Chapter 163 Universe 65
The Spider-Gwen in front of him threw another punch, and Arthur, who had reacted, caught her fist.
Spider-Gwen was somewhat shocked; the opponent's strength was clearly far beyond hers... Spider-Gwenstruggled to break free from Arthur's embrace, and Arthur released her accordingly.
Arthur watched the familiar yet strange Spider-Gwenland lightly and steadily. She then retreated slightly, adopting a ready stance for attack.
Spider-Gwen watched Arthur in the air with full vigilance. Not only did the opponent possess immense strength, but he also knew her true identity... Arthur responded to his girlfriend, Gwen, through their mental link: "I did come back, but then I left again... Some special things happened in the Universe that I need to deal with, but don't worry, I'm safe. I'll return to Earth immediately after I'm done."
Arthur naturally wouldn't tell Gwen the real situation now; that would only make his girlfriend worry, and she wouldn't understand what a Multiverse was at this point.
"What do you mean you left Earth again?" Gwen was clearly very suspicious. "What are these special things? I just feel like something is very strange..."
"Who are you?" the Spider-Gwen on the ground asked, puzzled.
The surrounding neighbors and passing pedestrians also noticed the commotion. Someone went to check on the Black man's injuries, and someone else called 911.
"The special things are... Far away from Earth, there's a Nebula M78. A race called Ultraman established the Land of Light there. Now, the evil villain Thanos from Titan is going to invade them, and I'm rushing to save the Ultraman!"
Arthur looked at the Spider-Gwen on the ground asking questions, but used the mental link to reply to his girlfriend, Gwen. This scene was truly bizarre.
"Do you think I'd believe that lie?" Gwen felt her intelligence insulted. "Given your style, if you knew NebulaM78 was being invaded by Thanos from Titan, you'd probably just sit back with potato chips and enjoy the show, right? Since when did Arthur start taking the Superhero route?"
"But that's the truth! Over!" Arthur was too lazy to explain.
"Alright, alright. I wish you an early victory over Thanos. When you're done, remember to return to Earthimmediately. Over!" Gwen could only say helplessly.
"Sir, I'm asking you!" Spider-Gwen said sternly. "You invaded private property and committed a terrorist attack on others. This behavior has seriously violated New YorkState law..."
"Oh, then come arrest me," Arthur interrupted carelessly.
Arthur had figured out the current situation. To break through the Infinite Mirror Dimension created by the Ancient One, he had stacked the Rabbit Talisman, Pig Talisman, and Space Stone, causing him to travel to another parallel Universe.
Moreover, the Universe he was currently in should be Earth-65. In this Universe, Gwen Stacy became Spider-Woman after being bitten by a radioactive spider.
Unlike in his main Universe, Gwen acquired the spider gene because she followed him out of curiosity into the spider breeding lab at Osborn Group, where she was bitten.
No wonder the Space Stone had lost its effect just now. The Infinity Stones could only exert their power in their original Universe; once they left, they became ordinary stones, albeit prettier ones.
After figuring out the situation, Arthur quickly pondered how to return to the main Universe and didn't pay too much attention to the Spider-Gwen in front of him. After all, this wasn't his girlfriend, though he still felt a sense of familiarity and closeness.
Enraged by Arthur's words, Spider-Gwen shot out webs again. Even knowing her strength was no match for him, she didn't give up easily.
Arthur grabbed the web, and the flames from the Dragon Talisman immediately spread along it. The web instantly turned to ash where the flames touched it. Spider-Gwen, receiving a Spider-Sense warning, immediately let go.
"I don't have time to play cops and robbers with you, Miss Spider," Arthur said, turning around. "Don't follow me, or you'll face the consequences."
With that, Arthur flew away. In this parallel Universe, it didn't matter if he exposed his abilities, so he flew at a low altitude without any concealment, attracting the attention of crowds. This led to many traffic accidents on the road caused by distracted drivers... Gwen smelled a burnt feather scent in the air. She looked angrily at Arthur's retreating figure. Invading a home, injuring someone, then swaggering away?
Gwen immediately shot out webs and followed. Spider-Woman never takes threats lightly.
Arthur had been thinking about how to return to the main Universe. There was a ready-made method now: to repeat the way he traveled to this parallel Universe.
Accelerate beyond the speed of light using the Rabbit Talisman deep in the Universe, then use the Pig Talisman's laser to tear open space, and finally activate this parallel Universe's Space Stone.
So the immediate priority was to find the Space Stone in this Universe, which wasn't difficult for Arthur, as he had a God's-eye view and knew who possessed the Space Stoneat every point in time.
Now he only needed to determine the timeline of this Parallel Universe 65 to pinpoint the Space Stone's location.
Thinking this, Arthur landed on the ground and randomly grabbed a still-confused pedestrian.
"Hand over your phone."
The pedestrian's mind crashed... Anyone walking on a sunny day, suddenly stopped by someone flying down from the sky demanding their phone, would be stunned.
Arthur didn't waste words. He extended his hand and activated the Dragon Talisman, blasting a large crater in the ground next to the pedestrian.
Arthur held out his hand, and the pedestrian wisely handed over his phone.
"The numeric password!" Arthur handed it back, dissatisfied.
After the phone was unlocked, Arthur resumed low-altitude flight, leaving behind the still-recovering pedestrian.
"He actually robbed a citizen's phone!"
Spider-Gwen, following far behind, witnessed this scene and angrily sped up.
Arthur opened Google and typed "Iron Man," "Captain America," "New Mexico town," and "Battle of New York" into the search bar, one after another.
