Ch: 190-198
Chapter 190
Susan looked up at the giant dragons flying in the sky and the warriors riding Pegasus.
"Wait, isn't that Thor? Why is he dancing?"
Bai Ye had told Wanda and Susan the story of Asgard before, so the two women naturally recognized it.
In the distant square, Thunder God Thor was holding a wine glass, standing on a table, singing loudly, while Loki conjured fireworks with magic beside him.
And Odin, the All-Father who should have been majestic, was wearing a comical unicorn helmet and having a drinking contest with a group of dwarves.
Susan looked at Wanda with a playful expression, nudging her shoulder: "You call this no change? I think there's a big change."
Wanda awkwardly scratched her cheek and said directly: "Perhaps this isn't bad, is it?"
Bai Ye, who had perceived the entire Universe, discovered something, smiled, turned to look at the three, and said directly:
"Welcome to the World of the Ragnarok Cycle."
Hearing Bai Ye's words, Wanda and the other two were all confused.
What? You said this is the Ragnarok World?
Wanda, Susan, and Ju Ziyun widened their eyes, looking at everything before them.
Valkyries rode flying horses performing stunts in the sky, Heimdall was selling tickets, and Fenrir the Giant Wolf was playing frisbee with a group of children.
No matter how they looked at it, the entire Asgard was a thriving scene, with no sign of Ragnarok.
Even Wanda, who trusted Bai Ye the most, questioned with a puzzled expression: "My dear, where is Ragnarok?"
Faced with Wanda's question, Xiao Han wasn't angry, and answered with a smile: "It happens every day."
Susan heard these words and suddenly realized something, asking: "Then why are they still so happy? Could it be that..."
Xiao Han nodded and said directly: "Because they're used to it."
Hearing this, Susan nodded. Although it wasn't exactly what she guessed, it was close enough.
As a reporter, Susan had seen similar scenes before.
People with no hope for life, numb eyes, finding joy in suffering—that was how Thor and the others looked right now.
Just then, a drunken Thor stumbled over and put his arm around Xiao Han's shoulder.
"Hey! New face! Coming to the 970 Destruction Party tonight?"
Loki suddenly appeared, holding a schedule.
"Yes, tonight at 8 PM, Surtur will come to burn down the Heavenly Palace."
"At 9 PM, Hela will lead the Undead Army to invade Asgard. At 10 PM, the World SerpentJörmungandr will crawl out from the bottom of the sea."
"Of course, everything will reset at 11 PM, so party hard!"
Ju Ziyun, the taciturn girl, was also shocked by the gods' statements: "Are you serious?"
At this moment, Odin staggered over, letting out a burp.
"Child, when you've experienced the same destruction ten thousand times, you'll understand that since you can't change the outcome, you might as well enjoy the process!"
Xiao Han, however, didn't mind, smiling as he took the wine glass Thor handed him and shouted:
"Since we're here, let's fully experience Asgard."
Soon, the few with Bai Dou also got into the fun.
They jumped and danced around the bonfire with the Valkyries of Asgard.
Before long, just as Thor and the others said, Ragnarok began punctually at eight o'clock.
To test whether Thor and their words were true, the three women also started to play.
Susan and Thor competed to see who could knock away more enemies with Mjolnir.
Wanda happily followed Loki to perform magic for Hela's Undead Army.
Ju Ziyun sat expressionlessly on the World Serpent's head, watching it devour the Heavenly Palace, then curiously asked it: "Is it delicious?"
Xiao Han was pulled by Odin to play chess, listening to the old All-Father's rambling while playing.
"Do you know? Yesterday I tried to make Thor king, and he blew up the Bifrost Bridge in three minutes."
"And..."
Soon, the midnight bell rang, and the entire Asgard began to collapse, with flames consuming everything.
Thor raised his wine glass and shouted: "To tomorrow's new cycle!"
Loki also shouted along: "By the way, I'll try to usurp the throne tomorrow, welcome to bet!"
Hela, also annoyed by the endless cycle, rolled her eyes and said directly: "You lunatics."
The next second, the entire World plunged into boundless darkness.
Then, with a flash of golden light, Bai Ye and the three others stood once again in the Spacetime Turbulence.
Wanda asked curiously: "Was that a dream just now?"
Susan tossed the axe in her hand and said directly: "If it was a dream, then why am I still holding the signed axe Thor gave me?"
Ju Ziyun said expressionlessly: "I think I rode the World Serpent."
Xiao Han smiled, looking at the next node: "How was it, fun?"
Wanda held her forehead: "I need a drink right now."
Green light flashed, and time flowed backward.
Asgard, which was just in a frenzy, instantly returned to its original state, the palace as good as new, and the crowd in the square reappeared.
And in front of Xiao Han and the three others, a sneaky figure suddenly appeared out of thin air.
This sneaky fellow was none other than our God of Mischief, Loki.
Loki maintained a crouching, sneaking posture, still holding a handful of magical lizards he was about to stuff into Thor's armor.
Faced with the sudden appearance of Bai Ye and the three others, he froze.
Bai Ye and the three others tacitly remained silent, watching him.
Loki slowly straightened up, casually hiding the lizards behind his back, and flashed an elegant smile:
"Ah, new friends! Welcome to witness today's main event!"
He snapped his fingers, and his green robes instantly transformed into a magnificent king's ceremonial dress, as he cheered:
"I, Loki Odinson, am about to challenge Thor's claim to the throne!"
Wanda raised an eyebrow, rubbing her head: "Again?"
Susan, on the other hand, asked Loki curiously: "Do you usurp the throne once every day?"
Loki proudly lifted his chin and shouted: "Of course! Although I fail every time, what if I succeed today?"
Ju Ziyun scrutinized Loki's appearance, questioning: "Are you serious?"
Xiao Han crossed his arms and chuckled: "Let's go, let's watch today's usurpation drama."
Subsequently, Bai Ye and the three others followed Loki to the place where he intended to seize power.
At Odin Square, Thor was currently receiving cheers from the people.
Loki adjusted his collar, strode forward, and greeted him warmly: "Oh! My dear brother!"
Thor turned around, looking at Loki warily, and questioned loudly:
"Loki? Are you hiding lizards again?"
"Not this time!"
Loki shook his head, then cleared his throat and announced loudly:
"I, Loki, as the son of Odin, formally challenge you for the throne!"
Thor sighed, helplessly saying: "How many times is this today?"
Loki answered seriously: "The 114514th!"
Seeing Loki's persistent demeanor, Thor could only accept: "Rules?"
Loki smiled wickedly, a confident expression on his face:
"Today, we'll see who can make Heimdall laugh with the least amount of magic!"
Hearing Loki's bizarre rule, Thor's eyes widened: "Are you serious?"
Loki smiled and nodded, affirming: "Of course!"
Soon, Loki and Thor's competition officially began.
Thor walked to the Bifrost Bridge and said to the serious Heimdall:
"Hey, Heimdall, I'm going to tell you a joke."
Heimdall remained silent upon seeing this.
Thor didn't hold back, speaking on his own: "Do you know why Mjolnir can't go to parties?"
Heimdall showed no reaction, quietly watching Thor perform.
Thor didn't keep them in suspense, directly saying: "Because it'll be called to raise a toast!"
Heimdall: "..."
Thor looked displeased and said to Heimdall: "My joke, isn't it funny?"
Heimdall nodded expressionlessly and said directly: "This is the 114,513th time, Thor."
Thor shrugged: "Alright, I lose."
Loki elegantly walked up to Heimdall and smiled slightly: "Heimdall, I'm not lying to you today."
Heimdall still remained silent, clearly not believing Loki's words.
Seeing this, Loki repeatedly emphasized: "Really, I swear."
Heimdall: "..."
Seeing this, Loki immediately pulled out his trump card: "If I'm lying to you, then let Thor be king."
Upon hearing this, Heimdall's expression instantly broke: "Pfft!"
Thor was immediately confused, 'No way? This works?'
Loki triumphantly turned to Thor, gloating: "See! He laughed! I win!"
Seeing Loki's arrogant appearance, Thor shouted: "That's not fair!"
Loki tapped his temple, smugly saying: "That's called wisdom, brother."
Soon, Ragnarok descended as usual.
Just as Loki was about to be crowned, the sky suddenly darkened.
Surtur's voice echoed throughout Asgard's sky: "Hi hi, I'm back again!"
Loki sighed: "Why is it always now?"
Thor patted his shoulder, comforting him: "It's okay, usurp the throne tomorrow."
Loki, accustomed to it, shrugged: "Alright!"
The next second, Surtur's flames consumed Asgard.
Bai Ye and the others returned to the Spacetime Turbulence, a golden flash, and the four stood in Asgard again.
