(AN: I have two updates to share with you. Firstly, as a friendly reminder, I will be in training next week, so there won't be any new chapters. After training, chapters should be consistent until my annual end-of-year vacation. I will be celebrating the holidays in Colorado with family and friends the weeks of 12/22 and 12/29.
Secondly, I have finished outlining the rest of this fan fiction. Not quite sure how many chapters it will be, but there is an end on the horizon. With that in mind, I have begun the process of outlining the Superman fanfic rewrite. If you have suggestions or things you'd like to see, please let me know. No promises that I will use them, but I will take them into consideration.
Also, if you have any artist recommendations, please send them my way. I would like to have a proper cover for the rewrite, not AI generated, if possible.)
---Afternoon---
"Look at my little genius!", Luce beamed, eagerly displaying our family photos. "This was taken just before Victor's maiden voyage in our family's old airship. It might surprise you to hear this, but it was previously a hunk of junk. His grandfather damaged it beyond repair, but our boy fixed it!"
"Ah yes, the good old days." Lucoa giggled, glancing over at me. "Back then, it was just Roxanne and I taking up his time. Now, we are stuck sharing him with these crazy women."
Unamused, Angelica and several others fought back in a subtle manner. Selecting photos unrelated to our adventures, they asked Luce to tell them more about their history. As my embarrassing past was laid bare to my wives, I sat in silence, trying not to grimace at the thought of my younger self.
"If it brings you any solace, I went through this the first time I brought Dorothea home.", Nicks spoke, sitting beside me with a playful smirk. "Though, in my case, the stories were far less cringy."
"Oh, shut up…", I groaned, feeling the amused gazes of my wives upon me. 'I should have switched to shouting attacks mentally sooner. It sounds so stupid when I hear my mother repeating my words…'
Just as my mother was about to start talking about my first trip out of the house, a sudden, vibrant beam of light came down in the garden. Turning our collective gaze toward the window, we watched Hermod step out of the Bifrost's shimmer. Quickly running up to the house, he barged inside and immediately apologized for the surprise visit.
"I come bearing news of the Headless Celestial. It has been found!", Hermod exclaimed, looking toward his sibling specifically. "Lord Hermes stumbled upon it while surveying the Galactic Republic. The All-Father has recalled all our fighting strength to Asgard to prepare for battle. Together with the other Pantheons, we will launch a unified strike on the beast."
"Victor, we should depart immediately.", Loki proclaimed, setting the photos down in her hand. "Not to be rude, but the rest of you should remain here. This fight will take place in the vacuum of space, so you will only get in the way."
Annoyed by Loki's dismissal, Boethiah turned to the Asgardian with a scowl.
"Excuse me!?", Boethiah snapped, slamming her hand down on the table. "It would seem you have forgotten some of us are more than capable of fighting in space."
"We're coming with you.", Isha agreed, Lileath seconding her.
Proudly walking to my side, the Daedric Princes, Isha, Lileath, and Slaanesh made it clear they would not budge on this. Instead of getting angry, like she would have previously, Loki bowed her head in gratitude to them. Taken aback by her response, the women accepted the gesture with perplexed looks.
"Wait a second, the rest of us can still help too!", Lala proclaimed, slamming her fist onto the table like Boethiah had.
Unlike the Prince of Plots, the Devilukean Princess did not restrain herself. Shattering the oaken table like glass, her lips immediately puckered in sheer horror.
"I… I am so sorry, Luce!", Lala profusely apologized, hurriedly searching her D-dial for a suitable replacement.
Before my mother could process what happened, I repaired the table with a casual wave.
"Please be more careful in the future, Lala.", I requested, with a soft smile.
Meekly nodding her head, Lala swore to be more conscious of her superhuman strength moving forward.
"Like Lala was saying, we can lend our strength too.", Momo spoke up, taking over for her sister. "Close quarter combat may be too dangerous, but ranged support should be doable. Using starships, the rest of us can lay down some serious suppressive fire."
