Just as Ye Mo finished making the "come on" gesture, the purple flames under Ronan's helmet trembled violently. The next second, the ball of fire exploded like a lit powder keg, spreading rapidly along the warhammer and burning into the gaps in the armor. The ground began to shake, not just a little, but the entire gravel belt trembled, and a feeling of impending cracking came from the soles of one's feet.
Ye Mo's pupils contracted, and the thought "This is really bad" had just popped into his mind when he instinctively jumped back half a step.
It's too late.
Ronan didn't even wait for him to land before swinging his warhammer in a wide arc and slamming it into the ground. Purple flames exploded into a fan-shaped shockwave that swept across the ground at breakneck speed, giving no time to react. Ye Mo raised his hand to try and create Force Field, but just as his fingertips glowed, a system notification popped into his head. "Energy not full, cooldown not yet deactivated. Forced activation is expected to last 4.7 seconds."
"Damn, it's calculating more accurately than a cash register at this point?" he cursed, but still flung his hand away.
A small Force Field unfolded with a "bang," like a crooked piece of glass blocking the way. The shockwave crashed in, and the barrier cracked instantly, but he gritted his teeth and held on for that instant. The blast slammed his back against a piece of charred rock, his ears rang, and his mouth tasted of rust.
"Scatter! Don't stand together!" he yelled, his voice cracking.
Star-Lord, who was rolling to his feet from behind the wreckage, heard the shout and immediately dove to the side, rolling into the rubble. Rocket Raccoon reacted even faster, grabbing the turret and taking two steps back, firing three high-explosive rounds in quick succession. Groot spread his roots, instantly weaving a semi-transparent protective net, Gamora also emerged from behind the rock slab, crossing her twin swords to block the flying debris and the aftershocks of energy.
boom--!
The blast wave, mixed with purple flames, exploded wildly, and smoke and sparks shot into the Mars. Ye Mo's Force Field finally gave way, shattering into specks of light with a crack. He was so shocked that he knelt on one knee, digging his fingers into the cracks in the rocks to keep from falling.
"Damn it... Did this guy use the Power Stone as a power bank and plug it all in?" He panted, wiped the dust off his face, and looked up to see Ronan standing up straight again, warhammer on his shoulder, the purple flames emanating from his tattered armor even brighter than before, cracking the ground with every step he took.
"He's got his eye on us," Gamora, a corner of her left shoulder charred and her skin slightly red. "It's not a one-on-one fight, it's a clear-out."
"Then don't let him clear it." Ye Mo propped himself up on his knees, his palms burning—the system was reminding him that his Regeneration abilities were still running in the background, but the aftereffects of his mental exhaustion hadn't subsided, and his temples were throbbing. " Raccoon, can you still fight?"
"The cannon overheated and shut down once; it can barely spew fire now." Rocket Raccoon squatted on the rubble, his paws rapidly disassembling the circuit board. "Give me ten more seconds to add a heat sink, or the next shot might blow me up."
"You have five seconds." Ye Mo finished speaking, then caught a glimpse of Star-Lord pulling out his portable speaker, muttering as he adjusted the volume, "This trick didn't work on Thanos last time, but I refuse to believe it—"
"Don't play 'Come and Get Your Love,' I can't save you if he suddenly starts dancing," Ye Mo interrupted him.
"I'll play 'Ooh Child,' pretty tragic, right? Maybe it'll soften him up." Star-Lord grinned and pressed play.
Music began to play, its gentle melody drifting through the smoke of battle, utterly out of place in the atmosphere of the battlefield. Ronan paused, tilting his head slightly, as if he had truly heard it. Then—he raised his warhammer and swung it horizontally in Star-Lord's direction.
The purple flames transformed into a long whip and lashed out. Star-Lord immediately covered his head and fled in terror. The speaker flew far away, and the music abruptly stopped.
"Looks like the Kree don't understand Negro spirituals," he muttered, lying on the ground.
Ye Mo almost burst out laughing, but quickly composed himself. He knew Ronan's attack was just a probe; the real onslaught was yet to come. He quickly scanned the area: Star-Lord had a scrape on his right arm, Raccoon's turret was smoking, Groot had a crack in his trunk, and Gamora's steps were slightly sluggish. He himself wasn't in much better shape; his energy bar was mostly depleted, and although his Regeneration ability had repaired his body, it couldn't replenish his mana.
"We can't afford to engage in a direct confrontation anymore," he thought to himself. "We need to restrain them, we need to stall them."
Ronan had already begun to walk, each step feeling like a heartbeat. Ye Mo took a deep breath, suddenly squatted down, pressed his palms to the ground, and activated the initial form of the Wall Phasing Technique. His skin instantly became translucent, and his lower body slowly sank into the rock, like a shadow sinking into a mud pit.
"I'll flank him and give him a little jab. You guys find a chance to adjust your formation." He sent a Telepathy signal, brief and direct.
