With Gamora joining the Magic Web, Star-Lord naturally followed suit.
In his mind, whether Aaron's claims about his identity were true or not, joining the Magic Web could only be beneficial. Who wouldn't want access to magical powers?
A being capable of striking fear into the Marauders and Gamora—if he could even obtain a fraction of that power, it would be invaluable.
Shortly after, Drax the Destroyer hesitated for a moment before also making his choice.
He craved power.
Killing Ronan, killing Thanos—that was his ultimate goal.
If there was even a chance to gain the strength to exact revenge, he wouldn't hesitate to sell his soul.
As for Rocket and Groot, the former remained skeptical but still accepted the contract.
And Groot? Rocket simply kept the contract on his behalf, claiming he was "holding onto it for him."
With that, the early members of the Guardians of the Galaxy had essentially all become linked to the Magic Web.
Now, as long as they reaped benefits from it, they would undoubtedly dedicate themselves to spreading its influence across the universe on Aaron's behalf.
But before that could happen, the web's reach needed to extend across the entire cosmos.
Otherwise, even if contracts were signed, they wouldn't be able to absorb energy or receive magical power.
In fact, the "network cables" for this group had all been specially connected by Aaron.
He had deliberately created a sub-line just for them.
Once the Power Stone was in his possession, the Magic Web could expand to every corner of the universe according to plan.
"I just hope the Magic Web isn't the work of the devil, like my mother used to warn me about… and that this contract isn't some kind of demonic pact," Star-Lord muttered, still grappling with doubts about his identity and the Magic Web.
If Gamora hadn't accepted so quickly, he would have hesitated much longer.
"This will be the greatest choice of your life. It might even change the course of your destiny," Aaron said casually before walking out, leaving them to process everything on their own.
Faced with Aaron's mysterious demeanor, Star-Lord felt an instinctive resistance.
Yet, at the same time, he couldn't help but whisper, "Why does it feel like he can see right through me—like he knows my future?"
"It's possible," Gamora responded. "I remember that among the Infinity Stones, there's something called the Time Stone."
"It's said to give its wielder the power to peer into the river of time."
"But as far as I know, the God of Magic shouldn't have it… though maybe? Thanos once speculated that the Time Stone is on Earth."
Her words made Star-Lord wonder if he should return to Earth. If there was even the slightest chance of acquiring the Time Stone, that would be another four billion units in the bag!
"Hey, hey, guys! Are we seriously planning to stop Ronan? He has a freaking Power Stone—he can destroy planets!" Rocket interrupted.
"If the God of Magic turns out to be unreliable, going up against Ronan is suicide."
"Why wouldn't we?" Drax said immediately. "Ronan is about to massacre countless innocent lives."
"And I refuse to stand by and do nothing!"
"With the Marauders, us, and Xandar's Nova Corps, we have more than enough firepower to stop Ronan's scheme."
"Not to mention, we have the God of Magic. According to Gamora, he's a god. No matter how weak a god is, he should at least be able to do something, right?"
"Besides, did you see how terrified Yondu and his crew were of him? That's the first time I've ever seen Yondu afraid of anyone."
Star-Lord recalled their fearful expressions—they hadn't been subtle.
It was difficult to imagine fearless, money-driven Yondu backing down from anything.
And yet, even with four billion units on the line, he had still chosen to obey Aaron without hesitation.
That alone spoke volumes.
"You don't understand what 'God of Magic' means," Gamora said offhandedly, returning to studying the Magic Web.
For her, it was an entirely new world—a means to achieve her ultimate goal.
She, like Drax, had already been captivated by its power.
"Rocket, Quill, stop talking and start studying the Magic Web. This thing is incredible!"
"Fireball? Frostbolt? Invisibility? Hah! This is amazing!"
"Wait, so he said we can gather energy and convert it into magic power? I wanna test it out right now!"
"But… this invisibility spell… requires training?"
"What? You mastered invisibility?" Gamora suddenly looked over.
"Of course. Invisibility is one of my skills," Drax stated proudly.
"My God, you actually know invisibility magic?! Why didn't we know this? How did you do it?" Star-Lord leaned in, intrigued.
"Yeah, I can stand perfectly still, and then no one can see me."
"Watch, like this."
Drax slowly raised his hand at a snail's pace, making his movements as slow as possible.
His eyes remained still.
His body didn't tremble.
He barely breathed.
"That's it?"
The others tilted their heads, confused.
"What are you even trying to do?"
"Huh? I'm moving so slowly that you shouldn't be able to perceive me."
Drax's voice became soft, almost a whisper.
"No, I was just thinking… I might have an idiot for a teammate," Star-Lord said helplessly.
Gamora had already lost interest and turned her attention elsewhere.
She recalled Aaron's words—any energy could be absorbed and converted.
What if she tried a gun's energy source?
Gamora picked up a sidearm, opened the magazine, and began drawing in the energy.
"No way. I refuse to believe no one can see me," Drax muttered. "This is my invisibility technique!"
"You're hopeless…" Star-Lord sighed—then his expression changed.
"Wait, what the hell are you doing?! That's my favorite gun!"
Gamora didn't even glance at him as she absorbed the energy from Star-Lord's weapon.
Then, she carefully felt the magical power feeding back into her.
The amount of energy was minuscule—practically useless.
She frowned.
"This is too little… I need more energy. Maybe I should try the ship's reactor?"
"Rocket, give me your rifle."
"Absolutely not!"
"I just want to test something. Don't be afraid."
"No!"
Xandar Star – Nova Corps Headquarters
"Nova Prime, a looter just sent us a message," an officer reported.
"They claim Ronan has obtained the Power Stone and is headed for Xandar."
"The Power Stone…?!" Nova Prime's expression darkened.
She knew exactly what that meant.
If Ronan truly possessed that gem, Xandar was doomed.
"I think this is a trap," the officer hesitated. "They're criminals—why should we trust them?"
"Did they give any reason why we should?"
"They said they just escaped from prison, and if it weren't for wanting to protect innocent lives, they would never risk returning to Xandar."
"But there's something strange…"
"What is it?"
The officer hesitated.
"They said… they're a group of scoundrels, absolute bastards… but among them is a God of Magic from Asgard."
"They claimed we might doubt them—but we wouldn't doubt him."
"Asgard? A God of Magic?"
Nova Prime frowned.
If that were true…
This battle just became far more serious.
Meanwhile—Beyond Xandar's Atmosphere
Ronan's warship, The Dark Aster, approached the planet.
He watched Xandar grow closer, hatred burning in his eyes.
"Xandar… it's time to pay."
Just as he envisioned the planet falling silent beneath his power,
"Sir! An unknown fleet is approaching!"
"It looks like… predators?"
"Wait! They stopped!"
Then, under the gaze of thousands—
A single figure flew out of the Marauder mothership.
No suit.
No protection.
Floating freely in the vacuum of space.
Ronan's forces froze.
"This is… impossible."
Who is he?
This question gripped every mind present.
[Please support me at my patreon if you want more: patreon/OGCrafter for 20+ chapters]