Homelander ended the call and looked up at the temple.
He knew what had happened.
Star-Lord. Peter Quill.
That foolish kid had already been impaled by Ego. Connected to Ego's core, he had become a living battery.
Ego was draining the Celestial Power from Star-Lord and using it to forcibly activate the seeds buried on countless planets across the universe.
He intended to turn the entire universe into "Ego."
"We're out of time," Jessica said, her face tight with worry and her words coming fast.
"That Celestial has already started using his power to devour our planet. We have to stop him now!"
"Damn it! Something must've happened to Quill!"
Gamora extended her blade and started toward the temple.
BZZZZ—!!
A tremendous roar came from the sky. The Sovereign drone fleet had arrived over the battlefield.
ZZZT—
Countless lasers poured down like rain.
"Take cover!!"
Rocket shouted and dragged Groot behind a boulder.
Gamora turned to Rocket. "Rocket! Didn't you say you could handle this? Let's see one of those hundred ways you talked about! Show them what you can do!"
"I..."
Rocket fell silent. He looked at the thousands of fighters overhead, then at the gun in his hands.
"We don't even have a combat ship! How am I supposed to fight them?! Shoot down thousands of space fighters with this gun?!
"Who the fuck can fight a space fleet with their bare hands?!"
"I can," said a calm voice.
Everyone froze and looked up.
It was Homelander.
"You?" Yondu stared at him in shock. "Brother, those are space fighters! Thousands of them!"
"Just a few thousand... Leave them to me."
"You go to the temple, disrupt Ego and save your friend..."
"Then hold on until I get there..."
"But..." Rocket stared at him. "There are thousands—"
"Go!" Homelander