After taking a breath, Galactus immediately closed his eyes and focused his attention inward.
At this moment, Shin was deep inside Galactus's body, freely absorbing cosmic energy. Although this energy didn't directly enhance his own power, it was incredibly potent. Galactus himself was composed of this energy.
Cosmic energy could be considered the most widespread and commonly used source of enhancement in the entire universe.
Moreover, in the world of Marvel comics, cosmic energy functioned as a universal currency. It was an essential trait for entities on the level of cosmic gods. The original cosmic energy within the universe had long been divided among the few.
Most of what remained was a derivative form of that original energy, and even that was a rare commodity something most civilizations could only dream of acquiring.
If any of those civilizations saw the ocean of raw cosmic energy that Shin was standing in now, they'd probably pass out from joy on the spot.
Of course, Shin's understanding of this kind of energy was still somewhat limited. If the energy inside Galactus had been pure stellar energy like what the Firelord used, he would've been far more enthusiastic.
As it was, Shin continued absorbing the energy, partly to seize the opportunity and partly because there was no better way to harm Galactus directly.
As mentioned before, though Galactus appeared humanoid, he was a cosmic entity. The true nature of cosmic gods was abstract, they were incarnations of universal concepts. Thus, the space within Galactus was more akin to a pocket universe.
Even with all his perception abilities, Shin couldn't sense the boundary of this inner space. Judging from his estimates, the internal dimension was at least the size of the Milky Way galaxy.
So what would actually qualify as harming Galactus? Should he destroy those internal energy planets?
That might be the assumption of most people, but Shin understood that those energy planets weren't linked to Galactus's current energy reserves. In fact, they were responsible for draining him, the very reason he constantly felt depleted.
Destroying the energy planets could potentially make Galactus even stronger.
So, Shin continued focusing his efforts on using the Dark-Dark Fruit to absorb the ambient cosmic energy instead.
He also discovered something interesting the Dark-Dark Fruit's absorption field was expanding as it consumed cosmic energy. Previously, even when pushed to its limits, it could only cover an area about the size of the United States.
Now, with barely any effort, Shin could feel the fruit's black vortex stretching wider and wider, consuming energy like a bottomless pit. Even the dark space inside his body, which had already grown to the size of a planet began to expand again.
It seemed this cosmic energy significantly enhanced the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Just as the absorption radius neared the scale of light-years, and energy surged around him in all directions, an avatar of Galactus appeared before Shin an energy-based construct made entirely from cosmic force.
Its arrival was inevitable. Shin's absorption field had reached the point where, if left unchecked for even a few more minutes, it would have drained Galactus completely.
Galactus couldn't afford that.
The energy construct didn't speak. It simply raised its hand, and a flash of golden light surged toward Shin.
Shin reacted immediately, cloaking himself in black energy. The Dark-Dark Fruit devoured a significant portion of the golden beam, but Galactus's power overwhelmed it. The black energy shield shattered, and the golden light slammed into Shin, sending him tumbling through the internal universe.
After bouncing around in the void, Shin finally managed to stabilize himself and stood upright once more.
"It seems I overestimated you," he said, brushing off the impact. "As one of the six great cosmic gods, your performance is pretty underwhelming."
"Or maybe you're just... different from the others. Not quite a conceptual being, huh? You don't seem capable of using standard metaphysical rules."
That was one of the key differences. Galactus, among the six abstract cosmic entities, was a true outlier. Not just in power, but in form and function. His constraints and behaviors were unlike those of his peers. He was like a husky awkwardly mixed into a pack of wolves.
"You... know my identity?" Galactus asked, visibly startled. "Even Norrin Radd didn't know this."
Even Galactus himself hadn't known his true nature at first.
Though born alongside Eternity and Death, he hadn't initially realized that he too represented a cosmic law. It wasn't until he began observing the universe forming within his own body, sensing its patterns and principles, that he gradually uncovered the truth, including his responsibilities.
His tone shifted.
"Since you understand who I am, then you must also know that everything I do is for the survival of the universe."
Shin gave a half-smile, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "The universe's lifespan is beyond comprehension. I don't have a say in that. What I do care about is Earth's survival."
"So be smart and leave Earth alone. You don't want to spend the next million years as cosmic roadkill, right?"
"You understand nothing of the power wielded by cosmic gods!" Galactus snapped. "Even in my current depleted state, you cannot hope to resist me!"
As he spoke, Galactus's form began to contract. His towering figure shrank down to about seven or eight meters tall. Though this diminished his raw power, his speed and maneuverability increased drastically. Like a golden blur, he shot toward Shin at lightning speed.
But Shin didn't move.
In the blink of an eye, his body erupted with crackling lightning, and he delivered a devastating punch that sent Galactus flying backward.
"I think you don't understand Superman's power," Shin retorted coldly.
"Impossible!" Galactus yelled, sparks of light scattering from his battered form. "The energy readings in your body are clearly inferior to mine! How can you have such strength and speed?"
It was a fair question, but also one born from misunderstanding.
In the Marvel Universe, or at least in this particular version, there were no absurd abilities like Superman's, where basking in a bit of solar energy made one strong enough to move planets. That kind of logic simply didn't apply.
Even top-tier beings like the Sentry, Captain Marvel, the Phoenix, and Scarlet Witch had to be tethered to some form of cosmic or multiversal energy. Their power could be calculated based on measurable energy levels.
That was exactly why Galactus had felt so confident in the first place. By his assessment, Shin's energy output wasn't especially high.
What he hadn't accounted for was how deceptive Shin's arsenal truly was.
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