The strange fleshy tumor before them began to grow, gradually taking on the shape of eyes, a nose, and a mouth—its features eerily resembling a human face.
Before anyone had time to figure out how to deal with this, a massive explosion erupted in the distance. A violent energy shockwave immediately hit, sending Garus tumbling through the air, while the giant fleshy tumor vanished without a trace.
Inside the constantly rolling Legion Warship, chaos ensued. Several individuals were tangled up with each other.
"Who's squeezing my butt!" Wade suddenly jumped up, glaring at the two mutants nearby, drawing his knife.
Several of the mutant students controlling the warship didn't back down, using their powers in return. "You wanna fight?"
At that moment, Garus walked in from the outside, pausing when he noticed the suspicious atmosphere. He cleared his throat and said, "Alright, we need to leave now."
The incident with the Devourer of Worlds earlier left Garus with an uneasy feeling. He vaguely recalled a memory—something about a suspicious orb he had seen before.
As he struggled to recall the distant memory, a sudden scream from one of the mutant students, who was piloting the warship, broke his concentration.
"What is that?"
Following the direction of the student's finger, Garus looked out and saw a planet nearby undergoing a strange transformation. It was covered in an odd substance, just like the orb he had seen earlier. Eyes, a nose, and a mouth were clearly visible on its surface.
Suddenly, Garus remembered a being called Ego, a celestial god who sought to activate the seeds he had planted across various planets in the universe. His plan was foiled by the Guardians of the Galaxy, but it now seemed that something had changed.
The Soul Stone abruptly interrupted Garus's thoughts.
"Hey! Garus, if you go and kill Eternity now, I can help you seize a portion of Eternity's power and laws."
The consciousness of the Soul Stone urged Garus on, confident that with his true form and Frostmourne's ability to control souls, Garus could capture Eternity's soul and draw it into his universe.
"Kill Eternity? I'm no match for him." Garus was self-aware enough to know his current power wasn't near Multiversal level, and he still had a long way to go.
"The death grip is limiting him; it won't be too hard for you. If you want to grow stronger, you need to master the laws of power, and now is the opportunity."
The Soul Stone spoke because it had realized that as Garus's strength grew, the merged universe was also expanding. This was a chance. Defeating Eternity could help Garus increase his power.
Moreover, Eternity had sealed off the nearby space. Neither Garus's Gate of Death nor the warship's space jumps could break the barrier. Not even the Space Stone could undo this entrapment.
"I hope you're not lying to me."
With space restricted, they wouldn't be able to escape far anyway. It was better to join the battle.
"Wait for me here."
"Hey, wait up!"
As Garus ran, Wade suddenly remembered they were in space.
...
Though the battle between Death and Eternity seemed fierce, neither of them had taken any fatal wounds. Death's robe was torn, one of her arms was severed, and purple light from her wounds prevented them from healing. Eternity's ethereal form had grown dimmer.
Eternity had originally hoped that the Devourer of Worlds would deal with that human and then come to help, but to his surprise, the Devourer had been destroyed in such an unclear manner. He hadn't noticed exactly what had happened over there.
Garus, looking at the expanding battlefield, realized he had no choice but to dive in headfirst.
Before he could approach, a golden beam shot toward him, and he reflexively raised several shields in front of him.
Black mist intercepted the energy beam before it reached Garus.
...
The ensuing battle shattered dozens of planets around them, including several that had been infected by Ego's influence, turning them to dust.
The influx of death energy caused Eternity's body to begin disintegrating. The starlight around the battlefield flickered, and Eternity's energy began to spread outward. A soul glowing with white light tried to escape.
"Huh? I haven't done anything yet!"
Before the Soul Stone could act, Garus saw the starlight surrounding him, and Eternity's consciousness tried to flee, only to be pulled toward Garus's body.
"Boom!"
Garus felt a blinding light before him, the loud, chaotic sounds of voices flooding his mind. He instinctively covered his head and stood frozen in place.
"What..."
Death stood in shock, staring at the scene. She couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Why had Eternity's soul been absorbed by that human? This was something even she couldn't do, and of course, she wouldn't have done it.
The starlight continued to flow into Garus's body, making him gradually become transparent.
...
In a temple somewhere in the universe, there was no sign of life. The air was thick with white mist, and all was silent.
Suddenly, the mist began to churn. A giant head emerged from it. The eyes of the head opened, and it called out to a corner, "Adam!"
"Here!"
A golden giant with four faces emerged from the mist, bowing respectfully to the head.
He was the Living Tribunal, formerly the warlock Adam, and the giant head was the manifestation of the One Above All, the ruler of the Omniverse.
"Master, is there something you need from me?"
"That human absorbed Eternity's energy, laws, and soul. Go to him now. Let him inherit the position of Eternity and become a new god."
"Understood!"
The Living Tribunal bowed and retreated.
He didn't ask why. After the Living Tribunal was killed by the Beyonders, the One Above All assigned him the role of the Living Tribunal. Whether dealing with the Five Gods or any other duty, he had accepted it.
After watching the Living Tribunal leave, the One Above All muttered, "The Beyonders, truly troublesome. I hope the one from beyond the Omniverse can deal with them."
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON