Aboard a nondescript spaceship, an enormous blue-and-white skull radiated an aura of profound cold. The terrible frost had frozen the entire cabin solid, coating every surface in a layer of ice nearly half a meter thick. A thin, slightly hunched figure with a shark-like fin atop his head trudged through the ice, dragging a heavy instrument toward the frozen skull. He was Psyphon, and he shivered with every step, the biting cold feeling like needles piercing his bones.
It took him a long time to reach the skull. Only now, standing before it, did he truly appreciate its immense size. The head alone was more than two meters tall; it was hard to imagine the scale of the creature when it was alive.
"It must have possessed infinite power," Psyphon muttered to himself, then chuckled at his own foolishness. "Otherwise, why would Lord Vilgax specifically seek to absorb its essence?" To even register on Vilgax's radar, a being had to be at least a planetary guardian.
As he pondered this, a terrifying voice echoed through the frozen air. "Psyphon. What are you waiting for?"
Vilgax's tall, imposing figure emerged from the swirling ice crystals. The sheer sense of oppression was suffocating, and Psyphon quickly bowed his head in fear and respect. "Lord Vilgax, I will begin at once."
Psyphon couldn't help but sneak a glance at his master. He looked much the same as the Vilgax of memory, though the strength-enhancing conduits that once crisscrossed his body were gone. Yet, his aura had not weakened; instead, it was several times stronger, as if he had become a true overlord of the universe. No, not 'as if,' Psyphon thought with feverish devotion. Lord Vilgax was always meant to rule the universe! His fanatical loyalty was much like that of Ebony Maw, but unlike the traitorous Maw, Psyphon's devotion was absolute.
Vilgax, confident in his lieutenant's loyalty, sat impassively as Psyphon connected the strange instrument to both the giant skull and his master's body. He had found Psyphon after the death of Thanos, while searching the universe for beings worthy of being absorbed. He had also re-hired several other old subordinates, including the infamous Sotoraggian bounty hunters Sixsix, Sevenseven, and Eighteight. Hidden within their signature purple high-tech armor, they were notorious across the galaxy. Vilgax figured he could use them as a facade, so the future ruler of the universe wouldn't appear to be without followers.
With a deep hum, the machine activated. Powerful energy erupted from the giant skull, flowing through the humming conduits and into Vilgax's body.
Instantly, a roar of unimaginable pain tore from Vilgax's throat.
Psyphon rushed forward in concern, but Vilgax swept him aside with a single, ruthless backhand. The arm, crackling with cryo-energy, froze the very air it passed through. Psyphon was flash-frozen and sent tumbling across the ice, writhing in agony.
Vilgax paid his subordinate no mind. He was lost in his own torment. To absorb another's power, one had to withstand an equal measure of its force. The terrible cold invaded his body, freezing every cell, making him feel as if his very blood was turning to ice. A stinging, shattering pain erupted from within.
In a single instant, Vilgax was frozen solid. The runaway cryo-power exploded outward, forming a massive iceberg that filled the cabin in the space of a breath. Psyphon, terrified, crawled desperately toward the frozen monolith, only to be thrown back by another blast of cold.
CRACK!
The huge iceberg suddenly shattered. Vilgax, fists clenched, strode out from the icy shards. He exhaled, and the air itself formed a freezing gale. Behind him, the giant blue skull of the Frost Giant King disintegrated into a fine powder of crystal fragments.
"As expected of the King of the Frost Giants," Vilgax boomed, his voice rumbling with new power. "This is exactly what I needed."
Ever since witnessing Ben's battle with Thanos, Vilgax knew he could never win with his original strength. At best, he was on par with Thanos's Black Order—mere cannon fodder. If Thanos himself lost to Ben, what chance did he have? He would never obtain the Omnitrix that way. He needed more power.
Coincidentally, Thanos's defeat had left the Titan weak and vulnerable, giving Vilgax the perfect opportunity. Using his absorption device, Vilgax had completely inherited Thanos's mighty power. But he didn't act rashly. He had also inherited Thanos's knowledge, and he understood how deep the waters of this universe ran. Asgard and the Nine Realms were famous throughout the universe. So, Vilgax had set his sights there. He traveled to the ruins of Jotunheim and found the corpse of Laufey, the Frost Giant King. The unique nature of the Nine Realms meant that Laufey's power was tied to the World Tree, and it had not dissipated upon his death. Vilgax had claimed it effortlessly.
