With the clarity of his enhanced sight, Ethan Drake could see across vast distances as easily as if they were only steps away.
In a single instant, his heat vision crossed the sky.
The blazing crimson beam cut through the atmosphere like a divine spear, reaching the fleeing Kree warship before it had any chance to escape. From the distant horizon, a massive orange-red fireball suddenly erupted as the ship detonated midair.
Dr. Minerva had been clever.
Her plan had been intricate and ruthless, manipulating Carol Danvers and calculating every possible outcome in order to turn the situation to the Kree Empire's advantage. Yet no matter how cunning a scheme might be, it ultimately meant nothing in the face of overwhelming power.
The explosion consumed everything.
Her body, along with the entire warship, vanished into a cloud of burning debris that quickly dissolved into drifting ash.
A faint trail remained in the sky, marking the path where Ethan's heat vision had pierced the air moments earlier. The red glow slowly faded from his eyes, though the surrounding atmosphere still shimmered from the extreme heat.
A faint mist formed in the air as the residual temperature evaporated lingering moisture.
Heat vision represented the absolute peak of thermal destruction. His freezing breath, by contrast, represented the absolute zero of cold.
The two abilities existed as opposite extremes.
Ethan could shift between them freely.
Heat vision possessed terrifying penetration and destructive force, while freezing breath inflicted devastating erosion and immobilization. Each ability held its own terrifying advantages, making both weapons incredibly dangerous in battle.
With powers like these, very few enemies could ever escape Ethan's range.
Then suddenly—
Alarms began to echo across the sky.
The sharp warning signals of Xandar's planetary defense network rang out repeatedly. Moments later, sleek patrol craft surged into the air from multiple directions.
More astonishing still, dozens of figures suddenly rose directly into the sky.
"Warning! Warning!"
"You have violated the laws of Xandar! Stand down immediately!"
The automated announcements echoed through the city.
From the streets below, voices of excitement and relief began rising among the citizens of Xandar.
"Look! It's the Nova Corps!"
"The Nova Corps is here!"
"They're the ones who forced the Kree Empire to sign the peace treaty!"
Cheers erupted across the city.
The people of Xandar deeply trusted the Nova Corps. For years, the organization had protected their world and maintained the strict order that allowed their civilization to flourish.
And truthfully, the Nova Corps had earned that reputation.
More than a hundred members now filled the sky, wearing identical black-and-gold combat uniforms as they hovered in perfect formation.
Faora, standing some distance behind Ethan, stared upward with confusion.
"Your Majesty… what is this?" she asked quietly.
She couldn't understand how so many people were able to fly so easily.
Without specialized armor or equipment, even she lacked the ability to fly.
Carol exhaled slowly.
"That's the Nova Corps," she said weakly.
Despite her exhaustion, she seemed somewhat relieved.
Ethan looked up at the approaching figures with calm indifference.
The Nova Corps quickly surrounded him from every direction.
One of them stepped forward.
The centurion of the formation.
"Come with us," he said firmly.
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What crime did I commit?" he asked calmly, as if he had just heard an amusing joke.
The centurion snorted.
"Still pretending?" he replied coldly. "The energy surge you released just now nearly destroyed half the city."
He gestured toward the devastated ground below them.
"Xandar is a peaceful world. We do not allow destruction here. Therefore, you are under arrest."
Ethan's lips curved into a faint smile filled with disdain.
"If I hadn't contained that energy explosion," he replied evenly, "your peaceful world would already be gone."
He looked at the soldiers surrounding him.
"Technically speaking, you should be thanking me."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Or perhaps kneeling and bowing would be more appropriate."
The statement stunned the Nova Corps.
"Kneel?" someone shouted.
The soldiers' faces flushed with anger.
The Nova Corps were one of the most respected forces in the galaxy. Their reputation for discipline and justice was legendary. Being mocked like this in public felt like an insult to everything they stood for.
Several of them could no longer hold back.
"Enough!"
A handful of soldiers surged forward like arrows leaving a bow.
Carol shifted awkwardly in Ethan's arms.
"You should let me go," she muttered weakly. "This position is… awkward."
Ethan was still carrying her in a princess hold, one arm supporting her legs and the other holding her shoulders. With her weakened condition, she hadn't even realized how intimate the posture looked until now.
Ethan simply smiled.
"To deal with opponents like these," he said lightly, "I don't need both hands."
"Arrogant fool!" one of the Nova Corps soldiers shouted.
The attacking soldiers were already closing the distance. Brilliant light formed in their palms as energy weapons activated.
Powerful waves of cosmic energy gathered rapidly.
Carol's eyes widened slightly.
She recognized the signature instantly.
Cosmic energy.
"Get down on the ground!" one of them shouted.
Ethan remained completely expressionless.
He calmly inhaled.
The air around him compressed as his lungs expanded.
Then he exhaled.
Whoosh!
A sudden burst of blazing flame erupted from his mouth.
The fire shot forward like a flamethrower, carried by the rushing wind. Within seconds it engulfed the attacking soldiers.
"What the—!"
None of them had expected their opponent to breathe fire.
The flames instantly spread across their armor. Startled cries filled the sky as the soldiers lost control and tumbled toward the ground.
They crashed down one after another, desperately rolling across the pavement to extinguish the flames.
Ethan watched calmly.
"You're the ones who should lie down obediently," he said.
His voice carried faint mockery.
"If you start bowing now, I might consider letting this go."
"Enough of your arrogance!" someone roared.
The remaining Nova Corps soldiers grew even angrier.
More energy signatures ignited around them, gathering into powerful waves of power that pulsed through the air like a rising tide.
Carol frowned slightly.
The Nova Corps truly deserved their reputation.
Even a small group of them could manipulate significant cosmic energy. Individually they weren't close to her own strength, but their numbers made them dangerous.
Yet Ethan continued staring at them calmly.
His expression didn't change.
"Like I said," he repeated quietly, "I don't need both hands."
This time he inhaled again.
The air around him suddenly collapsed inward.
Within less than a second, the atmosphere in front of him formed a vacuum as enormous pressure gathered inside his lungs. His abdomen expanded slightly as the power built.
Then he unleashed it.
A thunderous roar erupted from his mouth.
The compressed air transformed instantly into a catastrophic hurricane.
A colossal storm blasted outward, roaring through the sky with devastating force. The violent wind howled like a natural disaster unleashed at point-blank range.
The Nova Corps had never seen anything like it.
The hurricane struck them head-on.
Dozens of soldiers were instantly thrown backward, their carefully maintained formation collapsing as the raging storm hurled them across the sky.
One after another, the Nova Corps members were blown completely out of Ethan's sight.
....
Join my P@treon get free advanced chapters.
Paid members can get upto 60+ chapters ahead of the public release.
Link : [email protected]/KittyLovesMilk