POV: Baldur
Training Grounds, Uninhabited Island of Genosha.
2015
So, finally, a year has passed, something to celebrate, unless, of course, you know that the World Devourer is coming to your little planet for a feast. After Vision's awakening, I held a meeting with all my allies, except Wakanda. They are too busy to show up. I tried my best to explain in as much detail as possible the level of threat we were facing; nevertheless, they have no idea of the magnitude of the battle that is about to unfold.
Then I shared my "plan" with everyone. It was quite different from the plans I had executed before, relying solely on brute force. I won't lie by saying that Galactus's brute force would obliterate any intelligent plan; that's not true. Reed Richards has managed to defeat Galactus using only his mind. However, I don't possess a mind like his, so I can only create something focusing on my strong suit: brute force.
I managed to get them to agree to the plan, but Reed, Tony, and Bruce will also join forces to devise another, more scientific plan. I wasn't against it; whichever plan succeeds is fine by me. After that, I returned to Genosha. There's not much I can do at the moment, except train my new creation, Vision.
So, I've spent most of these days here, on the training island. An artificial island created on the outskirts of the storm that serves as the boundary marking the end of Genosha's territory. The island itself isn't very large, about the size of a small city. I use it to test and train my powers, with its own force field surrounding it to prevent my training from causing havoc outside the island.
The island floor is all burnt black, with not even a tree, hill, or mountain in sight. It's just a completely flat plain of blackened ground. As I said, this island is used for my training, so the forests and mountains that once stood here were all destroyed, and the ground was scorched.
A golden beam of light comes from above towards me; I move my head to the side, easily dodging the strike, then fly upward with Sigel. Facing the bald, red humanoid with a golden cape, I spin Sigel, aiming for his chest in a vertical strike, but my spear passes through him as if he were a ghost.
Quick as lightning, Vision's hand comes at me before I can even revert to my form after the attack. I don't try to counterattack with Sigel; instead, I fire a beam of energy from my eyes aiming for his head, but once again, the attack passes through his hand and his head.
When my attack ends, Vision's fist is already in front of me, hitting me squarely.
"BOOM!"
The blow was certainly powerful. It sent me crashing to the ground, creating a crater.
"You've gotten better at the speed with which you can change your density," I say, getting up from the ground and wiping the blood from the side of my mouth.
"All thanks to the creator's help," he says, smiling.
Vision is a pure being, devoid of malice, and full of love for all forms of life. I didn't program his brain. In fact, it was Alice who created the AI that was in his mind before the Mind Stone was activated, but this AI was empty, without a personality like hers or Jarvis's. I didn't want a slave, but a companion. So I allowed him to develop his own being.
I won't lie, it wasn't easy. Since he didn't have a starting point, he started from scratch; he woke up and couldn't even communicate or walk, but thanks to his intelligence and ease of learning, it didn't take him more than hours to learn.
This physical training isn't very necessary, but he says he learns faster this way, so here we are.
"You learn fast, but you should stop holding back; I know you have more strength than that," I say, flying and facing him.
"I didn't want to hurt you," he says.
"Unnecessary concern!"
As I shout this, I blast towards him, this time at a speed that surprises him, spinning Sigel and cutting his chest. Due to the metals his body was constructed with, the wound wasn't very deep; it just grazed his skin.
The wound on his chest closes automatically, then he claps his hands in front of his body, releasing a wave of energy that pushes me away; he absorbed the energy of my blow and unleashed it back at me, courtesy of the vibranium in his body. Vision, knowing I was serious now, doesn't hesitate anymore. His body glows in gold, and some magical runes appear on his body. He flies at me and tries to hit me; I strike his wrist with Sigel, making him lose his aim and fall to the ground.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!"
When he hit the ground, the entire island trembled, and a crater the size of a baseball field was formed. His density shift can make him intangible, but it can also increase his weight, thus making him stronger. This strength can be further enhanced using my magical runes engraved on his body, and with them being fueled by the energy of my dimension, it only makes him even more powerful.
All of this combined makes Vision the second most powerful Avenger. Wanda may alter the order of things in the future, but for now, Vision ranks higher in power than Thor or Hulk in my analysis. This is without even considering the powers of the Mind Stone, which he is becoming very adept at using.
"You lose control of your center of gravity when you suddenly increase your strength to the maximum because you don't do it gradually, until you get used to it," I suggest.
"The Creator's suggestion, as always, proves correct. I'll make the adjustments so as not to make the same mistake again," he responds, now getting up.
