"Damn it, look at what you did! You let that guy escape," Carol shouted angrily, her frustration boiling over.
Shin rolled his eyes and retorted, "Get this straight! If it weren't for me, none of you would've been able to beat Galactus in the first place."
He didn't bother explaining why killing Galactus wasn't a good idea. There was no point. Without him, could these superheroes have taken down a weakened Galactus? Shin wasn't entirely sure, but even if they could have secured victory, it would've come at a heavy price. Several of them would likely have died in the process and this stubborn hothead might've been one of them.
More importantly, Galactus couldn't truly be killed. As a cosmic concept entity, he walked a fine line between the material and the metaphysical. Unlike other conceptual gods who lacked a tangible form, Galactus existed with a true physical body and roamed the material universe but he also shared the essential immortality of a concept god.
In theory, as long as the universe continued its natural cycle of destruction and rebirth, Galactus, an embodiment of that very mechanism, could be resurrected, even if slain. The only variables were the cost of that resurrection and how long it would take. Those prices, however, wouldn't be paid by him, but by the universe itself.
Killing Galactus might not end the problem it could very well awaken something worse. Replacing one concept with another more terrifying rune of existence might be more troublesome in the long run.
Carol, to her credit, knew Shin had played a major role in forcing Galactus into retreat. From the moment he infiltrated Galactus's body, the cosmic giant's strength had dropped drastically. Without that internal sabotage, Galactus might have held out long enough to devastate Earth's defenders before retreating.
Normally, Galactus wouldn't have fought so recklessly. If not for the destruction of his cherished spaceship, he would've likely escaped early, as he usually did. Healing quickly and reassessing Earth's strength from afar was his modus operandi. If Earth proved formidable, he would retreat and bide his time. If not, he'd simply return to devour it at leisure.
But this time, Galactus had been pushed to desperation. He had fought harder than usual and hadn't expected Shin to pull a Sun Wukong and crawl inside his "stomach," leaving him with no escape.
Even if Galactus had used teleportation, it would've been useless Shin was already inside him. He would've been carried along no matter how far Galactus ran.
In the end, it was Shin, and Shin alone, who cornered Galactus into surrendering.
Carol snorted, as if wanting to argue, but before she could speak again, she was nudged aside by Scarlet Witch, who stepped in front of her.
The expressions of the other superheroes weren't too friendly either. Shin had long earned the trust and respect of groups like the X-Men, the Hulk, and the Scarlet Witch. Carol, on the other hand, was a mystery. No one really knew her.
General Ross might have recognized her as a former member of the military, but their relationship clearly wasn't warm. He regarded her more as a defector than an ally. As for Nick Fury, the only person who might've had Carol's back, he hadn't joined the battle. This wasn't a fight for anyone below the level of a superhuman. Someone like Fury would've been vaporized by the battlefield's chaos.
"Kevin, you're not hurt, are you?" Wanda asked with concern, glancing at Shin's slightly disheveled state. "What happened to you just now? You disappeared into Galactus's body, and then he started shrinking. I thought something happened to you!"
"I'm fine," Shin said, shaking his head. "What you saw outside that was just Galactus's external conceptual form. Think of it as a port that interfaces with the physical world. Even though he has a body, his essence is very different from ordinary flesh-and-blood lifeforms. His size changing didn't really affect me."
"That's a relief," Wanda sighed.
At that moment, the two Phoenix avatars approached, releasing their signature Phoenix flames. The ethereal fire was saturated with potent life force. While Scarlet Witch had learned to use Chaos Magic to reshape reality, the Phoenix hosts were discovering how to utilize their power to heal.
As the Phoenix flame danced around Shin's body, it mended his already minimal wounds. Then, one of the Phoenix hosts extended her hand, spreading the flames outward. The fire scattered into a radiant rain that fell upon the entire battlefield.
Wherever the fire rained down, injured heroes stood rejuvenated. Cuts vanished, bruises faded, bones reset. The restorative power surged through the ranks, and mutants like Iceman, Pyro, Colossus, and Cyclops felt their strength return. Even tech-based heroes like Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, who had suffered mechanical and physical damage alike, found themselves stabilized. Doctor Doom, battered but composed, quietly accepted the healing.
The most visibly relieved, however, was Red Hulk aka General Ross. His massive frame had suffered a shattered arm, but under the rain of fire, the limb knit back together with a glow.
Toward the end of the battle, if Hulk hadn't grown angrier and more powerful by the minute, it was doubtful they would have held the line. Together with Carol, he had acted as the frontline tank. Without them, the more fragile heroes might have died.
Carol also noticed the effects of the Phoenix flame. As someone who had absorbed nearly eighty percent of Galactus's attacks, her body had reached its limit. But now, feeling the strength return, her brows furrowed again in worry.
"Now that Galactus has left, we may not get another chance like this," she said grimly. "Next time, he won't come to Earth in a weakened state."
"He'll definitely come back," Shin replied. "You blew up his ship the one he spent eons building. Even if he didn't care about Earth before, now he'll hold a grudge."
"Have you thought about how to deal with him next time?"
Shin shrugged. "It'll take him years to recover at this rate. His energy is critically low, and with his lair gone, he's basically starting over."
"And in a few years," he added with a calm confidence, "Earth might not be something he can afford to provoke."
Carol looked skeptical, but she had no counterargument. Despite her power, which was often compared to Superman's in fan discussions, she lacked the near-omniscient senses that would help track someone like Galactus across galaxies.
Noticing her brooding silence, Scarlet Witch raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.
"We didn't have time to ask during the fight," Wanda said pointedly. "But who exactly are you?"
"You're clearly from Earth, right? Then why haven't we seen you around before? Are you some hidden military asset? And if so, why show up alone to fight Galactus?"
Her questions quickly drew the attention of the others. Dozens of eyes turned toward Carol.
She straightened her posture and braced herself. It was clear her interrogation had just begun.
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