The three stars that illuminated that particular stellar system had definitely seen better days in their millions of years of existence.
Then again, it probably had something to do with the reality-rending havoc caused in IT's wake.
Spanning across eight whole planets, an immeasurably huge entity of cosmic energy roared, shaking the empty void itself as IT rampaged against its attackers.
Its opponents?
At least a thousand galaxies worth of starships, all devoted to quenching its unending fire. It wasn't because IT possessed intelligence. It wasn't because IT was some malevolent creature.
Power.
Chaos.
V.
That was all IT physically was. A phenomenal creature of infinite cosmic energy that did as IT always wished to, similar to the forces of nature and unbeholden to the petty views of Good and Evil.
And as it was with all forces of nature, the victims of IT's whims who failed to succumb, instead survived, adapted and finally rebelled.
Beliefs, species, genders. None of that mattered against the Enemy who hadn't discriminated. All United to defeat the One.
And they were winning. Finally.
The war, if it could even be called that, had begun over four hundred solar cycles ago. Millions of Billions had already fallen. Hundreds of planets were wrecked into pieces of rubble that silently stained the Void.
And yet, they. Did. Not. STOP.
From most corners of the Omniverse, all manners of combatants arrived. From pitiful ones who expired just from getting too close to IT, to Deities and Daemons who drew it's precious essence right from their first blows unto IT's celestial body.
IT's extinguishment was near. And IT knew it.
Survival, no matter how little, must be prioritized.
And so, as a last, great 'FUCK Y'ALL!', IT gathered itself up into a super compressed orb, spiraling and condensing fast enough to actually create a gravitational pull onto Itself and draw in and crush a couple of unfortunate planets along with everything else within range.
And finally, with a glorious shine that could only be surpassed by the Big Bang itself (which it helped create by the way), IT detonated, unleashing waves of pure obliteration which devastated the present solar system... and several more around it as several suns and stars erupted and destabilized due to the cosmic shockwaves.
"...I feel like I just missed out on the greatest fight ever." Boros, the Dominator of the Universe, who just coincidentally happened to be just one system out of his so far conquered territory, mused in suspicion before shrugging. (Un)Fortunately, this meant that he was at least ten solar systems out of range from IT's blast radius and therefore, completely missed out on the awesome fight he'd been searching for. "Oh, well. I will encounter it sooner or later. Now, which planet did that soothsayer point me at?"
When the Bang faded away, all that was left was a floating orb.
It was roughly the size of a moon and was growing even smaller as time passed.
It quickly made a priority of heading towards the nearest planet with sustainable essence.
IT needed to hurry...
Unless its power found a suitable area or host to regenerate in, it would soon be claimed by the Nether...
It had already lost over 90% of its remaining mass and energy just as a planet with blue oceans came into view...
Then darkness...
King blinked in confusion as a crystal ball smashed down into his bed, shattering the window in its wake and slowly starting to burn through his floor.
"What the..." The blond blinked as he paused his game to stare at the glowing orb. It looked like a standard crystal orb used by mystics and the like. Except it was glowing brightly like a miniature, white-orange sun was being constrained within it.
It even had miniature thermonuclear explosions under its tiny surface. For a whole, long fifteen minutes, King was completely still as he stared at the orb, fearing it to be some kind of bomb or transformed monster before sighing in relief as nothing happened.
'What is it, then?' Not for the first time, King once again cursed his God-level (mis)fortune. For all the renown his S-Class Hero status got him, he was actually quite weaker than an average human being, not even mentioning the lowest ranked heroes of the Hero Association.
If something bad actually happened, there was no way he'd be able to handle it in the slightest.
"Well... Let's get this over with." Grabbing a nearby metal baseball bat, a gift from Metal Bat for which he was currently very grateful for, King inched towards the glowing orb and cautiously tapped it against the orb.
The orb's light flickered with each tap, glowing brighter but not actually increasing in heat or intensity. With a sigh, King dropped the bat and got on a knee before it. "Looks safe enough. I wonder if the Child Emperor would like to look at this thing."
Then he touched it with his bare hands.
