POV: Third Person
Los Angeles, California
Four Hours After the Defeat of the Heralds
Los Angeles, one of the busiest cities in the United States, bustled with daily activity. But the routine was shattered as news of attacks by four alien beings spread through the media. Once again, people were gripped by the fear of being overpowered by entities far beyond their strength. This fear quickly morphed into panic. Fortunately, this panic was contained when the Avengers arrived in the four cities and began battling the invaders immediately.
However, the mere presence of the Avengers was only a temporary balm for the people's fears. The scenes of destruction from the battles, broadcasted widely, only exacerbated their dread. Two out of the three cities that were invaded—once considered everlasting—lay in near ruin.
One city was engulfed in flames, while the other was being torn apart by a devastating earthquake that obliterated its foundation. The government finally imposed a nationwide curfew. People hurried to their homes or to any safe havens they could find. The once-busy streets of Los Angeles became eerily deserted, a blessing in disguise.
Amidst the abandoned downtown, an enormous spaceship shaped like a twisted pipe appeared overhead. Initially, it remained motionless, but then a brilliant blue light enveloped the city. When it faded, a colossal figure stood revealed.
Clad in purple armor and helmet, Galactus sat on his silver throne.
Galactus gazed into the horizon, seemingly peering into realms beyond mortal perception. His presence dwarfed the surrounding skyscrapers, making them look like children's toys.
"So, my heralds have been defeated," he mused. His voice, deep and powerful, carried a hint of disinterest. The defeat of his heralds didn't concern him; he could create more in the future.
Galactus made no move to rescue his fallen heralds. Instead, he glanced upward, and his ship sprang to life. Four massive tentacles, each hundreds of meters wide, extended from the ship and moved in different directions. They traversed the city and burrowed into the ground and ocean.
The tentacles drilled deeper and deeper, effortlessly cutting through rock and minerals, until they reached the planet's core within seconds.
"Commence conversion," ordered Galactus. The four silver tentacles began to vibrate, appearing almost alive.
It would take several hours for the planet to be converted into pure energy. This mechanical process could have been done more quickly using Galactus's powers, but employing the ship had its advantages—most notably, it prevented any loss of energy on his part.
POV: Third Person
Across Los Angeles, California
At the Same Moment
"How long until we're operational?" asked Stark.
"A few minutes. Cosmic energy is far more complex than we anticipated," Reed replied.
The two stood several kilometers from Galactus, in the middle of an abandoned street. Before them was a large mechanical apparatus resembling a child's toy—a giant snow globe. Inside the glass sphere lay the unconscious Firelord.
"Baldur could have given us a better sense of his size," Stark remarked, observing Galactus from a distance in his armor.
"He did, but you didn't believe him," Reed responded, his body stretched around the sphere, meticulously checking data on his tablet.
"Maybe. It's a good thing he's not here to remind me."
"Any news from him?" Reed asked, still focused on his work.
"Nothing since our sensors picked him up leaving the solar system with his new friend," Stark replied.
"Reed, we're ready," a third, feminine voice announced.
"Do you really think this is necessary, Sue?" Reed asked his wife, who had appeared before them.
"I have complete faith in your creations, Reed. But after seeing that thing, I think Baldur is right. We need multiple plans to stop him." she said
POV: Third Person
Los Angeles, California
Four Hours After the Defeat of the Heralds
Los Angeles, one of the busiest cities in the United States, was always bustling with activity. However, the tranquility was shattered when news of four alien attacks began spreading. Fear gripped the city as people once again faced the threat of powerful beings beyond their understanding. Panic ensued but was quickly quelled by the arrival of the Avengers, who immediately engaged the invaders.
Despite their presence, the Avengers could only temporarily suppress the public's panic. The reason was the images of destruction caused by the battles. Two out of the three cities invaded by the aliens, cities once considered eternal, lay in ruins.
One city was ablaze, while the other was ravaged by a devastating earthquake that had shattered its foundations.
In response, the government declared a nationwide curfew. People scrambled to their homes or any safe place they could find, leaving the streets of Los Angeles eerily empty—a stroke of luck for everyone.
For shortly after the city center was abandoned, an immense spacecraft resembling a twisted pipe materialized in the sky above. At first, it remained motionless, but then a brilliant blue light enveloped the city. When it dissipated, an enormous being was revealed.
