Bant was, in truth, deliberately provoking Kallark.
The three great empires occupied vast territories across the universe, maintaining a balance through mutual restraint and cooperation. Now that Sakaar had emerged as a power capable of sharing the cake with them, friction was inevitable.
To prevent them from causing trouble, Sakaar needed to demonstrate a portion of its strength.
Open war was not the right approach—not because they couldn't win.
In terms of pure strength, Bant feared nothing, not even if the three empires joined forces.
He had defeated Thanos, which alone proved his strength was approaching Odin's level. The three empires combined might not even be his match. If he wanted to, he could become the next terror of the universe.
Not to mention that the Celestial Union now held four Infinity Stones—Time, Space, Mind, and Power. Even the Celestials of the Pantheon would have to think twice before clashing with the Celestial Union, let alone the three empires.
But Bant didn't like relying on the stones' power. In the end, that was just external strength.
On the other hand, actively starting a war clearly went against the founding principles of the Celestial Union. This was a peacekeeping organization—declaring war on whoever rubbed you the wrong way would be somewhat improper.
Finding a strong fighter from the three empires to have a match, however, was an excellent alternative.
And Kallark's strength barely qualified.
The Shi'ar Majestor's power stemmed from confidence. Provoked by Bant like this, the thought of refusing didn't even cross his mind.
He was supremely confident in his own abilities and never even considered the possibility of losing. Besides, Kallark genuinely wanted to know whether the Sakarran King of the Celestial Union was truly as formidable as the rumors claimed.
Kallark looked down at Bant, his eyes brimming with battle intent.
"Then let me see just how much skill the so-called Sakarran King actually possesses!" he said, and without a glance at anyone else's expressions, he strode directly out of the council chamber. He clearly had no intention of talking further and wanted to settle things directly with action.
But Bill frowned, finding Bant's decision inappropriate.
He knew better than anyone how strong Bant was.
Back on Sakaar, Bant had defeated the Red Queen Ruma with overwhelming power, and had since been amplified by the Sakarran Thunder. His strength was simply not something someone like Kallark could match.
In Bill's eyes, Bant was at least on the same tier as the All-Father of Asgard. Fighting a mere majestor of the three empires was practically beneath him.
"Chief Security Officer, why must you personally take action? An opponent of this level—allow me to handle it."
Bill placed one hand over his chest and bowed his head humbly.
He wasn't showing off; he was speaking the truth.
Kallark, at full confidence, was roughly on par with Thor, the God of Thunder.
Bill could also go toe-to-toe with Thor. Though he no longer had Mjolnir, Bant had given him Ronan's Universal Weapon, and with Celestial Energy as his power source, he was not weakened compared to his original self—in fact, he had grown stronger.
Dealing with a single Kallark was more than enough!
Bill felt it would be better for him to step in. It would also let those self-important people of the three empires see that their so-called mightiest warrior was merely at the level of a Security Officer in the Celestial Union.
Besides himself, there were four other Security Officers, and he was far from being the strongest one.
What did the three empires have to compete with the Celestial Union?
Five Security Officers—and Ruma had two hands, each counting as one, so that was effectively double. By that calculation, the three empires would have to fight an average of more than two Security Officers each.
But they only had one Kallark.
Bill's reasoning was sound, yet Bant still shook his head.
The Security Officers had already proven their strength. Now, all the doubts were directed at him. While letting Bill handle it would have been acceptable, as the Chief Security Officer of the Celestial Union, Bant truly needed to demonstrate some of his own power.
Just as Odin's fearsome reputation didn't simply fall onto him while he sat on the throne of Asgard—it was solidly earned through battle.
Besides—
"It's just a little exercise."
He didn't take Kallark seriously and walked outside with full confidence.
A mere Kallark—dealing with him would be a matter of moments.
Comparable to Thor? That depended on which version of Thor you were talking about.
Bill said nothing more. That was simply his nature. He wouldn't have even spoken up in the first place if he hadn't felt that fighting Kallark somewhat lowered Bant's stature.
Outside the Galactic Federation headquarters, everyone gazed into the distance at the open ground beyond the high tower.