No one answered, but Star-Lord quietly gave a thumbs up, Raccoon lowered his head to continue soldering the circuit, Gamora slowly took half a step back, and Groot's roots quietly spread toward the cracks in the ground.
Ye Mo slid sideways at a slow speed, enough to avoid direct fire. He had only moved a third of the way when Ronan suddenly stopped, turned his head, and his dark purple eyes precisely locked onto Ye Mo's hiding place.
"Oh no." Ye Mo's heart tightened.
Ronan sneered and slammed his warhammer into the ground, instantly cracking the earth's crust in the entire area, with countless fissures exploding like a spider web. Ye Mo was forced to stop his Wall Phasing maneuver and pulled himself out, barely dodging an energy column that spewed from the ground.
"He's found me!" he shouted in his mind.
"Nonsense, half of your body sticking out looks like a radish!" the Raccoon retorted.
Ye Mo landed and rolled, just as he was about to reorganize his movements, Ronan had already leaped into the air, his warhammer raised high, purple flames condensing into a ball, about to smash down.
"Scatter!" Ye Mo shouted, and immediately sprinted in the opposite direction.
Boom--!
The energy ball exploded upon landing, the shockwave spreading in a ring, sending debris flying and flames soaring into the sky. The six people scattered and fled, some plunging into the pit, some using the force to bounce, and some being thrown into the air. Ye Mo was hit on the shoulder by the shockwave and flew sideways, only stopping after crashing into a collapsed rock wall.
He coughed twice, struggled to sit up, and saw Star-Lord dangling from the vines Groot had extended, Raccoon rolling into cover with the turret in his arms, Gamora kneeling on one knee, the tip of her knife stuck in the ground to steady herself.
"Everyone is here; no one has fallen behind." He breathed a sigh of relief.
Before he could even stand up, Ronan had already landed, and with a sweep of his warhammer, another Shockwave. This time, the range was larger and the speed faster, forcing everyone to keep moving and making it impossible for them to stand still.
"He doesn't want to kill us," Ye Mo suddenly realized. "He's herding us like sheep, forcing us together so he can eliminate us all at once."
"Then tell me a solution!" the Raccoon roared as he changed the magazine.
"Don't be greedy with damage output, survive first." Ye Mo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and tried combining new abilities, " Self-Healing + Skin Hardening, let's see if we can hold out."
He concentrated, and the third layer of his internal Gene Spiral Tower flashed with blue light. His skin rapidly thickened, forming a dark, keratin-like film. Just as it was completed, Ronan's hammer attack arrived.
With a muffled thud, Ye Mo was struck squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward. He managed to regain his balance in mid-air, gliding several meters before finally stopping on one knee.
"No broken bones, no internal injuries, it'll work!" He grinned, though his gums were trembling.
This attack bought time for the others. Gamora the opportunity to flank and stab from behind, her blade slicing across Ronan's back and leaving a shallow mark. Groot's vines wrapped around his right leg, though they were instantly broken, they still slowed his movements slightly. Star-Lord risked closing in, firing two pistols in quick succession, the bullets striking his armor and scattering Mars.
"Again!" Ye Mo shouted, preparing to meet the attack once more.
Ronan gave them no chance to breathe. He roared, his body erupting in purple flames, and his warhammer swung at an almost blurry speed, each strike accompanied by a deafening roar that tore through the air. The ground continued to crack, and energy storms swept across the entire area, forcing the six to retreat step by step, their space for maneuvering shrinking.
"No, we'll be cornered like this!" Star-Lord shouted.
"Then stand back to back!" Ye Mo wiped his face and waved his hand towards the center, "All of you, gather together! Guard your respective directions!"
The six quickly moved closer, forming a circular defense. Ye Mo stood in the center, his gaze sweeping over his teammates: Star-Lord's gun was smoking, Raccoon's turret had just been restarted, Groot's main trunk had deepened its cracks but was still growing new branches, Gamora her twin swords across her chest, her eyes sharp as knives.
"Listen," Ye Mo lowered his voice, "Don't even think about fighting back. We only have one mission now—to stall."
"How long will this drag on?" Gamora asked.
"Drag it out until he makes a mistake, or until we find a weakness." Ye Mo stared at Ronan's approaching figure, slowly raising his hand, a faint light emanating from his palm once more. "Now, everyone on high alert—he's here."
Ronan stood five meters away, his warhammer dangling from the ground, purple flames leaping wildly from its Hammerhead. He looked at this group of wounded but still unyielding ants, and a deeper fury burned in his eyes beneath his helmet.
He raised his warhammer high above his head.
The ground began to shake violently, cracks crawled out like snakes, and an atmosphere of destruction filled the air.
Ye Mo held his breath, bent his knees slightly, and assumed a fighting stance.
Flames, gunfire, vines, and glints of blades all ignited at that moment.
Purple flames fell, as if the end of the world had arrived.