socalfunplaces Page 495
Page 495
[At this moment, the Dark Star was billowing black smoke. Its design made it resemble a giant roc spreading its wings and soaring into the sky. This enormous black roc, blotting out the sun, was steadily approaching the city below, and unfortunately, it seemed there was currently no way to stop its advance.]
Meanwhile, on the flight deck of the Dark Star, Groot, looking at the heavily injured and unconscious Drax and Rocket Raccoon around him, made a crucial decision.
[Groot slowly crouched down, placing himself between Rudeus and Iris. Then, countless branches sprouted from Groot's body, rapidly growing into green buds.]
[Groot's chest was also split open from the inside out, with a gash running down the middle.]
The spreading branches enveloped Rudeus and his companions. Rudeus, looking at the branches that had bound them, knew it was Groot's way of protecting them.
The sphere was also filled with the same fluorescent seeds that Groot had initially released for illumination.
[Soon, the branches completely enveloped Rudius and his companions, transforming them into a sphere. Branches then extended from the sphere, securing it to the flight deck.]
Rocket Raccoon woke up and looked at the scene before him. While the others didn't understand what it meant, Rocket Raccoon knew perfectly well.
"No! Groot!"
"Don't do that!"
Rocket Raccoon leaped out of Rudius's arms and approached Groot, the tree-like creature at the core of the sphere.
"It seems like it involves sacrificing one's own abilities?"
Shigeo Kageyama thought to himself as he looked at Rocket Raccoon's anxious expression on the screen.
As someone at an age prone to chuunibyou (middle school syndrome), Shigeo Kageyama found this act of sacrificing himself to protect the people he cared about to be incredibly dazzling and cool.
"Groot, you will die."
[Rocket Raccoon's tone was somewhat mournful and pleading; it was reluctant to part with Groot, its long-time companion.]
Why did you do that?
【"Why?"】
[Groot's eyes, like Rocket Raccoon's, were filled with tears. Groot gently stroked Rocket Raccoon's face with a small twig and spoke.]
【"us……"】
【"yes……"】
"Groot."
"Groot spoke slowly and deliberately, as the Dark Star was now less than a kilometer above the ground."
The Dark Star crashed violently into the city of Xandar, instantly crushing large swathes of buildings. A loud explosion followed, and a small mushroom cloud slowly rose.
The Dark Nebula was also shattered into pieces; centered on the Dark Astronaut, the area was filled with black smoke and flames from the explosion.
Despite Groot sacrificing his own life to protect Rudeus and the others, they still suffered some damage.
Rudius wailed, feeling as if all the bones in his body had shattered.
Alice struggled to her feet, looking at the horrific scene around her and the Dark Star, now a pile of rubble, and thought Ronan was definitely dead.
Rocket Raccoon climbed over a pile of branches, picked up one of them, and muttered dejectedly.
"What an idiot."
At this moment, a large group of Xandarians surrounded them. The next second, a figure appeared before them. Upon seeing the newcomer, everyone felt an unprecedented sense of despair.
Ronan, wielding a warhammer that glowed with a purple light, emerged from the entrance of the Dark Star and coldly surveyed the surroundings.
Ronan appeared unharmed, though his armor was somewhat dusty and stained.
Looking at Ronan, Rocket Raccoon felt the same pain as Drax.
"You killed Groot!"
Rocket Raccoon roared at Ronan, then charged at him recklessly, brandishing its claws.
But Ronan didn't even glance at Rocket Raccoon; the repulsive force from his hammer sent Rocket Raccoon flying.
"If we don't have a decisive trump card, then this is really the end of it."
Looking at Ronan, who was still almost at full strength, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, who were almost all severely injured, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji felt that the chances of winning were very slim.
However, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji knew that Rudius and his team would win, but he just couldn't guess how they would win.
After all, there are so many variables, and since it's named after the Guardians of the Galaxy, it means that it wasn't outsiders who helped, but Rudeus and his team who solved it themselves.
“Look.”
"Open your eyes wide and take a good look at this so-called Guardians of the Galaxy."
"What were you protecting?"
"What can you protect?"
Ronan opened his arms wide, clearly in a very good mood. The thought of destroying Xandar made him feel that the Dark Star's destruction was acceptable.
"Now, I've finally got what I wanted."
"I've avenged my grandfather and father."
[While Ronan was making his declaration of destruction, Rocket Raccoon watched as the hadron gun was assembled.]
Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Iris, and Rudyus exchanged glances. Though they said nothing, their tacit understanding, honed through years of practice, already conveyed their intentions.
"Bury it out until Rocket Raccoon finishes assembling the weapon. Although we can't guarantee 100% success, we have no choice but to take a gamble now."
Kaito Kuroba looked at Ronan making a declaration and the Guardians of the Galaxy exchanging glances on the screen and said.
For the first time, Kaito Kuroba understood what it meant for villains to die from talking too much. But he also had to admit that, at Ronan's level, it would be a disservice to his hard work if he didn't say something.
"People of Xandar, you have abandoned your lowly faith."
"My moment has arrived."
"You are about to be saved."
As Ronan spoke, he gripped the Infinity Hammer with both hands, and the hammer began to glow with a purple light. If Ronan were to bring the Infinity Hammer down, Xandar would become a thing of the past.
"Pizza Hut, please!"
"Did I hear that right?"
Kazuma Sato wondered if he had misheard, why was he hearing Pizza Hut?
"Well, maybe this is a dialect from Ronan's homeland, the Kree Empire."
Zhuge Cong responded to Sato Kazuma's question.
[As Ronan finished mentioning Pizza Hut, the purple light of Infinite Warhammer reached its peak.]
But suddenly the purple light from the Infinite Warhammer in Ronan's hand disappeared, leaving even Ronan himself looking bewildered.
Rudius was standing in front of Ronan, singing and dancing to the beat.
[After all, Rudius saw the situation was urgent and didn't know how to best stall for time, so he came up with this plan.]
[It did have some effect; at least Ronan was definitely under his control.]
[When the song reached its climax, Rudius gave a special reminder.]
"Listen to these few sentences."
Ronan slowly lowered the Infinite Warhammer. He was puzzled; it was the first time he'd ever seen someone sing and dance during a battle.
Not only Ronan, but even Rudius's teammates were completely bewildered.
"Dance with all your might!"
Rudius began his "charming" dance.
【"What are you doing?"】
Ronan looked at Rudius with a puzzled and bewildered expression and asked.
"Let's have a dance contest, buddy, it's just the two of us."
Rudius answered Ronan's question while demonstrating his dance skills by swaying his hips.
【"Come!"】
Rudius suddenly extended his hand to Alice, inviting her to dance. Ronan also looked over, but Alice shook her head without the slightest hesitation.
"Politely decline and withdraw the invitation."
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Ronan looked at Rudeus and asked, sensing that Rudeus was up to no good; he couldn't have gone mad before he died.
"What are you trying to distract me with, you big idiot?"
Seeing that Rocket Raccoon was ready, Rudius launched into a tirade against Ronan.
"Is this how they're going to buy Ronan precious time?"
"I just never thought it would actually work, and even last for so long."
Lupin III looked at Rudeus singing and dancing on the screen and said, "He actually managed to hold Ronan back in this way."
"How about I give it a try next time?"
Lupin III also had his own thoughts, after all, he and Rudeus were more or less in the same profession.
Ronan turned around and saw Drax wearing a hadron gun, while Rocket Raccoon connected the two wires he was holding together.