An Invitation from the Shi'ar Empire

Russell ignored Spider-Man's words.

He stood in the void of space, his hands in his pockets, gazing at the figure beside him wearing a red and blue bodysuit.

Spider-Man was now enveloped in dark red Cosmic Energy, the power belonging to Galactus and his three Herald of Galactus forming a powerful energy shell around his body.

But Russell knew perfectly well that these forces were merely Galactus's share in this universe, a portion of energy allocated to this Dimension by the Cosmic Will.

This does not mean that Galactus, one of the five Creator God, had all his power absorbed by Spider-Man.

Even the true form of Galactus, one of the five primordial Creator God, wouldn't dare claim to be invincible throughout the entire Multiverse.

Russell exposed Spider-Man's lingering hope, "You merely absorbed his power in this universe."

Spider-Man paused for a moment.

"You mean, Galactus also has power in other universes?"

"Yes." Russell nodded. "Every universe has Galactus, and every Galactus is just a ' Destroyer ' of the Cosmic Will in that universe."

What you absorbed was merely the power of this universe's Galactus; in terms of energy level alone, it's at most at the level of Single Universe, far from reaching the Multiverse.

Spider-Man remained silent for a moment.

"Okay, so does that mean I, the Cosmic Spider-Man, can only be powerful in this universe?"

"You can understand it that way," Russell replied simply.

Spider-Man thought for a moment.

"That's fine too. Anyway, I only wanted to be a good neighbor on Earth. I didn't want to meddle in cosmic affairs; that responsibility is just too great."

Russell didn't interfere much; what Spider-Man wanted to do was his own choice.

But on second thought, having solved the problem of the Galactus and created a Cosmic Spider-Man for Earth, it's time to further accelerate Earth's journey into space.

Just as he was pondering this, space suddenly distorted in one direction.

The energy fluctuations caused by the distortion made everyone turn their heads.

A massive Warship emerged from the Wormhole.

This Warship was several times larger than the one that the Shi'ar Empire had previously seen in the orbit of Kree Lal.

Its outer shell is covered with a substance that resembles liquid Crystal, Crystal shimmer with a pale golden light under starlight.

The Warship's engines emitted a low, almost inaudible hum that spread through the void, like the breath of some advanced civilization.

A hatch opened in the hull of the Warship.

A figure wearing a protective suit flew out from inside. His movements were very steady, like someone who had trained countless times in low-gravity environments.

It was Korath.

He flew to a point a few meters away from Russell and the others, and stopped.

His face beneath the helmet was no different from that of an Earthling, but his arms were outstretched, palms facing forward, displaying impeccable standard military etiquette of the Shi'ar Empire.

Then he spoke politely, his voice transmitted through electromagnetic waves, ringing in everyone's ears.

"Mr. Russell, I am Korath, commander of the Kree Lal Sector of the Shi'ar Empire."

On behalf of Her Majesty Empress Lilandra of the Shi'ar Empire, I express my sincerest gratitude to you and your companions.

Russell tilted his head slightly.

"Gratitude?"

"Yes," Korath nodded. "You saved Kree Lal. You defeated Galactus and resolved a major problem for the Shi'ar Empire, for which Her Majesty the Empress is extremely grateful."

Then he got straight to the point and stated the purpose of his visit.

"Her Majesty the Queen wishes to invite you to the capital of the Shi'ar Empire, and you will be received with the highest honors."

Russell stroked his chin, not immediately agreeing.

The Silver Surfer shadow hovered not far away, the Cosmic Energy borrowed from Spider-Man flowing slowly across his body.

He looked at Korath and refused without hesitation.

"I'm not interested. Now that I'm free from these constraints, all I want to do is go back to my hometown."

Russell turned to look at him.

"Zenn-La?"

"Yes," Silver Surfer affirmed. "Galactus said he was going to devour Zenn-La, but he's lost his power now, and the threat to the Planet is gone."

But that doesn't mean there aren't other dangers. I need to go back and protect my hometown.

Russell nodded slightly.

