He felt as if he had stepped into muddy water. Shaking his shoes would have cleared him, but suddenly he discovered that the mud pit was not only bottomless but also teeming with bizarre objects.
He had a preliminary understanding of who Dua was, and what the aliens were. Wu Xinmo had also made an assessment. Even if this group were placed in hell, as long as they could survive their initial weakness, they would have a place.
Wu Xinmo had also considered that as Mephisto's most talented offspring, he might be targeted by the troublesome natives upon entering this universe marked by Mephisto, making his progress difficult.
He also considered that Mephisto's hidden deeds in this universe might lead to powerful enemies hunting him, so he had been prepared to flee at any moment.
But now, for no apparent reason, a strange object suddenly rushed towards him, attempting to enter his body.
"What the hell? I'm a demon! My blood is more terrifying than the acid humans create. Whoever you are, how dare you humiliate me in this way?"
The Wu Xin Mo remained calm, merely frowning, not yet realizing the gravity of the situation.
He hadn't connected the intrusion into his body to Dua, believing it was some sneaky human casting a curse on him.
But after a closer look, the Wu Xin Mo's frown deepened.
"The enemy is incredibly powerful! Who's targeting us? I don't recall anyone possessing such a strange ability."
Freshly arrived in this universe, and before they'd even done anything, they were being targeted? How could the Supreme Sorcerer of this universe react so quickly? Besides, a normal Supreme Sorcerer wouldn't cast a curse.
Generally speaking, only a cosmic deity possessed such terrifying insight.
The Wu Xin Mo's expression darkened, and he immediately launched a counterattack. But when he sensed the presence of the object entering his body, his face changed, and extreme terror washed over him.
"Who's targeting you?"
"Strange, I don't sense any trace of magic. Are you sure you're not mistaken? Is this a real attack, not an illusion?"
The other demons surrounded the Witch Heart Demon, perplexed and bewildered, wondering what had become of this young demon.
The Witch Heart Demon was a notoriously madman. He was cunning, but under the constant pressure of Mephisto, his madness was also truly madness.
The Witch Heart Demon muttered in horror, "It's the Alien."
"What? Dua's subordinate tribe? How could he have discovered us so quickly?"
"Could it be because he's become a cosmic god, bringing the entire Earth under his purview?!"
"Even if that's the case, how did he attack? I didn't detect anything."
Terror crossed every demon's face. The attacker was Dua! The god of this universe!
Even the most mediocre universe, if it could become a cosmic god, was simply beyond the reach of these demons.
Unless Mephisto himself personally engaged in battle, regardless of the outcome, he would at least be equal to Dua in terms of status.
The demons were unaware that Dua had voluntarily forsaken the power of the World Tree in pursuit of the higher realms of conceptual deity.
"Asshole! Asshole! Wu Xinmo, you never told us this universe was so dangerous! We're confronting a local god the moment we arrive?"
"Shut up, Fengmo. Now's not the time for internal strife. I just don't understand. Isn't Dua a god? If he were to take action, it would be against Mephisto. Why would he attack us personally? He has several Sky Fathers under his command. It's impossible for him to do it personally."
If it was a Sky Father, Wu Xinmo and the other demons could still put up a fight. At most, a few would die.
Wu Xinmo was terrified, but he also realized that this wasn't Dua's direct gaze, but rather the manifestation of some regional law.
Even this alone made Wu Xinmo's scalp tingle.
He first unleashed a demonic spell upon the Wind Demon, incinerating the offending subordinate and causing him to wail shrilly.
"Duwa isn't paying direct attention to us. We must have entered his domain and are now being invaded by the rules he has established. Once certain conditions are met, we'll have to face his power. However, I haven't figured out what went wrong yet."
The Witch Heart Demon frowned, eliminating the nearly complete parasite, but then became concerned that this action might anger Duwa again.
"Boss, spare me, spare me!" the Wind Demon screamed. "You still need my help against Mephisto's demons! You also need my help against Duwa's aliens..."
But soon, the mad demon's screams ceased, replaced by a look of horror.
He had heard that cold voice, and sensed something attempting to merge with his body.
Unfortunately, the Wind Demon was a being of energy, lacking a true flesh and blood body.
Just as the Wind Demon was bewildered, a powerful wave suddenly erupted, soaring from thousands of kilometers away and directly towards the Witch Heart Demon and his group.
"Damn, so that's how it works! Calling that person's name a certain number of times will parasitize them? I've never heard of such a ridiculous cosmic rule! What kind of experience did that person go through to deserve such a rule? Now I'm just calling out their name, but if I repeat it silently in my mind in the future, will I also be parasitized?"
Wu Xinmo's hair stood on end, but he dared not mention Duwa's name again. Every drop of blood in his body felt like it had fallen through a thousand-year-old iceberg, trapped in an icy chill.
He grabbed his other minions and fled like the wind, but he didn't forget to slap the Wind Demon in the face.
As expected, Skorchi came charging at him.
Having gained the immense power of the World Tree, Skorchi had advanced from his original sub-father-level status to a practically celestial-level deity. Sensing that the Wind Demon's parasite had failed, he charged forward, determined to eliminate it immediately.
This half-Asgardian, half-wind giant executioner didn't even use a weapon, relying solely on his two fists, grasping immense divine power and striking the Wind Demon with a single blow.
"The Witch Heart Demon also rejected Duva's power. Why didn't you pursue him? Is it because you couldn't defeat him?" The Wind Demon didn't even have a chance to escape. He watched with hatred as the Witch Heart Demon and his companions fled at lightning speed, and looked at Skorchi with a look of despair.
"No, Duva can accept the failure of parasitism, but he can't tolerate people like you who don't even have a body to continue to roam freely. He hates people like you without bodies the most."
At least, this was the situation before the alien evolved the ability to parasitize laws and energy, Skorchi thought silently.
"??? Many cosmic gods are the embodiment of rules and energy aggregates. Does your god really want to kill all of them? As far as I know, many universes' Nars haven't done this!"
"So Nar is now living a life worse than death, and can only survive as a part of Duva." Skorchi paused for a moment, then replied earnestly before dispatching the Wind Demon with a single blow.
He glanced up at the direction the Witch Heart Demon had fled, his eyes alight with desire. He longed to charge forward and dispatch the demons one by one, but after a moment's hesitation, he confirmed that Duval hadn't given him the order to pursue, and with regret, he could only depart.
Duval's gaze had already been fixed on the invading demons the moment the Witch Heart Demon spoke his name.
In the past, monitoring spatial fluctuations and blocking interdimensional intruders was the Ancient One's job.
"Oh? Strange's out in force! How rare!"
Duval sensed the magical fluctuations emerging from Earth and glanced over. Just that single glance was enough to clearly see Strange's current state. The size beneath his voluminous robes was unmistakably that of a demon.
Duval immediately understood what Strange had done.
"He's actually embarked on the path of devouring? So he's so reckless, even devouring his own bloodline. Even more extreme than Black Strange."
Duval stroked his chin, a look of amazement on his face.
