Ch.35 Didn't Expect That, Did You? I Have Too Many Trump Cards

So, what can I say? Ronan let his guard down.

There's no other explanation—he simply underestimated Ebony Maw.

Ronan never expected that in the previous life's movie, even up to his death, Ebony Maw never revealed his ultimate move. And that ultimate move turned out to be far more terrifying than anyone could have imagined.

In the blink of an eye, everything around Ronan changed, and he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place. Standing before him was an Ebony Maw that looked completely different.

Ebony Maw had transformed into a handsome middle-aged man, dressed in a black suit. His expression carried a mix of mockery, cold indifference, and nonchalance—a perfect visual pie chart.

"How do you like this look?" Ebony Maw asked, spreading his arms. "I modeled this appearance based on what Earthlings find most attractive."

Ronan rolled his eyes. He never imagined that Ebony Maw had such a vain side. But he had to admit, this version of Ebony Maw did look quite dashing, almost like a suited-up gangster.

Even though Ronan wasn't into men, he had to admit that Ebony Maw was only slightly less handsome than himself.

"You're pretty handsome, I'll give you that," Ronan sighed. "But I still prefer women—especially those with fair skin and... well, you get the picture."

Ebony Maw, clearly misunderstanding Earth's men, had failed to realize that men without girlfriends should be tempted by bombshell beauties, and for the married ones, a gentle, caring woman would be more appealing—after all, they've already got it tough.

"Is that so?" Ebony Maw seemed inspired. "How about this look... or this one?"

As he spoke, Ebony Maw's appearance began to change.

Wait, what? Pepper Potts?

For some reason, Ebony Maw's first transformation was into Pepper Potts.

Ronan rolled his eyes again. What does Pepper Potts have to do with "fair and large"?

Then, Ebony Maw shifted again, this time turning into... Captain Marvel?

Yikes... no, let's not go there!

Ronan furiously shook his head. He couldn't win against her in a fight, and he definitely wouldn't stand a chance in other situations. After all, there's an old saying—age brings power, and older women are nothing to mess with!

"None of these women impress you?" Ebony Maw questioned. "Then maybe this is more your type?"

After giving it some thought, Ebony Maw transformed into a woman dressed in red.

Gasp. For the second time in just a few seconds, Ronan found himself gasping, but this time for an entirely different reason.

Ebony Maw had transformed into Scarlet Witch, and not just any version—but the "completely unadorned" version.

What the...

Ronan almost cursed out loud.

Sure, Ronan had seen this version of Scarlet Witch plenty of times before, but having her stand so blatantly in front of him like this was a first.

And to make things worse, Scarlet Witch was married! A married woman!

"Enough, enough!" Ronan shouted. "Put your clothes back on—I'm not that kind of person!"

With righteous indignation, Ronan glanced for just a moment more before turning his head away. Even though his head had turned, he couldn't shake the feeling that his eyes were still glued in place.

Wow... so fair.

"Tsk, tsk. My plan was to fulfill any of your wishes before your death if you desired," Ebony Maw said with a shrug, causing certain things to ripple as he did.

Ronan took a deep breath, trying to calm his youthful, turbulent heart.

Well, not just his heart.

But there wasn't much he could do—he was only sixteen, after all. How could this possibly be his fault?

"Before I die, could you at least explain where we are?" Ronan asked, surveying the surroundings before noticing that Ebony Maw had returned to his original form. Only then did Ronan breathe a sigh of relief.

He could confidently say he didn't feel the slightest bit of disappointment.

Not at all!

"Oh, it's no secret," Ebony Maw said. "This place is your mind—your mental world, to be precise."

"Look up, doesn't the sky look like a beautiful night sky?"

Ebony Maw gazed upwards, inhaling deeply as if he truly appreciated the environment.

A night sky?

Ronan glanced up and saw a few twinkling stars.

"Those stars represent your mental strength," Ebony Maw explained. "A typical person's mind only illuminates one star. For example, someone like Thor—physically powerful, but mentally, he could maybe light up three or four stars."

"And you..."

Ebony Maw's eyes lit up as he looked at the stars in Ronan's mind.

"You have five!"

"If it weren't for my years of training, I might not have been able to handle you."

Above Ebony Maw's head, nine stars lit up—nearly double Ronan's.

Ronan's expression grew strange as he looked between the two numbers, then glanced at Ebony Maw and his own mental stars.

"So, you're saying your mental strength is double mine?" Ronan asked cautiously.

"That's right," Ebony Maw confirmed. "Your mental power is strong, but mine is stronger! Soon, your mind will be completely assimilated into mine."

"When that happens, you'll be my puppet, serving under Lord Thanos. Don't worry—the process will be painless, and you won't feel a thing."

Ebony Maw's face broke into a smile, the pie chart-like expression once again spreading across his features.

Hearing this, Ronan seemed to relax.

"Oh, so that's what it is," he said. "You should have said so earlier. I was worried for no reason."

"I didn't even bother enjoying the view properly," Ronan muttered, clearly displeased with Ebony Maw's lack of transparency.

Ebony Maw was taken aback by Ronan's attitude.

You're about to die! And you'll be my puppet after death.

How can you be so calm?

But Ronan quickly provided an answer to Ebony Maw's unspoken question.

Taking a deep breath, Ronan stretched his neck and wrists as if preparing for a workout.

"Today, I'm going to teach you two important life lessons."

"The first is: Villains always die because they talk too much."

Ronan stretched lazily, then clapped his hands.

Before Ebony Maw could react, beams of light began to shine from above Ronan's head, as if breaking through layers of barriers to finally reveal themselves.

Ebony Maw's eyes widened in terror.

Above Ronan's head, those beams of light transformed into stars, illuminating Ronan's half of the sky!

"And the second lesson is..."

"Always hide your trump cards. The more, the better."

"That way, you get to enjoy the look on your opponent's face when they realize it's over for them—just like now!"