Now, using the phrase "a petty man intoxicated by success" might be a bit much to describe Star Lord's current state, but the truth isn't far from it. From the beginning, Peter Quill has never been a combat-type hero; almost everyone else in the team can fight better than him. While he might not consistently be the worst, he's generally second to last. If you must insist he's second to last, it's only because he's bigger than Rocket Raccoon; if Rocket were as tall as Quill, he'd surely be in last place.
The lack of combat prowess has indeed brought Star Lord significant trouble. Most of the time, he can only rely on wisecracks and humor to deal with enemies, without having many opportunities for frontal combat. Let alone the Cosmic Elders, he might not even be able to handle the two major mechanical empires' most common foot soldiers in the cosmos. His countless battles in the interstellar realm have only trained him in the art of escape.
Star Lord never imagined that he would have such a strong day—that was the High Lord among the Cosmic Elders! Moreover, the High Lord isn't considered weak among the Cosmic Elders, yet he was knocked away by Star Lord with just one hit!
He immediately realized that this might be one of the rare highlights of his life. If not now, then when should he strike?
Of course, a normal person would think about why they're fighting and what consequences might come afterward, but the Guardians of the Galaxy aren't normal people, and Star Lord especially isn't. So he quickly pushed these common-sense questions aside and charged forward with a battle cry.
The other members of the Guardians of the Galaxy didn't know why he started fighting, but since the fight was on, they couldn't just stand by. They immediately grabbed their weapons and joined the scuffle with the guards.
The High Lord was badly shaken by the sneak attack, leaning against the wall and coughing twice, unable to get up for a moment. But Constantine wasn't someone to be trifled with either. He took a deep breath, pulled out a ragged piece of cloth from a box and wrapped it around his hand, standing in front of the High Lord, then punched Star Lord on the cheekbone.
Star Lord didn't seem to expect a sudden attack. He should have dodged, but relying on his shield, he didn't evade and faced it head-on, resulting in him being knocked down by Constantine's punch.
As Rocket Raccoon fired his gun, Constantine's eyes glowed blood-red, his hair flying as a shield formed by blood-red liquid blocked the bullets and deflected them, sending the bullets back toward the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The members of the Guardians of the Galaxy hurriedly sought cover to avoid the bullets. Meanwhile, Constantine glanced back at the High Lord, seeing that he was indeed quite injured, he had no choice but to step up and say quietly, "You go upstairs and hide for now, leave this to me."
The High Lord took a deep breath, knowing it wasn't the time for bravado. He waved his hand and shouted, "Capture those Guardians of the Galaxy fools, and I will reward you handsomely!!!"
The gamblers who had been lying on the ground immediately sprang up, staring at the Guardians of the Galaxy with bright eyes, like seeing a piece of juicy meat. Taking advantage of the chaos, the High Lord ran to the elevator from the corner, clutching his chest and panting for a long time before taking the elevator upstairs.
The gamblers quickly surrounded the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Star Lord waved his hand again, but there was no response. He kept changing postures, seemingly trying to regain the powerful strength he had earlier, but no matter how much he posed, he couldn't muster the same strength as before.
Star Lord gasped. At that moment, Rocket Raccoon dropped a smoke bomb, and they spotted an opening in the gamblers' encirclement and dashed through it.
But these gamblers, red-eyed with desperation, were not about to give up the bounty within their grasp. They chased after them, as the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy ran for their lives, twisting and turning until they finally shook them off, finding refuge in a small room where they leaned against the walls, breathing heavily.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Gamora couldn't help but curse, "Why did you attack the High Lord? Didn't we agree to bet with him?"
"Didn't you see who was beside him?!" Star Lord retorted, "That Constantine has known him for a long time, and he's also here for the gemstone. If they didn't reach an agreement, why would they appear together? If they decide to cooperate, they'll definitely team up to screw us over!"
Gamora then remembered that the person who stopped them looked familiar, seeming to be the culprit who got them thrown in prison. Thinking this, Star Lord's choice might have been right. After all, even if they did make a bet with the High Lord, a slight delay could give Constantine the chance to tip off Batman, and they'd still get caught.
Star Lord sighed deeply and said, "Forget it, it looks like the gemstone in the High Lord's hands is out of reach; we should look elsewhere and head back to Centaurus first."
After driving away the Guardians of the Galaxy, Constantine hurriedly went upstairs, seeing the High Lord coughing violently at his desk. Leaning on the tabletop, gritting his teeth, he cursed, "Damn you, Star Lord, you tricked me!"
The reason for being tricked is that the High Lord knew exactly what Star Lord's level was. Not even his father, Yondu, the interstellar pirate leader known for being fierce, was considered anything noteworthy in the cosmos. Against real masters, he was nothing.
While the High Lord may not be among the strongest, having lived so long as an Immortal Species, he still had the upper hand against the two of them. So when facing Star Lord, the High Lord had no guard up; he never thought this guy would dare to attack him, let alone actually injure him.
