A colossal magic circle unfolded above the planet.
Fueled by the immense power of Rowan Mercer's dragon form, streams of stellar energy were drawn in from deep space, converging into the formation. The gathered light compressed, stabilized, and then erupted as a massive circular beam that slammed straight into Sanctuary II.
Sanctuary II reacted instantly.
Alarms flared as the warship diverted all available power into its defensive systems. Layer after layer of energy shielding surged into place, forming a radiant barrier around the vessel.
The beam struck.
The collision of pinnacle magic and pinnacle technology shook space itself. Pure stellar force ground against the energy shield, neither giving way immediately, the two locked in a violent stalemate.
"So even this thing has its limits," Rowan muttered, continuing to pour power into the spell.
Sanctuary II's shield trembled, flickering and distorting, yet stubbornly holding. Rowan couldn't help but acknowledge it. Thanos's flagship was no ordinary warship. It was the culmination of Titan's finest technology, reinforced by centuries of plundered resources.
No empire could afford to build something like this.
The Nova Empire, the Kree, the Skrulls. None of them could concentrate their entire civilization's wealth into a single vessel. They had planets to govern, populations to sustain, internal politics to balance.
Sanctuary II existed solely for war.
And it showed.
Still, Rowan wasn't worried.
In dragon form, his magical reserves were effectively bottomless. The shield would fail eventually. And once it did, the hull beneath it wouldn't survive even a fraction of the pressure.
On the ground, Thanos saw the same conclusion.
"Order all forces to target the creature," he commanded coldly.
"Yes, Lord Saros," Ebony Maw replied, transmitting the order without hesitation.
Instantly, the battlefield shifted. Thousands of weapons pivoted upward. Leviathans roared into the sky. Warships lifted from the surface and surged toward Rowan's massive form. Even Sanctuary II, while maintaining its shield, began aligning its heavy weapons.
Ronan reacted at the same time.
"Have the Dark Aster and the Necrocraft coordinate fire," he ordered Korath sharply.
This unknown entity had attacked Thanos. That made it a threat to everyone.
Ronan frowned as he stared upward.
"This planet wasn't supposed to have a guardian," he muttered.
Across the galaxy, worlds with native protectors weren't rare. Some fell to a single rifle shot. Others could stand against entire fleets. Those tied to Asgard or Olympus were especially troublesome.
But this planet had shown no signs of such a presence.
And yet here it was. A creature large enough to challenge Sanctuary II head-on.
A problem no one had accounted for.
Inside the Ravager carrier, Quill's hands clenched around the console.
"This is bad," he said tensely. "That shield's still up, and everything's aiming at him."
"I told you we should've gone with my plan," he added under his breath.
Rowan heard none of it.
"Naive," he said calmly, watching the encirclement tighten.
The situation hadn't left his control for even a moment.
Yes, if all of those weapons struck him at once, even his dragon body would suffer damage. But that assumed they could hit him. He could revert to human form and teleport away at any time.
But there was no need.
"Shut it down," Rowan said quietly.
His other power answered.
Metal bent.
An invisible force gripped Sanctuary II from within, twisting and warping its internal structures. Precision systems buckled. Conduits tore loose. Stabilizers collapsed.
Advanced or not, it was still metal.
And metal obeyed him.
The energy shield flickered violently.
Then failed.
The Fairy Radiance beam punched straight through Sanctuary II, tearing through its hull in a blinding column of light.
Rowan didn't pause.
"Ancient Magic: Thunderfall."
Storm clouds formed instantly over the battlefield. Lightning cascaded downward in relentless sheets, striking soldiers mid-charge, frying weapons, armor, and bodies alike.
"Tricolour Flame."
The dragon opened its jaws. Waves of multi-hued fire flooded the sky, engulfing Leviathans and warships, reducing them to drifting wreckage and molten debris.
Rowan beat his wings and surged forward, appearing above the Dark Aster.
His power crushed its internal defenses before they could respond.
He seized the massive vessel with his claws and tore.
Metal screamed.
The Dark Aster split cleanly down the middle, the two halves spiraling away before crashing toward the surface.
"I am Rowan Mercer of Terra," his voice thundered across the planet, amplified by magic. "I answered a distress call."
"Thanos. Ronan. For the sake of the galaxy, you die today."
The shattered remains of the Dark Aster slammed into the ground.
Below, the disarmed survivors of the Nova patrol fleet and the planet's remaining natives stared upward in disbelief.
"It's reinforcements," someone whispered.
"Help has come."
Hope ignited where despair had ruled moments before.
Far from the central battlefield, a massive, wounded figure dragged himself free from beneath a mountain of corpses. Blood soaked his armor, but his grip on the twin daggers never loosened.
"Ovette… Kamaria…" he rasped.
"My wife. My daughter."
He began staggering toward the chaos ahead.
His name was Drax.