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After obtaining the coordinates of Blade's universe, George led the group through a portal back to the Void, then immediately began opening one portal after another.
First was Elektra's Daredevil-centered parallel universe, then Gambit's mutant universe, and finally the Human Torch's Fantastic Four universe.
Unlike Blade, these three didn't need his help in combat. After dropping them off, he spent only five minutes in each universe collecting their coordinates before returning.
Before they left, all four promised George that if he ever needed their help in the future, he could come find them at any time.
Next, he brought out the batch that included Pyro, using them one by one to sense their universe coordinates.
Blade and the others were friends—so obtaining their coordinates was just a friendly favor before sending them home.
But Pyro and his group were enemies. Enemies captured by him were trophies, to be used however he saw fit. Once they lost their value, eliminating them would be only natural.
So there was no reason to send them back.
The process was simple: locate their universes, open a portal, collect the coordinates, then toss them back into the Void—essentially treating them as tools.
Of course, not every universe still existed. Quite a few had been destroyed for various reasons, making it impossible to retrieve their coordinates.
While George was busy collecting them one by one, a whole new batch of "tools" was already on the way.
"Interesting. Aside from that mage last time, it's been years since they sent me someone of real quality. Looks like the Time Variance Authority isn't entirely useless after all."
Two hours earlier, inside a base built from the giant-sized corpse of Ant-Man, Cassandra sat on her throne, watching surveillance footage her subordinates had brought her. Her expression lit up with keen interest.
She loved the Void. Here, she was the queen. She could do whatever she pleased, and no one could resist her.
Unfortunately, over the years, the people sent in by the TVA were usually far too weak to catch her attention.
Not that she expected much—the TVA's guards were only equipped to handle average threats.
In all that time, only her battles with Magneto and Doctor Strange had been satisfying. But even they hadn't lasted long once she unleashed her full power.
If she hadn't been so young when she was first pruned, with her abilities still undeveloped, the TVA would never have been able to take her down.
Now, with her strength fully realized, she'd even forced the TVA to sign an agreement: she wouldn't take revenge for being pruned, and in return, they wouldn't interfere in the Void.
The Void was her private domain. The TVA could send people in, but their fates would be entirely up to her.
If the TVA ever tried to interfere, she'd use the Sling Ring she'd taken from Doctor Strange and storm their headquarters for a "friendly chat."
Truth be told, she liked her current life. She also liked the Void.
Here, she didn't have to listen to her brother Charles constantly preaching in her head—telling her to restrain herself, not to do this, not to do that.
In the Void, she was free. She could use her powers however she wanted, kill whoever she wanted.
And the TVA's unwilling workers delivered her a steady stream of "toys" to play with. The place was her personal amusement park.
Today, the TVA had finally sent her another interesting specimen. From the footage, his metal manipulation abilities seemed almost on par with Magneto's.
"Master, let me take a team to kill him and avenge Pyro!"
From below the throne, the massive Juggernaut requested eagerly.
Cassandra gave a slightly unhinged laugh.
"No, no, no. This time I'll go myself. Such a fine piece of prey—good-looking too—I'll make him my new pet."
She rose from her throne, waved her hand, and led a large group of her followers, riding in various heavily modified vehicles, toward the great forest.
"Master, this isn't the same direction as Pyro's convoy," Juggernaut said from the lead vehicle, frowning.
Pyro's group had gone missing in the pyramid desert to the west. They were now heading east, toward the primeval forest.
A sly smile crossed Cassandra's face.
"We're not going to the convoy. They're probably all dead by now. We're going to the base of that little 'Firefly' resistance group."
"How do you know where their base is?" Juggernaut asked, genuinely surprised.
Cassandra looked at him as though he were an idiot.
"Because they're as stupid as you. They know I can read minds, yet they never change their base location. They've been in the same place the whole time."
Over the years, whenever new people were pruned into the Void, the resistance tried to recruit them to fight against her.
She found it amusing and never bothered to wipe them out completely.
In truth, she'd killed so many of their members that she'd long since learned their base's location from reading minds.
The convoy roared through the forest until they found a half-buried stone house—and two bored figures lounging outside: Wolverine and Deadpool.
"So many people—finally, something to keep us entertained," Deadpool said, perking up as he drew his twin katanas.
George had told him and Wolverine to wait outside, saying he would send everyone back to their original universes before helping save Deadpool's.
Deadpool was now both impatient and bored.
"Is that… Charles—oh wait, no, it's a woman. Must be that psycho they were talking about!"
When the first figure stepped out of the lead vehicle, Deadpool's eyes lit up—then quickly dimmed as he realized it was a bald woman.
But the moment he saw Juggernaut and the others following her, he guessed her identity immediately: Cassandra, the most dangerous mutant in the Void.
"'Psycho'? Baby, you really don't know how to talk to a lady," Cassandra said with a smirk.
She pointed a finger downward, and Deadpool's entire body was instantly forced into the ground, leaving only his head visible.
Mutants like Deadpool were nothing special in the Void, so she wasn't interested.
"Call out the one who rescued you. I want to… play with him."
"Hey, Principal! You've got a visitor!" Wolverine, who'd been ready to spring into action, retracted his claws immediately upon seeing Deadpool pinned so effortlessly.
An opponent this powerful was better left to the Principal.
(End of Chapter)