When Ronan opened his eyes again, he found himself back on that familiar battlefield.
Thanos was still locked in combat with the Avengers, but judging by the situation, Ronan must have been gone for only a short time.
It was as if he had descended from the heavens back into the mortal realm in an instant. The feeling of being all-powerful was now completely gone.
"Tsk."
Ronan glanced at his hands and clicked his tongue in frustration.
The sense of powerlessness didn't sit well with him.
Just a moment ago, he felt like an omnipotent god.
Now, returning to the real world, the comparison made him feel like an ordinary, underwhelming human.
What made it worse was that he forgot to turn on his music while unleashing his ultimate moves!
This was one of the Big Three shonen manga moments! With the right BGM, his combat power could have increased by at least 50%!
[XP +3000]
[You fought a battle in the mental world and successfully defeated your opponent.]
[In this battle, you have gained some insight into the use of mental power. Explore further for specific changes.]
The system notification appeared quickly.
But when Ronan saw the length of the message, he almost jumped in shock.
It wasn't the content that surprised him—it was the fact that his usually aloof system had so much to say this time.
He suddenly felt flattered, like he was being pampered.
Then Ronan shivered.
Was this useless system trying to flatter him before bailing out?
It had always been cold and distant, but now it was typing out paragraphs like a desperate admirer saying goodbye.
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you still there?!"
"Are you still here?!" Ronan asked with mock desperation.
Yes, he knew he was begging.
And he didn't care.
"I'm here, what's up?"
The sudden response startled Ronan.
But he quickly rolled his eyes.
Because the one responding wasn't the system—it was Peter Parker, who had been standing behind him the whole time.
"Why are you standing behind me? Shouldn't you be helping out in the fight? Aren't you one of the Avengers?"
Ronan grumbled at Peter Parker.
Sure, Peter's Aunt May was gorgeous, but that wasn't a reason for Ronan to go easy on the kid.
Unless...
No, there was no unless!
Ronan quickly calmed himself.
"I haven't had the chance to yet! Aren't you going to check on that... alien guy?"
Peter pointed to Ebony Maw, still standing across the field, looking confused.
Just as Peter said, only moments ago, Ronan and Ebony Maw had been fighting to the death.
Now, however, both seemed to have lost the will to fight.
Others might not have noticed, but Peter's Spider-Sense had picked up the change.
At least from Ebony Maw's side, there was no longer any hostile intent.
"Maybe he's been captivated by my charm."
Ronan smirked, and Ebony Maw seemed to hear him. He glanced in Ronan's direction and smiled.
Peter Parker was stunned.
Wait, what?
Moments ago, these two looked like sworn enemies. Now, they were sharing smiles?
Could Ronan actually be telling the truth?
"What, don't believe me?"
"How about I ask him to perform a magic trick for you?"
"Go help Thanos."
Ronan nodded at Ebony Maw.
Ebony Maw, receiving the command, bowed slightly to Ronan and then flew directly toward the battlefield.
?????
Peter Parker's face was now filled with confusion, a whole series of question marks floating in his head.
A 15-year-old brain wasn't equipped to handle this level of shock.
And more importantly, what had Ronan just commanded him to do?
"Now do you believe me?"
"How about you give it a try yourself?"
"It'll make you stronger, you know."
At this moment, Ronan resembled a devil, tempting an innocent youth toward corruption.
One wrong step, and it'd be a life of regret.
Hearing this, Peter shook his head so fast that he looked like an electric fan.
His enhanced Spider strength was on full display.
He even began backing away slowly, clearly not intending to accept Ronan's offer.
"Tsk."
Ronan's disappointed gaze sent shivers down Peter's spine.
Peter couldn't even look at Ronan now, terrified that he might end up like Ebony Maw.
After toying with Peter for a bit, Ronan turned his attention back to the battlefield.
He heard Ebony Maw shout, "Lord Thanos, I'm here to help you," as he broke through the ranks of the Avengers and joined the fight.
As for Thanos, he was now beginning to show signs of fatigue from the relentless assault.
Even though he was an Eternal with overwhelming combat power, even a tiger can't fend off a pack of wolves.
Especially when there were some particularly strong alpha wolves among them.
Like Captain Marvel. Like Scarlet Witch. Like...
Ronan couldn't help but grin.
The more he thought about it, the more embarrassing it seemed.
When would the male Avengers finally step up?
It felt like they had regressed to a matriarchal society.
This was supposed to be a man's showdown, with sword clashing against sword, and yet their output was so underwhelming!
Snap!
Ronan heard the crisp sound of fingers snapping.
He didn't need to guess—it was Thanos trying to stealthily snap his fingers again.
As the second snap echoed, everyone on the battlefield froze for a moment.
That same feeling of dread washed over them once more.
If they were lucky the first time and Thanos' snap had failed...
What if it worked this time?
But what Thanos couldn't accept was that his second snap didn't change anything either!
Had he not seen Nebula's memories, Thanos would have thought the legend of the Infinity Stones was a lie.
Six Infinity Stones combined could destroy worlds, they said.
Liars, all of them!
Now Thanos wanted nothing more than to smash all the stones into pieces.
Then he froze for a moment.
In that brief hesitation, Captain Marvel punched him, sending him flying.
Ebony Maw immediately used his telekinesis to raise massive stones, blocking the Avengers' advance.
He flew to Thanos' side and helped him to his feet.
"Lord Thanos, are you alright?"
Ebony Maw looked genuinely concerned.
Thanos took a deep breath, shook his head, and turned his gaze to the heroes surrounding them.
"Ebony Maw, hold them off for me."
"I'm going to destroy this planet once and for all!"
A manic expression crossed Thanos' face.
At this moment, a new plan formed in his mind.
If he couldn't use the Infinity Stones to wish destruction, then he would use their raw power to obliterate the planet!
Even if it didn't have the same devastating effect, at least he'd take out all these pests!
It was his last option.
However, in the next second...
Schlick.
At that very moment, something legendary happened.
The Backstab of Justice appeared from behind Thanos!
Ebony Maw's right hand pierced straight through Thanos' back.
The blow struck right at Thanos' heart.
"Backstab of Justice!"
"I, Ebony Maw, also known as... Black Zetsu Junior!"