He quickly got the answer: in this Universe, Tony had already declared his identity as Iron Man to the media and had resolved all out-of-control War Machines on the night of the Hammer Industries press conference, becoming one of the hottest Superheroes of the time.
The Battle of New York had also concluded not long ago, with six Superheroes forming the Avengers to turn the tide and repel the Chitauri Army.
Arthur couldn't help but laugh upon seeing this information. This was the correct way for the Marvel Universe plot to unfold, while the history of the main Universe had been completely disrupted by the intrusion of a demon...
In the normal Marvel Universe, Odin used a dark energy device to teleport Thor to Earth. After Thor participated in the Battle of New York, he took the Space Stone back to Asgard to repair the Bifrost Bridge with it.
Thereafter, the Space Stone remained stored in Odin's treasure vault until Loki took it during Ragnarok and Thanos intercepted it midway.
With Arthur's strength, he only needed to reach Asgard to obtain the Space Stone of this Universe 65. But the problem now was that without the Space Stone, he couldn't reach distant Asgard at all...
Arthur could only focus his attention on Thor, hoping to use Thor, the troublemaker, to reach Asgard via the Bifrost Bridge.
Arthur pinpointed his direction and flew towards Stark Tower. Fortunately, the differences between parallel Universes weren't too great, so he could still recognize the way... Stark Industries, R&D Lab.
"The biggest drawbacks of the Iron Armor currently are its lack of portability and the lengthy assembly process. The only ways to solve this problem are to change the material of the armor or alter the assembly method."
"Based on the second approach, I created the Mark 42 Prodigal Son, a set of Iron Armor that will possess automatic assembly capabilities, allowing for remote control and automatic assembly... However, because automatic assembly eliminates many screws in the connecting components, there might be a tiny flaw, just a tiny one, in its defensive capabilities... OK, that's all for now. End work log recording, Jarvis."
Tony stepped out of the control console and said, "Begin launch of 'Prodigal Son,' for its first assembly."
With that, Tony looked at the workbench, where a pile of armor parts lay scattered. Tony extended his hand, activating the chip implanted beneath the skin of his wrist!
The Prodigal Son armor showed no reaction... Tonyslapped his wrist, "Launch... junk!"
Finally, a left-hand component on the workbench reacted. Its small arc repulsor thruster lit up, gliding in an arc through the air before flying into Tony's wrist. After a burst of automatic mechanical assembly, it covered his entire forearm. Immediately after, the left shoulder pad component flew over without slowing down and landed on Tony's shoulder, making him cry out in pain!
"Haha..." Tony laughed, looking at his arm covered in brass-colored armor. The Prodigal Son was indeed a brilliant invention.
"Alright, all of you, come over!"
Suddenly, all the components on the workbench lit up. The armor parts flew up chaotically, with two even colliding in mid-air and falling... These components shot over without slowing down, and Tony dodged while putting them on.
"A little slower, and a bit gentler!"
With that, Tony raised his left arm to block a rapidly approaching component. Upon impact, a violent shower of sparks erupted, and the component ricocheted, shattering a pile of glass display cases.
Tony was about to curse when a piece of armor from his back shot onto him, knocking him to the ground. He activated the thrusters on his hands to maintain balance. During this process, the already worn armor continuously extended and covered him, until only a faceplate remained.
Tony looked at the Iron Mask hovering in front of him, "Come on!"
The Iron Mask shot towards him. Tony performed a front flip, caught the Iron Mask, and landed steadily in the center of the assembly platform.
He exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "I am a genius!"
"Sir, watching you work is truly a pleasure," Jarvis's voice also chimed in.
Chapter 164 Nuclear Explosion
Suddenly, a round of applause rang out abruptly.
Tony, clad in the Prodigal Son Iron Armor, immediately became alert; there shouldn't be a second person in this research lab.
Tony quickly turned towards the source of the sound.
There, various pieces of equipment were scattered haphazardly, and in the only clear space stood an Asian youth in a formal suit, with short black hair and deep black eyes like the Universe.
Because he was in a parallel Universe, Arthur was not wearing his demon mask, but instead showed his true face.
In this Universe, it made no difference whether he wore that mask or not.
"Sir, according to New York state law, I am fully authorized to open fire on anyone illegally entering private property.
So, please raise your hands!" Tony said, aiming his palm Impact at Arthur.
The voice was incredibly calm, but Tony, inside the Prodigal Son Iron Armor, was filled with confusion, because Arthurhad suddenly appeared in his research lab, and Jarvis, his artificial intelligence, hadn't even raised an alarm.
It was well known that Tony's research lab not only contained Stark Industries' commercial secrets but also Iron Armor technology coveted by both Congress and the Military, so the lab's security system was very high-level.
Besides Jarvis, there was also a defense system, but neither had detected this uninvited guest.
This was enough to indicate the intruder's suspicious and mysterious nature.
But Tony had no fear whatsoever; he was Iron Man, and the Iron Armor on his body gave him immense confidence.
Arthur showed no reaction to Tony's words, merely smiling faintly: "Don't be nervous, Mr. Stark, aren't we old friends?"
This left Tony utterly bewildered, and he adopted an attacking stance, slowly approaching Arthur.
"Have we met? At some gala? Or an energy and nuclear thermophysics salon?"
As he spoke, Tony had already closed in on Arthur.
The main feature of the Prodigal Son Iron Armor was its ease of assembly, so its weapon loadout naturally had some deficiencies.
Aside from the basic hand and chest Impact cannons, it only had small missiles mounted on the forearms, making it an Iron Armor designed for close-quarters combat.
Tony, unwittingly, made the situation favorable for himself, at least in his eyes.
Suddenly, he accelerated and charged out, grabbing Arthur's arm to attempt a grapple!
