Malrick understood.
Rege Duo himself was the embodiment of justice and order in the Ultra Universe.
Therefore, upon arriving in the Marvel Universe, his Rege Duo clone naturally possessed the potential to become the physical embodiment of those same concepts.
Now, Eternity—building upon that potential—granted him the corresponding authority to cultivate it further.
He only needed to journey across the universe and other dimensions, to observe and uphold justice and order.
Through this, he would gradually evolve into a powerful existence akin to Eternity himself.
At this moment, Malrick had already set foot on the first steps of godhood.
He had not yet climbed the ladder, but the potential was unmistakably vast and radiant.
It was precisely because of this that Eternity was willing to call him a friend.
"I understand," Malrick said, nodding.
He sincerely expressed his gratitude to Eternity. Yet in truth, he wasn't particularly thrilled.
He was already walking the path of the Starry Sky System and the Superman System.
Becoming a conceptual entity was merely an additional option—icing on the cake.
He couldn't imagine giving up his evolution just to become a cosmic wanderer maintaining universal justice.
After all, even at its peak, a conceptual entity would only reach the level of Eternity's offspring—perhaps matching Eternity's manifested form, but never surpassing it.
Its upper limit might not exceed the Starry Sky System, nor the might of the Golden or Silver Superman, beings who represented the Kryptonian bloodline at its ultimate stage.
"You seem to have misunderstood something," Eternity suddenly spoke.
"Although everything begins from zero, as long as events that embody justice and order occur within your perception, you will continuously grow stronger—without effort or time wasted."
Malrick froze.
His current perception already spanned an entire star system, and it would only expand further with time.
That meant he could simply sit still, and his Rege Duo clone would continue to grow stronger automatically.
It was equivalent to the main body basking in sunlight—becoming stronger simply by existing.
He hadn't expected such a rewarding synergy between the Rege Duo clone and the Marvel Universe.
Now, he truly owed both Rege Duo and Eternity a great debt.
"It seems you understand," Eternity said with a faint nod.
"The more justice and order you witness and uphold, the closer you will come to the very essence of the universe's concepts, until one day you completely become the entity of those abstracts. I look forward to the day you surpass this M-body of mine. When that time comes, I will introduce you to Infinity, Annihilation, and Death."
"I understand…" Malrick murmured, surprised by Eternity's high expectations of him.
But the more help and faith Eternity placed in him, the more uneasy Malrick felt.
In the comics, Eternity seldom appeared; often, he wasn't even a background presence.
And when he did appear—it usually signaled the beginning of a major cosmic crisis.
Those familiar with Marvel's grand events knew well: destroying one or two Earths was considered minor.
The first to be targeted or destroyed were always the mysterious cosmic entities—Eternity, the Watchers, the Celestials.
This cinematic universe probably wouldn't be much different.
"Lord Eternity," Malrick finally said, half-joking but with genuine concern beneath his tone. "You're being awfully generous with me. Don't tell me another crisis is brewing?"
Eternity turned to look at him, galaxies shifting across his form.
Then, unexpectedly, he fell silent.
That silence was deafening.
To Malrick, it sounded like mountains collapsing, universes imploding.
"No way—don't tell me you suddenly remembered you left the stove on or something?" Malrick tried to prompt him, a faint smirk crossing his face.
Eternity remained still, as if the cosmic fire at his home had indeed gone unchecked.
Then, after several seconds, he finally spoke.
"You came here because you possessed the qualifications, not because of my favor or care. But yes… there is indeed a brewing crisis in the Multiverse. Things even I cannot see clearly are beginning to stir."
"The most imminent threat," Eternity continued, "is the universe collision caused by Doctor Strange of the main universe—Earth-199999. You should have heard about it from Dormammu."
Malrick's eyes narrowed slightly. "I know about the collision. Didn't Doctor Strange go with Dormammu's niece, Clea, to resolve it? Did they fail?"
Eternity remained seated, his expression as calm as ever. "The crisis has not yet passed. They are still struggling within the Dark Dimension."
Malrick sighed. So, Eternity knew everything—and yet chose not to interfere.
"You're not going to intervene?" he asked, frowning. "If they fail, two universes will collapse. That means two of your M-bodies will be destroyed."
"It does not matter," Eternity replied simply. "This is the natural law of the universe. I and the other abstract entities only intervene when a crisis threatens the entire Multiverse."
Malrick resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
When a Multiverse crisis happens, sure—they "intervene."
But that usually means cleaning up the aftermath, or showing up just long enough to disintegrate spectacularly, like a halftime show performance.
In What If...?, Infinite Ultron had already turned multiple universes into cosmic soup, and none of the great abstracts—or even Galactus—had shown up.
Eternity's voice broke his thoughts.
"Your universe may also face a similar crisis. You must prepare, and grow stronger as quickly as possible."
Malrick exhaled, nodding. "Understood."
A smile spread across Eternity's cosmic visage.
"Malrick, you are freer than we are, and your potential is far greater.
Your ability to travel through worlds is extraordinary—even across the Multiverse, few possess such power."
Malrick blinked, surprised that Eternity even mentioned his dimensional traveling ability.
He opened his mouth to respond, but Eternity continued.
"The world you visited before… was it DC?"
Malrick nodded silently.
"Then did you see her? Did she mention me?"
For the first time, the shifting stars that formed Eternity's face showed something almost human—concern.
"Her?" Malrick raised an eyebrow. "Who exactly—?"
Eternity noticed his confusion, and the faint trace of emotion faded from his face.
"It seems you didn't meet her. Never mind. You now possess the authority to become a conceptual entity. Return, Malrick."
Malrick caught the subtle disappointment in Eternity's tone.
But who in the DC Universe could possibly have a connection with Eternity?
Then, as fragments of memory stirred from his previous life, he recalled a name—Destiny.
Just as Eternity embodied the Marvel Universe, the DC Universe had its own manifestation—Destiny, often depicted as a green-haired woman.
In the Justice League vs. Avengers crossover, the two universes had merged.
Eternity and Destiny, as their respective embodiments, had met—briefly, profoundly—and when the universes separated, they too were torn apart.
Two cosmic entities, bound by existence yet separated by creation itself.
Their time together was fleeting, but unforgettable.
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