Black Strange is a rare and insane Doctor Strange in the entire multiverse. He has severed his positive personality, which now serves as the true Sorcerer Supreme, handling Earth's affairs. Black Strange himself, however, remains hidden, fully activating summoning circles, calling upon demons from countless dimensions. Whenever one appears, he absorbs them, growing stronger and more insane. Once powerful enough, he forcibly alters time, causing the fundamental structure of the universe to collapse, and the entire universe collapses into a singularity.
Black Strange himself eventually becomes so powerful that he can even battle Ultron, the Six Gems.
This universe's Doctor Strange has now embarked on a demonic path.
"Demon... never mind. It depends on how Strange performs. The multiverse is full of eccentric minds and unconventional lunatics, so one more wouldn't make
a difference," Duvall said, shaking his head.
Given his current status, even though he's no longer a Cosmic God and has fallen back to the level of a Heavenly Father, few in the universe would be so blind as to bother Duva over such trivial matters.
Even a Cosmic God would have to consider the consequences of his actions when dealing with matters involving Duva.
This was the powerful deterrent Duva had wielded after defeating Knull. Duva also possessed immense confidence in his own strength. If he so desired, he could immediately reclaim the World Tree's divine power, which had been distributed to Thor, Skorchi, and the others, and become the World Tree God once again. However
, Duva was too lazy to do such a thing. If another war between the gods broke out, Duva wouldn't even bother to intervene. At most, he would dispatch Thor, who controlled the majority of the World Tree's divine power.
...
Duva didn't care about the Sorcerer's Heart Demon. He could ignore those from other worlds he didn't care about, but Strange was interested in the Sorcerer's Heart Demon.
"The Wind Demon is dead. Thankfully, that person didn't attack us and doesn't care about us at all."
The Witch Heart Demon, still feeling a lingering fear, felt a sense of déjà vu. "From now on, no one is allowed to call that person's name! In this respect, he's even more terrifying than Mephisto. As long as we're within his domain, calling his name too often will bring disaster."
"It's unfortunate for us demons, but fortunately for the indigenous humans... But we just extracted a few human souls to extract information. Is that okay?"
"Fool! Even if we don't take action, humans are dying all the time. From old age, from illness, from car accidents, from suicide. How can that person save them all? Unless he built this universe's Earth into a utopia without killing and despair from the very beginning. The fact that he didn't do that already makes his position clear."
The Witch Heart Demon, on the other hand, didn't mind this, believing he had a preliminary understanding of Duva's psychology.
While the loss of a powerful subordinate was a pity, the Witch Heart Demon reconsidered that using a mere Wind Demon to test Duva's limits was actually a huge win.
"Avoid that person and his aliens whenever possible. Whether or not Mephisto has clashed with him, that's not our business. Our primary goal is to find Mephisto's descendants in this world and kill them by any means necessary."
The Witch Heart Demon's face was gloomy. He hadn't been in this world long, but he'd lived through immense oppression and pain, a situation that had forced his cruel nature to erupt.
Just then, a golden portal opened before the Witch Heart Demon.
Strange, 1.9 meters tall and with blood-red skin, appeared before the Witch Heart Demon.
"Aha, it seems you're the descendant the old man mentioned. But I didn't expect Him to choose you, Strange. He's a little off, and you're even more off."
The Witch Heart Demon sensed a blood connection with just one glance at Strange.
Universes aren't static; the relationships between different inhabitants vary depending on the universe they inhabit.
A prime example is Iron Man. In some universes, Iron Man's full name is Tony Odinson. He doesn't possess any inherent physical prowess, but with his iron armor, he can perfectly wield Mjolnir's power and wield the might of Thor.
If this universe's Strange were, from birth, a direct descendant of Mephisto's incarnation, the Sorcerer wouldn't be too surprised.
But the fact that Strange absorbed Mephisto's bloodline, altering his genes and transforming himself into a demon is somewhat surprising.
Strange, cold as ice, said, "I'm not Mephisto's descendant, but that's okay. As long as I can confirm you are, that's all."
"Ha, you're actually challenging the great Sorcerer?"
"More than a challenge, I'm going to consume you like I devoured Mephisto."
Strange's attack was exceptionally brutal, wielding the Time Stone directly, causing the Sorcerer, who had previously been quite confident, to frown even more.
Powerful green light condensed in Strange's hand, forming a time ring that expanded wildly, distorting time in the surrounding area.
Although he couldn't unleash the Time Stone's full power, even a fraction of it would have been enough to stun the Witcher.
But then again, the Time Stone directly affects the flow of time throughout the universe; even a partial change would inflict damage to the very fabric of time.
More importantly, Duval's subordinate, Moira, already possessed supreme control over time, having already used this power to infinitely restart it, thereby sealing Knull.
Now, Strange was forcibly manipulating time again. Considering the sheer scale of the universe, even the tiniest ripple in time would have a disproportionate impact on certain groups conducting special operations.
A group of outsiders encountered a subtle ripple in the timeline, leading to a significant deviation in their actions.
"Very good. Although we nearly fell out of the time tunnel, we escaped unharmed. According to the original plan, we must obtain the Infinity Stones as quickly as possible without affecting this period of history... Now, let's check the current time..."
Chapter 136: The Confused Avengers of Universe 199999.
Time is an extremely dangerous force. A single misstep could trigger a cosmic upheaval, distorting the entire timeline beyond recognition.
Therefore, anyone who interacts with time, especially those who time travel to achieve a specific goal, must exercise caution.
Unless one is a god, a single-universe god can interfere with the time of the entire universe, while a multiverse god can shake the time of the entire multiverse. Without such power, minimizing the potential for a butterfly effect from one's actions is the wisest course of action.
At least, that's the thinking of the group of time travelers who stumbled into this universe due to a sudden time fluctuation. They made every possible preparation, crafted a meticulous plan, and carefully selected the right time, all in their pursuit of the Infinity Stones and their return to the history that saved them.
"Guys, bad news! We've arrived two hours after the Battle of New York begins. This is terrible news."
Captain America, looking a bit weathered, glanced down at the computer on his arm, his expression suddenly changing.
A heavy look crossed the faces of the others.
"It seems the strange appearance has disrupted time. Time doesn't react so violently without a reason. It's like a massive vortex suddenly appears in a calm ocean. After spreading far and wide, the tiny ripples that remain just happen to cover stowaways like us."
Tony, with his aged face, looked grim. This was exactly the situation he feared most.
Ant-Man Scott complained: "Why are we so unlucky? Logically speaking, we are directly traveling through the time of our universe through the quantum tunnel. There is no action of crossing parallel universes. Why are we still affected?"
"There is also a possibility. It is precisely because we took the risk of time travel that we were affected. At the time level, cause and effect are often chaotic. If we don't make this time travel, we will not be affected by time fluctuations-well, I know this sounds like nonsense, but I believe you can understand what I mean."
Tony explained impatiently. Sometimes, he really didn't want to waste time on explanations that didn't make much sense but had to be made. This was a necessary measure to unite the entire team.
