Homelander seized the opportunity to sow discord, insisting that Tony and Natasha had been deliberately misleading the other players all along.
Bruce Banner glanced at him. "No. I think they were only trying to mislead you."
Tony Stark gave him a thumbs-up. "That's right, Bruce. Any of the four of us winning this game would be fine—but the one person who absolutely cannot win is Homelander."
At this point, Tony Stark dropped all pretense.
That said, he had never bothered hiding his hostility toward Homelander from the very beginning.
Homelander planted his hands on his hips and sneered. "Tony Stark, just wait and see. I'll show you how I win this game—and stomp all of you under my feet in the end!"
While they were arguing, the correct answer was announced.
As expected, it was A.
Natasha Romanoff answered correctly on the buzzer and earned 4 points. The remaining players each received 1 point.
This further cemented Natasha Romanoff's position at the top of the leaderboard. Still, Homelander wasn't discouraged. If he could win the buzzer three or four more times, overtaking her wasn't impossible.
With the question resolved, the light screen began playing the correct-answer footage.
The scene showed an ancient city along the banks of the Nile. Towering, magnificent pyramids rose into the sky, an awe-inspiring sight.
Inside the city, the road leading to the pyramid was lined with countless ancient Egyptians draped in robes. They knelt on the ground, bowing deeply as a royal procession passed, shouting in unison:
"En Sabah Nur!"
Outside the screen, Erik Lehnsherr stared blankly at the scene, murmuring, "The very first mutant in history… He must have been the ruler of the entire world."
As a proponent of mutant supremacy, Erik had once envisioned a world ruled by mutants. He never imagined that such a vision had already been realized thousands of years ago.
Tony Stark curled his lips. "Jealous, Erik? Maybe once I invent time travel, I'll send you back a few thousand years so you can compete with En Sabah Nur for the title of ruler of the world."
Erik Lehnsherr merely glanced at him and said nothing.
Bruce Banner asked curiously, "In this world… was ancient Egyptian civilization created by mutants?"
"Possibly," Tony Stark shrugged. "A being with extraordinary powers in such a primitive era would basically be a god walking among mortals."
Homelander, meanwhile, stared at the spectacle on the screen with undisguised fascination. Among all the players, he was actually the most envious of En Sabah Nur.
Back in the footage, En Sabah Nur entered the pyramid under the protection of four guards. He removed his hood, revealing a face unlike that of ordinary humans.
At first glance, he bore some resemblance to Mystique—his skin a dull bluish-purple, his features unsettling.
From his appearance alone, it was clear that En Sabah Nur was already quite old. His skin was wrinkled, his face lined with deep creases.
Aside from his appearance, he displayed no overt supernatural abilities. Instead, it was his four guards who each possessed remarkable mutant powers.
Inside the pyramid were two stone slabs. One lay empty, while the other held a young man—apparently also a mutant. Someone cut his skin, and the wound healed instantly before everyone's eyes.
"You shall rule for eternity, my master!"
One of the female guards gazed at En Sabah Nur with fervent devotion.
Then, the first mutant in history slowly lay down on the empty stone slab.
Once he was in place, the strange ritual within the pyramid began. Outside, slaves strained against thick ropes, pulling aside a covering that concealed the pyramid's golden capstone.
Sunlight poured onto the golden tip, triggering an extraordinary reaction.
At this point, the players outside the screen finally grasped what was happening.
Natasha Romanoff frowned. "He's planning to use the ritual to transfer his soul into a younger body?"
Tony Stark replied gravely, "With immense power and absolute authority, immortality becomes the next inevitable pursuit."
Erik Lehnsherr folded his arms, a faint smile tugging at his lips—clearly unconvinced by Tony's interpretation.
In the future footage, the reincarnation ritual proceeded smoothly. It was obvious that En Sabah Nur had performed such a ritual more than once.
But just as his soul successfully entered the younger body, something went wrong.
Outside the pyramid, the guards suddenly revolted. Massive stone blocks—prepared long in advance—were released, sliding down from above and crashing into the pyramid.
The immense impact shattered the supporting pillars at the base. At the same time, the guards inside the pyramid also turned traitor.
They sealed the chamber doors and launched an attack on En Sabah Nur.
It was clear that the rebellion had been carefully planned. The attackers had chosen the precise moment when En Sabah Nur was most vulnerable—during the ritual—and used ingenious mechanisms to collapse the entire pyramid.
However, they had underestimated the power of mutants.
En Sabah Nur's four personal guards each possessed formidable abilities and swiftly wiped out the rebels in the chamber.
But by then, the massive pyramid had begun to collapse. Three of the guards were crushed to death by falling stone.
Even En Sabah Nur—who had completed the reincarnation ritual but remained weak and unconscious—was dragged down into the depths.
At that moment, one female guard leapt after him without hesitation. Ignoring her own safety, she loyally used her power to protect En Sabah Nur.
Though gravely injured herself, she squeezed out the last of her strength to create a protective barrier around her master, sparing him from being crushed into pulp by the falling stones.
The footage ended there.
In the Eternal Space, Tony Stark clicked his tongue in amazement. "Did he brainwash those guards? That woman was practically dying, and she still gave everything she had to protect him."
Erik Lehnsherr glanced at him and replied coolly, "That's called loyalty—something a billionaire like you would find hard to understand."
Tony chuckled. "You're saying money can't buy loyalty? Maybe you're right, Erik. Still, I stand by what I said—what we just saw looked an awful lot like brainwashing."
"Believe whatever you want," Erik said, unwilling to argue further. Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he added, "What I'm curious about is this—was such a powerful mutant really killed so easily?"
....
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