Just a Few Words

Upon hearing the communications officer's words, Korath finally remembered why the other person seemed so familiar.

It turns out he was actually Russell, the strongest being in the Nine Realms.

A man who defeated the God of Symbiotes Knull, made Odin willingly abdicate, and was revered as Gods by Mutants.

His Majesty the Emperor of the Shi'ar Empire once personally ordered that no one be allowed to provoke Russell.

This order is still in the top-secret archives of the Shi'ar Empire's military, numbered 001, with the highest priority.

All Shi'ar officers had to memorize it on their first day of service.

Korath had memorized it; he remembered every word of the command.

"Russell is a being of Cosmic God status. No citizen, military personnel, or ally of the Shi'ar Empire Shi'ar Empire Shi'ar Empire provoke or attack Russell in any form."

Those who violate this rule will not be protected by the Shi'ar Empire.

He initially thought the order was a bit excessive; why should an Earthling warrant a personal order from His Majesty the Shi'ar Empire?

And now he saw that man with his own eyes.

With his hands in his pockets and a nonchalant expression, he seemed oblivious to the battle between the two Herald of Galactus.

Also, how did Russell end up associating with Thanos?

Korath's mind began to race with wild speculation.

Russell teamed up with Thanos.

The strongest being in the Nine Realms and the cosmic overlord who governs multiple star regions stand together on a life-bearing Planet under the jurisdiction of the Shi'ar Empire.

What are they planning? Are they going to join forces against the Shi'ar Empire? To conquer this star system?

"Commander," the communications officer's voice interrupted his thoughts, "Should we stay here any longer?"

After a brief moment of thought, Korath made his decision.

"We must keep track of their movements," he said, "But to avoid danger."

He paused.

"Let the Warship retreat another light-year."

"Yes."

Meanwhile, in the skies above Kree Lal, the battle between the Silver Surfer and the Tyrant's Herald continued.

The two had been fighting for almost half an hour.

Their energy collided, exploded, and reformed above the ruined city.

The White Hole of the Silver Surfer collided with the dark red star of the Tyrant's Herald, Tyrant's Herald's energy shield blocked the Silver Surfer's light blade.

Silver Surfer's liquid metal body evaded the Tyrant's Herald's Gravitational Field, while the Tyrant's Herald's armored form withstood Silver Surfer's mirror-shattering attack.

The two fought fiercely, neither able to gain the upper hand in the short term.

Spider-Man crouched beside Russell, watching the battlefield in the distant sky.

"Russell, how long have they been fighting?"

"It's been almost an hour," Russell said.

"An hour," Spider-Man shook his head and said, "They're still fighting. Aren't they tired?"

"The Herald of Galactus don't get tired; their Cosmic Energy continuously supplies their stamina. As long as the Cosmic Energy isn't depleted, they can keep fighting."

Spider-Man spread his hands. "We'll just watch and let them fight."

"They won't last long."

Spider-Man looked at Russell, puzzled.

Then a sudden change occurred.

The purple sky was instantly obscured by the ancient and enormous sphere.

This enormous sphere slowly emerged from the depths of the universe, like a moving star—no, larger than a star, larger than any celestial object Korath had ever seen.

Its size is comparable to that of an entire star, and the Cosmic Energy swirling around it resembles a series of storms.

The surface of the sphere is covered with some kind of ancient, flowing energy patterns, which emit a dark red light under the sunlight.

Galactus.

He's here.

The oppressive force of the Galactus not only affected their inhabited Planet, but also descended upon the Galaxy.

All the nearby Planet were trembling, and all life was shaking.

All the cosmic creatures on the surface of Kree Lal collapsed to the ground, emitting sharp, terrified screams.

Spider-Man's Spider-Sense was throbbing wildly, making his head feel like it was about to explode.

"Wow." Spider-Man crouched on the ground, his hands covering his head.

"This is Galactus? It's huge! It's ten times bigger than I imagined? No, a hundred times bigger?"

After he finished speaking, he turned his head and looked at Russell.

"Russell, did you see that? He's here, he's really here!"

Russell stood beside him, hands in his pockets, his expression casual and calm.

"I saw it."

In mid-air, the Tyrant's Herald emerged from the aftershocks of the collision, his armor mostly shattered.

He looked up and saw Galactus.

He then ceased his battle with the Silver Surfer, flew out of Kree Lal's atmosphere, arrived before Galactus, and paid homage to Galactus.

"Lord Devourer of Galactus." The Tyrant's Herald's voice echoed through the universe, his tone devout.

You've arrived.

Galactus lowered his head and looked at his messenger.

Those huge eyes, swirling with a dark red light, held no emotion.

"Tyrant." The voice of Galactus echoed through the universe, deep and ancient, as if the universe itself were speaking.

Is the food ready?

"Ready." The Tyrant's Herald nodded hastily. "The three hundred million lives of Kree Lal are all on your menu."

He paused.

"There's one more thing to report, sir: Silver Surfer has betrayed us."

The Galactus's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Silver Surfer?"

"Yes." The Tyrant's Herald nodded. "Silver Surfer stood on the side of the food; he betrayed you, wanting to play the Heroes."

"And," the Tyrant's Herald continued, "There's a clown in a red and blue bodysuit who says he's going to defeat you."

Before Galactus could speak, one of Herald of Galactus guarding him chuckled disdainfully.

Laughter echoed through the universe, like countless stars collapsing simultaneously.

"Defeat Galactus," he repeated, "Or rather, a clown in a red and blue bodysuit."

He lowered his head, facing the direction of Kree Lal.

His gaze pierced through the atmosphere, through the ruins of buildings, and landed on the red and blue figure crouching next to Russell, his hands covering his head.

"He doesn't deserve it."

On the ground in Kree Lal, Russell looked up at the purple sky obscured by the Galactus specter.

With a casual wave of his hand, a crack appeared in the space in front of him.

"Let's go," he said to the crowd, "We're going to see Galactus."

Spider-Man looked at Russell.

"Now?"

"Yes, right now."

Russell was the first to step into the crack.

Thanos followed behind him, Black Order followed behind Thanos.

Spider-Man took one last look at the sky above, obscured by Galactus, took a deep breath, and then stepped into the crevice.

Space cracked open in outer space, and Russell walked out calmly, standing at the forefront with his hands in his pockets.

Thanos stood beside him, watching Galactus, Black Order's faces were grim.

Silver Surfer flew over from the other side and landed next to Russell. Spider-Man stood at the very back, his fists clenched, his eyes wide open behind his mask.

Galactus lowered his head and looked at the group of people standing in front of him.

Are you sure you can stop me?

Russell shrugged.

"I'm sure."

He turned to look at Spider-Man.

Spider-Man.

Spider-Man looked up.

"Now," Russell said, "It's your turn."

Spider-Man looked at Galactus's enormous body and felt a sense of helplessness, as if he didn't know where to begin.

"Let me go. Now you should tell me how to defeat this big guy."

Russell nodded. "That's natural."

"It's actually very simple, you just need to say one sentence."