"How did you do it?"
Feeling the inexplicable vanishing of his endless hunger, Galactus was deeply shaken.
Without any of them noticing, the gnawing void inside him had simply... disappeared?
What kind of divine power was this?
Just as the other cosmic beings—Eternity, Infinity, Oblivion, and Death—were still reeling in shock, Syd suddenly thought of something. He glanced at Galactus and casually offered a reminder.
"That hunger of yours… the majority of it stems from your cosmic function. You're responsible for the cycle of material dissolution in the universe."
"If you stop devouring planets… you may disturb the universe's balance."
He paused, then looked deeply at the stunned Galactus.
"If you're unlucky, you might attract the judgment of the Living Tribunal—a being that stands above even the creator gods of the universe…"
Although he didn't finish his sentence, Death and the others immediately understood what he was implying—and were left astonished and unsettled.
Especially Galactus, who felt completely stifled.
Devouring planets is a sin now too?
Why?
He was furious—but powerless.
He didn't stand a chance against the Living Tribunal. It was better to hold his tongue and continue devouring planets... cautiously.
After all, he still needed life energy to mend the missing parts of himself.
As he tried to convince himself, Syd glanced his way again, seemingly sensing Galactus's inner thoughts.
"In your current state, the Living Tribunal may not interfere. But once you restore yourself and become a Herald of Life, the Tribunal will certainly come for you."
As he spoke, Syd transmitted information on the Living Tribunal and the Heralds of Life to Galactus and the others.
In an instant, Death and the rest were visibly stunned.
Galactus was completely dumbfounded—though his confusion quickly gave way to resentment and fury.
Why?
Damn that Living Tribunal!
But no matter how angry or wronged he felt, there was nothing he could do. None of them—aside from this mysterious younger brother—could possibly stand up to the Tribunal.
While Galactus was still fuming, Syd said, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Galactus wanted to speak, perhaps even ask for help, but the words caught in his throat.
Besides, he wasn't even sure whether this younger brother could take on the Living Tribunal.
If he couldn't, then asking would only be awkward—and Syd had no obligation to help him anyway.
With that in mind, Galactus remained silent. And as for the others, knowing they had plenty of time ahead, chose not to press him to stay.
Syd nodded slightly.
In the next instant, his form vanished and reappeared on a beach on Earth.
As he stood by the sunny coastline, Syd passed the time waiting for his Omnipotence to rise to Level 4 and Level 5—while thinking about the question he'd had before the cosmic beings arrived.
"I'm kind of bored. What should I do now?"
After a brief spell of idleness, a thought suddenly piqued his interest.
"I've never examined the alternate origin of the Infinity Stones. Why not go take a look?"
In his mind, the memories of the alternate origin of the Infinity Stones surfaced.
Aside from the well-known version where six gems were formed from the remnants of the Big Bang—
There was another, far older origin.
Possibly the true origin.
In Universe-616 and beyond, before the five great cosmic entities were born, there existed an even more ancient female god.
She was the original embodiment of the Infinity Stones, the personification of multiple forces—older even than the Celestials and cosmic abstracts.
Her name was Nemesis, the Goddess of Vengeance.
Because she was born too early—when no other gods yet existed—she was overcome with loneliness and despair. Tired of the emptiness, she chose to destroy herself.
She shattered into seven parts—each becoming a Gem: Time, Space, Reality, Power, Mind, Soul, and the most unique of all—Ego.
The Ego Stone contained her slumbering will, hidden away so well it could not be found through conventional means.
Only by gathering the other six Infinity Stones could the Ego Stone be located.
Recalling this version of the Infinity Stones, Syd's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
The Nemesis version of the Stones was far stronger than the weakened movie counterparts.
"Just the thing to pass the time. Let's pay a visit to Nemesis's universe."
Syd mused with growing interest.
As for its location—he could find it in an instant.
The next moment, he selectively reactivated his omniscience, and immediately learned where in the Omnipotent Universe the Nemesis Universe was.
"Universe designation... 93060?"
Syd murmured, intrigued.
To avoid spoiling the fun, he limited what he accessed—he only looked at the universe's coordinates and designation, nothing more.
Just then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Hey! Oh glorious and majestic Syd—what are we doing next?"
Hearing the groveling and flattery-laced tone, Syd could only sigh.
The voice naturally belonged to Venom, who was often dormant to adapt to Syd's escalating divine power.
Ever since becoming essentially God, Venom's very existence had become increasingly abstract.
Originally, the divine power would have annihilated him completely—but since Syd had no such intent, Venom remained.
Instead, tainted by a trace of Syd's omnipotent aura, Venom too transformed into something utterly extraordinary.
It lost its physical form, becoming a conceptual entity—essentially a divine accessory, like a keychain on Syd's waist.
In some twisted sense, it had become a sort of angelic trinket. A "keychain angel."
Of course, despite the self-deprecating nickname, Venom—now infused with divine residue—was an unbelievably powerful being, capable of effortlessly devouring entire universes.
Having just awoken and adjusted to its new form, Venom immediately began licking boots.
It understood that everything it had now came from Syd—so naturally, it tried to flatter him in every way possible.
Knowing exactly what Venom was thinking, Syd shook his head and didn't bother correcting it.
He replied casually, "We're going to Universe 93060."
"93060?" Venom's tone turned curious. "Weird. Why do these universes even have numbers? And who came up with them?"
Its confusion was plain.
After a moment, it added with interest, "So, we're heading to that 93060 place now? Sounds fun!"
Venom couldn't help but feel excited.
(End of Chapter)
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