The Avengers nodded at Star-Lord and the others, their gazes briefly sweeping over Adam. Seeing that Adam remained unresponsive, still practicing motionless stealth with Drax, the Avengers turned and walked through the fiery portal, disappearing into the spaceship.
The Avengers' urgency to leave stemmed from a desire to avoid giving the Guardians of the Galaxy any excuse to follow them to Earth. Despite Adam's seemingly harmless demeanor, he remained an artificial creation of an unknown enemy. For Earth's safety, it was better to limit Adam's exposure to Earth.
After the Avengers departed, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, and Nebula exchanged glances, having guessed the Avengers' reasoning. They too glanced at Adam out of the corner of their eyes, though Star-Lord and Aex didn't seem to notice. As for Groot, Drax, Mantis, and Adam, they paid no attention to the departure at all.
"Let's head toward that yellow star," Gamora suggested first. Since Kara had pointed the way before leaving, Gamora planned to follow her advice. Unlike the careless Star-Lord or the impulsive Drax, she remained wary of Adam.
"Fine, let's go. I'm curious if the yellow star's light can really grant me powers comparable to godhood…" Aex's eyes glimmered with anticipation. While he was glad about Ego's death, the sudden loss of power had left him feeling weak and unaccustomed to his new state.
"You're so lucky," Star-Lord remarked enviously. "Losing your god powers only to gain new ones? Looks like you're going to be the Guardians' powerhouse from now on. If you really become as strong as Supergirl, maybe we won't have to call the Avengers for help every time trouble hits…"
"I am Groot!" Groot suddenly shouted, interrupting Star-Lord.
"You're still our go-to guy for planetary battles and our reliable shield," Star-Lord reassured him with a grin. "But sometimes, we just need someone to catch the bad guys when they're too fast for us."
"You can understand him?" Aex asked Star-Lord, looking puzzled. He couldn't fathom how Star-Lord comprehended Groot's words.
"Spend enough time around him, and you'll understand. It's not as hard as you think," Star-Lord said, patting Aex on the shoulder. Then, in his usual boisterous tone, he issued the command: "Next stop, the yellow star! Let's go!"
Thus, the Guardians of the Galaxy set course for the yellow star. Little did they know, the High Evolutionary was already tracking them from the shadows. However, unsure if the Avengers had truly left, he held off on making any moves.
Meanwhile, after neutralizing Ego's final planet, Robert began tracing the coordinates Ego had provided. Unable to sense the presence of energy directly, Robert requested a star map from Oa and coordinated with the Green Lantern Corps to locate the remnants of Ego's planetary avatars.
Though time-consuming, Robert's efforts were not in vain. He detected traces of energy on several planets, and not just one source—there were several residual signatures.
This indicated that Ego's planets were targeted by a group, likely a team of Celestials. Unfortunately, while Robert could sense these residual energies, he couldn't pinpoint their owners.
Aside from these traces, Robert's findings were limited. All of Ego's planetary avatars had been reduced to lifeless husks, devoid of any vitality.
The situation with Ego's dead planets was far grimmer than Sovereign's. While Sovereign was no longer habitable, there was a faint possibility it might recover over millions of years. In contrast, Ego's avatars were utterly dead. Their cores had been hollowed out, leaving them irreparably damaged. Over time, these planets would break apart, becoming irregular celestial debris or dust in the universe.
It seemed the Celestials had been even more ruthless than Ego. While Ego used planets to bolster his power, the Celestials had completely severed any potential for these planets to sustain life.
"So, they drained the energy from Ego's planetary avatars? Do they need it for something? But what could they possibly need energy for?" Robert pondered, his gaze flickering with thought. Despite mulling over it for some time, he couldn't arrive at an answer. Ultimately, he returned to Earth, having sensed Kara and the others' presence back home.
"Star-Lord and Aex lost their powers? And Aex is a Kryptonian? What a coincidence," Robert remarked upon hearing the news about the Guardians from the Avengers' base. While surprised by Aex's identity, he didn't dwell on it.
