POV: Third Person
Isolated Area of the City, Los Angeles, California
Simultaneously
"Victor, please stop! If you don't, the entire world could be destroyed," Susan pleaded with Doctor Doom.
"Reed's foolishness has infected you too, Susan. I live in the same place as you. How could I risk stealing the power of an entity without being certain that Earth wouldn't be destroyed?" Victor replied with a dismissive tone.
"It's possible that the moment you start absorbing the energy, it could spiral out of control and destroy everything around us," Reed said.
"There's a small chance, and even if that happens, I can simply restore everything to its original state when I become a god," Victor retorted.
Reed knew Doom's arrogance well and understood that he wouldn't stop. So, he attacked, his arm stretching towards Doom's face. Doom quickly created a pentagram of yellow energy in front of his body, using it as a shield to block Reed's blow.
Sue was next. She transformed her force field into a disc and hurled it towards Doom's chest.
"Watch the machine, Sue!" Reed shouted, seeing her attack.
The invisible disc was about to hit Doctor Doom when he vanished from in front of the machine and reappeared behind the two members of the Fantastic Four.
Due to her husband's warning, Sue quickly created a shield around the machine, protecting it from her own attack.
Momentarily distracted by the fear of almost destroying the machine, the couple momentarily ignored Doom, who didn't waste the opportunity.
"By the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak!"
From Doom's hands, several dark red bands of cloth flew towards the couple, wrapping around them like mummies and causing them to fall to the ground.
"Just stay quiet on the ground, Reed, and witness the rebirth of Doom as the supreme being of this world," Doom declared.
Ignoring them, Doom focused on his wrist, pressing a button. Unfortunately, it didn't have the expected effect. The cosmic energy should have been transferring to him, but it clearly wasn't.
"And once again, Baldur is right," a new female voice said.
"Who's there? Show yourself, I command you," Doom shouted.
"I'm right here," the woman replied.
Doom turned to face Amora, who stood there in her tight green outfit, holding her black staff.
"Was it you who sabotaged my plans?" Doctor Doom asked her.
"Under Baldur's orders, he's been watching you since the fool Reed asked for your help," Amora replied.
Genosha had a list of individuals who could pose a future threat, and Victor Von Doom, ruler of Latveria, was at the top. When Reed sought help from his enemy, Baldur immediately understood the plan and instructed Amora to keep an eye on the machine. Before it was activated, Amora discovered an enchantment redirecting the energy, which she destroyed, allowing the machine to function normally.
"Baldur Odinson, yes, he is the only one who matches my intellect in this world," Doom said, accepting his defeat.
Victor's arrogance was well-known. There were few people in the world he considered close to his level of intelligence, and only one he deemed equal—Baldur. As a child, he had been inspired by Baldur's speeches, which motivated him to reach his current position.
"Will you retreat?" Amora asked him.
"No, there is still an opportunity for victory," Doom replied.
Baldur had warned Amora to be cautious with Doom, so she didn't want to start a battle that could cause further chaos. But if Doom wanted to fight, Amora was ready to teach him a lesson in humility.
"By the flames of Faltine!" Doom made the first move, launching a fire blast from his hand towards Amora.
"By the shield of Seraphim!" Amora responded, creating a circular green shield inscribed with various runes in front of her.
The flames of Faltine, capable of burning almost anything, struck the energy shield and spread across the ground around Amora. Still defending, she struck her staff against the ground.
"Trum!"
When the noise subsided, the ground beneath Doom's feet vibrated and turned into quicksand. The sand acted quickly, burying Doom up to his knees within seconds.
"BOOM!"
POV: Third Person
Isolated Area of the City, Los Angeles, California
At the Same Time
"Victor, please stop! The entire world could be destroyed if you continue," pleads Susan, hoping to appeal to Doctor Doom's humanity.
"The foolishness of Reed is contagious, Susan," replies Doom, his voice dripping with condescension. "I live in the same world as you. Do you think I would risk stealing the power of an entity like Galactus without ensuring the Earth's safety?"
