Karl was somewhat surprised to see Galactus standing beside him.
But when he thought about the Celestial he couldn't sense at all, his eyes narrowed.
He already had a guess about the newcomer's identity.
The One Above All.
The leader of the Celestials.
Of course, this One Above All was not the same being as Marvel's supreme entity, The One-Above-All.
They merely shared nearly identical names.
The One Above All before him was the ancient leader of the Celestials, while The One-Above-All was an entirely different existence standing at the pinnacle of Marvel's cosmic hierarchy.
Karl stared solemnly at the massive Celestial.
According to his perception, this being had most likely reached the Multiversal level.
He hadn't expected his actions to draw out someone like this.
Galactus and the Celestial leader silently faced one another.
Karl didn't know what was about to happen, but he was already preparing to escape.
He had no confidence whatsoever in fighting a Multiversal-level existence.
If things went wrong, running was the only sensible option.
Vastness had already moved the flagship into the Shadow World so Karl could retreat without worrying about anyone aboard.
"Do you intend to fight?"
"You seem rather confident."
"Indeed. What if I join them?"
"Hm?"
Just as Galactus and the One Above All confronted each other, two additional voices echoed through space.
A moment later—
Boom!
An enormous crimson presence manifested above Karl's side.
At almost the same time, a woman wearing an exquisite black gown appeared nearby.
The aura of death surrounding her made her identity obvious.
Death.
As for the vast crimson presence—
Karl immediately recognized it as Cyttorak, Lord of the Crimson Cosmos.
With Galactus, Cyttorak, and Death now present, the One Above All remained silent.
Then—
Whoosh!
The Celestial leader disappeared.
The remaining early-stage Super Single-Universe Celestial vanished alongside him.
Karl watched them leave without attempting to stop them.
But now he was even more confused.
Galactus helping him was understandable.
Ganata was Galactus's daughter, and Karl's relationship with her was no secret to him.
But Cyttorak?
Death?
Karl had virtually no relationship with either of them.
Why would they appear specifically to support him?
"Kid."
The enormous crimson projection suddenly condensed before Karl.
Cyttorak's voice echoed through space.
"You owe me a favor."
Then the projection disappeared.
Karl stared at the empty space speechlessly.
He still didn't know why Cyttorak had helped him.
But a favor was a favor.
The other party had genuinely stepped in when a Multiversal-level Celestial appeared.
Karl would remember it.
Death, meanwhile, did something even stranger.
Click.
Click.
Her exquisite black crystal heels carried her directly toward Karl.
She stopped in front of him and openly examined him from head to toe.
Karl met her gaze.
Then, without saying a single word, Death dropped a black silk handkerchief into his hand.
And vanished.
"...?"
Karl looked down at the handkerchief.
What was that supposed to mean?
He had to admit one thing, though.
Death was extraordinarily beautiful.
Rather than the skeletal appearance sometimes associated with her, the form she had shown Karl was that of a cold and elegant mature woman.
A black crystal crown rested upon her head.
Matching crystal earrings hung from her ears.
Her elaborate black gown contrasted sharply with her pale skin, while black crystal heels completed the appearance.
Cold.
Noble.
Unapproachable.
Karl hadn't expected Death herself to look like that.
Yet she had appeared, handed him a black silk handkerchief, and left without explanation.
Karl stared at it for several seconds.
Then his head snapped toward Galactus.
There was no way this old cosmic being knew nothing.
The sequence of events was simply too strange.
Cyttorak's intervention.
Galactus repeatedly helping him.
Death suddenly appearing.
There had to be something connecting all of this.
"Uncle."
Galactus had already begun preparing to leave.
Karl immediately stopped him.
"I've been thinking about something."
Galactus turned toward him.
"You deliberately arranged for Ganata to go to Earth, didn't you?"
Galactus visibly paused.
Karl narrowed his eyes.
"I knew it."
Galactus looked slightly awkward.
Eventually, he sighed.
"Fine."
"Since you've already figured out that much, I'll tell you."
Galactus turned toward the distant stars.
"I sent Ganata to Earth because I wanted her to have a chance to leave this Multiverse."
Karl's expression became serious.
"The Multiverse appears endless."
"But ultimately, it is still a collection of universes."
"And across countless realities, similar events repeat themselves again and again."
"Different details."
"Different outcomes."
"But often, the same stories."
Galactus's voice became quieter.
"To someone who has existed as long as I have, it can resemble an enormous prison."
"I didn't want Ganata trapped within it forever."
He looked toward Karl.
"Then you appeared."
"You possess the strangest soul I have ever encountered anywhere in this Multiverse."
Karl remained silent.
"Your arrival changed the original course of this universe."
"Eventually, even its future became impossible to observe properly."
"That made me curious."
Galactus continued.
"Perhaps you represented an opportunity."
"Perhaps one day, you could take Ganata beyond this Multiverse."
"Beyond this entire world."
His gaze became distant.
"I've existed for countless ages."
"Many things that once mattered to me have long since lost their meaning."
"I've wondered about leaving as well."
"But I've also witnessed what happened to others who tried."
Karl's eyes narrowed.
"Others?"
"A civilization."
Galactus's expression became unusually serious.
"A technological civilization that developed until it stood near the pinnacle of the Multiverse."
"They attempted to break through the boundaries surrounding this cosmology."
"And something appeared."
Karl's expression changed.
"What?"
"You don't need to know."
Galactus shook his head.
"Even if I told you now, the answer wouldn't help you."
"That civilization was destroyed."
"So were the universes under its control."
"Afterward, almost no one who knew what happened dared seriously attempt to cross that boundary again."
Karl remained silent.
Galactus looked directly at him.
"But your growth has exceeded even my expectations."
"Your soul remains inexplicable."
"The timeline surrounding you has become increasingly chaotic."
"I have encountered beings originating from other universes before."
"But you are different from all of them."
Galactus paused.
"That's why I believe you may truly possess the ability to leave this Multiverse."
"And perhaps you can take Ganata with you."
Karl's expression became strange.
Galactus continued without embarrassment.
"And even if I'm wrong..."
"Ganata has still found a reasonably good man."
"So I don't exactly lose either way."
Karl's mouth twitched.
Was this really something her father should say so casually?
Galactus ignored his expression.
"Eventually, daughters choose their own lives."
"If she's going to leave me behind someday anyway, I'd rather she be with someone she genuinely likes."
Then Galactus glanced toward the place where Cyttorak and Death had disappeared.
"As for those two..."
"Cyttorak seems to know something."
"I don't know exactly what."
"And Death..."
Galactus paused.
A strange expression crossed his face.
"Well."
"She may simply be interested in you."
Karl looked at the black handkerchief still resting in his hand.
Galactus gestured toward it.
"Using the customs of your Earth..."
"What kind of woman gives a man her personal handkerchief immediately after meeting him?"
Karl fell silent.
Especially when that woman was Death herself.
Galactus's enormous cosmic projection began fading.
"That's all I know."
"Figure out the rest yourself."
Then he disappeared.
The gigantic blue sphere of cosmic energy beside him vanished at the same time.
Karl was left alone in space.
For a long while, he didn't move.
His mind was still occupied by everything Galactus had just revealed.
...
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