"Time… rewind."
The magic circle flared again, and a strange ripple echoed through the space, as reality itself had taken a breath and stepped backward.
To everyone's astonishment, the massive beam of destruction that Ronan had unleashed moments ago suddenly twisted in midair.
Its trajectory reversed, now surging back toward its original caster.
Straight at Ronan.
The air trembled with the force of the redirected Judgment.
Ronan's eyes widened in horror. "What?! No!"
He didn't even have time to finish the sentence before the blazing attack was nearly on top of him.
He knew exactly how much power had gone into that strike. His warhammer, imbued with a shard of the Power Stone's essence, had been pushed to its limit. If that beam touched him...
He wouldn't survive it.
In a burst of panic-fueled energy, Ronan dove to the side, rolling through the dust like a desperate man clinging to life.
The attack slammed into the ground behind him, carving a deep trench in the battlefield before vanishing in a swirl of dispersing light.
Panting and covered in dirt, Ronan staggered to his feet, shaken and furious.
But the attack didn't matter anymore.
What mattered was the man standing untouched in the center of it all.
Soren.
Eyes locked on Ronan with an icy calm that was far more terrifying than rage.
He hadn't even moved since casting the spell.
From a nearby ridge, the Guardians of the Galaxy had seen everything, and now, unable to hold back, they rushed to the battlefield.
"Holy crap." Rocket muttered, breathless.
"He turned Ronan's big shiny death beam into a boomerang."
Drax charged forward with uncontainable emotion. He stopped just behind Soren, clenching his fists.
"Soren." He said, voice shaking. "You… you are mighty." He turned to Ronan and roared, "You killed my wife and daughter. And today, I will see you fall!"
Rocket climbed up Groot's shoulder, still visibly sweating. "I take back everything I said earlier, pal."
"Real sorry if I came off rude. You're terrifying."
"I am Groot." Groot added earnestly, his branch-like arms raised with excitement.
Rocket nodded solemnly. "Exactly."
"He says you're awesome. And I second that."
Then Rocket shot Quill a side-eye smirk.
"Hey, Star-Prince, how's it feel knowing Soren's from Earth too? Makes you look like a regular grocery clerk."
Quill gave him a sour look. "Yeah, yeah, rub it in."
"I'm just saying."
Gamora chuckled despite herself.
Ronan, still brushing dust off his armor, scowled at the sound of their chatter. His face twisted in disbelief.
"You're an Earthling?" He spat toward Soren.
Soren turned his gaze fully toward him.
"I was born there, yes."
Ronan's brow furrowed deeply. Memories began flooding back—news of the Earth's resistance, of Loki's failed invasion.
Of the Chitauri army being torn apart by some unknown force.
His eyes narrowed. "It was you, wasn't it?"
"You're the one who destroyed the Chitauri army on Earth."
Soren's brows lifted slightly.
He hadn't expected Ronan to know so much about the Chitauri invasion. That knowledge wasn't something passed around lightly.
So… he even knows about Zilant.
Soren hadn't personally taken the field during the Chitauri's invasion, but he'd played a major role.
The fall of the Chitauri wasn't spread out knowledge… but Ronan clearly connected the dots.
Soren simply gave a faint smile, offering no confirmation.
Before Ronan could press further, a new voice rang out.
"Ronan."
The Collector, standing tall with his flowing robes and ageless calm.
"Knowhere is not your battlefield. Soren showed you mercy, don't make the mistake of mistaking it for weakness."
His eyes gleamed behind his spectacles.
"This domain no longer welcomes the Kree Accuser fleet, nor your threats."
Ronan's expression twisted with barely-contained rage.
He looked at Soren, then the Collector, then back again, two Earthlings, both defiant in their own way. His fingers clenched, his pride battered.
"Fine." He growled. "You've made your choice. Collector… Earthling… this won't be the end."
His voice dropped into a seething growl.
"The Dark Aster will descend upon Earth. I'll show your people what true fear is."
The threat hung in the air like poisoned smoke.
Collector's eyes widened.
"…You imbecile." He muttered under his breath, already sensing what was about to happen.
Soren's expression didn't change.
But the air around him did.
Everything turned heavy...
Reality began to hum with tension.
Ronan had barely taken two steps when his body went completely still.
So did his soldiers.
Each one locked in place mid-motion, eyes wide in confusion and terror.
They couldn't even scream.
A circular glyph flared beneath Soren's feet, etched with glowing runes.
"So you planned to go to Earth." Soren said quietly.
"I don't believe in second chances… not for enemies who threaten my home."
A pulse of raw space energy surged outward.
The battlefield dimmed.
CRACK
Ronan's body convulsed, then crumpled inwards under immense pressure.
With a sickening crunch, he was crushed by invisible forces, reduced to nothing but blood and broken armor, his warhammer splintered into fragments that scattered like dead stars.
He died without even a final word.
Then, the Guardians gasped, staring at where Ronan had stood just seconds ago.
Rocket blinked. "He… he exploded. Like a melon in a microwave."
Even Drax, battle-hardened and vengeance-fueled, was momentarily stunned.
"…That was for my family."
Still suspended in the air, the rest of Ronan's warriors trembled.
Soren looked at them without pity.
"You followed him. You cheered when he slaughtered innocents. You threatened my world."
"There's no mercy for that."