of an Elder of the Universe may seem high, but their military power may not be comparable to that of the three galactic empires.
As for Zod?
Although Taneleer Tivan didn't know who the other party was…
But his vision and insight were much greater than that of this arrogant Accuser.
'Powerful!'
This was the Collector's first impression when he saw the Kryptonian General through the ubiquitous surveillance devices.
That terrifying aura, like that of a silent volcano, wasn't something that could just be faked.
Only a powerful warrior, who had fought many battles and won numerous victories, could develop an unbreakable mental will of steel.
The Grandmaster sent out slave-catching teams all year round, looking around for qualified warriors.
On Sakaar, there were even competitive matches all year round.
Having been exposed to it, the Collector's ability to judge was evident.
"I'm tempted to show you some respect and let this reckless guy off the hook."
Ronan, the Accuser, spoke faintly, but his right hand, which held the long-handled war hammer, didn't loosen its grip.
"But you should also know that the Kree have always valued honour and dignity and will never refuse a challenge."
The Collector paused and remained silent.
Of course, he knew the Kree Empire was famous for its warrior culture.
Every blue-skinned, pure Kree was born an aggressor and predator.
Ronan was one of the best.
"So, this brave warrior, you ..."
Taneleer Tivan turned his attention to Zod.
However, the latter didn't show him any respect either.
"Kryptonians will never forgive any arrogant people who insult our race."
This time, Zod didn't back down.
'Kryptonian?'
Both the Collector and Ronan were surprised to hear that.
This was a planet they had never heard of!
"In that case, you can go to the gladiatorial arena. Anyway, the Warrior Tournament of Knowhere will be held in 2 days."
Seeing that both of them didn't give him an ounce of respect, the Collector was a little offended and spoke in annoyance.
The Tivan Group did business on every planet in the galaxy, and the most lucrative trade in the interplanetary colonisation era, the labour force, was undoubtedly one of them.
In fact, in the arena on Sakaar,
Half of the gladiators there were sent over by the Collector.
Unlike the Grandmaster's private hobby, Taneleer Tivan regarded it as a lucrative and popular business and managed it carefully.
In order to create momentum for the annual auction, Knowhere would open the arena and hold a contest.
The winner would receive a huge reward that would be envied by the entire galaxy.
"The arena ... good! I heard that that Captain of the Guard from the Shi'ar Empire will also be coming over for this auction."
Ronan, the Accuser, seemed to remember something and loudly said, "When the arena is officially opened, I can use this ... Kryptonian to warm up before the battle with Gladiator!"
The Gladiator.
His real name was Kallark.
He was the Captain of the Guards of one of the three great forces of the galaxy, the Shi'ar Empire.
He was also recognised as one of the strongest in the universe.
In the comics, the Gladiator had fought Hulk and Thor.
His personal combat skills were quite remarkable. He could smash asteroids with his bare hands, survive in the sun's core, and was tough enough to withstand gamma-ray blasts.
The Gladiator's strength level was dependent on his confidence; as such, the more confident he was, the stronger he got.
When he firmly believed that he could win...
All aspects of his ability would significantly improve, with no limit.
Therefore, he had entered the ranks of ' The Four Supermen of the Marvel Universe'.
Ronan had wanted to fight the Gladiator a long time ago and take the supreme honour of being the most powerful warrior in the universe from his opponent.
"Captain Kallark, who came for the auction, might not agree to the ... duel."
The Collector's head ached beyond belief. He knew that nothing good could come from Ronan, the Accuser coming to Knowhere.
"Then, I'll take that resource planet in the finale of the auction as a bet for the battle!"
Ronan spoke with confidence and certainty.
"..."
Taneleer Tivan was stunned, seemingly unprepared for the magnitude of the other party's offer.
'Where did this warlord of the Kree Empire get his confidence from?'
The Gladiator's reputation was spread throughout the galaxy.
In terms of combat capability, Ronan wasn't at the level of the Captain of the Guards of the Shi'ar Empire.
"I hope you'll stay in Knowhere for two days, don't try to escape."
Taking a deep look at Zod, Ronan, flanked by the Kree warriors, left the starport.
The Kryptonian General simply raised an eyebrow without saying anything.
All enmities were reserved for the gladiatorial arena in 2 days' time.