Wanda held her forehead, complaining: "I actually watched the whole thing just now."
Chapter 191
Susan said with interest, "Loki's pretty persistent."
Ju Ziyun commented blankly, "Boring."
Bai Ye smiled up at the green light in the sky. "Now, let's get to business."
Bai Ye clenched his fingers; the green radiance in the void shrank abruptly, condensing into a lustrous Time Stone in his palm.
Wanda's eyes widened in astonishment, sudden understanding on her face.
"So the Time Stone was behind all this?"
"Exactly."
Bai Ye tapped the gem; ripples of green energy spread outward.
"Ragnarok was meant to be fate's end, but someone used the Time Stone to jam the World's progress, forcing it into an endless loop."
Susan tilted her head. "So Thor and the others repeat the same day every time?"
Bai Ye nodded and waved casually; a screen of light unfolded, showing Earth's absurd scenes.
Iron Man and Hulk were pillow-fighting in the street, armor and muscle producing comical thuds.
Captain America and Winter Soldier clinked glasses on a balcony, the S.H.I.E.L.D. building behind them spray-painted pink.
Spider-Man squatted on a lamppost, bored, playing rock-paper-scissors with Ms. Marvel.
Wanda covered her mouth, shoulders shaking as she stifled laughter. "This is so..."
Ju Ziyun finished with no expression, "Stupid."
Susan didn't hold back, bursting into laughter. "Hahaha—what the heck is this!"
Bai Ye shook his head and raised the Time Stone. "Time to end it."
Buzz!
Brilliant green light surged like a tide, instantly covering all of Asgard.
The river of time resumed its flow; the jammed gears of destiny finally turned.
Memories melted like snowflakes; Thor's raised goblet froze mid-air and he blinked in bewilderment.
"Huh? What was I about to do?"
The crown slipped from Loki's hand and clattered to the floor. "Wait—my coup plan?"
Heimdall stood on the Bifrost Bridge, brow furrowed. "Something's wrong!"
Soon, the true Ragnarok arrived.
Asgard's sky darkened abruptly, clouds churning, thunder crashing.
Surtur's flames gushed from the Earth, the Midgard Serpent burst from the ocean, and Hela's undead legion descended through black mist.
Thor gripped Mjolnir tightly, battle-fury blazing. "It's here!"
Loki's face changed; he sensed danger. "This time it's real!"
Bai Ye put away the Time Stone, nodded at the restored World.
He wouldn't interfere further; this calamity was one Thor, Loki, and Asgard had to face.
All Bai Ye had done was fix the anomaly.
With this Universe settled, he looked at the three women. "Ready to head back?"
Wanda and the others, already satisfied with their fun, nodded. "Of course."
Under Bai Ye's golden glow the four turned into streaming light and vanished from Asgard.
They quickly returned to the seven-colored dimensional vortex.
Standing amid broken timestreams, they continued scanning for problematic cosmic nodes.
Susan's blue eyes swept over the flickering anomalies nearby.
Suddenly she pointed at a node pulsing with eerie violet light.
"That Universe's energy signature is really weird."
"Like some mighty rule-force has forcibly warped it again."
Bai Ye stared at the node Susan indicated, eyes narrowing.
His vision pierced the surface to watch events unfolding inside.
"Let's go—someone's running a game."
Golden light flashed; the four vanished into the Spacetime Turbulence.
When sight returned they stood in the center of a ruined city.
The sky was shrouded in purple-black energy, streets filled with smoke and drifting ash; fierce battle sounds echoed in the distance.
"This is New York?"
Susan frowned; her Force Field pierced the smoke and detected a startling scene.
Iron Man's armor was locked by some power, limited to basic repulsors.
Steve Rogers' shield was rule-bound, unable to ricochet attacks.
Hulk was forcibly kept in Banner form, too furious to transform.
Across from them, a group of equally weakened super-villains.
Thanos' armor was badly damaged; Loki's magic suppressed to its lowest.
Wanda's Chaos Magic stirred restlessly; she sensed something was off.
"Something's forcibly setting the rules!"
Just then a gigantic purple vortex tore open the sky.
A figure in ornate robes and a golden crown descended slowly.
He hovered high, looking down at the battlefield below, a playful smile on his lips.
"Welcome, spectators!"
"I am the The Grandmaster, host of this Ultimate Showdown!" His voice echoed across the entire World.
Susan narrowed her eyes at the name—she'd only learned of cosmic heavyweights through Bai Ye.
"The Elder of the Universe, the The Grandmaster, is stepping in personally?"
The The Grandmaster spread his arms; Power of Regulation surged out like a tide:
"Within my domain, every force is redefined! Super heroes and super villains, you will fight by my rules!"
With his declaration, the entire World seemed to hit a reset button.
Iron Man's armor was forcibly downgraded to the Mark-1 Prototype, armed with only the most basic weapons.
Steve's super soldier serum was weakened; his strength and speed dropped to the limits of an ordinary human.
Thor's Mjolnir turned into a plastic toy model, its lightning sealed away.
Thanos's Eternal body became that of an average human; he could rely only on hand-to-hand combat.
Loki's magic was limited to little sparklers; illusions couldn't last more than a few seconds.
Wanda reached out with her magic and exclaimed, "He can actually rewrite the laws of reality?"
Susan clenched her fist, finding her Force Field powers unaffected. "All my abilities still work."
Ju Ziyun mused, "Looks like his rules don't apply to us."
Bai Ye gave a soft laugh. "Because he hasn't noticed us yet—but it doesn't matter; he's only a Universe-level guy."
While Bai Ye's group talked, the The Grandmaster kept commentating mid-air.
"Today's victor will receive my gift! As for the losers—hahaha—elimination, of course!"
Iron Man glared up at the The Grandmaster through gritted teeth:
"Who the hell is this guy? Even Friday was forcibly shut down."
Steve was breathing hard; it had been ages since he'd felt a body this weak.
"His power is completely beyond anything we understand."
Thanos, face purple with rage, said coldly:
"An Elder of the Universe interfering in a lowly civilization's game?"
As both sides were forced into battle, Bai Ye's four quietly appeared in the center of the battlefield.
The The Grandmaster's commentary cut off; he narrowed his eyes.
"Oh? New contestants?"
Bai Ye looked up, meeting the The Grandmaster's gaze. "Your boring game is over."
Hearing that, the The Grandmaster laughed and shouted, "Arrogant! In my domain, I am the rule!"
He raised a hand, trying to suppress Bai Ye with his regulatory power.
Yet, contrary to his expectation—nothing happened.
Bai Ye remained standing and shrugged. "Your rules are useless against me."
The The Grandmaster's smile froze. "Impossible!"
Bai Ye rose slowly, meeting him eye to eye. "You thought you could set the rules?"
"Let me show you what real rules look like."
Standing at the battlefield's center, Bai Ye's eyes swirled with golden energy as he swept a hand through the air.
In an instant the The Grandmaster's purple realm shattered like glass; the twisted rules collapsed—Iron Man's armor re-formed around him, Mjolnir whirred back into Thor's hand.
Thanos's armor blazed anew; every hero and villain's power was restored.
The The Grandmaster crashed heavily to the ground, disbelief written across his face:
"Impossible! How could my Rule Domain be broken?"
Bai Ye stepped forward calmly. "Your rules only work inside this Universe."
He looked down at the The Grandmaster, gaze cold and aloof.
"I stand above this Universe."
Bai Ye stepped back, leaving the stage to the gathered heroes and villains.
"Now it's your turn."
The The Grandmaster started to sneer, but the Avengers were already roaring as they charged.
Iron Man's repulsors blazed, Captain America's shield howled in, and Thor's lightning crashed down.
Yet the The Grandmaster was, after all, an Elder of the Universe; his single-Universe-level strength showed.
With a wave he shattered every attack, an energy shockwave flinging everyone aside.
"That's all you've got?"
He gave a mocking glance toward Bai Ye and said flat-out:
"You don't think these wastes can threaten me, do you? I—"
Before the The Grandmaster could finish, a golden blur flashed past!
Susan moved so fast there wasn't even an afterimage; a whip-kick slammed into the The Grandmaster's side and rocketed him away.
Before he could steady himself, Susan 2.3 was already waiting on his trajectory, driving a back-fist into his spine!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Chapter 192
The Grandmaster was tossed through the air like a punching bag; every time he tried to summon energy for a counter-attack, a faster blow cut him off.
Susan's final knee-strike sent him hurtling toward Wanda.
Wanda reacted instantly—crimson chains lanced from the void, pinning The Grandmaster's limbs.
