Chapter 430: Morgan's Grandpas — Thanos and Darkseid
Ajak's expression suddenly changed drastically.
Her role and duty were to ensure the Celestial Emergence proceeded smoothly.
That was why she had kept the truth hidden from her teammates all this time—until the final moment, when the program embedded within their bodies would activate.
The Eternals were mass-produced creations, so naturally, a final directive had been implanted in their bodies.
The trigger for that directive was the birth of a Celestial, which would alter their personalities and compel them to prioritize completing the Emergence at all costs.
During birth, a Celestial is extremely fragile and can easily be killed by external factors.
Thus, it relies entirely on the protection of an Eternal squad.
Of course, once a Celestial is successfully born, the planet that hosted it is inevitably reduced to dust. The Eternal squad would then be retrieved, their memories wiped, and they would be deployed to the next Celestial-seeding planet.
"Ajak, tell us everything you know," Ikaris demanded.
"You're not qualified to know," Ajak replied coolly.
To her, these teammates were nothing more than disposable biological weapons.
After so many missions and so many lost teammates, she had long stopped viewing them as her own kind.
"I know what's going on. The narrator's gone live again."
Allen suddenly leapt into the middle of the Eternals, flipped his hair dramatically, and declared flamboyantly, "As the male lead of this book, I have narrative privilege. You can ask me anything—well, anything except my gender. That's in a quantum indeterminate state and can't be defined by appearances."
"…"
Everyone else was discussing serious matters, and here he was, showing off again?
Bruce and the others quietly observed the Eternals' internal conflict.
These people weren't from Earth and therefore fell outside the jurisdiction of the superheroes. Just maintaining order on Earth was already a challenge—no one had the bandwidth to manage the entire universe.
"May I ask, sir, can you tell us the truth?" Sersi asked sincerely.
This female Eternal was designed to be inherently kind and compassionate.
Honestly, the Celestials' setup seemed unnecessarily complicated—might as well have just programmed her to be a loyal lackey from the start.
Why stir up all this trouble?
In the movie, after all, Sersi ends up killing the newborn Celestial.
"Enough!" Ajak roared, trying to stop Allen from revealing the truth.
But the next moment, Thena crossed her twin blades at Ajak's neck, casting a warning glare.
Seeing the situation, Ajak wisely fell silent.
Her power was healing—she relied entirely on her teammates for offense.
Ahem...
Allen cleared his throat and said, "So, there's this group of super-giant beings with crazy tech and no morals who call themselves the Celestials.
As everyone knows, the higher the level of lifeform, the harder it is to reproduce the old-fashioned way. So, in this group, there's a guy who calls himself the Judge—Arishem, I think?
Let's just call him 'Ari-bah'.
His only hobby is making babies.
But his method's a bit different—he plants a Celestial seed deep into a planet like it's a giant incubator, totally ignoring whether the planet agrees to it.
I mean, come on, a life-bearing planet isn't some freaky wet star like Earth.
They don't even ask before doing it—just knock it up and call it a day. It's ridiculous.
And as if that weren't bad enough, giving birth blows up the whole planet, kills all the life on it, and turns that energy into food for the Celestial baby.
Literally kills its mom the moment it's born.
Honestly, I suspect these new Celestials have some sort of overpowered sociopathy—don't even care about the lives they're wiping out."
Ajak's face turned deathly pale.
Everything Allen said was true—presented in his usual snarky tone, yes, but the facts were spot-on.
Everyone got the gist: the so-called "Emergence" was the birth of a Celestial—and it required the sacrifice of an entire planet full of life.
The remaining three Eternals were shocked to the core.
They had unknowingly been accomplices to mass extinction—billions of lives, snuffed out without their knowledge.
"How can we stop the Emergence?" Ikaris asked gravely.
"Easy. Just kill the Celestial when it's being born," Allen said, then turned to Ajak. "So, when's Super-Chad Celestial due?"
But Ajak turned her head away with a stony expression, refusing to cooperate.
"You shameless celestial simp! This Supreme Mage will make you feel the pain of childbirth!" Allen declared, staring intently at her.
Ajak looked at him blankly, utterly confused.
Everyone else watched him in baffled silence, waiting to see what kind of nonsense he'd come up with next.
Was this some kind of legendary divine spell where just glaring at someone could get them pregnant?
"…Why isn't it working?" Allen frowned, then suddenly snapped his fingers. "Oh—I get it. You're infertile."