The High Lord, clutching his chest in agonizing pain, gritted his teeth and said, "He couldn't have done this on his own. Who was it?!"
Constantine acutely caught the fleeting complex expression on Shiller's face. It seemed the real culprit was right in front of them.
Constantine stepped forward again, bringing out the Eye of Agomoto, and said, "If you don't mind, I could help heal you. It might not completely heal, but it could make you feel a bit better."
The High Lord looked up, spotting what he held, and was somewhat surprised, "The Time Gem? How is it in your hands?!"
"What?" Constantine was also a bit surprised and looked down at the Eye of Agomoto in his hand, saying, "This is the Time Gem?"
"Yes, shouldn't this thing be with the Supreme Magician?" The High Lord furrowed his brow with some confusion and said, "Where did you get it from?"
Of course, Constantine could not say he had stolen it, so he remained silent. The High Lord did not press further but continued to ask, "Are you going to use this thing to heal me? You can use the Infinity Gem?"
Constantine remained silent, just bringing the Time Gem closer to the High Lord. Suddenly, a burst of white light emanated, and the High Lord immediately felt much better.
"Oh, heavens, this isn't the power of the Time Gem. This should be a Healing Spell left by the Supreme Magician." The High Lord took a deep breath, sat on his chair for a while, and said, "The fact that you managed to get the one from the Supreme Magician means you're determined to get the Infinity Gems."
"Mr. High Lord, to be honest, we are indeed after the gems. You've seen the current situation yourself. If you don't hand over the gem, you'll face endless harassment, with both sides sending people to test you constantly. I don't think that's beneficial for you."
"Taking away what's in my hands won't be that easy," the High Lord said through gritted teeth. "If anyone dares to rob me, don't blame me for being impolite!"
"Right now, they've sent someone like Star-Lord, but who knows when they might send Magneto or the Scarlet Witch?"
The High Lord's lips trembled, but there was still some hesitation in his tone: "They wouldn't, right? That bunch of mutants can't be that idle?"
Shiller shook his head and said, "To my knowledge, they suffered extremely heavy losses in a recent battle. Such sunk costs give them the reason to win the war. They'll do anything for victory."
The High Lord's grip on the armrest tightened, pressing his fingers tightly against his lips. After a while, he said, "Alright, but if they dare to send someone to ambush me, no matter what, I won't hand the gem over to them. Since you're here, you can have it."
With that, the High Lord clapped his hands, and a box immediately flew down from the ceiling. He placed it on the table and opened it, revealing a gemstone inside.
"This is an Infinity Gem. Though it seems devoid of any energy fluctuation, as long as you understand magic or the Cosmic Origin, the moment you touch it, you'll understand its power."
Constantine glanced at Shiller, who nodded back at him. Constantine reached out and picked up the Infinity Gem, and at that moment, he felt something.
"I don't know why the Infinity Gems suddenly lost their effectiveness, but as long as they're still part of the universe's rules, they're remarkable treasures. You'd best use them cautiously."
Shiller nodded and said, "Rest assured, we'll keep your assistance in mind. Also, this is just a temporary loan. Once the war is over, we'll undoubtedly return it to its rightful owner."
The High Lord seemed too weary for formalities and waved them off to leave. Constantine and Shiller left with the box in hand.
"What on earth is going on?" Constantine asked Shiller, frowning. "How did the Time Gem end up in my hand?"
"You should ask yourself. If it wasn't voluntarily given to you by this universe's Supreme Magician, what else could it be?"
Constantine's brow furrowed even more. He realized that everything he was experiencing was not a coincidence but someone's deliberate orchestration.
Even though he was an outsider, he knew the prowess of the Supreme Magician. He originally thought he had snatched a mere healing trinket from Strange, but it turned out to be quite significant, even one of the Infinity Gems—the Time Gem.
If this treasure is so crucial, why would the Supreme Magician take it out in front of unknown foes and allow it to be taken without any defense?
If the Supreme Magician were so easy to deal with, the universe wouldn't echo with his great reputation, and those Demon Gods defeated by him would cry injustice.
Even if Constantine had tricked Strange and stolen this thing, given its immense importance, he would surely face pursuit afterward. Constantine had vaguely heard of the Holy Sanctuary's repute. Their wanted notices were more effective than those of the Interstellar Security Committee; with just one wanted notice, Constantine would be hunted to the ends of the earth.
But so far, everything had been normal; no one was pursuing them, and obtaining the Space Gem had been unexpectedly smooth, almost as if helped by divine intervention.
Considering that Doctor Strange had caused such a huge commotion and only managed to snatch one gem, for them to so easily have two, Constantine didn't believe it was mere luck.
He couldn't help but glance toward the shadowy corner of the corridor, where a devil with a face identical to that of Detective Rodriguez beside him was smiling at him.