American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

320. The ‘God’ from Beyond.

In the capital of Doom Empire, New Latveria.

Since the fall of Hydra and the ensuing chaos, Doctor Doom had sealed off his entire territory, allowing no one in or out. He had also fortified his fortress into an ironclad stronghold, going so far as to invest substantial manpower and resources into creating magical barriers.

The emergence of the powerful Justice League and the heir to Thor was just a week ago. To avoid being confronted by those heroes, Doctor Doom had put a lot of thought into his defenses. However, the anticipated showdown between good and evil did not unfold. Those heroes seemed to have vanished into thin air; no one knew where they had gone or what they planned to do next.

Inside Doctor Doom's base, he sat upon a throne made from the remains of Ben Grimm, one of the Fantastic Four, looking troubled.

"Our probe drones were attacked and destroyed. From the surveillance footage that was uploaded, it's clear that the invaders are not human," he said grimly.

Standing before a large screen, Madame Masque reported the known intelligence to Doctor Doom.

"Regrettably, my lord, your database's facial recognition system indicates that the intruders belong to the Shi'ar Empire's Royal Guard. The leader is none other than Gladiator, who has not approached Earth since their last visit half a century ago."

Propping his stiff face with one hand, Doctor Doom drummed his fingers on the arm of the throne. His expression was dark, as if he were processing a series of bad news.

They had clearly won a resounding victory and occupied Earth. After Hydra's downfall, he could have risen to become the next ruler. Yet, for some reason, Doctor Doom felt that everything had started to spiral out of his control.

"So, you mean to say that Clint Barton's message is true? The Universal Church of Truth really has its sights set on Earth?" Doctor Doom frowned and muttered.

"I'm afraid so," Madame Masque replied, noticing Doom's foul mood and bowing her head deeply.

"Universal Church of Truth has quite the audacity." Doctor Doom clenched his fists, his voice hoarse. "In Doom's world, only Doom can intervene. How dare those aliens come here and cause trouble?"

Doctor Doom had dealt with the Shi'ar Empire before; Gladiator had once been a superhero with close ties to Earth. Even the Shi'ar prince had studied on Earth, and the accompanying warrior, Starbolt, had briefly joined the X-Men.

But who would have thought that just half a century later, these characters would become pawns of the Church, and the Shi'ar Empire would cease to exist?

"By the way,"

Doctor Doom suddenly had a thought and looked up to inquire.

"What about those superheroes? Where's the Justice League and that newly emerged female Thor? Why hasn't Doom heard any intelligence about them?"

"Rumor has it that those individuals have gone to another world. After all, you know that the Justice League is a superhero organization from another dimension. If I remember correctly, they should not be on Earth right now," Madame Masque answered.

"So, can Doom understand that aside from Hawkeye and Punisher, those old-timers, there are no other superheroes left in this wasteland?" Doom's eyes narrowed slightly.

"There should also be Star-Lord, Peter Quill. A few days ago, Clint Barton took a team and rescued him from near our territory's border. I suspect the Royal Guard came here following Star-Lord."

"They hardly pose any threat. Where are those Shi'ar invaders now?" Doctor Doom asked hoarsely.

"Not sure. Those guys don't seem to enjoy fighting. It looks like they're in a hurry to find something. Our probe drones engaged them only because they encountered each other," Madame Masque pondered briefly before responding.

"Hurrying to find something…"

Upon hearing this, Doctor Doom had a sudden insight. Although it was his first time hearing about Universal Church of Truth, he was certainly familiar with the name of Galactus, the planet devourer.

After all, it was the Fantastic Four, his arch-rivals, who had thwarted Galactus's invasion of Earth. As one of the world's most powerful supervillains and a national leader, Doctor Doom kept records of those who could potentially threaten his position.

His database not only stored threats from within Earth but also included civilizations from alien planets like the Shi'ar Empire and the Skrull Empire. Among them, the threat of Galactus was undoubtedly the most significant.

"Doom understands what Star-Lord and the Royal Guard are after now." A cold glint flickered in Doctor Doom's eyes as he quickly grasped the key point.

"My lord, what exactly is their target?"

"The Ultimate Nullifier." Without hesitation, Doctor Doom sighed deeply. "This is a powerful weapon that has been kept in the vault of the Fantastic Four. In some ways, its power is even greater than that of the Infinity Stones, and it is the only weapon capable of stopping the Planet Devourer."

After battling the Fantastic Four for so many years, Doctor Doom was quite familiar with their abilities and treasures, and he understood the significance of the Ultimate Nullifier.

After a long silence, Doctor Doom lifted his head again. "Order all the Doombots to be dispatched, split into two teams. You lead one group. Doom wants you to head straight to the ruins of Baxter Building and eliminate that Royal Guard."

"As you command!"

Madame Masque did not hesitate for a moment and immediately accepted the order, but then she paused for a moment.

"My lord, what about you?"

"Doom has more important matters to attend to." Doctor Doom said no more, waving his hand impatiently. At the same time, he slowly raised his head, gazing upward.

At that moment, Doctor Doom's sight pierced through the heavy ceiling, his perspective rising directly toward the horizon.

Meanwhile, far away in the cosmos, light-years from Earth, the Planet Devourer was savoring an ancient planet named Ego at the front line of the war between Universal Church of Truth and the Nova Corps.

Since the fall of those powerful civilizations, the only ones still facing off against the Church in the universe were the Nova Corps. However, even they found it difficult to gain any advantage against the Church. The good news was that the Planet Devourer did not regard them as a threat.

With Ego being such a delicacy, who would care about that obscure planet, Xandar?

"Honorable master, all-powerful god, I apologize for disturbing your meal under such circumstances."

The queen of the Church humbly descended from her spacecraft, looking at the towering, terrifying figure that stood thousands of feet tall, bowing her head deeply to avoid provoking any displeasure.

"I have come to inform you that Gladiator's team has just sent word—they have tracked Peter Quill to Earth. It seems he has not yet found the Ultimate Nullifier, as we feared."

"Earlier than I expected, but is that your reason for interrupting my meal?"

The Planet Devourer did not open His mouth, but His voice thundered like a storm from the horizon, crashing into the ears of the Church queen and shaking her fragile psyche. Though the Planet Devourer had merely asked a rhetorical question, His voice was filled with an undeniable authority. Just hearing it made beads of sweat form on the queen's forehead.

To her, the Planet Devourer's power was terrifying. Let alone communicating, even standing before Him made it hard for her to endure the oppressive force.

Seemingly noticing the Planet Devourer's displeasure, the Church queen quickly gathered her thoughts and spoke again.

"There's also another important message from Gladiator. Currently, there are no heroes guarding Earth. I believe this should be a great opportunity for you."

Upon hearing this, the Planet Devourer's massive form paused for a moment, and this time, He showed a hint of interest.

Turning His gaze, His eyes—radiating cosmic energies—locked onto the Church queen, and a hint of excitement crept into His tone.

"No Fantastic Four? No Avengers? No Champions?"

These three questions clearly demonstrated how much the Planet Devourer valued Earth.

"Yes, my lord," the Church queen said, forcing herself to remain calm. "Earth is currently a disjointed mess, without even a proper leader."

"You have done well, my messenger!"

A smile appeared on the Planet Devourer's face. In truth, He had no physical form, so the 'smile' was merely how the queen perceived Him.

"Withdraw the fleet for now; let the Nova Corps be for the time being. The Planet Devourer has not visited Earth in a long time."

.....

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321. Fierce Battle!
322. A Fight to the Death!
323. Temporal Radiation!
324. The Wolverine Returns Home.
325. Madame Masque.