The Collector Has a Map to the Soul Stone

"That guy... doesn't look like he wrote a self-criticism at all."

Amidst the ruins, Hela looked up at the figures floating in the sky and couldn't help but recall the way Beckett had been deep in thought as he wrote his self-criticism.

Hela vaguely remembered that when she went to harass him again later, she vaguely saw Beckett, which included "Some Explanations and Corrections on My Arrogance and Conceit."

But given the current situation...

I know I was wrong, but will I do it again next time?

Hela's lips twitched involuntarily. She shook her head and turned her gaze to The Other not far away, who was as obsequious as ever.

His eyes were filled with fervor and excitement as he looked at Beckett.

"That's right, Your His Highness Beckett!"

"Kick their asses hard!"

"No one can be a match for His Highness Beckett!"

That's it!

Holding the Mind Scepter, The Other muttered incantations, this arrogant and overbearing Beckett was the His Highness Beckett he knew and was familiar with.

To be honest, ever since Beckett wrote his self-criticism, The Other has felt that Beckett's arrogance has subsided considerably.

He even thought at one point that he would never see the fearless His Highness Beckett again.

But now it seems he was clearly wrong.

No matter what happens, Beckett is still Beckett.

Even after writing a self-criticism and receiving a harsh lesson from reality, he was still Beckett.

Beckett, who obeyed only Thanos, Beckett second only to Thanos and above all others.

"Like master, like servant."

Hela pursed her lips, her palms crackling as she dried her jet-black hair. She wanted to see how Beckett would handle this situation.

Things that could have been solved with careful planning were instead blown out of proportion and ended up in a mess.

Hela, with her keen eyes, had even spotted a large number of sophisticated weapons slowly rising from the Nova Corps headquarters military base.

Xandar's technological prowess is no joke; it's the result of real, hard-fought battles against the Kree Empire.

"Release Nova Plame!"

"In that case, we can pretend that nothing ever happened."

Staggering out of the ruins, Roman Day, after receiving emergency treatment from the Nova Corps medics at headquarters, looked up and began negotiations with Beckett.

He also wanted to bring Beckett to justice directly, but his strength didn't allow it, so he could only resort to some underhanded tactics.

"Oh?"

"Are you still alive?"

"How lucky!"

Floating in the air, Beckett raised an eyebrow and looked at the slightly chubby man who represented the Nova Corps to negotiate with him. The words he uttered made Roman Day's face darken.

"Son of Titan, this is a deal."

"I can assure you that as long as you release Prim, we can let you and your companions leave Xandar safely."

Taking a deep breath, with all the generals in the army away, Roman Day had become the supreme commander of the Nova Corps.

This decision was undoubtedly an embarrassing one for the Nova Corps, which always prided itself on justice, but Roman Day had no other choice.

The life of Nova Plame, the next leader of Xandar, is of paramount importance.

"Four minutes left."

Beckett looked up at the time displayed on the giant screen. The woman bound by the red tail was then thrown in front of him, and the energy ball condensed at his right fingertip exuded an aura that made everyone tremble with fear.

"I suddenly changed my mind. I'll count to ten, and if I still don't get the answer I want..."

Beckett's pupils flashed with a bloodthirsty glint that chilled Roman Day; his overwhelming killing intent was undisguised. Nova Plame, who was closest to Beckett, seemed to be on a small boat in a storm, teetering on the brink of capsizing.

"Ten."

"Beckett!" Roman Day's face turned bright red with anger.

"Nine."

Beckett remained unmoved, and the energy sphere spinning at his fingertips drew one step closer to the gritting-teeth Nova Plame.

"You--"

"Eight."

"Stop counting! I promise you! Go to the warehouse and get what he wants!"

Under immense pressure, Roman Day ultimately chose to give in.

"Seven."

The next second, the numbers that Beckett had just uttered made Roman Day's eyes widen in anger, his slightly chubby cheeks trembling as his voice suppressed rage. "Why?! I already agreed to it!"

"It's just an agreement, where are the goods?"

The hint of mockery in Beckett's eyes made Roman Day's face flush red.

"Six."

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

When the energy sphere, imbued with terrifying power, was only a step away from Nova Pray's forehead, Roman Dei, who had just received the artifact from his subordinate, raised his hands and stopped Beckett's actions.

"I brought it!"

"I brought it, I brought it."

"Here's what you wanted."

An outstretched hand, a purple sphere, and a metal base—all the things Beckett had requested.

Hela.

Beckett, who had stopped counting down, shouted something quite naturally.

"Don't order me around, I'm not your subordinate." Hela, with her long, flowing Hela, retorted coldly as she slowly rose into the air and took the target item from Roman Day's hands.

"We've given you the goods, now it's time to release the people."

Seeing Hela take the things away, Roman Day immediately urged Beckett to release the people.

Behind him, the Nova Corps all on high alert.

"Of course, but not now."

"After all, how do I know if these two things are real or fake?"

Before he could finish speaking, Nova Plame, who was bound by the red tail, felt his body lighten, and then Beckett used him as a punching bag to throw him toward Hela!

???

Caught off guard, Hela bumped into Nova Plame, and Beckett took the two items from her hands.

"I'll leave this place to you until I get back."

"I told you, don't order me around! I'm not your subordinate!" Hela retorted cursingly, her face dark, as she gripped Nova Plame's throat with one hand.

The chokehold technique, the same one used by Beckett.

Above ground, the Frost Giant hidden among the crowd are no different in size from ordinary Xandarian due to the climate.

The Asgardians have tracked down Xandar! We must return to report to the King immediately!

Thump!

Beckett's fall from the sky shattered the stone slab in front of Jack Jones's door. Old Jack, who had watched the whole thing live, stared at Beckett as if he were a monster, clicking his tongue in amazement. "What were you thinking?"

Aren't you afraid you won't be able to leave Xandar?

"The transaction is complete, along with news of the Soul Stone and what that woman wanted."

Beckett didn't bother to respond and simply tossed what he was holding to the languid Jack Jones.

"In this universe, there are several beings with long lifespans."

"Among them, a man who claimed to be the Collector had a detailed map leading to the place where the Soul Stone was buried."

Playing with his own power, Jack Jones embedded the purple sphere into the metal base, then pressed it onto the diamond-shaped bracelet on his left wrist...

"The Collector?" Beckett's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing this.

The universe, Knowhere.

After being brutally beaten by Thanos, the Collector, whose body had finally fully recovered and whose swelling had subsided, stepped out of the Knowhere for the first time today. Looking back at the magnificent universe, he silently cheered himself on.

The nightmare of the past is over; he has no connection with Thanos anymore.

After performing a set of exercises beneficial to his physical and mental health in the sea of stars, the Collector returned to his collection and looked at the flower bud in the glass bottle at the very center.

That was the Flower of Life, a rare item he had cultivated on Knowhere for thousands of years, only to have it all ruined by the appearance of Thanos and Odin.

Flower of Life, nurtured by Stardust and nourished in the Milky Way, that once formed, will bloom eternally in the silent universe.

Never wither!

Of course, the reason the Collector was so obsessed with this flower, even after Thanos and blue by Thanos, was simply because of the legend...

The moment the Flower of Life blooms is beautiful.

It perfectly matches the Collector's pursuit of style.

He is now taking this collection, which requires a great deal of life nourishment, to find the next planet teeming with life.

One update today, still stuck in writer's block...

Kaven was so frustrated he banged his head against the wall...