Several small space pirate warships quickly surrounded Tony and opened fire.
However, Tony Stark was far from helpless.
With J.A.R.V.I.S. assisting him, Tony immediately launched a counterattack.
The pirate ships fired various weapons, but none of them could damage Tony's vibranium armor.
Not even the slightest scratch appeared on the suit.
After all, these were only a few scattered pirate ships, not a major interstellar pirate fleet.
Tony quickly destroyed several of their ships.
Using his self-developed universal translator, he questioned the surviving pirates.
He asked them whether they had seen a white warship traveling through this region of space.
Unfortunately, their answer was negative.
After confirming this, Tony eliminated the remaining pirates.
He then rested for a few hours aboard one of their captured ships.
During that time, Tony salvaged several useful items from the wreckage.
Among them were vacuum breathing masks, similar to the device Yondu once gave Star-Lord.
After finishing his brief rest, Tony departed again.
Days passed.
But Tony still found no trace of Karl's warship.
The vastness of space made searching nearly impossible.
Even Tony began to feel anxious.
But he had no other choice except to keep moving forward.
Each day he survived on high-density energy bars that he had specially prepared.
Combined with the effects of the super-gene serum he had previously injected into himself, Tony did not need to worry about starvation.
After resting periodically, he continued flying in the same direction.
Meanwhile—
Far away in space.
Karl and his group were preparing to land on a strange planet.
Skyblade VII had detected something unusual.
There existed a species of creature on the planet capable of producing a crystal-like substance.
The inhabitants used those crystals as their primary energy source.
The most surprising part was the crystal's energy capacity.
A single crystal could power the inhabitants' technology for an entire lifetime.
This discovery made Karl curious.
He planned to collect some samples.
Perhaps they could even serve as snacks for Ganata.
Soon, Skyblade VII disengaged its stealth system and descended toward the planet.
At the same moment—
Far away in Asgard.
Heimdall finally located Karl's warship.
He immediately informed Thor.
Then he activated the Bifröst, retrieving Tony from deep space.
Tony suddenly found himself standing on the Rainbow Bridge again.
He looked at Heimdall in confusion.
He had no idea why he had been brought back.
"I have located Lord Karl," Heimdall explained calmly.
"They have just landed on a planet rich in energy crystals."
"So I opened the Bifröst to retrieve you."
"You may now travel directly to that planet with the King."
Tony's eyes lit up.
"Great!"
"Let's go immediately!"
Thor nodded.
Seeing Tony's urgency, he did not waste time.
Heimdall opened the Bifröst again.
Thor and Tony were instantly transported to Karl's location.
Meanwhile—
On the crystal-rich planet.
After landing, Pietro and Peter grabbed communicators and ran off to explore.
Juggernaut immediately drove away in his heavily modified super off-road vehicle, racing across the alien terrain.
Samuel began collecting genetic samples from the planet's creatures.
Soon, only Karl remained with:
MayRavenHelen ChoBlack PhoenixHelaGanataYan
Karl led them across the planet's surface.
Crystals were scattered everywhere.
Ganata's eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, she swallowed one.
No one tried to stop her.
Everyone was already used to Ganata's eating habits.
Her body could digest nearly any form of energy.
Meanwhile, Yan picked up one of the crystals.
Her Angel Eye activated.
She began analyzing both the crystal and the planet itself.
Within moments, she understood its structure.
"This substance is called an Energy Crystal," Yan explained.
"It forms on the backs of a native creature unique to this planet."
"When the creature reaches adulthood, the crystal on its back naturally falls off."
"That fallen crystal eventually condenses into a more powerful energy core."
"These blue crystals are the lowest grade."
"The higher-grade crystals are red."
She continued analyzing.
"Even these low-level blue crystals contain enormous energy."
"To make a comparison…"
Yan held the crystal in her hand.
"A palm-sized crystal contains roughly one hundred times the energy output of Tony Stark's arc reactor."
Everyone was surprised.
That level of energy density was remarkable.
Karl nodded thoughtfully.
"Then we should collect some."
"Ganata will definitely need them."
Soon—
Countless blue energy crystals began floating into the air.
They flew toward Karl under the control of his power.
Among them were also several red energy crystals.
Karl separated those and handed them to Ganata.
Meanwhile, Black Phoenix, Hela, and the others also used their abilities.
From across the landscape, huge quantities of energy crystals began flying toward them.
Soon, Karl stored them all inside his system space.
After collecting the nearby crystals, the group prepared to search for more red energy crystals.
But before they could leave—
Several flying vehicles approached from the distance.
Each vehicle carried several blue-skinned humanoid beings.
They appeared to be the native inhabitants of this planet.
When they saw the missing energy crystals, their reaction was immediate.
They attacked Karl and the others without hesitation.
However—
Karl casually destroyed their vehicles in an instant.
Yan calmly explained the situation.
"These natives believe the energy crystals are a divine gift."
"They do not allow outsiders to take them."
"Because of these crystals, their civilization has advanced far beyond most interstellar societies."
"Any warship that attempts to harvest the crystals is usually destroyed by them."
In other words—
Karl and the others had just made enemies of the entire planet.
Karl remained calm.
"Let's continue."
"These crystals are not enough."
"If they come after us…"
"We'll destroy them."
After all—
These crystals were important for Ganata's energy supply.
Karl had no intention of leaving empty-handed.
Karl lifted everyone into the air.
They flew toward the location where the red energy crystals were concentrated.
With Karl's power, locating them was effortless.
Soon they arrived.
Before them lay a massive region glowing with red energy crystals.
Several native workers were mining the crystals.
When they saw Karl and his group—
They immediately raised their weapons and opened fire.
...
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