Chapter 454: Dog Talisman Resurrection!
"Who's calling me?" Silas had been submerged in a void of endless darkness, but through the haze, he faintly heard someone calling his name. He snapped his eyes open.
Upon waking, he was greeted by a crimson space. There was nothing here—no sun, no moon. Silas didn't even know if he was truly "himself" or just a lingering thought. The only certainty was that he was supposed to be dead.
"Is anyone here?!"
Silas called out experimentally. He began to walk through this land of death. After several minutes of travel, he realized this place was similar to the Shadow Kingdom—boundless and infinite.
"The Realm of Death..." Silas sat on the ground, staring blankly at the sky. Or rather, the lack of one.
Did he win? Did he lose? And why were there no other souls here? Shouldn't everyone who vanished be gathered in a place like this?
Ding!
A crisp sound echoed from within Silas's body. Before he could react, a stone talisman flew out and hovered before his eyes, engraved with the image of a small dog.
"The Dog Talisman..." Silas whispered. He slowly reached out and caught it.
Boom!
The Dog Talisman instantly shattered into countless motes of light, surging into Silas's body.
"Such abundant power!" Silas's face lit up with joy. He felt a literal fountain of energy erupting from his core.
The twelve Talismans began to rotate inside him. The Tiger Talisman flared with a brilliant white light, and suddenly, the chaotic, explosive energy settled. The feeling of being about to burst vanished, replaced by a profound stability.
If his previous power level was a raging, uncontrollable stream, it was now an ocean—quiet and calm on the surface, but possessing enough raw power to drown the world.
"I have everything I need now!" Silas clenched his fist. As he did, the phantom roar of a bull echoed through the void, loud as thunder.
A path leading back to the human world appeared before him. Through the rift, he could see the reality of Earth. Without hesitation, Silas stepped through the crack.
The world materialized around him as he reintegrated into reality.
"AAAH!"
The moment Silas appeared, people on the street were startled by his sudden manifestation.
"This is...?" Silas looked around, his eyes widening. This was... Earth?!
To avoid trouble, he immediately activated the Snake Talisman for invisibility. He then tried to open the Shadow Kingdom to teleport back to New York, assuming Peter and the others were waiting for him.
"Huh?!" Silas frowned. He tried to dive into the shadows, but the Shadow Kingdom wouldn't open!
How could the Shadow Kingdom's ability have vanished?!
Silas used the Rabbit Talisman to fly to the roof of a nearby skyscraper. Looking down at the crowds below, he attempted to summon his Shadow Ninjas.
Shua! Shua! Shua!
Three humanoid Shadow Ninjas materialized behind him, kneeling respectfully.
"You aren't them." Silas looked back and knew instantly. These were not the specific ninjas he had summoned back in the Marvel world. Even if they looked identical, Silas could recognize his own.
The Shadow Ninjas looked at each other and tilted their heads. What was their master talking about?
To ensure his other powers were intact, Silas tested the Talismans. They worked perfectly.
"And magic...?" Silas tried a Kamar-Taj spell. Orange-yellow magical shields flared in his hands.
Magic was fine. Talismans were fine. The Shadow Ninjas were slightly off, but the biggest problem was the Shadow Kingdom.
"System," Silas said.
[Hello, Host. How can I help you?]
"The System is still here too." Silas frowned. Then why was the Shadow Kingdom malfunctioning? "By the way, System, right before I died, didn't you mention a reward of Villain Points?"
[The Host surrendered the final Infinity Stone, assisting Thanos in assembling the Gauntlet and eliminating half of all life in the universe. Your Villain Points have now reached 99,999,999.]
"Nearly a hundred million..." Silas hadn't expected such a massive payout just for providing an "assist." If he had snapped his fingers personally, what would the reward have been?
He didn't hesitate. "System, exchange everything for the Demon Chi!"
[Deducting Villain Points... Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the Sky Demon Chi...]
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the Water Demon Chii...]
[Congratulations...]
In an instant, the remaining six Demon Chis were integrated into his soul. The only thing missing were the Eight Immortals' weapons, which required Justice Points.
Host: Silas Parker
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Lifespan: Immortal
Abilities: Shadow Kingdom, Twelve Talismans, Eight Demon Chis, Kamar-Taj Magic, Dark Magic
Current Status: Confused and Excited
He was excited to finally have the full set of powers, but confused as to why his Shadow Kingdom wouldn't allow him to traverse back to his New York.
"What is going on...?" Left with no other choice, Silas used a Kamar-Taj portal—something he usually avoided using unless necessary.
Zzzzt!
A ring of orange sparks rotated in front of him, expanding into a glowing portal. Silas brushed a stray spark off his shoulder and stepped through, arriving in New York.
New York
"This is even weirder." Silas crouched atop a skyscraper. This was where Stark Industries was supposed to be, but now it was just an ordinary commercial building. Stark Industries had vanished.
"Stark turned to ash, but did he take the whole company with him?" Silas shook his head. That made no sense. Even if Tony were gone, the company would experience turmoil, but the building wouldn't just be replaced by something else.
Furthermore, he noticed the New York Sanctum was gone too. That was a vital defense against the Dark Dimension; it couldn't just disappear.
Using the Rabbit Talisman's extreme speed, he flew to the location of his old home. There was a house there, but it wasn't his. A family was outside putting up Spring Festival couplets—clearly a Indian family.
In his memory, Uncle Ben didn't know any Indian families.
"Something is wrong with this world."
Silas couldn't wait any longer. He summoned thousands of Shadow Ninjas and sent them across the globe. He needed to scout every inch of this reality. He then tried to contact his Shadow General, Rei, but received no response. It was as if she didn't exist here.
"What's happening?" Silas sat on the edge of the roof, holding his head in confusion.
"Hey! Brother, you okay?" A Black man suddenly walked over and asked.
Silas looked up. Seeing the man's cheerful expression, he asked, "Half the people on Earth disappeared. Aren't you sad?"
"Half the people?! Brother, Endgame is out, you really should go see it. Stark's final snap saved everyone and defeated Thanos," the man said with a grin.
"Wait! What did you say?" Silas stood up abruptly. This man knew about Endgame.
"Oh... sorry. I accidentally spoiled it. I just got out of the theater and I'm still excited," the man said sheepishly.
"The theater?" Silas realized the nature of this world. Theaters... Endgame...
Silas patted the man's shoulder. "Thanks." He immediately flew toward the nearest cinema.
"What's with that guy? I spoiled the movie and he's happy?" The man scratched his head, thinking Silas was a bit eccentric.
The Cinema
Silas looked up and saw the movie poster for Avengers: Endgame.
"Oh my god..."
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