"Go, and perhaps one day you will see the universe unified in your homeland."

"A unified universe?" Silver Surfer asked Russell.

"Thank you, thank you for freeing me from the shackles of fate."

He then nodded to Spider-Man, the Silver Surfboard beneath his feet reappeared, and he transformed into a streak of silver light, disappearing into the depths of space.

Korath did not object.

He glanced at the Silver Surfer disappear into the distance, then turned back, smiling at Russell.

Thanos narrowed his eyes. As the ruler of several Galaxy, he certainly knew about the Shi'ar Empire.

This is a powerful civilization that has reached level five in the universe.

After the decline of the Skrull Empire and Kree Empire, the Shi'ar Empire showed signs of becoming the world's premier empire.

Their technology, military, and influence are all among the best in the surrounding super-large star systems.

But Thanos wasn't interested.

If he wanted to deal with the Shi'ar Empire, it would only take a the Snap.

Thanos remained silent, and the Star Order, who were always led by Thanos, naturally kept quiet as well.

Spider-Man is currently crouching in mid-air, one hand stroking his chin, as if deep in thought.

"The Shi'ar Empire," he repeated, "I've never heard of that name before."

Spider-Man spreads his hands.

"But I'm just a penniless guy who can't even afford rent. I'm not sure if I'm suitable for 'top-tier hospitality,' it sounds too flashy."

Korath said respectfully:

"You're the Cosmic Spider-Man, so giving you the highest level of hospitality is no exaggeration."

Spider-Man shrugged.

"Okay, I'll go, but I should probably call home first to let them know I won't be coming home for a while."

Russell was somewhat interested in the Shi'ar Empire, and this was a good opportunity to persuade the so-called Empress to join the Great Warpath.

We accept the invitation.

Upon hearing Russell's words, Korath's expression seemed to relax somewhat beneath his helmet.

"That's wonderful, Her Majesty the Queen will be very pleased."

After saying that, he turned around and flew towards the Warship.

"Plz follow me."

"You'd better come along."

Russell glanced at Galan and the three Herald of Galactus who had lost their Cosmic Power, then Thanos behind Korath. Thanos followed behind Russell, and the Black Order followed behind Thanos.

Galan hesitated for a moment, but still chose to follow behind them.

The Tyrant's Herald and the other two powerless Herald of Galactus exchanged glances, then followed.

Spider-Man glanced one last time at the nearby void, then shot out an anchorless Silk, swinging towards the Warship.

Korath led the group through a futuristic hatch and into the interior of the Warship.

The corridor was spacious and bright, with walls covered in soft synthetic materials that shimmered with a pale golden light under the lamps and changed colors with each step.

"This is the Shi'ar Empire's latest faster-than-light spaceship." Korath's voice carried a certain military pride.

"Equipped with quantum Crystal armor, it can withstand direct hits from most known weapons, and its power system is an antimatter engine. Its maximum speed can reach fifty times the speed of light."

Spider-Man looked around in the corridor.

"This is even more advanced than Mr. Stark's Laboratory. I bet Mr. Stark would be jealous if he saw it."

Korath ignored Spider-Man's teasing and led everyone to the central control room of the Warship.

Here is a huge holographic star map, marking the territory of the Shi'ar Empire.

Galaxy, stargate, and suitable flight paths are all clearly visible in the holographic projection.

"Please have a seat, everyone. After a period of faster-than-light travel, we will arrive shortly via a stargate."

Everyone sat down, and the faster-than-light journey began.

Time passed, and when the white light around the starship dissipated, the view outside the window transformed into a massive, luminous ring-shaped structure.

This is a stargate belonging to the Shi'ar Empire.

"Our Shi'ar Empire's stargates connect to every important Galaxy within its territory, and through the stargates, one can also reach the Imperial Capital directly," Korath explained.

With the highest authority granted by Her Majesty the Empress, the Warship sailed unimpeded into the stargate, waiting for the white light to flash again.

They reached the heart of the Shi'ar Empire.