The woman holding the Cosmic Spirit Orb had long black hair cascading over sacred golden armor forged from divine metal. A winged golden helm adorned her brow, its twin crests extending gracefully to either side. Behind her trailed a segmented scorpion tail made of dozens of gleaming golden orbs—her deadly whip.
Her armor was ornate yet fierce—broad, proud shoulder plates, a breastplate shaped like a scorpion's carapace with a blood-red gem set in its heart, and layered armor protecting her arms, legs, and boots. Over her shining form billowed a white cloak lined with deep blue.
The armor hugged her lithe figure perfectly—radiating beauty, mystery, sanctity, and noble power.
Beside her stood another woman with short black hair that brushed her neck. Her golden armor shared the same divine craftsmanship but differed subtly—more elegant, less flamboyant. From her shoulders curved two golden ram's horns, a mark of her constellation.
The third figure was a man with long black hair, a strikingly handsome face, and a crimson sigil between his brows. His golden armor was exquisitely cut—smooth lines and wide shoulder guards exuding grace and strength in perfect balance.
The three of them stood tall, their divine presence unmistakable.
Quill felt utterly insignificant before them.
The newcomers were none other than Salina, the Scorpio Gold Saint; Lisa, the Aries Gold Saint; and Basang, the Virgo Gold Saint.
This time, they had been dispatched into the cosmos—not to seek information, but to carry out the will of the God King, Leon: to halt the spread of evil and bloodshed.
Upon arriving in the galaxy, they immediately sensed the chaos erupting around the Power Stone. Perceiving the disturbance through their heightened awareness, they hastened to intervene.
Salina held the Cosmic Spirit Orb, while Lisa's keen eyes swept over Quill, Rocket, and Gamora as they rose to face the trio.
At first glance, Lisa's beautiful eyes sparkled with insight."You are human… no, there is another power within you. Your bloodline carries traces of ancient, mighty beings. A hybrid experiment—one with the blood of the Floral Colossus… and a Zehoberei. How intriguing."
Her casual revelation stunned Quill and the others. Before they could even react, golden starlight burst around Lisa's form. In an instant, she vanished and reappeared before Gamora, closing a distance of several meters as if space itself yielded to her will.
Gamora—already tall at 1.83 meters—found that Lisa, though slightly shorter, radiated a pressure that froze her in place. Even while restraining her power, Lisa's presence was suffocating. Quill, Rocket, and Groot dared not move.
Lisa's gaze sharpened on the green-skinned woman before her.
"I can feel it—unimaginable resentment clings to you. Your hands are drenched in blood. Countless dead souls surround you, whispering curses." Her voice was cold and heavy. "An executioner burdened with sin."
To ordinary eyes, Gamora looked no different from anyone else. But Lisa, awakened to the Seventh Sense, saw the truth on another plane—the endless blood that stained Gamora's soul.
Only a peculiar power protected her, suppressing the vengeance of the dead. But once that power faded, her end would be tragic beyond imagination.
Lisa felt deep disgust for such a person.
"I never wanted to become an executioner."
Gamora, sensing the disdain in Lisa's eyes, suddenly grew emotional. The words burst from her chest, raw and trembling.
Lisa's cold eyes did not waver.
Gamora's pent-up anguish finally broke free after years of silence. "I was supposed to have a happy childhood—a father, a mother, a home on my planet. But then disaster came and destroyed everything. I… I made a choice without even knowing it, and half of my people were slaughtered because of me! He took me away, raised me in hellish training, forced me to kill again and again!"
Her voice cracked, tears streaming down her face. "Every time I failed, others died because of me. Every time he looked at me, it was like he was daring me to defy him. But I couldn't! He was too strong!"
Gamora clutched her chest as if her heart were breaking apart.
The sorrow and fury in her voice stunned everyone—Quill, Rocket, even Groot—who had never seen her so vulnerable.
Groot stepped forward, his wooden hand gently wiping the tears from Gamora's face. "I am Groot," he whispered softly.
Gamora's lips trembled, but she could not speak.
"Who is he?" Lisa asked coolly.
"Thanos!" Gamora spat the name with venom and despair.
"Thanos?"
Rocket and Quill's eyes went wide. Even they had heard the name—the dread warlord of the cosmos, a butcher whose deeds were written in the blood of countless worlds.
Lisa nodded slightly, unsurprised. In a brief moment, she read Gamora's memories and confirmed the truth.
"The God King once said: pain does not last forever. When it passes, it becomes a source of strength."
She looked at Gamora. "You are strong—not because you could defeat him, but because you dared to resist him."
Lisa felt no pity, yet there was a flicker of respect.
Gamora's heart, though steeped in blood, was not born cruel. Her killings had always been forced, her vengeance fueled by grief and hatred. She carried her sins like chains—inescapable, but also a burden she chose to bear.
Lisa did not strike her down. She knew that Gamora's punishment would come through her own path—a long road of redemption under the weight of her curse.
Through Gamora's memories, Lisa also saw Thanos's plan: sending Nebula to ally with Ronan to recover the Cosmic Spirit Orb—the Power Stone. It was now clear who was behind the galactic turmoil.
"Thanos seeks to plunge the galaxy into chaos using the Power Stone," Lisa said grimly.
Salina's eyes hardened. "He has never stepped foot into the Milky Way. He knows there are beings here even he fears."
"No matter his reason, this chaos must serve a purpose," Basang murmured.
"A distraction," Salina concluded coldly. "The Power Stone is his bait—to lure the Three Empires and the Nova Corps into war. In the chaos, he moves unseen to achieve his true goal."
Lisa smirked. "Such extravagant bait. Does he not fear losing it?"
"He's arrogant," Salina replied.
Indeed, to use a Power Stone as bait was beyond audacious. Even Thanos, who coveted its power, was willing to risk it—meaning what he sought was far greater than the gem itself.
Lisa looked at Gamora again. "In your memory, Thanos spoke of his philosophy—balancing the universe by culling half its life, yes?"
Gamora nodded bitterly. "He calls it fairness. On every world he visits, he kills half its population at random, claiming it preserves balance."
"To slaughter half the universe…" Rocket exhaled sharply. "That's insane!"
Basang's usually calm expression darkened. "He lies."
Everyone turned to him.
"The universe's population grows, yes—but it would take eons for it to strain resources. The real cause of imbalance is not numbers—it's class."
His voice was steady but sharp. "Ninety-nine percent of all resources are controlled by the powerful few. The poor suffer, the rich waste. Instead of sharing, the elite plunder other worlds to maintain their power. That is the true reason for expansion and conflict."
Even if Thanos wiped out half of all life, nothing would change. The hierarchy would remain, and the cycle would repeat.
"So either he's deluded by his own lies," Basang concluded, "or this so-called balance is merely a mask for his true goal."
Gamora fell silent. She knew Thanos too well—cunning, brilliant, and ruthless. His words about balance were just a convenient façade.
"Whatever his purpose, he is dangerous," Lisa said coldly. "His actions defy the divine order of justice. Thanos must be judged."
Lisa's hatred was palpable. Compared to Thanos's atrocities, her own sins as a former assassin in the Red Room were like raindrops beside an ocean of blood.
"Thanos has no fixed base," Basang noted. "He travels unpredictably—it won't be easy to find him."
Lisa's gaze shifted back to Gamora. "Can you contact him directly?"
Gamora shook her head. "No. When I betrayed him, I severed all links to avoid being traced."
Lisa nodded slowly. "Then the one with Ronan—Nebula—can still reach him, correct?"
"…Yes."
Lisa smiled faintly. "Then we won't need to search for him. He'll come to us."
End of Chapter)
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