When the energy blast finally dissipated, Stardust had already vanished from the rooftop.
"Mr. Wilson, are you alright?" Dr. Wim stepped out from behind Kingpin, retracting the device that had exhausted its power.
Kingpin knelt on one knee, his once-imposing suit shredded, exposing patches of white vertebrae beneath the remnants of muscle. Strangely, no blood flowed from his wounds.
"Is... Kingpin still alive?" Bullseye asked cautiously. The sight before him was too gruesome to believe. Even though he'd witnessed Kingpin's resurrection before, this time it seemed impossible for him to have survived. The others were equally shaken, relieved only that the terrifying alien had left.
Dr. Wim's voice wavered. "This... this shouldn't be possible. We need to report this to Garus immediately."
Just as they prepared to carry Kingpin away, he coughed— a dry, hollow sound that sent those nearest stumbling back in fear.
"Cough... cough..."
Kingpin's desiccated trachea felt as if it were smoldering. The pain in his shattered bones was distant, but his broken frame refused to obey him.
"Help me up." His hoarse voice made the staff flinch.
Is this even human anymore? Most could only gape in horror.
Only Bullseye dared to approach, gingerly helping Kingpin to his feet. "Boss, are you alright?"
"Do I look alright, you idiot?" Kingpin growled. His pride was wounded more than his body. He'd thought himself powerful, yet the alien's radiant blast had torn through his necromantic defenses with ease.
"Mr. Wilson, communications are back online." Dr. Wim glanced at his phone, relief flickering across his face.
As a servant death knight, Kingpin couldn't contact Garus telepathically. His only thought was to report the situation to his master as soon as possible.
"Call Mr. Garus. And keep searching for that Stardust creature."
...
Inside the H.A.M.M.E.R. headquarters, Garus was preparing to leave when a breathless agent burst into the room.
"Director Osborn, there's been an anomaly at Azeroth Tech Tower— suspected alien activity."
The news sent a ripple of tension through the room. Everyone's thoughts immediately turned to Stardust.
"I need to go back," Garus said, rising to his feet— just as his phone buzzed.
"I understand. I'll handle it when I return." His face darkened after the call from Dr. Wim.
Norman Osborn's curiosity piqued. "What happened, Mr. Garus?"
"A rat snuck into my house. I'm going to deal with it."
Without another word, Garus opened a portal and vanished.
On the other side of the portal, Garus found Kingpin slumped in his chair, looking like a ragged corpse.
"Master..."
Kingpin's unease was palpable. Among Garus' three Death Knights, he was the weakest— largely because he devoted most of his time to running the company.
"Later." Garus conjured a ball of black energy in his palm.
Dr. Wim stepped forward hastily. "Mr. Garus, it's not Mr. Wilson's fault— that alien was simply too powerful. We couldn't resist."
"You're overthinking it. I'm healing him." Death Coil was lethal to the living, but for the undead, it was as restorative as any healing spell.
The black energy seeped into Kingpin's body, making withered muscle tissue regrow before their eyes.
It wasn't enough. Kingpin's injuries were too severe. Garus unleashed a flurry of Death Coils, the surplus energy corroding nearby furniture into ash. Bullseye watched, wide-eyed, never having seen such a form of "healing" before.
Minutes later, Kingpin knelt naked, his body fully restored.
"Thank you, Master." His voice brimmed with reverence.
"Now tell me everything."
When Kingpin explained that Stardust sought the Infinity Stone in Garus' possession, it gave Garus pause. It wasn't exactly a secret— but this escalation placed him in far greater danger. The Marvel universe had no shortage of powerhouses, and he doubted he could survive if they came for him en masse.
"He'll return in a day?"
"Yes. He said if you don't show up, he'll destroy the planet. Should we prepare defenses? Perhaps—"
"Pointless. If I can't handle him, running would be smarter." Garus stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So he's not here on Galactus' behalf... which means we need to get that surfboard off Earth— fast."
Galactus' arrival was imminent. Time was running out.
"I have other matters to attend to."
Garus opened another portal, this time to the moon— to Uatu the Watcher's hidden base.
Uatu greeted him with a scowl. "You brought all these mortals into my home, turning it into a mess!"
Garus ignored the alien, brushing past him to knock on the door. "Tony! Open up."
Tony Stark emerged, eyes bright with excitement. "Garus! You won't believe what I've discovered— this surfboard's energy could power my armor indefinitely—"
"Not now. Give me the board. We need to get it off Earth."
Tony's smile faded. "Why? I'm so close to cracking it—"
"If you don't want Earth destroyed, don't ask. Time's short."
Reluctantly, Tony shut down his equipment and handed over the Silver Surfer's board.
Reed Richards, who had just arrived, asked grimly, "Is Galactus coming?"
"Yes. If we don't get this thing off-world, he'll be here soon. And I doubt anyone on this planet can stop him."
With the surfboard in hand, Garus opened a portal to Asgard's Death Gate— his best chance of reaching Sakaar through the cosmic wormhole before it was too late.
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