Arthur's reaction was swift and calm; he simply placed his hand on the Arc Reactor on Tony's chest and gently pushed him away.
Instantly, Tony was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall with a loud bang, and parts of his Iron Armorexploded off and scattered across the floor, leaving only his Iron Helmet.
Arthur, however, remained standing in place, merely smiling as he watched everything unfold.
This scene was incredibly familiar, only Arthur's face lacked a demon mask.
Tony took a deep breath, forcing himself to stand.
The outer casing of the Arc Reactor on his chest had already cracked, which made him somewhat incredulous.
The Arc Reactor was crucial to his life's safety, and its materials were top-notch.
He had undergone numerous battles where his Iron Armorwas repeatedly damaged and repaired, but the Arc Reactorhad never had an issue.
Now, however, it was effortlessly shattered in the hands of this You-Know-Who.
Tony propped himself against the wall and stood up, his back against it, waving his hand to issue assembly commands to the Prodigal Son Iron Armor components.
However, those components had already been damaged in the violent Impact, flying erratically and unable to complete assembly.
Some components didn't even react, only the left arm component could still be successfully assembled.
Tony raised his hand and, without hesitation, fired a palm Impact, but Arthur casually waved his hand, and the palm Impact exploded on his hand, scattering like fireworks.
Arthur's casual gesture, like swatting a fly, once again stunned Tony.
That was Iron Man's signature attack, the palm Impact, which even the powerful Asgardian Thunder God Thorwould be knocked down by if he took it head-on!
Tony raised his hand again, intending to launch the small missiles mounted on his forearm; this was his only remaining attack method.
But he saw the other party raise his hand.
A dragon totem lit up in Arthur's palm.
Although Arthur's hand was empty, the battle-hardened Tony had a premonition of danger, and he immediately dove to the side.
"Boom!"
A huge burst of flame erupted, like a gigantic Fire Dragon spitting scorching dragon's breath, instantly blasting through the entire wall, leaving a circular hole several meters in diameter!
Tony subconsciously looked towards the hole.
An identical hole had appeared in a building adjacent to Stark Tower; that powerful attack had actually pierced through the structure of a skyscraper!
"Who are you?"
No sooner had Tony asked this question than a powerful force emanated, and his body flew uncontrollably towards Arthur.
Arthur lightly swung his fist, knocking Tony to the ground.
He stepped on Tony's somewhat chipped Iron Helmet, and instantly the Iron faceplate burst open, revealing a weathered yet handsome face of an older man.
"Didn't I tell you? I'm your old friend, Mr. Stark."
As he spoke, Arthur applied slight pressure, and the sharp, shattered part of the helmet dug into Tony's face.
Blood flowed down his nose, and Tony let out a pained scream.
"Now, let's ask the first question, please answer truthfully." Arthur smiled, "Otherwise, your brains will be splattered everywhere."
Those calm words didn't sound like a threat, yet they sent shivers down Tony's spine.
"Where is Thor?" Arthur asked.
"Asgard!" Tony said with difficulty.
"And the Tesseract?"
Under high pressure and danger, Tony's confusion instantly vanished.
So the other party's goal was the Tesseract.
It was perfectly normal for a Universe-level item like the Tesseract to attract dangerous individuals from outer space, and no wonder he couldn't contend with the other party.
"Also in Asgard!" Tony immediately said.
The whereabouts of the Tesseract were no secret; many people knew, including members of the Avengers, and high-ranking officials of the World Security Council.
Tony had no need to keep it a secret.
Even if the other party knew the Tesseract's location, it didn't matter, because the Tesseract was guarded by Asgard, the distant and powerful Asgard.
Arthur nodded inadvertently; he just wanted to confirm if the plot had changed, after all, this was a parallel Universewhere anything could happen.
Arthur was about to continue his questioning when a familiar voice rang out.
"Let go of Mr. Stark!"
Arthur turned.
In the hole blasted by the Dragon Talisman, Spider-Gwenhung upside down on a web.
She shot a web at Arthur, which, as expected, was easily caught by Arthur.
"Miss Spider, I believe I told you that if you followed me again, you would be punished." Arthur smiled.
Spider-Gwen didn't respond.
She pulled hard on her web, flying forward to kick at Arthur.
Arthur didn't dodge, even moving forward to meet her.
Arthur extended his hand and grabbed Spider-Gwen's ballet shoe, easily deflecting her attack and subduing her in the process.
In this Universe, Spider-Gwen had undergone various dangerous hardships and trials, and her strength far surpassed that of Gwen in the main Universe, but she was still no match for Arthur.
The subdued Spider-Gwen was very angry.
She could only launch a barrage of chatter, but those words, devoid of any profanity, were neither painful nor irritating.
Arthur even found this Gwen from Universe 65 quite adorable.
Arthur, taking Spider-Gwen with him, activated the Snake Talisman's spatial displacement, and the two instantly appeared in the sky above New York, at an altitude of about ten thousand meters.
"It's like the wind and freedom, and your favorite feeling of gravitational potential energy converting into kinetic energy," Arthur said with a smile, as he released Spider-Gwen.
Spider-Gwen instantly let out a high-pitched scream.
As she free-fell, she continuously accelerated.
She had no point of leverage, and no place to shoot her webs at such a high altitude.
She was helpless, her mind turning blank as she fell, only able to continue screaming.
Arthur once again used the Snake Talisman's spatial displacement to return to Stark Tower.
Tony had already gotten up and was stumbling towards the door, where several familiar figures awaited him.
Natasha, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Dr. Banner.
Jarvis had notified the Avengers of Tony's attack as soon as Arthur appeared.
