"It still has some use!"
Adam nodded upon hearing Nick Fury's reply.
He hadn't eliminated S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury precisely because he valued their role at this time.
The complex human heart makes it impossible for humanity to survive idealistically, to have only light and no darkness, to truly achieve equality for all.
Even if he used his absolute power to eliminate all governments and create a unified nation, the various conflicts that would follow would still be numerous, perhaps even more so.
Therefore, he believed maintaining the status quo on Earth was best, and it wouldn't require his effort. After all, his goal was to improve his strength, not to unify the World.
And to maintain the status quo, dealing with various governments was inevitable. Given the leaders' wariness of the League of Heroes, some matters were more convenient and efficient for the official S.H.I.E.L.D. to handle than for the League of Heroes.
"Come here!"
Its huge, six-biscuit-like head locked onto Ajak on the Sanctum rooftop. Arishem the Judge raised his hand, and Ajak immediately transformed into a ray of aurora, landing in his city-sized palm.
"I understand. Go back and prepare for the Emergence."
After reading Ajak's memories and confirming she hadn't lied, Arishem instructed.
Ajak, however, looked stunned:
"Lord, the Emergence so soon? Shouldn't there still be four years left?"
"Before, it would have taken four more years, but not anymore. Once Galactus is dealt with, the Emergence can begin to welcome tiamut. Ajak, you've done well these past years."
Arishem rarely offered praise.
Yet, upon hearing this praise, Ajak's legs went weak, and she knelt in Arishem's palm.
"Lord, I believe the humans of Earth also have their shining qualities. To sacrifice them like this, isn't it too…"
Ajak wanted to plead for humanity. After seven millennia of interaction, she had developed deep feelings for humans. Unfortunately, Arishem paid her no mind, merely stating calmly:
"Ajak, this is not for you to consider. It is My responsibility to judge whether a Planet has the right to exist. You may return."
Before Ajak could plead further, she was teleported back to the rooftop.
"Emergence? Leader Ajak, what did you mean by your conversation with the Celestial just now?"
As Ajak returned to the rooftop, Adam immediately questioned her.
Aside from Ancient One and Nick Fury, everyone else looked bewildered. From such a distance, they hadn't heard the conversation between The Judge and Ajak.
"Mr. Adam, you must have misheard. There is no Emergence."
At this point, Ikaris of the Eternal stepped forward. He was the only Eternal besides Ajak who knew the truth, and he possessed a soldier-like loyalty, even more devoted to the Celestials' commands than Ajak.
In the movie, to ensure the Emergence, he even killed Ajak, whose resolve wavered, and used the remaining Deviants to scheme against and kill his companions, with whom he had fought for thousands of years.
"Ajak, what exactly is the Emergence? Are you hiding something from us? Was Ikaris's departure five hundred years ago also because of this so-called Emergence?"
Sersi, who knew Ikaris best, immediately noticed the unusual expression on his face. Connecting it with the problems she had recently discovered, she already had some suspicions.
At this moment, Ajak reached out and stopped Ikaris, who was about to retort, then sighed and explained:
"I have indeed been hiding something from you all. Our mission on Earth, on the surface, was to protect humans from Deviants, but in reality, it was for the Emergence, which is the birth of a new Celestial."
At this point, concealment was no longer necessary, for the Celestials had already arrived, and the Emergence was a foregone conclusion. She didn't believe they could defeat the Celestial who created Planets and life.
So, at least she could let everyone die with clarity. This was the only thing she could do.
"Olympia does not exist; those memories are all false. After the Emergence, our memories will all be wiped, and we will continue to carry out our mission.
Tina's Mahd Wy'ry is actually because some of her memories from previous missions awakened, causing her to frequently lose control.
Now, everything is over. Once Galactus is driven away, the Emergence will begin, and Earth will cease to exist. You cannot contend with Lord, especially with so many Celestials."
"This is truly ridiculous. We thought the Celestial was here to help, but it turns out they're no different from Galactus.
However, we humans won't give in as easily as you. If the outcome is death anyway, then we might as well fight. Perhaps victory will ultimately be on our side."
At this moment, Iron Man Tony Stark stepped out from the crowd.
He didn't belong to the League of Heroes or S.H.I.E.L.D., but given that he was also a Marvel protagonist, perhaps he could increase their luck, so Adam had invited him.
He also hadn't overlooked his business partners like Green Goblin and Doctor Doom.
"Tony is right. Let's watch them fight first. No matter who wins, we'll go all out according to the plan."
Adam also stepped forward at this point.
Everyone nodded upon hearing Adam's words.
However, just then, Ikaris suddenly focused cosmic rays in his eyes and shot them towards Adam.
Although he didn't believe Adam and these people would succeed, he also wouldn't allow them to dare disrupt the Emergence, so he had to first eliminate Adam, the leader of these humans.
Unfortunately, he knew nothing of Adam's current strength.
Facing the cosmic rays shot at him in a sneak attack, Adam didn't dodge at all. His body immediately flared with power, deflecting them back. His figure flashed, appearing behind Ikaris, and with a simple hand chop, he knocked Ikaris down.
If the Celestials weren't still above Earth, he would have snapped Ikaris's neck on the spot.
His normal combat power of 300,000 was truly terrifying!
"He's here! He's here!"
Just then, Silver Surfer spoke, a hint of nervousness in his voice. He had sensed the aura of his Master, Galactus.
Indeed, in less than three seconds, a Giant, whose size was even taller than Arishem the Judge, estimated to be a full 500,000 meters tall, also appeared in the sky above Earth.
He was Galactus, who fed on Planets, a Giant who looked like he was wearing blue and purple armor.
Enemies meeting, their eyes blazed with fury. One created, one destroyed. They barely exchanged words upon meeting, and the two sides began to fight in the Universe outside Earth.
"Activate the Sanctum!"
Seeing this, Ancient One immediately had the sorcerers activate the defenses of the Sanctum Sanctorum, enveloping the entire Earth within a magic shield to withstand the aftershocks of the battle between Galactus and the Celestials.
Adam, meanwhile, gave Ancient One a look, created a Shadow Clone to remain in place, and his main body instantly disappeared with Apparition.
When he reappeared, he was already beside the celestial embryo at Earth's core.