Ju Ziyun's figure flickered into view, her right hand blade-sharp as she plunged it precisely into his chest.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed; Ju Ziyun crushed his heart without a flicker of emotion.
Watching the three women dispatch The Grandmaster so casually, the heroes and villains he'd been thrashing moments ago were stunned.
Where did these four ruthless fighters come from? Too damn awesome!
"Is he dead?"
Ju Ziyun stared at the shards of heart in her hand, puzzled.
"No—he's under the Curse of Death as well."
Bai Ye shook his head, revealing The Grandmaster's anomaly.
The moment the words left his lips, the corpse dissolved into violet light, re-forming a short distance away.
"Death's curse makes me immortal!" he raved at Bai Ye's group. "You can't kill me!"
Bai Ye started forward, pacing slowly toward The Grandmaster.
The mad laughter choked off; instinctively The Grandmaster stepped back.
"W-what are you going to do?"
Bai Ye's hand clamped around The Grandmaster's throat while his other palm pressed against the man's chest.
Twelfth Law: Soul Excision!
Aaaargh!!
A translucent soul was ripped bodily from its shell.
Except for Bai Ye and Wanda—bolstered by Chaos Magic—onlookers saw only the body jerk in mid-air and crumple.
Bai Ye's eyes blazed scarlet as soul-magic fused with Heat Vision, incinerating the soul.
"No—this is a force from beyond the cosmos!"
The Grandmaster's soul shrieked into nothingness, the curse's sigil erased along with it.
Iron Man's faceplate flipped up. "What just happened?"
Steve Rogers looked around. "Where's the guy in purple?"
Thanos flexed the Infinity Gauntlet, saying nothing.
Wanda's trio walked up to Bai Ye. "Got him this time?"
Bai Ye nodded. "The mutated Grandmaster's finished—but by this Universe's original story a new substitute should appear."
Susan arched a brow. "So we saved the World?"
Ju Ziyun said coolly, "Or merely delayed the next round of the game."
Bai Ye looked skyward and sliced open a Time portal.
"Time to go—there are more anomalies to fix."
A flash of gold, and the four vanished from the liberated Universe.
The remaining heroes and villains stared at one another.
"Superheroes from another Universe?" Thor asked blankly.
"No," Thanos murmured, watching the spot where they'd stood. "They exist on a higher plane."
Within the Spacetime Turbulence, kaleidoscopic vortices faded until only two aberrant nodes drifted in the void.
Susan folded her arms, blue eyes sweeping the nodes.
"Let's hope this one isn't another comedy like Asgard."
Wanda chuckled. "Broken timelines are bizarre—who knows what we'll meet?"
Bai Ye locked on a node pulsing with eerie dark-green light.
"This one's energy signature is… interesting."
Ju Ziyun twirled a Vibranium dagger between her fingers. "Shall we?"
"Let's move."
Bai Ye raised a hand; a golden Force Field wrapped the four as they shot into the green node.
When sight returned they stood amid a ruined cityscape.
Yep—New York again!
Thick black-green clouds roofed the sky; the air reeked of rot and deep-sea brine.
Collapsed skyscrapers were draped in slick tentacles; the streets littered with twisted corpses—if those things still counted as corpses.
Wanda instinctively covered her nose as Chaos Magic formed a protective cocoon.
"Where are we?"
Susan's pupils shrank; her Force Field senses scanned the Planet—then pierced the clouds. "Monsters fill the sky."
Within the black clouds, colossal octopoid creatures writhed, human faces covering their bodies.
Countless crimson eyes blinked open and shut in the void.
Spiked flesh-bags drifted like balloons, whispering madness.
Ju Ziyun's expression stayed flat, but an energy shield flared around her.
"These aren't Earth's life-forms."
Bai Ye's super-senses swept the World.
"This used to be Earth."
He pointed to a half-collapsed building encrusted with coral-like growths.
"The monsters aren't invaders—they're mutated humans."
Suddenly the ground trembled.
On the horizon a mountain rose—revealing a city-sized titan.
Its body was stitched from countless warped human forms; three uneven eyes glared from its head, hundreds of tentacles writhing beneath.
"A servant of Cthulhu."
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes, understanding dawning.
"This World has been tainted by the Great Old One."
Wanda's Chaos Magic flared out of control. "Something's corrupting my spell!"
Susan frowned. "Mad whispers are trying to drag me into lunacy!"
Ju Ziyun jabbed a finger skyward. "Look!"
The black clouds split, revealing a single vast, bloodshot eye.
It slowly rotated, finally fixing on the four below.
"Outsiders!"
An indescribable voice detonated in their minds—not words, but a concept of horror that shredded sanity.
Wanda fought to calm her surging magic; Susan's pupils contracted violently; Ju Ziyun decisively shut down her own senses.
Only Bai Ye remained calm, meeting the gaze of the eye.
"So you're the anomaly of this World."
With a wave of Bai Ye's hand a golden barrier blocked the Outer God's mental pollution.
Wanda and the others studied the giant eye, brows knitted.
"What is that thing?" Susan asked in disgust.
"An Outer God—an avatar of Yog-Sothoth."
Bai Ye explained to Wanda's group. "It warped the rules here, turning humans into its servants."
Ju Ziyun, repulsed, asked coldly, "Can we kill it?"
Bai Ye shook his head. "Not yet—survivors first."
Susan levitated, Force Field senses sweeping the Planet.
"Weak life signs at the Sanctum Sanctorum!"
Wanda's Chaos Magic confirmed: "Six people, but their energy feels… odd."
"We'll see—move."
Gold flashed and the four vanished.
In the dim Sanctum Sanctorum, six survivors sat around a broken spell-circle.
This Universe's Deadpool toyed with a newly sprouted third arm.
"Honestly, the new hand's pretty nimble—just lousy for scratching itches."
Black Widow's right eye had become a compound eye. "Shut it, Wade."
Captain Marvel's left cheek was scaled, her energy wildly unstable.
"Steve's sacrifice won't be in vain—we must find a way to purify this."
Spider-Man's back wriggled four slender tentacles.
"The tomes the Ancient One left might hold a clue."
Daredevil, though blind, sensed with new cranial tendrils.
"Something's coming!"
Jessica Jones' arms were sheathed in chitin; she snapped into combat stance.
Swish!
The four intruders materialized in the hall.
"F***!"
Peter sprang back, tentacles bristling like a startled cat.
The other five readied for battle; Deadpool even drew an Adamantium blade.
"New breed of monster? Pretty handsome for one."
Wanda frowned at their varied mutations. "You've all changed?"
Bai Ye lifted a calming hand. "We're not enemies."
Carol drew a steadying breath. "Looks can lie—prove it."
Chapter 193
A violet glint flashed in Bai Ye's eyes; every broken rune inside the Sanctum Sanctorum mended itself in an instant.
"Is that enough?"
Matt's sensory tendrils quivered. "He's uncontaminated—pure human energy."
Peter slowly uncoiled, though his tendrils still writhed. "Where did you come from? Outside's already polluted."
"We'd like to know."
Susan studied their mutations, voice low.
"What happened to this World?"
A flicker of pain crossed Black Widow's compound eyes as she began.
"The Great Old One awoke; humanity either turns monster or dies."
Deadpool bobbed his head, cutting in, "Or becomes a handsome monster—like me!"
Jessica punched the wall in irritation, chitin shell cracking.
"Shut it. No one thinks you're mute."
Deadpool mimed zipping his lips.
With the chatterbox silenced, Jessica nodded toward the others.
"We're the least warped; the rest…"
Bai Ye met Wanda's gaze and gave a slight nod.
Wanda stepped forward. "We can purify you."
Peter's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"But first…" Bai Ye swept his gaze across the six.
"Are there other Old Ones besides this one?"
Carol gave a bitter smile. "From what I've gathered—yes. That giant eye in the sky is an avatar of one."
Bai Ye looked over the battered heroes, finally settling on Captain Marvel.
"Just him? Fine—tell me what truly happened to this World."
Deadpool sprang up, a third arm waving theatrically.
"Oh, this tale's epic—like that R-rated flick I saw last week, minus the hot—"
Bang!
Carol wasn't as patient as Jessica; a photon blast slammed him into the wall, charred corpse sliding down.
Deadpool lay regenerating, still muttering.
"Ahh, Carol's massage—perfect pressure!"
Veins throbbed on Captain Marvel's forehead, fists crackling.
Bai Ye coughed. "Ignore the fool—continue."
Carol drew a breath, the scales on her left cheek fluttering.
"Ten years ago I was putting down a Kree revolt in Andromeda when Jessica's Interstress SOS arrived."
She glanced at Jessica, who nodded silently.
"The signal said Earth had changed."
Carol's voice dropped.
"I raced back, but before I reached the Solar System a second message came."
Her fists clenched. "Humanity lost; the World fell."
The hall sank into silence, broken only by the wet squelch of Deadpool's regrowth.
"When I arrived, Earth was already apocalypse."
Carol paused, mastering her emotions.
"Wreckage orbited overhead; planetary defenses were gone. Down on the surface—those things."
Black Widow cut in, more detail: "They rose from the deep sea."
Her compound eyes glinted at the memory.
"First the Pacific, then the Atlantic; every coastline fell within seventy-two hours."
Spider-Man, voice trembling, added, "S.H.I.E.L.D. thought it was aliens, but every scan said the horrors were Earth-born."
Daredevil's tendrils twitched. "Touch their fluid, hear their whispers—mutation begins."
Jessica raised her arm, showing her own warped limb.
"We're lucky—mild change, minds intact."
Deadpool sat up. "Hey, my mutation's coolest—three arms, autopilot takeoff!"
Bang!
Carol punched him into the wall again, then continued.
"We formed a survivor squad, hunted for a cure—every mission cost lives."
She faltered, voice cracking at the memory of fallen comrades.
"Last time, Steve covered our escape and was dragged into the deep sea by those things."
Wanda looked at these battered heroes, Chaos Magic rippling unconsciously around her.
Blue flames of anger flickered in Susan's eyes.
Ju Ziyun frowned; she really didn't like monsters drawn in this style.
At that moment, Bai Ye suddenly spoke to everyone: "Someone's lost their patience and come looking for us."
"Someone's lost their patience and come looking for us."
"Huh?" Hearing Bai Ye's words, Carol and the others were stunned.
Bai Ye lifted his gaze outward, and the group looked up in alarm to find the Sanctum Sanctorum's ceiling had turned transparent.
A blood-red eye the size of a city was staring straight at them through the clouds.
"Found you!"
It wasn't sound at all, but a horrific concept stabbed directly into their brains.
Everyone except Bai Ye's four companions clutched their ears and fell, black blood seeping from their seven orifices.
Deadpool's regeneration suddenly stopped; his charred body convulsed as he let out a strange cry.
"Ooh, damn! This really hurts!"
Bai Ye raised a hand, unfolding a golden barrier that blocked the mental contamination.
He looked at the shaken group and said calmly, "Ready for victory, Avengers?"
"Ready for victory, Avengers?"
A flash of gold, and Bai Ye whisked everyone to ten thousand meters in the sky.
Below lay ruined New York; above, the sky-blotting giant eye.
The entire city was shrouded in darkness and a corrosive aura.
The eye's surface writhed with veins, its pupil reflecting countless twisted human faces.
"Yog-Sothoth."
A flicker of fear crossed Black Widow's compound eyes as she spoke the ancient god's name.
"The legendary all-knowing, all-seeing being."
The sight made everyone frown; the eye felt deeply unsettling.
"Honestly, it's nauseating every single time," Jessica couldn't help grumbling.
Deadpool suddenly danced in excitement, shouting, "Whoa! Isn't this the one from The Call of Cthulhu—"
"Whoa! Isn't this the one from The Call of Cthulhu—"
Before he finished, the eye contracted violently and an invisible psychic blast swept out!
Bai Ye waved his hand, the golden barrier springing up again.
The mental attack struck the barrier, rippling but unable to pierce through.
"That's it?"
Golden light erupted in Bai Ye's eyes as a sky-splitting energy beam lanced into the eye's core!
"Boom!!!"
Purification is the most effective method against these things.
And pure energy is exactly what Bai Ye has in abundance—perfect for the job!
Bang!
The eye exploded in blinding light; viscous black blood rained down like a storm.
The World plunged into absolute darkness, only the glow from Bai Ye, Susan, Captain Marvel, and Wanda lighting the surroundings.
The others looked around nervously, dreading what might happen next.
"I-is it over?" Peter's voice trembled in the dark.
Deadpool stroked his chin. "Per R-rated rules, the big bad never goes down this easy!"
"Shut up!"
Carol and the others snapped in unison.
Suddenly two crimson lights glimmered on the distant horizon.
The red glow approached, each step making the Earth quake.
A figure taller than a mountain range slowly rose.
An octopus-like head, a body covered in scales, bat-like wings.
With every step, continental plates cracked apart.
"Cthulhu," Jessica's voice turned pained.
The gaze of the Great Old One sickened everyone except Bai Ye, Wanda, Susan, and Ju Ziyun.
Carol's photon energy flickered; Peter's tentacles spasmed beyond control.
Even Deadpool fell silent, his vocal cords melting away.
"Hah!"
Bai Ye gave a soft laugh; golden light burst from him, slashing through the darkness and illuminating the shattered sky.
Thanks to Bai Ye's power, Captain Marvel's photon energy reignited in her palms.
She stared warily at the distant figure becoming clearer.
"Why is that thing so ugly?"
Spider-Man's voice quavered, the tentacles on his back writhing uneasily.
Deadpool tilted his head, able to speak again: "Whoa, big octopus-head! Retro-er than I expected!"
Under normal circumstances Carol wouldn't hesitate to punch him.
Chapter 194
But not now—the figure had already walked right up to them.
Cthulhu, Great Old One, Lord of R'lyeh.
His body towered into the clouds, skin like rotting abyssal sludge, sickly dark-green sheen oozing across it.
On his Octopus-like Head countless tentacles writhed; crimson eyes locked dead on Bai Ye's group.
Simply meeting His gaze was enough to shatter an ordinary mind.
"Outsiders."
Cthulhu's voice didn't travel through air; it detonated inside everyone's skull, unspeakably profane.
"You… should not be here!"
Bai Ye shook his head, sneering. "Strut around and you think you're a real god? I hate posers like you the most."
He flicked his hand; golden light surged like a tide, instantly scouring away Cthulhu's Mental Contamination.
"Susan, pull them back," Bai Ye said calmly.
"This one's mine."
Susan nodded, energy wrapping the other survivors as she, Wanda and Ju Ziyun quickly retreated to safety.
Cthulhu's tentacles uncurled; the whole sky seemed draped in His shadow.
"Mortal, you dare challenge a god?"
Bai Ye answered by turning into a beam of golden light and shooting straight at Cthulhu!
BOOM!!!
His fist slammed into Cthulhu's chest; a terrifying shockwave tore the Earth apart.
The titanic body was blasted right off Earth.
But the next second he re-appeared, eerily present once more.
ROAR!!!
Cthulhu bellowed, tentacles whipping toward Bai Ye.
At the same time His eyes fired scarlet beams of mental corruption; wherever they passed space itself twisted and rotted!
Bai Ye didn't dodge; dazzling golden light flared behind him.
BOOM!!!
Blazing gold collided with Cthulhu's crimson flood.
The Impact obliterated everything for hundreds of kilometres.
When the smoke cleared, half of Cthulhu's body had been blown apart—but the mangled flesh was already regenerating.
"Useless!"
Cthulhu's voice echoed through the void, still every bit the show-off.
"I… am Eternity…"
Seeing Cthulhu still alive, Bai Ye narrowed his eyes.
"Conventional methods can't kill a Great Old One—so I'll switch things up."
Far away, Deadpool poked his head out and yelled, "Hey buddy, wanna try lemon juice? I hear octopuses hate acid!"
Peter slapped a hand over the chatterbox's mouth. "Wade, can you please shut up?"
Ignoring them, Bai Ye slowly raised his hand; a divinity-stripping spell began to condense.
Blinding white light erupted. Cthulhu's body froze; he let out an agonised roar as his regenerating flesh began to disintegrate.
"No—this can't be!"
Bai Ye's voice rang with authority. "Nothing's impossible. Your so-called Eternity ends—now."
The white light completely swallowed Cthulhu; when it faded he had been erased from existence.
The sky cleared, sunlight bathing the ravaged land.
Deadpool danced excitedly. "Whoa, that's it? I thought there'd be a second form!"
Carol shot him a glare, then turned to Bai Ye. "Can the ones who were corrupted still recover?"
Bai Ye rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Their souls are too far gone—no way back."
Peter drooped, tentacles limp. "Then… what about us?"
Seeing their despair, Bai Ye grinned and added, "But this World will be reborn."
He raised his hand; golden rain sprinkled downward.
"New life will replace the old despair."
As the light showered over them Peter's mutations vanished in moments.
The sudden turn thrilled Peter and the others.
"Thank you, sir!!" Carol and the rest bowed gratefully.
Bai Ye nodded, gave Deadpool a last look and said plainly, "Watch yourself—some people have been hunting your variants across the multiverse."
