Sovereign
The former Sovereign homeworld was now a scene of complete devastation, especially with two deep, intersecting scars that seemed to cleave the planet in two.
The Guardians of the Galaxy, aboard their spaceship, gazed at the lifeless Sovereign below. Each member's face was grim. Despite their strained relationship with the Sovereigns, the shared sense of unease was palpable, especially for their newest member, Adam Warlock!
Five years ago, after the Guardians returned to space, they were pursued relentlessly by the Sovereigns. The Sovereigns even awakened Adam Warlock, whom they called the hope of evolution and the Warlock, intending to use his immense power against the Guardians.
However, Adam Warlock had his own thoughts and ideas. After the battle and the High Evolutionary's betrayal that killed his mother Ayesha, he became close friends with the Guardians. With the Soul Stone in their possession, they stabilized his previously unstable state, granting him even greater power. He ultimately joined the Guardians completely as a full member.
For this reason, Adam Warlock broke ties with the High Priestess Ayesha and the Sovereign race. However, at this moment, when he saw the desolate planet Sovereign, he could not help but feel anger rising within him. His golden hair gradually floated upward under the angry energy surging within him, and specks of golden light emanated from his body.
Patting Adam on the shoulder, Peter Quill whispered to him, "Adam, calm down. We will go to the surface of Sovereign now, but the person who destroyed Sovereign is probably no longer there. Now our main task is to find information and clues about the murderer, which may help us find him and bring him to justice."
Nodding slowly, Adam Warlock said to Peter, "I understand. Do not worry, I will calm down."
Turning around and sitting in his seat, Adam Warlock closed his eyes. The Soul Stone embedded in his forehead emitted a faint light, stabilizing Adam Warlock's previously unstable emotional state.
The spaceship landed on Sovereign, and everyone went directly to the starting point of the two intersecting ravines that almost separated the planet. Looking at the marks at the starting point, everyone's faces showed confusion and uncertainty, except for Rocket Raccoon, whose face was full of horror and fear.
"I am Groot?" Groot asked concernedly.
Hearing Groot's words, Peter turned to look at Groot, then at Rocket whom Groot was staring at. He immediately noticed Rocket's unusual demeanor and whispered to him, "Rocket, what is wrong?"
Rocket pursed his lips, forcing himself to calm down. With an extremely pale face, he forced a smile as he said to Peter, "I... I know this guy. I know who turned Sovereign into this wasteland."
Rocket's words immediately attracted the attention of the others, who gathered around to look at him, waiting for him to continue.
Taking a deep breath, Rocket finally spoke, "I had some doubts when I saw the situation in Sovereign from orbit, but I was not sure then. I was still clinging to a sliver of hope that I was wrong.
But now, seeing these traces up close, I have to admit it. I know who created these marks. They call him Terrax the Tamer in the universe!
He already possessed immense power before, and after becoming one of Galactus's Heralds, he gained the power to destroy entire planets. The current state of Sovereign is clearly the work of Terrax. These traces are his signature mark."
"You just mentioned the Heralds of Galactus? What kind of organization is that?" Nebula asked.
Turning to Nebula, Rocket said grimly, "Believe me, you do not want to know."
Just as Rocket was speaking, Gamora's communicator suddenly beeped. She raised an eyebrow, pressed a few buttons on the communicator, and a light screen appeared. It displayed an alien with rocky skin, bound by melted and then solidified vibranium restraints.
"Rocket, the Terrax you mentioned earlier, could it be him?" Gamora asked. "An alien with the same name, surname, and organization—it cannot be such a coincidence."
Everyone turned to look at the light screen projected by Gamora. Rocket looked at Gamora blankly and asked, "Gamora, where is this transmission from?"
"Earth!" Gamora replied.
Earth - Sebastian's Preparations
Sebastian was well aware that the Illuminati, the Avengers, and the Ultimate Avengers had joined forces to capture Terrax the Tamer. He had not paid much attention to this weakest of the Heralds.
Besides, he already had the Silver Surfer and Firelord as test subjects. There was no need to capture another Herald. Handing Terrax over to Tony and Reed would help them better understand the Power Cosmic.
Sebastian held the silver surfboard aloft with one hand. The Phoenix Force fire mixed with hellfire constantly scorched and refined it, gradually changing its shape. Since Sebastian could not yet fully master the Power Cosmic, he planned to modify the surfboard, creating a Power Cosmic conversion artifact to deal with the approaching Stardust and Galactus himself.