The combination of the two forces—Thanos's cosmic might and Laufey's cryo-mastery—made Vilgax more powerful than ever. His ultimate goal was to gather the power of all Nine Realms and become truly invincible.
"Lord Vilgax," Psyphon said, rubbing his hands together with fawning admiration. "Is our next target the rest of the Nine Realms?" He eagerly awaited the order to begin a grand invasion, to conquer new worlds and watch his master grow ever stronger.
Vilgax glanced at him with disdain. "Now is not the time."
Unlike the reckless Psyphon, Vilgax knew the true power of Asgard. His own energy level might now rival Odin's, but he lacked a weapon of cosmic significance. Asgard's vaults, in contrast, were filled with powerful artifacts. In this universe, a weapon could be more dangerous than its wielder. He had learned that lesson when a single blast from the Power Stone had nearly killed him. He would not make the same mistake twice.
"Let those Dark Elves cause trouble for now," Vilgax decided. It was not wise to draw attention to the Nine Realms yet. "They will serve as a fine distraction."
"Then what shall we do, my lord?" Psyphon asked cautiously.
"The Sotoraggians have been monitoring the Plumbers," Vilgax said. "What intelligence have they sent back?"
"My lord, not long ago, the Plumbers had a conflict with the three great empires at the Galactic Federation summit. The Praetor of the Shi'ar Empire, Kallark, was defeated by Ben Parker."
Vilgax was not mad enough to challenge Ben directly. Not yet. A cruel smile spread across his face. "The Champion of the Shi'ar Empire, you say…"
On the abandoned planet Morag, the gray landscape was dead silent. The oceans that had once submerged the world were gone, revealing the planet's original, black, rocky surface. On the rugged plains, herds of small, dinosaur-like creatures migrated across the land, searching for anything they could eat. Their time was short. In a few years, the seas would return, swallowing the land once more. In the limited time they had, they needed to complete their entire life cycle: hatch, grow, reproduce, and leave behind countless eggs, waiting quietly for the next brief reincarnation hundreds of years later.
"You want to recreate the genetic codex on this planet?" Eunice asked, her eyes sweeping over the desolate terrain. She was familiar with Morag; she had processed all the data Ben collected when they were hunting for the Power Stone.
At this moment, she and Ben stood on a high rock, the native creatures instinctively giving them a wide berth.
"This planet is perfect," Ben explained. "It has a breathable atmosphere, water, and a day-night cycle—all necessary for life. It's also geographically remote and resource-poor, so few will ever come here. The original civilization was wiped out long ago, so there are no territorial disputes." A new genetic ark, a new Primus, needed a stable environment. A frozen hell like Jotunheim or a fiery one like Muspelheim would corrupt the samples.
"And if there are intruders, you can handle them, can't you?" Ben asked with a smile.
Eunice, now wielding an Infinity Stone, was immensely powerful, perhaps even surpassing most of Ben's alien forms. In the realm of the mind, she was a peerless guardian. She wasn't like Vision, whose only understanding of the Mind Stone was how to make it shoot a weak laser.
"You need not worry about that," Eunice nodded, her gaze softening as she looked out at the barren land. She wondered if such a desolate place could truly be a cradle of life. "But what of the periodic floods? If we are to gather the genes of all life in the universe here, I had hoped it might become… more beautiful."
"Don't worry. Once we acquire the Reality Stone, we can reshape this entire world to our liking," Ben assured her. "And, of course, we can give it a new name." The name Morag was far too common. He envisioned a new world, a microcosm of the universe, a Noah's Ark against any future cataclysm, a spark of civilization preserved forever.
"Like Primus," Eunice said, a longing smile on her face. In her tranquil green eyes, the poor, black continent already seemed to be teeming with life and hope.
"Primus, Noah's Ark, the Garden… call it whatever you wish," Ben said.
"Let's call it Primus," Eunice decided with a radiant smile. "It's the same as your company, but as you said, there's nothing wrong with a classic."
Ben smiled back. Just then, the Plumber badge on his chest flashed. He activated the communicator, and the serious face of Beta Ray Bill appeared.
"High Commander," Bill reported, his voice grim. "The Praetor of the Shi'ar Empire, Kallark, has been attacked. The assailant was Vilgax, the one who once allied with Thanos."
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