Tony continued, "Our Pym particles are dwindling, leaving us with limited opportunities. We can't guarantee that our next time travel won't be affected by unknown factors, causing further deviations. So, we need to prepare for the worst. At this point, two hours after the Battle of New York, we must obtain the Infinity Stones and return safely."
"How do we do that? Do we have to steal the Pym particles at this point in time? It seems there's no better way," Dr. Banner said.
"I think it's more important to figure out what's causing the timeline shift. Otherwise, we can't guarantee we won't be affected when we return."
Tony's face was grave. "But the bad news is, since we've already been affected by the time fluctuations, it means that everything we do now could be a result of those changes. This will affect us. Maybe our thoughts, memories, words, and actions have actually been altered, but I can't be sure."
Despite his intelligence, this was his first time traveling through time, and all his research on time was limited to theory. As for what true time travel actually entailed, and what unexpected situations might arise, Tony was completely clueless.
"Let's first clarify the situation. It's a bit too quiet around here. There are signs of fighting, but it looks like it's been a while. It doesn't look like they've just defeated the Chitauri. Friday, connect to this world's internet and gather intelligence to prepare for our acquisition of the Infinity Stones," Tony ordered his AI.
Quickly, the results of the analysis of various major events at that point in time were transmitted to the four people's laptops.
According to their initial thinking, even if the two-hour delay from the Battle of New York caused a major setback in the Infinity Stones theft, and it would be difficult to find another easy opportunity to obtain the Infinity Stones,
it wasn't completely impossible.
"Wait, is there something wrong with the data Friday provided?" Dr. Banner said with difficulty.
"...Looks like I'm not the only one with this thought."
"Dua, Knull, the God of Symbiotes, the Sentinels... Who are these guys? I know about the Aliens and Dormammu..."
"This, this planet has erupted in a galactic war, billions of symbiotes have attacked Earth in this timeline? Has something like this ever happened in our history? How come I don't know about it!"
"This suggests one thing: either some special reason has caused a drastic change in the history we know, or we've simply arrived in the wrong place, in an unfamiliar timeline."
Tony glanced at the information in his hand, picking out a few key points and feeling a deep sense of unease.
Numerous videos uploaded by netizens appeared online. Just clicking on them showed a black tide of symbiotes, seemingly obscuring the entire universe, madly rushing towards Earth, devouring everything and leaving the planet covered in people and animals possessed by symbiotes.
Horrifying creatures called Aliens, thronging the oceans and reproducing crazily, battled various powerful enemies under the command of a man named Duua.
The terrifying, densely packed alien hordes, their robotic-like efficiency and precision in their killing, deeply shocked the superheroes from Universe 199999.
Their perspectives were shattered when they saw a vast swarm of aliens soar into the air, charging into outer space for battle.
Then there were the brutal clashes between gods, spanning countless light years in an instant, shaking planets and shattering space and time.
This was a realm they could not imagine. While they were still focused on carefully traversing time, the gods of this world saw time as a mere toy, to be manipulated however they pleased.
"We must now understand what is happening in this universe and why it has deviated so drastically."
Several Avengers, paralyzed, began to move in fear. Even from their shadows, observing the present-day New York City, this familiar yet unfamiliar city numbed them completely.
Everywhere they looked, aliens could be seen darting out from the streets, scurrying across rooftops and walls.
New Yorkers, however, acted as if it were normal, some even cheering from a distance upon seeing the aliens.
A sense of solemnity and security achieved an eerily perfect balance.
Seeing this scene, the four heroes fell silent.
Especially the intelligent Tony and Banner. They exchanged glances, as if realizing something, their faces turning pale as they rapidly calculated on their computers.
Scott was stunned: "I say, have we traveled to another universe, into the alien universe? These are all aliens, right? But this world also has some heroes or criminals we are familiar with - of course there are many guys we have never heard of. Look at this Knull. The official archives established for Him clearly record that this is a god with a lifespan of at least tens of billions of years, with the ability to manipulate energy, travel through space, and control the mind... Damn, where did they come to this conclusion? Did the human named Duval put a god on the dissection table? "
"Maybe there is Knull in our universe too, but our level is too low, and we have no chance to contact him for the time being - maybe people like Thanos know."
"This is the worst news." "That's right. The one who commanded the aliens and nearly destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. must be countless times more powerful than Thanos. I'm sure we're in big trouble, just as I suspected."
"Isn't that a good thing? If such a being existed in our history, I don't believe Thanos could have wiped out half the universe's population."
"It's not that simple. It's not a question of strength, it's the aliens... This means that the aliens in our world may have originated from the one who rules them in this universe. Perhaps it's some kind of projection mechanism from a parallel universe, or some other set of rules at work."
Tony and Banner spoke anxiously, both using words like "parallel universes"; they had already sensed this.
For these two intelligent men, the idea that events in one universe could manifest themselves in another in a different way was surprising, but not unacceptable. Regarding the theory of parallel universes, some scientists had already proposed similar hypotheses.
In fact, in the years following Universe 199999, Doctor Strange made a brief stop in the comic book universe during his numerous cosmic journeys to stop the evil Scarlet Witch.
The videos and cryptic messages circulating on the internet in this world were truly shocking, making Tony and the others feel like they, the superheroes who saved the world, standing at the pinnacle of humanity, were like barbarians who had never seen the advanced world.
In comparison, their universe was simply weak.
They could understand the wars between mortals, but they could not observe the wars between gods through video or text, and could only imagine them.
"It's terrifying... Take a closer look. Three years ago, the level of civilization on this Earth was roughly synchronized with our universe. It's just that a new branch of humanity called 'mutants' emerged in this Earth's history, causing numerous racial conflicts with ordinary humans... The overall strength of the superhumans on this Earth is far greater than ours, but it was Duval who truly widened the gap, escalating the conflict to god-level levels."
"Look at Tony Stark in this world. He's written numerous papers, containing detailed discussions of gods, even analyzing the laws of the universe. It's as if this universe's Tony has truly become a god," Banner said, projecting a virtual screen from his computer and pointing to one of the papers.
"The me in this universe may not have become a god, but he's definitely come into contact with divine power. Duval is one example, and so is this hundreds-meter-tall robot."
Tony then opened a video showing this universe's Tony controlling a Celestial Armor, soaring and escaping at speeds exceeding the speed of light. A single attack could easily cause global tectonic shifts.
This silenced the four heroes.
This universe was profoundly out of their league. Although the world's population had dwindled due to successive disasters, it was significantly smaller than its own before Thanos halved the population.
However, the overall level of this world far exceeded their imaginations.
From Tony's perspective, they couldn't even imagine how humanity in this world had survived repeated planet-destroying disasters.
What should they do now? Go back? Return empty-handed?
At that moment, over 100 kilometers away, a deafening roar erupted. The ground trembled faintly, and tall buildings swayed slightly wherever they touched.
"Who is fighting? There's such a big commotion."