"There's a possibility that the moment you start absorbing the energy, it will spiral out of control and destroy everything around it," warns Reed.
"A minimal chance. And even if that happens, I can simply restore everything to its original state once I become a god."
Reed knew Doom wouldn't stop. Doom's arrogance was unmatched, and he attacked. Reed's arm stretched out towards Doom's face, only to be blocked by a yellow pentagram shield conjured by Doom.
Sue quickly followed up, transforming her shield into a disc and hurling it at Doom's chest.
"Careful with the machine, Sue!" Reed shouted in alarm.
Sue's disc was about to hit Doom, but he vanished from in front of the machine and reappeared behind the couple. Reacting swiftly, Sue formed a protective barrier around the machine, preventing her own attack from causing any damage.
Momentarily distracted by their relief, they overlooked Doom's next move.
"By the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak!"
Red bands of magical energy shot out from Doom's hands, wrapping around Reed and Sue, immobilizing them like mummies.
"Stay down, Reed, and witness the rebirth of Doom as the supreme being of this world," proclaimed Doom, turning his attention to his wrist where he pressed a button. But nothing happened; the cosmic energy was not being transferred to him.
"And once again, Baldur is right," a female voice interrupted.
"Who dares?" demanded Doom. "Show yourself!"
"I'm right here," replied the woman.
Doom turned to face Amora, dressed in her green, form-fitting attire and holding a black staff.
"Did you sabotage my plans?" Doom asked, his voice seething with anger.
"Under Baldur's orders, he has been watching you ever since Reed came to ask for your help."
Genosha had a list of individuals who posed potential future threats, and Victor Von Doom was at the top. When Reed sought Doom's assistance, Baldur anticipated his plan and instructed Amora to monitor the machine. Before it was activated, Amora discovered an enchantment to divert the energy and dismantled it, ensuring the machine functioned correctly.
"Baldur Odinson, the one mind in this world that rivals mine," Doom acknowledged, accepting his setback. Victor's arrogance allowed only a few individuals to be considered near his level of intelligence, with Baldur being the only true equal. Baldur's speech during Doom's youth had inspired him greatly.
"Will you retreat?" Amora asked.
"No, there's still an opportunity for victory," Doom declared.
Baldur had warned Amora about Doom's cunning, so she was prepared for a fight. But if Doom wanted to challenge her, she was ready to teach him a lesson in humility.
"By the Flames of the Faltine!" Doom made the first move, launching a burst of fire from his hand towards Amora.
"By the Shield of Seraphim!" Amora countered, creating a green circular shield adorned with runes in front of her.
The potent flames of Faltine collided with the energy shield, spreading flames across the ground. Still defending herself, Amora struck the ground with her staff.
"Thrum!"
The ground beneath Doom's feet transformed into quicksand, quickly pulling him down to his knees.
"Boom!"
Doom generated a force field that expanded from his body, dispersing the quicksand and creating a crater. He immediately teleported several meters away, narrowly avoiding Amora's green chains that crashed to the ground.
From a distance, Doom fired two energy blasts from his palms—technological, not magical. Amora teleported again, reappearing behind Doom and thrusting her staff at his back.
To her surprise, her staff passed through an illusion. The real Doom appeared behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Amora screamed as 100,000 megavolts of pure energy coursed through her body. Fighting through the pain, she swung her staff, forcing Doom to retreat. She crouched, placing her hands on the ground, and everything froze.
"This ends now!" Amora declared, rising and firing a beam of green energy that pierced Doom's head.
His body collapsed, motionless. Amora approached cautiously, only to find mechanical parts inside his head instead of blood and brains.
"Incredible, a fusion of magic and technology in an avatar."
Amora rarely praised humans, but Doom's ingenuity earned her respect. She realized that Doom had never been present. He used a magical avatar to connect his powers to the robot, controlling it remotely.
"DoomBots. Victor uses them often," Reed said, standing behind Amora.
