Motioning Surtur to stay back the anti-Odin lunged at Thor fists flailing. Thor stepped aside smashing the behemoth in the back with a two fisted blow that drove it deep into the ground. Dark Odin reached out for Thors leg like lightning but Thor was even faster moving clear of the titan.
Getting to his feet there was a look in the alternate Odin’s eyes that reminded Thor of a certain green mortal behemoth that had once walked the Earth. Though the power and strength involved here was of an entirely different order of magnitude still it served as a reminder that getting into a purely physical slugfest with the Dark Odin might not be the best approach tactically. Particularly with Dark Surtur, Dark Ymir and what now appeared to be some alternate Mangog abomination all nearby.
Thor saw that sheer power alone was probably not going to win the day. Not for the first time since arriving Thor wondered if he should have asked Lord Zeus and one or two other skyfathers to accompany him.
The extreme light and heat that Thor had created with the god blast was inevitably dissipating. Without the generation of still more light and heat it seemed to be slowly absorbed into the darkness of this reality. Thor saw also that the seemingly random black lightning discharges continued anew interrupted only briefly by his godblast.
As his mind raced Thor realized that he could not now simply leave this reality to its own devices. Thanks in part to his own appearance here its denizens were on the brink of breaching the barriers that kept them in them in this reality. Even if he left as he had come via the inter reality back door Dark Odin at least would be able to follow him – with all that entailed.
“Surely Odin would have built in some kind of fail safe for this reality?” mused Thor “a plug that could be pulled if the barriers bounding this reality were ever breached?”
As Dark Odin kept up the pressure the alternate Surtur and Mangog joined the fray. As alternate Odin’s fist pounders went off the scale in an energy surge he struck Thor a mighty blow on the side of his ace and at that exact same instant Dark Mangog struck a bone shattering blow and Dark Surtur struck with his powerful tail.
Thor struck the ground harder than he could ever remember. As he attempted to rise Allfather Odin himself offered his hand. Surtur, Ymir, Mangog and others trembled in the background. “Arise my son” boomed the Allfather and we shall deal with these miscreants in short order.”
Thor wondered if the Dark Odin had simply created an illusion in his mind or whether his enemies had resorted to Shapeshifting and were merely acting out their parts. No matter as the Allfather offered his hand Thor rose striking him with the blow to end all blows. The Allfather reeled under the seldom used “Thorblow” and as Thor looked down so he again saw the Dark Odin before him. Thor saw also that this was neither Shapeshifting nor illusion but rather a mild attempt at reality manipulation. For all the brute that Dark Odin appeared to be Thor realized he must not be underestimated.
Thor needed to buy a few moments of time for his next move. He did so by employing another skyfather level godblast. This time though it was the normal energies that one associates with the godblast but in pulsating bursts at each of his adversaries. Even the Dark Odin grunted and gave ground before the onslaught.
Thor then twirled his hammer about him at indescribable speed and began the short trip back in time to the commencement of this reality. There to prevent the evolution of life in this reality ever before it began.
Thors intent was clear to Dark Odin and Thor did not quite reach his intended destination before the dark god, dark elementals, and Dark Mangog intercepted him and again engaged him in battle. The black-ice Ymir grabbed Thor in his monstrous hand and Thor suddenly knew a level of cold heretofore beyond his experience. For a moment Thors mind reeled and he looked like succumbing to a coldness that made the theoretical absolute zero seem like a blazing sun. As his mind reeled Thor looked back at the seemingly unreachable another few hundred years back in time where he thought he actually saw Odin in the process of creating this reality.
Thor called out “Father” willing his voice to travel backward in time “aide me.”
If Allfather Odin heard his son or witnessed the events taking place in his near future he gave no sign of it. Instead he continued with his mighty act of creation.
Thor finally escaped the alternate Ymir’s grasp shattering the dark elementals black ice hand into a million shards.