"Jarvis, launch Mark VI!" Tony shouted, clutching his chest.
Facing an enemy with powerful energy attacks, Tonybelieved that the Mark VI, with its energy absorption capabilities, might be able to withstand such an attack.
"You need to stay calm right now; this is the center of Manhattan..." Natasha was trying to soothe Dr. Banner, whose face was turning green.
Arthur took a step forward.
Captain America came to meet him, and the glass doors automatically opened to both sides.
Captain America cautiously held his Vibranium shield in front of his chest and asked in a low voice, "An extraterrestrial invader?"
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Arthur, from New York... Queens!" Arthur no longer paid attention to Captain America, but instead whistled at Natasha behind him, saying, "My Natasha, come to me."
"Roar!" Dr. Banner, his neck turning green, let out a roar; he was on the verge of losing control.
Natasha frowned, looking at Arthur; she had never seen this Asian man in her memory.
"Hey!" Captain America shouted, "Invader..."
Arthur didn't waste words; he raised his hand and blasted out a cannon shot.
Captain America, reacting incredibly fast, quickly used his shield to block, and the explosive flame detonated on the Vibranium shield.
Captain America was instantly blasted away, flying out and even smashing through the sturdy wall of the research lab, falling into a mess, his fate unknown, at least he couldn't get back up.
The shocked Natasha immediately drew her twin pistols and fired.
Hawkeye's arrows had already shot past.
Banner could no longer control the surging Hulk within him, and a green figure burst through his purple shirt, leaving him only in a pair of large shorts.
Arthur ignored all attacks.
He also charged out, and behind him, the phantom of a bullfighter emerged!
Hulk swung his fist in the air, and Arthur met him, their two fists clashing together!
Hawkeye and Natasha, who were watching, were initially just surprised that someone could trade blows with Hulk, and then they lost consciousness.
The angry Hulk's strength was several times that of his normal state, and Arthur, with the Ox Talisman activated, was even more powerful, unleashing hundreds of millions of tons of force without reservation!
A green figure flew out, and an unpredictable Impact wave spread in all directions, annihilating all nearby walls and equipment.
Hawkeye and Natasha, being mere flesh and blood, instantly turned into a bloody mist and exploded, and Captain America, who was behind them, was not spared.
The Impact wave continued to spread, crushing the surrounding tall buildings, and Manhattan, the most prosperous district of New York, looked as if it had experienced a nuclear explosion!
Chapter 165 A Tough Opponent
The floors of Stark Tower began to collapse. Arthurwatched everything from mid-air. Suddenly, he frowned; the Dragon Talisman allowed him to sense a familiar energy.
A burst of green light instantly blossomed. It had no source yet filled the entire space. The fragments, dust, and falling objects floating in the air all stopped; it was as if the entire space-time had been frozen.
The light connecting all things seemed capable of weaving destiny and altering causality, but Arthur moved freely within this domain. The deep invisibility granted by the Snake Talisman prevented both fate and time from finding him.
A bright yellow figure appeared in the air. Arthur felt annoyed looking at Sorcerer Ancient One not far away—it truly was a case of enemies meeting and sparks flying... Although the person before him was the Sorcerer Ancient One of Universe 65, not the Ancient One from the main Universe who had used the time loop to torment him.
The Ancient One was the most troublesome opponent Arthur had ever encountered. As the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One inherently mastered many powerful types of magic, and the Time Stone greatly increased her margin for error.
"Intruder, return to your Universe!"
The Ancient One said in a deep voice. She rotated the Eye of Agamotto on her chest, and the Time Stone once again burst forth with green light. Instantly, the architectural debris and human remains floating in the air returned, just like leaves falling onto the road returning to the branches. Time began to reverse... In an extremely short period, the pulverized objects were restored, high-rise buildings were repaired one by one, and even the blood and shredded flesh splattered on the walls, floors, and ceilings reformed into human shapes. People who had died just seconds ago were resurrected.
Inside Stark Tower, Captain America lay in the ruins, Tonystumbled while wearing the Mark 6, and Barton and Natasha stared blankly at the situation before them. Natasha suddenly exclaimed, "Where is Dr. Banner?"
Arthur felt helpless looking at the Ancient One before him, because he truly was a parallel Universe intruder right now.
"Actually, I want to go back too. Do you have any ideas?" Arthur asked seriously, seeking advice. "Is there a bus between parallel Universes? Or do you have Doraemon's Anywhere Door?"
Without waiting for the Ancient One to reply, Arthurimmediately activated the Snake Talisman to enter a state of deep invisibility. The Dragon Talisman erupted, and several pillars of Fire surged from Arthur's body, tracing an arc in the air as they shot toward the Ancient One.
The Ancient One raised her crossed hands and opened a circular barrier in the air. Although she defended against Arthur's attack, she was also repelled thousands of meters by the powerful energy.
Circular sparks burst forth in the air around Arthur. He shook his head helplessly, looking at the gateway that was about to open.
However, he also recalled the gateway technique mastered by Kamar-Taj. It was always a very interesting spell, and Arthur developed the idea of mastering it.
After all, some people could open the gateway casually; it shouldn't be too difficult.
Thinking this, Arthur also activated the Snake Talisman's spatial displacement and vanished from his original location. Before he mastered a way to kill or restrict the Ancient One, it was better to keep his distance, lest the Ancient One perceive his power again and use the Time Stone to drag him into a time loop. He definitely did not want to experience that bug-level move a second time...
Meanwhile, Spider-Gwen stopped screaming after her throat went hoarse. She was still falling continuously, but she had already grown accustomed to her situation.
As she continued to fall, her descent speed stopped increasing when air resistance approximately equaled gravity. However, this extreme speed of descent was still very dangerous for someone unprotected. If the spider genes hadn't enhanced her body, she would have already passed out.
Spider-Gwen watched the buildings on the ground grow larger and larger. She knew that in a few seconds she would violently crash into the ground and be smashed into a pile of pulp. Her inner fear intensified because she knew that even if she had the opportunity to shoot webs and grab a building, she wouldn't be able to slow down in time.
In the final moments as death approached, she thought of her father George, and her mother and younger brother who had died in an accident...
"Do you feel fear?" A voice suddenly sounded behind her.
The agile Spider-Gwen flipped over in the air. She clearly saw Arthur's face.
Arthur was currently falling at the same speed as her. The strong wind blew his short hair, and seeing the tears seeping from Spider-Gwen's mask, he revealed a triumphant smile.
When Gwen fell from a high altitude in the main Universe, she was terrified even with Arthur accompanying her. Thus, he was very curious how this Universe 65 Spider-Gwen would react to being thrown from a great height by an enemy.
Spider-Gwen didn't hesitate, throwing a punch straight at Arthur's head with all her might.
Arthur easily caught Spider-Gwen's small fist and turned his head to dodge the web she shot at him.
"This is just a small punishment. If you dare to continue following me... you wouldn't want Officer George to get hurt, would you? Miss Gwen!"
Arthur said, looking at the circular sparks of the gateway igniting nearby. He squeezed Spider-Gwen's fist, used the Rabbit Talisman to eliminate all kinetic energy from her body, and then immediately activated the Snake Talisman's spatial displacement to leave.
As the boyfriend of the main Universe Gwen, Arthurnaturally had a favorable bias towards other parallel Universe Gwen Stacys, so he never intended to truly harm Spider-Gwen.
The process of falling from ten thousand meters takes approximately 44.42 seconds, and Arthur was timing it precisely.
Spider-Gwen clearly felt her rapidly descending body hover for an instant before slowly accelerating downward again. This violation of physics greatly astonished her, but she didn't have time to think too much!
The falling Spider-Gwen shot webs to grab the buildings on both sides. She easily completed the deceleration and swung in a semicircle before landing on the high-rise rooftop.
Spider-Gwen stood on the rooftop, looking up at the sky. Arthur's figure had long since disappeared there. A circular shower of sparks resembled a door, and a person wearing bright yellow robes walked out of it.
Spider-Gwen, having survived the ordeal, had no time to feel relieved, her face instead filled with worry. That mysterious person seemed to possess extremely strong power.
The Ancient One frowned, looking at the empty sky. Because Arthur had activated the Snake Talisman's deep invisibility, the Ancient One could not sense where Arthurhad gone on Earth... Unless Arthur voluntarily exposed an energy fluctuation, he could remain hidden within this Universe, upon Earth, indefinitely.
The Ancient One turned her gaze toward Spider-Gwen on the rooftop. The Ancient One knew that Arthur had rushed over just now to save Spider-Gwen.
Facing the Ancient One, whose identity was unknown, Spider-Gwen defensively adopted an attack posture.
"Where did he go?" The Ancient One hoped to obtain some clues about the intruder from Spider-Gwen.
"I don't know!" Spider-Gwen replied.
Judging by the situation, the two were not allies but enemies.
"Who is he?" Spider-Gwen cautiously inquired.
The Ancient One did not answer. The Multiverse was too vast a secret that needed protection.
Chapter 166: Another Universe
Tony stood on the control console of the Research Labwearing the Iron Armor Mark 6, frozen in place as if he had been paused... Arthur appeared silently behind him, watching with interest as Tony struggled with confusion, shock, fear, and bewilderment.
Tony looked at everything before him and fell into deep doubt, questioning whether his mental state had deteriorated, if he was hallucinating, or if he had been hypnotized by someone with sinister intentions... Not long ago, Tony had watched helplessly as destruction descended—the You-Know-Who, coming for the Tesseract, traded punches with the Hulk. That powerful force destroyed everything before his eyes, the members of the Avengers were torn apart, and his Stark Tower began to collapse.
As for Tony himself, he had escaped disaster because he was wearing the Iron Armor Mark 6, which could absorb power. However, Tony, lying in the ruins, did not feel lucky at all; the experience of watching everything be destroyed terrified him more than death.
When he woke up again, he found that all of that had just been a "dream." The entire World was safe and sound. Agent Romanoff, who should have exploded into a blood mist, walked past him, anxiously saying she was going to find Banner. Agent Barton also rushed to Captain Americato check his injuries, and the Stark Tower, which had collapsed in his memory, was perfectly intact... Tony firmly refused medical assistance and went into the Research Lab. There was a circular hole in the wall, and Dr. Bannerhad disappeared; all of this proved that what he had just experienced was not entirely false... At this moment, Tonystill hadn't recovered from the shock Arthur had brought him. He stood before the control console, checking the status of one Iron Armor after another: Mark 7, Mark 15 Sneaky, Mark 16 Nightclub, Mark 33 Silver Centurion, Mark 40 Shotgun... Jarvis reported that those Iron Armors were all in a combat-ready state, ready to be launched and worn at any time.
But these Iron Armors, which usually represented strength, could not give Tony a single shred of security. Before an enemy powerful enough to resolve them all with a single punch, these Iron Armors appeared incredibly fragile. He needed more powerful weapons... Tony firmly believed that technology could overcome everything; a single defeat and destruction could not crush his confidence.
Just as Tony was preparing to do something despite his injured body, he looked down and saw a familiar figure reflected in the silver corner of the control console... Tony's whole body stiffened. Arthur also knew that Tony had sensed his presence, but he was fearless as he rested his hand on Tony's iron shoulder armor.
