After finally resolving the Dormammu crisis, what lingered in young Stephen's mind was just how important Lorien really was to his other self.
He had pondered this question all night. Even from that brief meeting, it was clear—the other Stephen treated that man with profound respect. More so even than his attitude toward the Ancient One. And it wasn't for show. It came from the heart.
That was what puzzled young Stephen.
Stephen thought carefully before answering.
"Though the Ancient One once said that whether Lorien helps me or not, I will still become a Sorcerer. I believe you know this too."
The young Stephen nodded. He did know. In the countless evolutions of the Time Stone, Stephen would always become a Sorcerer. That outcome was essentially unchangeable.
But that wasn't the point. Stephen shook his head slightly and continued.
"You know we'll all become Sorcerers eventually."
"But what does that path cost? Watching loved ones die? Being torn from the one you love? Saying farewell to your closest friends?"
"If it means all three, then becoming a Sorcerer is meaningless. I'd rather my hands stay ruined forever."
"But if I can hold on to at least two of them…"
"…then it's worth it."
After saying this, young Stephen slowly closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
Stephen's words had struck directly at his heart. In every reality, the Ancient One would ultimately choose the Path of Eternity. But love and friendship were another matter entirely.
The Stephen of the Fantastic Four ended his life. The elder Stephen too—he withered away in despair, and in the end, also took his own life. And even this young Stephen…
Sigh.
He shook his head.
"In my world, Christine already has a new boyfriend."
"Friends…"
He shook his head again. True friends were rare. Even now, perhaps only Wong truly counted. The rest were uncertain. And as for love? That was a disaster.
Hearing this, Stephen couldn't help but laugh, a touch of schadenfreude in his smile. Not out of malice—just relief, having seen things clearly.
As for the young Stephen's question, Stephen didn't even need to answer outright. The Ancient One was inevitable. Love? He still had a chance—Christine was waiting for him. Friends? He didn't have many, but the ones he had mattered most.
First was Lorien. Then Wong and Tony. And Lorien's friends were all worth trusting too. Like Hulk and the others.
Compared to the other Stephens across worlds, the Stephen who knew Lorien had lived a far better life. The difference was obvious.
Once young Stephen realized this, he sighed helplessly.
"This is your destiny, Stephen. I've never seen Lorien in any other world. His Stephen friend—it's only you."
Stephen smiled.
"That's my honor."
Young Stephen nodded in agreement and stepped forward, patting his shoulder.
"When will you head back? If you're not in a rush, let's learn more about each other's worlds."
"No problem. With Wong guarding Kamar-Taj, I'm at ease."
"Oh, right. I'll bring Wong here. See if your Kamar-Taj Wong Sorcerer is any different."
"That's a good idea."
Stephen seemed ready to stay a day or two before returning.
...
Back at the original Kamar-Taj, Wong stood on the platform outside the Sanctum, frowning at the sky where Stephen had vanished. Then he glanced around at the temple grounds.
After a whole day of work, the sorcerers had nearly finished repairing the damage from the battle. Being sorcerers, their spellwork restored things quickly—it served as good practice too.
But the problem was…
"Why hasn't he come back yet?"
Wong couldn't figure it out. But since Lorien hadn't shown any concern, it meant Stephen was safe. Besides, he hadn't been gone long. He could wait.
"Sigh." Wong shook his head.
"He never makes it easy."
...
Meanwhile, in the outer reaches of Earth's Solar System.
Starting from Mars, every planet was undergoing rapid, large-scale construction.
Anyone who's played StarCraft would know what this meant.
How do you fight with machines?
Through mechanized armies and urbanization strategies!
Advance with overwhelming productivity!
Then clash with endless legions of mechanized troops!
At this moment, across the planets beyond Mars, not only were construction robots at work, but countless turrets and weapons had already been set up. The massive black gun barrels were larger than entire buildings. Some asteroids had even been refashioned into planetary-class war machines—"Death Stars"—meant for waging war as literal planets.
They orbited major planets like satellites. Some were arranged into planetary rings or patrolling satellites, drifting along the edges of the Solar System. And if a planet was close to being destroyed, it could simply ram into the swarm and self-destruct. The strategy was simple: trade loss for loss.
But for the Transformers, losing robots didn't count as true losses. They could build as many as they needed. As long as the Transformers themselves survived, Cybertron's core would remain safe.