Dark Odin and the others had no desire to remain in this time and literally dragged Thor back up though time to the now moment where the struggle continued.
A look of grim resolve appeared on Thors face. There could be no holding back now, he would have to literally defeat every single denizen of this reality before he could return to his own. If necessary he was prepared to induce a controlled warrior’s madness in himself to achieve this objective.
Dark Odin prepared a massive energy onslaught as did the other alternates but instead of directing it at the mighty Thor they struck at the very barriers that had held them so long in this reality.
The already weakened barriers started to crumble and glimpses of the myriad alternate realities beyond could be seen beyond the failing barriers. But then this whole reality started to alter, to decrease in size, to draw in on itself in an act of implosion.
As elements of this reality there was nothing that Dark Odin and his allies could do to escape the implosion. Thor not being a native of his reality twirled mjolnir about himself creating a barrier that protected him against the implosion.
Safe within his own protected field Thor watched the entire act of implosion from start to finish until, along with the total collapse of Odin’s imprisoning barriers, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing at all.
During his act of creation back at the start of this reality had great Odin seen or heard the mighty Thor’s struggle with the All Fathers dark counterpart? Or had the fail-safe implosion mechanism always been in place for just that eventuality if Odin’s barriers were breached?
Thor was pretty sure he knew the answer.
End
Enter Galactus
Our Universe
Deep Space
Some time in the future
The normally powerful frame of the great Galactus was gaunt and almost totally consumed by hunger. A craving deeper and more ravenous than anything he could recall. His armour was scorched dark, heavily pitted and scarred and there were raking marks running across his chest plate. Around him the lay the sworling remains of his once mighty Worldship.
The world devourer’s recent defeat of the unholy alliance of former creation Tyrant, and former heralds Morg and Terrax had taken its toll on him. The trio had chosen their time well, attacking Galactus when his energies were already at a low ebb. The titan needed to feed and very soon.
Heraldless for a very long time now the world devourer used what seemed to be his very last reserves to teleport from the void between two distant galaxies to the nearest star system. It was beyond his current capabilities to re-form his Worldship nor was anything of worth salvageable amidst the destruction.
At the very edge of the star system he teleported to the devourer was confronted by a memory from the distant past. Drifting seemingly helplessly towards him an armoured form that had once served him uncomplainingly as a herald. The Asgardian Destroyer construct at human size level. Such an entity would not trouble a fed Galactus but in his current weakened state he approached it carefully. Galactus detected that the Destroyer was empowered by the life force of a single Asgardian. A life force that gave all the appearances of having been driven to total insanity.
The life force of a single Asgardian god was hardly even a morsel to one such as Galactus. Still the devourer gladly consumed that morsel. Galactus sensed within the Destroyer construct some small residual energies of its skyfather creators and he consumed that to. With it a very small element of that which was once known as the Odinpower. The Destroyer mechanism now nothing more than an inert mass of fairly durable metal continued to drift
aimlessly outwards from the star system.
Galactus looked on to into the star system ahead of him and was again surprised by what he saw. This is not to say that the great one is easily surprised. To the contrary for an entity that is in fact older than the Universe itself there are very few surprises in life.
Asgard and all the other worlds of Asgardian cosmology, save Earth itself, had either impacted or were orbiting various planets and moons of this large star system. Asgard itself being in a clearly decaying orbit about the system’s very largest planet.
The worlds of Niffleheim and Muspelheim had both appeared to meet ignominious fates. The former crashing into this systems large sun and the latter impacting a giant ice world. Only the barest, almost imperceptible, traces of these cataclysmic events still existed but for one such as Galactus it was more than enough. Of the elemental forces that might have prevented these events, that is to say, Surtur and Ymir, Galactus sensed nothing.
“It was” thought Galactus “as if a giant hand had scooped up all of the nine worlds, other than the Earth, taken them to this place then thrown them randomly at the star system.”