There, Kallark stood like a blade, his tall frame harboring tremendously powerful energy. His entire presence felt as though it could cleave the planets from the sky.
Anyone who saw Kallark in this state could not help but feel fear.
In terms of civilizational tier, the Shi'ar Empire wasn't actually on the same level as the Kree Empire or the Skrull Empire. The reason they could squeeze into the ranks of the three great empires was, to a large extent, due to Kallark's personal strength.
This was a warrior who could fight ten thousand alone.
Kallark's name had long echoed across the universe.
Bant, on the other hand...
His build held no advantage, and he didn't seem to possess overwhelming power. Although rumors claimed he had killed Thanos, no one really knew what had happened in that battle.
Who knew how Thanos actually died?
"Is he really that strong?"
Carol stood at the edge of the high tower, her crimson silk sash fluttering at her waist. She watched as, dozens of kilometers away, Bant Parker's figure appeared tiny and unremarkable, giving off the sense that he might shatter at a single touch.
Fury rubbed his head. He, for his part, thought Bant might truly be the Sakarran King after all.
"Based on the strength I've seen, I'd say he's quite ordinary... but how should I put it? He's not the type to shoot arrows at nothing."
That was what baffled Nick Fury.
From what he knew of Bant, if the man didn't have the strength to handle Kallark, he wouldn't puff himself up to save face.
Bant had always given him a feeling of absolute reliability.
"How strong is Kallark?" Nick Fury asked.
He knew Kallark was powerful, but he lacked a concrete comparison.
"About the same as me."
Captain Marvel said.
She meant under the premise of not activating her Binary form.
"That strong?!"
Fury understood instantly.
And at the same time, he began to worry about Bant.
He knew Captain Marvel's power better than anyone. She had always been his final trump card. Even when facing the Chitauri or Ultron, Fury had never considered summoning Captain Marvel.
That would be using a cannon to swat a fly.
Captain Marvel folded her arms and said calmly, "Watch. But I think he'll do fine."
He—meaning Bant, of course.
On the other side, the Skrull Queen slowly approached the Kree King.
"Dorrek, who do you think will win?"
The Skrulls and the Kree had a conflict stretching back tens of thousands of years. They normally couldn't stand the sight of each other, but within the Galactic Federation, they didn't show it so openly—after all, conflict between the two sides would only benefit others.
"Who knows..." Dorrek narrowed his eyes, not speaking directly, but he hoped the victor would be Kallark.
After all, he knew the Shi'ar Empire inside and out. Sakaar was a different matter.
"This is the man who supposedly defeated Thanos," the Skrull Queen said.
Dorrek chuckled softly. "I've gathered quite a bit of intelligence. Thanos's forces suffered considerable losses on a planet called Earth—even the entire Black Order was wiped out. You know the strength of the Celestial Union's Security Officers yourself. If they besieged Thanos together, victory is certainly plausible."
The Skrull Queen nodded slightly.
The Celestial Union's Security Officers were indeed very powerful. Bill, for instance, could defeat Ronan the Accuser—they were still unaware that Bill was now no longer beneath Kallark.
And two of the Security Officers appeared to be from Asgard. Looking at it that way, defeating Thanos wasn't impossible.
Perhaps Asgard had contributed significantly as well.
"Let's hope he can't win. If even Kallark is not his match—no, even if his strength is on par with Kallark's, or even slightly weaker, that's bad news for us," Dorrek VIII said, shaking his head.
Even if Bant were merely at the same level as an ordinary Security Officer, he would still be a massive threat.
Don't forget—Ronan, whom Dorrek was painstakingly trying to ransom back, couldn't even defeat Bill!
There was only one Kallark. In terms of individual combat power, most Kree and Skrulls were really just... average.
The Skrull Queen thought it over and found the logic sound, so she fell silent, turning her gaze to the holographic screen in midair.
Not everyone could see great distances with the naked eye. Watching through the screen was the choice of the majority.
Few believed Bant could win, because Kallark's strength was universally acknowledged. However, most also didn't think Bant would lose quickly.
