172

Chapter 172: Gunfire Salvo

At the same time, Thor pressed down on the back of the blade with his hands and feet, kicked up, and delivered a heavy split, stepping forcefully on Thanos' right wrist, which was gripping the knife.

"Kangdang…"

"Hold him!" Thor commanded.

The blade fell to the ground. Hearing Thor's shout, Carol rushed in, grabbed Thanos by the face, and wrapped her legs tightly around his neck, releasing her energy to the maximum.

"Boom—"

Thanos crashed to the ground, struggling to rise.

Thor quickly advanced and seized Thanos' neck with both hands.

Thanos showed disdain; if he were so easily strangled, he would have perished long ago.

But soon, his expression changed.

Thirty seconds prior, he had asked the system, "Is there any way to defeat Thanos?"

He had resolved to eliminate this formidable opponent once and for all.

System: "You don't have Stormbreaker at the moment. Your only option is to try using the Phoenix Force. However, you must prevent him from breaking free."

Thor paused, then suddenly understood.

The Phoenix Force, as the embodiment of life and emotion in the original universe, possesses the highest level of universal perception and cosmic intuition.

The Phoenix's passion can transform into the Judgment of the Phoenix, which can regenerate or destroy everything in the universe. There's no reason why Thanos cannot be destroyed, provided you can control it.

Different hosts utilize the Phoenix Force in various ways. For example, Phoenix's preferred host—Jean Grey—uses the Phoenix Force primarily to manipulate molecular structures and energy sources, enhancing her Omega-level mutant abilities.

For Thor, the Phoenix Force mainly manifests in strengthening enchantments on weapons, with Mjölnir being the primary focus. This dependency on weapons has increased compared to the original...

However, any Phoenix Force host has a fundamental attack method—injecting the Phoenix Force into the enemy's body, provided the opponent is not a Phoenix Force host themselves.

"Boom!"

The intense energy surged into Thanos' body, and although Thanos tried to struggle, Carol had him locked tightly, making it difficult for him to break free.

"Ugh…"

The Phoenix Force, when entering a non-host body, loses control instantly, becoming the most terrifying energy...

Thanos experienced excruciating pain throughout his body as the potential within him exploded. Finally, he broke free from Carol and hurled her away. However, Thor's grip on his neck seemed to be fused by the Phoenix Force, unyielding.

"Master!"

Ebony Maw, terrified, had never seen such agony in Thanos' eyes. He immediately used his telekinetic powers to raise a massive battle axe and threw it at Thor.

"Boom…"

The axe exploded into substantial energy, creating a violent blast around the two of them. The battle axe was disintegrated into fine molecular particles before it could get within a few meters of Thor.

With Thor's concentration, the Phoenix Force lifted them both into the sky, preventing Thanos from further struggling.

Thanos roared in pain, his skin starting to crack as he neared collapse. He shouted desperately, "Open fire! Now!"

Ebony Maw, understanding the urgency, immediately issued orders to the spaceship.

In an instant, countless turrets on Sanctuary II, suspended in the air, began firing.

"Boom-boom-boom-boom—"

The surface of Morag shook violently, and the sky was filled with debris.

The Phoenix Force blocked most of the incoming shells and forced the two to continuously dodge. Eventually, one shell struck Thanos...

"Boom…"

The tremendous impact separated the two, and the Phoenix Force retracted instantly. Accompanied by the sound of blood and flesh tearing, Thanos' left arm, previously injured by Thor's eye ray, turned into a mist of blood.

"Boom…"

The explosion continued. A stone weighing hundreds of kilograms, with jagged edges, was lifted by the shockwave and fell towards Star-Lord, who was unconscious on the ground, crushing him heavily.

"Ugh…"

Star-Lord, who was in a coma, was suddenly struck by the debris, causing him to spit out blood and teeter between life and death...

At that moment, his closed eyes slowly opened, and a faint blue light covered his pupils.

"Boom————————"

The flames and rubble from the explosion persisted, but his body seemed to be enveloped in a magical force, rendering him immune to the impacts.

Simultaneously, the injuries on his body began to heal slowly...

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