Yes, the Celestials had indeed fled the current universe, and the reason was simple—Earth's Dimensional Consciousness had warned them.
Even though Silver Surfer, the Avengers, and Robert had all been exceedingly careful to avoid making noise or leaving traces, the absence of any apparent disturbances was itself the greatest disturbance.
Before Robert even returned to Earth, the Dimensional Consciousness had already grown wary. Robert's demonstrated power had far exceeded its expectations.
Previously, Robert was undoubtedly powerful, but he wasn't on the level of the universe's highest-tier beings. Earth's Dimensional Consciousness hadn't thought of him as a real threat to itself or the Celestials.
But when Robert revealed his cosmic god-level abilities—forcing Galactus to retreat—the Dimensional Consciousness realized that Robert was now beyond what it and the Celestials could handle. It quickly passed this information along to the Celestials.
During Robert and Galactus's battle in the interdimensional void, Earth's Dimensional Consciousness had been a witness. Even though the Consciousness didn't necessarily believe that Robert could truly defeat Galactus, it had seen enough to conclude that Robert's power was overwhelming.
The fact that Galactus chose to retreat—regardless of the reason—was enough to confirm Robert's strength.
Back at the Avengers' base...
As Robert appeared and disappeared repeatedly, teleporting between the Void and Earth, the Avengers exchanged glances, sensing that something was off.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked cautiously as Robert returned, his expression serious.
"Do you know exactly where the Celestials are hiding in the Void?" Robert finally stopped his search and looked at Silver Surfer.
"I've encountered the Celestials in the Void before," Silver Surfer nodded, and his cosmic surfboard began to expand in size to accommodate two passengers. He gestured for Robert to climb on. "I can take you to where I last saw them."
"Let's go," Robert said, stepping onto the board.
With a faint shimmer, the two vanished from the Avengers' base, reappearing within the Void. However, the moment they arrived, Silver Surfer's expression turned confused.
"Where are they? There were always Celestials here. Every time I've visited the Void, at least some of them were present." Silver Surfer's voice was filled with doubt.
"It seems we were right to suspect it," Robert's eyes gleamed with sharp insight. "Earth's Dimensional Consciousness is tied to the Celestials. When I first arrived here, I could sense traces of a Celestial's energy. But by the time I pursued it, the signal had already disappeared."
"Could Earth's Dimensional Consciousness have mutated, like Ego?" Silver Surfer mused, his thoughts aligning with Robert's theory. "If so, that would make it extremely difficult to deal with.
"While your strength puts you well above Earth's Dimensional Consciousness, it's essentially invulnerable because it doesn't have a physical form—or rather, its physical form is Earth itself. I doubt you'd destroy Earth to deal with it."
"That's exactly the issue," Robert admitted with a nod. "The Consciousness is essentially invincible. On a dimensional level, it lacks a tangible body. On a material level, it's fused with Earth itself. It's practically unbeatable."
With no immediate solution in sight, Robert and Silver Surfer returned to the Avengers' base and then regrouped in the Savage Lands, an isolated and secure sub-dimensional space within Earth where they could strategize without being spied on by the Dimensional Consciousness.
The Savage Lands were unique, existing within a special pocket of reality inaccessible even to teleportation. Not even Earth's Dimensional Consciousness could monitor their discussions here.
And this conversation? It would serve as another test to gauge the Dimensional Consciousness's response.
"Are the Celestials really this shameless? Doesn't anyone police them?" Peter Parker asked angrily after hearing Robert's report.
In his view, a group like the Celestials, who claimed to foster civilizations but were really just cultivating them for harvest, ought to face some kind of cosmic justice. Surely there were universal "heroes" to counterbalance them.
Peter's frustration resonated with many of the Avengers. The Celestials' methods were undeniably villainous—sowing the seeds of civilization across the universe, only to return millennia later and consume the fruits of their cultivation.
For planets without their "seeds," the Celestials had a different method: their enforcer, Arishem the Judge, would determine whether a civilization deserved to survive. If the verdict was extinction, their executioner—the Celestial known as the Eradicator—would erase that civilization completely, as they had with the Kree Empire.
While the Avengers grew increasingly indignant, Robert, Silver Surfer, and Galantra remained calm. They viewed the situation through a broader, less emotional lens.
For Silver Surfer and Galantra, the moral outrage of the Avengers held little sway. Silver Surfer had once scouted planets for Galactus to consume—a task not much different from the Celestials' work. And Galantra, having been raised as Galactus's daughter, had never questioned the morality of devouring planets or civilizations.
