The losses were catastrophic.
More importantly, Johnny Blaze had died on the spot.
After the disaster, firefighters rushed to contain the flas while ergency crews worked frantically to save the injured. Amid the chaos, Johnny stood nearby in a daze.
He was dead.
Actually dead.
And judging by the fact that nobody seed capable of seeing him, he was pretty sure he was a soul now.
How was that possible?
Wasn't his soul supposed to belong to a devil?
Had the devil really co to collect that quickly?
"Johnny Blaze..."
A figure erged from the darkness.
Drex Valen.
Nothing about him looked remotely trustworthy, and he had no intention of pretending otherwise.
"The hell are you supposed to be?"
Johnny instinctively recoiled.
Being dead had done nothing to improve his nerves.
"What am I?" Drex replied calmly. "I am the Lord of the Black Hole Dinsion. The destroyer of ti, space, matter, energy, fate, life, and death. The ultimate force of devastation in the universe. The God of Destruction and Ruin."
His tone carried no exaggeration.
It was simply a statent of fact.
Given the nature of his power and what he had beco, the title fit perfectly.
Although, admittedly, it sounded suspiciously close to stepping on soone else's territory.
Drex suddenly froze.
The mont he spoke that divine title aloud, a subtle tremor rippled across the Multiverse.
Sothing changed.
He could feel it instantly.
Molecules vibrated before his awareness.
Elents drifting through space revealed themselves.
The movents of particles, their trajectories, cycles, and governing laws unfolded with perfect clarity.
Then his perception expanded even further.
For a brief mont, it felt as though he could see the fundantal structure of everything.
How reality was assembled.
How existence functioned.
How the universe operated beneath its surface.
It was as if the world had always been hidden behind an impossibly thick veil, obscuring its true nature.
Now the veil was gone.
The mysteries remained, but they were no longer invisible.
At that mont, Drex officially stepped into the ranks of cosmic gods.
He had beco one of Marvel's true Universal-level entities.
In truth, his power reserves and accumulated energy had surpassed that threshold long ago.
By raw strength alone, he had already crossed it.
Yet for all this ti, he had remained stranded at the doorway, unable to take the final step.
Now he finally understood why.
The missing piece was what the cosmic beings of the universe called an anchor.
Within Marvel's cosmology, reaching the level of a Universal cosmic entity ant transcending the limits of ordinary life entirely.
It was the first true step into godhood.
Not the kind claid by planetary deities or self-proclaid tyrants.
Sothing vastly greater.
A realm where power itself exceeded what normal minds and bodies could safely contain.
Enough power would inevitably reshape a person's thoughts, desires, and identity.
Without realizing it, they could beco sothing unrecognizable.
That principle applied across every universe.
Because of that, any being who reached the Universal level required an anchor.
Sothing uniquely their own.
A purpose.
A passion.
A responsibility.
An obsession.
Anything capable of preventing them from losing themselves to endless power and endless ti.
The Celestials never struggled with this problem.
The universe assigned their duties from birth.
Every Celestial instinctively understood its role within creation.
In a sense, they were cosmic civil servants, carrying out their responsibilities for billions of years without deviation.
Their anchor ca preinstalled.
Galactus had no such issue either.
His purpose was simple.
To consu.
He was eternally hungry, forever traveling from world to world, devouring planets and releasing energy back into the cosmic ecosystem.
There was an old saying that people only overthink things when they were too comfortable.
Galactus never had that luxury.
An eternally starving cosmic god had no spare ti for existential crises.
The Elders of the Universe offered a better example.
They had ascended after birth.
To preserve their identities, each developed an obsession that anchored them to themselves.
The Grandmaster's addiction to gambling bordered on madness. More than once, he had nearly wagered away his own existence.
The Collector possessed an equally notorious obsession with collecting rare treasures.
Across the universe, everyone knew his reputation.
Power alone wasn't enough to beco a god.
Neither was enlightennt.
One needed an anchor.
Sothing that ensured no amount of strength could erase the self.
Until now, Drex had never known what his own obsession might be.
Today, he found one.
Destruction.
Ruin.
The instant he beca a true cosmic god of this universe, reality itself responded.
A divine office was assigned to him automatically.
This wasn't the sa as villains gaining a little power and declaring themselves gods.
Nor was it comparable to planetary skyfathers like Odin or Zeus.
This was an official designation granted by the universe itself.
A cosmic authority recognized by reality.
From this day forward, other cosmic entities would know him by a single title.
The God of Destruction and Ruin.
"...Damn it."
Drex rubbed his forehead.
"If I'd known it was this easy, I would've picked God of Love."
He had never expected ascension to work like this.
Apparently, if one's power reached the required level, the universe was more than willing to hand out divine portfolios.
Even more importantly, his title wasn't recognized by a single universe.
It was acknowledged across the Multiverse.
Unless he soday surpassed the Multiverse itself, the position would continue receiving its support and protection.
"That's quite an unexpected bonus..."
Because of his upbringing, Drex had never been obsessed with calling himself a god.
Unlike Loki, it wasn't a title he felt compelled to repeat every five minutes.
His original plan had been simple.
Strengthen the Black Hole Dinsion.
Collect souls.
Expand his influence.
Instead, he had accidentally beco a genuine multiversal deity.
He remained far beyond the level of an ordinary Universal entity, but he could clearly sense the Multiverse's willingness.
If he accepted, it would elevate him fully into the absolute embodint of destruction and ruin.
Essentially, reality was prepared to kick Galactus out of the position and hand the job to him.
Yeah, right.
As if he'd agree to that.
Accepting such a role would chain him permanently to this Multiverse.
Drex intended to reach Multiversal and Omniversal heights one day.
He had no interest in trading limitless potential for a gilded cage.
Nearby, Johnny Blaze stood frozen.
Lord of the Black Hole Dinsion.
God of Destruction and Ruin.
Those titles sounded absurdly overwhelming.
Johnny suddenly found himself missing phisto.
A lot.
Compared to whatever stood before him now, phisto seed almost comforting.
What kind of cosmic nightmare had taken an interest in him?
Then Drex spoke.
"Beco my Rider."
His eyes locked onto Johnny's soul.
"Hunt the souls of sinners for ."
Drex wanted him.
Not rely because of his power.
Because Johnny Blaze himself was worth claiming.
User Comments
0 comments from readers