"Look at those green halos, that's the Time Stone! And it's the wizard of Kamar-Taj who is using it! Is that the Ancient One?"
"The Time Stone... maybe we will encounter changes in the time flow and come to this unrecognizable place because of the warring guys. No matter what happens on this Earth, we must find a way to save our world! Let's change the plan. Banner and I will go to the Time Stone, and Captain, you and Scott will go to Stark Tower. If you really encounter a dangerous situation, I have entered the key code of Jarvis into your computer. That will establish a connection with Jarvis in this world, so that it will not regard you as enemies. Maybe it can help you and hide you in the huge Stark Tower to establish a reliable base for us."
Tony made a prompt decision and said quickly: "The universe is similar in most aspects. We can only hope that this will be beneficial to our actions. Remember my words, our ultimate goal of time travel is to save our own world. No matter what happens on this Earth, there will naturally be people and gods in this world to solve it."
The four-member team immediately dispersed.
Captain America and Ant-Man secretly infiltrated Stark Tower. In this world, it also served as the Avengers' headquarters, though their presence seemed less pronounced.
Fortunately, they were undetected by the swarming aliens.
"Captain, any plans? The Tesseract shouldn't be in Stark Tower, right?"
"I hope so. Listen, have you seen that guy? This proves Tony's words are correct. Most of the universes are the same. While we don't know why these guys are here, they might be carrying the Tesseract."
Captain America zeroed in on a short, bald, bespectacled man who looked more like a white-collar worker than a Hydra agent.
Hydra agent Regit, accompanied by Crossbones and others, was entering the elevator carrying a briefcase.
"Strange! If there's no Chitauri invasion, how can these agents operate in Stark Tower? Has this universe's Tony teamed up with the dying S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Captain America's face flickered with unease, but he gritted his teeth. If he missed this opportunity, he didn't know if there would be another.
"...Captain?"
As Regit and Crossbones entered the elevator, they saw a muscular blond man enter, awkwardly clutching a shield. He froze, his body stiffening, a look of fear in his eyes.
"What are you trying to do?" the burly man asked, his heart pounding.
"Rumlow, you're nervous."
Captain America took a deep breath, called out Crossbones' name, then turned to the motionless Regit, saying, "Things have changed. I need the box you're holding."
He hesitated for a moment, sensing something strange in the atmosphere. He realized something must have happened he wasn't aware of, perhaps he'd been exposed? But it was clear something wasn't right. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Long live Hydra."
"Enough, you lunatic! You've destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. and all our hard work! Now you're trying to play us like this? Are you playing games?"
Faced with the terrifying pressure, Regit could no longer endure it. He had no idea what Captain America was up to: "Avengers assemble!"
With a determined determination to die, a group of men madly pounced on him, pinning him to the wall.
Captain America: "???"
Chapter 137 The cosmic springboard that Duval has his eyes on
"Captain, Jarvis just cracked a server of the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D., and I have a major discovery! It's a bit complicated to say, but in this universe, after escaping from the hands of the Symbiote God Knull, you immediately launched a rebellion and massacred the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra..."
Tony's voice was extremely solemn and horrified. He spoke quickly: "This world is more terrifying than we expected. Even if we exclude things like gods and demons, there are still many risks hidden. There are still many things I haven't figured out. We may be caught if we are not careful!"
After a second or two, the voice of his old buddy Captain America rang out: "Well said, but it's too late."
"Your efficiency is always so efficient. Have you sneaked into Stark Tower? But why is there something wrong with your voice? What did you do?" Tony became serious.
"I'm trying to trick the briefcase from these Hydra agents. I suspect there might be a Cosmic Cube in it, so I have to give it a try."
"Then what? Is the problem solved?"
"It's solved now. These guys are like fanatics, shouting incomprehensible words like 'my blood is gone' and want to fight me to the death. I dealt with them." Captain America said.
"Now you understand."
"Yes."
Captain America stood in the elevator, looking down at the Hydra agents lying in a circle, took a deep breath, kicked down, kicked up the shield, and grabbed it in his hand: "I finally understand why their expressions were so weird when they saw me holding the shield. It turns out that the shield I used in this universe seemed to have been broken by a guy named Hyperion, but who is Hyperion? Another guy I haven't heard of, who can even break my vibranium shield?"
Tony answered after a few seconds: "Hyperion... I just found out, like Thanos, he is from the Eternals, because "For unknown reasons, they came to Earth, were killed by Duval, and then transformed into aliens—I guess some god is involved again, because only a god could command a being of this caliber to trouble Duval."
Tony complained, "This Earth is terrifying. You never know when a vicious creature would appear. And guess what happened over here? I saw the magician fighting a demon! He was holding the Time Stone, and he sent the demon fleeing in panic!"
Captain America couldn't understand what Tony was talking about. After all, he wasn't surprised by anything strange happening in this world.
Even aliens existed, and their master was a terrifying god of human origin.
"A human named Duval created the aliens and became the most powerful on Earth. Even something like that happened, so I'm not surprised anymore."
Captain America opened the box and took a look. He confirmed it was the Tesseract, but he noticed a corner was missing, but he didn't mind it too much.
He wanted the Space Stone inside anyway, and he didn't care about the cube itself, which carried the Space Stone's power.
"Tony, are you sure you don't need my help?" Captain America asked.
"No need. I've taken a look at the situation here and I'm sure your presence is pointless. If Strange or that devil targets me, I might have a chance to escape, but you're doomed."
"Good luck, then. Give up the Time Stone if necessary."
Captain America turned and looked around. "Scott, you haven't spoken in several minutes. Where are you?"
But Scott didn't respond.
Captain America's heart skipped a beat, and he had a foreboding feeling. Scott was a bit of a chatterbox. He had originally thought that Scott might have shrunk and was somewhere in the elevator.
"Scott?"
"Scott Edward Harris Lang. I just captured him. The Scott in our world doesn't have this kind of shape-shifting equipment..."
A voice that was very familiar to Captain America spoke.
"Also, the Jarvis key code you hold is, in my opinion, obsolete. I retired these programs seventeen generations ago. As you can see, our universe is too dangerous, with too many powerful beings. To protect ourselves and others, we must strive to improve ourselves. If we are like the me you know, progressing at an excruciatingly slow rate, that won't do."
Captain America immediately knew who had hacked into his encrypted channel.
This universe's Iron Man
was stronger, more fierce, and, of course, more determined than the old friend he knew.
"Stark?" Captain America called out tentatively, "We have no intention of interfering in the affairs of your world. We just want to get the Infinity Stones to save our world. They will be sent back immediately after they are used up. Our coming here is an accident."
"I guessed it. From the moment you entered my territory with seriously outdated codes, my Jarvis scanned and analyzed your relevant information at the first time. I am not too surprised that you are from another universe. The theory of parallel universes is not a profound knowledge. I have witnessed with my own eyes that the Father can shatter time and space, the gods of the universe can travel around the universe at will, and the Kamar-Taj wizards and the demons of hell are fighting fiercely, so the appearance of a group of visitors from parallel universes is already a common thing."
