Returning to the royal city, Asgardian civilians gazed in astonishment at the fully restored city. All traces of the previous battle had vanished, and their collapsed homes were returned to pristine condition.
"By the way, Garus, how did you get to Asgard? You didn't use the Bifrost, did you?" The Bifrost had always been under Heimdall's control, making unauthorized passage nearly impossible.
Garus didn't respond. Instead, he demonstrated directly — a black energy portal formed before him, opening a gateway to Earth.
Thor and the others stared in disbelief. Although Asgard and Earth were both part of the same Yggdrasil cosmos, they existed in separate dimensional realms. Opening a spatial passage between them was no trivial feat.
Garus stepped through first, then turned back, calling out, "Thor, weren't you heading to Earth too? Hurry up."
"Alright, I'm coming." Thor bid farewell to his mother and Sif, then jogged into the portal.
Passing through the Death Gate, Thor found himself in a dim corridor. The air was heavy with an unusual energy — this was the floating necropolis of Naxxramas.
Garus felt something amiss — where was everyone? The place was eerily empty.
Though Thor was curious about the new surroundings, he had more pressing matters.
"I need to find Jane. If I don't show up soon, she'll probably kill me." He could already imagine his girlfriend's wrath.
Without waiting for pleasantries, Thor picked a random corridor and dashed off.
Garus, unfazed, headed toward the teleportation array. He intended to visit HAMMER HQ alone — Kallruth had to be brought back.
Despite several alien invasions, New Yorkers carried on with life as usual. The city bustled with its daily rhythm. Those wishing to leave found themselves trapped — plummeting property prices made selling homes nearly impossible.
On the streets, Garus couldn't avoid being recognized. His popularity in America had skyrocketed.
As he neared HAMMER HQ, a speeding car raced past him. A young man in a monster costume leaned out, shouting.
But what caught Garus's attention was not the youth — it was the Watcher, Uatu, seated in the car.
The car screeched to a halt, reversing until it aligned with Garus.
"Garus!" Uatu stepped out, pulling him aside. "Is the Galactus avatar dealt with?"
"The avatar is destroyed."
Uatu exhaled in relief.
"Dad, who is this?" The monster-clad youth hopped out — a seemingly ordinary young white man.
"Your son?" Garus was incredulous. Uatu's human guise concealed his true alien nature.
"Yes, this is my son, Fred — but we'll talk about that later." Uatu glanced at Fred. "Can you take off that ridiculous outfit? It's childish."
"This is super gear designed by Hiro!" Fred protested.
"Back in the car. I have business to discuss."
"Wait! You're Garus, the headmaster of Mutant Academy! A superhero! I have my own awesome superhero team..."
Uatu's butler dragged the rambling Fred back to the car.
Uatu sighed. "With Galactus's avatar gone, the real problem remains — his herald, Stardust, is still here. If you don't deal with him, he might summon Galactus again."
Uatu turned to leave. "By the way, Stardust appeared at your company building. It's a warzone now."
Garus froze. He'd completely forgotten about the agreed showdown — he'd gone surfing in Asgard instead.
Trying to contact Kallruth proved futile.
"Damn, I hope nothing happened."
Garus sprinted toward Azeroth Tech Tower, wind whipping behind him.
The police had cordoned off the area, barricading the street. The tower's outer walls, reinforced with Azerothian metal and defensive enchantments, were scorched and battle-scarred — Earth's strongest building had been tested.
The fighting seemed to be over, but something felt wrong.
Garus drew his weapon, its embedded Space Stone glowing faintly. With a slash, he cut through the fabric of reality.
The mirror dimension fractured, revealing a chaotic space within. Energy storms raged as Stardust, Kamar-Taj sorcerers, Kallruth, Abomination, and the Fantastic Four clashed inside.
The sorcerers struggled to maintain the dimension's stability, preventing Stardust from escaping. Abomination, covered in burns, roared with exhilaration while the Thing grappled Stardust directly. The Fantastic Four and Kallruth harassed the herald from the flanks.
Johnny Storm spotted Garus and sighed in relief. Even his flames were useless against Stardust.
Kallruth summoned waves of undead, while Abomination's seismic slams shook the ground.
Baron Mordo cursed inwardly — Abomination was wrecking the mirror dimension, draining their power reserves.
A streak of starlight shot toward the sorcerers, but Susan Storm's force field flicked into place, blocking the attack.
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON