[Host detected to possess Main Deity-level authority. Access granted.
['Dimensional Reincarnation Space' is a top-secret initiative created jointly by several Cosmic Sovereigns under the jurisdiction of the Celestial Council. Purpose: Unknown. Scope: Unknown.]
What the hell?
Purpose unknown, scope unknown, then why even bother answering, you glorified data lump?
Ignoring the ridiculous system, Lucius shifted his attention to the so-called Reincarnators in front of him.
From their suppressed memories, Lucius discovered that besides their own world and the Marvel universe, they had also journeyed to the worlds of Game of Thrones and Claymore after forming a team.
Their leader, Frank, had even studied the arcane spell "Clarity of Mind" in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. It was thanks to that very spell that he'd been able to withstand the Kree Empire's memory scans without suffering a mental breakdown.
And when they were scanned, the Dimensional Reincarnation Space twisted their memories, fabricating a false narrative of how they had crossed into this dimension from an alternate timeline.
At the same time, it sealed away all sensitive information regarding the Reincarnation Space to avoid exposure to the "natives."
After getting a clear read on the situation, Lucius took on human form and appeared before them.
"You—" Frank's hand glowed with a faint white light as he pressed it against his teammate's forehead, casting a healing spell.
Had this teammate not been at death's door, Frank wouldn't have risked revealing such a rare ability under the Kree's constant surveillance.
But the sudden appearance of a "person" inside this sealed prison cell caught him completely off guard.
"Hello, Reincarnator No. 79642," Lucius said expressionlessly.
"..."
Frank's eyes widened in alarm at Lucius's words, and suspicion instantly flared in his gaze. "Supreme Intelligence?"
He'd read the source material. He knew the Kree's Supreme Intelligence sometimes manifested in humanoid form during conversations.
"No," Lucius shook his head. "The Supreme Intelligence lacks the authority to bypass the Reincarnation Space's cloaking protocols."
Frank's pupils contracted. "Then you're…?"
In that instant, a flurry of names flashed through the Reincarnator's mind.
Eternity? Infinity? Oblivion? Or… the One-Above-All?
Lucius, who had already infected Frank, clearly sensed every flicker of thought. But he didn't answer.
The mysterious figure before him remained silent, which only deepened Frank's unease. His mind raced.
"Great one," he said gravely, "with your power, surely you're aware of the crisis this universe faces. We've come to prevent its collapse."
Whoever this being was, the very fact that he could see through the Dimensional Reincarnation Space's veil meant he stood far above the Supreme Intelligence.
Unless this was someone on the level of the Living Tribunal or the Heart of the Universe itself, even entities like Infinity and Oblivion couldn't ignore the catastrophe Thanos would unleash.
If he could make this being recognize Thanos as a threat, and prove their worth, perhaps they had a sliver of hope.
"You're after the Nega-Bands, aren't you?" Lucius said with a soft chuckle.
The Nega-Bands, Kree military tech of the highest caliber, were among the most powerful personal weapons in the galaxy.
These bracelets could dramatically amplify the wearer's psychic output, absorb solar energy and convert it into a variety of superpowers: immense strength, flight, photon blasts, oxygen synthesis, even magnetic and radiation shielding.
The original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell, had no innate powers, his rise to hero status came entirely from wielding the Nega-Bands.
"..."
Frank was momentarily stunned. That was their goal on Kree-Lar.
Still, being seen through by a divine being wasn't exactly something to be ashamed of.
"I can give you the Bands," Lucius said, "but you'll have to trade something of equivalent value."
The entire Kree Empire was under Lucius's control, handing over a few Nega-Bands was trivial.
"..."
Frank's brow furrowed.
It wasn't that he didn't want to trade, but he had nothing on hand that could match the value of the Bands.
In the Dimensional Reincarnation Space, Nega-Bands were classified as A+ grade artifacts. Their true value lay in the fact that they lacked restrictive usage requirements.
Unlike most high-grade gear, which demanded immense personal power to wield, even an ordinary shut-in could become near-divine with a pair of Nega-Bands.
"I… I'll trade you secrets of the Heart of the Universe and the Living Tribunal." Frank gritted his teeth.
If this being was divine, surely he'd be interested in such knowledge.
To his surprise, Lucius simply shook his head.
He… refused?
Impossible.
The Nega-Bands were powerful, yes, but to a god, secrets of the Living Tribunal and the Heart of the Universe should be far more valuable.
Frank wasn't wrong, he'd simply misjudged his audience.
Lucius wasn't native to this universe, and so had no interest in those "secrets."
Besides, what Frank thought of as esoteric knowledge was just rehashed comic book lore. In the scope of the true multiverse, it didn't even qualify as a footnote.
The Living Tribunal had long since joined the Celestial Council. Would beings of that caliber not be aware of what some mortal comic artists had sketched out?
"I'm far more interested in your Dimensional Reincarnation Space," Lucius said. "If you can offer something from there, even slightly less valuable, I might still accept the deal."
"Something from the Reincarnation Space?" Frank's eyes flickered.
Without warning, he reached for the unconscious teammate beside him.
CRACK.
A sickening snap echoed through the cell as the Reincarnator's neck broke cleanly.
Dead instantly.
Frank pried a device off the dead man's wrist, a gadget that had previously been completely invisible to the naked eye.
Only when it left its owner's body did its form become apparent.
"Great one, this is a bound artifact issued by the Dimensional Reincarnation Space to its Reincarnators," Frank said, floating the device toward Lucius. "It contains all the data he's unlocked."
Impressive.
Lucius was thoroughly satisfied. A veteran survivor, no doubt about it.
Frank's quick, ruthless decision to sacrifice his teammate impressed him greatly.
Lucius had already infected Frank and knew the man he'd killed was the team's newest recruit, and its weakest member.
Given their desperate situation, Frank's priority as a leader had to be survival, his own first, then as many teammates as possible.
If sacrificing the weakest bought everyone else a chance to live, then it was the right call.
In truth, if the Ruleforce of the Dimensional Reincarnation Space hadn't prevented Lucius from forcibly extracting items from his infected hosts, he wouldn't have bothered negotiating at all.
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