The Zeus Galaxy was named after Zeus, the supreme ruler of the pantheon.
Compared to most galaxies, it wasn't particularly large. The entire system contained only about four billion stars, which was considered relatively small on the cosmic scale.
However, the galaxy had a unique characteristic.
Most of its planets were enormous.
Because of their massive size, the gravity on these worlds was far stronger than normal. Atmospheric pressure was also significantly heavier, creating extremely harsh living conditions for most life forms.
As a result, any creature that evolved on those planets tended to become either incredibly large or unbelievably powerful.
That was the true origin of the gods.
According to official statistics released by the Alliance of Gods, the average height of a god exceeded three meters. In fact, many of them were even taller than Titans.
Of course, that number only referred to the gods themselves.
The countless ordinary mortals living under their rule weren't included in those statistics.
Although the Olympian gods possessed immense strength and extremely long lifespans, they suffered from one major weakness.
Their reproductive ability was very poor.
Aside from a few special cases, most gods found it extremely difficult to produce offspring. Even when children were successfully conceived, their growth cycle was painfully slow.
From infancy to adulthood, the process could take an extraordinarily long time.
According to the latest population estimates, the total number of gods across the entire galaxy was only about 230 billion.
At first glance, that number sounded enormous.
But when distributed across an entire galaxy, the truth became clear.
On average, each habitable planet could only receive a few tens of thousands of gods.
That was barely enough to establish a stable ruling presence.
This population problem was exactly why Olympus had developed such a famously indulgent environment.
The debauchery wasn't simply decadence.
It was policy.
Everything existed for one purpose—encouraging reproduction and strengthening the rule of the gods.
Time passed quickly.
More than ten days had already gone by.
After losing the ten skulls of Typhon, Zeus had retreated from the Milky Way in humiliation and returned to his own territory.
At the outer edge of the Zeus Galaxy, he was intercepted by someone rushing toward him at incredible speed.
It was his son.
Hercules.
"Father, how is Thor's battle going?"
Hercules stood over two meters tall, with a heavily muscled body and a fierce expression that made him look intimidating even among warriors. Although he lacked the towering height typical of full-blooded gods, his physical strength surpassed nearly every deity in existence.
That strength came from his unusual heritage.
He was a hybrid.
Zeus had once realized that the birth rate among gods was dangerously low. Hoping to solve the problem, he began experimenting with producing offspring with mortals.
Hercules had been one of the results.
Unfortunately, cross-species reproduction came with serious risks.
Many of the children born from these experiments suffered from severe birth defects. Some didn't survive even a single day after birth.
Because of the overwhelming failure rate, the entire program was eventually abandoned.
Zeus sighed deeply when he heard his son's question.
"Thor is dead," he said quietly. "And that Thanos… he's even more despicable and dangerous than I imagined."
After speaking, Zeus shook his head with visible frustration.
The news hit Hercules like a lightning strike.
"What?! Thor was killed?!"
His eyes immediately burned with fury.
"I'm going right now to cut off Thanos's head and avenge my brother!"
But Zeus immediately raised his hand to stop him.
"There's no rush. Let's return first and discuss this carefully."
During his brief encounter with Thanos in the Milky Way, Zeus had personally felt the terrifying power of that purple titan.
Continuing the war blindly would be foolish.
If they wanted to fight again, they would at least need the cooperation of the other chief gods. Only by combining their strength could they hope to confront such an enemy.
Just as Hercules opened his mouth to argue, a voice suddenly interrupted them.
"God-King! Several planets have suddenly lost contact!"
The report came from a subordinate rushing toward them.
Zeus turned his head and looked at the messenger with a serious expression.
"Let's go see what's happening."
…
Meanwhile, on an unnamed inhabited planet within the Zeus system.
The entire world was shrouded in darkness.
From space, it looked as if the planet had been swallowed by an enormous shadow. Thick black clouds completely covered the atmosphere, blocking out all sunlight.
Nothing like this had ever happened before.
When someone entered the planet's surface, the true horror became visible.
The world was dead.
Fields were covered with corpses. Forests had withered into gray skeletons of wood. Oceans had dried up into cracked basins of salt and mud.
Volcanoes erupted across the continents, releasing endless plumes of ash into the choking sky.
Even the planet's electromagnetic field had fallen into chaos, sending violent storms tearing through the atmosphere.
It looked like the aftermath of an apocalypse.
In fact, there was only one living being left.
Doctor Strange floated silently in the sky.
His eyes were surrounded by dark circles like smudged charcoal, and his expression carried an unsettling calm. A crimson cloak flowed behind him as he hovered high above the ruined landscape.
In his left hand he held the Darkhold.
In his right hand rested the Book of Vishanti.
Vast waves of dark energy poured from his body like a living storm.
Moments later, the already devastated ground began to crack open again.
The shattered earth split apart as a massive rune emerged from below. The glowing symbol had a diameter of nearly ten kilometers, and crimson light poured from its intricate patterns.
Just looking at it made the heart tremble.
It felt like the gate to hell itself.
The gigantic rune slowly floated into the air.
Then a terrifying roar echoed across the planet.
"ROAR!"
As the rune dissolved into countless fragments of light, an enormous creature appeared.
A dragon.
Three kilometers tall.
Nine massive heads stretched into the sky as its colossal body towered over the ruined world. Each step the monster took caused the ground to tremble like an earthquake.
This creature was recorded within the Darkhold itself.
The legendary nine-headed dragon.
Soon, the beast noticed the summoner floating above it.
Doctor Strange.
Before the dragon could even question why it had been brought here, Strange slowly spread his arms.
Then his mouth opened wide.
"ROAR!"
The dragon immediately sensed the danger.
Every one of its nine heads screamed in terror.
But it was too late.
Its enormous body suddenly began dissolving into streams of black mist.
The dark vapor surged through the air and rushed directly toward Doctor Strange.
From the dragon's mouths.
From its nostrils.
From its eyes and ears.
Every opening in its body released clouds of energy that were violently pulled into Strange's waiting mouth.
The absorption continued relentlessly.
Gradually, the dragon's massive form faded away.
One head after another disappeared.
Then the final body.
Within minutes, the three-kilometer monster had completely vanished, leaving not even a single trace behind.
It was as if the creature had never existed.
Only a massive crater remained on the ground where it once stood.
Even black magic couldn't violate the most basic law of the universe.
Energy could not be created from nothing.
Summoning a monster of that size required consuming an equal amount of matter and life force from the surrounding world.
Which was exactly why the planet had been drained dry.
"Hoo…"
Doctor Strange exhaled slowly.
Feeling the enormous energy flowing through his body, a faint smile appeared on his face.
But the expression quickly faded when he remembered someone.
Thanos.
Strange slowly shook his head.
"Not enough," he murmured quietly. "Still far weaker than Thanos. I need to absorb more."
After speaking, he opened the Darkhold again and began searching for another creature to summon.
According to the forbidden book, the fastest way to increase magical power was by devouring monsters.
Of course, the method carried a terrible side effect.
The consciousness of the monsters could gradually influence the person absorbing them.
If someone lacked sufficient willpower, their mind would eventually be corrupted. The sorcerer would lose themselves completely and transform into a mindless monster driven only by slaughter.
But Doctor Strange had discovered something interesting.
His own willpower seemed incredibly strong.
No matter how many creatures he absorbed, their consciousness never managed to affect him.
Because of that, his strength had increased at an unbelievable speed.
So far, he had devoured at least a thousand monsters.
That realization filled him with an even deeper sense of destiny.
He truly believed he was the one chosen to save the universe.
After some time searching through the Darkhold, Strange finally located another powerful creature.
But just as he prepared to summon it, he paused.
The planet beneath him had already been completely drained.
There was nothing left.
No energy.
No life.
No matter.
Without resources, even dark magic could no longer summon anything.
"It seems I'll have to find another planet."
Strange stared down at the shattered world below him, his expression filled with painful sorrow.
"Thanos… these planets are like this because of you. This is all your sin."
After speaking, he opened a portal.
Then he stepped through it and left the dead planet behind, heading toward another world where he could continue summoning monsters and absorbing their power.
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