Odin himself was presumed long since dead and the worlds of Asgardian cosmology had gone missing and unheard of now for several centuries. “More to the point” mused Galactus “unthought of for centuries.” The great one pondered on this. Not only had the Asgardian worlds been removed from the Asgardian plane of existence but no one had really given the matter any thought. The destroyer of worlds saw that he would need to be careful in this place. Particularly in his present still parlous condition.
Galactus saw in an orbit between the two outermost of the star system’s worlds, a sword of monstrous proportions. Light from the distant sun reflected from the swords blade. It was he realized the ancient sword of Surtur, long time bane of the Norse gods. Galactus moved closer probing the sword. It contained recognizable residual energies of its creator but these were blended with other much more alien energies. Galactus sensed an innate hostility in the sword. Whether it was just to him or to any that might approach it he could not say. Though he still badly sought nourishment Galactus left the sword Twilight untouched and moved deeper into the star system.
Galactus saw a second sword of similar proportions to the first. It lay in the middle of an asteroid belt. The Colossus saw that it could only be the sword of legend, the fabled OdinSword itself. Fully the equal, if not more, of the sword Twilight.
The Titan pondered for a moment on the two great swords. Neither seemed damaged I any way despite the otherwise massive destruction evident in this system. As if, somehow, the two mighty swords lay waiting to be used in final battle by two great powers yet to show themselves.
Galactus approached the Odinsword. Unlike Twilight it did not seem to be inimical to his presence. Also, unlike Twilight, the greatest sword ever known had not been corrupted by alien energies. Galactus first thoughts were to drain the great sword of whatever energies were necessary to restore himself to full strength. Instead he picked it up hefting it in his hands. It was large even for Galactus but not impossibly so. Had it somehow accommodated itself to his size? Even without his urging the great sword bathed the world devourer in some of its energies further restoring him. Galactus placed the great sword upon his back. It was not bound to him by any physical straps but rather by a far stronger stasis link. The sword hummed gently, as if, in present circumstances at least, the great Galactus was a rightful and worthy wielder. The Leviathan resolved that if a worthy Asgardian appeared, such as the mighty Thor, or even great Odin, he would gladly hand the sword to them.
Galactus moved closer to Asgard. It was decaying and filthy beyond all description and would soon fall from its low orbit to the monstrous world below. At first it appeared uninhabited but then he sensed the presence of scurrying life forms in its cellars and other underground areas. And there was something else.
As he watched on the great Galactus sensed an incoming interdimensional teleportation. Almost before he had time to react a very sharp scythe like weapon struck against his personal force fields and disintegrated. Before him stood an entity that Galactus recognized – Perrikus of the Dark Gods. The god always very solidly built had gone to fat and streaks of grey ran through his hair. In short he had aged somewhat – perhaps like those of Asgard the narcissistic dark gods were not true immortals?
With a mere gesture of his hand Galactus restrained Perrikus forcing the gods arms by his side and then forcibly levitating the dark god such that Perrikus eyes were at the same level as his own. The world devourer then telepathically entered the dark god’s mind where he found only partial answers to his most immediate questions. Desaak, slayer of gods, had come more by happenstance upon the weakened Asgard that had impacted upon this star system. The nemesis of all gods had wrought his destruction and long since left. The Dark Gods leaches and savages that they were moved in only when Desaak had finished. Eventually even the Dark Gods had tired of Asgard and left it to whatever fate had decreed for it.
Galactus saw in Perrikus’s mind that the oafish buffoon before him was now de facto leader of the dark gods having murdered his own mother – Cellestion Zheillia – a fact that should surprise no one. “They will have to find another leader” thought a still hungry Galactus, as he consumed Perrikus, thinking at the same time that this was no great loss at all.
The leviathan then moved even closer to Asgard. The collective life forces of the semi-intelligent entities that scurried about in the bowels of Asgard scattered would have been far less than a single god of Asgard. Still Galactus consumed them all at the same time cleansing the city of them. Still there was something else.
