Karl naturally had no idea what had happened outside the Main Universe.
Right now, he was still locked in battle with Abraxas.
Terrifying forces continuously collided between them.
Even the laws of the surrounding world began to distort beneath the impact of their terrifying power.
The already-devastated world was now on the verge of complete collapse.
It would probably take an unimaginable amount of time for these wounds to heal.
"You insignificant mortal!"
"Are you only capable of hiding inside that shell of yours?"
"If you have any courage, come out and fight me head-on!"
Abraxas roared furiously.
After Karl had broken through his Destruction Tide, he had once again retreated into the domain formed from time and space.
Abraxas was practically going insane.
He couldn't continuously unleash something as terrifying as the Destruction Tide.
But if he didn't use it, he had virtually no way to deal with Karl.
That only made him even more furious.
Hearing how anxious Abraxas had become, Karl remained completely unhurried.
"If you're so capable, then come in and get me."
"You call yourself a god, yet you can't even kill a fly?"
Karl replied indifferently.
Abraxas nearly coughed up blood from sheer rage.
This damned mortal was absolutely infuriating.
"Die!"
This time, Abraxas stopped holding back.
Dozens of spears forged from destruction shot toward Karl.
Karl waved his hand.
A dazzling shield appeared.
It seemed vast enough to blot out the heavens, stretching across the entire battlefield.
Countless incomparably complex patterns were engraved across its surface, resembling depictions of the fundamental evolution of reality itself.
The profound source laws contained within them were almost unfathomable.
And running through everything was a single ray of green light.
Even beings on the level of the Five Great Gods would become dizzy merely by looking at it.
The endless temporal energy contained within the shield caused it to exist outside the present even while remaining plainly visible before their eyes.
Because of this artifact's unique nature, ordinary attacks simply could not affect it.
Any attack directed toward Karl would be transferred into another point in time, rendering it completely harmless.
It was an utterly shameless defensive method.
No wonder Abraxas was practically jumping with rage.
Even Eternity and the other gods secretly observing the battle couldn't help but stare at it with burning eyes.
"Truly incredible..."
"Karl started out as nothing more than a mortal, yet he has developed the laws of time to such an extent."
"He truly doesn't resemble a mortal at all."
"At this point, if someone told me he was the great One-Above-All's illegitimate son, I'd probably believe them."
Agamotto spoke enviously.
"Ahem."
"Do not disrespect the great One-Above-All."
"Still, this kid truly is astonishing."
Eternity couldn't help but nod as well.
Even Mother Earth, Gaea, stared at Karl's shield as multicolored divine light surged around her.
If she hadn't been hundreds of millions of years older than Karl, she might even have gone over to become better acquainted with him.
"This kid really is extraordinary."
"But shouldn't we be getting back to business?"
"Eternity, didn't you say you had a way to kill Abraxas? Why haven't you done anything yet?"
Gaea asked.
Before they arrived, Eternity had told them that he had a way to kill Abraxas.
That was why the two of them had agreed to come and help.
Otherwise, with their current strength, protecting themselves was certainly possible, but accomplishing much beyond that would not be easy.
So why hadn't Eternity acted yet?
Hearing this, Eternity froze.
Right.
Why hadn't Galactus acted yet?
With this much time, Galactus should already have had more than enough time to kill Abraxas dozens of times over.
"Wait a little longer."
"The timing isn't right yet."
Eternity casually brushed off the question.
At the same time, he frantically attempted to contact Galactus and urge him to act immediately.
However, what happened next was completely beyond his expectations.
Eternity's heart sank.
What was going on?
Could Galactus actually be the traitor?
They had agreed beforehand to remain in constant contact.
So why couldn't he reach him now?
Eternity's heart continued sinking like a stone.
If Galactus really was the traitor, they were in serious trouble.
But—
That shouldn't be possible!
If there was anyone in this world who would fight Abraxas to the death, it would unquestionably be Galactus.
As the lock that had kept Abraxas sealed away, Galactus had diligently maintained that seal for more than ten thousand years!
The hatred between those two ran bone-deep.
There was absolutely no possibility of reconciliation.
Then what exactly was happening?
Why wasn't Galactus responding?
Eternity simply couldn't understand it.
BOOM!!
Another deafening explosion erupted from the battlefield.
It felt as though tens of thousands of tons of explosives had detonated right beside their ears.
Even someone as absurdly tough as Hulk would have been killed by the terrifying force of that impact.
This was a collision between concepts.
A direct contest between the wills of two beings.
It was a clash between powers standing at the absolute pinnacle of this world.
It resembled the explosion of a supernova and, at the same time, the destruction of an entire universe.
Endless laws and principles of reality collided within it.
The entire world trembled.
The Multiverse itself was continuously being torn apart.
Cracks ripped through reality and could be seen everywhere throughout the void.
And the consequences were not limited to the Multiverse itself.
Even within the infinite void beyond the Multiverse, countless powerful beings were watching the battle.
The First Firmament was one of them.
"...Excellent. Truly astonishing!"
"You juniors have actually managed to attain this level of power. Incredible."
"But it seems you've started fighting among yourselves."
"Fight!"
"Keep fighting!"
"It would be even better if this entire world were destroyed!"
The First Firmament's eyes were filled with excitement.
It was as though he were eagerly awaiting the destruction of the Multiverse.
Far beyond even that endless void was a place impossible to describe, where nothing could escape observation.
This was where the great Living Tribunal resided.
Personally appointed by the One-Above-All to safeguard the balance of the Multiverse, the Living Tribunal possessed incomparable power. Marvel likewise describes the Living Tribunal as the arbiter overseeing the realities of the Multiverse and places him above major cosmic abstracts such as Eternity.
Concepts themselves had already lost all meaning before him.
He was cosmic order.
He was law.
He was the ultimate authority of this world.
With a single thought, he could alter reality itself.
All-knowing.
All-powerful.
That was the Living Tribunal.
Everything within the Multiverse lay beneath his gaze.
"Annihilus... After all these years, you still couldn't let it go."
"In the end, you still chose this path."
"What a pity."
"It seems this generation of Annihilus will die before completing his duty."
Universes were continuously born and extinguished within the Living Tribunal's eyes.
Everything was reflected within his pupils.
"Still, there has been one pleasant surprise."
"I never expected a mortal who emerged from a Parallel Universe to possess such extraordinary power."
"Truly unbelievable."
A trace of astonishment appeared in the Living Tribunal's eyes.
He was supposed to be omniscient.
He should have known everything.
And yet—
He couldn't understand Karl's growth.
How had this kid become so powerful?
(End of Chapter)
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