On the outskirts of the newly-reformed Shi’ar Empire, a battle rages, with the very survival of the empire at stake! The villainous Galaxy Master has revealed his hand as the one behind the attack on the empire, directing his minions—Abomination, Terrax, Bulldozer, and ZZZaxx—to combat the Imperial Guard, and their ally, Thor, the god of thunder!

Galaxy Master floats in the planet’s upper atmosphere, a being of pure energy that resembles a giant maw, complete with fangs. It shimmers, its energy crackling and rotating slightly up and down, as something resembling laughter comes from its energy signature.

Looking down at the scene of engaged battle below, Galaxy Master has cause to be happy, as the heroes are waging a pitched battle against the enormously powerful villains under his control.

Electron gestures towards a large backhoe, lifting it with his magnetic powers and sending it flying at the Abomination, who is moving forward menacingly at Fan, who lies barely conscious from a glancing blow by the Abomination.

“You’ll find things a bit different here than on Earth!” Electron comments. “The Imperial Guard are used to dealing with serious threats on a daily basis!”

“Oh, it’s different all right!” the Abomination responds sarcastically, as he moves his arm forward, slamming into the twenty-ton machine as if he was hitting paper machete! The result is instantaneous! The impact is louder than a thunderclap, and sends shards of metal debris flying in all directions. The Abomination, meanwhile, continues towards his foes, undaunted by this effort to stop him.

“On Earth, there are people like the Hulk to fight,” the Abomination counters. “Here, you have a bunch of cosmic-powered clowns!” Abomination remarks, grabbing Electron by the leg, while he is still focused on trying to prevent the shards of metal from striking his allies. Abomination moves quickly, slamming Electron to the ground with one fluid motion, knocking him unconscious! “You know the type.”

Astra materializes beneath Abomination, and continues in her phantom form, as she slowly rises, phasing through his abdomen. As she does so, Abomination rears his head back, letting a roar erupt from his throat!

“You might be tough,” Astra comments, “but even you can’t stand to have someone invade and disrupt your molecular structure!”

Abomination’s response is a loud growl, as he reaches forward, his eyes burning with rage and determination, as he puts the pain out of his mind for a moment. He reaches out, slamming his fist into the phantom form of Astra, striking her in the face and sending her flying back, her body becoming tangible as she loses consciousness! “Impossible!” she utters, as the strike sends her flying, her eyes reflecting the shock in being hit at all in this state.

“You might be a phantom,” Abomination argues, even as Tempest flies overhead, his hands crackling with energy, “but there was enough of you to hit when you started to materialize. Bad move on your part.”

“If you’ve hurt her…!” Tempest exclaims, energy crackling from his eyes, as he gestures forward, sending lightning down at Abomination, striking his body. Tempest lives up to his name, delivering surge after surge of powerful electrical energy into Abomination’s body, lighting up the sky, and creating a glow of red-hot energy that completely surrounds the powerful villain.

“You’ll do….WHAT?!” Abomination retorts, reaching forward, ripping a heavy tree (that resembles an oak) from its roots, even as the stunned Tempest looks on, obviously finding it difficult to believe that he has withstood such a powerful attack. Abomination does not hesitate, and immediately swings the tree at Tempest, hitting him like a baseball out of the air, and knocking him flying in the opposite direction!

“This is about right!” Abomination remarks, standing, even as Tempest flies off away from him, and the other members of the Imperial Guard prepare to mount their own attacks. “I knew this was an easy decision. I was offered a return to my full power, and all I had to do was take out some cosmic lightweights. Easy call there.”

---

Terrax holds onto his battle-axe, which glows with energy, moving towards Thor menancingly. Thor is behind held, his hands behind his back, by the villainous Zzzaxx, while the towering Bulldozer lumbers nearby, ready to deliver additional punishment to the thunder god!

“I see that thou hast found another master,” Thor remarks, a mocking tone evident in his voice. “’Tis well, because thou hath e’er been unable to cross the street without directions.”

Terrax’s eyes burn with rage, not noticing that Thor’s hammer has left his belt, and is even now gravitating towards his hand, still held behind his back.”I need no master!” Terrax fumes with rage. “I serve no one, other than myself!”

“Aye,” Thor responds with sarcasm, as his fingers close around the handle of his hammer, “that is truly why thou art even now serving yon Galaxy Master. Even his name belies thy role in this affair!”

“Right now, you’re helpless!” Terrax exclaims, his whole body glowing with cosmic energy. “You’re held fast, and unable to deflect the attack that is coming. Soon, you’ll taste my full cosmic fury—amplified tenfold by Galaxy…by my benefactor!”

“Benefactor indeed!” Thor returns, smiling. “Doth thou not mean…thy master?!”

Terrax does not respond…verbally. Instead, he leans backward, both of his hands grasping his battle-axe, as it surges with energy, making it clear that he is preparing to strike!