After all, the Celestial Union wouldn't find some incompetent fool to come and embarrass themselves.
"I'd estimate he might be able to hold out against Gladiator for several hours," someone speculated.
"A draw is also possible."
Most believed this would be a spectacular, evenly-matched battle. But the result far exceeded their expectations. The fight ended with absolute, crushing dominance—and with Kallark's defeat as the outcome.
On the screen, Kallark launched the first attack.
Gladiator possessed many abilities—super strength, endurance, heat vision, freezing breath... he could almost be described as a miniature Superman.
Now, facing the seemingly utterly frail Bant, he chose to use his heat vision as a probe.
In an instant, two searing beams erupted from his eyes!
The terrifying energy traveled for several kilometers, causing even those watching from the high tower to feel a wave of heat washing over their faces.
"Kallark's heat vision—it could probably melt a small asteroid in a single instant!"
The Skrull Queen spoke while watching to see how Bant would face such a fearsome attack.
If Bant was truly powerful, he might have a way to dodge this strike.
But to everyone's astonishment, Bant didn't even move his feet in the face of Kallark's attack. He simply took it head-on!
BOOM!!!
The immense energy instantly triggered a violent explosion!
The shockwave unleashed was no less than the impact of a small asteroid.
In an instant, the earth shattered, and thick dust mushroomed up dozens of meters high, like a grey tombstone.
No one had expected such an outcome.
"It seems it's over," Dorrek scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "And here I thought the Sakarran King was something special. I never imagined he'd be foolish enough to take Kallark's attack directly... Or was he simply frozen with fear?"
No one believed Bant could emerge unscathed from such an assault.
Kallark's heat vision could shatter even a small asteroid. Taking a direct hit—there was no second outcome besides utter annihilation.
"It seems the Sakarran King is all empty fame. Most likely, Thanos was besieged and killed by the other Security Officers," the Skrull Queen speculated.
Neither she nor Dorrek VIII believed that a ruler necessarily had to possess overwhelming personal strength—that was a warrior's duty. They also didn't assume the Sakarran King had to be stronger than the other Security Officers. She just hadn't expected the man to be this stupid—knowing he lacked strength, yet still coming to throw his life away.
Or had the Security Officers of the Celestial Union deliberately set out to eliminate this Sakarran King?
"This..." Fury was at a loss for words.
Could Bant really have died just like that?
He found it hard to believe and turned his gaze to Carol.
But Carol's brow was tightly furrowed. She said in a low voice, "Something's wrong!"
She wasn't the only one who sensed it. So did Kallark, on the battlefield.
The mighty warrior's gaze was locked onto the center of the explosion. There, it was as if a ferocious cosmic beast was awakening. A terrifying energy was climbing rapidly. The threat of death locked onto Kallark's body, and for a moment, even his heart seemed to waver.
BOOM!!!
A silent shockwave burst forth, instantly shaking the billowing dust into a vacuum-like stillness.
The scene became clear again.
Where the heat vision had struck, the ground was shattered, the rocks scorched black, and the air itself warped from the intense heat.
Bant's body was long gone. In its place stood a monster resembling a planet—Living Planet: Ultimate Gravattack!
Back when Bant had obtained Ego's genes from Star-Lord, he had unlocked both the Living Planet and Gravattack forms.
He discovered the two genetic structures were remarkably similar, so he began fusion experiments and successfully created an enhanced version of Gravattack—a new alien hero fused with Ego's energy!
In appearance, he looked almost identical to Ultimate Gravattack, but his power had been elevated by more than a single level.
Feeling Bant's energy, as vast as a planet itself, Kallark could no longer maintain his confident, arrogant demeanor. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his entire body seemed to waver, and the confidence in his chest shattered like a collapsing dam.
But Bant had no intention of ending things there.
He directly extended his palm, aimed at Kallark from a distance, and said mockingly, "I hear you can fly at near-light speed?"
"Then let's see if you have the ability to escape the pull of a black hole."
As his words fell, he clenched his palm.
BOOM!!
Infinite space collapsed.
/-\
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