Fake!
The Collector's pupils shrank upon hearing that name, and he shouted without hesitation:
"Attack the intruder!"
He didn't know how the enemy had seen through the disguise given by his master, but he knew one thing—he had to strike first!
He had followed the Collector to Sakaar before, and knew this guy was just a useless eccentric like his brother. The only real threat was the female warrior standing silently behind him.
A loud hum echoed in the air—
The sound of energy weapons charging at full speed!
The next second, a barrage of laser beams shot out from all directions, aimed at the spacecraft and the Grandmaster standing below!
From the moment the trigger was pulled to the lasers hitting their mark, it all happened in an instant!
But then, something occurred that defied all logic—
Ripples shimmered in the air, and the hundreds of high-energy laser beams slowed down dramatically, as if they had entered some kind of invisible gelatin. The movement was visible to the naked eye!
The Grandmaster's pupils faded into nothingness, his eyes glowing with surging blue cosmic energy.
He raised his left hand, and the female warrior behind him stepped forward respectfully, presenting a scepter—sleek, futuristic in design.
But the moment it touched his hand, the scepter's surface began to decay, the outer shell losing its color, peeling away.
Eventually, what was left resembled an ancient staff—thick at the top, narrow at the bottom, carved from dark, weathered stone.
It exuded an eerie aura, clearly something not of this world.
The Grandmaster gently tapped the stone staff on the ground.
A transparent shockwave rippled outward in all directions!
Everywhere it passed, the incoming laser beams dissolved into nothing.
The mercenaries wielding the energy weapons froze, their eyes losing all light. In the next moment, a gray, stony texture spread from their pupils outward—
Their entire bodies turned into lifeless stone statues in the blink of an eye!
The Collector turned in a panic, trying to escape—
But before he could take more than a few steps, cracks spread across his body, and a strange green light pulsed from within.
With the sound of glass shattering, the outer "shell" collapsed completely, revealing a pink-skinned woman beneath the disguise—his servant!
Gasps erupted among the watching alien crowd!
Many recognized her on sight and were stunned—
She had killed her master and taken his place!
The Grandmaster's expression turned colder:
"You murdered your master and tried to run? If I let you leave today, I've lived all these years for nothing!"
He clenched his hand into a fist, and the pink-skinned woman was yanked backward through the air—
His power lifted her effortlessly as he seized her by the throat!
Magma-like energy erupted from his palm, spreading across her skin, searing it with glowing, worm-like cracks.
Her body convulsed violently, her clothes soaked with cold sweat. She was in so much pain she couldn't even scream!
The surrounding aliens felt a chill in their bones just watching it. They couldn't even imagine how much it hurt.
But the Grandmaster wasn't satisfied. He gritted his teeth and shouted:
"You're a worthless traitor! You didn't kill my brother! So who did?"
As he spoke, the energy in his hand surged again. The pink-skinned woman shook violently, her flesh carbonizing rapidly.
In a flash, she became a charred corpse.
He clenched his fist—and the body shattered into ash!
But it wasn't over.
The woman's soul floated in place, shimmering faintly—but the Grandmaster wasn't done.
Her spirit, too, was grabbed by the throat.
No matter how she struggled or screamed, she couldn't break free...
At this moment, all the onlookers were horrified.
Death wasn't the end—this was something far more terrifying.
Fine arcs of electricity crackled from the Grandmaster's hands as he spoke coldly once more:
"Tell me who it was, and I'll let you die more easily."
The pink-skinned girl looked at the familiar face in front of her. It reminded her of the Collector's hateful expression—he had always treated her like a commodity.
She spat viciously, then burst into maniacal laughter.
"You'll never know—not in this life!"
"I curse you to live in endless pain! Hahaha!"
The Grandmaster's chest rose and fell sharply.
After a few seconds, he wore a cruel expression and said hoarsely, "No… you will tell me."
As he spoke, countless arcs of electricity burst from his palms, directly assaulting her soul.
Though her physical body no longer felt pain, what she endured now was soul-crushing agony—pain beyond the limits of nervous perception, pain that wouldn't even allow her to faint.
Her screams echoed like the howling of demons, making everyone's hair stand on end. The onlookers trembled in fear, unable to even look at the terrifying scene.
Most who could make it to Knowhere weren't afraid of death—but this… this was worse than death.
Some, however, were secretly shocked by the maid's courage. She had actually teamed up with an outsider, killed the Collector in secret, and taken his place!
And now, it seemed her accomplice was either hiding nearby or had already escaped.
Still, refusing to give up the name at this point seemed like a stupid move.
The Grandmaster stopped the electric torture and shouted at the twitching soul in front of him:
"I'll ask you one last time."
"If you still don't talk, I'll imprison your soul on Sakaar and torture you day and night for eternity!"
Everyone who heard this sentence was horrified.
It was the most terrifying punishment imaginable.
The pink-skinned girl struggled to lift her head. Slowly, she opened her mouth:
"I'm going to… tell you something."
She grinned.
"Tell your mother—she's trash! You're as full of shit as your brother!!"
The crowd was stunned.
How deep must her hatred for the Collector be, to choose this fate?
The Grandmaster closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
After a few seconds, he opened them, cold and calm, suppressing his fury.
"Very well. I haven't seen someone this stubborn in a long time."
"But do you really think I have no other way?"
He turned to the female warrior beside him and ordered:
"Seal off Knowhere. Contact the High Evolutionary of the Kree Empire. I want him here immediately with a mind-control-enhanced subject!"
"No matter the price, I'll pay it!"
The female warrior nodded firmly and left.
The Grandmaster scanned the crowd. No one dared meet his gaze.
No one dared move—even a step could draw his wrath.
Less than twenty minutes later…
Outside the decapitated head of the Celestial, a massive, rhombus-shaped hexahedron mothership jumped into position.
It was the flagship of the High Evolutionary.
A blue beam of light descended, and the High Evolutionary stepped out, accompanied by a pale-skinned, albino-looking girl.
"An honor to see you again, Grandmaster."
As he approached, the High Evolutionary was shocked by the Grandmaster's energy level. The feedback readings from the modified body surpassed all detection thresholds.
He had known the ruler of Sakaar wasn't ordinary, but this was beyond expectations.
Without another thought, he gave up any idea of raising his price.
"Don't worry," he said quickly. "You'll get all the answers you want."
The female warrior had already explained the situation.
The High Evolutionary looked down at the pale girl and said:
"Carly, it's your turn now. Read the mind of this Celestial-spirit hybrid and find the identity of the Collector's killer."
Carly's eyes lit up with blinding white light, shining into the pink-skinned girl's eyes.
After ten seconds, she nodded.
The High Evolutionary took out a helmet and placed it on Carly's head. As the device powered up, it began to project the image in her mind.
It was a human man sitting calmly behind a table, looking down.
The girl's perspective.
The High Evolutionary instantly recognized the man's strange appearance.
At that moment, he turned to the Grandmaster.
"Do you wish to continue watching? The next scene… involves the Collector."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the Grandmaster understood—it would be the moment of his brother's death.
With a cold expression, the Grandmaster nodded.
The High Evolutionary operated the device to continue the playback.
But then, the projection stuttered—like a frozen image.
He frowned.
There was no error in the machine. Why had it suddenly glitched?
Then, Carly—still wearing the helmet—suddenly rolled her eyes back and began trembling violently. The projected image rippled like disturbed water.
And in the next second…
Under the horrified gaze of the High Evolutionary, the man in the projection suddenly raised his head—
—and looked straight at them.
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