Thor immediately makes his move, moving his right arm to where his hammer touches Zzzaxx. His hammer flashes with energy, and a moment later, the energy creature has disappeared!

Terrax, however, is so focused on his vengeance against Thor that he has not noticed. He brings his battle-axe downward towards Thor. Thor immediately steps to the right and lowers his head, bringing his hammer up quickly. The hammer and the battle-axe meet with a loud clammer of metal against metal, even as sparks and flashes of energy erupt in all directions!

“WHAT?!” Terrax exclaims, expecting to feel flesh against his blade, not the impact of uru metal.

“Thou art truly a fool,” Thor returns, as he brings his hammer up, slamming it into his opponent’s battle-axe, knocking him backwards several steps. “Thou would send an electrical menace ‘gainst a foe who controls lightning itself!”

“If I was a fool,” Terrax retorts, his voice raging and flaring, as he swings his battle-axe at Thor, who sidesteps it, “it was because I trusted anyone other than myself to slay you! I do not need his help—or that of anyone else!”

“So you say!” Thor responds, swinging in a back-handed fashion, his hammer connecting with Terrax’s battle-axe, knocking it from his hand, as it crashes on the ground at their feet. “But, even with thy additional powers, thou will need far more help than I see here!”

Thor continues his attack against Terrax, kicking him in the mid-section, driving him back, stumbling towards the ground! As Terrax tries to re-gain his footing, Thor gestures his hammer towards the former herald of Galactus, and current herald of Galaxy Master.

“Since thou art in need of help,” Thor comments, electrical energy erupting out of his hammer, bathing him in eerie electrical energy. Terrax jerks violently, involuntarily, as electrical energy shoots through his body—the disembodied form of Zzzaxx—moving through him, as Thor releases the energy as quickly and easily as he absorbed it a short time earlier. “Here is thy ally!”

Terrax staggers and falls back, his body jerking and convulsing, the villain unable to control his own body’s movements. He falls to the ground, going into seizures, as Zzzaxx’s energy floods his body!

However, Thor does not have the opportunity to celebrate his advantage over the two foes, as Bulldozer moves forward, slamming his giant fist into the back of Thor’s head, sending him staggering forward!

“So!” Thor remarks, turning to face his foe, who towers over the thunder god’s head. “Thou would rejoin the attack!” He spins his hammer over his head, rising into the air. “I am well pleased! It hath been a long time indeed since I did bear the attack of a giant, though I spent my childhood fighting giants of all kinds!”

Hovering overhead, Thor throws his hammer at Bulldozer, striking the creation of AIM in the face, driving him back, even as his hammer returns to his outstretched hand, by an unspoken command between them. “Have at thee then!”

Bulldozer reaches out, with a movement that belies his lumbering mass, grabbing Thor around the waist! He then rears back with his other arm, striking Thor across the face with his oversized fist!

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INTERLUDE

Zeus walks onto the stairway of a large temple and meeting room, scaling down the stairway leading to the place where Odin, Amon-Ra, others are congregated, reacquainting themselves after some time. As he makes his way to the others, Odin is the first to greet him. They embrace each other, then pull away.

“Odin,” Zeus offers, while nodding at the others, “’Tis a pleasure to see thee again.”

“Aye,” Odin returns with respect. “Although ‘twould seem that we only get together under dire circumstances.”

Zeus nods, while running his index finger through his full red beard. “That is true,” he responds. “And that is one of the reasons why we are meeting here. I would like to start a regular council of the gods, to discuss things—even when we do not have a dire threat bringing us together.”

“And what is this dire threat, Zeus?” Adroa, the African sky god, asks, placing his hand on Zeus’ shoulder, as he approaches from behind. “The last time so many of us came together, things on the Earth below were catastrophic.”

“Such a situation arises once again,” Zeus remarks. “I hath been awaiting the arrival of all of the sky fathers of Earth, so that we can begin our council.”

“And we have been waiting,” Anu, the Mesopotamian sky god, counters. He is wearing traditional Arabian attire. “We have been waiting far longer than we care to wait, and we all have much to do. How much longer do you expect us to wait until we find out why we were called here?”

“There are times when patience is required,” Odin replies. “I hath known Zeus for millennia, and have come to value his judgment.”

“So you say,” Anu responds sharply. “However, my point remains the same.”

“This is why we do not get together any more than we do,” Atua I Kafika, the Polynesian sky god, comments. “We seem to spend more time bickering than in discussing solutions.”

“Which is all the more reason why we should meet more often,” Odin retorts. “We must learn to work together. There have been increasing threats to Midgard—and to our respective realms, our respective people. Traditionally, we hath not found a way to work together towards stopping these threats.”

“It is time,” Zeus proclaims, motioning for the others to fall him into the temple. “All hath arrived. We will get started.”

