Marvel With Zanpakutou

Chapter 809: Ronan’s Death

Crack—

A chilling sound of bones breaking echoed.

A head was crushed, and the brutal skull shattered into fragments.

Five thick, pale fingers—each as robust as a child’s arm, gleaming like fine jade—clenched tightly, producing a sharp cracking sound as blood, mixed with white, unidentified matter, seeped slowly through the gaps between them.

"Ninth one..."

Ōetsu Nimaiya remarked casually, then slowly released his grip. A headless corpse, horribly mangled, fell from the sky and crashed heavily onto the ground.

His tone was indifferent.

It was as if an older man had taken a casual stroll and, along the way, crushed a few skulls. He didn’t break a sweat or give it a second thought, nor did it weigh on his conscience.

Thud!

Dust rose from the ground as the headless body, clad in the armor of a Nova Centurion, hit the dirt. The three once-bright lamps on the chestplate were now dim.

That sound echoed in everyone’s hearts.

In less than a minute, they had witnessed this man brutally annihilate the Nova Centurions with near-effortless ease.

There were no fancy techniques.

No flashy powers.

All that remained was pure, unadulterated violence. From beginning to end, it was a brutal onslaught with no suspense and no mercy.

The man, draped in a loose white robe, wearing wooden sandals, sporting thick eyebrows, and a humble, honest demeanor, had revealed his true nature—a heart as ruthless and terrifying as a demon’s.

A total of nine Centurions...

None of them had even grazed his clothes, and they were all killed with one crushing blow after another, their heads smashed to pieces.

In the vast universe, some beings can survive without their brains, but the Xandarians weren’t among them. Even with their strange energy, they couldn’t continue living once their heads were obliterated.

A cold, indifferent gaze swept across the scene, carrying an oppressive weight.

Star-Lord and the others turned pale, their hearts pounding, and instinctively wanted to back away, fearing that the man might decide to slaughter them as well.

Or maybe... it wasn’t an actual sense of pressure.

Perhaps the sheer savagery of his methods invoked a primal fear within them, making them want to retreat. After all, the fear of death is a universal instinct among all living creatures.

"The bugs have been cleaned up."

Ōetsu Nimaiya dusted off his robe, patting away invisible dirt.

At that moment, Ebony Maw and Ronan suddenly realized that this man’s white robe was still spotless. Even after slaughtering nine Centurions in such a violent battle, not a single drop of blood had touched him.

It was clear how terrifying he was.

In reality...

This level of combat wasn’t even a warm-up for Nimaiya. The reason for such brutal methods was simply to ensure that these strange beings didn’t revive.

Ōetsu Nimaiya had noticed early on that these Centurions weren’t genuinely living beings.

There was no soul within their bodies, making them seem more like artificial creations, similar to temporary souls made by Kirio Hikifune.

Upon realizing this, Nimaiya understood why the Spirit King had sent him to handle these matters personally.

The first task was complete.

Now, he had another task to finish—the one the Spirit King had explicitly instructed him to carry out.

Ōetsu Nimaiya turned his gaze to Ebony Maw, speaking calmly, "You there... the alien. Can you give me the Power Stone?"

The Power Stone?

Right! They had almost forgotten about it!

Star-Lord and the others returned to reality, their eyes turning toward Ebony Maw. The Power Stone had to be recovered; it couldn’t fall into Thanos’s hands.

"If I give you the Power Stone... will you let us leave?"

Ebony Maw swallowed hard, cautiously testing the waters. "We don’t mean any harm. We just want to leave safely."

At this point, they no longer hoped to keep the Power Stone. Surviving was all that mattered. Once they returned, they could apologize to Thanos—maybe, just maybe, they’d be spared.

"Hmm... no."

Ōetsu Nimaiya stroked his chin and shook his head, "Until everything is resolved, no one can leave this planet. That is the Spirit King’s... highest order to me."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces changed.

With their years of experience, I have told them that staying on this planet would lead to even more terrifying events.

Who was the Spirit King? It didn’t matter right now.

Their survival mattered, and nothing was more important than that.

"Run!!!"

Ebony Maw’s pupils contracted, and without hesitation, he tossed the universal weapon to Ronan, then used his telekinesis to pull his allies, fleeing like a shooting star into the sky.

The entire process was smooth, a masterclass in self-preservation. Even Ronan and Star-Lord couldn’t help but admire Ebony Maw’s survival skills—no wonder he had served Thanos for so long.

However, once the moment of admiration passed...

The universal weapon, tossed by Ebony Maw, was caught by Ronan, who felt the immense energy return to him. Just as he was about to smile, relishing in his regained power, he was stopped cold by the icy gaze of Ōetsu Nimaiya.

Ōetsu Nimaiya’s look was pure disdain as if he was staring at a dead man. He didn’t need to speak—his gaze alone made Ronan’s spine shiver.

In an instant, Ronan’s expression soured as if he had swallowed something vile. He cursed Ebony Maw with all his might.

That bastard... had made him the bait!

Even though Ronan knew what Ebony Maw was up to and understood the overwhelming power of the monk, he couldn’t let go of the Power Stone. His greed ultimately overpowered his reason.

What if...

Just what if... he could win?

No matter the opponent’s power, they were still just a living being. And this was the Power Stone, one of the ultimate forces in the universe, capable of destroying planets. It could defeat any living being, right?

Clinging to this thought, Ronan’s resolve hardened. He gripped the universal weapon tightly, unleashing the full power of the Power Stone. Waves of purple energy surged outward, filling the sky like a tidal wave.

For a brief moment, the sky was lit with purple light.

The destructive energy swelled and surged, tearing apart the very fabric of space. The ground groaned as it cracked and collapsed, and everything in its path was on the brink of destruction.

Up in the sky, Ebony Maw glanced down at the scene, a mocking smile forming on his lips. "Just as I thought—Ronan is a fool. Does he really believe that with one stone, he can defeat a being as powerful as Thanos?"

"How pitiful..."

Ōetsu Nimaiya shook his head, his face full of ridicule, as though mocking Ronan for being a frog trapped in a well, unaware of the vastness of the universe.

Pitiful?

Who was pitiful?

This question lingered in Ronan’s mind, but he quickly learned the answer.

The hulking man moved.

But he didn’t attack—he lifted his foot slightly as if stepping on an insignificant insect.

Boom—

The sky erupted in a deafening roar. Thunderous winds tore through the heavens, and the impact echoed far and wide. Instinctively, Ronan looked up.

He saw an enormous foot, as white as jade, its details so clear that even its hair resembled towering trees. It was, without a doubt, a giant foot.

The massive foot descended like a meteor, swirling the clouds into a vortex as it came crashing down.

"So... the pitiful one... is me..."

At that moment, Ronan’s eyes widened in realization.

The foot came down.

Boom—

The ground trembled violently for thousands of miles as tons of dirt and rock were hurled into the air. A massive footprint, spanning miles in diameter, was left etched into the planet’s surface.