Bill's attack was so fierce and powerful that General Corvus Glaive had no choice but to let go of his blade weapon. He retreated backwards quickly.
Although he had avoided Bill's devastating attack, General Corvus Glaive's face was not looking good at all. In fact, most of his combat strength came from his enchanted blade. Now that he had lost his blade, he had lost most of his fighting strength. It was impossible for him to defeat Bill who was holding the Black Thunder Hammer.
Just as General Corvus Glaive was about to wait for an opportunity to recall his blade back to his hand, Bill suddenly let go of his weapon. He placed the Black Thunder Hammer upside down on the ground. The energy armor on his body quickly disappeared. He returned to his original robed appearance.
"General Corvus Glaive, I swore to defeat you head-on in combat. Now that your blade is gone from your hands, I will not take advantage of you. Now let us fight it out with our bare hands!"
Looking at Bill with surprise, General Corvus Glaive's face broke into a cruel smile. His hoarse voice was like sandpaper scraping together. He whispered menacingly. "Since you are seeking death willingly, then I will grant you your wish!"
With that declaration, General Corvus Glaive and Bill rushed towards each other. The two of them collided in an instant with tremendous force.
Meanwhile, in the Nova Corps' command room, the Nova Corps' high-ranking officers watched the battlefield with solemn expressions on their faces.
The Black Order's vanguard forces had already landed on Xandar's surface. They were engaged in a fierce battle with the Nova Corps troops on the ground. However, it was clear to anyone with a discerning eye that the Nova Corps was no match for the Black Order's superior forces. While they were able to fight back and forth for now, they were still at a disadvantage. They were constantly shrinking their formation and retreating backwards.
"There is no other way left. Activate Project Nova!"
The Nova Corps' female commander had barely finished speaking when Rhomann immediately refused. "No, Project Nova is not fully complete yet. We need some more time for them to fully adapt to its power. Otherwise, they..."
Rhomann trailed off, knowing full well that they could not afford to wait for the Nova Corps members to fully adapt and master their powers. Even a minute's delay would increase the chances of Xandar being completely destroyed by Thanos's Black Order forces. For Xandar and the Nova Corps, Project Nova was their last resort option.
Just as Rhomann was about to say something more, another voice suddenly rang out.
"Captain Rhomann, I know you are thinking about us and our safety. But this is the most dangerous time for Xandar and the Nova Corps. We cannot just sit back and watch our people die."
Turning around, Rhomann looked at the speaker and the nine other Project Nova test subjects standing behind them. He sighed deeply. He said with emotion. "Richard, and everyone else, you must return alive. You must!"
Project Nova was based on the Power Stone's energy.
There were ten test subjects in total. They were collectively known as the Nova Centurions. The leader of this ten-person Nova team was Richard Rider. He was the one most capable of adapting to the Power Stone's violent power.
Of the six Infinity Stones, the Power Stone was the most violent in nature. The power it contained was simply too powerful to be easily mastered or controlled. Even with the most advanced technology available, the Nova Corps could only barely channel a small portion of the Power Stone's power. They transformed it into Nova Force energy and infused it into the ten test subjects' bodies. They could barely maintain its stability.
However, once intense training or combat began, the previously barely stable Nova Force would gradually spiral out of control. This posed an extremely dangerous threat to the test subjects' lives.
Therefore, each of the ten experimental subjects had a combat time limit before burnout. The lowest was only able to sustain full power for approximately two minutes and fifty-six seconds. Meanwhile Richard, the captain and leader, could maintain full power for approximately seven minutes and twenty-seven seconds.
However, given the current desperate state of the battle, it was impossible for them to withdraw immediately upon reaching their time limit.
Therefore, everyone present in the command room knew the truth. Once the Nova Centurions were deployed to battle, their fate would be either death on the battlefield or death from power burnout in combat. There was no other option for survival.
Sebastian observed the ten Nova Centurions with interest. He could sense the raging power within their bodies. He knew that this brute force must have come from the Power Stone. However, he was puzzled as to whether the Nova Corps, when they were researching these things, were developing super soldiers or human bombs. Although Sebastian knew their intention was the former, these ten individuals were more like the latter. They were super bombs whose detonation would produce terrifying effects.
With a light cough, Sebastian looked at Rhomann and the other Nova Corps leaders. He asked them. "Are you sure you want to send them into battle? Hand over the Power Stone to me right now. I am confident I can lure Thanos and the Black Order away from Xandar safely. If you continue to be stubborn about this, I will have to wait until your Nova Corps is completely destroyed. Then I will take the Power Stone and leave."
Upon hearing Sebastian's words, one of the Nova Centurions looked at him angrily. He raised one hand. A pale blue energy gathered on it. It was faintly showing signs of an explosion. He then said to Sebastian. "I do not know who you are, but you have no right to speak here like this. If I hear you say that again, do not blame me for being rude to you."
Sebastian smiled at the man who spoke, but he said nothing more to provoke them.
However, Rhomann looking at Sebastian had other thoughts running in mind.
If Thanos's Black Order could truly be driven away from Xandar, handing them the Power Stone would not be a big deal at all. However, he was not the Nova Corps' supreme leader. Even if he had other ideas, he could not carry them out without authorization.
The ten Nova Centurions were finally dispatched to the battlefield.
Transforming into ten beams of blue energy, they soared from the command room. They advanced towards the Black Order forces at incredible speed.
Soon, the two sides engaged in direct combat. Blue Nova Force energy erupted from the warriors' hands. It wreaked havoc on the Black Order soldiers. Each Nova Centurion resembled a lesser version of Captain Marvel. They were strong, agile, and sturdy. They were capable of unleashing powerful beams of energy from their hands. They were truly top-tier warriors.
The Nova Corps' leaders, observing this victory, finally brightened their expressions with hope. However, before their smiles could bloom fully, one of the ten Nova Centurions suddenly exploded amidst the Black Order's forces. He sent a wave of blue energy surging outward indiscriminately.
While this explosion killed a significant number of Black Order soldiers, it also disrupted the other nine Nova Centurions. It forced them to retreat to avoid the center of the blast zone.
Come support and get the advanced chapters:
patreon.com/Daoist_Kalyug