"That's all you've got? You're just a fool! Hand over all the energy in your body!"
After confirming Galactus's diminished power, Shin no longer held back. With Lightning Chakra Mode activated and the sixth gate of the Eight Gates Formation unleashed his speed surpassed even Galactus's ability to perceive.
Having absorbed the Galaxy Glaze, Shin's physical resilience had become so formidable he could endure stellar-level heat. In his eyes, Galactus's attacks and defenses felt no more threatening than a summer breeze.
Each flash of movement left Galactus reeling. Shin's barrage of blows hammered his massive form, scattering energy particles across the space. Though Galactus attempted to counter, his efforts barely made contact. Within moments, the cosmic giant was reduced to a punching bag.
In terms of pure energy and scale, Galactus wasn't far behind Shin. But fundamentally, he was still a scientist transformed into a Devourer of Worlds, yes, but never a trained combatant.
Unlike Shin, who had mastered taijutsu, chakra control, and advanced battle tactics, Galactus had never even developed the hand-to-hand skills of a ten-year-old graduate from the Academy.
Despite having eons to train or enhance his abilities, he remained locked in the mindset of a researcher. Rather than discipline his body or refine his technique, he devoted his time to building machinery and tinkering with devices.
He'd forgotten that he was no longer the helpless survivor of a dying universe. He was now a cosmic entity one capable of reshaping galaxies. But raw potential without direction meant nothing.
Worse, his creative ingenuity was middling at best. While his knowledge was vast, his inspiration was ordinary. Aside from constructing an unimaginably large spaceship, he'd accomplished little of real innovation in recent millennia.
Thus, his practical combat awareness was virtually nonexistent. His only strength lay in manipulating cosmic energy, something that, while formidable, was ineffective against Shin's superior battle instincts and agility.
He was like Kaguya Ōtsutsuki from the shinobi world possessing immense attributes but no true combat experience. And unlike Kaguya, he didn't even have unique bloodline techniques to compensate. Beyond a few crude energy blasts and his towering physique, he had little to show for his title.
With a final, explosive punch, Galactus's colossal body erupted into motes of light that filled the space around them.
Shin, cloaked in swirling black mist, absorbed the particles into his dark dimension. Though he couldn't immediately use this cosmic energy to empower himself, every absorption further weakened Galactus.
"Wait! Stop! I yield! I won't devour Earth anymore!" Galactus finally cried out.
Not only did the Galactus within declare surrender, but his main form outside the body echoed the same plea.
Shin recognized the sincerity in his voice. Galactus's fighting spirit was notoriously low. He'd always been a scavenger, not a warrior. The moment he encountered real resistance, he preferred retreat over risk.
This was the same Galactus who had once been turned away by the Shi'ar Empire's antimatter bombs and intimidated by the threat of the Ultimate Nullifier. If there was one thing consistent about him, it was his reluctance to die for a meal.
Hearing his surrender, Shin hesitated, then gradually lowered his hand.
He understood more about Galactus than most. This so-called world eater was a cosmic constant responsible for maintaining the balance of the universe. In some interpretations, Galactus even played a role in birthing new life planets.
Some cosmic legends claimed that if Galactus died, a far worse entity would rise to replace him. And while this Galactus wasn't from the main timeline, Shin wasn't one to tempt fate.
So, he pulled back.
However, the heroes outside knew nothing of Galactus's deeper purpose or the seals he bore against older, more terrifying entities.
Captain Marvel, one of the most hardline among them, rushed forward, a sneer on her face.
"You think surrender wipes out your crimes? Do you know how long I've hunted you? Do you even remember the people of Klin?"
Her voice brimmed with fury.
"You've destroyed too many worlds. You think this ends with you giving up?"
The Marvel Universe had little room for idealism. Superheroes might show mercy, but rarely when faced with mass murderers. And Galactus was the worst of the worst, a planet-killer infamous across the stars.
Doctor Doom's voice was cold and resolute: "We cannot let him go. If he recovers, we won't get another chance."
The others nodded grimly, silently reaching the same conclusion.
And yet, just as they prepared to strike again, Galactus's shrunken form, now only ten meters tall, shifted. From his shoulder, a figure leaped.
The silhouette expanded, reshaped, and reformed into Shin.
The attacks launched by the heroes now landed directly on him.
With a blur, Shin dodged a phoenix-shaped projectile, deflected a mystic-tech beam from Doom, and caught Captain Marvel's fist mid-swing.
"Can you please aim before attacking?" he snapped, swinging Carol in a circle to deflect two incoming shockwaves.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Carol shouted, disoriented from being spun around. Her Binary Form flared to life, and she wrenched free from his grip.
Shin scoffed. "I should be the one asking that. Maybe check your targets before lighting up your teammates."
His abrupt reappearance caused a momentary pause among the heroes.
Behind him, Galactus did not seize the opportunity to retaliate. Instead, he activated a faint shimmer and vanished.
As the Devourer of Worlds, Galactus possessed the ability to teleport across galaxies. In his prime, he could warp through space and time with ease.
Though this version lacked such refined control and his energy reserves had been drained nearly dry, he could still manage a long-range escape.
Even in his weakened state, warping across seven or eight galaxies was a trivial matter.
And so, just like that, Galactus disappeared leaving behind a battlefield and a group of stunned heroes.
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