Chapter 278: Eat. The Invincible Galactus Rises.
Tiamut was completely frozen, daring not to move. The era had changed too drastically. Having matured years ago and absorbed nutrients for several more, it should have been even more developed. But now, facing this world that was beyond recognition, its very thought-organs were smoking.
One after another, incomparably powerful life forms turned their gazes upon it. Though they were as small as ants, they each emanated an aura that made Tiamut's core tremble.
"What the hell is going on?! Did I transmigrate?! Did I travel to the Main Universe or some other dangerous universe?!"
Tiamut did not understand, but it was deeply shaken. It instinctively and frantically searched the primordial information stored within itself—knowledge that every member of the Celestials possessed. As Celestials who must destroy a planet to be formally born, they inherently bear the mission to create stars, gravity, light, and heat. In a single universe, they could be described as innately divine.
How could the Celestials, with their innate divinity, be like blank sheets of paper, truly ignorant of the outside world? They had long since mastered knowledge and technology considered unfathomable by ordinary life forms, passed down from the knowledge system of ancient Celestials like Arishem.
But Tiamut had never imagined that after struggling to be half-born, with one hand and half a head sticking out, it would witness such an exaggerated scene on the surface.
One by one, "ants" radiating powerful auras—some far surpassing its own—had instantly surrounded it. They exuded a chilling, murderous intent, ready to strike at any moment.
There was even a cobbled-together Celestial—Tiamut recognized it at a glance as the corpse of a dead compatriot that had been modified and possessed.
*Arishem is truly incompetent. He never mentioned this to me,* Tiamut thought, reaching this completely irrational conclusion with its sluggish thought system.
It stared with its glowing, bulbous eyes, repeatedly scanning these figures.
"Identical life signatures detected. These are the Xenomorphs Arishem mentioned, perhaps a fusion product of intelligent beings like humans and Xenomorphs."
"Cosmic-level energy index detected… Correction, cosmic-level confirmed. Correction…"
Tiamut remained motionless until the modified compatriot came before it, raised its hand, and prepared to fire an energy cannon.
*What a primitive method of application,* Tiamut thought. *It actually needs to artificially create a 'muzzle.' A true Celestial can manipulate energy at will, blasting it out in any form.*
"This guy's energy index is at the Skyfather level at best. Heh, a typical newborn! I can greatly enrich my database with this. Is this how the Celestials reproduce? Sacrificing the life on one planet to create more planets?" Tony barraged Tiamut with a mocking tone.
Furthermore, he was already formulating a detailed plan called the Tiamut Modification Project. Perhaps before long, he would possess a second suit of Celestial armor.
In any case, no one present could tolerate this thing being fully born. Not to mention, this was Du Wa's homeworld. Du Wa might not care, but they, the Xenomorphs, absolutely had to.
For the homeworld of the renowned God of Xenomorphs to be obliterated by a fledgling Celestial would be a joke that would stun the Multiverse.
"I can destroy this lowly robot," Jean Grey said, first casting a cold glance at a somewhat anxious Wanda, disgusted by the woman's behavior.
Professor X immediately activated Cerebro. "Don't let yourself be immersed in slaughter and hatred…"
Before he could finish, Jean had flipped him over, wheelchair and all. It was fortunate that Magneto was quick-witted and swift-handed. Otherwise, given Professor X's frail body, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to be crushed to death by his own wheelchair. He would have been forced to choose a body as a container to transfer his consciousness into.
Tiamut had no reaction to these minor conflicts. It didn't dare move a muscle. As a newborn, its power was, at most, at the Strong Skyfather level. To move was to die.
The miserable plight of this poor creature quickly became known to the Celestials, led by Arishem.
The communication channel was flooded with Tiamut's requests for aid, but not a single Celestial gave a direct response. They all maintained a deathly silence.
"It can't be saved. It's simply impossible. Why didn't it listen to my advice and emerge at a time like this?" Arishem let out a heavy hum, the lights on his body flickering. The terrifying red glow painted a vast expanse of the universe in a different color. "If it had continued its slumber, there would have still been a chance. Those Xenomorphs would certainly not destroy Earth's core just for Tiamut! The only price Tiamut would have had to pay was to slumber for eternity!"
