Ronan's mouth instantly opened wide enough to swallow a raw egg.
"What kind of firepower is this?" He barely finished speaking when a three-dimensional holographic projection appeared before him.
The projection displayed the entire spaceship, with flashing red marks showing the locations the Wright was attacking.
"Warning: The first layer of the hull has been breached. Warning: The second deck has been breached. The weapon energy system is being damaged."
In the blink of an eye, the steel plates of the hull were peeled back layer by layer, melting away. A section dozens of meters wide was left in tatters.
Moments later, the small ship's speed suddenly surged again, heading straight for the damaged area.
With devastating force, it crashed through the shattered hull, entered the ship's interior, and then shot straight out from the other side.
Of course, such damage was negligible for Ronan's massive warship. However, for Ronan—who had roamed the universe for countless years—this was an enormous humiliation.
"All units, target and fire!" Ronan swung his hammer as he gave the command.
This time, Ronan had brought six massive warships with him, effectively an entire fleet.
At his command, the six ships opened their hangar bays, releasing countless small fighters, swarming out like a cloud of flies.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
Although space is silent, Blake and his team couldn't help but imagine the sounds as they watched the dense blue energy blasts hurtling toward them.
From a space-view perspective, the Wright was entirely surrounded on all sides by energy projectiles.
There was no escape. Blake sneered, a faint blue energy glow coursing over his body.
"You don't need to intervene. If our ship can't handle this, it would be a disgrace to its materials," Tony said, raising a hand to stop Blake.
From the energy blasts being fired, Tony could roughly gauge their density and power. He had absolute confidence in the ship's hull.
In other words, even if the hull couldn't withstand the assault, the vibranium safety pod on the bridge, combined with Blake's abilities, would ensure their safety. This gave him the confidence to test the hull's limits.
The energy blasts moved fast, and in moments, the first wave of attacks rained down on the Wright.
Vibranium, one of the rarest and strongest metals in the Marvel Universe, proved its worth. Even with only a small amount incorporated into the hull, its combination with the titanium alloy's high strength allowed the Wright to withstand the assault effortlessly.
The vibranium's shock-absorbing properties were on full display. Not only was the hull undamaged, but the entire ship didn't even experience the slightest tremor.
The small fighters launched from Ronan's six ships numbered in the thousands. After a dense barrage of firepower, the energy blasts splashed harmlessly across the Wright like raindrops—and then nothing happened.
After the first round of fire, all the small fighters remained stationary in space, maintaining their formation around the Wright, awaiting further orders from Ronan.
Ronan didn't issue any new commands—not because he didn't want to, but because he'd never seen such a small ship with such a ridiculously tough hull.
In the universe's common knowledge, the larger the ship, the thicker its hull. The massive warships could naturally shrug off that level of firepower.
But this tiny craft...
It defied Ronan's understanding. For a brief moment, he forgot to issue further orders.
While Ronan hesitated, Blake and his team did not.
The Wright's thrusters roared, propelling it to its maximum speed almost instantly. The ship's side weapons unleashed a volley of fire, while the entire vessel charged directly toward the swarm of small fighters.
The Wright's weapons, capable of tearing through the hulls of Ronan's motherships, made short work of the smaller ships, which were like ants in comparison.
With a single energy blast, a small fighter was instantly reduced to fragments.
The Wright tore through the swarm of smaller ships like a ferocious eagle diving into a flock of sparrows. Its prow, crafted entirely from pure vibranium, and its wing edges, deliberately sharpened and reinforced with polished vibranium, turned it into a weapon of destruction.
Any ship that merely brushed against it was instantly reduced to a spectacular explosion of fiery debris.
It was only now that Ronan snapped out of his shock.
"Damn it! What in the universe is this ship made of? Could it be that the Nova Empire poured all its resources into building this one tiny vessel?" Ronan growled angrily, though he was not overly concerned about the loss of the smaller ships.
"This ship isn't from the Nova Empire," his lieutenant reported hesitantly. "We just received intelligence from an undercover agent on Xandar. The ship recently approached Xandar, seemingly planning to land. According to the report… they hail from… Designation C-53."
"C-53?" Ronan repeated, frowning in confusion. Then, as he mulled over the designation, a radiant, golden figure flashed in his mind.
"Captain Marvel!"
A cold chill swept over him as memories of that individual—the woman who had left an indelible mark on his otherwise proud career—surfaced.
The earlier image of the Wright piercing through his mothership's hull began to blur and overlap with the scene from over a decade ago, where that golden figure had similarly struck fear into him.
The difference was stark: back then, it had been a single person; now, it was a ship.
"C-53? Earth… That wretched place! Why does it keep producing these freaks? Retreat! Order all warships to fall back immediately. Retreat!"
The memories of Captain Marvel's overwhelming power left Ronan, normally arrogant and disdainful of others, in complete panic. He could no longer concern himself with blockading Xandar or threatening the Nova Empire.
Leaving behind a hurried command, his own warship led the charge, escaping into hyperspace without delay.
Hyperspace technology allowed ships to temporarily enter another dimension, enabling them to traverse wormholes within hyperspace.
In an instant, Ronan's fleet vanished into hyperspace. Blake, watching from the Wright, was unsure whether to admire Kree technology or mock Ronan's cowardice.
---
Meanwhile, on Xandar, Nova Prime was in the midst of a conversation with the current leader of the Kree Empire.
The two sides had recently signed a ceasefire agreement, but Ronan's actions were a blatant violation of the treaty.
The Kree representative distanced themselves from Ronan's behavior, stating, "The Accuser Ronan has officially severed ties with the Kree Empire. His actions are entirely his own and unrelated to the Empire."
As the two sides bickered, a member of the Nova Corps entered, carrying a small device. Placing it before Nova Prime, they played a recording.
"Hm?"
The footage displayed the battle between the Wright and Ronan's fleet. More accurately, it showed how the Wright hadn't even fully engaged before Ronan, leading his fleet, fled in disgrace.
"Is this… Did that tiny ship actually chase Ronan away?" Nova Prime asked in disbelief, casually shutting off the communication feed.
"Who are they? Do we know?"
"Designation C-53." the officer replied. "A remote and impoverished little planet. According to my intel, the locals prefer to call their world… Earth!"
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