Tony in this universe spoke with a calmness, or indifference. It was a kind of calm mentality when observing minor incidents after seeing too many extraordinary scenery.
Furthermore, he had personally modified and piloted the wreckage of the Celestials, possessing a personal understanding and in-depth research into the true nature of a single-universe-level being.
In fact, if he could truly master the Celestial Armor, he could barely be considered a Celestial.
But even so, Tony felt a pang of fear at the thought of using this power against Duval, Gnar, Dormammu, Mephisto, or any of the other strange individuals.
He continued, "What truly astonishes me is that your world seems incredibly weak. The other me who joined Strange's group seems at least ten years older than I am, but analyzing the code he gave you and the nanosuit he uses reveals that the power he wields is truly pitifully weak. I don't know what happened in your world to leave you so weak, resorting to time travel to obtain what you desire from our powerful universe."
Courage is commendable, but even foolish and reckless.
A bunch of superheroes from a weak universe, straying to a far more powerful parallel universe to steal...this operation is truly speechless.
"Isn't there anyone from your universe who stepped up to resolve the crisis?" Tony asked.
"Yes, we are."
"Oh, I don't know how to evaluate your heroic act. Your world is lucky to have you step forward, but also unfortunate. I can't let you take the Tesseract like this. This thing is the important driving core I have chosen. Without it, I can't control the Celestial Armor."
The Celestial Armor...Captain America immediately recalled the video he had seen, the hundreds of meters tall super armor. "I'm sorry, to you, the Cosmic Cube is just a small part of the grand plan, but to us it is everything. I must bring the Cosmic Cube back and use its power to save our world." Captain America said in a deep voice.
"Then it seems there's no room for negotiation. You can not care about your own life, but you don't even care about Scott's life?"
This sentence made Captain America silent for a long time. Finally, he sighed and threw the box of the Cosmic Cube on the ground: "You win. I find that your moral standards are much more flexible than the Stark I know. Now I understand why you colluded with Hydra agents."
"Watch your wording. Collude? This is clearly a waste utilization. These guys parasitized S.H.I.E.L.D. and were beaten to pieces by you in this universe. I used them to get the Cosmic Cube. What's the problem? If I don't take it, that person might take it. What's more, based on my understanding of him, that person probably won't take the power of the Cosmic Cube to heart. He will just play with it casually and then throw it to one of his aliens."
"That person? Duva?"
"It seems you don't know yet... Do you want to know why you in this universe suddenly went crazy?" Tony's voice was full of weirdness. He wanted to remind him, but finally shook his head and felt it was unnecessary.
He knew for sure that Duval had likely noticed these creatures the moment they entered this universe.
Even if they hadn't, how could the aliens, spread across the globe, have been completely unaware of their arrival? If
the aliens had noticed, then Duval had noticed. The fact that these creatures had reached the edge of Stark Tower without any hindrance meant that the aliens were deliberately avoiding them.
Tony couldn't believe that a god, or at least someone who had become a god, could be so slow in reading and receiving information.
He speculated that Duval either completely ignored these outsiders, or that he was planning something even more terrifying and needed to make better use of them.
"But even if Duval truly wanted to use these people, what's the point? The Earth they're on is so weak, it's unlikely to bring any useful benefits,"
Tony pondered silently. For now, he could only call out Duval's name in his mind. He suspected that in a few years, even thinking of Duval's name would be heard by him, and he would be forced to possess an alien.
This is an inevitable trend, and Duva will undoubtedly advance in this direction.
At this point, Duva is a true cosmic god. Any living being in the universe, anyone who knows Duva's true name, is ultimately a potential vessel and servant of the aliens.
...
Elsewhere, Tony in Universe 199999, upon losing contact with Captain America and Scott, quickly calmed down.
"Looks like we have no choice? I don't know when we were exposed. Our hiding seems petty. It's better to be more open and gain the respect of our masters who are watching us."
Tony simply stepped forward, and he and Banner fiercely watched the battle, observing this universe's Strange intently.
When Strange clashed with the Witcher, his black robes completely incinerated by the Witcher's spell, revealing a figure that stunned Tony and Banner.
"Is this Strange?"
"No, he's a demon in Strange's appearance! What happened to this world's Strange to become like this? He clearly possesses the Time Stone, so how could he be like this?"
Tony and Banner were horrified, their worldviews completely overturned. They found this world horrifying. Their familiar comrades had so many tricks up their sleeves, seemingly every single one of them possessing a unique skill.
Countless time rings gradually locked the Inner Demon down.
Even though the Inner Demon was Mephisto's finest offspring, he was outmatched by the Time Stone.
"I finally understand why that old man hates the Infinity Stones... These cheap yet powerful things are found across so many universes. No wonder he detests them so."
The Inner Demon was incredibly wasteful. If it weren't for his incredibly long lifespan, he would have been worn down to death by the Time Stone.
Even so, he didn't want to continue. After all, he wasn't a single universe, nor did he have a Hell dimension to bear the brunt of his losses. As his trusted subordinates fell one after another at Strange's hands, the Witch Inner Demon felt extremely frustrated.
"You bastard, you clearly possessed Mephisto's bloodline, yet you're still using the Time Stone on Kamar-Taj as a weapon?! Where's the power of your bloodline, your demonic magic?!" The Witch Inner Demon unleashed various spells to counter the Time Stone's power.
Strange's expression was stern. "I seized Mephisto's power to gain a more powerful body, to better pay his debts... I don't have the Ancient One's backing, nor do I have the centuries-long lifespan she enjoys. To achieve quick results, I had to take shortcuts. But thank goodness you're here."
A fierce glint shone in his eyes. Perhaps he had never been so obsessed with anything in his life.
Strange knew the insanity of this universe. For example, Duval alone had the power to infinitely restart the universe, specifically to imprison the evil god Knull.
If he wanted to alter the timeline and truly resurrect Christina, he would have to pursue time, and even powers beyond time, with even greater frenzy.
Otherwise, even Duval would be unable to circumvent him. As for his frantic activating of the Time Stone, he was aware of the chaos and rifts it had caused in the universe's timeline, as well as the unsuspecting travelers who had stumbled into this universe, but he paid no heed.
Even if the Christina from the parallel universe arrived, Strange wouldn't spare a second glance, for she was nothing like the Christina he desired.
Even at this moment, Strange was convinced that Duval was watching everything unfold here.
And indeed, Duval's vision easily encompassed the entire Earth.
"Interesting! Strange's actions have given me an unexpected surprise. In that case, I can tolerate his continued reckless use of the Time Stone."
Duval stroked his chin. Universe 199999 was a unique place, the core of an entire system, a super-castrated version of Universe 616.
"Alright, although I'm not particularly interested in universes like 199999, which have low combat power, I can speculate on some conclusions based on the level of value it holds... If I succeed, perhaps I'll have a chance to touch upon..."
Chapter 138: My Technology Superior to Yours
. Universe 199999, to put it bluntly, is the main universe of the film system. From any perspective, this universe's overall strength cannot rival the main universe 616 of the comics.
But that doesn't mean Universe 199999 is without merit.
As mentioned before, Marvel's multiverse is constantly expanding and is not static.
This system encompasses a vast and diverse array of entities, not just Marvel itself. Within the multiverse, there are even the Men in Black universe, the Transformers universe, and so on.
Aside from the existence of a creator deity and an omniscient being, no one can predict what new concept will emerge within the multiverse anytime soon.
If, one day, a deity were to explicitly inform Duvall that the new universes centered around Universe 199999 are essentially entirely new concepts born within Marvel, Duvall wouldn't be surprised; rather, he would take it for granted.
From a higher perspective, overlooking the entire multiverse, birth and destruction are often intertwined. New concepts that have successfully integrated into the multiverse, recorded and replicated by it, gradually become confused with older concepts, making it impossible for later generations to distinguish which is younger and which is older.
But Duva knew.
At least part of it.
But as he observed these intruders from Universe 199999, Duva also pondered a very interesting question.
If Universe 199999 is viewed as a super-castrated version of the main universe, then the universes of Six Gem Ultron, Black Strange, and the Quantum Zombie Virus are essentially derivative worlds of Universe 199999. Taken together, these universes could actually be considered a miniature multiverse.
And miniature multiverses are not uncommon for many powerful beings; they can even create miniature multiverses manually.
Even within the DC multiverse, the Goddess of Creation's eldest son, World Forger, manually created a miniature multiverse, intending it as a fallback in the event the Goddess of Creation awakened and destroyed the multiverse. However, this miniature multiverse was shattered by a single blow from Superman of the main universe.
Duvall dismissed the overall strength of Universe 199999. He had reason to be so, having briefly become the God of the World Tree. From the perspective of a single universe, he naturally didn't give Universe 199999 a high evaluation.
However, this didn't mean that this mini-multiverse lacked capable individuals.
Six Gems Ultron, Black Strange, and others were incredibly powerful, worthy of Duvall's serious consideration.
"These guys stumbled upon my universe to steal the Infinity Stones... They're unsure of what happened on the temporal plane, and they don't have much time or opportunity to experiment. So, the best strategy is to secure a few of the Stones in this universe as a backup, then return to Universe 199999."
"But even if I desperately try to get them back with the Stones, can they really use the Stones from my universe in Universe 199999?"
This raises a very interesting question.
Normally, a set of Infinity Stones can only be used in the universe that spawned them. That's the normal theory.
If this rule were broken, the entire multiverse would be in chaos. The Infinity Stones are arguably the most common artifacts in the multiverse. Considering the sheer number of universes in the multiverse, this means countless powerful characters, each armed with a set of Infinity Stones, would wreak havoc across the entire multiverse.
The spectacle would be breathtaking, with each possessing a powerful individual, some even approaching multiverse-level power, rampaging across the multiverse. I'm afraid even multiverse-level gods would be utterly mortified by such a scene.
Therefore, each set of Infinity Stones is bound to an artifact, becoming useless outside of a specific region.
A classic example is the Justice League vs. Avengers event, where Darkseid took the Infinity Stone-studded Infinity Gauntlet, examined it, and discarded it like trash. He immediately realized that it was completely worthless within the rules of the DC Universe, unable to exert even a shred of power.
But within the 199999 universe, this is a different story.
Ultron can wield all the Infinity Stones and wreak havoc across parallel universes. His fierce battle with the Observer has rippled across numerous universes.
This is highly intriguing. Perhaps this particular multiverse has a unique set of rules that are shared across all regions.
Even if so, Duval wouldn't have dedicated his energy to a specific scheme solely for the sake of coveting the Infinity Stones' power.
Duval reasoned that, looking across the entire multiverse, there's no better springboard than Universe 199999. Once he reaches a higher level, he'll first identify a crucial universe where he can reap the greatest rewards and secure his ticket to the DC multiverse.
For Duval, who aspires to conceptualize godhood, nothing is more crucial than expanding his conceptual body. To achieve this goal quickly, he naturally must simultaneously expand his concepts across both multiverses.
Success wouldn't simply be a promotion to a single universe, but a path directly towards multiverse-level status. As for even greater magnitude and omnipotence, Duval remains a distant prospect.
"I remember those guys calling my name so many times, and it really got me excited. I should consider when to deploy the aliens against them."
Duval pinched his earlobe, pondering how to utilize these saviors.
...
Tony, number 199999, was truly horrified by this universe. He stared intently at the battle between Strange and the Witcher. It was truly thrilling, and the information contained in every second was eye-opening.
Mountains were razed to the ground, plains were reduced to ash, and the power of time flowed rapidly between the two men, like a toy.
"Any ideas?" Tony asked in a dry voice.
Dr. Banner paused for a moment before responding with difficulty, "I think our coming here was a mistake. My intuition tells me that we should abandon this operation, flee back to our world immediately, and find a way to erase all traces of us, lest the gods of this universe or other terrifying entities discover us and track us back to our world."
Running away wouldn't solve the problem, but it might prevent it from getting worse. They didn't want to wipe out half of their hometown's remaining population.
This time, Tony remained silent. He watched the battle, the data streams flashing frantically on the screen before him. Friday's computing power couldn't even keep up with the pace of the two men fighting, let alone assess the level of power they were wielding. That thing, a demon, a devil, or a ghoul, was fine—perhaps a specialty of this universe. But Tony was somewhat familiar with Strange, yet he couldn't even begin to construct a character model for the demon-like Strange before him.
Using the Time Stone's power, Tony could analyze it, but once magic from various sources became involved, Tony couldn't keep up.
Indeed, any AI he developed, whether it was Jarvis, Friday, or Veronica, would likely be obsolete in this world.
But what about Ultron? This intelligent life form, capable of rapid learning and evolution, would surely thrive in this world.
Tony had finally come to the realization that on Earth, a dangerous and powerful place, madmen might have more room to thrive.
Unfortunately, he wasn't a madman, but a genius.
"Tony, what do you think the people on Earth who have already targeted us plan to do with us? Are we invaders to them?" Banner asked anxiously, his anxiety growing at the thought of Captain America and Scott, who had lost contact.
"Invaders? I don't think so. The most likely person to discover us is Duval. Of course, it could also be me from this world. But either one is no match for us. All we can do is improvise."
Improvise. There was a time when Tony hated the word "improvise" the most. It implied he was powerless to change the situation.
When was the last time he felt this way? Oh, it was when Thanos snapped his fingers, the cosmic butcher crushing them with overwhelming force and taking all the Infinity Stones.
Then, the tide of battle changed. Strange launched a reckless attack, armed with the Time Stone and other artifacts, and ultimately defeated the Inner Demon.
"No, it shouldn't have been like this. How could this be my fate? I lost to a half-blood bastard like you, a scum who stole demonic blood! And that old bastard Mephisto, he sent me here on purpose. He used me again..."
The Inner Demon cursed. Some things can only be truly seen in the final moment.