Before Zod's Kryptonian squad invaded Earth, Robert had held Kryptonians in high regard due to Kara and Clark. However, after the invasion and encounters with Doomsday and Kryptonian clones, Robert's goodwill had waned. Now, the emergence of Kryptonians in the universe no longer surprised him—it had become something he'd learned to take in stride.
"Yes, after Star-Lord lost his godly powers, helping Aex awaken his Kryptonian abilities became a priority," Kara explained. "But because Adam, the artificial lifeform, was aboard their ship, we decided not to bring the Guardians to Earth."
"Adam? A synthetic being? Too bad I didn't take a closer look at him earlier. I'd like to see if he's a lifeform without energy…" Robert mused. His attention then shifted to Frank and the line of Avengers before him. "What's going on here?"
"Frank claims he can use that staff to grant divine power to qualified individuals, so everyone's lining up to test their eligibility. But even if the staff can grant power, it probably has its limits," Kara replied, her tone tinged with exasperation. Upon returning from space, Frank had eagerly taken out the staff. Most surprisingly, Steve Rogers had been the first to join in, sparking widespread interest among the Avengers.
"Tony, you didn't analyze that staff?" Robert asked Tony Stark, who was also waiting in line.
"I did. The staff contains energy, but it's not particularly strong. Its properties are somewhat similar to Frank's godly powers but not identical," Tony explained.
"Based on what Frank said, it's tied to the same lineage as the old wizard Shazam's power. New recipients might not gain powers identical to Frank's. Even if their abilities appear similar, their sources are likely different."
"How many people can gain power, then?" Robert asked, intrigued. While the Avengers were already formidable, any boost to their strength was welcome, especially given the looming threat of the Celestials.
"Frank doesn't know for sure, but it's likely limited. Judging by the seats in the Rock of Eternity, probably five," Tony speculated. "Of course, I'd love it if everyone could gain these powers."
As Robert and Tony spoke, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Peter Parker, Pietro Maximoff, and Lorna Dane gripped the staff, with Frank standing alongside them.
"Shout my name… well, my alias!" Frank instructed with a nod.
"Shazam!" the group called out. Lightning and wind surged through the Avengers' base. Steve and Pietro were transformed, donning Shazam-style uniforms, while the others remained unchanged.
"Steve! You've really gotten younger!" Peggy Carter exclaimed, rushing to Steve's side. Despite the uniform being a slight obstacle, she unhesitatingly placed her hand on his chest, marveling at his robust physique.
"Ahem. There are kids watching," Steve murmured, coughing awkwardly as the others looked on with amused grins.
"Oh, please. After all these years, are you still shy? Besides, are you stuck wearing that uniform all the time now?" Peggy teased, already trying to pull at Steve's outfit to examine his chest further.
"Later. We'll figure it out when we're home," Steve whispered hastily, stopping her.
"Wait a second," Johnny Storm interjected, glaring at Pietro. "Why did you get powers? Even Peter didn't make the cut. Aren't his lightning abilities a better match?"
"Maybe it's not just about lightning," Pietro suggested smugly. A gust of wind suddenly swept past Johnny, distinct from Pietro's earlier wind blades.
"Frank said the powers take the form of lightning, didn't he?" Steve noted, summoning a bolt of white lightning into his hand—a perfect match to Frank's powers.
"Your powers probably reflect Zeus's influence," Tony deduced. "Pietro might be more attuned to wind-based deities, which is why he got wind-related powers."
"Exactly! I've been recognized by all four Greek wind gods and two speed deities. Guess who's a speedster again! Barry, come on! Let's race!" Pietro declared triumphantly, looking toward Barry Allen.
"Looks like you've caught up again," Barry chuckled. "But let's save the race for later. Let's see if anyone else gains new abilities first."
"Right," Pietro agreed, smirking as he turned to Johnny. "I'm curious, Johnny. What powers do you think you'll get?"
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