"If I may, I would strongly caution against involving them, brother-in-law.", Hermod chimed in. "According to Lord Hermes' report, the beast is emitting a powerful psychic aura. When he stumbled upon it, his psyche was nearly overwhelmed. If mortals were to be exposed to such power, they would either descend into madness or die horribly."
Upon hearing this, the rest of the family wisely choose to remain behind. With a playful grin, I promised to wrap this up quickly so we could go to lunch. Suggesting we dine at one of the restaurants in the capital, Angelica and Olivia immediately began listing options. While they figured things out, we departed with Hermod to Asgard.
---Asgard---
"Father, Loki and Victor are here.", Hermod announced, stepping into the war room. "Several of his wives have come as well to lend their strength."
"You have done well, my son.", Odin said, looking up from the table. "We intend to depart in thirty minutes. Use this time to prepare yourself and your mount for battle."
"Understood!", Hermod acknowledged, promptly leaving the room.
As the door shut behind him, Odin beckoned. Sliding the most recent field report before us, he shared that the Headless Celestial was currently passing Imynusoph.
The world, located at the southern edge of the galaxy, was the first to be consumed in the recent Tyranid conflict. Completely devoid of life, it was perfect for confronting the Headless Celestial.
"You have faced a Celestial before, Odin. Based on your experience, how do you suggest we engage this foe?", the Celtic god Dagda questioned, his voice thick with concern.
"To be honest, my only encounter with them ended in my defeat. Even with the full might of the Odinforce, I could only manage to annoy them.", Odin admitted, turning his gaze toward me. "Victor, you know more about the Headless Celestial than any of us here. How would you recommend we tackle this problem?"
Searching my memory, I quickly recalled their few weaknesses. All-Black aside, they were vulnerable to the Godkiller Armor, the Horde, the Uni-Mind, and certain powerful magical items. The Armor and the Horde weren't viable options, but we could certainly ask the Eternals to form the Uni-Mind. Better still, the Dwarven battle axe Jarnbjorn would also be effective. It was currently locked away in Odin's personal armory.
"First, I will run interference on my spacecycle Spacehog to draw the Headless Celestial's focus off everyone. While it is preoccupied, the Eternals' Uni-Mind and a warrior wielding Jarnbjorn will open a breach in the armor. Once the breach is created, my wives will use their peerless soul manipulation powers to extract those trapped inside.", I stated, gesturing toward the Daedric Princes, Isha, Lileath, and Slaanesh.
"Where do our forces fit into this?", the Egyptian god Osiris interjected.
"To protect my wives while they're focused on the extraction, we need a strong defense force dedicated to fending off the tendrils. I suggest we dedicate no more than half our total strength to that endeavor.", I said, glancing around the table. "Nemesis will not allow us to sever a sizable chunk of her power without a fight. We can be certain she will dispatch her forces to stop us the moment the battle commences."
Acknowledging that was a strong possibility, they agreed an equal division of our strength was the best option. On the topic of Nemesis' intervention, I decided to take the time to share what information I had on her forces. Most of her manpower were grunts that could be easily dealt with, but Cyberdemons, Harvesters, Marauders, and other higher demons were a different story. They would pose a serious risk to our main force, especially the Harvesters.
Unlike the rest of their peers, they gained power by feasting upon the life energy of the living. As we were all at least functionally immortal, we were a veritable buffet for them. They would quickly overwhelm our forces if we allowed them to gather any significant amount of energy.
"You have my gratitude, Victor.", the Hindu god Vishnu said, reviewing the information. "This detailed information will save countless lives."
"Agreed… I was unaware of just how mighty Nemesis' forces were.", Osiris agreed.
With a solid plan in hand, the various pantheon leaders departed to share the information with their forces. Leaving us alone, Loki offered a sly smile and suggested we relax until the departure time. Happily taking her up on the offer, we followed her out of the war room and into a secluded spot in the royal garden.