Following Ayesha's orders, the Sovereign fleet unleashed a storm of firepower at Quill and his companions.
Quill's ship rocked like a lone canoe in a hurricane, nearly breaking apart.
"Damn it! Where's the nearest habitable planet?!" Quill shouted, teeth gritted.
"Bohart Star!" Gamora quickly pulled up the star chart and pointed.
"How many jumps?"
"Just one! But the entrance is forty-seven sectors away—and you'll have to cross the Quantum Asteroid Belt first!"
Quill glanced outside the cockpit.
The swarm of Sovereign fighters tailed them relentlessly, not giving up. Under that rain of fire, his ship wouldn't last much longer. And if it failed… they'd all freeze in space.
But the asteroid belt loomed nearby…
Everyone followed his gaze. Even Drax, with his absurd confidence, shivered at the sight.
Countless massive asteroids tumbled chaotically. A region of gravitational turbulence. Entering it was as deadly as facing the Sovereign guns.
One impact, and their ship would be shredded. No second chances.
"Quill, if anyone can fly through that, it's you—the galaxy's best pilot," Drax said seriously.
"Fortunately, I am," Quill grinned, eyes sharp.
"I am too," Rocket muttered from the co-pilot seat.
The ship veered violently, plunging into the asteroid belt. Quill and Rocket's dazzling maneuvers narrowly avoided several collisions, while behind them, unlucky Sovereign ships smashed into asteroids and exploded into fireballs.
But the relief didn't last.
Quill and Rocket started fighting over the controls, each claiming to be the superior pilot.
Their squabble cost them dearly—
Boom!
A Sovereign shot slammed into their ship's tail, blowing apart the armor. A deadly vacuum tore through.
Nebula, chained in the cargo bay, was nearly sucked into space. She barely caught a cable, and with Gamora's help, was dragged back in.
"You idiots!!" she cursed furiously, seething with rage.
Quill and Rocket had no choice but to work together. Survival came first.
But with the ship damaged and the jump point still far away, their chances looked slim.
…
Meanwhile, on a lonely asteroid deep within the star belt—
A bald man sat alone.
For two days, Saitama had been stuck there.
Three days ago, he had accepted the "Super Vacation" reward. Then—he was dumped on this rock.
"…Is anyone here? I'll ask again."
His voice didn't travel. Space had no air. No sound.
So the image was ridiculous—Saitama hopping around on the asteroid, shouting in silence like a mime, looking painfully awkward.
Hu-laaa—
Suddenly—
A streak of flame roared across the void, cutting a sharp arc past the asteroid.
"Something alive?!"
Saitama's eyes lit up. Finally! A person! He almost cried. He swore never again to trust these "Super Vacations." Just like TV shopping scams—completely unreliable.
Lightning sparked under his feet as he leapt, chasing the tailflame.
Inside one Sovereign fighter, ace pilot Mark tracked Quill's fleeing ship.
"Think you can run after stealing our batteries, thieves?!" he snarled, locking weapons.
Dong, dong, dong~~
A knocking sound startled him.
He turned—and froze.
Back in the Sovereign control hub, Mark's scream pierced the hall, making Ayesha herself nearly jump.
"What's wrong?! Such panic!" she barked.
"S-someone's on top of my ship!!"
The pilots paled. None of them were actually inside the ships—they controlled them remotely. But the screens showed it clearly.
A bald man.
No spacesuit. No protection.
In the vacuum of space—alive.
Impossible. Even the genetically perfected Sovereign couldn't survive naked in space. But this bald human… was casually knocking on the glass canopy, peering inside like he was looking for a driver.
"Empty? Huh. That's troublesome. Guess I'll look somewhere else… eh? Isn't that Quill's ship over there?"
Saitama tilted his head, spotting the Guardians' ship being chased.
"So many planes! Looks like they're in trouble… should I go check it out?"
He scratched his chin, then crouched.
Boom—!
The fighter's armor crumpled half a meter deep beneath his foot.
Ayesha stared, dumbstruck.
Such power. Far greater than Quill's team.
But Sovereign pride could not be trampled.
"He dares attack our ships?! Kill him too! That bald creature mocks us!" Ayesha roared.
"Yes, Priestess!"
The order went out.
Dozens of fighters broke formation, weapons blazing at Saitama.
But instead of vaporizing him—
He leapt like a monkey, bounding from one fighter to the next. Their blasts tore into each other, ships exploding in fiery chains.
In seconds, screens across the Sovereign hub flashed red. Fighter after fighter destroyed.
Ayesha's face darkened.
Meanwhile, aboard Quill's ship, Rocket's eyes bulged.
"Holy crap—what the hell is THAT?!"
Everyone turned—and saw him.
A bald man, hopping between the Sovereign fleet, casually wrecking them.
(End of Chapter)
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