"…"
Ajak rolled her eyes hard.
She had clearly felt a spell attack her, but her body's innate magical defenses had neutralized it.
The golden magic energy was Celestial in origin—far superior to the standard magic systems of the universe—so it naturally had resistance and immunity.
Allen's custom spell fizzled out.
"No big deal. When the Celestial baby's born, it'll make a huge fuss—we'll know it's coming," Allen said calmly. "I'd dig down to the core, but I'm afraid of running into Godzilla and Kong. Who knows if that idiot author mashed in the MonsterVerse too."
"…"
Yup, talking to a lunatic is exhausting. Don't expect logic.
Just remember one thing: stopping the Celestial birth is the only way to save Earth and its billions of lives.
BOOM!
Suddenly, an energy portal opened.
"The Black Order!" Ajak cried out in alarm.
Thanos's organization had long hunted down Eternal squads—they were old enemies.
Within the Order, the Black Dwarves often served as the vanguard, frequently hunting and eliminating Eternals.
"Surrender the Eternals. The Black Order does not wish to cause unnecessary conflict," Proxima Midnight warned.
Their target was the Eternals—they preferred not to entangle themselves with Earth's native powers.
Aside from Ajak, the remaining Eternals were clearly clueless, their memories containing no relevant information.
"They're an evil organization from space—clearly up to no good on Earth," Ajak lied, trying to provoke a conflict between humanity and the Black Order.
After all, Earth's tech was still confined to the inner planets—they knew nothing of the wider universe.
SMACK!
A flyswatter landed squarely on Ajak's face.
"Silence, you barren old hag," Allen snapped.
Uh…
Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive exchanged surprised looks. Things were unexpectedly turning in their favor.
Usually, when they arrived at a planet, the Eternals would pose as gods to fool the natives—always a headache.
Allen stepped forward with a serious expression. "Tell your boss to come see me."
"Who are you? Our master does not meet with just anyone," Corvus Glaive asked, frowning.
They weren't sure who Allen was—but he clearly knew there was someone above them.
"Yo, Purple Spud! You there?" Allen shouted into the sky, like he was calling someone across space.
BOOM!
Another energy portal opened.
Thanos appeared in full armor, towering and imposing, flanked by three more of his lieutenants.
At the sight of him, Proxima and Corvus's faces fell.
Master, did you really have to show up the second he called?
Talk about killing our dramatic entrance.
Allen strode confidently up to Thanos and greeted him: "Chairman of the Intergalactic Family Planning Commission—miss me?"
"…"
The Black Order winced in awkward silence.
Since when did their master have so many nicknames?
"Purple Spud" was understandable—his skin was purple, after all.
But "Chairman of Intergalactic Family Planning"?
Was their boss secretly part of a census bureau?
"I go by Thanos now," the Mad Titan replied, clearly a bit embarrassed.
Suddenly, Allen covered his mouth in grief and said, "I really couldn't stop you from going down this path… I told you not to gather the Infinity Stones. Purple Spud, I don't want to see a dark-haired man bury a bald—uh, never mind."
"…"
Fair enough. Thanos was bald. Not much to argue with there.
"Long time no see," said Uxas, stepping forward.
Thanos smiled and nodded. "Yes, it has been a while."
Ever since the Guardians of the Galaxy disbanded, they'd rarely crossed paths—maybe once in centuries.
Especially since Uxas had to stay put on Apokolips and could no longer roam the cosmos like in his youth.
Meanwhile, Thanos had always lived freely.
The rest of the group just stood there like extras, watching the old friends reunite.
Ajak looked completely devastated—so the lunatic was in cahoots with the Black Order all along?
Bruce, meanwhile, felt all sorts of complicated emotions. He couldn't figure out how Allen knew so many aliens.
"Let's gather somewhere," Allen suggested. "I recommend stir-fried clams and noodles."
With a wave of his hand, a portal to Stark Tower opened.
"What's with that look?" Thanos asked suspiciously, catching Allen watching him with a fatherly gaze that gave him the chills.
Patting him on the shoulder, Allen said solemnly, "I won't hurt you."
"…"
What the hell?
What did that even mean?
Only Allen knew the deeper meaning.
He had intentionally brought everyone to the Avengers HQ so they could meet and avoid becoming future enemies.
Of course, if Thanos insisted on snapping his fingers, then so be it.
But that was unlikely now.
