Chapter 307: End of the Timeline
"Gently awaken your slumbering soul, slowly blow your mind to bits…"
The Annihilator was fleeing in a frenzy, while Allen followed at a steady pace, casually singing a wildly butchered version of a song.
Under normal circumstances, the Annihilation Zerg would be enough to crush the major forces of the universe.
Unfortunately, this wasn't a normal situation.
The Cosmic Spirit Orb tucked under Allen's arm did indeed give him the courage to take on the Annihilation Swarm.
In the comic version, future Annihilators that invaded the universe did nearly conquer everything, gathering terrifying powers from across the cosmos. Even entities like the Celestials and the World Devourer had been reduced to prisoners.
In less than half a day of pursuit—
A massive fleet blocked the path ahead.
An interstellar fleet led by one of the Annihilator's consorts had arrived early to set up an ambush, following orders.
"Do whatever it takes to stop him."
The Annihilator knew very well that the fleet couldn't possibly kill Allen. Their only hope was to stall him long enough for the Annihilator to escape back to the Negative Universe and close the dimensional gate.
In an instant, the fleet locked onto its target. A torrent of energy weapons surged forth, unleashing destructive power enough to obliterate a star.
Boom!
A blinding explosion lit up space, like a sun igniting in the void.
"Is he dead?"
The Annihilator officers commanding the starships watched the blast zone closely.
A flash of violet lightning tore through the storm of energy in an instant, streaking through the fleet.
In the next moment, hundreds—thousands—of starships exploded under the cascade of purple lightning.
In a single clash, one of the five core conquest fleets of the Annihilation Zerg was annihilated.
Countless members of their race were wiped out.
As the supreme leader of the Annihilation Zerg, the Annihilator didn't even glance back, focused entirely on escaping.
"Look, a hottie!"
Allen's voice whispered like a nightmare in the Annihilator's ears—impossible to shake off.
"You're insane!"
The Annihilator risked a glance back and saw Allen chasing after him, riding a hammer.
"How dare you slander my diagnosis, foul demon!"
Standing atop the hammer with hands behind his back, Allen radiated a sage-like aura and solemnly declared, "Surrender to your sect master now and serve faithfully as my flute-boy, or face death under my ultimate martial art—Madman Hammer Technique."
"Please, stop chasing me! I'll order a full retreat, okay?" the Annihilator pleaded in despair.
"Silence!"
Allen proclaimed righteously, "The Heavenly Hammer Sect is the beacon of justice! We will never negotiate with evil. Today, you shall be hammered in the name of righteousness!"
The Annihilator felt his scalp go numb.
Allen was clearly unhinged. His words made no sense—just endless gibberish.
"My fate is mine alone!"
Allen rambled on passionately, "That idiotic author wants to turn this into a Western superhero story. As the protagonist, I won't allow it! I'll forcibly bend it into a xianxia cultivation novel. I will seize my destiny!"
At that moment, all over the universe, Annihilation Zerg forces suddenly found themselves under coordinated assault by various resistance factions.
Given their advanced tech, the Annihilators weren't too worried.
But then—an unexpected retreat order came down.
Left with no choice, the Annihilation Zerg withdrew from battle and retreated into the dimensional gate.
…
Hela and the others returned to Knowhere, spirits crushed.
They were convinced Allen had died in battle, mourning him like a lost family member.
"I want Daddy!"
Ayesha finally broke down and cried uncontrollably.
"Boss… rest well. This one's for you."
Yondu raised his glass in grief, toasting the stars.
There's no greater sorrow than the pain of parting.
"The Annihilators have retreated."
Thanos had picked up the latest intel through the star network.
Though the unexpected retreat was good news, no one felt like celebrating—because Allen wasn't there to see it.
"Excuse me, are you the Guardians of the Galaxy?"
A fierce-looking Ravager approached respectfully.
"Yes, what do you want?" Hela replied, eyes tinged with suspicion.
Strictly speaking, the Guardians were technically part of the Ravager faction, though they had little interaction with other Ravager crews.
"The Cosmic Crows offer our deepest respect and condolences for Captain Allen's sacrifice."
Allen's lone stand against the Annihilators had earned him admiration from the Ravager circles.
