Marvel: Death Knight

A barrier suddenly rose around Garus and Death, enclosing them and cutting off all external connections.

Garus instinctively tried to break through, but he quickly realized that the barrier wasn't meant to trap them—it was meant to keep something or someone else out.

What was Death trying to do? What was she worried about?

Seeing Garus tighten his grip on his weapon, Death spoke calmly. "Relax, outsider. I bear you no ill will. In fact, I've been watching you for quite some time. I noticed your battles with Thanos, Mephisto, and Dormammu. I want you to release Thanos and Mephisto."

Garus recalled that Death had always lingered in Thanos' shadow—it was she who had shaped him into what he had become. But what did Mephisto have to do with her?

"You have ties to Mephisto as well?" Garus asked.

"The underworld is my domain. Hell is part of the realm of death, and I govern it. Mephisto is, in essence, one of my subordinates. Of course, his attack on Earth was not my command."

Garus inwardly scoffed. So, you didn't order it, but you certainly allowed it to happen.

Reading his expression, Death continued, "I won't force you, but they still serve a purpose for me. I hope you'll release them. In return, I will ensure they don't trouble you again."

Garus pondered his options. He had been considering how to extricate himself from this situation entirely—freeing his enemies wasn't exactly part of his plan.

The Infinity Stones? They might not be effective against a being like Death. He was no match for her—she was one of the Five Cosmic Entities of the universe.

But she didn't seem inclined to use force.

"I must say, I'm quite impressed," Death continued. "Your rate of growth has exceeded my expectations. In such a short time, you've reached your current level—far surpassing Mephisto, who has stagnated for millions of years."

Garus sensed she had something more to say. "If there's something you want, just say it."

"I can offer you an opportunity to become like me. Perhaps even ascend to the level of an Omniversal being."

Garus wasn't entirely clear on Marvel's power hierarchy. He knew Odin was classified as Skyfather-level, but—

"Omniversal? How many levels are there? And where do I stand now?"

"You have not yet fully mastered the Infinity Stones, so at best, you are a Single-Universe level entity—one rank above Skyfather."

Above him were Multiversal, Hyperversal, and Omniversal levels.

Even Death herself had not reached the Omniversal tier. Garus couldn't even fathom that kind of power—the ability to shatter universes with a wave of a hand, to alter fundamental laws of reality.

That kind of strength seemed utterly unattainable.

Still, he asked, "What kind of opportunity are you talking about?"

"I need your help," Death admitted. "Eternity, one of the Five Abstract Entities, has been provoked by an unknown force. He seeks to imprison me. If that happens, the universe will spiral into catastrophe—not that it isn't already in chaos." She studied Garus' reaction. "I don't expect you to fight Eternity for me, but when the time comes, I want you to assist me."

"What does this have to do with me?" Garus frowned. He wanted no part in a cosmic conflict. When gods clashed, mortals perished. If entities of this scale fought, entire universes would be reduced to dust in an instant.

Death smirked. "You revived a Celestial, did you not? That act violated one of their most sacred taboos. And the Celestial you brought back was a traitor to their kind. The Celestials are now watching you closely."

"What the—?!"

Garus felt as though a million rampaging kodos had just trampled over him. Just like that, he had unwittingly provoked one of the most powerful factions in existence.

"The Celestials mean nothing to me," Death continued. "But I cannot act against them unless granted permission by the Omniversal Authority."

She refrained from mentioning The One Above All by name. In truth, even she had never encountered that supreme being. No one knew what that entity truly was.

"I hope you grow strong enough," she added.

Seeing that Garus had no intention of releasing Thanos and Mephisto, Death's form began to fade. In her eyes, this Earthling's potential far surpassed either of them.

Before she vanished completely, she left him with one final warning:

"Oh, and one more thing—this universe's Ant-Man, Scott Lang, is a threat. He actually managed to escape my grasp once before. If you encounter him, don't let him get away. He's a zombie now."

...

As the barrier dissolved, Garus stepped forward alone.

Deadpool immediately sidled up to him. "Hey, buddy! Who was that babe? Where'd she go? I think I'm in love."

Wade's face practically sparkled with infatuation. If Death were still here, he'd probably be throwing himself at her feet.

"Her name is Death," Garus replied flatly. "One of the Five Abstract Entities of the universe. You sure you want to pursue her?"

Wade shrugged. "Did you forget what I said? This whole universe is just a comic book drawn by some guy. If we could break into the real world, none of this would matter—including my face! I'm totally getting my old looks back."

He was, as always, obsessed with undoing the scars on his face.

Garus rolled his eyes. Who knew if any of Wade's meta-nonsense was real? It sounded ridiculous to him—he certainly didn't feel like he was being controlled by some omnipotent writer.

Not far away, Erik had finally regained some of his strength after resting. He called out, "There's a spaceship in the ruins of the old Avengers compound. It's capable of interstellar travel. We should head there."

"No need," Garus replied.

He retrieved the Sargerite Keystone from his inventory. A flash of green energy surged forth, and above them, a massive Burning Legion warship—hundreds of meters long—materialized in the sky.

Each of the five Legion warships in his fleet was linked to a similar Keystone, allowing them to track and summon one another as needed.

"The zombie plague is beyond our ability to resolve," Garus stated. "Other deities are already intervening. I have other matters to attend to."

Originally, he had sought a cure for the undead infestation and hoped to eliminate its source. But now, that goal seemed unattainable.

And returning to Earth was not an option—not when doing so would only drag it into yet another war.

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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON