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Chapter 656: Galactus's Arrival
As the interstellar war drew to a close and a new shadow slowly crept in, Galactus relentlessly wandered the Universe.
He was hungry, perpetually so, always needing to devour planets without cease.
Spotting a delicious planet, he would rush towards it, reach out, fiercely embrace it, and take a single, satisfyingly crunchy bite.
"Not enough, this is far from enough! I demand more food! My Heralds, go, seek out more sustenance for me!"
Galactus swept a colossal hand, commanding all four of his Heralds to deploy and seek out food for him.
Stardust, Firelord, Silver Surfer, Tyrant.
These were the four Heralds Galactus valued most, his most capable assistants. Among the many Heralds of Galactus, only these four were the most competent.
In other words, they always managed to bring him truly delicious planets.
"But if all of us depart, your situation will be perilous." The Silver Surfer, his form like quicksilver, spoke to Galactus while hovering on his Surfboard in the vacuum of space.
"The Annihilation Wave is hunting for your whereabouts; those bugs are drawing closer and closer. If we all leave your side now, you will have no subordinates left to command."
The Silver Surfer's expression was grim.
Firelord's flames surged, and he growled fiercely, "I'll go kill them."
"No, that will only draw Annihilus's attention," the energy being Stardust immediately countered.
Tyrant, resembling Darkseid and wielding a great axe, furiously swung his weapon, shattering nearby planets with a single blow. His snow-white eyes gleamed with cruelty: "These lowly bugs, and that Annihilus, I'll kill them all sooner or later, and rip off their heads!"
Galactus appeared somewhat irritable and dissatisfied; the hunger gnawing at his gut was driving him to the brink.
His stomach was a bottomless pit; he had never once felt full.
"Once I am sated, they will all die!" Galactus roared angrily.
Firelord rolled his eyes.
"We know you'll never be full, you'll always have insufficient strength, which is why you're in such a pathetic state!"
In fact, a few years prior, they had engaged in a fierce battle with the Annihilation Wave that had just burst forth from the Negative Zone. The outcome was that Galactus himself was ensnared, becoming a super battery from which the Insect Swarm siphoned Cosmic Energy.
Later, for some inexplicable reason, Galactus broke free, shook off the pursuit, and embarked on a frantic devouring spree. He had gorged himself for several years, yet Galactus's stomach remained unsated...
In truth, the Heralds who had followed Galactus for countless eons had long since given up hope.
Billions of years have passed, and Galactus still hasn't eaten his fill. It's likely that even after all of them, his Heralds, are long dead, Galactus will still be devouring...
"We can only seek out renowned planets nearby," Stardust stated. Her entire being enveloped in white cosmic particles, she was a peculiar energy lifeform, and harbored feelings of admiration for Galactus that transcended their master-servant relationship.
The Silver Surfer subconsciously frowned. "You have an idea?"
"I have a few targets," Stardust replied. "The Kree homeworld, Hala, and Earth, the birthplace of the New Gods."
"Diverting to the Large Magellanic Cloud would consume too much time. Earth it is; I shall devour that world."
Galactus commanded without hesitation.
The Large Magellanic Cloud had already been infiltrated by the Annihilation Wave; various strange Swarm Soldiers were gathering intelligence throughout the galaxy. Traveling there would be too perilous.
As for Earth... it was merely the home of the New Gods, completely insignificant. Galactus held this understanding. He was also one of the Five Great Gods, tasked with maintaining the balance of the Multiverse, and his comprehension of the One-Above-All far surpassed that of ordinary beings.
At the level of the One-Above-All, a mere planet was a joke. The One-Above-All, once powerful enough, could tear an identical planet from a past Timeline at any given moment.
Although Galactus was reputedly the lowest among the Five Great Gods, and his true self was dispersed into countless Galactus Clones, with virtually no true main body to speak of. In every Universe, there was bound to be a Level Seven Galactus, whose strength was greatly exaggerated, constantly devouring, and the kind who would stop at nothing to eat.
This directly led to the great Galactus losing all dignity, his deterrent power extremely low, and he was repeatedly pinned to the ground and humiliated.
"What? Thanos/Darkseid/X/XX/ is here?! It's time to fight for our lives!!! —Oh? So it's just Galactus, you scared me for a moment~~"
These days, if you haven't taken down a few Galactuses, you'd be embarrassed to call yourself a Superhero.
...
Galactus, placing himself in another's shoes, naturally assumed Tony wouldn't bother with such a minor incident as him devouring one of his planets...
"My master, this course of action may provoke new conflicts." The Silver Surfer's expression was grim.
"I can't help it, I'm practically starving! Earth must be delicious, I can't wait! Silver Surfer, lead the way. The three of you, go find more delectable planets, then return at once and report to me!"
Galactus bellowed impatiently.
Helpless, the Silver Surfer shot a fierce glare at the indifferent Stardust, then turned his Surfboard towards a specific direction and sped off. The colossal Galactus followed closely behind him.
Stardust watched Galactus's departing form, seemingly disappointed that she hadn't been chosen to stay by his side.
Firelord said nothing, his surging flames subsiding slightly, as he set off in the exact opposite direction to search.
The cruel-natured Tyrant displayed a vicious smile: "Stardust, care to join me? We'll go slay some bugs. How about I treat you to some roasted bug meat?"
"Idiot!"
Stardust swore under her breath, her body suddenly dispersing into countless invisible particles, forming a long Particle Torrent, and vanishing from her spot.
Tyrant rubbed his head, then flashed a sinister grin, shouldering his great axe as he casually strolled away.
...
Galactus's colossal form sped towards Earth. His immense body, truly capable of "plucking the sun and moon, snatching the stars," traversed the Milky Way Galaxy with impunity, alarming one Faction after another.
At this moment in the Milky Way Galaxy, a vast region had become a battlefield for two great empires. With the Inhumans' involvement, the Skrulls were gleefully annihilating the Kree, celebrating a rare and significant victory.
"The noble Skrulls shall ultimately become the Overlords of the Universe."
The King raised his chalice high, delivering an impassioned and eloquent speech to his Generals and officials.
They had achieved an unprecedented victory, inflicting horrendous casualties on the Kree. Every Skrull felt that a beautiful new future had arrived, and the million-year Great War finally had a preliminary outcome.
It was at this moment that a colossal shadow enveloped the Spaceship, blocking out the light of all the stars.
The King was stunned, ordering his men to investigate.
"Your Majesty!! It's Galactus!! That damned fiend is here AGAIN!!!"
"What??? Why is this happening?" The King's goblet clattered to the floor, his face blank with confusion.
"Run!!!" An official was the first to overturn a table, fleeing in panic from the banquet hall.
In a flash, ninety percent of the jubilant crowd had fled, leaving only a group of die-hard loyalists surrounding the King, their faces etched with unconcealable fear...
(end of chapter)
As the interstellar war drew to a close and a new shadow slowly crept in, Galactus relentlessly wandered the Universe.
He was hungry, perpetually so, always needing to devour planets without cease.
Spotting a delicious planet, he would rush towards it, reach out, fiercely embrace it, and take a single, satisfyingly crunchy bite.
"Not enough, this is far from enough! I demand more food! My Heralds, go, seek out more sustenance for me!"
Galactus swept a colossal hand, commanding all four of his Heralds to deploy and seek out food for him.
Stardust, Firelord, Silver Surfer, Tyrant.
These were the four Heralds Galactus valued most, his most capable assistants. Among the many Heralds of Galactus, only these four were the most competent.
In other words, they always managed to bring him truly delicious planets.
"But if all of us depart, your situation will be perilous." The Silver Surfer, his form like quicksilver, spoke to Galactus while hovering on his Surfboard in the vacuum of space.
"The Annihilation Wave is hunting for your whereabouts; those bugs are drawing closer and closer. If we all leave your side now, you will have no subordinates left to command."
The Silver Surfer's expression was grim.
Firelord's flames surged, and he growled fiercely, "I'll go kill them."
"No, that will only draw Annihilus's attention," the energy being Stardust immediately countered.
Tyrant, resembling Darkseid and wielding a great axe, furiously swung his weapon, shattering nearby planets with a single blow. His snow-white eyes gleamed with cruelty: "These lowly bugs, and that Annihilus, I'll kill them all sooner or later, and rip off their heads!"
Galactus appeared somewhat irritable and dissatisfied; the hunger gnawing at his gut was driving him to the brink.
His stomach was a bottomless pit; he had never once felt full.
"Once I am sated, they will all die!" Galactus roared angrily.
Firelord rolled his eyes.
"We know you'll never be full, you'll always have insufficient strength, which is why you're in such a pathetic state!"
In fact, a few years prior, they had engaged in a fierce battle with the Annihilation Wave that had just burst forth from the Negative Zone. The outcome was that Galactus himself was ensnared, becoming a super battery from which the Insect Swarm siphoned Cosmic Energy.
Later, for some inexplicable reason, Galactus broke free, shook off the pursuit, and embarked on a frantic devouring spree. He had gorged himself for several years, yet Galactus's stomach remained unsated...
In truth, the Heralds who had followed Galactus for countless eons had long since given up hope.
Billions of years have passed, and Galactus still hasn't eaten his fill. It's likely that even after all of them, his Heralds, are long dead, Galactus will still be devouring...
"We can only seek out renowned planets nearby," Stardust stated. Her entire being enveloped in white cosmic particles, she was a peculiar energy lifeform, and harbored feelings of admiration for Galactus that transcended their master-servant relationship.
The Silver Surfer subconsciously frowned. "You have an idea?"
"I have a few targets," Stardust replied. "The Kree homeworld, Hala, and Earth, the birthplace of the New Gods."
"Diverting to the Large Magellanic Cloud would consume too much time. Earth it is; I shall devour that world."
Galactus commanded without hesitation.
The Large Magellanic Cloud had already been infiltrated by the Annihilation Wave; various strange Swarm Soldiers were gathering intelligence throughout the galaxy. Traveling there would be too perilous.
As for Earth... it was merely the home of the New Gods, completely insignificant. Galactus held this understanding. He was also one of the Five Great Gods, tasked with maintaining the balance of the Multiverse, and his comprehension of the One-Above-All far surpassed that of ordinary beings.
At the level of the One-Above-All, a mere planet was a joke. The One-Above-All, once powerful enough, could tear an identical planet from a past Timeline at any given moment.
Although Galactus was reputedly the lowest among the Five Great Gods, and his true self was dispersed into countless Galactus Clones, with virtually no true main body to speak of. In every Universe, there was bound to be a Level Seven Galactus, whose strength was greatly exaggerated, constantly devouring, and the kind who would stop at nothing to eat.
This directly led to the great Galactus losing all dignity, his deterrent power extremely low, and he was repeatedly pinned to the ground and humiliated.
"What? Thanos/Darkseid/X/XX/ is here?! It's time to fight for our lives!!! —Oh? So it's just Galactus, you scared me for a moment~~"
These days, if you haven't taken down a few Galactuses, you'd be embarrassed to call yourself a Superhero.
...
Galactus, placing himself in another's shoes, naturally assumed Tony wouldn't bother with such a minor incident as him devouring one of his planets...
"My master, this course of action may provoke new conflicts." The Silver Surfer's expression was grim.
"I can't help it, I'm practically starving! Earth must be delicious, I can't wait! Silver Surfer, lead the way. The three of you, go find more delectable planets, then return at once and report to me!"
Galactus bellowed impatiently.
Helpless, the Silver Surfer shot a fierce glare at the indifferent Stardust, then turned his Surfboard towards a specific direction and sped off. The colossal Galactus followed closely behind him.
Stardust watched Galactus's departing form, seemingly disappointed that she hadn't been chosen to stay by his side.
Firelord said nothing, his surging flames subsiding slightly, as he set off in the exact opposite direction to search.
The cruel-natured Tyrant displayed a vicious smile: "Stardust, care to join me? We'll go slay some bugs. How about I treat you to some roasted bug meat?"
"Idiot!"
Stardust swore under her breath, her body suddenly dispersing into countless invisible particles, forming a long Particle Torrent, and vanishing from her spot.
Tyrant rubbed his head, then flashed a sinister grin, shouldering his great axe as he casually strolled away.
...
Galactus's colossal form sped towards Earth. His immense body, truly capable of "plucking the sun and moon, snatching the stars," traversed the Milky Way Galaxy with impunity, alarming one Faction after another.
At this moment in the Milky Way Galaxy, a vast region had become a battlefield for two great empires. With the Inhumans' involvement, the Skrulls were gleefully annihilating the Kree, celebrating a rare and significant victory.
"The noble Skrulls shall ultimately become the Overlords of the Universe."
The King raised his chalice high, delivering an impassioned and eloquent speech to his Generals and officials.
They had achieved an unprecedented victory, inflicting horrendous casualties on the Kree. Every Skrull felt that a beautiful new future had arrived, and the million-year Great War finally had a preliminary outcome.
It was at this moment that a colossal shadow enveloped the Spaceship, blocking out the light of all the stars.
The King was stunned, ordering his men to investigate.
"Your Majesty!! It's Galactus!! That damned fiend is here AGAIN!!!"
"What??? Why is this happening?" The King's goblet clattered to the floor, his face blank with confusion.
"Run!!!" An official was the first to overturn a table, fleeing in panic from the banquet hall.
In a flash, ninety percent of the jubilant crowd had fled, leaving only a group of die-hard loyalists surrounding the King, their faces etched with unconcealable fear...
(end of chapter)