"… My lord… I see him. The one known as Gorr." All Sight's voice was heavy, his usual composure shaken as he stood beside Ashborn, who gazed silently into the vastness of the universe, awaiting the inevitable.
The moment All Sight's words fell, the universe itself trembled. Space distorted, reality wavered—an ominous force spread across existence, the sheer presence of its darkness threatening to unravel everything.
Ashborn's expression hardened as he sensed the overwhelming surge of power. A darkness so vast and consuming that it seemed to stretch beyond the edges of creation itself.
"He's coming."
The Phoenix Force, without hesitation, erupted into full power, fusing with Shadow Mega Mind. The very instant their fusion was complete—before even a heartbeat could pass—Gorr was there.
He had crossed an infinite distance, a span of existence so great it defied measurement. He had traversed realms, dimensions, and space itself as if they were mere illusions, arriving in Asgard with a force that threatened to tear reality apart.
Boom!
The universe trembled as Galactus and Gorr clashed, the impact so immense it sent ripples through reality itself, cracking the very fabric of existence. The sheer force of their battle distorted space, creating shockwaves that traveled across dimensions.
Gorr moved like a blur, his speed beyond comprehension. Before Galactus could even react, a devastating kick struck his stomach, bending the Devourer of Worlds in half. The impact was catastrophic—Galactus was launched across the universe, his massive form finding itself at the edge of the universe.
'So fast…' Ashborn's eyes widened in shock. Even with the armor he had forged—armor that was, for all intents and purposes, indestructible—Gorr had torn through it as if it were nothing. Every one of Ashborn's shadows was clad in that same armor, each of them stronger than they had ever been in life. And yet, against Gorr, even Galactus had been overwhelmed in an instant.
'He's healing too slowly…' Ashborn noted, sensing Galactus's sluggish regeneration. But there was no time to dwell on that.
Without hesitation, he commanded his shadows to engage, sending his army surging toward Gorr. The God Butcher responded with a monstrous shriek, his cry summoning twisted creatures from the abyss. Shadows of horrors beyond comprehension crawled from the void, clashing violently against Ashborn's forces. The battlefield was a chaos of darkness, a war of nightmares incarnate.
'Mega Mind, is it…?' Ashborn reached out through their shared mental link, forming a plan.
Above the carnage, his gaze locked with Gorr's. The God Butcher remained still for a moment, watching as their armies clashed in an evenly matched struggle. Though Ashborn's shadows held the advantage in numbers and experience, Gorr countered by continuously creating stronger and stronger monsters, pushing his abyss to its limits. But even he had to recognize the inefficiency of this approach. The energy required to sustain such creatures would drain him faster than he could afford.
Realizing this, Gorr stopped. His abyssal creations continued their attack, but he no longer poured his strength into summoning more. Instead, he turned his focus on Warper, he could feel his power.
Boom!
Gorr barely managed to cross his arms in time, blocking Ashborn's scythe as it came dangerously close to slicing him apart. Ashborn had teleported, closing the distance in an instant, and at the same time, he had fused with his shadow, amplifying his strength, speed, and overall capabilities to terrifying heights.
"Weak!" Gorr roared, his voice carrying a primal fury. Without hesitation, he lashed out, his palm striking toward Ashborn at blinding speed, aiming to end him in a single, decisive blow.
"Full Counter!" Ashborn met Gorr's attack head-on, his reflexes barely keeping up thanks to Mega Mind enhancing his thought speed countless times over.
Boom!
Gorr was sent rocketing away, his own devastating attack rebounding against him. He flipped mid-air, trying to regain control before landing. But before he could, Warper appeared above him in a blur, driving his fist into Gorr's stomach with enough force to distort space itself… but at the last second, Gorr's body twisted, exploding into writhing darkness. From within, a spear of pure abyss shot out toward Warper, its jagged edges crackling with destructive energy.
"Full Counter!" In an instant, Ashborn switched places with Warper, intercepting the attack and sending it right back at Gorr.
Boom!
Gorr coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body hurtling toward the ground, crashing into Asgard with an impact that sent shockwaves across the realm. But before the dust could settle, he burst out of the crater, rocketing toward Ashborn, his eyes burning with pure hatred.
Ashborn gritted his teeth, his muscles screaming in protest. Keeping up with Gorr's sheer speed was pushing his body far beyond its natural limits. Every reaction, every movement demanded more than what should have been possible. But Ashborn wasn't about to back down.
Using [Limitation Suppression], he forced his body to ignore its natural restraints, pushing himself past the threshold of impossibility.
"Go!" Ashborn's voice rang out as Gorr's full attention locked onto him. In a flash of lightning, Thunder moved in, his hammer crackling with power as he swung with all his might.
Boom!
Gorr reacted instantly, turning just in time to block the incoming hammer. But just as he raised his defenses, Warper appeared behind him, his knee aimed straight for Gorr's spine.
Yet, at the very last second—just before impact—Gorr vanished. In an instant, he switched places with Thunder.
Thunder, now caught in Warper's devastating strike, was sent rocketing away at speeds so absurd that reality itself shattered in his wake, distorting space and time as he disappeared into the void.
Gorr wasted no time. The moment Thunder was out of sight, he lunged at Warper. But Warper reacted just as swiftly, warping reality to replay past events, shifting the battlefield itself to his advantage.
Even though Gorr seemed immune to his powers, Warper had no need to affect him directly—he twisted everything around him. The very fabric of existence bent to his will, reshaping the fight as the battle escalated beyond mortal comprehension.
So, he acted. While Gorr was momentarily caught off guard, Galactus appeared, along with Thunder, as they were never hit or sent flying. The three of them surrounded Gorr, closing in on him from all sides.