BOOM!*
The orb suddenly blew apart, releasing an enormous amount of fiery energy which had various colors swirling through it as it surged wildly across his living room. King grunted in pain as the energy rampaged around him like a burning beast, somehow ripping apart and incinerating everything in sight but also repairing and restoring in a paradoxical mania.
King's eyes widened as he sighted the cracking windows. "If this thing breaks out, who knows what will happen?! Hey, stop it!"
The energy predictably didn't obey, still slamming itself against the constraints that was his living room. If it went on any further, it would break out of his apartment and terrorize others.
King might not be a real Hero but there was no way he could intentionally endanger others, damnit!
RMB! RMB! RMB! RMB! RMB! RMB! RMB! RMB!*
Well, there went his 'King Engine'.
"Hey, you want me, right?!" King slowly stood up, the burns on his hands and face stinging as he faced the 'storm'. "I-I-I am King! Don't you dare attack others without dealing with m-me first!"
For a moment, King relaxed as the energy actually slowed down to a soft swirl, idly twisting about in a truly beautiful form of colors, then King panicked as the energy spiraled around him, before it all suddenly slammed into his body, causing pain like he had never felt before, burning and freezing and crushing it - his body constantly being ripped apart and regenerated, blood coming out his orifices as King's mind, body and spirit were strained to their absolute limits and beyond.
He wanted to give up so much but he refused. No matter how much of a fake he was, King still had some pride in himself. Besides, as it was clear by what was happening to him, his luck could only go so far, only just allowing him to die to a mysterious enemy which might have actually troubled his S Class peers.
Much better than finally being killed in public by an enemy who wouldn't be intimidated by his King Engine and reputation.
Then the pain finally stopped, causing King's exhausted body to slump in relief. His body began to steadily release a multicolored aura from the energy he had just absorbed, rapidly shifting between the various phases.
It turned red in color, magma-like in nature and in two layers, with the inner layer close to King's red blood and the outer layer wine red as it bubbled and burned erratically and formed small, soft, blackish tendrils from its edges. It rumbled with the distinct Aspect of Destruction, threatening to incinerate and melt everything in its reach.
Then it turned orange in color like actual fire, flickering and releasing actual heat in it's brief wake. It burned with the familiar Aspect of Energy, ready to be used for many objectives beyond the expected.
Transforming yellow, it began releasing dot shaped sparkles as it beamed. It burned with the sparkling Aspect of Stimulation, subtly enhancing King's body several times over in its brief existence and healing the injuries he had.
Forming green it seemed electrical in nature. It crackled with the buzzing Aspect of Armament, further increasing King's durability.
It changed again and was blue in color in a seemingly watery form. It flowed with the Aspect of Serenity, shimmering softly across King's body as it calmed down the various rejections against the foreign entity's bodily intrusion. That was going to be its job now.
Next it was violet in color and cloud-like in nature. It billowed with the Aspect of Amplification, billowing about unstably.
Finally it became indigo in color and was misty in form. It wafted with the Aspect of Assembly, softly padding at reality with its edges as the damage in his house started to fix itself.
Finally, it turned back into it's original orange color before it faded away when he woke up and rubbed his body in phantom winces. King briefly gawked at his fixed house, wandering if something had dealt with what was now seeming to be a monster like usual.
"Did that even happen for real?" King questioned as he got up, only to notice the scorch mark where the orb had landed, along with several crystal pieces scattered about, which signified the one spot of damage that hadn't been fixed up. "Oh, shit. It was real! If I'm still alone here... does this mean that I actually beat a monster on my own?!"
King had never felt as relaxed and blissful as he did now and promptly decided that celebrating this event was an immediate priority.
"Oi, check it out."
"Is that really him?"
"Dude, go ask for his autograph or a handshake or something!"
"He's eating! Won't he get pissed or something?!"
"He's so cool!"
King ignored them all with practiced experience as he kept eating his lavish meal. It had been a while since he enjoyed the luxurious meals a restaurant usually offered. Not for a lack of funds, thanks to his ridiculously high salary, but due to not wanting unnecessary attention.