It's not that He hadn't anticipated this possibility. Even if He had, He wouldn't have taken it to heart. He had never imagined that He would crash in an ordinary universe without even a number.
But He hadn't expected to crash, and even couldn't escape. That would have been fine, but what even the Sorcerer Heart Demon couldn't tolerate was the thought that His body and soul would become nutrients to nourish this mad human, consumed and absorbed.
This human's actions were even more insane than a demon's, because even demons wouldn't blindly absorb the bloodline of higher-level demons, as this would easily lead to their own collapse.
"You misunderstand. Whether it's you or Mephisto, I will deal with them one by one. It's just a matter of time, and now, time is in my hands."
Strange absorbed the Sorcerer Heart Demon bit by bit, just as he had absorbed the three Mephistos before.
From the outside, he looked like a true demon, a high-level demon of noble bloodline.
"You outsiders had better leave this world immediately." Strange suppressed the instinctive urge to kill, his face twitching, a terrifying look that would terrify even the demons of Hell.
"It's too late to leave, Stephen. No, Strange, that's your name in this universe, right? I've lost contact with my two comrades. I don't know who's captured them, and they can't send any message."
"It's most likely the alien master's men. He's omnipresent in this world. It won't be long before the alien population reaches a certain level, and he'll become omniscient and omnipotent." Strange was impatient, his temper worsening. "Leave here. I may not need to protect Earth, but I'm still the Sorcerer Supreme. It's my duty to expel you outsiders."
You look like the Sorcerer Supreme? What inspired the previous Sorcerer Supreme to choose you?
Tony wanted to complain. If it weren't for the Time Stone and the numerous magic spells, he wouldn't have guessed who this guy was.
"Alien Master, are you talking about Duval? He's so powerful! According to the intelligence I just deciphered, he even defeated a giant snake from another world? Visitors from another world are nothing new to him, right? We haven't done anything to threaten him, so I think he won't consider us enemies, at least." Tony felt pained.
But Strange's expression was even more painful. "The information you've deciphered is semi-public. The truly confidential information is stored in Duval's head. Also, you shouldn't call Duval's name directly. It would be a disaster for you."
"You did the same."
"I don't care about my life or death, do you?"
Tony fell silent, finally realizing what he'd overlooked.
It seemed that the name Duval was appearing more and more frequently, not only online but also in the public. However, in some confidential data, it was referred to by other words.
What would happen if he called out this name?
"Assimilation?" Tony tried to think from Duval's perspective, thinking about the characteristics of the alien creatures and the special group of people called alien heroes... his face instantly paled.
But alas, as if sensing his presence, a force descended from the sky, effortlessly piercing Tony's armor and piercing his body.
"You're lucky to have this opportunity. It also means he took a second look at you, showed even the slightest interest in you." Strange's face twitched, unsure whether to offer congratulations or sarcasm, perhaps even unsure himself.
"Tony, what's wrong with you? My intuition tells me something's not right with you." Banner, who possessed some of the Hulk's abilities, wore a serious expression, keenly aware that something was amiss with Tony, a living being seemingly appearing within him.
"This suit of yours would have been world-class three years ago, but it's now utterly outdated. It lacks even the most basic magical defenses and powerful artifacts. It's completely inadequate."
Strange gazed coldly at Tony, whose face paled, then quickly rosy with the genes of the alien larvae, and turned away.
Duval took over these aliens, and Strange would no longer be involved. He didn't know what Duval was planning, to send an army of aliens to attack the parallel universe?
Chapter 139: Bring back some local specialties. After all, since he was already here,
Tony Stark, an outsider, had never felt such a wonderful feeling.
He should have been furious, because upon arriving on Earth in this universe, he would be technologically humiliated by the natives, no matter what level.
Even someone like Strange, a demonic sorcerer with no knowledge of advanced technology, could openly despise his most proud nanotechnology.
But Tony didn't have the heart to dwell on it now.
Listening to the eerie voice, he was shocked by the changes in his body.
His aged frame, wrinkled skin, sagging muscles, and stiff ligaments, all burst into a constant flow of vitality. His physique was recovering at an astonishing rate, easily surpassing the level of his youth.
Vision, hearing, smell, strength, speed, nerve reflexes, cellular activity—every aspect of it had experienced improvements he had never dared to imagine.
This made Tony realize that, physically speaking alone, he was already a seminal superhuman.
Considering the enhanced reflexes and brain activity, there might even be a slight increase in intelligence.
"Friday?" Tony asked, remaining calm.
"All your physical indicators are improving dramatically. From that perspective, it's a good result, if you ignore the living creature that suddenly appeared in your chest."
"Is that thing that suddenly appeared in my chest... an alien?"
"Comprehensive analysis shows it meets the criteria for an alien. It's developing rapidly, but I can't pinpoint how it suddenly appeared in your body. It's like it was originally a part of you, which clearly defies physical logic."
Friday reported faithfully. Meanwhile, a model of Tony's body appeared on the screen, with countless data points rapidly changing, allowing Tony to keep abreast of his various physical indicators.
This left Tony's mind boggling: "Why is this happening? This doesn't seem like magic. Calling Duval's name will infect me with an alien?"
Tony finally understood why Strange looked at him that way.
He finally realized that some of the bizarre rumors about aliens he'd previously scanned on this world's underground network were actually true.
Tony spent a few seconds appreciating his own strength. With this body, he figured he could easily live for hundreds of years, giving him more time to develop technology and explore the unknown, at least without being repeatedly despised and lashed out by the people of this world.
But alas, this transformation was forced upon him by the gods of this Earth, in the form of an alien parasite.
He didn't like being passive.
"Friday, immediate surgery to remove the alien embryo," Tony declared decisively. "This feeling of rebirth is captivating, but it's not the path I want. I don't care how Duval observes me, whether he wants to kill me or use me, it doesn't matter. What I seek is not immortality, but saving my world, saving my family and friends."
Tony's voice was filled with determination. If he truly desired a superhuman body, to put it bluntly, even within his own universe, there were many ways to do it.
While Universe 199999 lacked a truly large mutant population, meaning there weren't a plethora of X-genes to research and exploit,
there were numerous methods of enhancing physical strength and prolonging life, including mechanical modification, intelligent life, the Extremis virus, and the Hulk serum.
Tony used none of these, maintaining his mortal form and dedicating all his combat power to his armor.
But Friday delivered unfortunate news.
"Sir, the alien embryo has seamlessly integrated with your internal organs. Immediate surgical removal will not protect them."
Tony's face darkened. What was this? A local form of forced buying and selling?
This was a complete joke .
"Steve in this world suddenly went mad and destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D., I suspect because of this extraneous entity within him..."
Tony looked around. The area had been razed to the ground by the battle between Strange and the Inner Demon, but even then, Tony could vaguely discern nimble figures moving swiftly in the distance.
He knew they were aliens.
On this planet, no matter where you go, you can't avoid the aliens.
"What a terrifying creature! In just three years, he's transformed a normal Earth into his possession, and even developed the technology to teleport aliens..."
