The Space Stone's power intertwined with the might of the Vishanti, swirling around the golden-blue blade. A tremendous surge of energy erupted from the sword, and the sharp weapon radiated an aura so fierce that it seemed capable of slicing through space itself.
Galactus narrowed his eyes at the longsword in Gene's hand — a rare flicker of unease crossing his cosmic face.
His instincts screamed at him: if that blade touched him, the consequences would be painful.
This feeling didn't come from fear, but from Galactus' deep, intrinsic command of energy.
"Akern's March," Gene intoned coldly, forming intricate seals with his left hand.
Dozens of Gene's afterimages instantly burst into the air, each wielding a Sacred Longsword, each charging furiously toward Galactus at the center.
Galactus swung his massive fist at the illusions. They burst like bubbles —
But hidden within them was the real Gene.
The true golden-blue sword shimmered out from a fading illusion, plunging straight into Galactus' arm.
Purple-red blood, thick and rich with cosmic energy, oozed from the wound.
Galactus let out a low growl, utterly humiliated.
In all his existence, when had a mere intelligent creature from a low-tier planet ever wounded him?
A shadow flickered beside him. Galactus reached out casually and summoned a massive warhammer into his hand.
This was no ordinary weapon. It was forged from the crushed cores of countless devoured planets — a masterpiece of destruction.
Galactus twirled the warhammer lightly, its head humming with unmeasurable energy, and pointed it toward Gene.
But Gene's figure flickered and vanished.
In the next instant, Gene reappeared behind Galactus, his Longsword poised for a devastating thrust.
Galactus sensed it — spun — and swung his massive warhammer in a wide arc.
Energy howled around the hammer's head as it slammed through the air.
But Gene's azure light blinked out again at the last second.
The hammer struck nothing but empty space —
Yet the force was so violent that the air itself compressed into solid matter, shattered, and flew outward like countless invisible knives.
Below them, the sea roiled and boiled.
The seabed cracked open under the transmitted force, and endless seawater rushed into the abyss, creating a monstrous tsunami.
"I want to see how many more times your pathetic armor can handle the Infinity Stones' power!" Galactus bellowed.
From his chest, a devastating red beam tore through the air, hurtling toward Gene.
Gene's thrusters roared to life, wrapping him in azure light. He dodged just in time, the deadly beam barely grazing him.
The beam shot past, grazing the torch of the Statue of Liberty and streaking straight toward New York City.
Everything in its path — steel, stone, glass — was vaporized into ash.
It tore through over a dozen skyscrapers before finally losing momentum and fizzling out.
Gene, gripping the Sacred Longsword, suddenly reappeared at the front of Galactus — as if he'd just stepped through space.
Galactus grunted coldly. He spun his warhammer in a beautiful arc and brought it down to intercept.
The collision was deafening. The shockwave shredded the clouds above, leaving a massive hole in the sky.
Gene's Longsword shimmered — and then disintegrated into motes of golden-blue light.
But in the very next instant, crimson bands of light materialized around Galactus' arms.
The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak!
Galactus roared in rage, shattering the bindings with a burst of brute force.
But Gene had already fired two concentrated azure beams straight into Galactus' face, leaving two scorched black marks across the cosmic being's forehead.
Galactus was incensed — don't these mortals know you're never supposed to hit someone in the face?!
With a snarl, he whipped his warhammer, landing a brutal blow against Gene.
The strike sent a massive force surging through Gene's armor. He was flung backward, blue flames erupting from his thrusters to stabilize his battered frame.
the neural network reported coldly.
Nanobots swarmed over Gene's armor, desperately repairing the damage and restoring him.
Far in the distance, the Avengers stared in open-mouthed shock.
This black-armored devil was actually trading blows — evenly — with that massive monster.
And the mere aftershocks of their battle would've killed any normal human a thousand times over.
"Hey guys, the tsunami's almost here," Johnny said nervously, glancing at the monstrous wall of water surging toward New York.
The Avengers didn't hesitate. They turned and sprinted toward the evacuation zones to help the fleeing civilians.
At the same time, governments around the world detected the unbelievable battle raging off the eastern coast of New York.
From satellite feeds, people everywhere stared at their screens in terror.
What kind of beings were clashing out there?
Meanwhile, inside Gene's neural network, the cold, mechanical voices of Skynet and the Red Queen chimed in:
"Sir, attitude adjustment of the Ultimate Erasure Device complete. Charging in progress."
The Ultimate Erasure Device —
housed inside the towering Mason Industrial Building — began to glow with a deadly yellow pulse as massive energy built up at its peak.
Gene's ultimate weapon was almost ready.
But there would be only one shot.
Miss — and Galactus would never give him a second chance.
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/MPHFics