Still, he could already spy one of his fellow patrons typing into a social media app along with other people taking his picture. 'I'll have to leave through the back door...'
SMASH!*
The wall which King had been sitting with his back to suddenly exploded, revealing a large Mysterious Being. It was red in color and had flames burning off its head, which then flared as it roared, terrifying the restaurant occupants.
Screams filled the air as people stampeded to rush out, all struggling against the crowded doorway as the monster stalked forward.
"Out of the way!"
"I don't wanna die!"
"Wait! King's still here!"
That last declaration from a kid halted both the crowd and the monster, rendering the area quiet enough for them to notice the sound of soup being slurped.
They all turned to notice King still eating his meal, his eyes trained on the monster.
"Ha! King's still here!"
"You're in deep shit, now!"
"Look at him! He hasn't even stopped eating his meal to deal with you!"
"That's just how far beneath him you are!"
'Ah... I knew it...' King's expressionless face didn't reveal the sheer panic that was currently running through his mind. 'I've pushed my luck too much today.'
Rather than being intimidated, the Mysterious Being, one of those types not possessing human-level intelligence, roared and slammed its fists before King, cracking the ground on impact.
By some miracle or maybe a brain so addled with fear that it shut off its higher functions that dictated logic, rather than show any fear on his face, King raised his hand and then lowered his fingers and left his index one upwards, somehow having the sense of mind to still be eating.
"Look at that! He's so unintimidated he's asking to keep eating!"
"He'll crush you in one minute!"
'I need to at least get it away from all these people.' King fully slurped down his soup before slapping down the cash for it and facing the monster. Maybe it was from earlier but he still had a great sense of confidence running through him. "Oi. Follow me."
Without waiting to see any reaction, King stepped through the hole in the wall and into the alley. The cracking of bricks was the only sign he had been followed before turning to face the monster. In the hole, several of the civilians crowded it with their phones and cameras ready.
"Now, let's-" King was cut off as a large meaty fist instantly punched him in the face, sending him into a wall and breaking it on impact.
"No way..." The civilians fell into shock at the sight, like they had just seen their god get dragged down from his heaven. That was just how much they felt at the sight.
For a bit, the monster roared in victory before the pile of rubble that buried King suddenly gave way, revealing the man himself with nothing but dust to prove that he'd been hit in the first place. "Huh... I'm fine..."
"He's okay...!"
"Of course, he's fine! There's no way the King would lose so easily!"
"There's not even a bruise on him!"
"That earlier suckerpunch must have just surprised King!"
"Ha! Even that monster's sneak attack to the face totally got ignored!"
King cracked his neck in relief, speaking quietly to himself.. "So you're actually a weak monster? I'll admit, you actually had me going for a sec."
The monster narrowed its eyes, its advanced hearing taking offense from that last one. It then charged and punched forward, slamming his fist into King's raised palm. A shockwave blew through the alley from the impact, nearly blinding the civilians until the dust cleared and revealed that King had easily caught the attack.
"Huh? That was surprisingly light." King mused as he clenched his hand and clutched a finger of the large fist in it, unaware of just how much effort the monster was using to try and free itself as the ground beneath its feet cracked from the strain. "Well, I guess I should hit back, now."
The monster stilled... and then tripled its efforts to get away from King as he cocked his spare right hand and punched it right in the chest as fast as he could.
CRACK!*
King had never punched someone or something in his entire life, but even he knew something was abnormal as his fist sunk deep into the monster's chest almost coming out the other side. It was suddenly launched backwards at incredible speed, clearing the entire alley, the packed road and finally smashing into the wall of an adjacent building, blue blood and guts splattering the windows nearby. A lot happened from that single lunch, and an updraft of wind was produced from the sheer force, and many spectators had to attach themselves or risk being lifted off the ground.
"Hurray for King!"
"He's won again!"
As the cheers kept piling on, King stared at his fist with shock, his eyes widening as he caught a flash of green electricity and yellow light flickering across his fingers. 'D-Did that orb do something to me, earlier?!'
This... This needed experimentation. Lots and lots of experimentation.
