A beam of blue light projected from the planet, pulling the spaceship down to land in front of a magnificent palace.
At the bottom of the steps stood an old man in a platinum robe, exuding an aura of superiority. Behind him was a woman with two antennae on her head.
The hatch opened, and Star-Lord was escorted out, trembling.
The old man's fiery gaze made him feel as if his life—and particularly his butt—was in danger. He even had the urge to crash and die on the spot!
At that moment, the rest of the crew disembarked. Rocket stepped forward and said:
"The guy's here. You can inspect the goods."
Ego didn't even glance at him. His gaze remained locked on Star-Lord, and after a brief moment, he said with satisfaction:
"No need."
"I just needed one look to know—he's my son."
The words dropped like thunder.
Minutes later, everyone was still stunned after hearing the truth.
A low-tier scavenger from the Ravagers… turned out to be the long-lost son of a sentient planet?
What kind of over-the-top, melodramatic 'lost prince' story was this?
Only Peter Quill—Star-Lord—was elated. He felt like he'd gone from hell to heaven.
In that moment, Ego's intense gaze no longer looked perverted to him—it looked like the loving eyes of a father who finally found his child.
"Before, you all ignored me and treated me like nothing. But now? I've got a father who's a literal god!"
Star-Lord said arrogantly:
"Father, see the guests out!"
"Go ahead and pay these losers and get rid of them. I don't want to be around a bunch of filthy bounty hunters!"
Rocket snorted and, without saying another word, turned around and took Groot back toward the ship.
Gamora and Drax didn't argue either. They'd been dismissed—no point sticking around for dinner.
All they could do was grumble inwardly—this lucky bastard.
But then Ego smiled and said:
"Leave? Where do you think you're going?"
Click!
The sound of weapons loading echoed. Rocket raised his high-energy rifle, his eyes sharp.
"Old man, if you're trying to pull some black-market bounty stunt, be careful you don't get all your teeth knocked out!"
The others also readied themselves for battle—Groot raised his arms, turning them into thick, whipping vines; Gamora and Drax took fighting stances.
Star-Lord didn't love this turn of events. These were the people who had just dragged him here after selling off the baby spirit ball (Power Stone). But they weren't exactly nobodies either.
One was Thanos' adopted daughter, another was a giant sentient tree, and Drax? Even bullets barely scratched him.
Only Rocket the raccoon seemed underwhelming—though that sharp tongue of his was lethal.
"Dad, just let them go," Star-Lord said, leaning in and whispering in Ego's ear. "They're not weak. It's not worth dirtying your hands."
He thought his father would listen and back down.
But instead, Ego grinned, his warm expression vanishing in an instant. He replied coldly:
"How can I let go of prey that delivered itself to me?"
"Let me show you the true power of your father."
Hearing that, Rocket didn't hesitate. He fired.
But the high-energy bullet was blocked by a glowing blue energy shield in front of Ego!
Drax let out a battle cry and charged forward, Gamora close behind, using him as cover and preparing for a sneak attack.
Groot extended his arms into tough, flailing vine whips and launched them like an army.
Star-Lord panicked and dove for cover—just as the ground beneath them began to shake violently!
The next second, four blue energy tentacles burst from the ground. With overwhelming force, they entangled several animals and plants nearby—leaving them no room to even struggle.
Star-Lord was stunned.
He hadn't expected that this estranged father he had never met would possess such terrifying power.
And from the looks of it, Ego intended to kill everyone present.
Having escaped prison together, Star-Lord couldn't help but feel some attachment:
"Father… I think a little punishment is enough."
Of course, the truth was—he found Gamora quite attractive and didn't want her to die.
But just as he finished speaking, Ego turned his head with a twisted smile:
"Since you don't want them to die, then you can take their place."
Another energy tentacle sprouted instantly, wrapping itself around Star-Lord!
The sudden turn of events shocked everyone.
What the hell was happening? He was even going to kill his own son!?
Ego's burning eyes locked onto Star-Lord as he burst into manic laughter:
"Yes, I sensed it correctly—there's an even purer divine energy inside your body!"
"If I absorb you, I might be able to break my limits and evolve again!"
Suddenly, Ego's humanoid form dissipated, and the ground began to shake violently and crack open.
All the tentacles retracted and returned to the core.
It was a massive brain, dozens of meters long, seemingly made entirely of energy. Layers of wrinkled folds formed distorted facial features, making it look utterly grotesque and disturbing.
Ego laughed madly:
"Wonderful!"
"Excellent! I knew Earth's creatures were special. The seeds I planted have finally borne fruit!"
"I did it! This is what I've been waiting for!"
As elated as Star-Lord had been moments ago, now he was just as full of despair.
His gut feeling had been right all along—there had always been something malicious in the way this creature looked at him.
And now it wasn't just after his body… it wanted everything.
Gamora deeply regretted everything. Who would've thought she'd survive resisting Thanos, only to end up dying here over some petty bounty?
Drax didn't think too much. He simply bit into one of the energy tentacles, only to nearly shatter his teeth in the process.
Rocket looked devastated.
He felt his greed had gotten Groot killed.
Turning his neck with great effort, he looked at Groot with deep regret and guilt in his eyes, wanting to say something before it was too late.
But when he saw Groot, he froze.
There was no fear in Groot's eyes. In fact, a faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
The next moment, a voice—not Groot's—spoke from his mouth with a calm, mocking tone:
"I thought I'd need to work a bit harder to get in here… but it turns out, you're still as stupid as ever."
Ego's laughter cut off instantly!
Gamora spun around in shock. The towering tree-like figure began glowing with a soft green light that flowed down like water, revealing a completely different person underneath.
Her pupils shrank as she almost let out a scream.
Wasn't this the man who had wiped out the entire Kree battleship—including Ronan the Accuser—from a distance?
When had he replaced Groot?! Weren't they together the entire time?
A cold chill ran down her spine and shot straight to her brain. Her hair stood on end. She was terrified beyond belief.
Star-Lord was completely numb.
He realized one thing immediately: he had just been bait—to lure out the big fish standing right in front of him.
Ego finally noticed something was wrong.
Without hesitation, he commanded the energy tentacles to retract, intending to kill the imposter instantly!
But at that very moment, everyone's vision flickered—as if a single frame had been skipped.
Then they saw the man who had been entangled by tentacles suddenly vanish, and reappear directly in front of Ego's massive energy core, his hand pressed against its barrier.
Russell looked up at the glowing brain.
In the calmest tone imaginable, he said something that made Ego's consciousness tremble:
"I wonder… will you alone be enough to satisfy my hunger?"
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