Three days passed in a blur.
Wanda hadn't had a good time during those three days.
On the first day, she had blocked Malrick at the door, furious and unwilling to listen.
At that moment, she thought she never wanted to see him again.
On the second day, she skipped class, asking her instructor for leave and spending the entire day in bed, feeling miserable.
When Pietro asked what was wrong, she threw a pillow at him instead of answering.
Her mind was heavy with questions. Why hadn't Malrick come to see her?
On the third day, Wanda still didn't step outside.
She sat on her bed, staring blankly into space.
Malrick hadn't shown up for two whole days.
She frowned, anxiety creeping into her chest.
Had she been too harsh before?
Maybe she should have at least heard what he wanted to say.
Conflicted and restless, Wanda couldn't stop wondering what Malrick had been doing all this time.
---
"Malrick's been sitting there for three days. Did he fail to win Wanda back and lose his will to fight?"
Diana whispered, glancing at Kara as they both watched Malrick sitting silently at the edge of the floating island.
Kara shook her head. "No way. Malrick's will is unshakable. He's faced Death itself and never flinched. He wouldn't break over something like this."
Kara had seen him die countless times and return stronger each time.
If she were in his place—with the power to resurrect—she knew she'd still fear Death.
But Malrick? He had willingly faced it, even using it to push his evolution further.
The two women were still debating whether to approach him when Malrick, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the island, suddenly opened his eyes.
"It's finally done," he said, his face lighting up with pure joy.
The gloomy silence of the last few days vanished in an instant.
Diana and Kara exchanged a startled look and started toward him, ready to ask what was happening.
Before they could reach him, a radiant, golden light burst from Malrick's body, flooding the entire sky.
It was like watching the Sun ignite only a few meters away.
The brilliance was so intense that Diana and Kara had to shield their eyes with their arms.
When the light finally faded, Malrick was gone.
"Where did he go?!"
---
A few moments earlier—inside the inner world.
Above a crimson sea floated Malrick's Blood Clone, while his Blacklight Clone stood silently atop a mountain peak.
Both gazed upward at a colossal, sixty-meter-tall golden egg suspended in the sky.
The egg had once been small, no taller than the Blacklight Clone, but after a hundred years of nurturing under accelerated time, it had grown to an immense size.
Now, its final stage was beginning.
All energy within the inner world surged toward it like a cosmic tide.
A brilliant ribbon of power, drawn from the Space Stone, tore through the world as it fed the growing egg.
At that moment, a ripple of feedback struck Malrick's consciousness.
"Success!"
Cracks began spreading across the golden surface, echoing like thunder rolling across the heavens.
The fractures deepened until the entire shell shattered into a thousand glowing fragments, scattering into the air.
From within the burst of light, a towering figure emerged—its body radiating brilliance that illuminated mountains, seas, and sky alike.
The newborn being clenched its fist, standing proudly in the light.
Malrick's consciousness split across his forms once more, and his awareness stirred within the new vessel.
A new Clone had awakened.
It felt like a titan stirring from eons of slumber, rediscovering the motion of life.
For a moment, Malrick simply marveled at the sensation—like a newborn testing its limbs for the first time.
He laughed softly. "Everything I see is light."
There was no need to check its innate powers; he already knew what they were.
This clone pulsed with the essence of the Source of Light, perhaps even the Will of Light itself.
Everywhere his eyes turned, light-element energy flowed through the world, waiting to obey him.
Knowledge poured into his mind like instinct—laws of illumination, motion, energy.
It was pure comprehension, effortless as breathing.
"As expected," he murmured, lowering his gaze to examine his form.
The silver-blue body shimmered with refined, noble energy. Every movement exuded strength and elegance.
"So perfect," he grinned, admiring the streamlined symmetry of his physique.
Even the clone himself would've been shocked at the reflection.
For a few moments, Malrick simply admired the body's design.
Then, just as he prepared to test its abilities, an unexpected surge rippled through him.
A powerful gravitational pull burst from the clone, drawing in all surrounding energy.
The body began expanding—rapidly.
A hundred meters.
A thousand.
A thousand kilometers.
Ten thousand.
Ninety thousand kilometers.
In seconds, the Clone had grown to an unfathomable scale, dwarfing entire planets.
Its energy output eclipsed that of a star.
"Ninety thousand kilometers… perfect," Malrick said, awed by the result.
A being with perfect genes naturally achieved that size.
The vast form radiated near-limitless endurance, resilience, and stored power.
Standing within the inner world, the colossal clone towered like a cosmic pillar, making even the Blood Clone look insignificant by comparison.
Malrick gazed around, overwhelmed by a sense of completeness.
He had never felt so powerful.
The Clone's genetic level—10,081—was at least ten times greater than his original body.
Its energy reserves were beyond measure.
"Now… let's see what talents it holds," he said with anticipation.
But before he could proceed, something unprecedented happened.
An invisible wave swept across the Marvel Universe.
It passed through dimensions, reaching the inner world, and resonated with the Clone.
Suddenly, light erupted from the clone, blanketing the entire realm.
Even Malrick's main body in the outer world was caught within its glow.
Startled, he reacted instantly, analyzing the phenomenon.
Within the radiant field, a spatial gateway appeared—an endless void shimmering beyond it.
He could feel it wasn't hostile; it felt vast, ancient, and welcoming, as if the universe itself was calling to him.
After a brief hesitation, Malrick stepped through the portal.
At once, the inner world and all his other clones vanished.
His perspective shifted—the Clone (Rege Duo) became his new main body, while the others withdrew within.
Crossing the threshold, Malrick's vision dimmed.
The golden light surrounding him slowly folded inward, condensing back into his immense form.
---