With the robot's destruction, their bonds dissolved.
"The machine?" Amora demanded, uninterested in the couple's safety.
"One moment," Reed replied, rushing to the machine.
Amora had only disrupted the magical symbols redirecting the energy, ensuring it functioned normally, but Reed needed to verify there was no mechanical damage.
"Everything's fine. The machine is operating as intended," Reed confirmed.
"Good."
With that, Amora turned to leave but halted, sensing a vibration in the air.
Raising her hands, she shouted, "By the Shield of Seraphim!"
A massive energy shield, twenty meters wide, appeared above them, protecting the machine and the couple.
"Reed, look out!" Sue yelled.
From above, a beam of energy fired by Galactus's ship descended upon them. Instinctively, Sue created her own shield, larger than Amora's, enveloping everyone, including Amora.
"You fool!" Amora shouted in anger.
"Boom!"
The blast from the ship collided with Sue's psychic shield, leaving her unscathed, yet far from pleased.
Her psychic shield could fend off any attack, but when she raised it to encompass everything around her, she inadvertently severed the tug-of-war between Galactus and the machine.
In the city center, Galactus rose. Wasting no time, he pointed his hand towards the other side of the city, targeting the machine that had brought him to his knees. The Invisible Woman's psychic shield proved futile against his reality-warping powers. With a mere thought, the machine crumbled to dust, as did the Firelord who operated it.
With the machine destroyed, Reed's hopes were dashed, and Susan wept, blaming herself. To both, it seemed their only chance had vanished. Amora, however, never had much faith in the plan and merely watched the horizon until another premonition struck her.
She teleported to stand before the distraught couple, gripping her staff with both hands, and struck it against the ground.
"SHATTER!"
Reality shattered like glass before her.
The summoned mirror dimension in front of her then disappeared, transforming into a black hole. Amora struck her staff once more, restoring reality to normal.
"What was that?" Reed asked, bewildered.
"Did you think Galactus wouldn't retaliate against those who brought him to his knees? If I hadn't opened the mirror dimension to absorb his power, you two would have been reduced to dust," she replied indifferently.
"And now, Reed?" Susan asked her husband.
"We have no choice but to try destroying his ship and the tubes converting our world," he responded.
"He doesn't need his ship or tubes to annihilate this mortal planet," Amora interjected.
"Then what should we do?" Reed asked, his frustration growing.
"Baldur's plan is in motion. Now stop talking and hide with your powers. I managed to stop the first attack; I might not be able to stop the next," she instructed.
Despite his doubts about Baldur's crude plan, Reed had no other options. He needed time to think and didn't mind hiding under his wife's powers for a few minutes.
After her warning, Amora paid them no further attention, disappearing to continue aiding the evacuation of the city alongside Earth and Genosha's mages.
POV: Third Person.
Downtown Los Angeles, California.
At the Same Time.
Galactus' furious assault failed. He aimed to erase from existence those who had created the machine, but a powerful sorceress had protected them. Though he could have obliterated the couple, his more urgent concern was reclaiming the cosmic energy that had escaped him when the machine was destroyed.
The machine had a significant effect on him but lacked the power to outmatch him in a tug-of-war. Consequently, his energy losses were minimal, posing a threat only if the machine had operated for hours.
After absorbing just a fraction of the stolen energy, Galactus turned his attention back to the city. His robot army was fighting on three fronts: against two omega-level beings, the deadly toys, and the world's defenders.
[Enough of these games!]
He decided. First, he faced the position where Wanda and Magneto stood, lifting his arm to point at them despite the vast distance. Galactus wanted to deal with the most troublesome targets first.
But before he could fire, he looked upwards.
Above him, a bright star moved across the sky towards Earth.
[Son of Bor, do you truly intend to fight me?] Galactus spoke to the sky.
He was about to say more when he saw who was approaching, even from several galaxies away. It wasn't Odin heading his way, but a young man surrounded by pure golden energy.
support me at patreon.com/Lonely_Translator and read chapters in advance