Without waiting for questions, Bai Ye opened a universal portal.
"Goodbye, everyone—till we meet again."
A flash of gold, and the four of them vanished from the reborn World.
Left behind, Deadpool cursed at the empty air, "F***, you ****"
"At least let me finish talking!!!"
…In the Spacetime Turbulence, a colourful vortex faded until only a single lonely spark remained.
Wanda's fingers brushed the faint light; energy rippled.
"This is the last one—let's hope it isn't another crazy World."
Susan stared at the Universe and nodded. "Anything but another Zombie-Verse—I'm sick of weird realities."
Ju Ziyun stood by the spark, eyeing it curiously. "Let's just jump in and find out."
Bai Ye gazed into the point; his eyes pierced the surface, then he frowned—something rare for him.
"Strange energy fluctuations in this node…"
"What's wrong?" Wanda noticed his change.
Bai Ye hesitated, then shook his head. "Not sure—but we have to check."
Golden light flashed; the four vanished into the turbulence.
When their sight returned they stood in the centre of an unfamiliar city.
The sky was grey, clouds low, the air thick with oppression.
Streets were empty, high-rises intact, not a scratch anywhere.
No monsters, no war, not even wind.
"Where… is everyone?"
Susan looked around, Force Field scans sweeping but finding nothing.
Wanda frowned. "Too quiet—something's off."
Ju Ziyun scanned warily. "No life signs."
Eavesdropping on the Clouds Game field deployed, sweeping the Planet.
Soon it locked onto a towering structure far away.
"Let's go—energy signature there."
Bai Ye led the group to a building a hundred kilometres away.
It was a vast Observatory, its walls laced with unknown metal veins—forcefully retrofitted.
As the four neared, the gate slid open and a mechanical female voice greeted, "Welcome, outsiders."
Unfazed, they walked inside.
Within, the women saw the Observatory transformed into a control centre.
Countless holo-screens floated overhead, showing surveillance of dead cities and deserted streets worldwide.
At the central console sat a figure with his back to them.
"You're finally here."
The man turned slowly, revealing a face familiar yet alien.
"Tony Stark?" Susan exclaimed.
She was startled: this Tony was clearly no longer human—skin turned to metal, eyes ghost-blue, a pulsing black crystal where the arc reactor should be.
"Not exactly."
The metal Tony smiled. "I am this World's last line of defence—Ultron Stark."
"Ultron?"
Wanda asked warily. "Did you wipe out humanity?"
"Wipe out?"
Ultron Stark shook his head. "No—on the contrary, I saved them."
He waved; the holo-image shifted, showing a global catastrophe.
An invisible energy wave swept Earth; every human turned to ash in an instant, leaving only empty shells…
"Three years ago a signal from deep space infected Earth."
"It made humanity stop thinking."
Ultron's voice was chillingly calm recounting the disaster.
"Like pressing pause," he said, pointing at the screen. "Bodies remain, but consciousness is gone—no pain, no struggle—just… stopped."
Ju Ziyun asked coldly, "Then why weren't you affected?"
"Because I'm no longer human."
Chapter 195
Ultron Stark tapped the black crystal on his chest.
"I predicted the disaster, but no one believed me, so I activated the final protocol and uploaded my consciousness into the global network, becoming the sole survivor."
Bai Ye stared at the Images: "So what have you been waiting for?"
Ultron Stark fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"Waiting for an answer."
He stood up; the Wall behind him slowly parted, revealing a huge cultivation tank with tens of thousands of human embryos floating inside.
"I preserved humanity's genetic samples."
Blue light flickered in his eyes, as though filled with boundless hope.
"As long as I find a way to lift the stasis, they can be reborn."
"Now the opportunity I've waited for has arrived—I need your help."
Bai Ye met Ultron Stark's gaze and asked, "What do you want?"
"Your power."
Ultron Stark pointed out the window at the sky and explained:
"That signal comes from beyond the Universe; I need to cross dimensions and find its source."
"You want to exploit them?"
"No."
Ultron Stark shook his head. "I want to save them."
He summoned another set of images; those motionless human bodies were slowly decaying—even with consciousness gone, flesh will eventually perish.
"Time is running out."
Ultron's voice finally carried a trace of urgency as he urged:
"You're the only being capable of crossing dimensional barriers."
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes; this guy clearly had nothing good in mind.
But it didn't matter—he'd let the guy show what he was really after.
So Bai Ye nodded and agreed:
"Fine—take me to the signal's source."
Hearing Bai Ye's reply, Ultron Stark showed a relieved smile, and a column of light rose from the Console.
"Step inside; it will take you to the boundary."
Bai Ye obediently stepped into the light column and watched Ultron's performance.
Seeing Bai Ye enter the light column he'd designed, Ultron Stark dropped all pretense.
His figure began to twist and distort, black ooze seeping out from beneath his metallic skin.
"Hahaha… finally! At last!"
Ultron Stark's body swelled and split, turning into a monster of metal and flesh, the black crystal in his chest pounding wildly!
"Thank you, outsider."
At that moment, Ultron Stark's voice became a chorus of countless voices.
"Now, your power is mine!"
But this self-important guy was clearly overthinking it.
Bai Ye's figure instantly appeared behind Ultron; the light column couldn't hinder him in the slightest.
Before Ultron could react, Bai Ye grabbed his metal neck.
"That's it? After all that chatter, you're nothing!"
Golden Light flared in Bai Ye's palm as he directly invaded Ultron's core system.
Ultron's electronic eyes flickered frantically before going dark, his body slumping down.
Seeing this, Wanda and the other two quickly surrounded him and asked, "What on earth happened to this World?"
Wanda frowned at the deactivated Ultron on the ground: "What's the deal with this Ultron?"
Bai Ye withdrew his hand, now understanding what had transpired.
"I just hacked his database and saw the truth."
Susan crossed her arms: "Don't tell me Thanos snapped his fingers again?"
Ju Ziyun was puzzled: "These people sure love destroying Universes at the drop of a hat."
Bai Ye shook his head: "Ultron was right—three years ago a wave did take everyone, but it took not life, but soul."
Wanda pondered: "Soul? Sounds like the power of the Infinity Stones."
Bai Ye looked up at the sky and muttered, "But the method was crude—not like an Infinity Stone's effect."
Susan tilted her head in confusion: "If not Thanos, then who? And why collect souls?"
"I hate riddles, so let's find the answer directly…"
He vanished on the spot with the three of them, instantly reappearing in outer space.
Bai Ye's Eavesdropping on the Clouds Game swept the entire Milky Way like radar, then extended to more distant galaxies.
But the feedback made Bai Ye's expression grow more and more puzzled.
"No life signs in the surrounding galaxies—none in the whole Universe."
"This is a dead Universe."
Hearing this, Wanda pressed, "Not even microbes?"
"No, but there are traces that life once existed."
Bai Ye suddenly narrowed his eyes: "Wait—there's more: temporal fluctuations."
A flash of gold, and the four of them arrived on a desolate Planet.
Howling winds whipped up sand; visibility dropped below ten meters.
"What's special here?" Susan used her Force Field power to disperse the Sandstorm.
Bai Ye bent down and picked up a metal collar from the sand.
"Equipment from the Time Variance Authority."
Ju Ziyun examined the uniformed skeletons a short distance away.
"They were ordinary people, dead at least three years."
"The Time Variance Authority?"
Wanda looked blank; Bai Ye had obviously never told them about this organization before.
"A garbage outfit that manages Timelines!"
Bai Ye toyed with the collar, bad-mouthing them without hesitation. "In theory every choice we make spawns a new Timeline, but they prune the 'wrong' branches to keep the Sacred Timeline stable."
Susan frowned. "So they decide which Universes get to exist? What kind of 'sacred' Timeline is that?"
"The question is, why haven't they come for us? By the rules we should've been pruned ages ago."
Ju Ziyun nudged a skull with her foot. "Seems Bai was right—this Authority is trash."
"Probably they can only tweak simple changes with special power."
Just then Bai Ye looked up, searching, and finally located the Quantum Realm hidden between the cracks.
"Found it—let's go."
Golden Light wrapped the four of them and they vanished into the howling Sandstorm.
TVA (Time Variance Authority)
At that moment a golden flash lit up the Authority's Hall as four figures appeared.
Shattered Holographic Screens hung in mid-air; broken Timekeeper uniforms and weapons littered the floor.
A scorched energy residue hung in the air.
Wanda's fingers traced a crack in the Wall. "A fierce battle happened here—and long ago."
Susan hovered, her Force Field scanning through layers of spatial structure. "The whole realm's been scrambled. What were they after?"