As Galactus sought to investigate there was yet another interdimensional intrusion. A mightily wielded ebony sword struck against his personal force fields energies cascading everywhere. The sword’s wielder, vaguely human shaped and as ebony dark as the sword itself, was larger than Galactus. As it moved to strike again he saw it for what it was, the union of all the dark gods, save Perrikus and Cellestion Zheillia, into a single entity. As the all dark god entity struck again Galactus stopped the huge sword with one hand sending the power cosmic up through the sword and into the entity. As the great Galactus continued the power cosmic surge, the all dark god entity fell apart into its individual component entities. Some attacked Galactus individually while others scurried to perceived safety. No matter, Galactus consumed every last one of them and, finally, the great hunger within him was assuaged.
In entering the ruins of Asgard Galactus came across one final inhabitant – the “something else” that had troubled him. The Asgardian warrior goddess the Lady Sif, imprisoned within a most formidable barrier and left to die by the dark gods. Only by scraps provided by the scurrying semi-intelligent final inheritors of Asgard and her indomitable spirit had she managed to survive. A distance from Sif’s prison lay her sword and a small bag of Norn stones.
Galactus mused for a moment. Here lay the chosen woman, the chosen goddess, of the god king Thor of Asgard a power at the very least equal to himself. Yet the mighty son of Odin and all others of Asgard were nowhere in evidence and his lady was in a most parlous state. Did this mean that Thor the mighty, the most powerful of all the pantheon gods of the Multiverse was now dead?
Desaak and the Dark Gods may have wrought great harm here but only after another greater power had first left its imprint.
It had been a very long time since the great Galactus had enjoyed the companionship of a herald and it occurred to him that an Asgardian warrior goddess might make a very good herald. He noted that by human or even godly standards she was considered most attractive. Even though not truly immortal time and hardships had only aged her slightly. If anything she could be described as even more beautiful. Of course the great Galactus is above such matters – is he not?
Thus Sif was released and restored to her former good health on the understanding that she would serve, for a time, as the new herald of Galactus. An u
ndertaking which, given her present circumstances, she was only too pleased to make. Galactus then bestowed upon her the gift of the power cosmic. As part of the same understanding it was agreed that Sif would be given some latitude to seek out whatever might be left of the gods of Asgard. Where possible Galactus would assist her in those endeavours.
Galactus realized that with time Sif’s pride would reassert itself as would her somewhat feisty nature. However as an Asgardian goddess she also had a strong sense of honour and duty. In reading Perrikus’s mind and in looking back into the time stream the great Galactus sensed that the mighty Thor and some other survivors of Asgard still lived – somewhere.
Before Galactus and the Lady Sif (Galactus had decided to use the “honorific”) departed the great Galactus restored Asgard to a stable orbit and if not to its former glory at least to a more reasonable condition.
For who was to know if one day, some of the great city’s original owners might return to reclaim it?
Invested with the power cosmic the Lady Sif was imposing. As the new herald of Galactus she seemed even more the Asgardian warrior goddess. A little taller, her frame a little more athletic, her body even more alluring to man or god. There was also something penetrating in her eyes that had not been there before.
Of course the aesthetic tastes of men or even of gods meant nothing to Galactus.
The Norn stones from Sif’s bag were embedded in her forearms, three in each and were almost a part of her. They would provide additional capabilities to the power cosmic. Sif’s sword, known for its interdimensional teleportation capabilities, became virtually a part of her, almost as the Silver Surfers board was a part of him. The sword of Sif had also acquired other properties.
Sif was unable to relate much of the events that had led to Asgard’s demise. She did recall that the Thunder God was in the Thor Sleep prior to the attack. From his gentle probing of Sif’s mind, Galactus saw also that the Odinson had been removed from Asgard while still in the Thor Sleep and prior to the attack on the City. Whoever, or whatever, had done this had left no residual energy trail
For Odin, for Thor, for Asgard Page 20