From a distance, one could see the swarm steadily falling back. Under the relentless assault of the human Undead and the Elven realm coalition, the battlefield was shrinking.
The cold blade sliced through Annihilus' limb effortlessly, severing it cleanly.
A white radiance enveloped the wound, and within an instant, the Cosmic Control Rod restored his lost limb once more. However, its glow was noticeably dimmer.
Since arriving in this universe, the Cosmic Control Rod had already depleted its energy twice—something that had never happened in the Negative Zone. Even when facing formidable foes like the Rampaging Lion King*, he had emerged victorious with ease. Why did this universe have so many powerful beings?
"Damn it! How could I be losing?!" Annihilus felt a creeping panic. Should he retreat?
A series of high-frequency sonic waves, imperceptible to others, escaped from his mouth. Almost immediately, a path opened at the battlefield's perimeter, and he turned to flee.
Seeing this, Garus assumed he was trying to escape. A swirling storm of ice and snow erupted around him, expanding outward rapidly.
At this moment, he had pushed Blizzard to its absolute limit. Above Alfheim, a vast white tempest unfurled across the sky.
Annihilus felt his movements slow drastically. Before he could react, another sword strike landed, carving a deep gash into his chest—only for the wound to freeze over in an instant.
"Curse you!" The Cosmic Control Rod flared with a blinding red light, momentarily alleviating his distress.
By now, a radius of several hundred miles had become a death zone—anything that entered was instantly reduced to dust.
"All swarm forces, return to me! Your king requires aid!" Annihilus transmitted a desperate command into the void of space.
Not all of the Annihilation Swarm had participated in this battle. At least half had broken off after attacking Vanaheim, dispersing in different directions.
Now, Annihilus' only hope was to escape amidst the chaos. As his scattered forces converged, they launched a renewed assault on Garus.
...
In the pitch-black expanse of space, a grotesque battleship drifted forward. It resembled a living organism, and around it swarmed countless insectoid creatures, escorting it to an unknown destination.
These were bio-ships, lifeforms genetically engineered for war—each one an extension of the Brood's vast arsenal.
This particular swarm had separated from Annihilus earlier. Eager to expand their numbers, they had gathered in one place, but food had become scarce. As a result, Annihilus had ordered several of his generals to lead separate hunting expeditions.
Many such groups had split off, but now, with their king's summons, they were preparing to reunite.
However, tension simmered within the swarm.
Inside the bio-ship's command chamber, three towering Brood commanders stood together, their eyes fixed on a projection, each lost in thought.
"Lur, there's no need for us to charge to our deaths. Annihilus is finished—he has never been in such a state before..."
Lur turned to his comrade in disbelief. Then, his face twisted in rage. To him, Annihilus was the swarm's hero—their god of war. And a god of war did not lose.
One of his arms morphed into a razor-sharp blade, slashing toward the unsuspecting Tasa, intent on executing the traitor.
Tasa, ever vigilant, dodged the strike by reflex. Seeing his own comrade attacking him, his fury ignited.
"You dare?!"
But before Tasa could retaliate, Lur was struck first. A beam of light pierced through his chest before he could evade.
Tasa turned sharply to see another Brood commander, Kandoorn, standing behind Lur, his arm still glowing with residual energy.
Lur collapsed, unwilling to accept what had just happened. Never had he imagined that a longtime ally would betray him. He simply could not understand why.
Tasa, however, grinned in satisfaction. "So, you agree with me, Kandoorn? There's no need to follow that fool. In this universe, we can grow strong on our own—one day, we could be kings."
Kandoorn stomped on Lur's skull, splattering the floor with greenish blood mixed with an unknown white fluid. "No. I just wanted revenge. Now, let's find a new planet to consume."
Few knew that Kandoorn had once been a devoted follower of the former Brood Queen. He harbored a deep hatred for Annihilus, who had usurped the swarm's rule.
He said no more. Among the Annihilation Swarm, many despised Annihilus—but Kandoorn concealed his grudge better than anyone.
At that moment, an eerie sound echoed through the bio-ship. A shimmering light screen materialized before them, revealing a blue planet.
Tasa's eyes gleamed with greed. "Now, that is a beautiful world. So much fresh meat waiting for us."
It was Earth.
The swarm hovered in the void beyond Earth's orbit, releasing thick clouds of black mist. These were Brood scout drones—tiny as ants, but innumerable—swarming toward the planet below.
"What's happening?"
In the command center of Hammer Directorate, Director Osborn was startled by the sudden blaring alarms and the frantic voices of his subordinates.
"Sir, we've detected unknown objects just outside Earth's orbital perimeter—there's an enormous number of them!" The officer's voice trembled with fear.
Seeing the live feed, Osborn's expression darkened. What were these things?
Insects... flying through space? Were they an invading alien force?
They radiated nothing but hostility.
"Patch me through to the President's office." He hesitated for a moment before adding, "Any updates on the location of Sky City?"
"Sir, no. We can confirm that it is no longer on Earth."
On the Moon, the Watcher Uatu, along with the Skrulls and the Inhumans, had already taken notice of the intrusion.
A young human standing beside Uatu asked in shock, "Dad, what are those things?"
"I don't know," Uatu admitted, eyes wide. Despite his vast knowledge, he had never encountered creatures like these before—and they were unmistakably hostile.
"Stay here and don't wander. Earth is not safe right now."
Uatu opened a spatial rift and disappeared into it, leaving his son behind. He had no doubt that the boy could not follow him.
But he did not return to Earth.
Instead, he appeared in the hidden Skrull city on the Moon.
-----------------------
TL/N:
I don't know who that Lion King is. It might be Mufasa, lol.
This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON