[Zaelum: There is a poll in P@tr3on to decide the fandom of the next fanfics! It is free for everyone!]
Honestly, Leon could've devoured faster.
But Tiamut's struggling was getting intense—if Leon let it rampage, Earth could've suffered a cataclysm.
So he took a little extra care, shaving down Tiamut's collateral impact on the planet.
Thankfully, before dawn he finished digesting the Celestial.
Otherwise, there was a real chance Tiamut might've broken free.
"My god, Leon—you actually pulled it off!" Tony was buzzing. "Honestly, I had no idea how I was supposed to help."
"In a fight at this tier, you really can't do much," Leon smiled. "But I believe you'll get your shot later."
Just wait—once Tony levels up his armor again, he might actually scratch Thanos.
Tony nodded.
He had superpowers now—matter conversion, fabrication from the void.
All very solid abilities.
But he'd also noticed these powers needed energy. With Leon's reactor as a base, he could design impressive builds, but the raw output was only in the hundreds of battle power.
City-busting? Sure, easily.
Still not enough.
Tony eyed Leon, already toying with the idea of an anti-Leon armor.
Problem was, he had no read on Leon's true ceiling.
A portal irised open.
The Ancient One stepped through, lifted her gaze to Leon. "How do you feel?"
Leon clenched his fists. Power roared off him—winds howled across the room in an instant.
The Ancient One drew a sharp breath. "You've grown stronger. Again."
"At least triple," Leon grinned.
A quick check: 15,000,000 battle power.
Under a true full moon, in Great Ape form, he'd hit 150,000,000.
Roughly on par with Goku's first Super Saiyan burst.
But Leon would much rather trigger Super Saiyan outright.
The Great Ape looked terrifying, sure, but the sheer size made it a bit clumsy.
And it was only a 10× multiplier.
Super Saiyan was 50×.
The Ancient One nodded slightly. "If that thing had awakened, Earth would've been finished. Good thing you left no loose ends."
Leon was about to answer—
—when a dreadful will slammed into him.
A spike of pain lanced through his mind.
When his senses cleared, he found himself in a void of darkness.
Before him stood a towering figure, and a voice boomed like thunder: "Mortal, you slew Tiamut."
Leon looked up at the colossal silhouette, frowning. "You're Arishem?"
Arishem the Judge.
One of the Celestials.
He was the one who had seeded Tiamut in Earth to await its birth.
His power was, frankly, absurd.
Arishem looked down at Leon and repeated, "Mortal—did you kill Tiamut?"
"I did," Leon said with a cold smile. "What, Arishem—here to avenge him? Come to Earth. I'll be waiting."
A crushing pressure surged from Arishem. "Mortal, your audacity knows no bounds. You have offended the divine—you are guilty of an unforgivable sin."
"Oh? Is that a threat?" Leon snorted, striking a cocky pose. "Come on, then."
"Impudent!" Arishem thundered.
"If you've got the guts, come to Earth. Let's see who fears whom," Leon sneered—and snapped his fingers.
The black void shattered like glass.
Leon was back in his living room.
"Leon, what happened?" Tony asked, tense.
Leon glanced at Tony, then the Ancient One. "Big deal. I think I've just provoked a very big problem."
The Ancient One's brows knit. "What kind of problem?"
Leon drew a deep breath and laid out the Arishem encounter.
Both Tony and the Ancient One fell silent.
Tiamut was gone, but there was still the Celestials—and Arishem.
Made sense. In Eternals, Tiamut didn't even awaken and Arishem personally came to Earth. Now Leon had devoured Tiamut. That's divine desecration.
Of course, Leon wasn't going to fold.
If it had to be done, it would be done.
"We took out Tiamut, and now comes someone worse," Leon said. "Didn't expect Earth to be this cursed. If I'd known, I might've held off on Tiamut."
Tony shook his head, voice firm. "This isn't on you. Devouring Tiamut was to protect Earth. You made the right call—don't beat yourself up."
"Do I look like I'm beating myself up?" Leon chuckled. "Relax. If water comes, we dam it; if soldiers come, we'll meet them in battle."
Then he turned to the Ancient One. "Master, you're the Sorcerer Supreme. Can you wield a divinity shard?"
As he spoke, Leon lifted his hand—
and a shard of divinity glittered in his palm.
Tiamut's.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]