As for Robert, he understood the Avengers' perspective but also recognized the complexity of cosmic hierarchies. Not everything could be classified simply as good or evil.
In the Dragon Ball universe, for example, the God of Destruction regularly wiped out planets and civilizations. Beerus even outsourced this task to Frieza, allowing him to conquer and destroy on Beerus's behalf. Did that make Beerus a villain?
To those destroyed civilizations, yes—Beerus was undoubtedly a villain. But from the perspective of universal balance, Beerus was simply fulfilling his divine role: maintaining the cosmic order by removing stagnation and fostering progress.
Similarly, the Celestials' actions were sanctioned—or at least overlooked—by one of the universe's cosmic deities, Eternity. While Eternity might not actively involve itself in the Celestials' operations, its implicit approval was no different from Zeno allowing the Gods of Destruction to carry out their duties.
"For the universe, the rise and fall of civilizations are but fleeting moments," Silver Surfer said calmly. "In the grand scheme, they're inconsequential. When the universe eventually ends, everything will either begin anew or evolve into something entirely different."
"That may be true, but it's cruel to the civilizations and planets being erased," Tony Stark countered. Rationally, he understood Silver Surfer's argument, but emotionally, he couldn't agree.
"No need to worry. Our universe is still young. The end is far off unless Annihilation—the force controlling the Void—begins to expand," Silver Surfer said with a shake of his head.
"These cosmic crises are far beyond us. Right now, our priority should be dealing with the Celestials," Steve Rogers interjected. "The end of the universe? That's a problem for billions of years from now—long after we're dust."
"While the Celestials have fled, Earth's Dimensional Consciousness remains, and we still have no way to deal with it," Robert added, bringing the discussion back to the immediate threat. "Frankly, it poses a greater danger than the Celestials."
"That thing has been preparing defenses for ages," Tony sighed. "We used to think it was protecting Earth from extraterrestrial threats. Now it seems it's been defending itself against us—or rather, you—all along."
"Even now, I could destroy Earth if I wanted to," Robert said bluntly. He wasn't bragging, just stating a fact. If Galactus could easily consume Earth, Robert could just as easily obliterate it.
But the problem wasn't destroying Earth—it was protecting the people who lived on it.
Even though the Avengers had been cast aside by much of humanity, they still felt a deep responsibility to safeguard Earth's inhabitants.
Moving Earth's entire population to another planet wasn't realistic, even with the existence of New Earth. Many wouldn't want to leave, and the logistics of such a massive relocation would surely alert the Dimensional Consciousness.
While the Dimensional Consciousness couldn't harm Robert directly, it could wreak havoc on ordinary people. It could manipulate disasters to cause mass casualties—effectively becoming the architect of "Final Destination"-style calamities on a global scale.
"Looks like there's no immediate solution. We'll just have to take things as they come," Tony concluded after a lengthy discussion. Even with Jarvis and Cyborg running advanced calculations, they couldn't come up with a feasible plan to neutralize the Dimensional Consciousness.
"What about Darkseid? Did you find him?" Tony asked, shifting the focus.
"I sensed traces of Apokolips and the Parademons in the Void," Robert replied. "I believe Darkseid's forces are hiding there."
"Why did he come to Earth in the first place? What could he be after?" Robert's gaze grew thoughtful. "If he were to return, could he threaten the Dimensional Consciousness?"
"Are you suggesting we pit one against the other?" Tony's brow furrowed. "That's an incredibly risky move. There's no telling what damage Darkseid might cause to Earth—or its people."
"Then let's test the waters first," Robert suggested. "You've been itching for a fight, haven't you? Let's pay Darkseid and his Parademons a visit."
"That sounds like a plan!" Several Avengers perked up at the idea. While Earth's problems weighed on them, a battle against Darkseid seemed like a chance to blow off steam.
As the Avengers prepared to leave the Savage Lands, their expressions suddenly darkened. A surge of energy signals flooded their senses—powerful entities had appeared across the globe.
"Monsters? And some humans—or maybe aliens—with special powers!" Kara quickly scanned the globe with her enhanced vision, providing a rapid assessment.
"This wasn't happening before we entered the Savage Lands," Robert said, his eyes narrowing. "Could this be the work of the Dimensional Consciousness?"
The timing was far too convenient. Just as the Celestials disappeared, these new threats emerged. Once again, Robert couldn't help but suspect Earth's Dimensional Consciousness was pulling the strings.
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