Clad in his purple armor and helmet, seated on a silver throne, Galactus surveyed the horizon, as if looking beyond what mortal eyes could see, making the surrounding buildings look like children's toys.
"So, my heralds have been defeated," he remarked, his voice deep and powerful but tinged with indifference. Galactus was unconcerned by the defeat of his heralds; he could always create more.
There was no attempt to rescue them. Instead, Galactus simply gazed upward, and his ship came to life. Four enormous tentacles, each hundreds of meters wide, extended from the ship and spread out in different directions. They pierced the ground and ocean.
The tentacles burrowed deep into the earth, effortlessly cutting through rock and minerals, reaching the planet's core within seconds.
"Begin conversion," Galactus ordered, and the silver tentacles began to vibrate as if alive.
It would take several hours for the planet to be converted into pure energy. Although Galactus could have performed the conversion using his powers, using the ship had its advantages. The primary benefit was that it spared him even a slight energy loss.
POV: Third Person
Across the City of Los Angeles, California
At the Same Time
"How long until we are operational?" Stark asked.
"A few minutes. The cosmic energy proved to be more complex than we anticipated," Reed replied.
The two were several kilometers away from Galactus, standing in the middle of an abandoned street. In front of them stood a large mechanical apparatus resembling a giant snow globe, with the unconscious Fire Lord inside.
"Baldur could have mentioned the size," Stark remarked, glancing at Galactus in the distance.
"He did, but you didn't believe him," Reed replied, his body stretched around the sphere as he checked the data on his tablet.
"Maybe, but I'm glad he's not here to remind me."
"Any news from him?" Reed asked, still focused on his work.
"Not since our sensors picked him up leaving the solar system with his new friend," Stark responded.
"Reed, we're ready," a third voice said, a woman joining them.
"Do you really think this is necessary, Sue?" Reed asked his wife, who had appeared before them.
"I have complete faith in your creations, Reed, but after seeing that thing, I agree with Baldur. We need multiple plans to stop him," she replied.
Reed had total confidence in his creation, jointly developed with Stark, and found Baldur's backup plan unnecessary. He believed that the crude plan had no chance of success.
"I understand, and even if I didn't agree, I couldn't stop the others," he conceded.
He was sure Baldur's plan wouldn't work, but that didn't matter now. His plan was about to be executed first, and then it would all be over.
"Don't worry, Reed. Your brother-in-law and best friend are pretty resilient," Stark reassured.
Unlike Baldur's plan, they didn't need a distraction but rather to hide their machine until it was activated. Sue would use her powers to keep it concealed, while the team's muscle kept Galactus occupied, possibly even defeating him.
"TRUMMMM!"
Thunder illuminated the sky, and the previously clear sky began to fill with clouds.
Then, a man engulfed in flames flew over them toward Galactus, followed by a woman riding a multi-legged black horse.
One by one, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four advanced toward their enemy.
"Where are you going, Stark?" Reed asked as Stark walked away from the machine.
"The machine's ready. I won't help by just standing here. You're competent enough to operate and fix it if anything goes wrong," Stark replied.
Stark had arrived in his most powerful armor, the Hulkbuster, perfect for the upcoming battle. Without waiting for Reed's response, he flew towards the fight.
"Sue, please," Reed requested.
Sue understood and projected a force field around them, rendering them invisible.
"Just a few more minutes," Reed muttered to himself, checking his tablet.
POV: Third Person
Downtown Los Angeles, California
At the Same Time
Near Galactus' throne, Angela, the Human Torch, the Thing, and Thor faced their enemy. None of them made the first move to start the battle.
"So, who gets the honor of the first strike?" Angela asked, sword in hand.
"Leave it to me and Mjolnir," Thor declared.
"No way, brother. I was the first to arrive," Angela retorted.
"We arrived almost at the same time, Angela," Thor countered.
"Enough, you two. Who cares who hits first? It's time to fight. I suggest we all attack together," the Thing suggested.
"I agree with the rock monster's plan," Angela said.
"That wasn't very original," the Human Torch commented on the new nickname for his friend.
But Angela wasn't listening. She was already charging towards Galactus' throne.
"HULKKKKKKK!"
She stopped upon hearing the roar. Above, atop a ship bearing the Avengers' logo, Hulk shouted and ran across its roof before leaping towards Galactus.