Of course, some might've just been trying to bask in reflected glory.
Ravagers were organized bounty hunters, not particularly esteemed in galactic society.
More than one Ravager crew came forward to pay respects—teams of considerable size and reputation.
"I propose we hold a proper Ravager funeral for Captain Allen."
"Agreed. A great man deserves a dignified farewell."
"I'll contact the other crews immediately."
Before Hela could decline, several Ravager captains had already begun making arrangements.
Ships from various Ravager factions gathered in Knowhere's orbit.
On the surface, locals, bounty hunters, and Ravagers alike looked to the sky, awaiting the funeral ceremony.
Not just anyone qualified for the Ravager Honor Ceremony—you had to have performed a great deed and given your life to earn it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Colorful fireworks lit up the void like a festival.
Yet no one smiled. Only grief filled their eyes.
"Grandma!"
Ayesha clung to Hela, who gently stroked her head in comfort.
"Boss, I swear I'll become someone like you."
"So will I."
Yondu turned grief into determination, voicing his vow. Illusion, his loyal comrade, echoed the sentiment.
Frank, Thanos, and Uxas all silently gazed skyward, as if watching Allen's final journey.
Only the Lady Death—unseen by the others—wore an odd expression.
As the embodiment of death and the end of life, she was troubled.
Because she hadn't seen Allen's soul.
She had planned to torture him thoroughly before resurrecting him—but he never showed.
"Who's getting married? What's with all the fireworks?"
A familiar voice rang out.
Everyone turned toward it—and saw Allen standing behind them.
Behind him, a dimensional gate showed a planet shattered into fragments.
As the gate slowly closed, the air grew awkward.
Very awkward.
They had been throwing a funeral—for the guy who just showed up alive.
The condolence money had already been sent. The funeral got canceled halfway. No one knew how to react.
"Daddy!"
Ayesha squealed with joy and dove at Allen.
"Whoa!"
Allen dodged her tackle with a sidestep.
With the power of the Power Stone and divine essence within him, he was no longer someone a mere mortal could pounce on casually.
"Any food around here?"
Allen asked cheerfully, completely unfazed about attending his own funeral.
"Daddy, we were—" Ayesha began, but Hela quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
Some things were better left unsaid, lest it get even more awkward.
"We're celebrating the return of peace in the universe," Hela ad-libbed.
"As we should."
Allen puffed up with pride and began bragging, "Man, the Annihilator leader was a tough one. We fought hundreds of rounds—couldn't tell who had the upper hand. Entire swaths of galaxies got wrecked in the aftermath…"
Yeah right, keep blowing that horn.
Shattering entire galaxies? What next, splitting the universe?
"Then I thought, if we kept going, we'd cause a universal reboot. So I whipped out a Power Stone I bought online for $1.49 and embedded it in my hammer. Boom! I felt rejuvenated, like a brand-new man."
"He ran. I chased. Wings or not, he couldn't escape."
"I chased him all the way to his homeworld. He took one look at my dashing good looks, perfect brows, piercing gaze, and devastating charm, and tried to marry me off to his daughter and make me king of the Swarm—"
Enough already.
The more he talked, the more absurd it got.
You just wanted to say you're handsome—why drag in all that nonsense?
"Who am I? The main character of this story! I'm destined to carve out a path to immortality and lead all beings to ascension! How could I be swayed by trivial romance? Besides, the Annihilator's daughter was a dung beetle. So I blew up their home planet."
"…"
His tale was impressive. Let's not hear it again.
Apparently, the Annihilation Zerg's retreat really was due to Allen's one-man stand.
"Daddy, you're amazing!"
Ayesha looked at him with stars in her eyes.
"Modesty, my dear."
Allen smiled shyly. "I'm embarrassed to talk about the one flaw I have—it's that I'm just too good at everything."
Sigh…
Shameless.
You're the one who's been bragging nonstop.
"So this is the Power Stone?"
Hela stared at the purple gem embedded in Mjolnir, realizing why she couldn't sense the hammer—it was suppressed by the Power Stone's overwhelming power.
Disassemble.
Alchemist Skill: Activated.
Allen removed the Power Stone, and the divine armor around him faded.
"Here's your hammer."
