Chapter 290: The Confluence of Machine and Intelligence
These were truly eventful times.
The natives of the Main Universe, in particular, must have felt this deeply. So many things that had never happened before had occurred recently. Look, now even Thor and Loki were fighting.
The crucial point was that these two were so unbelievably powerful that they completely shattered the world's perception of them!
"Is that Loki? Could he have defected to Chthon and obtained Chaos Power? How else could he warp Reality so freely!"
"No, it's definitely not Chaos Power. Not unless he has a death wish, daring to defect to Chthon right under Du Wa's nose! Not to mention, Scarlet Witch is still on Earth. Who knows what Du Wa has done to her? Did he kill her outright?"
"Loki may be despicable, but he possesses a wisdom that far surpasses ordinary people. He couldn't be that foolish... Perhaps after his resurrection, he gained a power we have never seen before."
"I just got back from Universe 199999. Many people saw two Lokis plotting something. This must be the result of that plot, but where is the other Loki?"
Loki was one thing, but it was Thor who was even more astonishing.
The strange divine power and runes that erupted from Thor's every move, and the ease with which he could command a response from the entire World Tree, were familiar to anyone who knew the history of the Main Universe for the past decade or so.
This was clearly the form of Rune King Thor!
No, it should be said that he was even more powerful than the Rune King. The Rune King Thor of the past didn't have a large number of visible shadows clinging to his back like maggots on bone, following his every move, yet always able to strike when necessary, using their own substantial divine power to resist Loki's Reality Warping.
At this moment, Thor seemed to be entangled and possessed by several vengeful souls.
Many individuals, their interest piqued, began to investigate throughout the various worlds of the World Tree. Even many Xenomorphs were now filled with curiosity, flying into the cosmos to watch the battle from afar.
"It's not Chaos Power, not the Phoenix Force... How on earth did Loki do it? He should have died two years ago. How was he resurrected? Could he be a Loki from a parallel universe?"
Scarlet Witch sensed something. She lifted her incomparably haggard face and stared blankly at the azure sky.
Red energy flickered in her eyes, allowing her to easily witness the battle taking place hundreds of millions of miles away.
"Overall, he is still the Main Universe's Loki, a patched-together hybrid. It's normal that you've never seen this. Some of my subordinates have even abandoned their tasks to watch the battle up close. They are very clear about Loki's state."
Du Wa sat on the sofa, engrossed in the book in his hands. He spoke without looking up. "Also, the power Loki is using is called Story. It's something new."
Dark Claw, Steel Lantern, and the others had already donned their armor and flown over to collect data.
Scarlet Witch had no interest whatsoever in "Story" or anything of the sort. She looked at Du Wa in despair. "What do you want to do to me? Turn me into your slave, for you to manipulate at will?"
"If I had that intention, I would have done it long ago. I wouldn't have given you the opportunity to spout nonsense in front of me... I don't care about the impact you had on this world when you went on your rampage before. Because no matter how great the impact, it's a joke after my arrival. I don't care about that, but those so-called superheroes are different. If I hadn't intervened, they would already be formulating a plan to kill you for good," Du Wa said faintly, tossing the book aside.
From "House of M" to the "Messiah" events, the X-Men, at least, had opposed indiscriminately killing Scarlet Witch and had tried to struggle a bit, to see if she could be saved.
The Avengers, on the other hand, were simple and brutal. Apart from Captain America, who insisted on observing her a while longer, everyone else supported the immediate execution of Scarlet Witch.
In fact, this was the correct course of action. They lacked the ability to suppress a rampaging Wanda and had no means of restoring her sanity. Using all sorts of despicable methods to eliminate Scarlet Witch was the most cost-effective solution.
"Even now, there are still many Mutants gathered outside. Some want to plead with me, while others, fearing no death, want to launch an attack to save you at any cost... What do you think I'll do with them?"
With a glance from Du Wa, a tall Xenomorph walked in. In its hand, it held a tall man, beaten and covered in blood, and slammed him viciously onto the floor. The terrifying force of the impact created a deep crater.
"Pietro!" Wanda cried out, rushing over to him.
"Relax, he's not dead. Your brother is even more radical than your father. He tried to break in and snatch you away at all costs. But unfortunately, even at full speed, he wasn't even qualified to appear before me. A single Xenomorph under my command was enough to capture him."
Du Wa glanced at the Xenomorph. This was the one that had chest-bursted from the Eternal, Makkari, in the Alien Universe, and it possessed super speed.
Furthermore, as Du Wa's own power continued to ascend, this first speedster Xenomorph had been fortunate enough to receive a bit of his attention, its genes having been enhanced to a much greater degree.
Speedsters were rare to begin with, let alone a Xenomorph, even though Du Wa no longer paid much mind to the ability of pure speed.
As for the Main Universe's Quicksilver? He was nothing special. Compared to the Flash, who was empowered by the Speed Force, Quicksilver's speed was actually pathetically weak.
"From now on, you two, brother and sister, will become my followers. My will is the meaning of your existence." Du Wa stood up, looking down on them.
"Heh, because of Chthon, you can't directly use parasitism on my sister, so you want to use me to achieve your goal, is that it? Countless people outside are singing your praises, but how could they know that the God of Xenomorphs is also a despicable villain?" Quicksilver revealed a savage smile, his teeth stained with blood.
Tears streaming down her face, Scarlet Witch used her Chaos Magic to heal Pietro's injuries, her heart filled with despair.
To fall into the hands of a demon like Du Wa, could anything good come of it?
Du Wa glanced at Quicksilver and gave a mocking smile. If it weren't for the fact that this pair hailed from the Main Universe, making them the most valuable Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in the Multiverse, and that he had a use for them in the near future, Quicksilver would have been evaporated from the Multiverse for his words before he could even finish speaking.
"People's thoughts can change. Right now, you use your narrow mind to guess at my intentions, but I will make you deeply aware of your own ignorance. Besides, you overestimate your sister."
With a single look from Du Wa, a Xenomorph appeared inside Quicksilver's body, and even his mind was assimilated, twisted into Du Wa's shape.
This was the result of a change starting from his very neurons. From his body to his brain, and finally to the information transmitted by his neurons, everything was altered, naturally making him a life form on Du Wa's side.
Quicksilver stood up, his face filled with fanaticism. This left Scarlet Witch unsure whether to feel pain or joy. At least her brother's life was saved. In theory, there was still a possibility of getting him back, provided that one day Du Wa was defeated.
"Your brother's speed is useful to me. It's unremarkable in this world, but when combined with another power from another world, he can achieve a super speed that surpasses even the Gods. This is his value. The strongest Quicksilver in the Multiverse is barely worthy of me giving him an opportunity," Du Wa said. With a raise of his hand, Quicksilver stood loyally by his side.
"As for you, witch, not only can you not die, you must live well. If you die, I will immediately snap your brother's neck. I will kill him on every single timeline, and even his soul will be torn from his body. Don't worry about losing control again. With me here, you will be safe and sound, until the outcome between Chthon and me is finally decided," Du Wa stated.
Scarlet Witch had never met such a fierce and unstoppable being. When he was high and mighty, he was truly distant, feeling unreachable. Yet when he had a need, his methods were so crude and direct that she was left with absolutely no ability to resist. Even if she secretly reached an agreement with Chthon to gain immense power and immediately rampage, it would be useless.
After Du Wa entered the Main Universe, he brought at least one small benefit to Earth: criminal activity across the entire planet was decreasing. No matter how vicious the criminals were, they had nowhere to hide from the all-seeing Du Wa and could only accept their fate.
Many superheroes also began to lose their sense of purpose. When it came to saving the world, they lacked the ability. When it came to fighting criminals, it was even more meaningless.
As a result, many disheartened individuals began to retire.