Allen had hidden several Infinity Stones inside a three-flower-shaped artifact—even he couldn't retrieve them. Thanos wouldn't be able to complete his collection.
Everyone relocated to Avengers HQ.
Bruce seemed a bit uneasy.
After all, this was the headquarters of his former archrivals—and as one of the Justice League's Big Five, he feared trouble.
On the other hand, the comic relief trio happily live-streamed the scene, bragging about their past visits to the Justice League base.
The Eternals had no idea what was going on and simply tagged along.
"Grandpa Allen!"
Morgan came bouncing out excitedly, eyes wide as she curiously sized up the group of aliens.
"Little Morgan,"
Allen scooped her up and began introducing people one by one.
"This is Grandpa Thanos."
"Grandpa Thanos."
"This is Grandpa Uxas."
"Grandpa Uxas."
Two of the universe's top-tier villainous overlords had suddenly gained a granddaughter.
Out of respect for Allen, they didn't mind.
"Morgan, here's a gift for you."
Thanos handed her a dagger.
Morgan beamed and tucked it into her pocket.
"Wait a sec… isn't that the dagger you gave your adoptive daughter Gamora?" Allen asked.
Thanos gave an awkward smile. "She's too rebellious. Heard those Guardians of the Galaxy stories and is now off forming a new team with some bounty hunters."
"You'd better keep a close eye. Don't let some himbo with god-tier DNA and human-tier brains run off with your niece," Allen warned earnestly.
"You mean Quill, Yondu's foster kid? Yeah, not the brightest bulb," Thanos sighed, sounding like a father helpless with his disobedient daughter. "Still, I respect her choice."
Fatherhood changes a man.
Back in the day, Thanos might have just erased Quill from existence.
Thanos turned to Uxas and asked, "So, what brings you to Earth?"
He had once invited Uxas to roam the cosmos, but the guy insisted on staying home to remodel Apokolips.
"Ugh, don't even get me started…"
Before Uxas could continue, Allen cut in, "Uncle D got overthrown."
"Don't worry. Spend some time away, clear your head," Thanos said. "Later, I'll bring the Black Order and help you take your throne back."
"Thanks in advance," Uxas said politely.
"No need for thanks between brothers."
Allen started rummaging through Tony's stash of fine liquor, with Morgan helpfully pointing out where it was stored.
However, Allen didn't drink a drop. Thanos and Uxas each took a glass of strong liquor.
The peaceful scene before them was almost surreal.
Whether in the comics or the movies, these two powerhouses only ever came to Earth to bring catastrophe.
Yet now, it looked like they were just out on vacation.
"Allen, who are they?"
At that moment, Tony returned with the Avengers in tow.
Seeing the hall full of aliens, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
What the hell?
Five bizarre-looking aliens and a comical trio running a livestream together.
Even the long-sought Eternals were sitting quietly and attentively, like well-behaved schoolchildren.
"You're back," Allen said, downing his juice in one gulp. With a smug grin, he added, "These two were my teammates from a thousand years ago, when I roamed the universe as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy."
"The Guardians of the Galaxy?!"
The Avengers froze for a moment, then their expressions tightened.
They'd worked with the Guardians before, so it wasn't like they didn't know them.
Fury's newly formed S.W.O.R.D. had even hired the Guardians as technical advisors.
"Allen, are you saying you traveled back a thousand years and formed the original Guardians of the Galaxy?" Natasha asked, suddenly enlightened.
After all, she had seen Allen during World War II, so time travel didn't seem far-fetched.
"Bingo. Nailed it."
Allen replied with a mischievous grin, "Your prize is my pure and untouched chastity."
"Thanks, but you can save that for someone else."
Natasha rolled her eyes hard.
"Grandpa Allen, what's the Guardians of the Galaxy?" Morgan asked curiously.
"That's a story from a long, long time ago..."
The atmosphere was peaceful as everyone listened to Allen recount his adventures from a thousand years ago.
But the more they listened, the more their scalps tingled.
His lineup of teammates absolutely blew the current Guardians out of the water.
They thwarted the Spectrum Legion, provoked the Three Great Empires, and put an end to the universe-level catastrophe of the Annihilation Swarm—his exploits were straight out of a power fantasy novel.
A thousand years ago, Allen's name was known across the cosmos, and now everyone couldn't help but wonder just how many secrets he was still hiding.
"Recently, I've moved beyond this universe. My cheat ability's arranged for me to level up in the Multiverse."
"…"