The beings who transcended the god races drew closer, brandishing bizarre weapons and unleashing a barrage on Garus. Their attacks struck his green anti-magic shield, creating ripples across its surface.
Death Grip!
A surge of grey, necrotic energy erupted from Garus, pulling the godlike invaders toward him. His fists, wreathed in death and plague, slammed into them with devastating force.
Boom!
A massive dent formed on one of their otherwise impenetrable suits of armor.
"What the hell is this?!"
They could feel a cold, invasive energy seeping into their bodies. Their forms grayed rapidly, decay spreading at a terrifying pace. Within moments, they were lifeless husks, floating helplessly around Garus.
Even Garus was stunned. He hadn't expected them to be this fragile—completely defenseless against his death magic. That didn't make sense. Death's powers had proven ineffective against them before… yet now, they fell without resistance.
One of the Beyonders suddenly shouted in alarm, "He's not from this universe!"
After years of covert invasion, the weapons and tech developed by the Beyonders had been specifically engineered to counter the laws of this universe. But Garus—an anomaly from another reality—rendered their designs nearly useless.
"Damn it! Everyone, take him down—NOW!"
This time, they didn't hold back. A dozen of them charged Garus in unison.
Zzzap!
A red beam suddenly shot past Garus and struck one of the approaching enemies, leaving nothing but a glowing red dot on the armor.
Surprised, Garus turned to look. It was the guy who'd been beaten black and blue earlier, the one who had arrived with Molecule Man.
He hadn't looked closely before, but now he realized—the guy looked suspiciously like Superman, only with different colors and an unfamiliar symbol on his chest.
"Superman?"
Hearing that, the man turned and asked, "You talking to me?"
"Yes," Garus replied.
"I'm Hyperion. Not whoever this 'Superman' is. But I kinda like the name," he said with a smirk. Then, his tone shifted, eyes darting. "Anyway, pleased to meet you. I'm a hidden superhero. Here on a mission… under orders from the American government."
The American government? That immediately rubbed Garus the wrong way. His opinion of Hyperion dropped a few points.
There was no time to argue—Garus raised his shield, blocking the renewed enemy onslaught.
Blizzard!
A surge of near-absolute-zero frost pierced through the Beyonders' armor. Their bodies stiffened, frozen solid for a few precious seconds—just long enough for Garus to finish off a few more.
Hyperion stood dumbfounded. What kind of insane world is this?
In his own universe, he was unstoppable. If not for the combined efforts of another version of himself and the X-Men, he'd still be ruling over that world as its sovereign.
But here? Even random fighters on this battlefield could knock him down. He was, by far, the weakest presence.
Refusing to accept that, he surged across the battlefield like a lightning bolt—only to be abruptly yanked into the air by a massive hand clamped around his throat.
"Khh—" Hyperion struggled, but to no avail. He was completely overpowered.
"Idiot," Garus muttered under his breath.
He'd already figured out Hyperion wasn't some noble superhero, but for now, saving him was the smart move. The guy might still prove useful.
Garus clenched a fist in the direction of the attacker. The Beyonder's armor groaned violently as a crushing handprint formed on its surface. He was forced to release Hyperion, who quickly retreated.
The tide of battle was turning for the worse. Garus took off, soaring toward Molecule Man's front. That side was under intense pressure—without backup, Molecule Man wouldn't last much longer.
"You're wasting your time."
The so-called strongest among the Beyonders faced Molecule Man with calm detachment. Their clash wasn't as explosive as one might expect, but Garus could sense it—space and time were fracturing. Cause and effect no longer applied. Anyone without sufficient power caught in that storm would vanish without a trace.
Still, Molecule Man held the upper hand. Were it not for several other Beyonders interfering, he'd already be dominating the fight.
"Ganging up on people's my thing," the enemy leader said with a smirk. "But there's no need today."
Suddenly, his surroundings compressed, the air thick with pressure. His armor groaned as if the universe itself was trying to crush him.
Yet he showed no fear.
"You've already lost," he said flatly.
Garus turned abruptly, sensing something was wrong—and what he saw confirmed it.
Over by the Living Tribunal, gods were falling.
Galactus—once a towering cosmic force—was drained of his energy, then obliterated in a coordinated assault. This wasn't some avatar or clone. This was his true self, erased from existence.
Then came Infinity and Exterminator, both consumed in agony. Even Death—the entity that governed the end of all life—was not spared.
It was… poetic, in the cruelest sense.
The Five Cosmic Entities were no more.
"Uh… this is bad," Garus muttered.
The Living Tribunal wasn't faring well either. His body was drenched in golden ichor as he struggled to fend off relentless attacks.
"There's no need to waste time here. Breach the space barrier. Destroy the planet."
Chains of glowing white light coiled tightly around the Tribunal, binding him in place.
With his movements restricted, the Beyonders turned their full force on Garus's dimensional barriers, tearing into them.
"Hey! What the hell are you staring at?!"
As the shield cracked, Garus tried to turn back—but a recursive space loop trapped him. The exit was just a few steps away, but no matter how far he moved, he couldn't reach it.
It wouldn't hold him for long—but time was already against him.
The Beyonders had broken through. They were headed for Earth in the Prime Universe.
No—this can't be happening. I have to stop them. If I don't get back now… my world… my friends…
"They've left," Garus whispered, rage flaring in his chest.
"Owen, some of them just broke through!" he called out.
"I saw! We're out of time!" Molecule Man shouted back, equally frantic. He knew it too—his world was their main target.
Together, Garus and Molecule Man broke through the enemy lines and raced through the portal—only to find Earth, the heart of the Prime Universe, already reduced to drifting rubble.
The destruction of the universe was inevitable now.
New worlds would rise from the ashes…
…but nearly all life would perish in the process.
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON