William hovered above the shattered ruins of Asgard, his crimson gaze locked onto the empty void where Thanos's ship once loomed. The embers of destruction still smoldered across the city, casting long shadows over the broken land. His fists clenched involuntarily, a flicker of frustration burning in his chest. The battle had been cut short, his clash with the Legendary Super Saiyan and Vegeta left unfinished.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue in irritation, his scowl deepening. If we're anything alike, I bet they're just as pissed as I am.
His golden-red aura, once a violent storm of power, began to wane. Super Saiyan 2 mixed with Kaio-Ken receded, giving way to the familiar emerald glow of his base form before fading entirely. He allowed himself to descend, his boots meeting the cracked and broken remnants of what was once a golden beacon of the cosmos.
The moment his feet touched the ruined surface, he reached into his pouch and popped a senzu bean into his mouth, chewing it absentmindedly. The taste was bland, but the surge of restoration coursed through his veins like wildfire. His torn muscles mended, his energy reserves refilled, and his body pulsed with newfound vitality.
Then, without warning, a blue system screen flickered into his vision.
[Ding… System Message: Zenkai Boost Achieved! Your power level has advanced tremendously from 366,152,500,000 to 1,098,457,500,000!]
William's eyes widened, the sheer number blazing in his mind. An almost intoxicating rush of power followed, sending ripples through his body. Every fiber of his being was drowning in overwhelming energy, his cells brimming with raw strength, restructuring themselves at an atomic level. His body no longer felt mortal, it felt like a force of nature.
His mind raced as he tried to quantify it. If I were thrown into the heart of a star right now… He flexed his fingers, marveling at the sensation. I could stand there for minutes before the first layer of my skin even burns.
A few feet away, Thor observed him carefully, his sharp Asgardian senses immediately picking up on the power shift. The God of Thunder's eyes flickered with something primal, battle lust, but it was fleeting. The devastation around them pulled him back to reality. His gaze swept across the wreckage of his home, sorrow settling into his expression. Once, Asgard had been a shining capital of the Nine Realms. Now, it was a graveyard.
"If you all want, I have a place you can stay until Asgard is rebuilt," William offered suddenly, his voice cutting through the heavy silence.
Thor's head snapped toward him in surprise, but William had already raised his hand, tearing open a glowing portal in midair. The swirling rift revealed a breathtaking sight, a vast, radiant planet suspended in the void of space, exuding a strange but inviting aura.
Thor stepped closer, peering inside. The planet looked unnatural, like it did not belong in the known universe. His brows furrowed. "What is this place? It feels… disconnected. Almost as if it exists outside the fabric of reality."
William nodded. "It's my system space, a pocket dimension of my own creation. To a god, I imagine it must feel odd being severed from your universe's flow." Without another word, he stepped through.
Thor hesitated for only a moment before following.
The instant he crossed the threshold, he found himself floating in the vastness of space. His eyes widened at the sight before him. A massive planet loomed in the distance, its surface marked by swirling continents and radiant energy fields. Its presence alone felt… unnatural. Ancient.
William gestured for him to follow. Then, without hesitation, he shot toward the surface, his speed igniting the air around him. His body became a streaking meteor, wreathed in flames as he tore through the atmosphere.
Thor followed, descending through the alien sky. As he broke through the clouds, the sprawling landscape of the planet came into view. A grand city lay below, no longer bottled as it once was. Towering structures gleamed under an artificial sun, their designs a fusion of futuristic technology and ancient craftsmanship.
Then, movement. In the distance, a squadron of figures took to the skies, their silhouettes cutting through the horizon with effortless grace. They wore sleek scientific gear, their eyes scanning the heavens. The moment they spotted the burning projectile that was William, they immediately adjusted course, moving to intercept.
Thor landed moments after William, his boots hitting the ground with a heavy thud. The moment he made contact, an unfamiliar sensation swept through him. His stance faltered slightly.
"By Odin's beard…" he muttered, his grip tightening around Mjolnir. "The gravity here, it's strange."
William smirked. "That would be the Gravitonium core at work. You'll get used to it."
As William and Thor stood on the surface of Gravitas, they both sensed movement in the distance. A group of figures soared through the sky with practiced precision, their streamlined forms cutting through the air like daggers. At the forefront of the formation was a man clad in black armor, his very presence exuding an air of dominance. His cape billowed behind him as he led his squad in a rapid descent toward the newcomers.
The group landed with a controlled impact, their boots digging into the ground, sending small tremors rippling outward. The armored leader took a step forward, his sharp gaze locking onto William and Thor. With a flick of his wrist, his helmet retracted, revealing a chiseled face framed by dark hair and eyes filled with unyielding arrogance.
"I am General Zod," he declared, his voice carrying the weight of command. "And you will kneel before me."
For a moment, silence reigned. Then, William and Thor turned to each other, exchanging a look of pure confusion before—
"Hahahaha!"
They both erupted into laughter. The deep, booming sound echoed across the landscape, shaking the once-tense air with pure amusement. Thor nearly doubled over, gripping Mjolnir for support, while William clutched his sides, struggling to breathe through his amusement.
Zod's expression darkened, his jaw tightening in restrained fury. His subordinates shifted uneasily, but the female Kryptonian standing beside him took immediate offense, her lips curling into a sneer.
"You dare mock General Zod?!" she spat, her sharp voice cutting through their laughter.
Without warning, she surged forward, her fist cocked back with all the force of a sun-born warrior. Her body blurred with sheer speed as she launched a full-powered strike at William's face, her knuckles poised to shatter bone.
William didn't move. He didn't need to.
CRACK!
A deafening shockwave thundered across the field, but it wasn't from William. It was from her.
The moment her fist connected with his face, her entire arm exploded in agony. Bones shattered like glass, snapping in four places as jagged fragments tore through her flesh. Her mangled limb dangled uselessly at her side, crimson streaking down her pristine armor.
She screamed, collapsing to one knee, clutching at the grotesque angles of her broken arm. The rest of the Kryptonians, including Zod himself, froze in horror. They had expected resistance. What they hadn't expected… was an absolute difference in power.
William finally spoke, his voice calm but laced with undeniable authority.
"Any questions about the pecking order here?"
The Kryptonians stiffened, their pride warring with their survival instincts. Zod clenched his fists, but even he wasn't reckless enough to ignore reality. His soldiers stood at the precipice of a massacre, and he knew it.
Tension hung thick in the air before Zod exhaled sharply, forcing himself to speak with measured words. What followed was a conversation, one where Zod, despite his nature, was far less aggressive than before. He listened, understanding that this was not a battle he could win.
In the end, an agreement was made. William allowed them to remain on Gravitas, but under one condition, they were to be respectful. There would be no conquest, no forced dominion. If they wished to live here, they would do so in peace.
With that settled, the Kryptonians departed, their leader subdued but calculating.
Thor, meanwhile, had already made his decision. "I'll establish Asgard's new home on the opposite side of the planet," he declared, rolling his shoulders. "It'll give us plenty of space to grow… and prevent any unwanted accidents."
William nodded in approval.
Moments later, golden portals flared to life across the landscape. The air shimmered with divine energy as hundreds of Asgardians began to step through, their faces weary but filled with hope. Heimdall led the way, his eyes glowing with omniscience as he oversaw the migration.
Side by side, William, Thor, and Heimdall stood as the remnants of Asgard found their new home, a city waiting to rise from the ashes on an unfamiliar world.
As William observed the Asgardians settling into their new home, the golden glow of the portals shimmered once more, revealing two figures stepping through. His keen senses immediately locked onto them. Swathed in soft cloth, nestled in their mothers' arms, were two tiny figures cooing softly.
William's breath hitched. He barely registered the chuckles of the women as he flickered to their side in an instant, his speed blurring him out of existence before appearing in front of them. His usually controlled demeanor cracked, raw anticipation shining in his gaze.
"Daddy, meet your son and daughter, Solan and Argenta," Sif announced with quiet pride, her expression a mixture of fierce determination and tender love.
She carefully handed the infant boy to William. Solan gurgled in delight the moment he was transferred to his father's arms, his tiny golden eyes gleaming with innocent wonder as he reached out, clumsily attempting to grasp a strand of William's hair.
William let out a quiet chuckle, his heart swelling at the sight. But just as he was about to take in every tiny feature of his son, movement from the other bundle caught his attention.
A pair of sharp silver eyes snapped onto Solan with laser focus, brimming with clear jealousy. Then, without hesitation, the baby girl, Argenta, floated.
William's eyes widened as she instinctively levitated toward him, her tiny hands grasping at the air before finally latching onto what had truly caught her attention, his tail.
BOING, BOING!
The fluffy appendage twitched in response, bouncing slightly as Argenta clung to it with intense fascination, her small fingers gripping tightly. A soft giggle escaped her lips, her silver eyes glowing with satisfaction as she happily nuzzled against the fur.
William let out a deep, rumbling chuckle, feeling warmth spread through his chest. His daughter was already showing an uncanny attraction to his Saiyan traits.
At some point, nestled against him, their tiny bodies radiating warmth, both babies drifted off into peaceful slumber. William glanced at their serene faces, memorizing every feature, their soft breathing, the faint rise and fall of their chests, the way their expressions remained content even in sleep.
With a wave of his hand, the very earth beneath them shifted, reshaping itself effortlessly. Stone, reinforced by his will, molded into two cribs of perfect structure, each infused with stabilizing energy to protect the fragile newborns. He gently laid them inside, ensuring their comfort before stepping back, his gaze lingering on them with quiet reverence.
But he wasn't done.
"Hey, Phage." He called out through their connection.
"Yes, Master?" The symbiote's voice echoed within his mind, a blend of curiosity and eagerness.
A smirk tugged at William's lips as he turned back to his children. "I want to introduce you to my firstborns… after all, you are their aunt, heh."
In an instant, Phage materialized beside him, practically vibrating with excitement. Her usual amorphous form pulsed with deep golden and crimson hues, the symbiotic tendrils shifting in lively anticipation. The glowing cores within her body thrummed with energy, reflecting her enthusiasm.
William's expression sobered slightly as his thoughts momentarily drifted. The universe was not the safe place it once was, especially with the looming presence of the Space Stone in Thanos's possession. He couldn't risk leaving his children vulnerable.
"I need you to watch over them inside the system space," William stated, his tone firm but affectionate. "The outer universe is no longer safe."
Phage's excitement didn't dim in the slightest. If anything, it surged. Protecting these two tiny beings wasn't just a responsibility, it was an honor. She gave an eager nod, her shifting form leaning in closer, almost as if she were inspecting them with an overwhelming sense of adoration.
William exhaled, a deep sense of relief washing over him. With Phage's unwavering loyalty, his children would be protected. No matter what storm was brewing in the universe, they would always have a sanctuary, a place where nothing could touch them.
For now, that was enough.