Was that such an unacceptable thing? Moreover, Tiamut had never truly been born; slumber was the main theme of its existence!
At least it was much better than being instantly wiped out.
"With this, the already scarce manpower of the Celestials becomes even more so. We no longer have a future in this universe."
"No matter how desperately we create stars, we are merely providing a breeding ground for the Xenomorphs to grow stronger."
"What should we do, Arishem? You are the leader, you have the final say. Should we leave this universe? If we don't leave soon, I'm worried…"
Each towering figure now conveyed a message of deep unwillingness. When had the Celestials ever been so pathetic? Well, ever since the emergence of Du Wa, the Celestials could only retreat time and time again in silence.
"Among us Celestials, there are many models comparable to the power of the Multiverse. We could absolutely contact them!"
"Silence! That would trigger another disaster. Isn't the Multiverse chaotic enough? The turmoil caused by Shuma-Gorath has not yet completely subsided, and Du Wa has begun a Multiverse-wide hunt for Chthon. Every universe is now ablaze with war, with battles between Black Magicians and Xenomorphs everywhere!"
Have the Celestials enter the fray at a time like this?
True, there were indeed several extremely powerful models among the Celestials, capable of unleashing at least Multiversal-level power. But similarly, those few Celestials were far beyond the reach of mass-produced, single-universe models like themselves.
It would be a miracle if the Multiversal-level Celestials responded to every little thing. Otherwise, what about all the universes that had perished in various major events? When those universes faced their apocalypse, weren't their local Celestials annihilated? If the Multiversal-level Celestials had lent a hand, couldn't they have saved those universes from the very beginning?
But the result was obvious. The Multiversal-level Celestials did absolutely nothing, looking down from on high as countless mass-produced models were born cheaply and died just as cheaply.
"Since Du Wa can invade Black Magic on a conceptual level, it means he is no longer limited to parasitizing flesh and blood. Most of us are machine Celestials, and we are now in danger as well."
Arishem spoke, "If we continue to wait, we will have no future. But our mission has not completely lost its meaning. Du Wa's existence does not create an irreconcilable logical conflict with our underlying program. Continue creating more stars, and wait for an opportunity." Arishem looked up toward the distant expanse.
In this universe, the era of the Celestials was over, that much was true. But on the Multiversal level, it was still the Celestials' sphere of activity.
The Celestials were the founders of the Multiverse. Arishem knew this. He said in a deep voice, "I am preparing to meet Galactus. I have an idea that might help us better escape our current predicament."
"Excellent! I knew you'd have a plan!"
"As expected of the God who created the Eternals and the Deviants! A guy like Kronos, enslaved by Du Wa, is nothing compared to you!"
Kronos, Hyperion, Thanos—these peak experts among the Eternals had all been annihilated at Du Wa's hands. The dead were dead, the chestbursted were chestbursted. The most tragic, Kronos, had become Du Wa's puppet, resurrected on the spot after dying in battle only to continue fighting to the death in an infinite loop.
Arishem looked at his compatriots, his massive form turning with grim resolve. Bearing the hopes of his brethren, he went to find the invincible Galactus.
Arishem greatly admired Galactus.
All these years, Earth-1543681 had been in such turmoil. Great battles between deities erupted at the drop of a hat, with Skyfathers and Celestials dying in droves. Planets exploded in batches, space repeatedly collapsed, and time was a mess.
But no matter what happened, no matter who Du Wa parasitized today or killed tomorrow, Galactus remained as stable as ever. At this very moment, he was diligently chasing Ego, who had barely escaped the cosmic battlefield with his life, drooling madly.
Ego and Galactus, one fled and one pursued. Escape was impossible. No matter how much Ego wailed, cried, or even threatened Galactus with the Xenomorphs, it was utterly useless.
Galactus paid no mind to any of that. He was focused on his meal.
