Tony caught up with Garus, who was flying ahead. "I'm quite interested in that thing as well. It might contain an entirely new form of energy. Of course, I'd like to study it at your place."
"Alright, then come with me." Garus had no reason to refuse his request.
The two flew through the sky, heading toward the Azeroth Tech Tower. Suddenly, a strangely shaped spacecraft appeared in front of them, blocking their path.
"Wait, Garus."
Just as Garus was about to blast the ship down, Tony stopped him. "There's an old man inside. Let's see what he wants first."
"Mr. Garus!" A massive projection emerged from the ship.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Tony was visibly surprised. The ship looked nothing like Earth's technology. "Who are you, and why are you blocking our way?"
"Stan Lee? No... Uatu, what are you doing here?" Garus recognized the Watcher and decided to give him some respect, refraining from attacking. "Aren't you just supposed to observe?"
"We refrain from interfering to avoid destroying civilizations. But if I don't intervene now, this planet is doomed—because of that surfboard in your hand." Uatu's gaze lingered on Frostmourne, embedded with Infinity Stones, making him swallow nervously. "Hold on—let me finish speaking before you act."
"Who is this guy?" Tony was still curious, sensing that Garus knew the old man.
"He's Uatu, the voyeur—an alien..."
"Voyeur?! I am Uatu, the Watcher—observer of planetary civilizations." Uatu was visibly annoyed but kept his focus on the surfboard. "What you're holding belongs to Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds..."
"No need to explain—I know who Galactus is and that this thing is transmitting a homing signal to guide him toward Earth."
"Then why are you...?" Uatu had assumed Garus was ignorant.
"Galactus' arrival is inevitable—but I won't let him destroy Earth."
Tony interjected, "Who exactly is this Galactus? And how could he destroy Earth?"
"Galactus is the Devourer of Worlds—he consumes the energy of planets to survive. He's a survivor of the previous universe and one of the five cosmic entities of creation."
Although Tony's face was hidden behind his Iron Man mask, Garus imagined he was utterly shocked.
Uatu added, "I'm surprised by your knowledge. But what makes you think you can defeat him? With a few incomplete Infinity Stones?"
"Even without full mastery, I have to try—because I discovered there isn't just one Herald of Galactus here." Garus had recently received intel from Kingpin.
"Impossible!" Uatu exclaimed. Galactus' heralds always acted alone, scouting for suitable worlds to consume. Two appearing simultaneously was unheard of.
"Let's not discuss this here." The sky was filled with satellites, and the government or other parties might be watching.
A blue light shot from Uatu's ship, opening a short-range portal before them.
Tony's scientific curiosity flared, but seeing Garus and Uatu step through, he followed without hesitation.
After a brief wave of dizziness, they emerged in a vast hall. A transparent glass ceiling revealed the dark expanse of space, with a massive blue planet rising over the horizon.
Garus noticed Tony's astonishment. "We're on the moon."
"Now can you explain how you know there's another herald?" Uatu pressed. Earth had become Garus' second home—he even had students here—and he wouldn't let it be destroyed.
Garus couldn't fully explain it either—this wasn't how the script was supposed to go.
He pulled out a spherical device—S.H.I.E.L.D.'s holographic projector. After pressing a button, a light screen appeared, showing a small black hole manifesting on a New York street below Sky City, where magical sentries constantly monitored the area. The creature that emerged hadn't escaped Garus' notice.
"That's Stardust!" Uatu recognized the pure energy being, composed of cosmic particles and light. It resembled a noble guardian, but in truth, it was the most ruthless of Galactus' four heralds. While other heralds merely guided their master to worlds, Stardust killed every being that tried to escape.
Only the identical energy signature to the Silver Surfer had confirmed its identity as another herald.
"He's powerful and merciless. Do you have a way to deal with him? And Galactus could arrive at any moment." Uatu doubted Garus' chances.
"One step at a time. My people are already tracking Stardust." Garus placed the surfboard down. "Tony, I'll leave this here. If you want to study it, do it here."
"Garus, can you really handle those two monsters? They sound terrifying."
"Don't you trust me?" The gems on Frostmourne emitted purple, blue, and red light, opening a space portal. "I'm leaving. If you want to return—"
"No need. My suit can fly through space." Tony's bloodedge armor retracted back into his body, leaving him in his usual tailored suit.
Garus smirked. "Doesn't that feel weird?"
Tony picked up the surfboard. "Not at all. It has no effect on my body."
"I meant... doesn't it feel weird psychologically?"
-----------------------
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON
Note: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon.