Heh, stumped again, huh?
Tony Stark's lips couldn't help but curve into a smug smile.
He didn't know why, but every time Tony saw Zhou Cheng, the diary owner who seemed to have everything under control, get flustered by their antics, he felt inexplicably pleased.
I'm not usually one for this kind of petty amusement!
Tony inwardly grumbled, then refocused his attention on the diary.
He quickly revealed a look of surprise.
Captain America versus Captain America... was this actually happening inside Stark Tower?
According to the diary's spoilers, didn't Captain America encounter the other Captain America after he'd swiped the Scepter from Hydra?
So, Captain America's "Hail Hydra" was also happening inside Stark Tower?
Truth be told, this development did catch Tony off guard.
After carefully analyzing the situation, Tony immediately reached a logical conclusion:
Could Loki have been captured inside Stark Tower?
Or perhaps nearby?
That would explain why everyone was temporarily detaining Loki and waiting for S.H.I.E.L.D. to take over.
Of course.
This minor detail only piqued Tony's curiosity; he wasn't overly concerned.
He quickly dismissed the thought and resumed reading.
"So, besides Rogers and another me, Ant-Man and Hulk also traveled through time?"
Tony immediately perked up, storing this crucial piece of information in his mind.
At the same time, he instantly formed a hypothesis: The reason the Tesseract was stolen without a sound, without any commotion, was likely Ant-Man's doing, right? Only Ant-Man could shrink the Tesseract and sneak it away without alerting anyone or triggering any alarms! "So, that guy's Ant-Man, huh?"
Tony's mind couldn't help but conjure the image of the middle-aged man in the driver's seat.
Even though it was just a fleeting glance, Tony had already instructed Jarvis to scan the individual.
Finding out this person's identity later wouldn't be a problem.
The mysterious, elusive Ant-Man was about to surface!
Tony couldn't help but feel secretly thrilled.
Furthermore.
Hulk was actually on the list for this "Travelers' Alliance," which truly caught Tony off guard.
So, it seemed that one day in the future, Hulk, that big guy brimming with rage, had finally found a way to control his anger?
This was undoubtedly the case.
Otherwise, how could a "raging bro" without any sanity possibly be entrusted with the important task of collecting the Infinity Stones by the Avengers?
Or maybe go to a place like Kamar-Taj?
What if Hulk lost control of his temper at Kamar-Taj and ended up demolishing the place? Wouldn't that be a disaster?
I just don't know if those sorcerers at Kamar-Taj could withstand the Hulk, that human-shaped beast.
With these questions in mind, Tony's gaze continued to fall on the diary, and he was immediately stimulated.
Or rather, deeply stimulated.
Hulk was actually… his soul was knocked out by the Ancient One with a single palm strike?
Wait, so souls actually exist?
Well, that's not the point.
Since Hulk's soul was knocked out, there's no doubt that the invisible and intangible thing called a soul must exist.
The key question is, Hulk's soul was knocked out with a single palm strike!
And not the current Hulk, but the Hulk who went through the final battle.
In other words, the one who had the exaggerated strength to beat up Thor and Loki.
It has to be said, this is all a bit much.
As expected of the Ancient One!
The diary had always placed the Ancient One at the top of the cosmic hierarchy.
She seemed to be on par with Odin.
And now, with a single move, she truly dazzled everyone, completely living up to the level the diary had portrayed.
She really is a super big shot.
Speaking of which, the most unlucky of those future Avengers in the Battle of New York must have been the Hulk, right?
Stark and the others were facing their past selves, but the Hulk was facing the Ancient One, this big demon.
Even though the Hulk is indeed strong, and has beaten up Loki and Thor...
[Even in Asgard, he could fight the Fenris Wolf and go toe-to-toe with the hundreds-of-meters-tall fire giant Surtur.]
[But in front of the Ancient One, he was completely outmatched, wasn't he?]
Fenris Wolf? Surtur?
Tony's eyebrows couldn't help but raise. These two beings were also very famous in Norse mythology.
The Fenris Wolf was the son of Loki, the god of trickery, and a giantess, possessing a power that even the gods were extremely wary of.
More importantly, the Fenris Wolf was also an important character in the Twilight of the Gods in the mythical legends.
He even directly swallowed Odin during the Twilight of the Gods! What about Surtur?
There was no need to mention this one. In the mythical legends, it was this one who destroyed Asgard! Of course.
Tony also knew that there were discrepancies between reality and the mythical legends, and there could even be quite a few deviations in certain places.
Regardless, a heavyweight character like that in mythology couldn't possibly be weak in reality, right?
The fact that Hulk could fight with such a being speaks volumes.
Without a doubt, even in the entire universe, Hulk's strength is absolutely top-tier.
"Fenris Wolf?"
Asgard.
Thor, who had been quelling rebellions in the Nine Realms, received a sudden message about Loki and hurried back. His brows furrowed involuntarily.
He hadn't known about Fenris Wolf before, and hadn't even heard the name.
But since his showdown with Odin, Thor had figured things out.
This wolf named Fenris was his sister Hela's mount!
According to Odin, Fenris's strength was also extremely powerful, and there were very few in the Nine Realms who could subdue it.
Even in the vast expanse of the cosmos, it was a terrifying super beast.
To have such a domineering and ferocious beast as a mount... one had to admit, his sister was truly formidable.
But, Fenris was supposed to be dead!
Why would it reappear in the future?
Could it be that after his father's time was up, Hela, who had been sealed away, would be resurrected?
And then, by some means, she revived Fenris?
Considering Odin had once confided in him that his time was indeed running out, coupled with his relationship with Hela...
