"Ego is dead?" Beside Robert, Peter Quill's brother, Ash, felt his eyes well up with tears, struggling to believe what had just happened. Tears of both relief and disbelief welled in his eyes. Compared to Star-Lord, who had only recently learned of Ego's schemes, Ash's hatred ran far deeper.
After all, Ego wasn't just responsible for killing Ash's mother. For years—perhaps even centuries—Ego had imprisoned Ash, draining his divine energy. This torturous experience had forged an unrelenting resentment within him.
"Do you think he's really dead?" Robert raised an eyebrow. He couldn't sense any trace of Ego's energy nearby. The celestial's divine projection had completely dissipated, and the remnants of Ego's planet had been obliterated into cosmic dust under Robert's energy blade. Ego seemed truly gone, yet Robert couldn't shake the feeling that it was too easy.
Ego's strength, particularly after his recent power surge, wasn't trivial. While still weaker than the Exterminator, he ranked among the strongest foes Robert had faced recently. Even in the hell dimensions, the demon lords had been far harder to kill. Compared to those grueling battles, Robert's encounter with Ego had been unusually short, leaving him suspicious that Ego had used some secret means to escape.
"He's definitely dead! That brain was his core. His consciousness originated from it, and over the eons, he evolved by absorbing various cosmic materials, eventually transforming into the planet we saw…" Ash started confidently but then faltered, realizing something amiss.
"Wait! I'm still able to talk to you telepathically?! That's not right! Our powers come from Ego. If he's really dead, our powers should vanish, and we'd return to being ordinary mortals. Why can I still use my divine abilities?"
Panic overtook Ash. Divine power wasn't just a matter of genetics or lineage; it required Ego's explicit approval. As a safeguard against being overthrown by his offspring—common in other pantheons—Ego had ensured his descendants couldn't use divine power independently of him.
If Ego had truly perished, both Ash and Star-Lord should have lost their powers entirely, reverting to their original, mundane states. But the fact that Ash could still use divine energy to communicate with Robert suggested that Ego was alive, and that realization filled him with dread. Where could Ego be hiding?
In an instant, Ash's body vanished from the void of space. Robert had brought him back aboard the Guardians' spaceship, placing him next to Star-Lord.
"Is Ego really dead?" Star-Lord asked excitedly, his eyes full of hope.
"Probably not. Can you still use your newfound powers?" Robert shook his head, noting that Star-Lord's energy signature remained just as extraordinary as before.
At Robert's words, Star-Lord extended his hand, conjuring a glowing orb of divine energy. Like Ash, he hadn't lost the abilities bestowed by Ego.
"So Ego's not dead?" Robert mused. "Release your divine power for me to track him down."
Both Star-Lord and Ash nodded, flooding the ship with radiant white light that made some Avengers squint.
"This resonance should help me locate Ego," Robert murmured, analyzing the similarities in their energies. Moments later, his eyes lit up, and he disappeared from the ship.
"Did the Saiyan find Ego's location?" Star-Lord asked, his excitement building.
Meanwhile, deep in a desolate sector of space, a seemingly unremarkable planet stood. Lacking advanced civilization, this world was now devoid of life. Energy vines had blanketed the surface, wiping out every living thing in a massacre driven by Ego's rage.
In the planet's core, its natural nucleus had been replaced by a white, web-like structure housing a glowing brain.
"If it were the old me, I'd probably be dead. But now, each of my planetary fragments can facilitate my rebirth," Ego muttered. "The problem is that my actions might've drawn the Celestials' attention…"
Ego's musings were cut short as the ground trembled. Divine energy surged from deep below, but before it could ascend into the sky, a devastating energy wave struck the planet.
"Crack!"
"Boom!"
The explosion tore through the planet, reducing it to cosmic dust in mere moments.
"This planet wasn't any stronger than a normal one. Aside from Ego's divine defenses, there was nothing special about it," Robert muttered, watching the aftermath. "But it seems Ego won't die that easily. Let's see how many more times he can run."
In another lifeless corner of the galaxy, Ego's consciousness and energy reformed within yet another planet. However, anxiety gripped him.
"Damn it! How is that Saiyan tracking me? Will he find this planet too?"
Ego had initially believed his escape strategy was foolproof. The method he'd devised was known only to him, ensuring his survival even if his main body was destroyed. Yet Robert's relentless pursuit suggested otherwise.
If the Saiyan truly had a way to track him down, Ego realized he was doomed. No matter how many planets he occupied, they would all eventually be destroyed.
"Not again!" Ego's panicked thoughts were interrupted by another surge of danger. Despite his quick response, the outcome was the same.
"Boom!"
Another explosion reduced Ego's hiding place to dust.
"Damn it! This is unacceptable!" Ego's fury grew with each successive destruction. Survival instincts warred with his ambitions, for though he yearned to dominate the universe, he now faced the terrifying prospect of death.
Driven to desperation, Ego emerged in a humanoid form outside his latest refuge. Confronting Robert, who had already appeared with a glowing energy wave in hand, Ego shouted, "Do you really want to fight to the bitter end, Saiyan?"
"You said that before," Robert replied coolly. "Now I understand your trick. You're using these planets as extensions of yourself. But it doesn't matter. No matter how many pieces of yourself you create, the outcome will be the same—you'll still die."
With those words, Robert unleashed his energy wave, obliterating yet another of Ego's planets.
"I'll keep destroying your fragments," Robert declared. "Eventually, there'll be nothing left of you."
As Robert's relentless attacks turned Ego's hiding spots into cosmic fireworks, the Saiyan suddenly paused, sensing a familiar presence.
"The Exterminator?" Robert's gaze shifted to the void, where the Celestial materialized.
"You're seriously planning to pursue him to the end?" the Exterminator asked, his expression neutral.
"What, are you here to protect him?" Robert's energy flared as he prepared for another confrontation.
"No," the Exterminator said, his tone measured. "I'm here to warn you. Your rampage is destabilizing the universe, and your actions risk awakening higher cosmic entities."
"Then let them come," Robert replied, transforming into a Super Saiyan. His aura blazed as he aimed another energy blast. "But first, I'll finish off Ego."
The Exterminator regarded him silently before shaking his head. "Do as you will. But tread carefully." With that, he faded into the void.
Meanwhile, on another distant planet, Ego's consciousness panicked as he realized his connection to his other planetary fragments was severed.
"What's happening? My fragments… they're gone!"
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