The Space Stone intertwined with the power of the Vishanti surged through the blade, releasing an earth-shaking wave of energy.
The gleaming edge of the sword radiated an aura so sharp it felt like it could cleave through the very fabric of space.
Galactus narrowed his eyes, locking onto the sword in Gene's hand—it radiated immense pressure.
Somewhere deep in his cosmic instincts, he knew that if that blade pierced him, the consequences would be... dire.
This was the intuition born of a being who had mastered energy. And now, his instincts screamed danger.
"Aikern's March," Gene whispered coldly.
His left hand flashed through a sequence of seals, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of his phantoms appeared, all wielding identical radiant swords.
Together, they surged toward Galactus at the center.
With a grunt, Galactus punched into the air—his fist shattered the shadows instantly like bursting bubbles.
But from within one of the dissolving illusions, a golden-blue sword tip pierced forward, stabbing toward Galactus's arm.
The real Gene was hidden among them.
The blade lightly skimmed his cosmic flesh—and a stream of thick purplish-red blood immediately gushed out of Galactus's arm.
"Argh!"
Galactus, the devourer of countless worlds, had just been injured by an intelligent lifeform from a primitive planet. An unforgivable humiliation.
A shadow flickered beside him. With a casual grasp, Galactus summoned a warhammer—
A terrifying weapon forged from the cores of devoured planets. A true relic of cosmic destruction.
The hammer twirled once in his hand, and then pointed directly at Gene.
But Gene teleported instantly, reappearing behind Galactus and thrusting his golden-blue holy sword toward his back.
Sensing Gene's presence, Galactus shifted his body just in time and dodged. Using the momentum from his spin, he swung the warhammer in a devastating arc.
Light exploded from the weapon, emanating power far beyond comprehension.
A flash of blue—and Gene vanished again.
With no target, the warhammer crashed into the air.
But the atmosphere itself reacted like a solid structure—compressed, then shattered, its fragments slicing outward like countless invisible blades.
The energy struck the ocean below, boiling and compressing the waters.
That same energy pulsed down to the ocean floor—cracking the seabed wide open, causing massive tectonic collapse.
Seawater gushed in, triggering a cataclysmic tsunami.
Galactus roared, "Let's see how many blasts from the Infinity Stones that pathetic armor of yours can endure!"
His chest unleashed a terrifying crimson beam, firing straight toward Gene.
Gene's thrusters ignited at full power, surrounding his body in a shell of blue energy.
He barely evaded the fatal blast.
The crimson beam scraped past the Statue of Liberty's torch and roared toward New York City.
Everything in its path was instantly vaporized.
It tore through over a dozen skyscrapers before finally fizzling out.
Gene raised his holy sword and lunged forward, appearing directly in front of Galactus as if tearing through space itself.
"Humph!" Galactus sneered.
He twirled his warhammer with ease and brought it up to block Gene's strike.
Clang!
A deafening crash echoed through the battlefield. The shockwave pierced the skies, tearing a massive hole in the cloud cover above.
Gene's golden-blue sword vanished.
Suddenly, glowing crimson bands appeared in midair—twisting violently around Galactus's arms.
The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak!
Galactus roared, trying to break free.
But before he could, two beams of blazing blue energy blasted his head, leaving charred marks on his cosmic face.
"AARGH!!"
A direct hit to the face!? Unforgivable!
Galactus's massive leg swept out in retaliation, slamming into Gene's body. The overwhelming force struck his armor hard, sending Gene flying backward.
Blue light burst from his thrusters, keeping him hovering in midair.
"Armor integrity down 30%," flashed across Gene's neural interface.
Nanobots swarmed across the damaged areas, repairing his systems at lightning speed.
Meanwhile, the Avengers—watching from afar—stared in utter disbelief.
The sheer aftershocks of energy from the battlefield alone had them nearly knocked senseless.
And yet... that dark devil, Gene, was trading blows with that thing and holding his ground?
"Guys… tsunami incoming! Are we seriously staying here?!" Johnny Storm shouted, pointing at the wall of water surging toward the coast.
The Avengers looked at each other and immediately rushed into New York to help evacuate civilians.
At that moment, the entire world was watching.
Satellites around the globe broadcasted the apocalyptic clash erupting over the eastern waters of New York.
Everyone stared, jaws agape.
What kind of being… could possibly be battling Galactus head-on?
Inside Gene's neural network, Skynet and Red Queen reported in unison:
"Sir, the Ultimate Nullifier is in final position. Charging sequence underway."
The Ultimate Nullifier—hidden within the Mason Industries Tower—began glowing once again. Yellow pulses of raw energy surged skyward as the device powered up.
This was Gene's final weapon.
But he only had one chance. If he missed, Galactus would never fall for it again…