The Spirit of Vengeance, a being formed from pure elemental will and bound by cosmic law, was a unique existence. It was neither truly demonic nor wholly divine, yet its power rivaled both. Only one class of beings in the universe matched such a nature—the gods.
Yet, Zatanos was an anomaly. He was not as vast or omnipotent as the Celestials, nor did he possess the hierarchical dominion of the Skyfathers. More curiously, he was actively opposed to the gods, a rogue element in their grand design.
Had Zatanos merely uncovered the deepest secrets of Earth, or had he gone further—tampering with them? Could he have sought to devour human souls, exploiting the latent power hidden within their very essence, growing stronger with every claim?
But if that were the case, why hadn't the Celestials simply obliterated Zatanos?
Instead of direct action, they had gone to the trouble of creating the Spirits of Vengeance—a system of enforcers, designed solely to seal him away. That suggested one thing: divine conflict was bound by rules. If true, then it meant there existed a cosmic law preventing the gods from engaging in open war against each other.
Ragna pondered these implications but found no immediate answer. What he did understand was that the gods represented the greatest threat imaginable.
The True Meaning of Hope
When Ragna had sacrificed the Infinite Gems, he had obtained something called "True Hope."
It was not a simple concept. Hope was power, an energy force interwoven with the very fabric of the universe. If the secret of Earth lay within this power, then the gods would inevitably intervene to erase it.
Ragna needed to be prepared.
To stand against the Celestial Host, he required power that surpassed anything that currently existed in the cosmos.
For now, Earth's development continued under his guidance. The Angel warriors stationed on the planet routinely neutralized threats from both within and beyond its atmosphere. The Sanctuary of the Holy Heavenly Palace had become a beacon of faith, attracting both humans who had been transformed into Angels and devout believers granted divine strength.
Faith in the Holy Heavenly Palace had reached an unprecedented peak.
The Expansion of Angelic Power
Rather than further strengthening the Three Kings of Angels, each of whom already wielded an Infinite Gem, Ragna chose to expand his ranks.
Infinite Gems were rare, but they were not limited to six.
If more could be acquired, then he could create an entire pantheon of Angel Kings.
Thus, Angel Yan, Angel Qiangwei, and Angel Zhixin—deputies of the Three Kings of Angels—were each promoted to full-fledged King-rank Angels, attaining combat power on par with the strongest beings in the universe.
At the same time, under Ragna's command, technological supremacy continued to flourish.
With the Mind Gem, Angel Leng hacked into the genetic memories of Malekith and the Dark Elves, extracting every last scrap of forbidden knowledge from their race:
• Stealth technology (which even the Kree and Shi'ar lacked)
• Cryo-sleep technology
• Black hole grenades (miniature singularity weapons)
• Blade warships (starships with quantum-edge hulls)
• The secret of the Cursed Crystals (an irreversible, life-draining enhancement)
Every bit of it was uploaded to the Holy Heavenly Palace's archives, ready to be reverse-engineered.
Meanwhile, Hexi, wielder of the Reality Gem, had pushed scientific advancements even further.
If there was a single most versatile of all the Infinite Gems, it was undoubtedly Reality.
What was reality if not matter itself?
With the Reality Gem, Hexi could:
• Replicate, analyze, and alter any material
• Temporarily bypass the need for traditional manufacturing processes
• Modify the very parameters of physics
Though her altered substances eventually reverted, the experimental data remained.
As a result, the Holy Heavenly Palace's fleet had surpassed even the finest warships of the Kree and Shi'ar Empires, and now rivaled Asgard's technological might.
The Cursed Crystals, despite their permanent life-draining effects, were still mass-produced under Ragna's orders—reserved for warriors willing to sacrifice everything for his cause.
The balance of power had shifted.
The Holy Heavenly Palace now stood above the Kree, Shi'ar, and even Asgard in both technology and military strength.
Yet, Ragna deliberately suppressed this information.
The official power rankings of the cosmos remained unchanged.
The Three Kings of Angels, despite their Infinite Gems, kept their true power hidden.
Because Ragna knew timing was everything.
A premature war would be a mistake.
The moment the universe realized the true power of the Holy Heavenly Palace, the combined forces of the cosmos would strike.
Ragna's conquest strategy was one of patience. When the time came, he would strike before his enemies could react, seizing entire star systems in an instant.
The Discovery of Morag
Then, a transmission arrived.
The coordinates of Morag had surfaced.
Some Raiders—pirates and scavengers who roamed the cosmos—had stumbled upon the lost world while charting unclaimed territory.
But Morag's location had also been leaked.
Now, half the galaxy was hunting for the Orb, the artifact containing the Power Gem:
• The Collector, Taneleer Tivan, had placed a 4-billion-credit bounty on the Orb.
• Ronan the Accuser mobilized his Kree Necro-fleet, seeking the Orb for Thanos.
• Xandar, the Sovereign, and multiple galactic empires had begun their own search.
The battle between Ragna and Carol Danvers had exposed the true power of the Infinite Gems, and now the universe was desperate to claim them.
Ironically, the Raiders themselves had no clue what the Orb contained. They only knew it was highly valuable and that multiple factions were competing for it.
Their solution? Sell it to as many buyers as possible.
The Theft of the Orb
By the time Angel Keisha arrived at Morag, the Orb was gone.
It had already been taken—by a single individual.
Star-Lord.
Peter Quill, the human-raised Marauder, had learned of Morag's coordinates from his fellow Raiders. Realizing that the Orb could fetch an unimaginable bounty, he had betrayed Yondu and gone alone to claim it.
Quill's plan had been simple:
1. Secure the Orb before anyone else.
2. Sell it to Xandar, the most neutral and reliable buyer.
But after escaping Morag, he soon realized his mistake.
The bounty on the Orb had triggered a galactic manhunt.
Now, every major power in the universe was hunting for Star-Lord.
His face was plastered on every bounty board. The rewards for his capture were so high that even he was tempted to turn himself in.
Even Xandar, despite its reputation for fairness, might not resist the temptation of keeping the Orb for itself.
To protect himself, Quill leaked his own transaction, ensuring that Xandar had no choice but to honor their deal.
If Xandar accepted the Orb, they couldn't backstab him—not without destroying their galactic credibility.
But the moment the Orb changed hands, the true battle for the Power Gem would begin.
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