"Everyone, welcome to my world.
This is the planet I told you about—the one I spent millions of years creating."
Ego proudly presented his masterpiece to the group.
This planet was him, and he was the planet.
The energy flowing through it was an extension of his own power.
Here, he was the undisputed ruler.
Ego looked at Star-Lord and the others, their expressions ranging from shock to bewilderment.
He smiled warmly, but his true thoughts remained a mystery.
However, Star-Lord didn't feel the connection Ego had anticipated. The revelation of his newfound power didn't instill a sense of belonging.
Instead, after hearing what Ego had said earlier, Star-Lord felt conflicted—an unsettling thought crept into his mind: "I might have to kill my father."
But he hadn't made up his mind yet.
More importantly, he wasn't sure if he could even defeat Ego.
After all, this planet was Ego's body, and Star-Lord's only support consisted of a magic web, a raccoon, a tree, an idiot, and two short-tempered women.
Meanwhile, their opponent was an actual planet—a god.
"Don't be so overwhelmed," Ego said reassuringly. "This is mine, and it is also yours. This world belongs to the two of us."
He patted Star-Lord's hand. With a mere thought, he conjured a floating bridge, guiding the group toward his castle.
At that moment, the team noticed something peculiar.
Though Ego's planet had all the necessary conditions for life and was breathtakingly beautiful, they had yet to see a single living creature.
The group exchanged glances and nodded silently.
They had already begun splitting up their tasks—if they confirmed that Ego and Yondu's claims were true, they would act immediately.
As for Star-Lord, he was still hesitating.
"Mantis, show them around," Ego instructed.
"Peter, come with me. It's been too long—we have much to talk about."
He played the role of a loving father, eager to reconnect with his son.
Mantis obediently led Gamora and the others away.
Meanwhile, Ego guided the uneasy Star-Lord deep into the core of the planet.
Soft bioluminescent lights illuminated the vast energy chamber.
"Peter, do you see this?" Ego gestured toward the glowing energy source.
"As long as this light remains, we will never face death."
He continued, attempting to entice Star-Lord.
But it wasn't merely temptation—Ego was certain Star-Lord would stand by his side.
Because Star-Lord was his child.
He possessed the genes of a celestial. He had the potential to be a god.
And no one—no one—would refuse such power.
It was irresistible.
"Does this mean... I can live forever too?" Star-Lord swallowed hard, his excitement barely contained.
"But… is it really true?"
"Of course," Ego assured him. "As long as the light shines, we will endure."
"We can even use this power to create incredible things—"
"Like how you made this planet?" Star-Lord interrupted, eyes widening. "Can I make planets too?"
"Absolutely," Ego confirmed. "Though, you'd need millions of years of practice like I did."
"So that's how it works…"
Ego smiled. "Have you ever seen an 800-foot Pac-Man?"
With a mere thought, he created a massive, glowing Pac-Man—a tangible, aggressive entity.
He manipulated microscopic particles with godlike precision, shaping reality at will.
Though this ability was confined to his planet, it was still an awe-inspiring display of power.
"Peter, we wield infinite power—the ability to create and destroy at will.
"Like the gods of Earth, we are nearly omnipotent.
"The so-called 'God of Magic' you admire? He is insignificant—a mere small god.
"And you… you will become far stronger than him!"
Ego's voice was both enticing and firm.
"This power is tempting, isn't it?"
"But it comes with great responsibility."
"Only we can reshape the universe. Only we can guide it on the right path."
"...Like world domination?" Star-Lord asked cautiously.
"Don't you think that's impossible?"
"Not to mention immoral—it would cost countless innocent lives."
Ego frowned. "Morality? What is that?"
He shook his head. "Peter, you must change your perspective."
"Everything around us—your friends, that little girl—they are all temporary. Only we are eternal."
"So we must do something meaningful."
"But I lack sufficient energy. Even celestial gods struggle to achieve such a grand goal."
"The so-called 'Magic Web' of your 'God of Magic' is nothing compared to us."
"...So you need me?"
"Yes. Two celestials may be enough."
Hearing this, Star-Lord finally understood.
His biological father had the villain's script.
All Ego could think about was world destruction.
His dreams of becoming a celestial were shattered.
His morals wouldn't allow him to follow Ego on this twisted path.
As Star-Lord fell deep in thought, Ego continued.
Maybe he was too caught up in his grand vision.
Maybe it was rare for him to express his true thoughts.
Or maybe, since he was talking to his own son, he wanted to pass down his will.
Ego eagerly explained his plan—how he had planted his "seeds" on countless planets in search of a child who possessed celestial genes.
At first, Star-Lord remained indifferent.
Sure, Ego was undoubtedly a scumbag, but in his memory, his father had always seemed…kind.
Besides, Star-Lord himself wasn't exactly a saint.
During his years as a Ravager, he had "experimented" with many alien women.
It had been a wild time.
So, in a twisted way, he understood Ego's reasoning.
But understanding was one thing—forgiveness was another.
Especially when Star-Lord thought of his mother.
Her final wish had been to see Ego again.
And yet…
"Where's my mother?" Star-Lord asked, his voice strained.
"Did you leave her for another woman?"
Ego sighed. "I loved her very much. Meredith gave me my first taste of love.
"She was my water lily.
"She sang every song on the radio…"
Star-Lord squeezed his Walkman tightly.
Even after all these years, it was still his most treasured possession.
But then, Ego's next words shattered him.