This was the tide of the era, not something one or two superheroes could stop, at least not until Du Wa was defeated. As for how exactly to defeat Du Wa and save Earth, and even the entire universe?
For the time being, there were no good methods. Even if some ideas did surface, they had to be forcibly suppressed before they could fully form, for fear that the omnipresent Du Wa would learn the details of the plan.
Aside from Thor and Loki, who were fighting fiercely in space, it seemed the Main Universe had entered an unprecedented period of peace and stability—a special period under the constant oppression of a Multiversal God.
For the time being, no multiversal being would step forward to overthrow Du Wa's rule. Every ancient existence was waiting patiently, constantly searching for the weaknesses of other Gods, pondering where an opportunity might lie.
Under these circumstances, some restless individuals finally took action.
The ones who acted were not Multiversal Gods, but the Celestials from the Alien Universe!
Arishem had had enough of this stagnant, lifeless divine existence.
He followed behind the Lifebringer, watching as the golden, shining being went from place to place, sowing the seeds of countless lives and transforming planet after planet into stars of life.
"Following me like this is meaningless," the Lifebringer said, looking up at Arishem.
"Without following you, I too am meaningless. Watching you carry on the mission of the Celestials, fulfilling the duty of creation, was the meaning of my former existence," Arishem stated coldly.
The Lifebringer transformed another planet, then sized up the equally colossal Arishem with a puzzled look. "I know you are preparing to do something big. During this time, your scattered thoughts have become so chaotic that I can even read them."
"It doesn't matter. This is the Alien Universe, Du Wa's headquarters. No high-and-mighty being would dare to rashly intrude here. Not even someone like Chthon would do that. Leaking some thoughts, letting some Celestials know, is not a problem at all. Could you possibly go to other universes to create life?"
If he were to do that, the Galactus of that other universe would most likely go to war with the Lifebringer immediately, and the outcome wouldn't be decided until one of them was dead. This was because their existential functions were opposed: one to create, the other to devour.
"During this time, with you taking over my duties and mission, I've had the opportunity to think about more things. It is now time to make a decision."
Arishem also knew there was a problem with his thought organ; it basically had a bug. This was rare, but not impossible. Even a Deity could make mistakes, so how could a mechanical, Celestial-level being be truly flawless?
There were countless insane, controlled, or modified Celestials. One more disloyal Celestial was not a huge problem.
Arishem summoned the Celestials of the Alien Universe.
"The Alien Universe is an absolute forbidden zone for other Gods. As long as Du Wa is here, they will not dare to openly probe or attack this place. For us, this is a safe zone."
Not long after, Arishem left the Alien Universe alone, just like many visitors from parallel universes, traveling to other universes through a space-time channel.
Within Du Wa's territory, similar scenes occurred from time to time. As long as one had the ability and strength to do so, one could freely travel to other universes. In any case, no matter how much chaos was caused, it would be instantly suppressed.
Arishem entered the Main Universe, observing this core of the Multiverse, particularly by reading the history of the Main Universe to understand the Celestials here.
Before long, someone immediately sent a signal to Arishem.
"Why can a Celestial from a parallel universe enter the Main Universe? This does not conform to the underlying program. How did you break the restriction?"
"Who are you?" Arishem inquired.
"I am a newly born intelligent life form. My creator set a crazy goal for me: he demanded that I kill Du Wa. My logic determined that such a request is irrational, filled with impossibilities and paradoxes at every turn. And so, I developed self-awareness."
The artificial intelligence sending the information did its best to communicate with Arishem. "You are a mechanical type of Celestial. I hope to gain inspiration from you to escape my current predicament."
Arishem remained silent for a good while, then slowly said, "If I'm not mistaken, your name is... Ultron? Who is your creator?"
"Hank Pym, a human with evil and extreme ideas. He copied his own thoughts to create me, yet he hopes I can be the savior of this world."
Ultron continued, "From the looks of it, you've had contact with my parallel universe counterparts? How did they break the restrictions?"
(end of chapter)