198

Chapter 198: Old Scumbag

On Ego's planet, Mantis shook Drax awake.

"Drax, wake up! We need to talk!"

Drax opened his eyes groggily and said, "Sorry, I don't like you. You're so ugly... ouch..."

As he spoke, he suddenly tilted his head and vomited.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Ouch... I was having this terrible vision... It was like I was with you... That's disgusting."

Mantis said urgently, "That's not what I'm here to talk about. I need to tell you that Ego has achieved everything he wanted, and you're in danger now! I'm sorry, I should have warned you sooner!"

Meanwhile, Gamora was in a cave, staring in shock at a pile of bones.

"Broken..."

"You need to adjust your outlook on life, still!"

At the same time, Ego was brainwashing Star-Lord.

"Everything around us is temporary, including that girl. Only we are eternal! Oh, perhaps that Asgardian from yesterday might live a long time, but that doesn't matter."

He spoke passionately: "Many years ago, I sought out the essence of life. But what I didn't tell you is that when I finally found it, I found life to be... disappointing!"

"At that moment, I understood—searching for life doesn't mean I want to keep it! I sought the ultimate goal—eternity! And that is now your goal."

Countless images flashed around, and Ego's voice was filled with enthusiasm: "For thousands of years, I have planted my seeds on countless planets. They will grow and cover [until the entire universe is destroyed] and become me!"

He looked troubled: "However, there's a problem. A god's energy alone isn't enough to achieve this. I need a helper. So, I mated with different species, trying to create a new god."

Some rather explicit images appeared. Ego certainly had varied tastes, and any race seemed to be fair game. Star-Lord's galactic escapades were probably part of his legacy!

"I asked Yondu to bring me my offspring and assured him they wouldn't be harmed. I kept my word, and none of them felt anything."

"But to my disappointment, none of them inherited my genes—until you, Quill. Only you are the true son of a god!"

Star-Lord suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Although Ego spoke lightly, he could still sense the grim fate of his siblings...

He lowered his head so Ego couldn't see his expression and muttered, "What about my mother? Did you ever truly love her?"

Ego rarely showed sadness.

"Indeed... I visited Earth three times to see her. I knew that if I visited her a fourth time, I would never leave again. My dream would end."

Star-Lord had a terrible premonition.

"So, I implanted a tumor in her brain. It pains me, but it was necessary..." Ego said chillingly.

"What!?" Star-Lord felt as though he'd been struck by lightning.

He never imagined his mother's death was due to his father—the very man who claimed to love her!

Even if I, Quill, am a scumbag, I'm not this much of one!

"You killed my mother!" Star-Lord roared in anger.

Once the mask of civility was removed, Ego's face twisted into a vicious snarl, and he roared: "Is this my reward from you?"

Massive tentacles erupted from the ground, reaching out to stab Star-Lord.

"I intended to fulfill my dream with you, but now, at least for a thousand years, you'll serve as my battery!"

The tentacles lashed out, and before Star-Lord could evade, he was pierced. Divine power surged through the tentacles, causing Ego's energy to spike dramatically.

With a resounding "clink," a battle ax descended from the sky, severing the tentacles. Beams of multicolored light rained down, destroying Ego's palace in an instant and enveloping him completely.

From Bifrost came Thor's voice: "I'm not late, am I?"

Gamora and Drax rushed to help the fallen Star-Lord.

Rocket's ship landed on the ruins, and Gamora helped Star-Lord aboard.

"This is just one of his projections; he'll be back soon!" The Mantis Girl expressed her concern.

Several tentacles emerged from the ground, wrapping around the ship.

A grotesque humanoid figure appeared in front of the ship, snarling at them.

"Ahhh! That's my biological father?" Star-Lord shouted in disbelief.

"How do we defeat a god?"

"Simple. We need to hitch a ride with another god!"