The Song of Eternity
Canto 6 : Galactus
Verse 8
The Great Battle
The great destroyers clash,
None of them will ever be the same again,
As the final chapter in a life ends.
Vincent and the other gathered heroes stared up in the sky at the massive spacecraft floating over central park. "Big, isn't it?" Spiderman joked quietly. All of the gathered heroes were hiding in the trees, waiting for the signal to attack.
Vincent ignored Spiderman as he listened intently to what was going on in his earpiece. Reed had gone to speak to Galactus with the Silver Surfer. "Great Galactus, why have you come back to Earth?" he heard Reed shouting at the giant.
He didn't need the earpiece to hear Galactus's response as it boomed loudly over the park. "Because I wish it," the deafening voice replied.
"Will you reconsider, since you are breaking your word?" Vincent heard Reed plead.
"No, I will have this world before the day is over. Begone," Galactus said calmly. The Surfer and Reed came back down and landed among the others.
"He cannot be reasoned with, he may be mad from hunger," Reed explained. "We have no choice, but to stop him," Reed finished as he nodded at Vincent and a few others.
"Okay people, time to get his attention," Vincent ordered his team. Cyclops, Iceman, Havok, Boom-Boom, Gambit, and Pyro stood ready beside him. "Remember, after the initial attack, hang back, we don't want any of you kids getting hurt if we can help it," Vincent ordered. "Okay, let it loose!" he shouted. The kids let their respective powers loose, blasting Galactus's ship with all forms of energy attacks. Some small pieces of metal began to chip and fall away, allowing Vincent to get a clear shot at the insides of the ship. "Ultima Strike!" he shouted as he pointed the Agememnon at the hole in the ship and pulled the trigger, sending a burst of destructive energy at the ship and causing an explosion.
The ship continued to shake from smaller explosions as it slowly lowered and came to a rest on the ground. "I think we got his attention," Vincent said as he and the others looked on as the giant stepped into their view.
"This is your last chance Galactus, leave Earth now, or we will be forced to stop you," Thor threatened before catching a blast from Galactus's eyes and being knocked to the ground.
"Now everyone!" Captain America shouted as they all leapt into battle. The front line of attackers, the Thing, the Hulk, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Blob, Ghost Rider, Vengeance, and Logan, all were equipped with backpacks that had been designed to drain the energy from Galactus as they attacked him. Galactus roared as the energy packs drained away most of his excess energy, forcing him to return to a smaller size of about ten feet tall before blasting his attackers and destroying the devices.
"Pitiful mortals, you cannot stop me!" Galactus roared as he knocked the Hulk back with a backhand. Strange and Xavier motioned the second wave forward next. The rest of the X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, moved forward to attack Galactus as Xavier, Strange, Jean Grey, the Invisible Woman, and Avalanche made it difficult for Galactus to move, in one way or another. Galactus became buried in a pile of attacking bodies as Vincent tried to get a clear shot. Suddenly Vincent ducked as Galactus unleashed another wave of energy, knocking all the attackers away and stunning them. "I am Galactus! You all will perish!"
Vincent glanced around, frowning when the only ones still standing, not clumsily trying to get to their feet were the kids who helped him in the initial strike. He quickly slid the magazine from his gun and held it high in the air. "Regen, Haste, Wall-All!" he shouted as he took control of the magic and a soft green glow crept over all of the combatants. He slid the magazine back in and rushed at Galactus, trying to buy some time for the others to get back up. His shots rang out loudly, impacting with small blinding bursts of light where they hit Galactus.
"You try to defy me!" Galactus yelled as he ran at Vincent, throwing his shoulder into the ex-Turk, sending him flying back twenty feet. Galactus move to finish Vincent off, but was stopped as a green hand grabbed his head and hurled him away.
Vincent thanked the Hulk, who helped him to his feet, then bounded back toward the titan to continue the battle. Vincent noted that no one seemed to be hurt badly so far and turned to watch as Galactus was pounded by Hulk, the Thing, Wolverine, Thor, and others. Galactus seemed to be holding his own against many of the strongest heroes of the planet until he unleashed a few well placed blasts of the power cosmic, bloodying his attackers. For a moment Galactus stood silently as he was bombarded with energy blasts from all sides with his eyes closed. When he opened them, he thrust his arms out, gathering all the energy that was being used on him in a cloud of energy before sending it out in a wave of destruction.
Vincent groaned and opened his eyes after being floored by the blast. He looked around as he got up, nearly everyone was down and looking unconscious. Here and there someone moved, but no one got up. He watched as Galactus eyed him with curiosity. "I know of you somehow," Galactus said. "Vincent Valentine, the second strongest being in existence at one time. The time has come to test your power against me," Galactus ordered.
Vincent frowned, then rushed at Galactus, firing a dozen unerring shots at his head, then striking him square in the face with his claw. Galactus did not move as a small line of blood formed on his face. "You disappoint me," he taunted before grabbing Vincent by the shirt and pulling him off the ground. "You are nothing to me," he added before tossing Vincent roughly to the ground.
Vincent doubled over on the ground after Galactus threw him there, but not from pain. I will fix this Valentine. "No!" Vincent screamed as his body began to transform. Let me go Valentine, or we will both die! "I will control this," Vincent said through gritted teeth as he halted the transformation, leaving his skin partially changed, a pair of wings on his back, and a demonic left arm. "I will not fail," he roared in a deeper than usual voice as he flew at Galactus and clawed at him while shooting at point blank range.
Galactus stumbled backwards, surprised by the ferocity of Vincent's attack. He recovered quickly and swung at Vincent but missed. "Impressive, but you cannot beat me by yourself," Galactus gloated at Vincent/Chaos.
