Then, Norrin Radd began introducing his former colleague.
"Among Galactus's four heralds, I had a good relationship with Firelord. Stardust is the most loyal of us as he strictly follows Galactus's orders."
"Tyrant, on the other hand, has the lowest moral baseline. He actively seeks out inhabited planets and offers them to Galactus. He also lacks true loyalty to him."
"Firelord is similar to me. We mostly searched for uninhabited worlds to hand over to Galactus."
"As for Firelord's abilities, after being imbued with a portion of the Power Cosmic by Galactus, he could manipulate cosmic energy in the form of stellar fire, making him akin to a miniature sun, a living star. His mere presence on a planet could raise its temperature drastically."
"Firelord can emit energy in nearly all forms... heat, light, gravity, electromagnetic waves, and charged particles. He also possesses the limitless stamina typical of Galactus's heralds, along with a resilient body and the ability to fly at light-speed through space."
A miniature sun? Upon hearing that, Shin's interest was immediately piqued. Isn't this the exact kind of power I've been hoping for?
Though some mutants like Sunfire had fire-based abilities that sounded solar in nature, Sunfire's powers relied on absorbing solar energy and converting it into heat a mechanism that conflicted with the Kryptonian DNA in Shin's body.
After all, both abilities absorbed sunlight. Rather than converting solar energy into heat, it would be more efficient to channel it directly into the Kryptonian physique, reinforcing his steel-like body.
However, Firelord's stellar energy appeared to be a pure conversion of cosmic force making him a living star. That made it an ideal supplement to Shin's Kryptonian enhancement.
At that moment, Stark checked the data on the device in his hand and said grimly, "Firelord's signature just entered the atmosphere. It's heading straight for... New York City!"
Well, of course. In the world of Marvel comics, New York is the epicenter of every catastrophe just as Tokyo is in Japanese shows.
Even Gotham, Batman's old stomping ground, is essentially just a darker version of New York. Only after various superhero universes merged did Gotham become its own independent city.
How do the people of New York even survive in a world like this? Shin wondered.
If it were up to him, he would've moved out of this cursed city a long time ago, between alien invasions, escaped test subjects, and constant battles between heroes and villains.
When it became clear that the target was New York, everyone in the room grew tense. Many of the superheroes had families or industries based there.
Even Jessica Jones, who had kept a low profile this entire time, suddenly grew anxious. Her sister was in New York.
Everyone's eyes turned to the Scarlet Witch. She was the only one present with the ability to teleport the group instantly.
She inhaled deeply. "Are you all going together?"
Shin immediately shook his head. "No way. Anyone whose powers are totally countered shouldn't go. That includes Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch, Pyro... even Professor X."
Fire-based powers would be useless against Firelord unless one reached Phoenix-level mastery. Mr. Fantastic's elasticity was highly vulnerable to extreme heat, and even Professor X couldn't hope to mentally control a herald in peak condition.
In truth, only a select few heavy hitters were needed. But superheroes were like that, without a valid reason, keeping them behind would make them feel underestimated.
Plus, many had loved ones in New York.
After hearing Shin's reasoning, Wanda nodded. Crimson energy shimmered around her. A moment later, the group vanished from the lab.
...
New York. Today began like any other—peaceful if you ignored the usual chaos.
Iron Fist had just returned from Kunlun the night before. After uncovering a conspiracy at his company, he stormed into the offices of the Hand, now under Shin's control, only to get pummeled by the Hand Ninjas, wrecking three streets and a dozen cars in the process. Aside from that masked clash, it was shaping up to be a quiet day.
Ever since Iron Man revealed his identity, more and more masked vigilantes have appeared. Public safety in New York plummeted at record speed. On days without superhero showdowns, locals felt something was missing.
Soon, though, the citizens began to notice something strange. The sun seemed... too intense. A flaming meteor was descending rapidly toward the city.
Though New Yorkers were familiar with chaotic events, they hadn't yet lived through the real Marvel-scale disasters. Their sense of danger hadn't fully developed. Some even whipped out their phones to film the incoming meteor.
Others, more cautious, started running. But the flaming object didn't crash into the city. It hovered in place above New York, the blaze revealing a humanoid figure within.
"Is that the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four?"
"Doesn't look like it. His flames are way too bright... I can barely see with sunglasses on!"
"It's like a tiny sun up there!"
"Check out that weapon he's holding, it's like a flaming staff or something. Human Torch never used gear like that. Must be a supervillain!"
Firelord looked down at the crowd but said nothing. As one of Galactus's heralds, he knew the world-eater would arrive in days. These New York residents, like all humans on Earth, had little time left.
Still, he didn't intend to slaughter them.
Galactus may be a cosmic force of destruction, but aside from the Tyrant Herald, most of his other emissaries, including Firelord, preferred to avoid populated worlds when possible.
Of course, as the universe evolved, uninhabited yet viable planets had become increasingly rare. The worlds Galactus consumed were those with potential for life.
In the early universe, such planets hadn't yet evolved sentient organisms. But now, nearly all planets capable of sustaining life have already developed it.
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