"Arishem? You're Arishem, right? Quick, save me! If you save me, I'll give you half of the treasure I've collected over billions of years!" Ego shrieked, a distorted face appearing on his round planetary body as he fled for his life through the universe.
Arishem watched with cold indifference.
*Treasure? The divine power Ego absorbed after devouring countless of his sons? What use is that stuff?*
*Swish!*
Arishem opened his hand, and under Ego's joyful gaze, he condensed a super black hole that radiated a powerful gravity.
The terrifying gravity of this single black hole was enough to tear countless planets to fragments.
Several streaks of light flew over rapidly, looking at Arishem in shock and extreme tension.
"Arishem, do you intend to make an enemy of the invincible Galactus?"
"Die! Even if you are a Celestial, don't even think about obstructing Galactus's meal!"
The Heralds of Galactus, led by Tyrant, were enraged by this scene. Tyrant, in particular, roared and charged forward, attempting to battle Arishem to create an opportunity for Galactus to eat Ego.
In this universe, planets with high nutritional value that could be freely devoured were becoming increasingly scarce. On the other hand, Xenomorphs were becoming more and more numerous, expanding on various planets at a perfectly controlled pace, ensuring both the total number of free lifeforms and the continuous growth of the Xenomorph species.
The Heralds knew how sad Galactus became when he saw a universe like this. He had to eat Ego to soothe his severely wounded heart.
"Every life form has its own mission from the moment of its birth. The mission of the Celestials is to create rebirth from destruction. What, then, is your mission, Ego?"
With a gentle flick of his enormous finger, Arishem unleashed a massive energy wave that sent Tyrant and the others flying, and then he spoke slowly.
"What are you trying to say?" Ego had a premonition of doom. Then, to his horror, he saw Arishem throw the super black hole, empowered with a vast amount of divine power, at him.
Not toward Galactus, but toward him!
After an unavoidable collision with the black hole, Ego no longer had the power to escape. Galactus caught up, successfully grabbed him, and, without hesitation, opened his cavernous mouth and took a vicious bite.
It was like an ordinary person holding a watermelon and gnawing on it, his mouth dripping with red juices, producing a series of crisp chewing sounds. The way his eyes squinted, in particular, conveyed a world-shattering discovery to all: This is absolutely delicious!
This was Galactus's current state.
The materialized energy liquid dripped from the corners of his mouth, each drop possessing enough weight to easily crush an ordinary planet, yet now it was merely a side dish in this grand feast.
Ego screamed, cursed, and frantically cursed Arishem to a fate worse than his own. "I am a Xenomorph, a follower of Du Wa! I am the only planet-sized Deity he has in this universe! By helping Galactus eat me, you are declaring war on Du Wa!"
"And I am the only Arishem in this universe who helped Galactus eat you," Arishem said indifferently. "You are not as important as you proclaim. Even if you die, Du Wa probably won't even spare you a second glance. He can grab countless Egos from other universes at any time."
Ego fell silent. In a silence of despair, he was eaten clean by Galactus.
Galactus felt a hint of fullness but was still not completely satisfied. He looked at Arishem with an inquisitive gaze.
He, of course, knew this leader of the Celestials. Many of the living planets he had devoured over the past billions of years had been indirectly created by Arishem and his Celestials.
"Galactus, I am here to make a deal," Arishem said.
"Speak. I shall generously grant your wish. But saving Tiamut is not possible, not unless Du Wa or Thanoseid themselves act to dig Tiamut out without damaging Earth."
Any Cosmic Celestial could actually dig Tiamut out with ease and without destroying Earth—or they could restore it afterward if it was damaged. But this was Du Wa's Native Earth, not the Earth of some other universe!
Without a command from Du Wa, who would dare do anything to damage Earth? No one was willing to provoke a newly risen, powerful Multiversal God.
"No, not that. Tiamut chose the wrong path on its own. Let it remain frozen forever. Soon enough, perhaps its brain will have been scooped out to become a living research specimen for the Earthlings."
Arishem said, "The deal I want to make with you is this: I will offer my power to create the most perfect planet for you as food."
(end of chapter)