Marvel With Zanpakutou

A wisp of terrifying energy spread throughout heaven and earth.

The divine light that appeared suddenly, in just an instant, actually outshone the dazzling brilliance of the blazing sun.

Six terrifying fireballs, each radiating heat comparable to that of a star, hung in the sky over the frozen plains like miniature suns. Under the interwoven glow of their blazing light, an ancient and boundless aura, vast as the Milky Way, seemed to cascade down for millions of miles.

Wherever the scorching divine light passed, the void trembled and shattered inch by inch.

A supreme, dreadful will descended upon the scene, and the entire space began to undergo a violent transformation. All light was swallowed whole, even sound vanished without warning, and all things were stripped of their original form of existence.

Everything in the world... returned to nothingness.

But this phenomenon lasted for only half a second. The lost senses and vanished world reappeared.

Only, the scene before the man’s eyes was slightly different from what he had imagined. He was in an endlessly deep and pitch-black space, where the dim light of distant stars twinkled faintly. Not far behind him floated a familiar blue planet.

Though most people spend their entire lives never seeing the full form of the land beneath their feet, thanks to the development of technology, the man had once glimpsed this planet’s appearance.

The blue planet behind him now was almost identical to the "Earth" in his memory, he could even see the continents and tectonic plates, all nearly identical to the map in his mind.

This was... the universe!

The man’s brows furrowed tightly, he had already guessed Ajak’s trump card.

Such power, capable of changing heaven and earth itself, there was only one possible source, the Celestial revered by the Eternals.

Spirit power gathered in his eyes, crimson-gold halos swirling within.

Forcing his vision past the blinding glow, he pierced through the radiant veil and saw the true form of the "stars."

The objects radiating infinite heat and light equal to a star... were not stars at all, but six enormous eyes.

It was a towering, majestic figure standing within the endless star sea. From a single glance, its full form could not be perceived, just as humans cannot comprehend the entirety of Earth. Compared to it, Earth itself seemed small enough to fit into the palm of its hand like a marble.

The great being wore deep crimson armor of unknown origin, its molten hue dull yet flickering faintly, flowing like a living thing that breathed.

It was hard not to wonder, was that armor once a living planet, forged into the shape of armor?

This... was a Celestial?!

The man’s face remained impassive, but inwardly he was on the highest alert. An immense sense of dread surged within him.

Since losing his memory, though not much time had passed, he had traveled to many places. Yet even in his fragmented memories, he had never encountered such a terrifying existence. It felt as though the being could crush his body into dust with just a finger.

"Ajak... why have you called me?"

A deep, resonant voice, defying the laws of the physical universe, echoed through the vacuum of space.

"Great Celestial Supreme... Arishem the Judge."

Ajak knelt on both knees in the void, bowing her head in reverence before that towering existence, calling upon the supreme name,

"In the name of Ajak, former Supreme of the Eternals, I beg you to save the people of the Eternals, slay this man."

With those words spoken, she was like a spent lamp with its oil gone.

The only reason she had endured until now was because of her final shred of will. Seeing Arishem meant she had succeeded.

The man’s eyes flickered faintly as a fragment of memory surfaced.

Celestial Supreme... Arishem the Judge.

Even among the great Celestials, Arishem held the most exalted status, having taken part in four great Creations. To call him the "Father of the Celestials" was no exaggeration, he was, in truth, the father of most Celestials.

Much of the current physical universe’s creations originated from Arishem’s acts of Creation.

Including, but not limited to... humans, the Kree, mutants, the Eternal Titans, the Eternals themselves, almost akin to a Creator God.

"I... understand."

Arishem read Ajak’s memories, instantly grasping the full sequence of events.

The Eternals sent to Earth to nurture the birth of a new Celestial had been struck down by this man, three slain, and even a Supreme lost. That was akin to cutting off Arishem’s right arm. In essence... he was obstructing the birth of a new Celestial.

The birth of each Celestial is a matter of utmost importance to the universe.

If the number of Celestials falls short, then the universes they have created will gradually head toward extinction. And now, this insignificant human before him dared to interfere in a matter of life and death of the highest cosmic order, without question, he had touched the inverse scale of this supreme being.

"Human, you deserve death!"

A terrifying gaze filled with anger descended, accompanied by a vast, resonating voice of heaven.

How incomparably powerful was the will of a Celestial? Even though this was not the descent of his true body, for a mere insignificant creature, it was no different from a catastrophic disaster. Within the man’s consciousness, it felt as if boundless tsunamis roared and surged, and the violent force of the shock nearly tore him apart.

"Mm...!"

The man let out a muffled grunt, and a mouthful of blood almost burst out from his lips.

In the end, that nearly-spat mouthful of blood was forcefully swallowed back down. A faint taste of iron spread in his mouth, only a trace of crimson seeped from the corner of his lips, and his face turned an unhealthy pale.

The rumbling heavenly voice shaking his sea of consciousness was forcibly suppressed by his soul power.

Though he wasn’t sure why, along with the shaking of his consciousness, he actually recalled some fragmented pieces of memory.

Could it be...

That the method to recover his memories was to get beaten up?

A complicated expression flashed across his face, this degree of force was not something easy to control.

If it went wrong, never mind his memories, he might just die outright. Then there’d be no need to retrieve anything, he could simply reincarnate and try again in the next life.

"You... are still alive?"

Arishem’s tone carried a trace of disbelief.

Though this was only a projection of himself, wiping out a being from an entire planet was no difficult matter for him. Even someone with power on the level of a Heavenly Father, without an artifact at hand, would still be unable to withstand his willstorm.

But this insignificant human before him had actually endured it, without any artifact at all!

"That’s all you’ve got?"

The man was silent for a moment, then raised his head, his eyes showing an expression that was hard to describe.

Thirty percent disdain, thirty percent contempt, thirty percent ridicule, and ten percent scorn, together, it made a perfect ten, the very picture of a pie-chart-like peak performance. Even if the Oscar-winning best actor came here, he would have to bow in respect.

It wasn’t that the man liked provoking others.

He simply thought this method might be the easier way to recover his memories, and there was no harm in trying.

But Arishem’s reaction was a little unexpected.

There was no anger, no mockery, only silence, as though trying to understand the meaning behind that complex gaze.

The Celestial race, though lofty, was not omniscient.

After all, even with how mighty humans were on Earth, they couldn’t necessarily interpret the gaze of an ant.

"Supreme Celestial Arishem... nothing more than this."

Seeing Arishem remain silent, the man had no choice but to keep provoking, "If you can’t kill me today, then in the future I will slaughter the entire Eternal race!"

Those words worked.

Compared to the pie-chart-like gaze, Arishem understood this statement far better.

If the Eternals were slaughtered completely, then without the balance they provided, the Deviants would quickly devour all life on Earth. Without the energy of intelligent life, the new generation of Celestials would be unable to be born.

"Human, you court death!"

A terrifying pressure erupted from Arishem’s eyes, releasing a searing brilliance greater than before.

Yes, just like that!

A little more force, I can take it, I can still handle it!

Joy flashed in the man’s eyes, he could feel that will surging violently deep in his consciousness.

Countless sealed, fragmented memories began surfacing in his mind like a revolving lantern. More and more of his past and experiences appeared, and a long-lost power began slowly awakening in the depths of his soul.