End of Interlude

---

Bulldozer slams his fist downward, striking Thor in the face, and driving him back, as Thor reels from the impact of the blow. The lumbering giant says nothing, but continues onward, moving on instinct—its programming from AIM forcing it to continue on a destructive path. It knows nothing but a need to destroy, and Thor is its current target!

As the giant fist moves downward once again, Thor pushes his fist upward, striking the fist! Even though Bulldozer is bereft of emotions, it cannot help but show surprise by Thor’s quickness and the impact of the blow against its fist.

Thor immediately takes to the air, flying up towards Bulldozer, who steps back and swings at the rapidly-moving god of thunder, trying to swat him out of the sky. However, Thor avoids his movements. Thor dives towards Bulldozer, slamming his fist into Bulldozer’s face with the power that has shattered mountains! It has an immediate effect on the creation of power-mad scientists, driving him back, staggering off his feet.

“I know not why thou art here…so far from Midgard,” Thor muses, as he flies towards Bulldozer, slamming his fist into the giant’s mid-section, creating a thunderclap-like sound! “But thou will not do any more damage here!”

“I agree!” a voice from behind Bulldozer calls out, as large hands grab Bulldozer from behind, pulling him back. Thor flies overhead, noticing that Titan has entered the fray. The Imperial Guardsman slams his right fist into Bulldozer’s face, jerking his head back violently. “I’ve had enough of being the punching bag for you and your pals!”

Even as Titan seeks revenge on Bulldozer, Terrax has managed to get to his feet, even though energy still sparkles from his body, and his movements are still uncertain. He looks at Thor contemptuously, as he raises his battle-axe…unseen by the god of thunder.

Terrax gestures the battle-axe, sending waves of cosmic energy towards Thor, striking him in his back! “You should have stayed in Asgard, thunderer!” Terrax exclaims, as the energy strikes Thor, sending him crashing to the ground with great force! “It’s a mistake that will cost you your life!”

As Terrax rushes at Thor from behind, the god of thunder slowly makes his way to his knees, shaking off the pain from the surge of cosmic energy. The former herald swings his battle-axe downward, slicing Thor’s shirt along the back, as the god of thunder moves in time to only receive a glancing blow from the battle-axe.

“Thou art a coward, Terrax!” Thor comments, rolling on his side, and making his way quickly to his feet, so that he finally faces Terrax. “And now, with thy ally out of the way, I will do what I should have done earlier!”

“You’ll do nothing, Thor!” Terrax exclaims with rage, as he swings his battle-axe again. This time, however, Thor sees the blow coming, and blocks it with his own hammer. “Except die by my hand!”

“Nay, villain!” Thor responds, reaching out with his hand in a motion that surprises Terrax with its speed. He grabs Terrax by the wrist, and quickly turns the wrist around, causing a snap, as the villain’s wrist breaks from Thor’s superior strength. “Thy day of reckoning hath arrived!”

Terrax roars with pain, as he holds his broken wrist before his face, dropping his battle-axe on the ground, as it cleaves through the ground, erupting with cosmic energy! He lets out a string of expletives in his native tongue

Thor leans forward, as the villain seethes in pain. He slams his fist into the villain’s face, jerking his head violently to the side. The blow follows another from his left fist, which jerks his head in the other direction. A series of such blows rocks Terrax’s head from side to side, as he staggers around, trying subconsciously to stay on his feet, held aloft only by the surge in his power provided by Galaxy Master.

Thor, however, does not let up his attack, sending out a combination of body blows that hunch the villain up, doubling him over, and cracking some of his ribs with their ferocity and impact!

“This is impossible!” Terrax manages, spitting out blood from his battered mouth, even as Thor continues his assault. “My power…increased…!”

“Not enough, villain!” Thor responds, continuing to deliver punishing blows to Terrax’s mid-section, even as more ribs crack under his powerful blows. Terrax involuntarily stumbles under the relentless attack by the thunder god. “Thy power could be increased a hundredfold! ‘Twould not be enough for thee to defeat me!”

With a powerful uppercut, Thor sends Terrax flying through the air, his body wracked by pain! He crashes against a series of rocks twenty feet away. Although he raises his head, trying to get to his feet to continue the conflict, his body protests, and slumps into unconsciousness!

Thor rushes over to where Titan is still fighting with Bulldozer. The giant Imperial Guardsman is sent stumbling back under a powerful blow by Bulldozer. The next blow is blocked by Titan’s forearm.

“If you’re planning on helping out,” Titan offers, “I won’t mind.”

“I have a far different opinion!” Galaxy Master lashes out, as twin beams of powerful cosmic shoot out from his shimmering form, striking Thor, and sending him to his knees. “And, after waiting for these fools to do my bidding, it appears that it is time for me to take matters into my own hands!”

TO BE CONTINUED...

NEXT ISSUE: An all-out battle issue, as Thor and the Imperial Guard battle Galaxy Master, the Abomination, and Bulldozer! What is the purpose of the Council of the Gods? And what’s Loki up to? Find out in THOR #31!