"He ain't alone bub," Logan replied from behind Galactus. Galactus turned in surprise to be struck immediately by the Hulk and the Thing's fists. Thor, Logan, Iron Man, the Silver Surfer, and Doom all charged into battle and began to pummel Galactus once more. Vincent/Chaos flapped his wings and took to the air and kept firing until Galactus lay still and everyone stepped away.
Vincent landed on the ground and caught his breath, staying in his Vincent/Chaos form. "Everyone okay?" he asked Logan who was resting on a knee as his wounds healed.
"Looks that way," Logan replied as he sheathed his claws. "Nice work out there, controlling the demon," Logan commented.
"Yes…," Vincent replied solemnly as he looked at the fallen titan. "We were lucky no one died," he added as he looked around at some of the dazed combatants.
"By Asgard," they heard Thor mutter. They both turned around quickly in time to see Galactus's body disappear into his ship, moved by some unknown means. "Get back!" he shouted as the ship rumbled and began to crack and crumble.
Galactus emerged from the rubble of his ship, his wounds covered in metal and his form restored to what it was before the energy was drained from him. He laughed in an eerie voice and spoke to the heroes below him. "Thank you for defeating Galactus and allowing me to take over this body finally. Have no doubts though, I will destroy all of you," he laughed.
"That voice," Vincent muttered before taking to the air again. He flew up, stopping in front of the face of Galactus. "Garland!" he shouted, getting Galactus's attention.
Galactus looked at Vincent confusedly. "Who are you that knows my name? Vincent Valentine… we have never met…"
"I have tried to get you out of this world and my life twice now. And you came back again, after a million years. I know what you are Garland! A parasite living in the broken bodies of the strong!" Vincent yelled as he fired on the giant who looked past him, not reacting.
"He doesn't know you Valentine. The thirteen did not have a communal mind, they just started with the same one. He only knows me," Starmore's voice explained from behind Vincent. Starmore floated there in the air, looking past Vincent at Galactus/Garland.
"Starmore…," Garland said with hatred in his voice. "You are still alive after all this time… How many of my brethren have you found?"
"All of them but you," Starmore replied. "You are the last. It took me a while to find you, never occurred to me that you weren't on the planet," he added. "This is the strongest body you've found so far though," he added quietly.
"It will be more than enough to stop you Starmore," Garland threatened.
"Under most circumstances, yes it would," Starmore admitted. "Vincent, leave me to finish this. This is not your fight," he ordered.
"I understand. Do what you must. It has been an honor to know you, Travis," Vincent said before flying back to the ground and telling everyone to get back.
Starmore's eyes flared and a sword appeared in his hand. "Let us begin," he said calmly as he began to strike Garland/Galactus. He flew and dodged around Garland/Galactus's head, striking when he could, avoiding a few blasts from Garland's eyes, but doing no major damage.
"Stop holding back Starmore, you know there is only one way to end this!" Garland roared as he swung and knocked Starmore to the ground.
Starmore got back to his feet unscathed. "As you wish," he replied as he unleashed a substantial Starlight blast, knocking Garland from his feet. As Garland was stunned, he took the chance to press his attack, moving faster than most eyes could follow, he slashed at Garland's immobile body. Garland's hand moved suddenly, unleashing a blast of similar energy, knocking Starmore back into a tree, splintering it. "What the…" he muttered as he got to his feet unsteadily.
"Hahahaha. This body has the power cosmic. It is as powerful as your Starlight Blast in my hands," Garland laughed as he picked up Starmore. "You cannot defeat me!"
"That's what they all say," Starmore said as he unleashed another Starlight Blast from his body, this one more powerful than the last, and more focused. Garland swore as he pulled back his bloody stump of a hand and Starmore fell to the ground in a heap. "I got experience," he said as he coughed up some blood.
"You cannot defeat me," Garland snarled as he blasted Starmore again.
Starmore struggled to get out of the hole that formed around him in the ground. "I will bury you!" he yelled as he blasted Garland again, creating a gaping wound in Garland's side, causing Garland to fall to his knees and Starmore to apparently pass out.
"Hurry, we have to strike while we can!" Reed shouted as the heroes who were in good enough shape to move attacked.
Vincent motioned for the X-Men to stay back. "Hit him from here if you can, but stay back and try to get Starmore up," he ordered. He spread his wings and joined the battle as the Hulk sailed past him through the air, reeling from a hit by Garland/Galactus. He flew right at the wound in Garland's side and stuck Agememnon in the bloody hole and pulled the trigger, unleashing a Knights of the Round inside Garland.
Garland howled in pain as he continued to throw off his attackers, unable to focus enough to use his power cosmic. Rogue, a Madrox (there were a dozen more trying to hold down Galactus), and Gambit slid into the hole as the others tried to aid in the battle. "He not lookin' too good 'dere," Gambit said as he and Madrox tried to revive Starmore.
Starmore mumbled a bit as his eyes opened, taking in his surroundings. "Take it easy there," Rogue said as she heard the raging sounds of battle.
Starmore closed his eyes for a second until Garland/Galactus's voice came over the park again. "You refuse to fight me! I will destroy the children!" Galactus roared as he unleashed a blast of power at the hole and the kids around it. Rogue and the others shielded their eyes as the blast stopped before hitting them. They looked to see Starmore in the air where the blast had stopped.
"Never again Garland. Never again," Starmore said as he flew at Garland. As he flew at Garland, his body changed from pure darkness to bright shining light. There was a huge explosion as his form made contact with Garland/Galactus. Vincent stared into the light as it happened. His light form ripped through the flesh of Garland's head and disappeared as Garland/Galactus's body fell to the ground lifeless. "It is finished," a whispered voice came across the wind of the battlefield as Starmore was nowhere to be seen and Galactus was dead.
"That was intense," Chaos spoke as a surprised Vincent turned to meet him face to face.