At that very moment, in Proxima Centauri, the closest star system to the Solar System, a reconnaissance base established by the Transformers sent out a signal to Cybertron.
The Elders and the Collector immediately received it.
[Detected cosmic wormhole transit fluctuations. Target: Solar System.]
On the outskirts of Proxima Centauri, waves of spatial distortions rippled through the void. Nothing could be seen, but the space around trembled visibly. This was one of the signs of hyperspace overload transport.
Even a single Annihilation Wave Queen's swarm contained over a hundred billion units. With so many crossing the cosmic wormhole at once, and all through a single point, distortions in space were inevitable. That was exactly what the Transformers had detected.
One might ask: why not just move through real space instead? Even easier.
On Cybertron, the moment the message came in, a vote was held.
[War]
Zero point one seconds later—
[1000:0]
Unanimous.
The Elders gave their command.
"Attention, all Transformers. Activate the Solar System Defense System. Once the swarm is detected, eliminate it with full force."
Their voices were soft, even flat, yet the cold mechanical tones carried an unmistakable air of grim resolve.
Soon, every completed defense system across the Solar System roared to life. Still, the Transformers overseeing construction continued their work, and the robots kept building.
But the Decepticons and Autobots moved as one, rushing to the edge of the Solar System to deploy their forces.
At the same time, Godzilla boarded a transport ship bound for the periphery. Before leaving, it gestured and growled in strange, guttural sounds at the Ballerina Twins' clones. By now, the twins could more or less understand its mix of signs and monstrous language.
They nodded.
"We'll inform our master. Don't worry."
Godzilla gave a satisfied nod. Then, waving its hand like a man in a frog suit, it boarded the ship and departed.
The Ballerina Twins hovered in orbit above Cybertron, watching the departure of the vast fleet—endless ships, robots, and Transformers streaming into space.
The scale was staggering. Uncountable vessels. Tens of thousands of warships. Millions of robots in transport. At least ten times that number stationed on various planets.
The Transformers' descendants now numbered in the tens of thousands. They were no longer limited to second or third generations—fourth, fifth, even sixth generations had appeared.
Countless Red and Blue Legions filled the warships. Among them, a colossal beast a kilometer long sat on a specially designed transport craft. It was Godzilla, wearing a massive purple gemstone necklace.
After the fleets had all departed, the Ballerina Twins exchanged a glance. Then, descending together, they directed their main bodies on Earth to report the situation.
...
Earth.
Northern Tower.
Lorien had just finished work and was spending some tender moments in the Little Universe with Wanda.
Wanda leaned against his chest, softly nipping at him as she muttered,
"Biased, lazy pervert, jerk, freak! You and Gwen scheming together to bully me—I'll strangle you."
Feeling those playful bites that tickled more than hurt, Lorien put on a helpless expression, holding Wanda close as he swore,
"I swear to heaven—no, I swear to the universe—I absolutely wasn't conspiring with Gwen. It was pure coincidence."
"Really?" Wanda narrowed her eyes.
"Really."
Lorien nodded. He hadn't plotted anything. He and Gwen simply shared a natural understanding.
Had they exchanged even a single word? Not at all. They'd just blinked at each other.
What was that called? That was called tacit understanding.
Looking into Lorien's sincere eyes, Wanda couldn't help but melt. She cupped his face and kissed him deeply.
"Then I believe you."
Lorien immediately kissed her back several times.
At that moment, the Ballerina Twins entered from outside the Little Universe. They came to Lorien's side and spoke softly.
"The Transformers have detected the Annihilation Wave's advance route. Engagement is expected within one to three hours."
"Master, do you wish to watch?"
Hearing this, Wanda's interest sparked right away. But the question had been directed at Lorien.
After a moment's thought, Lorien chuckled.
"Is Godzilla missing me?"
The Ballerina Twins nodded.
"Yes. Godzilla hopes you'll see it in action."
At such a request, Wanda also felt it would be wrong to refuse. And besides—she honestly wanted to watch this "blockbuster" herself.
Transformers versus the Annihilation Wave!
Wasn't that far better than the original nonsense about chasing some Allspark?
So Lorien nodded.
"Call Gwen. Invite the Spider-Alliance to watch with us. Let them see what real battles look like."
"I'll do it." Wanda quickly pulled out her phone and started dialing.