He's not lying; he'll never make that mistake again. An enemy like him is dreadful; he never makes the same mistake twice after I show it to him.
"I've told you, Vision, you can call me Baldur."
"Understood, creator," he replies.
(It's better to give up; creator is better than being called father.)
Then the fight resumes. This time, Vision chooses to fight from a distance; he has a connection to my dimension, so energy is not lacking for him. From the center of his forehead, the Soul Stone fires concentrated golden rays that would cut me in half if I were hit. The power of the attack was ridiculous.
I have to hold back because I possess a physical body; if I overuse energy, my body would be damaged. But Vision has more endurance than I do because of the metals his body was constructed with.
The fight progresses like this, with him firing at me, and me dodging. This isn't a battle to the death; it's training. So while he's training to get used to his powers, I'm training my manipulation of light. A golden light envelops my body, and when this happens, my speed increases slightly. I'm clearly trying to use the speed of light, but like my constructs of light, this ability is proving very difficult to use.
"BOOOM!"
Then we both stop; the noise just now wasn't because of us. The reason reveals itself shortly after; to our left, space seems in disorder, and the horizon then cracks like a broken mirror, the cracks then increase in size, through them, total darkness can be seen. I was about to create a golden wall of light; I felt danger from that. But shortly after, the cracks close, leaving the landscape as it was before, the only change being the three people who appeared on the ground.
Vision and I stop our training and fly over to the three. The two women, Amora and the Ancient One, were standing, looking angrily at the third, Thor, who was lying shirtless on the ground laughing like a maniac.
"I did it, brother, I did it!" he shouted when he saw me still lying on the ground.
"Yes, you almost did it, almost killed us!" shouted Amora at him.
"What just happened?" I ask.
"Thor's training almost destroyed the mirrored space; normally nothing in that dimension can affect our reality, but your brother's last blow managed to do that. If the two of us hadn't acted quickly, this entire island would have been sucked into the void."
This was answered by the Ancient One, still looking angrily at Thor, which was quite rare; she was showing emotions.
"Who cares about that, woman, I just said I did it!" Thor shouted.
Amora seemed to have reached the limit of her patience. She snapped her fingers, and Thor fell through a portal created beneath his body.
"Where did you send him, Amora?" I ask, fearing for my brother's life.
"To the ocean. He's tired, and he won't be able to swim, but don't worry. The son of Odin wouldn't die simply from drowning," she replies with the smile of a demon.
"Changing the subject. How were the tests?" I inquire.
"Successful, of course," my wife replies, convinced.
She was still banned from Genosha, but due to the circumstances, I allowed her entry here. It was here that she and the Ancient One worked on a magic that could help me in the upcoming battle. But my heart hurt quite a bit when I saw her reaction as I brought her through the portal; the sight of the main island of Genosha almost made her cry.
"So, we're as ready as we could be."
With Amora and the Ancient One's magic ready, I did everything I could.
POV: Third Person
In the Void, Outer Space.
At the Same Moment.
In an expanse of empty space with no planets or stars, a strange encounter between two powerful entities was taking place.
"You better not be lying to me, little demon."
The one who spoke first was an immense being, over five hundred meters tall, wearing a purple armor adorned with various orbs of light throughout his body. He wore a long helmet, and his eyes had square-shaped yellow pupils.
"Of course, I'm telling the truth, Great Devourer."
The one who responded was the size of an ant compared to the giant, standing at less than two meters tall, wearing a red cloak covering his entire body. The cloak matched the color of his skin; he had pointed cheekbones and red hair slicked back.
"You better be, because if your promise isn't fulfilled, I'll personally come to your dimension" Galactus threatened once more.
"The Destroyer knows very well that I live to serve my beloved and master, but I'm not foolish enough to promise something to a being like you without delivering what was promised."
Galactus said no more; the time had passed, his heralds were already reaching their destination. Now it was his turn to move; with a thought, an immense silver ship appeared behind him. This ship had a structure unlike anything ever created; it was like a large silver tube coiled upon itself, with a serpent eating its own tail.
Galactus's personal ship was larger than him, necessary for him to use it to reach his targets, a way to conserve the use of his valuable energy.
Galactus didn't bid farewell to the demon; he moved into the ship's interior and sat on his throne, then the ship simply disappeared, leaving only the demon in that location.
"It's all for her. If she desires the destruction of those heroes, so be it," Mephisto said, smiling, before also disappearing.
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