Thor came to this logical conclusion.
His mood couldn't help but become heavy.
So, the day of his father's demise would inevitably arrive!
Just, what's up with Hulk?
Why is Hulk even in Asgard?
He's clearly from Midgard!
And the diary also mentioned that Hulk was on Sakaar, where he had a showdown with Thor.
Seriously, for a Midgardian, Hulk gets around.
One planet after another.
Hold on!
Thinking this, Thor's eyes narrowed slightly.
He and Hulk were on Sakaar together. Could he have brought Hulk back to Asgard?
Even someone as simple-minded as Thor came to that logical conclusion.
But whether that's what happened, Thor didn't know.
Then there's Surtur.
This is the ruler of Muspelheim, one of the Nine Realms, and a well-known figure throughout the realms.
Even before he was defeated by his own father, Odin, his reputation was not inferior to Odin's! However, Thor remembered clearly that Odin had told him that he had killed Surtur 500,000 years ago.
But now it seems that Surtur is not dead? "Wait, the Fire Giant?"
Suddenly, Thor seemed to recall something, and his eyes couldn't help but widen slightly.
Odin had once told him the prophecy of Ragnarok for Asgard; in that prophecy, Asgard would turn to ashes in a great fire! Destroyed in flames.
And now Thor knows that Surtur is not dead! So, could it be that Surtur is the one who brings Ragnarok to Asgard? In other words…
On a certain day in the future, Surtur will invade Asgard and directly destroy it?
Is that how it will be? Thor's expression immediately became extremely serious.
And if his guess was correct, wouldn't he have found a way to stop Ragnarok?
All he'd have to do was kill Surtur!
Thinking of this, a glint of excitement flashed in Thor's eyes. He felt incredibly invigorated.
Asgard, was saved!
The Ancient One has too many ways to crush the Hulk.
Not to mention, she could just slap the Hulk's soul out of him, or banish him to another planet with a portal, or trap him in the Mirror Dimension.
And let's not forget, the Ancient One's most powerful weapon is the Time Stone!
The Hulk is just a child in front of the Ancient One!
Oh, wait, I should say the Hulk's Banner.
The Hulk and Banner have actually merged, who would have thought?
Hulk's body, Banner's consciousness – possessing both Hulk's strength and Banner's intelligence. This should be the most perfect form, right?
Too bad it's not enough in front of the Ancient One.
"So this is the Ancient One's power?"
Even someone of Tony's caliber couldn't help but be secretly astonished.
You've got to admit, a big shot is a big shot!
Even Loki needed the Tesseract, an Infinity Stone, to open a portal.
Yet, the Ancient One could do it herself.
And she could casually open a portal to another planet! Another planet!
Knowing that Earth is currently struggling even with lunar exploration...
Doesn't that mean that what Loki schemed so hard to do, the Ancient One could accomplish effortlessly?
As for the Mirror Dimension, judging by the name, is it a space within a mirror?
Does another space actually exist within a mirror?
From a scientific perspective, from a materialistic perspective, of course, it doesn't.
But from the perspective of a top-tier sorcerer?
Tony didn't know.
So, does the Ancient One also possess the magical ability to send people into a mirror?
Just like in some movies?
Of course.
This was pure Tony's train of thought.
But no matter what, this Mirror Dimension would definitely be a very powerful skill.
There shouldn't be any doubt about that.
And the Ancient One also has the Time Stone…
Wait a minute.
Isn't the Time Stone in Doctor Strange's hands?
But judging from the diary's tone, at this point in time, the Time Stone is still with the Ancient One.
Could it be that the Ancient One gave the Time Stone to Doctor Strange in the future?
Tony could only make some guesses about what exactly was going on.
But one thing was for certain: the Ancient One, who possessed the Time Stone, must also possess the power to control time!
In other words, the Ancient One could now manipulate both space and time!
This was simply invincible! Of course, you couldn't forget that the Ancient One could also control souls!
Didn't this mean that the Ancient One essentially possessed the Space, Time, and Mind Infinity Stones simultaneously? Awesome! You had to admit it!
So, the question arose.
Since the gap in power between Hulk/Banner and the Ancient One was so vast, how did he get the stone from her? After all, the diary stated that the future Avengers' mission to collect the Infinity Stones was successful!
And the fact that Hulk and Banner had completely merged was also completely beyond Tony's expectations.
So, was this how Hulk controlled his rage?
Is this why the future Avengers decided to have Hulk—no, Banner—participate in the time travel mission?
Honestly, Hulk's body plus Banner's consciousness is, in a way, the most perfect form.
Nick Fury would definitely love that.
Just wondering what Banner or Hulk went through in the future that caused such a drastic change.
But, Banner wouldn't have turned into a big green monster, would he?
And wouldn't revert back to that gentle, easygoing big boy... okay, old boy?
That's a bit frightening, isn't it?
Tony couldn't help but feel a chill.
If it were him, he wouldn't want to become that kind of monster.
[If it weren't for Banner's long speech that convinced the Ancient One, causing her to willingly hand over the Time Stone, the Avengers' mission to collect the Stones would have failed.]
Okay, it wasn't exactly being persuaded by Banner, it was mainly that the Ancient One believed in the future Doctor Strange.
Or, rather, the future Doctor Strange also believed in the Ancient One!
Regarding the battle between the Avengers and the purple potato, Doctor Strange saw over fourteen million possibilities, with only one where the Avengers won.
In that one possibility, Doctor Strange could see everyone losing in the Infinity War, and he could see the comeback in the Endgame.
But he probably didn't see the Avengers traveling back in time, right?
-----------------------
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