"Okay, I know."
"Well, I'm still a little busy here, so you guys be careful. I'll be back once I wrap this up."
In the depths of the vast universe, stars stretched like grains of dust across an endless canvas, light and shadow weaving together into a breathtaking spectacle.
A man stood face-to-face with a divine being—its form strange and otherworldly, adorned with an intricate white robe and a glowing halo above its head.
The Celestial face was twisted with fury, flames of wrath burning in his eyes. His voice thundered with disbelief and indignation—he could scarcely accept the man's power, much less his insolent defiance.
But the man didn't even look concerned. He mumbled to himself, seemingly mid-conversation with someone unseen, utterly dismissing the god before him.
" Celestial Slayer! Your arrogance and blasphemy have exceeded all bounds! You trample on divine dignity and now look down upon me in battle? How dare you!" the Celestial voice boomed across the stars, filled with celestial authority.
The man was none other than Alex Ray—known across galaxies as the Celestial Slayer, a former leader of Hell's Kitchen turned multiversal rogue. With only a couple of years left in his lifespan, Alex's eyes still held a calm, mocking light.
"Oh? I look down on you?" Alex replied, a faint smirk playing across his lips. "Perhaps. But only because I know real strength doesn't need to announce itself. Power speaks for itself."
"And as for why you're hunting me—you already know the answer. So why bother asking?"
Before the Celestial could retort, Alex moved.
He slipped between stars like a phantom, his body flickering with brilliant streaks of light. Each punch and kick landed with a cataclysmic boom, shaking entire constellations. The god was driven backward, step by step, until he lay crumpled and gasping on a shattered fragment of space.
Alex stepped forward, pressing his foot against the divine being's skull, pure energy surging through his veins. At any moment, he could erase the god from existence.
Panic finally cracked through the deity's bravado.
"Are you not afraid of Arishem? Are you not afraid the Celestial Gods will destroy you?"
He was referring to Arishem, the celestial judge of their pantheon—second only to the One-Above-All.
"You're the ones who hunted me first," Alex replied coldly. "And as for the One-Above-All... I'll settle with him later."
With a final sneer, the Celestial head erupted in a flash of light, disintegrating into motes that scattered into the void. A glowing orb of white brilliance floated down into Alex's waiting hand—an essence of "mechanical authority" once held by the god.
"How ironic," Alex muttered, inspecting the divine fragment. "Power this immense, wasted in the hands of someone so weak."
He pocketed the authority. But before he could leave, an overwhelming wave of danger washed over him.
His instincts screamed.
The stars around him shimmered, unnaturally bright and pulsing with something dark and ancient.
"Shit... that aura—could it be a titled god?" Alex thought, unease flickering in his gaze.
"What Master Wick taught us really comes in handy. 'When the enemy advances, I retreat. When they retreat, I pursue.' Time to vanish."
In an instant, Alex's body transformed into a comet of raw energy, streaking across galaxies and vanishing into the black.
Mere moments after his escape, three figures emerged where he'd stood.
First came Arishem, the Celestial Judge, a towering figure wrapped in blackened celestial armor, flanked by two other monstrous entities—Surveyor Hagen and Searcher Ethan, titled gods of the Celestial Pantheon.
Their presence warped reality itself.
Arishem closed his eyes and sensed the aftermath. His expression twisted into fury.
That was the fourth god to die in recent weeks.
"Ethan, investigate immediately. The Celestial Slayer cannot go unpunished. Hagen, assist him. No mistakes this time," Arishem commanded, his voice reverberating like the toll of cosmic judgment.
Then, he vanished—off to report to his superior.
The One-Above-All had given him a singular directive: find and eliminate the rebel known as Alex Ray, formerly the Dark Night.
Ironically, Arishem still had no idea that Alex Ray—the Celestial Slayer—was the very same rebel he'd been ordered to kill.
Elsewhere in the galaxy, after a long interstellar journey, Alex finally located a remote, desolate planet hidden deep within a cluster of dark matter clouds. He descended into a concealed valley, using the natural terrain to mask his energy signature.
"Exhausting," he muttered, exhaling. "These gods are just cash cows waiting to be harvested. But I guess Arishem's done sending the weaklings."
He looked to the stars, voice quieter.
"Leaving Hell's Kitchen was the right call."
Six months ago, Alex left Hell's Kitchen behind, departing on a multiversal odyssey that led him to countless unknown worlds. His current destination? A newly-formed universe untouched by cosmic order.
He hadn't even had time to rest before being dragged into a conflict from ancient history—a brutal war between the Eternals and the Inhumans.
And, as always, Alex got involved.
With terrifying ease, he wiped out both factions. During the battle, he encountered a newborn Celestials preparing to ascend—an event that would shift the balance of power in the universe.
Alex stopped it cold.
That single act made him a target of the Celestial Gods. From that moment forward, he was hunted without pause.
Back then, Alex's strength hadn't yet reached divine levels. Each battle against the Celestials brought him to the brink of death. Every victory was carved from desperation.
But through this gauntlet of violence and survival, something awakened within him.
In one fateful clash, Alex broke past his limitations—crushing a Celestial with unrelenting force. His powers evolved that day.
And so did his understanding.
He realized that every god carried a unique "authority"—a metaphysical dominion over a specific law of the Marvel multiverse.
That battle also triggered the awakening of his own authority: All Things.
An esoteric, ever-expanding power that allowed him to absorb the very nature of existence—laws, concepts, matter. It was as if the universe itself began to fold into his will.
Still, Alex had only scratched the surface. He'd barely accessed 10% of his potential.
But the Celestials kept coming.
And each time one fell, their divine authority became his to claim.
He discovered that their powers didn't dissipate with death. They transferred. Amplified. And with each soul he consumed, his All Things authority grew stronger.
To date, Alex had absorbed four distinct authorities—mechanical, elemental, dimensional, and temporal.
His current control over All Things stood at 25%.
And he could feel it—when he reached 100%, when every aspect of the universe bowed to his will—he would transcend.
He would become a god.
No... he would become the Celestial .
But for now, Alex Ray did what he had always done.
He hunted.
He survived.
He grew stronger.
The Celestial Slayer would not rest until he stood at the top.
---------
🎇🎇 Check out new Fanfiction 🎇🎇
🎊 Naruto : Tsunade You're Really Drunk 🎊
---------
Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
---------------
📚 Enjoying the Story? Get Ahead Now!
Can't wait for the next twist or epic moment?
Join my Patreon and unlock 40+ advanced chapters—read ahead of everyone else! 🔥
👉 https://www.patreon.com/UK21
Your support means the world to me—thank you so much! 💖
-------------