"Do you want to see everything repeat itself?" Arthurasked with a smile. "If it happens again, can you change anything?"
Tony was stiff all over and did not respond. Facing his inner fear, being able to remain calm was already a sign of a determined will.
"If not, then please move aside," Arthur said as he casually pushed Tony away. "And tell your secretary to shut up."
"Jarvis... shut down!" Tony called out after a moment's thought.
In the current situation, even if the Avengers knew of Arthur's return, they would be powerless and it would only put them in danger. Tony was terrified that Natasha and Hawkeye would suffer the same fate before his eyes; in comparison, he was willing to be in danger himself and face Arthur directly.
"Yes, sir," Jarvis's voice sounded.
"Communicating with smart people is effortless," Arthurpraised.
A chair flew over, and Arthur sat down in front of the control console.
"When will Thor return to Earth? How do you contact each other?"
While Arthur asked, he used Tony's clearance in the Avengers to enter the S.H.I.E.L.D. database.
Tony watched Arthur's actions, but he could only look on, having no way to stop him at all.
"Thor will return to Earth in three months," Tony said slowly. "Earth is very far from Asgard, and there is no communication method that can connect the two places."
Arthur typed rapidly on the keyboard, entering the name "Ricardo M. Luo" and pressing the Enter key to begin a search.
"No, the Heavenly Palace has a gatekeeper named Heimdall who can see the Nine Realms. Nothing that happens on Earth can be hidden from him," Arthur turned to Tony and said. "That is also a form of communication, like in the ancient East, where border soldiers would light signal fires to warn the rear after discovering an enemy."
Tony could not refute Arthur's words. The person before him seemed to know everything about both Earth and Asgard... His eyes caught that string of English on the screen, which looked like a name. Tony immediately memorized this clue.
Arthur smiled slightly at the blank screen; as it turned out, there was no person named "Ricardo M. Luo" in this Universe at all.
Arthur continued to enter "Jane Foster" to begin a search. Seeing this, Tony immediately lost his composure. Why would this suspected alien visitor know the name of Thor's girlfriend on Earth... strictly speaking, his ex-girlfriend, as Jane had already dumped Thor.
"Jane Foster, astrophysicist..."
S.H.I.E.L.D. had detailed records of all Jane's data, from her childhood experiences to her current research direction, all very meticulous and comprehensive. Arthur also saw Jane's real-time location: London.
Tony was thinking and comparing whether Asgard could withstand Arthur. Asgard was militarily strong; besides a host of warriors, it also had high-end combatants like Thorand The Warriors Three, and of course, the nominal ruler of the Nine Realms, God-King Odin.
This person who held the highest authority of the Nine Realms also possessed extremely powerful strength. One could glimpse a tip of the iceberg of his terrifying power just from the fact that Odin could easily strip Thor of his divine power and exile him to Earth... But the mysterious person before him was also very formidable, able to send the invincible Hulk flying thousands of kilometers with a single punch, crossing national borders and falling into the Pacific Ocean.
The clever Tony vaguely guessed Arthur's thoughts: using Jane to threaten Thor, and then going to Asgard to obtain the Space Magic... Tony didn't know if Asgard could withstand Arthur, but he knew he couldn't stop any of this. He could only place his hopes on God-King Odinbeing able to defeat Arthur. He was merely playing the role of a bystander, just as he had watched his teammates die before his eyes moments ago... "Thank you, my old friend!" Arthur patted Tony's shoulder and said with a smile.
The glass door opened automatically, and Arthurprepared to leave.
"We know each other?" Tony shouted at his back.
"We knew each other in another Universe..." Arthur said casually. "The name you remembered is my name; I believe you will never forget it."
With that, Arthur walked out of the Research Lab.
"Another Universe?" Tony muttered to himself as he watched Arthur's disappearing back, thinking of that name.
"Luo? Another Universe? There are other Universes..."
Chapter 167: Jane
In London, by the banks of the Thames, a tall figure stood against the wind.
The wind, mixed with a drizzle of rain, blew the hem of her black trench coat, revealing a section of black stockings above her high-heeled boots. She looked up at the nearby Tower Bridge, her brown hair fluttering wantonly, and the air was filled with the soft scent of shampoo.
A peal of thunder rang out in the overcast sky. Hearing this thunder, Jane Foster wore a deeply solemn expression.
"Are you missing your boyfriend in the sky?" A lively voice rang out beside Jane's ear. "If he were here, he could probably make London sunny every day."
Jane had been lost in thought and hadn't noticed this beautiful figure approaching quietly.
Darcy was Jane's intern and also her assistant. Once, she and Jane had observed the sky at night, discovered an anomaly, and then they carried their equipment, drove their SUV, ran into the desert to conduct experiments, and finally encountered the descent of Thor…
Darcy was wearing a light blue long trench coat and a red knitted hat. Her wine-red hair hung down in front of her chest along her snow-white neck, and her collagen-filled face looked cute and charming.
"Is something the matter?" Jane turned her head and stared at Darcy, saying with a hostile expression.
"Your scientific instrument." As she spoke, Darcy handed an instrument that looked like an ammeter to Jane. "It's been shaking as if it has Parkinson's."
Jane hurriedly took it. At this moment, the instrument was twitching disobediently, with data jumping wildly on the screen, drawing an irregular waveform at the bottom.
She fiddled with it for a while but still had no clue. Jane looked at Darcy and said, "What's the situation?"
"How would I know? You should ask yourself," Darcy said with an innocent face. "You are a Dr. with three degrees; I am just a liberal arts student."