He returned Mjolnir to Hela and reverted to his mortal form.
With the right materials, Allen could forge divine weapons too—his twin lantern rings were proof—though they didn't quite compare to a hammer that could bestow godhood.
The Guardians returned to the tavern.
Everyone else wore awkward expressions—after all, they had just thrown a funeral for a man who wasn't dead.
Should they ask him to lie down and pretend to be a corpse again until the fireworks were done?
"Let me show you my treasures."
Allen laid the Power Stone and six lantern rings on the table. His teammates' hearts skipped a beat.
Without question, anyone possessing them would become a galactic overlord.
But though tempted, none had any intention of stealing them.
Hela knew best—the Power Stone was the real prize. The lantern rings paled in comparison.
Pfft!
"Ahh—my treasures!"
Just as Allen was about to gloat, Mimi suddenly spat out tentacles, snatching the Power Stone and all six rings.
"Mimi! Spit it out!" Allen howled, tugging at his hair.
"Meow…"
Mimi lazily licked its fur, completely unfazed.
Shing—
Allen reached out and pulled out a butcher knife, and held it against Mimi's nonexistent neck. Furious, he growled, "You already ate one Time Stone. Now you ate the Power Stone? I'm cutting you open to see what else you've stashed in there!"
"Meow…"
Mimi remained as calm as ever—even a little smug.
"Daddy, no!"
Ayesha, taking him seriously, grabbed Mimi and bolted out of the tavern.
"Cursed creature!"
Allen could only wail in frustration.
Once again, after all the effort, his chance to ascend had slipped away.
"Forget it, I'm done."
After more than two years in this timeline, Allen was finally returning to the main one.
He felt no sadness in parting. After all, they'd meet again in the future.
Before everyone's eyes, Allen vanished into thin air, taking the onlookers completely by surprise.
…
Years later.
Hela returned to Asgard and took up her role as the Goddess of Death.
Uxas waited for support from Apokolips and then returned home to shoulder the responsibility of rebuilding his nation.
Frank, meanwhile, chose to follow Thanos and left the Guardians of the Galaxy.
After years of growth and maturity, Ayesha developed a sound mind and, moved by her people's pleas, returned to Mount Wundagore to serve as High Priestess.
In the end, only Yondu, Illusion, and Mimi remained in the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Thus, Yondu fulfilled a lifelong dream and formed his own team of Ravagers, with himself as their leader.
1942.
A spaceship descended to Earth.
It remained cloaked the entire time, quietly slipping into a forbidden zone considered off-limits in the galaxy.
A retrieval beam enveloped a boy who had just escaped from a hospital. The ship then quickly ascended and withdrew from Earth, wary of staying too long and drawing the attention of Earth's powerful protectors.
"Boss! Deputy Leader Mimi snuck off the ship!"
A Ravager came rushing in to report, flustered.
"What the hell are you guys doing? You couldn't even keep track of a cat?" Yondu snapped in irritation.
"But Boss, you're the one who said no one is allowed to interfere with Deputy Leader Mimi's actions," the subordinate replied, aggrieved. "The good news is, Deputy Leader Illusion flew out after her to look for her."
"…Forget it. Let's pull out from Earth for now. We'll send someone back later to track them down."
Yondu glanced at the sleeping little boy, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
After all, the kid was from Earth—and that inevitably reminded him of his former boss, Allen.
The boy would one day become the future goofball: Star-Lord.
…
Brooklyn, New York.
Perched at a window in an apartment, Mimi crouched and quietly watched the two people inside.
Before long, one of them suddenly disappeared into thin air.
"Mimi?"
At that moment, Steve—who had just traveled back to the World War II era—noticed Mimi sneaking around by the window.
Poof!
As Steve picked up Mimi, something unexpected happened.
A familiar scene played out once more—Steve was taken over by a symbiote.
"Hey man, do you know someone kinda crazy? His name's Allen."
As the symbiote's power surged through him, Steve was shocked. A head shaped like, emerged from his shoulder.
"What… what are you?"
Terrified, Steve tried to throw a punch, only to realize in shock that his body no longer responded to his will. Calming down a bit, he replied to the question: "If I'm not mistaken, yes—I do know him. He's in the future right now."
"..."
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)