As for his own mastery of the Power Cosmic, Sebastian already had a plan. He could use those persistent, covetous dimensional lords to his advantage.
The silver surfboard gradually transformed into a silver ring. Sebastian grabbed the ring and tossed it away. The ring instantly pierced through space and disappeared from the Magic Dimension.
Meanwhile, Sebastian's clone was eating dinner with Alisha at her restaurant. Just as he was cutting a steak, a silver ring suddenly appeared on his right index finger. Glancing at the suddenly appearing ring, Sebastian continued chatting with Alisha about the newly opened restaurant's success.
After finishing his meal, Sebastian left home, intending to visit Reed Richards. Given Reed and Tony's efficiency, they should have already roughly figured out how to control cosmic energy and even the Power Cosmic. With this as a reference, Sebastian might be able to glimpse the essence of the Power Cosmic sooner.
Walking the streets of New York for the first time in a long while, Sebastian took a deep breath, temporarily setting aside other matters to enjoy this peaceful moment.
He arrived at a café on the top floor of a thirty-story building, ordered some tea and snacks, and settled down for afternoon tea.
Just then, Sebastian suddenly saw the Young Avengers rush out from both sides of the street not far away. They were chasing a super-powered criminal. Judging from their coordinated movements, they already resembled some of the true Avengers in skill.
Watching the Young Avengers capture the supervillain, Sebastian took a sip of his tea with satisfaction. Then he spoke to Agamotto, who had appeared in the seat opposite him at some point: "Having someone to carry on the legacy is the most gratifying thing, is it not?"
Agamotto was still dressed in his long robes, but it seemed that no one around him noticed anything unusual about him. They simply treated him as an ordinary person. Sebastian was quite familiar with this kind of minor magic and did not find it particularly amazing—just normal practice for mages.
"Sebastian Shaw, how do you plan to deal with the arrival of Galactus?" Agamotto asked directly.
Sebastian was perfectly aware of Agamotto's purpose and was not surprised. He replied directly, "Deal with his Heralds first, then deal with him. That is my plan."
Agamotto frowned slightly and said to Sebastian, "Sebastian Shaw, I am not your enemy. You do not need to be so dismissive. Earth is an important entity in the universe, which is why Galactus has not attacked it before. However, now that Galactus cannot hold back any longer and is about to attack, we Dimensional Lords and Demon Gods, born from Earth, naturally will not stand idly by. We will also do everything in our power to protect Earth. Therefore, our interests are aligned."
Looking at Agamotto with interest, Sebastian smiled and asked, "So, how do you plan to fight Galactus?"
"We will find our agents, provide them with assistance, and help the Avengers and the Illuminati fight Galactus," Agamotto explained. "We will not stand idly by, so..."
Without letting Agamotto continue, Sebastian shook his head and chuckled, "So, things have come to this point, and you are just looking for cannon fodder to fight for you, and all you are offering is a pitiful amount of help, correct? Well, I am quite curious. Is this level of help what you call going all out to protect Earth? Perhaps we have a slightly different understanding of what going all out to protect Earth means."
"Sebastian Shaw, there is no need for you to mock me here," Agamotto said sternly. "The rule between us—that the Dimensional Lords and the Demon Gods do not directly interfere with Earth's natural development—is a rule that no one can break, or we will face even greater disaster.
If you have any objections to our approach, we can discuss it. However, I must also warn you that you are now one of the Dimensional Lords and Demon Gods. Do not violate our rules, or we will only be able to deal with you to a certain extent."
Sebastian completely disregarded Agamotto's warning. So-called rules were only broken by the strong. Sebastian never thought that Dormammu of the Dark Dimension or Cyttorak of the Crimson Cosmos would abide by such a ridiculous agreement.
Moreover, five years ago, Sebastian personally witnessed the Vishanti and the others personally intervene. Otherwise, he would not have had the opportunity to seize some of Hoggoth's power. These beings had all personally intervened, and Sebastian had not seen anyone punish them.
Rules, no matter where they were, were things used by the strong to restrain the weak. For the truly strong, rules were utterly meaningless, serving no purpose other than to assert their presence.
Of course, what one thought was one thing, but there was no need to say it aloud immediately.
Seeing that Sebastian did not say anything more, Agamotto saw no need to linger any longer. He gave Sebastian a deep look and gradually disappeared from his sight.
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