"Energy turbulence?" Jane guessed. She curled her finger and knocked heavily on the display screen, and the waveform drawn on the instrument's screen became even more chaotic. "Or maybe it's malfunctioning?"
"That's what I was thinking, and knocking on it didn't help." Darcy looked at Jane, biting her pink lower lip lightly. "I thought your solution would be more advanced and scientific… How about we take out its battery? Its readings are like Professor Erik when he's rambling."
Professor Erik, a famous astrophysicist, was also Jane's collaborator, but in Darcy's eyes, he was just a madman.
"No…" Jane shook her head in confusion. She had a bad premonition.
Jane walked back while taking a tablet out of her huge trench coat pocket, connecting it to the instrument; she prepared to study those chaotic data.
"Contact Professor Erik and sync this data to him." Jane said without looking back. "We'll go back to get the phase machine and see if we can track this energy… Darcy?"
Jane looked at the stunned Darcy with a confused face. Following Darcy's gaze, she also froze.
A tall man was standing by the side of the road. He had long, slightly rugged golden hair and was wearing strange clothes… iron-colored armor and a red cape, and he was holding a hammer in his hand.
"He's still as strong as ever." Darcy said subconsciously.
Jane was a science fanatic. Only her boyfriend, that Asgardian, Thor, could make her lose her composure like this.
Jane slapped the instrument onto Darcy's stomach, and Darcy took it consciously.
Jane strode towards Thor, and Thor also walked up to meet her.
"Jane!" Thor called out affectionately.
"Who are you? I thought you were dead!" Jane quickened her pace. "Where have you been these days? You just disappeared…"
"The Bifrost Bridge was destroyed, and the Nine Realmswere plunged into chaos. Maintaining peace is my duty." Thor said seriously.
"That reason sounds pretty good…"
Jane had reached Thor. She swung her hand to slap Thor's face, but Thor suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Jane looked at Thor deeply. She wanted to pull her hand back, but it was held firmly by Thor.
"Sorry, I was just confirming if you were real. The whole day has been weird…"
Thor smiled and said, "So, do you have an answer now?"
"Are you Loki? Thor's brother." Jane shook her head and said calmly.
"Jane, don't be like this." Thor continued, "My leaving without saying goodbye caused you deep hurt, but…"
"You are not Thor." Jane interrupted. She tried to pull her hand back with force, but the other party was still gripping it tightly.
Thor revealed a smile, and that smile had a trace of eeriness in its wantonness, which was very inconsistent with Thor's appearance. His temperament was indeed somewhat similar to the God of Mischief, Loki, as Jane had said.
"Aren't you two going to have a passionate kiss? Lovers who have been separated for a long time should have repressed a lot of passion waiting to be released." Darcyalso felt that the state of the two was a bit wrong, so she spoke up to ease the atmosphere. She thought to herself, "Bro, I can only help you this much."
Arthur removed the transformation power of the Monkey Talisman, and a burst of white light flashed across the surface of his body one after another.
Both Jane and Darcy were dumbfounded. Within a second before their eyes, the rugged, heroic Asgardian Thor, wearing armor, instantly turned into an elegant and refined Eastern man in a suit.
"Cool…" Darcy said subconsciously. She was fascinated by Arthur's deep eyes, which were like the mysterious Universe she had seen through Jane's astronomical telescope.
"So, do we still want to continue with a deep kiss? Dr. Jane Foster."
Jane was still struggling. Arthur let go of her hand, and she stumbled, almost falling. It was Arthur who pulled her again, which allowed her to stand steady.
"Whoever said that, you go find them!"
Jane was full of vigilance, and she pulled Darcy and backed away slowly.
"Oh yeah, oh yeah, I haven't been on a date with an Eastern handsome guy yet…"
Darcy said subconsciously. Facing Jane's gaze, she corrected herself. She suddenly looked at Arthur: "Uh, I mean… who are you? Why are you impersonating Thor?" Darcy changed the subject. "Actually, you don't have to turn into Thor. You are much more handsome than him. If you had hit on us, we definitely wouldn't have refused…"
Jane was full of black lines on her face. She hid her scatterbrained and unreliable assistant Darcy behind her. Could Darcy not see that the person in front of them turning into Thor was ill-intentioned?
"Who are you?" Jane also asked.
"Arthur, from New York, Queens." Arthur smiled slightly.
"Do you have business with us? Mr. Arthur." Jane asked tentatively. She didn't question Arthur's act of turning into Thor to tease her. Faced with this superhuman, they were clearly the weaker party.
"Of course. I heard that Miss Jane is the most outstanding astrophysicist, and I have some related questions I would like to consult you about." Arthur casually blathered.
"Sorry, you…" Just as Jane was speaking, her phone rang. She took out her phone
Chapter 168: Gentlemanly Demeanor
Arthur nodded and stood still. With just that simple action, his gentlemanly cultivation and demeanor were revealed inadvertently.
"Was that magic just now? Or a sleight of hand, how amazing!"
Darcy stared straight at Arthur, her eyes seemingly sparkling with stars; she looked like a naive girl full of curiosity about the World.
"Sleight of hand? Perhaps, it's just like this..."
As Arthur spoke, he snapped his fingers at her. The power of the Monkey Talisman was applied to Darcy, and suddenly, Darcy felt her perspective instantly rise by several dozen centimeters!
Darcy immediately raised her hand and looked down. Her sleeves had turned into silver-white gauntlets, the back of her hands had turned bronze, and the fine hairs were dampened and stuck to her skin. Most surprisingly, the scientific instrument in her hand had also transformed into Mjolnir...
"Whoa!..."