Tony looked at his chest, the youthful, full muscles and smooth skin. Alas, an alien resided within.
Beside him, Banner frantically searched for a solution, but ultimately shook his head dejectedly. "If what they say on the internet is true, the rumors say that Duva can receive the information uploaded by every alien, like a super-large local area network. Even if we successfully remove this alien now, I'm afraid new ones will be sent here immediately. I'm even more worried that our actions will anger Duva."
No one wanted to deal with the local gods right away.
Tony glanced at him. "You called Duva's name too..."
"Perhaps I haven't reached the required standard yet. I haven't been parasitized yet. Besides, I've merged with the Hulk. Now, every drop of my blood is teeming with gamma rays. A normal alien embryo would be killed the moment it entered my body."
Banner spread his hands, feeling helpless.
This might be considered an advantage, but it's completely useless.
Whether he was parasitized by the alien or not, it actually didn't matter anymore. Even if he wasn't parasitized, would he abandon Tony and the others and escape from this world alone?
At this moment, a figure came quickly and stood in front of the two of them.
"It's an amazing speed, but I don't know which poor host this alien was hatched from."
Tony complained about the super-speed alien in front of him. Then, they were picked up one by one by the super-speed alien and quickly sent to the Weyland Building.
"Why is Iron Man here? Hulk's appearance looks so strange too."
People coming and going immediately recognized the two people, their faces full of surprise.
But in the end, they didn't come up to talk, but hurried away. Everyone was busy, dressed in suits and ties, giving Tony and Banner an eerie feeling of dissonance.
A god's headquarters? How bizarre.
"It's busier here than my Stark Tower," Tony grumbled glumly. "This doesn't look like a god's abode at all. I'd have thought I'd arrived at a commercial headquarters. Of course, even if it were business, we'd be the ones getting ripped off."
Banner scratched his head, a look of worry on his face. "There are quite a few powerful ones here. Did you see that old man coming out of the elevator up ahead? My instincts are going wild. He's terrifying."
"Old man?"
Magneto, clad in black and a helmet, stopped a few hundred meters away and looked directly at Banner. "I'm much older than you, but my physical fitness is no less than yours. Also, nanobots? I don't recall Tony Stark specializing in that. He knows the technology is pointless."
With a wave of his hand, Magneto effortlessly controlled the countless nanobots on Tony's body, manipulating them to emerge and coalesce into a battle armor.
"Magneto... He's one of the strongest mutants in the world, gifted with magnetism, but I didn't expect him to master it to this degree." Tony watched the intermittent data flashing across the screen, his entire body numb.
This old man could definitely crush him in an instant, all-around.
But Magneto simply fiddled with him and lost interest. "Your aging body, your unremarkable skills, your life force gives me a sense of decay. You're not the Stark I know. If it were him, even if he didn't control the Celestial Armor, he'd still be carrying several adamantium and anti-magnetic armors to protect me." Adamantium
, with its incredibly hard properties, is one of the few metals capable of withstanding Magneto's magnetic power, or at least resisting its easy destruction.
But Tony had no idea what adamantium was; he'd never even heard of it. He'd only heard of vibranium.
"Old man, we don't want any trouble. We're here to find Dewar," Banner addressed Dewar by name, beginning to taunt him.
"That's right. That guy is so annoying. After dealing with demons from Hell and alien demons, it's only natural that he'd be interested in parallel universes."
Magneto was a little disappointed. He'd been wondering if he could get the coordinates of another world from these outsiders. Maybe he could take the mutants and run away to establish a new home.
But there was no way. This universe was too complicated. Looking at these two guys, they seemed so easy to bully. Maybe the power of the parallel Earth was not strong, so this might be a good way out.
Unfortunately, Duval's speed was always faster than everyone else's.
Tony and Banner watched Magneto retreat with lingering fear, sadly realizing that this old man alone could kill people indiscriminately on their own Earth.
But such a powerful and fierce being was a second-rate figure on this Earth, and his mention was becoming less and less common.
"If our world had a Magneto, we'd definitely be able to stop Thanos from getting all the Infinity Stones."
"It's a shame we don't, but fortunately we don't. Otherwise, it wouldn't be Thanos we'd be worried about, but that racist Magneto."
The two took the elevator and arrived before Dewar.
"I should be honored to be invited by the gods of this universe." Tony even took off his nano armor.
"Smart and calm guy, you're right. Your nano armor can't withstand a single blow from me. To put it bluntly, I only need to send a group of weak aliens to destroy your masterpiece."
A little alien blood would be enough, and even the weakest messenger alien could destroy the nano armor. It's just that the damage can't keep up with the armor's repair speed.
Dewar lifted a freshly boiled kettle, poured three cups of water into it, and drank one of them in one gulp.
Banner was silent for a moment, then picked up a cup as well.
Tony frowned and drank it too. With his current physical condition, finishing a cup of water was no big deal.
"Let me correct you. I'm no longer a god in this universe. In fact, Odin and I should be on the same level," Duval casually said.
"Odin? He's not..." Banner started unconsciously.
Duval interrupted, "The Odin I'm talking about is the Odin of our universe. His greatest feat was taking on several Celestial Gods. With his full power, he could interfere with the timeline of the entire galaxy. He's completely different from the Odin you understand."
Tony and Banner fell silent again, digesting this information.
They're both Odins, yet the difference is so huge?
Duval looked at the two men in front of him with great interest.
To be honest, Duval was surprised that the people from Universe 199999 could come to this universe. It wasn't part of his plan, but it was wonderful that they could come. Duval would definitely treat these two people well, allowing these visitors from a small multiverse that existed within the Marvel multiverse but had a vague boundary with most other universes to experience the local hospitality.
Of course, Duval would also ensure their safe return to Universe 199999 and let them bring back some local specialties.
"Our arrival in this world was an accident. Please forgive us if we've offended you. We simply want to save our world."
Banner lowered his head, maintaining a humble demeanor.
They couldn't determine who was stronger, Thanos with the Six Gems or Duvall before them. But since they couldn't even defeat Thanos in his normal form, they stood no chance against the universally recognized god Duvall.
The average person in this world, even those they knew well, like Odin and Strange, were far more powerful than their own. There was also the terrifying group known as the Mutants.
Oh, and then there were the ridiculously large numbers of symbiotes, all now united with Duvall.
"I love dealing with saviors. I understand their psychology because I've saved Earth so many times. You're doing the same thing I did," Duvall said with a smile.
His words were irrefutable. Countless people on this planet, and indeed many other planets throughout the universe, admired him for his deeds.
"You decided to redeem us?" Tony asked, pointing to his chest, "In the Alien way? I won't bring this thing to our universe."
"You have no choice. Why do you think you came to this world? Because of me, because of the Aliens." Duvall said, "On Earth in your Universe 199999, there are Alien movies, comics, and games. The moment these things appeared, the concept was formed. Even if this concept is so insignificant, it is enough for me to use and turn chance into inevitability."