"SMASH!" he roared again, closing the distance and reaching Galactus' head.
But Galactus remained unfazed. He didn't even glance at Hulk, simply swatting him away like a fly.
"BOOM!"
The Hulk was hurled with such force that he broke the sound barrier. To powerless humans who witnessed the event, it seemed as if the Hulk had vanished, but others saw him crossing the entire city.
"Was that the Hulk?" Stark asked, landing next to the others.
"Yes, it was," Thor replied.
"The big guy hit him like he was a bug," said the Thing, slightly shaken.
"To cosmic entities, all beings below them aren't worthy of much attention," Thor remarked, still smiling. This display of strength wasn't enough to deter him.
"Natasha, are you and Hawkeye on that ship?" Stark asked through the communicator.
{Affirmative, we came as fast as we could using the new transport, but it seems we made a mistake using Bruce so soon.}
The Avengers' ship was still in the air nearby, but they were wise enough not to get too close.
"So, what's the plan again?" Stark asked aloud.
No one responded until another voice came through the communicator.
{The plan is the same as we discussed, Tony.}
"Sorry, Cap, but the plan seems a bit unrealistic now."
{We just have to delay and distract him, Tony. Change your target; instead of attacking head-on, aim for those tubes coming out of his ship.}
Stark looked at the four tubes. His sensors couldn't get any readings, but he could deduce their purpose from the information Baldur had given him.
"All right, let's do this." He spoke loudly, trying to boost his confidence.
{That's the spirit,} said Steve over the communicator.
"Thanks for the help, Cap, but where are you?"
{I'm on my way with some friends. You'll see us soon.}
"No rush, Cap. We're doing just fine," Stark joked.
"Let's split up. I'll take the right one," said the Thing.
"Left!" shouted the Human Torch, transforming into flames and flying toward his target.
{I'll take the one in front!} Natasha said over the communicator.
"Then the one at the back is mine," Stark said, flying toward his target as well.
"It seems the honor of fighting Galactus will be mine and my sister's alone," Thor remarked.
{Thor, you need to keep the fight focused in the center. The city evacuation has just begun, and even with Amora and her friends helping, it will take a while.}
"Understood, Captain," Thor replied, flying toward his sister.
POV: Baldur
Several Galaxies Away.
Two Hours Before Galactus's Arrival.
(Finally, it's over.)
The battle against the Silver Surfer was tougher and longer than expected. I always knew he was a formidable foe, but I never imagined he would push me to this extent.
My gigantic form, built from the supernova, was clumsy, lacking mobility despite its firepower. Nevertheless, it fulfilled its purpose perfectly. Within the construct I created, my true body remained safely nestled, traversing the giant structure.
Norrin fought valiantly; each of his strikes decimated a significant portion of the giant, but it swiftly regenerated using the energy of the dying star behind me. Realizing his disadvantage, he attempted once more to convert my power into pure energy and absorb it. However, I anticipated his move. When he converted my attack into energy, I infused it with a bit of the All-Black's power. As he absorbed it, he screamed in pain for the first time.
Yet, even this wasn't enough to bring him down, so the battle raged on. I truly began to respect Norrin during our fight, hence I refrained from causing lethal harm, prolonging the time needed to defeat him.
After two hours, the battle concluded. At this moment, Norrin lies unconscious, floating in space before me.
(Now, what do I do with you?)
I ponder silently, observing my opponent as I heal myself. Despite using the massive body to shield myself from harm, Norrin adapted during the fight, unleashing attacks of great magnitude that inflicted wounds upon me.
Half of my body was burned and bleeding, nothing too severe; I could heal as I journeyed home. However, without the Surfer, it will take me a while to reach there.
(Galactus may already be on Earth; the challenge now is finding the way there.)
Without a compass to guide me home, I had no choice but to select a random path. I then seized Norrin and propelled forward at full speed.
I remained in this state, uncertain if I was on the correct path, until I heard a voice.
"My love, he has arrived. Come to us."
Amora's voice resonates in my mind. After that, I also sensed the location of Earth. Fortunately, I hadn't chosen the wrong path, distancing myself further.
Amora's confirmation of Galactus's arrival instilled a sense of urgency within me.
An urgency that drove me even faster toward Earth.
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