As Guardian of the New York Sanctum, Senju Haruto no longer had to follow anyone's orders.
The mages here were his followers now.
Those so-called "rules" could no longer restrain him.
With just a few words, Haruto brushed the subject aside and returned alone to his room.
This battle, truth be told, had been nothing more than an accident.
According to his original understanding and plan, he had only intended to check in at that location, casually deal with Iron Monger, and then move on.
He hadn't expected Optimus Prime's appearance to draw out General Ross's forces.
As the conflict escalated, Haruto had merely revealed a glimpse of the AllSpark's power.
"Come to think of it…" Haruto recalled the moment he saw Ross.
The general had been utterly shocked by his ability to awaken mechanical lifeforms.
It had to be said—ever since coming to this world, Haruto had already surpassed the Sage of Six Paths himself.
Even without completing his check-in within this universe, his strength was among the highest.
After all, the Marvel Cinematic Universe didn't have nearly as many divine beings as the comics.
There were many things Haruto didn't concern himself with.
Like back in that cave—he had long since noticed Stark's little tricks with the camera.
The reason he hadn't intervened was simple: there was nothing to fear.
In fact, it was the opposite—
Haruto had hoped Stark's footage would spread, forcing the world's powers to recognize his terrifying might.
He thought that would be enough to stop anyone from provoking him.
"Could it be they never told Ross the truth?"
"Or maybe they didn't have time to warn him?"
Haruto muttered inwardly, but he didn't dwell on it.
Either way, there was nothing worth agonizing over.
Accidental or not, the result had been excellent.
Now, not just New York, not just America, but the entire world knew his name.
The Guardian of the Sanctum—Senju Haruto!
"As for the next step…"
Haruto shook his head, casting Ross aside, and began to think about future plans.
From the intel he had gathered, he could be almost certain.
This was indeed the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But what Haruto didn't know was—
Would his system's check-ins end with Avengers: Endgame, or would it eventually connect to the comic storylines as well?
If the comics came into play…
"Then the supervillains would be far stronger, not to mention the mutants."
"And artifacts… there are countless artifacts."
"The problem is, I'm no Marvel fanatic. Before crossing over, I only watched the movies—I don't know much about the comics."
"Not to mention, the comics are notorious for power creep and universe reboots."
Haruto's mind sank into thought.
Without foresight, disaster would be inevitable.
For now, since the system hadn't issued a new check-in location, he had plenty of time to plan.
The one flaw was that his system was nothing more than a simple tool.
It only released check-in sites and rewards.
Ask it anything else, and it remained silent.
If not for that, he could have simply asked—
Would completing the MCU's check-ins send him straight into another world?
"But then again…"
At that thought, Haruto suddenly remembered.
He hadn't come to the Marvel world alone—he had brought the entire shinobi continent with him.
In other words…
Did that mean, when he moved to the next world, he might carry the entire Earth along with him?
"What am I thinking?"
Haruto chuckled at his own wild imagination.
But the smile quickly faded.
Comics. Another world.
It sounded like fantasy.
But what in this world was more fantastical than crossing dimensions itself?
"Better to believe it might happen, than to dismiss it outright."
Haruto rose to his feet abruptly.
If his worries turned out wrong, he'd lose nothing.
But if they were correct, and he did nothing—there would be no medicine for regret.
"The AllSpark… Optimus Prime… Megatron."
Murmuring the names of his newest prizes, Haruto suddenly felt tempted by the idea.
Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad notion… to forge this world into a Cybertron of his own.
"Vibranium."
From Cybertron, his thoughts leapt immediately to vibranium, adamantium, and uru metal—
The three greatest metals of the Marvel universe.
Vibranium didn't just absorb kinetic force—it warped the very matter around it, turning soil into more vibranium.
That was why, even after centuries of mining, Wakanda had only scratched the surface of its reserves.
"In any case, it's time to return to the Land of Fire."
Drawing a deep breath, Haruto opened another portal.
Whatever else, the Land of Fire was still his true stronghold.
Meanwhile, far away in a Brazilian factory—
A man named Bruce Banner was hard at work.
"Hey, come look at this!"
A coworker rushed over, phone in hand, its screen already playing a video.
"What is it?" Banner asked absently, but as his gaze shifted to the screen—
He froze.
On the streets of New York, a sleek truck transformed into a towering eight-meter-tall mechanical lifeform, crushing Iron Monger.
Moments later, countless other vehicles were awakened by a mysterious man.
"These movie effects are insane!" his coworker said excitedly.
Such an impossible scene could only be Hollywood CGI—it couldn't be real.
"It must be from some new blockbuster. I'm no good at searching, can you look up which movie it is?"
But Banner wasn't listening anymore.
The shock on his face only deepened.
At first, yes—he too had assumed it was special effects.
But then his eyes found someone in the crowd—
A man he knew all too well.
Thunderbolt Ross.
The very general who had hunted him for years.
Ross's presence could only mean one thing—
This was no movie.
Something monumental had happened in New York.
Banner knew Ross too well. He would never appear at random.
"Sorry—I need you to cover for me."
Banner's words came out abruptly, leaving his coworker baffled as he tore off his uniform and hurried out of the factory.
No matter what, he had to confirm this for himself.
If his hunch was right…
Then maybe, just maybe, that mysterious man could help solve the one problem Banner had never been able to fix.
But Banner didn't realize—
While he was setting off, stirred into motion by curiosity and hope—
Two figures of immense power had already come to an agreement.
And chosen to join hands.
...
Hey everyone! Want to read ahead and unlock up to 100 early-access chapters? 📖Plus, enjoy even more exclusive novels! Join my Patreon now and dive into the adventure!
patreon.com/Rawink00