"But I had greater plans to fulfill," Ego said casually.
"And if she had lived, her brain tumor would have broken my heart.
"Do you understand that pain? It was the first time I ever felt emotion."
Star-Lord's blood ran cold.
"What?"
"You… gave my mother a brain tumor?!"
"Peter, don't dwell on this. Compared to our goal, it's insignificant."
Ego waved dismissively.
Yes, he had loved Meredith.
But he was a celestial.
And if his lover interfered with his plan, he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate her.
To him, Meredith's death was just a minor setback in his eternal existence.
Nothing more.
"Insignificant?" Star-Lord's voice was eerily calm.
"I'll show you what's really insignificant."
Rage exploded inside him.
He had made his decision.
Ego had to die.
Not for the galaxy.
Not for the universe.
For his mother.
"Is that so?"
"Obviously, I have worked so hard to show you the path you should truly follow."
"But this is your way of thanking me?"
"Peter, I wanted to do this with you."
"But now, all you can be is a millennium battery, and over time, it will slowly grow."
With that, Ego began to subdue Star-Lord.
He had long anticipated this possible situation and already had backup plans in place. He wasn't worried about the impact Star-Lord would have on him.
True, Xingjue had awakened the genes of the gods and could control the energy of the planet, but Ego's control over this power was far superior to his.
If Star-Lord wanted to fight against him, he'd need to wait millions of years. By then, Ego would have already achieved his goal.
This universe would be shaped according to his will.
And as it turned out, this was true.
Although Star-Lord fought with everything he had, as soon as the battle began, he realized the vast gap between himself and Ego.
This gap wasn't only about control over power, but also about imagination.
He struggled in Ego's grasp for just a minute or two before being completely subdued.
He couldn't move.
"This is the gap between you and me—an insurmountable gap!"
Ego stood before the bound Star-Lord, a smug smile playing on his lips.
However, at that moment, Star-Lord smiled mysteriously.
"Do you think that's all I can do?"
"I'm not the only one fighting you!"
"You mean your friends? They can't help you. They'll die because of you."
The battle between gods and mortals is endless.
"What if it's a god?"
Seeing Ego's victorious demeanor, Star-Lord placed his hope in the God of Magic.
He immediately invoked the Magic Net's Energy Absorption, beginning to violently drain Ego's energy.
"What are you doing?"
Ego frowned, realizing his energy was being drained—and quickly, too.
The energy equivalent to several duplications of him was passing away every second!
Although compared to all his energy, it was still insignificant, the speed at which it was happening concerned him. He couldn't figure out exactly how Star-Lord was doing it.
"Are you afraid? Seems like you're not as strong as you claimed!"
Sensing Ego's flustered thoughts, Star-Lord couldn't help but laugh, feeling a sense of triumph.
At the same time, in his fight against Ego, Star-Lord absorbed the conversion energy and gained part of the magic power. This power even surpassed the divine energy from the godly genes.
"What the hell did you do?"
"Stop!"
Ego could no longer tolerate the loss of energy. He tried to cut off the absorbed power, but his efforts were futile.
If anyone else had been absorbing the planet's energy, he could have easily blocked it.
But now it was Star-Lord—who possessed his genes—and as long as he remained on this planet, he had partial control over it.
Star-Lord could now freely mobilize the planet's energy. He used his body as a conduit, channeling the planet's energy to the Magic Net.
Ego's attempts to stop him were in vain.
Seeing that things were spiraling out of control, Ego became anxious and glared at Star-Lord with fury.
"Peter, don't force me to kill you!"
"If you don't stop, the consequences will be unacceptable!"
"Even if I have to wait thousands of years to find another child with the gene of a god, I will wipe you out!"
"You know I can do it!"
"You are a god, but you are also a human!"
Ego increased the energy restraints on Star-Lord. If the other party refused to cooperate, he would certainly kill him.
"Hahahaha, a god?"
"If you're so powerful, why can't you even use the Magic Net?"
"You're nothing more than that!"
Seeing Ego in such an awkward state for the first time, Star-Lord couldn't help but smile.
He felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction inside.
"You shouldn't have killed my mother. Instead, you used her as a battery!"
"Your end is here!"
At that moment, Star-Lord erupted with terrifying energy fluctuations.
With the help of magic and his own innate power, he successfully broke free from Ego's shackles.
As Ego prepared to make another move, Star-Lord suddenly vanished.
"Invisibility magic? Just a trick. The power of the gods is not as simple as you think."
Despite his urgency, Ego felt that he still had the situation under control.
This was his domain. Even if Star-Lord didn't know what he had gained from the Magic Net, Ego was unafraid.
He firmly believed that he was the most powerful god.
Ego summoned countless magical tentacles that erupted from the ground, easily locating and restraining the invisible Star-Lord.
"Peter, you let me down. You clearly have the infinite power of a god, but you choose to use the power of a mere god of magic."
"Do you think you can defeat me just by relying on his damned Magic Net?"
"Too naive!"
"When I'm done with you, I'll deal with the God of Magic myself. You've truly angered me!"
Ego didn't ask about the leyline.
In his mind, the God of Magic was just another god from Asgard—a mere one among countless planetary gods in the universe. He wasn't even the king of a divine system.
And Ego, as a god, wielded power over many of these divine kings.
In his plans, even the planets where the gods resided would not be spared.
There would only be one god in this universe, and that god would be Ego, the Celestial God!
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