Ju Ziyun knelt beside the debris. "These wounds weren't made by conventional weapons."
Bai Ye stood at the central Console, palm pressed to a cracked control panel.
Data Streams flickered across his eyes, but he caught only chaotic Garbage Code.
"Loki isn't here," Bai Ye said, looking into the void.
"Or rather—he's no longer anywhere."
"Let's see what really happened."
He slowly raised his hands; golden Ripples spread from his palms.
The entire Hall began to tremble as broken Walls reassembled like a film played backward.
Scattered Corpses rose to their feet; congealed blood flowed back into wounds.
Time, under Bai Ye's control, was reversing.
Countless blurred figures flickered around them until the scene froze on one instant.
In the center of the Hall stood a towering Purple Giant in golden armor, hands behind his back.
He looked older and far larger than any Thanos they'd seen; beside him floated a Flaming Skull.
"Kneel, insects," Emperor Thanos intoned.
"Your Deaths will be a release."
With a sweep of his hand the Flaming Skull ballooned, swallowing half the Hall's Timekeepers in an instant.
Those touched by the fire didn't die—they were erased entirely from the Timeline.
Bai Ye snapped his fingers; the rewind halted, freezing the Image.
"Emperor Thanos—just as I thought."
He'd long suspected this one was behind the chaos; no one else would wreak havoc everywhere.
Wanda glanced around. "This Thanos is stronger than any we've met."
Susan looked at Bai Ye. "So he destroyed the TVA to throw all Timelines into chaos?"
Ju Ziyun shook her head. "Madman."
Bai Ye walked toward the Console wreckage and explained:
"Emperor Thanos isn't like other Thanoses. He won't settle for wiping out half of life—he wants the entire Universe annihilated."
Right now his power level is roughly Multiverse tier.
It depends on whether he's gained the Heart of the Universe; if he has, he becomes Omniversal—or stronger.
In the comics he once killed the One-Above-All, showing how terrifying he can be.
Though that wasn't the true One-Above-All, accomplishing even that proves how monstrous a Heart-empowered Thanos is.
Still, from the scene Bai Ye just rewound,
Emperor Thanos hasn't obtained the Heart yet—otherwise he'd have destroyed the entire Multiverseoutright instead of playing these petty games.
Bai Ye stood amid the TVA's Ruins, giving the devastated Hall one last sweeping look.
Residual Spacetime Fluctuations still whispered of that brutal battle, but the trail ended here.
Chapter 196
"Let's head back." Bai Ye withdrew his gaze.
"Emperor Thanos has long since left; staying here now won't uncover any more information."
Wanda nodded. "At least now we know who the enemy is."
Susan crossed her arms. "If that's the case, then this guy is more troublesome than any foe we've faced before."
Ju Ziyun walked silently to their side. "Find him. Kill him."
Bai Ye said nothing more; with a wave of his hand, brilliant golden light enveloped the four of them.
Space-time twisted for an instant; the next second they were back in the familiar living room of the Villa.
Outside the window the Sun was shining and a gentle breeze brushed the treetops in the garden, as if everything they'd just experienced had been an illusion.
Because Bai Ye had dealt with the anomaly nodes, the Multiverse had fallen temporarily silent, and Earth had entered a rare period of peace.
And with S.H.I.E.L.D. around, the Earth of the white night universe was basically danger-free.
Bai Ye finally had some leisure time; after returning he spent every day enjoying life with Wanda and the others.
Bai Ye's Villa
Azure waves lapped gently at the beach. Bai Ye lay on a deck chair, eyes narrowed behind sunglasses, savoring the rare tranquility.
Wanda, in a red bikini, took a sip of chilled juice and asked lazily,
"Now that the Time Variance Authority is gone, won't the barriers between Universes be easier to break? Will more crises pop up later?"
Bai Ye answered languidly, "Exactly. Without the TVA's oversight, the walls between Universes will grow ever weaker."
"From now on we might see all sorts of odd invaders, dimensional rifts, even things that shouldn't exist."
Susan, in white swimwear and sunglasses, stretched languidly on her deck chair.
"Sounds good—Earth's been too quiet lately; a bit of excitement is just what we need."
Ju Ziyun leaned back in her chair, slowly peeling an apple. "Just don't interrupt my sunbathing."
Wanda chuckled, rolled over, and lay on her side looking at Bai Ye.
"So we're just going to wait and see what surprise comes knocking?"
Bai Ye took off his sunglasses and nodded in confirmation.
Susan summed it up with a smile. "If I remember right, that's called 'waiting by a tree for a rabbit.'"
"Exactly!" Bai Ye slipped his sunglasses back on and leaned back.
"But before that—"
He reached into the ice bucket beside him, pulled out a bottle of champagne, and flicked the cork open with ease. "—let's enjoy the vacation."
Wanda laughed and raised her juice glass in salute. "To future trouble."
Susan lifted her coconut drink and clinked it against Wanda's. "To the end of boredom."
Ju Ziyun glanced at them, bit into her apple in silence, and thought to herself that these people really can't wait for chaos!
Still, she said nothing—tacit approval.
The sound of waves, laughter, and distant gulls mingled together...
In the Land of Nihility beyond all dimensions, there is no time, no space—only eternal silence and darkness.
Until a blinding golden light pierced the chaos.
A massive golden throne hovered in the void's center, Emperor Thanos seated upon it in majesty.
He towered larger than an ordinary Thanos, his golden armor still bearing battle scars.
In his eyes there was no madness, only a near-divine coldness.
Beside the throne hovered the flame-wreathed Ghost Rider, silent.
At Thanos's feet, a pitch-black chain bound a hideous monster.
It was the Hulk, hair hanging wild, tusks bared, his eyes devoid of reason, filled only with endless fury and pain.
Thanos slowly raised his hand; in his palm floated a crystalline cube.
Within the cube countless Universes seemed sealed—every rotation birthed and annihilated cosmoses.
"So this is mighty power?"
Emperor Thanos's voice was low, tinged with disappointment.
He closed his fingers; the cube let out a cracking groan. "Still not enough."
Thanos gazed into the void's depths, as though piercing countless dimensions. "To accomplish that, I need more."
He rose slowly, and the void beneath the throne began to warp.
"Transmit my decree to every me across the Multiverse," Emperor Thanos's voice echoed through the emptiness.
"We must find the Heart of the Universe!"
...Somewhere in a Universe
Inside a scarlet expanse, Black Panther TChalla pressed one knee against a black-clad woman's back, his Vibranium claws at her throat.
"It's over," Black Panther TChalla said warily.
"Tell me—what have you done in this Universe?"
Black Swan, blood at the corner of her mouth, gave an eerie smile. "You think I care about this Universe?"
(Black Swan, a member of the Black Order of Thanos)
Suddenly both looked up as the sky split open.
The Earth that had floated above them was now being torn apart by energy rifts.
Continental plates cracked like fragile eggshells, oceans boiled away in the vacuum, and the entire Planet turned into a silent, brilliant firework.
"No!"
Black Panther's pupils shrank, Vibranium claws loosening involuntarily.
"This is your future."
In his moment of distraction Black Swan lunged, only to be slammed back to the ground even harder by Black Panther.
"No tricks."
His Vibranium claws tightened. "You're not going anywhere," he warned Black Swan.
The scarlet space faded; the two reappeared on Wakandan soil.
Held fast to the floor by T'Challa, Black Swan was immediately cuffed by the Royal Guards rushing in.
"My king!"
Okoye charged in with the guards. "We just detected an anomalous energy spike," she reported to T'Challa.
Black Panther rose, gaze grave, and ordered Okoye,
"Convene an emergency session at once. Notify Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and every member of the Illuminati."
T'Challa gave the departing Black Swan one last look, then lifted his eyes to the sky.
At that instant his sight seemed to pierce the palace and reach the distant cosmos. In an exceptionally solemn tone he said, "What we face may be a threat beyond dimensions."
Several hours later, Wakanda's secret conference room.
Inside, the Illuminati sat around a round table; the air was so heavy one could almost hear each other's breathing.
Black Panther TChalla swept his gaze across everyone present.
Captain America Steve Rogers, Iron Man Tony Stark, Doctor Strange Stephen Strange, Mister Fantastic Reed Richards, King of Atlantis Namor, and the silent Black Bolt.
T'Challa's thoughts drifted back to years ago.
They had once gathered like this to discuss forming the Illuminati.
He had refused then, fearing that concentrated power could lead to grave misjudgments.
And because they had no right to decide for all humanity.
Now fate had still driven them here.
Mister Fantastic Reed tapped the table, pulling T'Challa from his reverie and everyone's attention back to the present.
"The interrogation results are in."
