Far beyond the Solar System, in a starless region of dead galaxies, Galactus stood motionless aboard his worldship. On his way to Earth, he had devoured everything. For a moment, he was still, his vast mind calculating energy fluctuations from the void. Then, he felt it.
Shalla-Bal had been defeated.
Her Power Cosmic, a gift derived from his own essence, had been suppressed and stripped away, burned by a force he now recognized.
The Phoenix.
No, not just the Phoenix. Something else. Something older. He could sense something ancient in the air, something that shouldn't exist in the mortal plane. The Death energy.
He raised his hand, and cosmic energy surged through his command node. His ship, already moving faster than light, accelerated further. The engines roared across dimensions. Even gravity itself warped in protest as the Devourer of Worlds pushed his hunger toward the blue planet.
But then, the void ahead rippled. A tear in the space appeared. Two figures stepped through it. The reality itself rippled around them. The ship that was moving beyond anything in existence came to an abrupt halt.
The man walked ahead, his silver hair flowing behind him. He wore no armor and carried no weapon, just a long black coat and eyes that glowed with the weight of entire pantheons. His power was creating ripples in reality itself.
Beside him, she moved like a shadow brought to life... Lady Death. Graceful and cold, her skin was as pale as bone, and her cloak trailed smoke that refused to rise. With each step she took, even the stars seemed to dim. Her eyes did not blink or flinch as Galactus turned his attention toward them.
Galactus recognized them immediately. He didn't need words to understand; their energies were unmistakable. The man wielded the Phoenix Force, but it had become distorted, interwoven with the coldness of oblivion and the warmth of creation. He was beyond the Phoenix, beyond Death itself. Infinity resonated in his blood.
Aron raised his hand toward Galactus's vessel.
The worldship, a massive construct capable of consuming entire solar systems, quaked as if struck by a force greater than its own existence. A moment later, it began to disintegrate.
Piece by piece, atom by atom, the ship disassembled itself. Energy cores cracked open, venting white flame into the void. Metal plating folded inward, vanishing into motes of nothingness. Within moments, the ship was gone, reduced to atoms.
Galactus watched as his worldship crumbled into cosmic dust. Where lesser beings would panic or rage, he stood in silent awe for a moment, analyzing. Then his body began to grow.
Space groaned as he expanded, becoming larger than planets, towering over entire systems. He raised one colossal hand, and with it came an immense surge of cosmic energy.
The sound of his voice split the void.
"You are powerful. But power does not make you eternal. I have devoured gods greater than you. You are fuel. Nothing more."
He looked at Lady Death.
"And you... You do not belong in this realm. Return to your realm, Death. You are above this plane. You know the rule: Death does not interfere with the living."
Lady Death smiled coldly, her face calm, her arms crossed.
"Oh my, afraid of Death, are we?" She let out a cold chuckle. "I'm not here to interfere, Galactus. I'm here to watch a show. My beloved said he'd entertain me," she said, her voice smooth as velvet. "Do not disappoint me. Or him."
She gave a soft laugh and stepped back, folding space behind her like a chair of silence. She reclined into the fabric of the void and crossed one leg over the other.
Galactus turned back to Aron, whose expression hadn't changed.
Aron slowly raised his hand, closed his eyes, and let out a breath.
Time unraveled around him for a second before snapping into perfect clarity. Space bent inward, folding to his will. Reality shimmered like water. Power surged through his veins like the breath of stars. The Mind and Soul Stones pulsed together, reading Galactus's every intent before he acted.
Then the Phoenix Force began to glow white.
The White Phoenix of the Crown flared behind Aron, wings of impossible light stretching across the void.
Galactus did not wait.
He opened his hand and summoned a beam of cosmic entropy.
The cosmic beam rushed toward Aron, burning with the force of dying stars and collapsing universes. It tore through the dark void, a scream of raw destruction aimed straight at him.
But Aron didn't move.
He raised his hand, and the beam slowed. Then it stopped, frozen in mid-air. With a simple flick of his fingers, the energy unraveled into harmless sparks and scattered into nothing.
Galactus narrowed his eyes.
He raised both arms, and space itself bent. Giant asteroids formed from nothing, spinning with anti-matter cores. Cosmic storms howled, filled with radiation and lightning that could end civilizations. He sent everything at Aron.
Aron watched quietly.
The storms hit an invisible wall and vanished. The asteroids crumbled before reaching him. Galactus tried again and again. Blasts of power, waves of gravity, chains of collapsed time. Aron countered every attack with ease. Sometimes he didn't even lift a hand. The power of the Phoenix and the Stones moved on their own, shielding him from every blow.
Galactus growled, his voice shaking the stars.
"You dare insult Galactus by holding back."
Aron's eyes opened.
"I wanted you to understand what you are facing."
Then Aron's body began to grow.
He rose higher and higher, his size stretching beyond planets, then stars. Even Galactus had to look up now. Aron's form blazed with power, his wings of light spreading across the dead galaxies. His eyes burned with the cold of Death and the fire of Creation.
Galactus charged forward with a roar.
Aron didn't move. He brought both palms together.
He clapped.
The sound of it shattered reality like a mirror dropping on the floor and shattering, except in slow motion.
Galactus was caught in the middle. His body, still giant, crumpled like paper. Space cracked. Time shivered. The force of that clap blasted through every layer of existence.
Galactus flew back.