Darcy let out a shriek and immediately covered her mouth with her hand, because the voice she emitted was actually a rugged male voice... Mjolnir slipped from her hand and smashed onto Darcy's instep, causing her to hold her foot with both hands and hop around in pain.
Jane, who was on the phone, heard the commotion and turned to look. She stared blankly at the comical scene of "Thor" hopping around while holding his foot...
A strange yet somewhat familiar male voice came from her phone; the person on the other end claimed to be Tony Stark, that Iron Man who had become famous in the last two years.
Jane was fascinated by the vast Universe and had no interest in Superheroes. She only knew about these things because after Thor disappeared from New Mexico, he had appeared in New York, where he teamed up with several Superheroes to fight aliens. Iron Man was one of those Superheroes.
To Jane's horror, Tony Stark accurately stated that a You-Know-Who would come looking for her, or perhaps kidnap her.
Tony explained that Arthur's goal was to find Thorthrough her, and Tony used terms like "extremely dangerous" to describe Arthur. Jane could even hear fear in Tony's tone.
To be able to make Iron Man, who had held off the main force of an alien army, feel fear and say "extremely dangerous"—Jane tried her absolute best to stay calm, but she could no longer find a way to escape...
And worst of all, Arthur had already found her...
"He is right in front of me now, smilingly watching me make a phone call." Jane said this calmly and then hung up the phone.
"Jane, I'm sorry for making you suffer!" As Jane's brain was thinking rapidly, she was pulled into a powerful embrace.
Damn it, after Darcy was transformed into Thor, her strength had also increased significantly!
"Thor" hugged Jane tightly and said, "I will never leave you again. Let me take you to the heavens; you will become the Queen there, and we will have a bunch of little aliens..."
What the hell with the little aliens! Jane couldn't take it anymore; she stomped on "Thor's" foot with her high heel and pushed him away forcefully.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." The transformation from the Monkey Talisman on Darcy was lifted, and she continued to hop around while holding her foot.
Jane didn't bother with her scatterbrained assistant anymore and looked at Arthur, who was standing still. Arthur watched the two quietly, calm and composed, looking as if everything was within his grasp.
"I know your intention, but you seem to have found the wrong person." Jane tried to communicate with Arthur, "I have already broken up with that Asgardian, and he has never appeared either. If you are trying to find him through me, it's just a waste of time, just like how I used to stay in the place where he left and cry every day..."
Arthur just smiled and didn't refute her. He just said calmly, "What I said before was not a mere excuse; Thor is indeed busy quelling the wars in the Nine Realms right now."
"Thor loves you very much. He has always had the Heavenly Palace's gatekeeper, Heimdall, watch over you—a person who can monitor the Nine Realms... If Thor knows that you have encountered danger, he will definitely rush to Earth regardless of his own safety. When the Bifrost Bridge lands, my goal will be achieved, and you will regain your freedom."
"No..." Jane shook her head and slowly backed away.
Arthur shook his head and didn't care; as long as Jane was still on Earth, it would be impossible for her to escape his control.
"As you said, that is just your ex-boyfriend, an ex-boyfriend who abandoned you, at that." Arthur said, "Let's cooperate to make him appear, and then give him some punishment..."
"No!" Jane said firmly again, "Don't even think about it!"
"I am not asking for your opinion." As Arthur spoke, he activated the Snake Talisman, and a curtain of light surged out to envelop Jane.
Jane's consciousness seemed to pause for a second, and when she woke up again, she was already hanging upside down...
At the downstream section of the river in the London area, there was a Tower Bridge; because of its geographical and architectural uniqueness, it was also known as the Gate of London.
At this moment, the two huge bridge decks of the Tower Bridge were raised under the control of motors. The Tower Bridge opened, and a row of boats of various sizes sailed across the water. Cars on the streets on both sides had to wait patiently; at the Tower Bridge, water traffic had higher priority than road traffic on the bridge.
Jane was hanging upside down on the crossbeam between the two huge tower-shaped bridge piers. She looked at the turbulent water surface and the passing boats through her messy hair, letting out screams.
Soon, the people on the boats and on the road noticed the abnormality on the bridge and looked up one after another. Many people dialed the emergency number 999.
Arthur sat on the granite paved on the tower, ignoring the crowd gathered on the ground, and said to Jane, "Rest assured, Miss Jane, I guarantee that Thor will arrive before you lose consciousness!"
"Fuck you!" Hanging upside down, Jane gave Arthur a thumbs up, roaring and accusing Arthur of attacking such an ordinary, innocent person like her.
"Thank you for the compliment!" Arthur said with a smile, "You might have forgotten, I am a villain, a villain who stops at nothing... Also, I am just a poor person searching for the way home."
...
Asgard, inside the royal palace.
Odin's son, Thunder God Thor, returned triumphantly after quelling the wars in the Nine Realms, and the Heavenly Palace held a grand banquet to celebrate.
At this moment, Thor was holding a flagon, frowning. On the opposite side of the wine table were the drunken Warriors Three. Under the influence of alcohol, the usually valiant female warrior of the Heavenly Palace, Sif, was also looking at Thor with affectionate eyes...
Thor evasively looked away. After a while, he got up and left the banquet hall. Having just wandered around the palace for a short while, he ran into Heimdall, who had an anxious look on his face.
Thor was a bit surprised. His old friend, Heimdall, as the gatekeeper, usually stayed at the observatory and rarely neglected his duties.
"That human girl, Jane Foster, has encountered danger and is in critical condition."
Heimdall's words brought Thor back to sobriety from his slightly tipsy state. He raised his hand, summoned Mjolnir, grabbed Heimdall, and flew toward the observatory...