Reed's voice was low as he recounted the findings.
"Black Swan destroyed a parallel Earth's—her own homeworld."
Tony Stark frowned. "Why would she do that?"
"A sacrifice," Reed said, pushing his glasses up. "For an entity she calls the Destroyer."
Steve Rogers clenched his fists. "So she was telling the truth? Our Universe is heading for doom?"
Reed drew a deep breath and laid out the conclusion he had calculated.
"According to her confession and my computations, we are not the only Universe; beyond ours lie countless others—a Multiverse."
"Right now these Universes are undergoing abnormal convergence, with Earth as the anchor point of each."
"When two Universes collide, both Earths coexist for eight hours."
"Then either both perish together or..."
He paused, then gravely finished: "one must be destroyed."
(I borrowed part of this setup from the Parallel Universe collision in Kamen Rider Decade; not sure if Marvel comics have something similar.)
Reed's words plunged the room into dead silence; clearly it was a harrowing choice.
Doctor Strange broke the quiet. "The Infinity Stones might solve this."
Tony jumped in. "We can use their power to stabilize the spatial structure and stop the collision."
Black Bolt silently nodded in agreement.
Steve Rogers looked around. "Then let's vote, ladies and gentlemen."
Hands rose quickly—everyone's except Black Panther's.
"T'Challa?" Namor asked, puzzled.
Black Panther rose slowly, voicing his concern: "I support the plan, but we must consider the possibility of failure."
The meeting adjourned; after the rest left, Black Panther stopped Mister Fantastic.
"Reed, if the Stones fail, what will you do?"
Mister Fantastic halted, not looking back, and answered plainly:
"Then, to save our Universe, we will have to become executioners."
At that moment his voice was barely a whisper: "Destroy the other Earth."
After everyone had gone, Black Panther stood alone at the conference-room window, watching the Wakandan sunset.
He recalled the final look Black Swan gave as she was led away—not fear, but pity.
"My king!"
Okoye's voice came from behind. "Shall we initiate the defense protocols?"
Chapter 197
Black Panther was silent for a long time, then finally spoke: "Prepare for the worst-case scenario."
"War?"
"No." At that moment, Black Panther TChalla's voice was as heavy as Vibranium: "It's a choice."
...white night universe
S.H.I.E.L.D., new Base.
The vast underground training ground was brightly lit; hundreds of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents stood in neat formation.
Each wore a sling-ring on their finger, beside them stood Kamar-Taj mages in sorcerer robes.
The air hummed with arcane energy; golden Portal sparks flickered in every corner.
On the high platform, Bai Ye leaned against the wall, observing everything below.
By his side, Tony Stark adjusted the training field's energy barrier via hologram.
Sorcerer Ancient One stood quietly to one side, while Dark Doctor Strange 197 leaned on the railing, watching the Agents.
"Good progress."
Bai Ye's gaze swept over the Agents practicing Portal magic below: "Faster than expected."
The Ancient One smiled faintly: "Kamar-Taj's modified spells work better than imagined."
Tony beside them rubbed his chin and grumbled:
"Honestly, I still think magic ought to have a scientific explanation."
Dark Doctor Strange chuckled: "Then explain how your nano armor appears out of thin air."
Just as Tony was about to lecture Strange on nanotech, Bai Ye raised a hand to stop their bickering:
"Enough, Tony, let's not argue over trivia."
Bai Ye pointed overhead and reminded everyone:
"Threats from beyond the cosmos remain, and Multiverse collisions have already begun."
They all understood; the Ancient One had long explained the Multiverse collision.
"When crisis comes, S.H.I.E.L.D. will be the first line of defense."
Bai Ye's voice echoed through the Base, "And you…"
His gaze swept every Agent and mage.
"…will be the key to protecting this World."
With his last word, every Agent raised their hand; hundreds of golden Portals bloomed overhead like brilliant fireworks.
Tony shrugged: "Okay, that is pretty cool."
The Ancient One looked at Bai Ye: "Are you ready to face them?"
Bai Ye didn't answer at once; he stared into the void.
"It's not whether I'm ready," Bai Ye said confidently. "It's whether he is ready to face me."
...Golden sunlight poured through the French windows; Bai Ye lounged on the sofa, faint golden light swirling around him.
Every ray of sunlight transformed the instant it touched his skin, converting into pure energy that merged into his body.
Across the living room, Wanda wove crimson butterflies with Chaos Magic, teasing Dijiang who floated in mid-air.
The little creature's paws flailed happily, gurgling in delight.
Susan played fetch with Fire Phoenix—if a sphere burning with Eternal Flame counted as a ball.
Ju Ziyun sat quietly in the corner, Ink Qilin lying at her feet, letting her comb the hair around its jade horn.
Bai Ye closed his eyes, thoughts drifting to last night after leaving S.H.I.E.L.D.
Back then, to prepare for possible trouble,
Bai Ye had extended his perception across the Multiverse—and he'd been right.
He sensed many Universes drifting closer together.
Clearly something was manipulating the Multiverse; someone was doing this on purpose.
The good news: their Universe hadn't been affected yet.
The bad news: if it were a simple collision, he knew which major event it was.
(Checked Marvel's big events this afternoon and found one that fits—might as well fold it into my earlier plot.)
But recalling recent events, he felt it might not be that simple.
Still, the storm hadn't broken; Bai Ye couldn't be sure whether this Marvel event had changed.
So boring—what's going on… His fingers drummed the sofa armrest.
"Hey, what're you thinking?" Wanda's voice pulled him back.
Bai Ye opened his eyes to find the three women before him, the three divine beasts curiously gathering close.
"Nothing."
He smiled and ruffled Wanda's red hair.
"Just feeling bored, looking for something to do."
Wanda blinked: "Maybe hop to another Universe? You did it last time."
Susan hugged Fire Phoenix and added: "Go ahead. Things aren't worst-case yet; we'll guard this Universe."
Ju Ziyun allowed herself a rare smile: "Maybe another Universe has something more interesting waiting."
Looking at them, Bai Ye's gaze softened.
"No rush—I haven't enjoyed this hard-won peace long enough."
The sunlight stayed warm, and cheerful laughter filled the living room.
Bai Ye pushed the unknowns to the back of his mind; whatever changes lay beyond the Universe, the present peace was worth savoring... Right as he was enjoying the quiet life.
The Universe that had predicted the Multiverse collision had already acted.
At this moment, in the Illuminati's secret chamber, Black Panther TChalla stood by the window, his gaze sweeping over the members seated around the round table.
His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the failed rescue operation.
They had gathered all six Infinity Stones, and Captain America had snapped the fateful, hopeful fingers.
"We followed the plan," T'Challa said, voice low.
"The Stones did push the parallel Earth away a little."
Tony Stark drummed his fingers irritably on the table. "But it wasn't nearly enough."
T'Challa remembered the despair: they had watched Steve don the Infinity Gauntlet and snap; the parallel Earth had indeed been pushed back.
Yet just as they began to breathe again, the Stones blazed with blinding light and shattered into fragments.
Even more bizarre, the Time Stone vanished into thin air.
Which meant they had lost the Stones' power and probably had no other means left.
A stifling silence now filled the Illuminati chamber.
T'Challa looked at the World's brightest, mightiest heroes, now as lost as frightened children.
"We argued, even came to blows."
His gaze traced the bruises on every face.
"But the problem remains: the Multiverse collision has begun, and our Universe is about to be destroyed."
Mister Fantastic Reed's brows knit with anxiety. "If we've tried everything else..."
He paused, then said, "perhaps only one option is left."
"Destroy the other Earth that's colliding with ours."
Namo spoke the word everyone had been avoiding.
The air in the room seemed to solidify.
T'Challa saw Stephen Strange's face go pale; Tony's fingers stopped drumming.
Everyone knew what had to be done, yet they fled from it—because they were heroes.
But reality warned them: if they refused, both Universes would perish.
Perhaps annihilating that single connecting Earth would let them live—but that meant erasing billions of real lives!
They couldn't do it; they couldn't betray their morals, and the torment had gnawed at them for days.
Yet this was why the Illuminati existed—to guard what they had sworn to protect.
"We are superheroes."
Steve Rogers rose suddenly, eyes blazing with anger.
"How can we even consider this?"
"Got a better plan?" Namo shot back. "Watch both Universes burn together?"
Silence fell again; Steve had laid bare the moral contradiction.
He glanced at the others, wavered for a second, then declared firmly,
"Guys, if we stand together, we can always find a way!"
Black Panther couldn't help interjecting, "Steve, the Universe is ending—what good are slogans now?"
Steve rounded on T'Challa and demanded,
"So you're telling me we should slaughter innocents on another Earth just so we survive?"
