"Why? Why did it end like this?"
Ronan's roar tore through the air, but his once-mighty form had collapsed into a shapeless mound of mud.
"Comprehensive technological analysis has been conducted." The Supreme Intelligence's medical subsystem responded with clinical detachment.
"Neural pathways, biological functions, cellular structures, all read as normal. This phenomenon exceeds current scientific parameters."
Refusing to accept defeat, Ronan grabbed the lump and struck it repeatedly, feeling nothing. "No. This cannot be real."
"We recommend the Accuser seek out advanced entities affiliated with mysterious power systems throughout the universe."
Advanced entities of mysterious power. Two came immediately to mind, the Faceless Ones, and the Mad Titan Thanos, that violet-skinned monster.
"Understood. One more thing, craft me a warhammer. From now on, this is my weapon of choice."
"Acknowledged. Your request has been logged and transmitted to the appropriate subsystem."
"Is there anything else you require?"
"Revenge. I want revenge." Ronan's voice turned venomous.
"Investigate that orange cat. A creature of such power couldn't have remained hidden all this time."
"According to our audiovisual records, the Flerken left a message before departing. It claimed to have named one of its subordinates."
"Show me."
The screen flickered to life, revealing that orange feline face chanting rhythmically: "Ego, Ego, Ego."
Ronan etched the name into memory. Ego. You can run. You can hide. But I will find you.
Whether you admit it or not, I will find you, I will break you, and I will deliver your severed head to your master.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Across the cosmos, Asgard blazed with celebratory light.
Since Odin had been forced to return to the throne, no victory had stirred such exhilaration through the golden halls.
This was more than a war won, it was a message carved into the stars themselves.
The battle had not only taught the arrogant Kree a lesson, it had reignited Asgard's legend across the universe.
Two main Kree fleets lay in ruins. Commanders fell dead or wounded.
The core of the Kree homeworld, that gleaming mechanical heart had been shattered beyond repair.
Warships detonated in cascading explosions, raining tens of millions of tons of debris upon the surface below.
The impact triggered structural collapses across entire districts.
The worst came when a capital ship's core, rather than exploding in the atmosphere, slammed into the planet and detonated across three city blocks.
The Kree, in their infinite wisdom, had built their homeworld entirely from metal.
The construction absorbed much of the shock, contained much of the blast.
Casualties remained miraculously low, but the message was clear… No one is untouchable.
In the space age, news travels faster than light.
Within seconds, every major power in the universe received intelligence reports detailing the Kree homeworld's devastation.
Some received live feeds of the destruction itself. Those who harbored old grudges against the Kree lit celebratory fires and beat drums of joy.
Let them burn.
Let them remember what it means to be humbled.
But beneath the revelry, unease stirred.
If Asgard could wound the Kree, the so-called invincible empire so deeply, what hope did anyone else have?
The legend of Asgard had endured ten thousand years.
For most of that time, Asgardians had remained within their own realm, glimpsed only rarely among the stars.
But now an Asgardian prince had been unleashed upon the galaxy.
The news of Asgard's crushing defeat of the Kree was worth a fortune.
After the major powers emptied considerable coffers to acquire the recordings, their hearts sank into an abyss.
They never stood a chance.
The Kree fleet, that mighty armada crumpled like parchment before Thor's lightning.
The Asgardian woman moved at supersonic speeds, her blade finding each throat with surgical precision.
Multiple high-value targets, eliminated simultaneously.
Loki, the sorcerer, drew little attention, his contributions unremarkable. And Garfield?
That orange tabby spent most of the battle lounging about, occasionally mewing for attention.
Nobody paid him any mind.
It wasn't until later intelligence arrived, detailing the Kree's full humiliation, that they understood their catastrophic error.
That "harmless cat" was a Flerken. A creature of nightmare.
Capable of teleportation. Capable of consuming anything that crossed its path. And worst of all?
It could summon devastating lightning magic at will.
As for the whispers that a Kree Accuser had been utterly broken by this creature?
Laughter echoed through the intelligence halls.
In this universe, even the most grievous wounds could be healed with sufficient credits. Mechanical alternatives existed. Surely the Kree would recover.
Surely.
After spending several more days in Asgard's golden halls, Garfield decided it was time to return.
Earth called to him.
Specifically, his backyard, that chaotic menagerie of wizards and ninjas, cats and dogs, magical artifacts stacked upon magical artifacts.
If he didn't return soon to restore order, Godzilla and his motley crew might reduce New York to rubble.
And then there was Hela. She roamed Europe now, wandering through mortal lands.
Odin expressed no concern, nothing on Midgard could truly harm his daughter.
But Garfield worried about a different catastrophe… what if Hela, in a moment of whimsy, hurled a knife at the current president?
Or Churchill? The temporal consequences alone would be catastrophic.
He sought out Odin and Frigga to bid farewell.
Frigga's eyes softened with reluctance. "Won't you stay a few more days? Thor could show you other realms."
Garfield thought of those two clingy elves and shuddered. "Absolutely not."
"Elves are far too affectionate with cats. And my house is already a zoo, every species imaginable under one roof. If I'm not there to maintain order, chaos will reign."
Something sparked in Frigga's memory.
Her daughter. Hela. Still wandering Midgard, yes, but reconciled with Odin at last.
For the first time in millennia, she could have a proper mother-daughter relationship.
And where better to establish that connection than at Garfield's home?
As the eldest disciple of the Sorcerer Supreme, as Kamar-Taj's future heir, his household had become a crossroads of beings.
With Hela present, Frigga could visit freely.
And with Hela present, Loki would think twice before attempting any mischief.
A peaceful home meant a peaceful Earth.
Frigga shared her thoughts, and Garfield agreed without hesitation. "Perfect. Just inform me before you arrive."
"I'd recommend bringing guards you trust. Earth has become... complicated."
"Demons walk among us. Angels too. Native gods reclaiming their old territories. And creatures from across the universe who've lost their way."
His concerns weren't unfounded.
Odin and Mephisto maintained an uneasy truce, but the Silver City waged open war against infernal forces.
Mephisto would delight in sabotaging Frigga's visit, framing the angels, and watching Odin tear the heavens apart seeking revenge.
Frigga nodded solemnly.
What had begun as a simple cat returning home now carried the weight of a godmother's impending arrival.
Garfield stepped through a swirling spacetime vortex and emerged to find another vortex already waiting for him.
It seemed spacetime itself had grown crowded.