His body, though battered, began to glow with fresh power. He teleported away in a burst of light, creating distance between himself and Aron. He reappeared miles away.
He raised both hands.
A beam of pure cosmic energy exploded from his palms. It was concentrated and deadly, compressed to a point so small it could pierce multiple dimensions, destroying multiple star systems on its way. The beam tore through space, aimed straight at Aron's heart.
Aron didn't flinch.
He lifted one finger.
Dark energy formed at the tip. The Phoenix Force glowed around it, turning it white-hot with cosmic fire. Together, the two forces fused into a single ray of destruction.
Aron pointed.
The Death-Phoenix ray met Galactus's cosmic beam in the middle of the void.
The explosion was silent. But its shockwave raced across galaxies, tearing through dead stars and empty worlds. Colors bent. Space folded in on itself. Time cracked. Both beams pushed against each other for a moment, glowing brighter and brighter.
Then Aron's energy broke through.
The white-hot ray sliced through Galactus's attack and struck him in the chest.
Galactus screamed as the energy burned through his armor and skin. His body began to dissolve, pixel by pixel, as if being erased from existence. He staggered back, clutching at his chest, trying to hold himself together.
Aron flew forward.
Faster than light, he appeared before Galactus and punched him once.
The blow echoed across dimensions. Galactus flew backward, crashing into a star, breaking it apart with his weight. The star exploded.
Galactus roared, his voice filled with rage.
He rose again, more wounded than ever. His body leaked cosmic fire. Parts of his form were flickering, struggling to stay real.
"You are not a god!" Galactus shouted.
"I am what comes after gods," Aron replied.
Then he vanished.
He appeared behind Galactus, hands glowing. He slammed both into Galactus's back. The impact sent ripples across the void. Galactus gasped. Energy poured out of his mouth as the Phoenix energy sank deeper into his being.
Galactus spun around and unleashed another blast. Aron caught it with both hands, and it turned into light.
Then he raised both palms toward the sky.
A massive sphere of energy formed, spinning with Death's void and the Phoenix's fire. It grew larger than a planet. It pulsed once, then fell toward Galactus like a second sun.
Galactus tried to block it.
But it hit him full force.
The explosion swallowed everything.
Stars blinked out. Galaxies faded. The silence that followed felt like the end of time.
Then, through the dust and smoke, Galactus emerged. His natural healing kicked in, rebuilding his body, but his energy level dropped beyond 30%.
"How is this possible?" Galactus grumbled, clenching his fists. His giant form disappeared, and right now, he was the size of a human. "30%... How?"
Then, he looked up at Aron, who stood before him and looking down at him with a cold glare. His body was glowing as usual, but something was different. That's when Galactus realized the reason his power diminished so fast.
"What have you done to me, HUMAN?" Galactus screamed in rage.
Aron blinked before him and gave him a hard bitch slap.
"HOW DARE..."
Before Galactus could finish, another slap stung him. Then came another slap and another. After almost a hundred slaps, Galactus's cosmic energy got reduced to 5%.
Galactus dropped to one knee, shaking, his form barely able to stay together. His armor was cracked, his energy almost gone.
Aron stood over him, arms crossed. His eyes glowed like stars. Lady Death watched with a pleased smile, her fingers tapping against her pale cheek like she was enjoying a private concert.
Galactus looked up, angry, confused, and afraid. "Why don't you finish it?" he asked. "Why spare me now?"
Aron stared for a moment, then spoke, his voice calm and cold.
"I didn't come here to kill you. Besides, you are immortal. Even if I kill you now, you'll resurrect soon enough. But the gap you'll leave during your resurrection is the problem. Foes who are hiding due to your presence will rise and cause chaos, which I can not allow to happen. So, let's make a deal."
Galactus growled but didn't move.
"You are strong," Aron continued. "You devour worlds to survive. I understand that. That's your role to maintain universal balance. But Earth is off-limits now. The Solar System is under my protection."
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Power surged through the void. The Infinity Stones' power glowed across his body. In a flash of light, Galactus felt his energy rise. His wounds began to heal. His strength returned.
Galactus gasped and looked down at his hands. His power level had jumped from five percent to full. One hundred percent. No more hunger. No more emptiness. He has never felt so full in eons.
"I've just filled your hunger," Aron said. "Enough energy to last you for eons. In return, you will protect this star system. If anything from outside the galaxy threatens it, you will be the first wall. You will stop them."
Galactus stood slowly, his full height returning, though he didn't try to fight. He looked at Aron, and for the first time in eons, he nodded. Now, he won't have to hunt for food or power. A full belly Galactus is a happy Galactus.
"I will keep this system safe," he said. "As long as you exist."
Aron stepped back. "Good. Then we have peace."
Lady Death smiled and stood up from her throne of space. "That was quite the show, my love."
Aron glanced at her, and his expression softened for a moment.
Then he turned back to Galactus. "If you ever come near Earth with hunger in your heart again," he said, his voice quiet, "I won't stop at slaps next time. I'll smash you with a slipper."
Aron then flicked his finger, rebuilding Galactus's ship.
"Get the hell out of here."
Galactus didn't reply. He simply teleported inside his ship and vanished into the void, leaving only a ripple behind.
"Now," Aron turned to Lady Death. "Let's go home. I want to introduce you to the others and want to watch their reactions. It's not every day you get to meet Death."
---