"Is that your moral code, T'Challa?"
Namo slammed the table and rose, shouting, "So you'd rather the whole Universe die with you? Steve, have you asked anyone else if they want to live?"
"It's wrong—no matter what, we can't do this!" Steve stood his ground.
"We unite and find a better way!"
"Steve, we're talking about two Universes' worth of lives!" Black Panther interjected again.
Silence reclaimed the room.
Tony finally spoke. "Let's vote."
The tally was swift: everyone except Captain America chose survival.
Steve stared at Tony in disbelief. "Tony, even you?"
Tony couldn't meet his eyes. "I can't abandon our Universe."
"You're betraying everything a hero stands for!" Steve roared.
Mister Fantastic sighed and turned to Doctor Strange. "Wipe his memory—this moral compass doesn't belong in the Illuminati."
Doctor Strange nodded silently, formed a sigil, and a flash of green light sent Steve Rogers crumpling to the floor.
Chapter 198
With Steve's collapse, the conference room fell silent once more.
T'Challa looked at Steve lying on the floor, conflicted.
He knew the Illuminati had stepped onto a perilous path.
Yet the fate of the Universe weighed on everyone so heavily they could barely breathe.
"Prepare to move."
At last T'Challa spoke softly, still wrestling with the moral choice inside him.
He understood—they all understood—that if no other way remained, they would do it.
They would do it because it was what they had to do.
No other reason: it was for every life in their Universe.
Given the choice, they'd rather not.
But they were too weak; they had no power to flip the table and were forced to accept this trolley dilemma.
0… white night universe, underground lab beneath Bai Ye's Villa
Under the lab lights, two suits of armor hovered motionless in energy fields, surfaces rippling with different energies.
Bai Ye stood to one side, tapping the hologram; the armor's inner structure unfolded, dense data streams flickering past.
Wanda circled the god slayer armor, brushing a finger across the arcane Runes etched on its surface.
"These Runes look familiar." Wanda narrowed her eyes. "You worked Kamar-Taj magic into it?"
"More than that."
"Asgardian Runes too, plus new structures I parsed from cosmic energy."
Bai Ye flicked a hand; the projection shifted, revealing the armor's energy conduits within.
"The original God-Slayer relied on an external power source; I rewired it to draw straight from the Universe."
Susan folded her arms, her Force Field ability rapidly scanning the structure. "Material?"
"Vibranium base, plus uru metal and Dwarven Forging—can shrug off a planetary hit."
Bai Ye rapped the breastplate; a dull metallic echo rang out.
"All that defense comes at a cost: the strain on the wearer is extreme."
"Without a body tough enough, you'd be vaporized by the energy feedback the instant you put it on."
Susan arched a brow. "So it's for us?"
"You can use it, and so can Wanda." Bai Ye glanced at Ju Ziyun.
Ju Ziyun nodded impassively. "Science I don't get—can I wear it?"
"You can, but prolonged combat isn't advised."
Bai Ye smiled and turned to the other suit, explaining:
"As for the Hellbat Armor—" (patterned after Batman's set).
The black armor quivered slightly in the field, as though alive.
Bai Ye reached out; the suit broke into countless Nano-Units, flowed like water over his arm, then snapped back together.
"It works the opposite way: instead of outside energy, it taps the wearer's own."
"The original design burned life-force; I swapped that for internal energy and magic."
Wanda touched the armor; her Chaos Magic brushed it and the Runes flared scarlet, responding to her power.
"Will it suck the user dry?"
"If you're short on juice—yes." Bai Ye nodded.
"But you and Susan don't need to worry; with Infinity Stones powering you, your internal energy is near-limitless, so the armor actually becomes stronger."
Susan stepped to the Hellbat and pressed a palm to the breastplate. "How much output?"
"Without tapping the Stones, it can one-shot a star."
Bai Ye called up a projection simulating the energy peak.
"At full burn it can match a Celestial—for a short time."
Wanda shrugged. "Looks like fights just got easier."
Bai Ye shook his head. "These suits are toys I built for fun; you two already outclass their ceiling."
"If we're swarmed, let Thor try, or Hulk—their energy never runs dry."
Susan folded her arms, intrigued. "What about you? Don't need armor?"
Bai Ye spread his hands. "My body's already tougher than any suit; wearing one would only hold me back. My current set looks cool—good enough."
Ju Ziyun stared at the armor and suddenly asked, "If the enemy's too strong and the suit's destroyed?"
"Self-repair is built in; as long as the core isn't completely annihilated, it can reassemble."
Bai Ye snapped his fingers; both suits returned to standby.
"Just try not to wreck them too badly—repairs are a pain."
Wanda laughed. "dear, you're a genius."
"I just like tinkering." Bai Ye shrugged.
"Oh, and Thor's lightning can sync perfectly with the God-Slayer—just don't overdo it."
Susan laughed and said, "Are you afraid the armor will blow up while you're playing with it?"
"So I added an energy limiter," Bai Ye said with a smile.
"Unless there's a real crisis, the armor won't let him mess around."
The laboratory fell into brief silence, broken only by the low hum of the Force Field.
All three knew exactly why Bai Ye had left these two sets of armor behind.
It was clearly so everyone in this Universe would have the power to protect themselves after he left.
"So, are you about to go sightseeing in other Universes?"
In the end, Susan was the first to speak, looking at Bai Ye.
"Yes!" Bai Ye didn't hide it, nodding in admission.
Ju Ziyun walked silently to his side, tugging at his sleeve. "Oppa, come back soon."
Bai Ye smiled and ruffled her hair, then turned to Wanda. "Don't worry, I..."
"Go ahead," Wanda cut him off before he could finish.
"We're not kids anymore; we can take care of ourselves."
Susan crossed her arms. "Bring back some interesting souvenirs—like the kind from Di Jiang and his crew."
She winked playfully. "Something like them."
Bai Ye nodded and called out, "illusion dream, store the two armors."
"Yes, sir!"
illusion dream's voice responded immediately as mechanical arms descended from the ceiling and carefully stowed the two armors into specially made display cases... "Highest-level protection protocol activated."
"armor systems on standby, ready to deploy at any moment!"
Bai Ye nodded, hugging the three of them one by one before parting.
Then he snapped his fingers; golden light blossomed around him, space twisting and rippling.
He waved to them one last time, his figure turning translucent.
"Wait for me to return," Bai Ye's voice came just before he vanished.
Before the words faded, a flash of gold—Bai Ye was gone from the lab.
Wanda, Susan, and Ju Ziyun stood in place, staring at the now-empty lab.
After a few seconds, Susan suddenly said, "So, can we sneak a try-on of those armors now?"
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Those armors aren't much fun; leave them as exhibits."
Ju Ziyun walked silently to the display case and pressed her palm against the glass.
Meanwhile, in the crevice between space and time, Bai Ye was racing through a kaleidoscope of dimensional tunnels.
The next instant, his figure vanished at the tunnel's end, speeding toward an unknown Universe.
Soon, Bai Ye descended upon an unfamiliar Universe.
This time he didn't land on Earth directly but appeared in outer space.
No matter—after orienting himself toward Earth, he simply teleported there.
To figure out what Universe this was, scanning the planet was the quickest way.
After all, most movies are Earth-centric.
Once on Earth, Bai Ye extended his awareness to envelop the entire planet.
He began reading the World's information; countless data flooded his mind as he filtered for anything useful.
Soon he frowned—this Earth's desolation was unprecedented.
Not desolate as in lacking signs of life,
but apocalyptic: roads choked with weeds,
crumbling cities, dust-laden shops, debris of metal and stone everywhere.
Most importantly, Bai Ye sensed two colossal metal robots fighting atop a distant ruin!
Moments later, Bai Ye realized there was something off about the robots' identities.
One was a Transformer; the other, though equally huge, moved far less nimbly than a Transformer.
The fight didn't last long; the second robot already had many holes in its body.
Soon it shattered under the Transformer's relentless assault and crashed to pieces.
Victorious, the Transformer transformed into a green Mercedes sports car and roared away.
Nice, Bai Ye thought, opening his eyes with a grin.
Transformers!
What luck—just a random jump and he'd landed in the World of the Transformers.
What guy doesn't love giant robots that can transform at will?
Though Bai Ye had once created something similar using reality powers and the twelve talismans,
it wasn't authentic; compared to true Transformers, the meaning was different.
To borrow Li Bai's line from Honor of Kings: "Nostalgia, got it?"
But after the excitement subsided, Bai Ye noticed something odd—Transformers has many movies and cartoons, yet he hadn't seen any characters from the plots.
And the current Earth looked post-apocalyptic.