Robert knew that the Super Skrull disguised as Carol was grappling with doubt and uncertainty. From the Skrull's perspective, even if Robert suspected their identity, he should not have attacked outright. After all, Carol was Robert's family. Even if there was a possibility of her being replaced, shouldn't Robert have at least tried to verify it first?
But when Robert saw the fake Carol, he didn't hesitate at all and struck them down, leaving the Super Skrull half-dead. Such a response was undoubtedly incomprehensible to the Skrull.
Before the Skrull could speak further, Robert dragged them into his chamber, where they were subjected to even harsher soul torture than their compatriots. Their soul trembled uncontrollably under the excruciating torment.
"Robert! Let me go! Carol isn't actually dead..." One of the captured Super Skrulls suddenly shouted in desperation amidst their agony, as more Skrulls were captured and no new ones seemed to arrive.
"Hm?" Robert raised an eyebrow, though he was skeptical of the claim.
So many captured Super Skrulls already knew why Robert was targeting their race. If Carol were truly alive, one of them would have divulged this information long ago under torture. Yet none had. For this new Skrull, freshly caught and clearly in pain, to suddenly provide such a revelation seemed dubious.
Still, regardless of its credibility, Robert decided to give the Skrull a chance. If the information proved false, he would simply resume the torture. It wouldn't cost much time—at most, it would give the Skrull a brief reprieve. It wouldn't change their eventual fate.
"Speak." Robert appeared in the Skrull's holding cell, dismissing their soul back into their body with a wave of his hand. As the Skrull slowly opened their eyes, Robert coldly commanded.
"You must promise to let me go first. Then I'll tell you about Carol," the Skrull gasped for air as if rescued from drowning, staring at Robert after a long pause and gathering their courage.
"If you truly have information about Carol, letting you go is not out of the question," Robert nodded, not outright rejecting the proposal.
"No! You must spare the entire Skrull race! Do you have any idea how much we've been through to get here? How many sacrifices we've made?" The Skrull's voice turned sorrowful and impassioned, invoking the plight of their people.
Bang!
Before the Skrull could finish, Robert sent them flying against the wall. The impact left their body aching as though it would fall apart, jolting them into clarity. Though the physical pain wasn't as severe as the soul torture, it was enough to break their focus.
"Wait! Don't kill me!" the Skrull cried out in panic as they saw Robert's cold, unforgiving gaze. Terror surged through them.
Although all Super Skrulls shared similar abilities, their mental fortitude varied. Many hardened their resolve through years of impersonation and memory assimilation. But not all could withstand such relentless pressure, especially the weaker-willed individuals.
Even the resolute weren't unbreakable. Many captured Skrulls had already betrayed their species' new homeworld's location under Robert's torturous methods. Betrayal, after all, became easier in the face of unbearable suffering.
"Stop wasting time, or there's no need for you to speak further," Robert warned coldly, his eyes gleaming with deadly intent.
"Wait! I'll talk! Don't kill me!" the Skrull stammered, trembling violently. "This matter... only I know a bit about it..." Their voice faltered, blending fear and hesitation. "I'm not entirely sure, but on our homeworld, we've preserved Carol's blood and genetic material..."
Buzz!
Hearing this, Robert's patience thinned, his hand summoning a concentrated energy wave. The palpable threat of death radiating from the energy made the Skrull's body quake in terror.
"No! Please don't kill me!" the Skrull cried, growing more frantic. "Carol isn't dead! The blood and genetic material were willingly provided by her!"
"Why?" Robert's tone turned sharper, laced with icy suspicion.
"Carol feared something might happen to us in her absence. She gave us her blood and genes so we could use her likeness and powers to protect ourselves," the Skrull explained, their voice trembling.
"And you traitorous scum used her power against her?" Robert's killing intent flared. His voice was cold as ice as he demanded, "Tell me everything you know!"
"Yes!" the Skrull nodded rapidly, recounting the events with fear in their tone but no shame. "It's as you said. Using Carol's blood and genes gave us the means to fight her... We transformed into Carol's likeness with several Super Skrulls, hoping to subdue her in one strike. But her battle spirit was beyond anything we anticipated."
"Even with her memories, she managed to defeat many of us and escaped our encirclement."
"She escaped?" Robert's tone carried a glimmer of surprise. This was undoubtedly good news. Even if Carol's whereabouts were still unknown, her survival gave him hope.
"Yes, she escaped. But no one has been able to find her since. Recently, in my star sector, I glimpsed her in someone's memories..." the Skrull said, hurriedly continuing with certainty, "I'm sure it was her. She seemed to be living as an ordinary person. I didn't dare confront her alone, so I returned here after receiving orders to regroup."
"Where is she?" Robert pressed.
"On a planet in the Shi'ar Empire," the Skrull hesitated before revealing the location.
"The Shi'ar Empire?" Robert's mind raced at the name. It felt familiar, and he quickly recalled that the Shi'ar was one of the original three great cosmic empires, now the sole surviving one.
Once peers to the Kree and Skrull empires, the Shi'ar Empire had long stood as a significant force in the universe. After the Kree's fall at Robert's hands and the Skrull Empire's collapse, the Shi'ar remained the dominant power.
"So, Carol is in the Shi'ar Empire?" Robert murmured, his expression hardening. "Fine. We'll head there. But if I don't find her, your suffering will be far worse than anything you've endured so far."
"She's there! I swear! Please believe me!" the Skrull pleaded, trembling more violently.
But before they could bargain further, Robert vanished. The Skrull's heart sank, realizing their fate was far from certain.
"Let's head to the Shi'ar Empire," Robert said, appearing beside Silver Surfer. Without hesitation, he launched a powerful energy blast toward the Skrull homeworld.
The once-bustling planet, devoid of life after the hell demons' massacre, was reduced to fiery rubble, becoming nothing more than cosmic dust. With this, the Skrull race was all but extinct, save for a handful of survivors in Robert's chamber or scattered across the galaxy.
"Whoosh!"
The chamber and Silver Surfer's board disappeared into hyperspace. Guided by Silver Surfer, they quickly reached the Shi'ar Empire's expansive domain.
As the galaxy's preeminent empire, the Shi'ar controlled vast territories, dwarfing even the Kree's former holdings. Unlike the Kree, who relied on conquest, the Shi'ar embraced cultural assimilation and cooperation in their later development phases, becoming a beacon of interstellar civilization.
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