Ego's smile froze.
For the first time, that handsome, charismatic face stiffened. As he stared at the miniature living planet in Levi's palm, shock flickered in the depths of his eyes—followed immediately by undisguised killing intent.
He could tell this wasn't imitation.
It was creation.
The manipulation of matter and energy at the most fundamental level—it was identical to his own.
That meant the seemingly ordinary human before him had already ascended to the same life tier as himself.
"Interesting," Ego said after a brief pause, forcing his expression back into a smile—though it no longer felt natural. "It seems I am not the only lonely traveler in this universe. Friend… are you a Celestial as well?"
"Something like that," Levi replied casually, dispersing the energy sphere.
He could sense Ego's murderous intent, carefully concealed. Clearly, until Ego fully understood him—and while he still needed Quill as a battery—he had no intention of turning hostile.
"Wonderful!" Ego feigned delight and stepped forward, attempting to clap Levi on the shoulder. Levi subtly sidestepped.
"Peter, do you hear that? We are not alone!" Ego turned to Quill, voice brimming with excitement. "We are the highest form of life in the cosmos. We share a grand destiny!"
He began painting a magnificent vision—his Expansion was not destruction, but enlightenment. He would bring order and light to the cold universe, merging all life into his eternal consciousness.
Quill was utterly captivated.
To become a god. To live forever. To reshape the universe beside his Celestial father. The temptation was overwhelming. His face flushed red with exhilaration.
Levi watched coldly.
Through Mantis' barely concealed fear and sorrow—and through his own newly awakened Celestial perception—he already understood everything.
Expansion? Light?
It was consumption.
Ego had planted seeds across the universe. Once he found a child capable of channeling his power, he would activate them all—consuming every living world and turning them into extensions of himself.
Those promised eternal lives would simply become fuel.
Levi stepped forward and interrupted.
"That's enough. Drop the act."
He looked directly at Ego.
"Your grand plan is just turning the universe into your buffet. Quill is nothing but a battery."
Ego's expression darkened.
"I don't understand what you mean."
"Don't you?" Levi pointed at the ground beneath them. "Curious how many bones are buried under your feet? Your other children. The ones who couldn't inherit your power. Disposed of like trash."
"You're lying!" Quill snapped, stepping between them. "You're just jealous I found my family! You're an outsider—don't talk about things you don't understand!"
Blinded by paternal affection, he refused to listen.
Levi sighed.
Arguing with someone under emotional manipulation was pointless.
"Fine."
He turned to Gamora and Rocket.
"Do you trust me?"
They exchanged a glance and nodded without hesitation.
"Then come with me."
With a swipe of his hand, Levi tore open a spatial rift and stepped through.
Gamora, Rocket, Drax, and Groot followed.
Quill stood frozen, glancing between the fading portal and Ego's darkened expression.
…
They emerged in a vast subterranean cavern.
At its center floated a colossal glowing structure—like a massive brain—radiating soft white light. Countless luminous neural tendrils extended outward, connecting to every part of the planet.
Ego's core.
And surrounding it—
Mountains of bones.
Skulls and skeletons from countless intelligent species, piled like a white ocean. Massive remains like hills. Small, delicate bones like children's.
Rocket stared, speechless.
Gamora picked up a skull etched with distinct markings. "Xandarian… I've seen these before."
Drax's fists clenched silently.
"He was telling the truth…" Gamora whispered.
Suddenly, Ego's voice thundered through the cavern.
"Interlopers! You have overstepped!"
The entire chamber shook. Bone mountains collapsed. Stone tendrils erupted from all directions, aiming to crush them.
"Behind me."
Levi raised a hand. An invisible barrier formed. Stone shattered against it.
"If you won't be civilized, I'll help you."
He clenched his fist toward the glowing core.
[Law of Force · Distortion].
The core shrieked.
Gravity, electromagnetism, strong and weak forces—all destabilized at once. The planet's surface cracked. Storms howled. Oceans churned.
"AAARGH—!"
Ego's humanoid avatar disintegrated. Across the planetary surface, a colossal face formed from continents and seas, twisted in fury.
"I will kill you!"
A massive sphere of condensed planetary energy launched toward Levi.
Levi glanced upward.
"So you're done pretending?"
He teleported the others back to the Milano, then faced the attack alone.
He did not dodge.
The blast engulfed him in blinding light.
For a brief moment, Ego smiled—
Until the light faded.
Levi hovered unharmed, cloaked in shimmering adaptive armor, its surface analyzing and evolving from the energy impact.
"That's it?" Levi rolled his neck. "For a Celestial, that's underwhelming."
In Levi's internal ranking:
Thor—satellite-tier.
Carol Danvers at peak—planetary-tier.
Ego—true Celestial-tier.
Above that—Skyfather-tier beings like Odin and the Ancient One.
Beyond that—entities like Dormammu, and the cosmic abstracts.
Ego was powerful—but primitive. Raw energy. No law-level mastery.
"You have enraged me!"
The entire planet came alive.
Mountains became fists. Chasms split open. Toxic spores filled the air.
Levi flickered through the chaos.
[Spatial Severance]—giant stone hands sliced cleanly apart.
[Law of Force · Singularity]—a microscopic black hole formed, disrupting planetary cohesion.
Ego faltered.
"Time to end this."
Levi gathered everything—Celestial life energy, the Law of Force, the Law of Space.
He wasn't creating a weapon.
He was weaving a rule.
Space folded. Force compressed. Life energy became the core.
A golden spear formed in his hand.
[Spear of Law].
He threw it.
There was no sound.
No travel time.
It simply appeared before Ego's core—
And pierced through it.
"NO—!"
Cracks spread like spiderwebs across the glowing brain.
Then—
It shattered.
The planet began collapsing.
Levi floated amid the disintegrating core fragments.
His newly awakened Celestial body felt hunger.
He opened his arms.
The fragments dissolved into golden particles and streamed into him.
[Absorbing Celestial Core Fragments…]
[Lifeform Ascension in Progress…]
[Skyfather-tier Conversion: +33%]
Levi closed his eyes.
His existence surged upward.
If before he had touched the threshold—
Now he had stepped one-third beyond it.
Combined with Xandar's star charts, he could now pinpoint Earth's location with absolute precision.
When he opened his eyes again, Ego's planet was nothing but cosmic dust.
The Milano hovered nearby.
Levi stepped aboard.
Everyone looked at him with awe.
Quill's expression was the most complex—grief, relief, acceptance.
"Thank you," Quill said quietly.
"No need," Levi replied. "Without that power, you'll live longer."
He glanced at the eclectic crew and smiled faintly.
"Well. My business here is done. Time to go home."
He looked at Quill.
"Star-Lord. You're coming with me."
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