King spent the rest of the day testing anything he might have gotten from the mysterious orb. He'd already assured himself of at least gaining immense durability and strength so he worked on others such as speed...
King gulped as he stood on an abandoned racetrack. Armed with a stopwatch, King took a deep breath and dashed forward, running as if he was heading for a limited sale of an exclusive Dating Sim.
"Gotta go fast, gotta go fast. Gotta go faster, faster, faster, faster, faster!" With that phrase usually owned by the Blue Hedgehog, King didn't notice his body glowing with orange flames, but he did notice the world around him suddenly starting to slow down until he finished the lap and reached the finish line.
"I did 400 meters in 2.6 seconds?!"
...and flight...
King inhaled and exhaled rapidly before bursting into a run. After a bit, he jumped, cracking the ground and reaching up to a thousand and twenty seven meters up in the air, actually hanging a bit too long before gravity took a hold of King and dragged him back down.
Well, he jumped pretty good at least.
...and invulnerability, the most important superpower as far as King was concerned...
For a brief moment, King wondered if he was overdoing this... then shook his head and promptly slammed an ax onto his outstretched hand. There was a flash of green electricity before the ax blade impacted and broke off in a ricochet, leaving a minuscule and negligent bruise behind instead properly chopping his hand clean off. Once King blinked, the wound was already gone.
"Oh, thank god!"
...and heat vision...
King glared as much as he could at a metal barrel. Unlike a monster which would've suffered a heart attack from that, nothing happened to the barrel for a whole minute before King gave up and waved his hand at it in frustration. A blast of crimson fire burst from his hand and smashed into the barrel, destroying it's top half in a powerful explosion that swiftly melted through the metal.
"...well, at least if I ever run into a killer robot, I can still melt it down. Still wish I had Heat Vision, though."
...and then strength, you know, just to be really sure...
Somewhere in a forest, King nervously looked at the large boulder which was eight times his size before screaming and throwing a punch.
The boulder promptly exploded on impact, leaving King's unbruised fist hovering over an empty space where the boulder-and everything remotely close to it for miles- used to be.
"So. I guess I didn't imagine that part." King said, not fighting the immense grin that spread across his lips. "Thank god! I won't have to fake anything anymore! I'll be the King of Heroes for real!"
If time machines ever became a thing in this crazy world, King's future self would later make a note of returning to this point... and uppercutting his current self. He doesn't become said king of heroes, but even below that, the work he still has to do is beyond immeasurable.
His phone instantly rang out, bringing him out of his celebration. Immediately he picked it, a woman's panicked voice spoke through.
"King! There is a Demon-level threat in city B! It's forced us into a city wide evacuation and threatens to ascend into Dragon. Help us! Please, sir!"
RMB! RMB! RMB! RMB! RMB! RMB! RMB! RMB!*
'Why does the universe love to kick me into shit?' King gulped, being thankful that his King Engine loudly hid away the sound. "Understood. I'll send video evidence of the fight so you all stop wondering about my strength." Might as well use this to cement himself as a truly strong hero.
A Human...?
As memories played back and forth, the Celestial Entity hummed as IT assimilated this 'King's experiences.
Well, It had actually lucked out in finding a host with such a high level of compatibility. To think that such a primitive being could have attained Seven out of the Nine Aspects already was outstanding, even if much, much, much weaker than their usual quantity. Although that may be due to ITs current weakened state.
Well, it didn't matter in the end. Even these primitive 'Earthlings' were aware of the truth behind 'Quality over Quantity'.
Plus, even if the human's lifeforce had been incredibly boosted, the Celestial Cataclysm had already ruled for Eons.
Let King use IT's powers however he wished as a reward for providing his body as a vessel. On top of still needing to hide from probable survivors from that war, IT honestly felt like a well deserved vacation was in order. It wouldn't take IT long to recover full power anyway, and this vessel should grow with it. Compared to the humans here, 'King' shall be godly.
King could do whatever he wanted. IT will just remain inside for his lifetime.
After all, IT had done this before; shortly after helping to create this universe..
-Little did King know, he had just absorbed one of the six forgers of Existence.-