Chapter 74: All Trickster Stories Are Based on Fact
Back at Thena's secluded residence, Ryan took advantage of her unconsciousness to collect a blood sample. Standing and turning to address the group, he asked, "You mentioned she suffers from Mahd Wy'ry? It's triggered by traumatic memories from past incarnations. Does treatment typically require erasing her memories again?"
The other Eternals nodded grimly.
Ryan continued with clinical precision, "The neurological explanation is that her brain's neural pathways can't withstand the psychological stimulation—it's a desperate self-protective mechanism. Erasing her memories will only temporarily stabilize the condition. Each subsequent episode will be progressively worse. After repeated memory wipes, her neural structure will inevitably collapse entirely."
"Is there any viable solution?" Gilgamesh asked with desperate hope.
Ryan nodded thoughtfully. "Certainly. Relieving the neural pressure would normally be treated with specialized medication, but Eternals don't respond to conventional human pharmaceuticals. The only feasible approach currently is to suppress the overactive neural pathways and reduce the psychological conflict caused by traumatic stimulation."
Before Gilgamesh could express relief, Ryan added soberly, "However, there's no treatment protocol available at this moment, and we have far more urgent matters to address. I'll help develop her treatment after we've saved Earth from the Emergence."
Thena was suffering from Mahd Wy'ry, the root cause of which originated with the Celestials themselves. Countless violent images of planetary destruction filled her mind, nearly driving her to complete madness. Therefore, she would naturally align with humanity and Earth's survival.
Gilgamesh and Thena had been companions for millennia, and to protect her, he would also side with humanity without question.
Ryan's offer represented a strategic bargain, expanding their group by two additional Eternals.
After spending the night at their remote compound, the team departed for Mumbai to locate Kingo, who had established himself within the entertainment industry. Kingo readily agreed to join their mission, bringing along his loyal valet Karun.
Under the pretense of developing treatment for Thena's condition, Ryan collected blood samples from both Gilgamesh and Kingo without suspicion.
They then flew to the Amazon rainforest to find the reclusive Druig.
Druig's supernatural ability was advanced mind control, and while his physical combat effectiveness was average, his psychic capabilities were exceptional—including crowd control abilities, though not as overwhelmingly powerful as Professor X or the Scarlet Witch.
In the original timeline, the Eternals had pooled their cosmic energy into Druig, hoping he could telepathically influence the emerging Celestial Tiamut. However, even with their combined power, he had only managed to temporarily delay the Celestial's awakening for a few precious minutes.
Even without Ikaris's interference, Druig's abilities would likely prove insufficient to save Earth.
When the group arrived in the Amazon rainforest and located Druig's hidden community, they were shocked to discover Ikaris had arrived ahead of them.
Tensions immediately escalated between Ryan and Ikaris.
After their previous confrontation, Ryan no longer harbored any concerns about this counterfeit Superman. Without superior flight capabilities giving him tactical advantage, Ikaris's power levels wouldn't even qualify him for A-tier superhero status.
He possessed flight and enhanced strength, plus his eyes could project concentrated cosmic energy beams. While seemingly formidable on paper, he was fundamentally limited—his actual destructive potential was surprisingly modest.
If Captain Marvel were to engage Ikaris in combat, she would undoubtedly emerge victorious.
"Ikaris!" Sersi stepped forward, attempting to persuade him to reconsider his position.
Ikaris sneered dismissively. "Are you certain you want to follow this complete stranger who appeared from nowhere?"
"But you murdered Ajak. That was unforgivable."
"Ajak betrayed the Celestials!" Ikaris argued with righteous indignation.
From their respective perspectives, determining moral right from wrong became complex. Ikaris and the Celestials regarded Earth and humanity with complete indifference. To them, humans were nothing more than insignificant insects.
"You're nothing but a Celestial lapdog. No need to portray yourself as some noble guardian," Ryan scoffed contemptuously. "You betrayed your own companions. I simply revealed your murder of Ajak to those who trusted you."
"You're asking for death!"
Ikaris, consumed with rage, launched himself toward Ryan at tremendous speed. Ryan blocked his energy beam and exchanged devastating punches with Ikaris, sending both combatants reeling backward from the impact. However, Ikaris recovered faster, and before Ryan could regain his footing, Ikaris grabbed him and soared high into the atmosphere.
Flight remained Ryan's most coveted superpower, but he had been unable to acquire it thus far.
The false Superman Ikaris carried Ryan high into the sky. On the ground, he was no match for Ryan's enhanced strength, and his prized optic blasts proved ineffective against Ryan's energy shields.
The simplest method to eliminate Ryan would be hurling him into the vacuum of outer space.
Ryan, anticipating Ikaris's deadly intention, manifested two cosmic energy daggers in his hands and drove them viciously into Ikaris's lower back.
Ikaris lacked invulnerable skin like Superman. Even common Deviants could inflict serious damage on Eternals—Ryan's enhanced attacks were far more devastating.
"Argh!"
Ikaris reacted instinctively, releasing Ryan as the blades pierced his flesh.
Driven by momentum, Ryan continued ascending through the atmosphere.
Ikaris glanced at the deep lacerations on either side of his torso, feeling both fury and relief. He was grateful for his quick reflexes—otherwise Ryan's blades would have penetrated vital organs.
Without Ajak's healing abilities available, Ikaris's natural recovery was extremely limited.
With a determined grunt, he flew toward Ryan again, preparing to push him beyond Earth's atmospheric boundary.
Just as he closed the distance, a three-meter-long golden blade struck him directly in the skull.
CRACK
Ryan couldn't unleash his full power while airborne, but the blow still stunned Ikaris severely.
A bloody gash opened from the top of Ikaris's head down to the center of his forehead. On solid ground, Ryan's full-strength attack could have cleaved Ikaris's skull completely in half.
Ikaris's eyes rolled back, and he briefly lost consciousness.
Losing his upward momentum, Ryan began plummeting toward Earth, wind whistling past his ears as his clothing whipped wildly in the rushing air.
Dismissing his golden greatsword, Ryan manifested full-body cosmic armor instead, adjusted his descent posture, and prepared for ground impact.
BOOM
Ryan landed feet-first with tremendous force, creating a five-meter-wide crater in the Amazon forest floor. Cosmic energy erupted beneath his boots from the impact.
Another heavy thud followed as Ikaris crashed nearby.
Moments later, Ikaris awakened from his concussion and opened his eyes. The first sight that greeted him was Ryan standing over him with an energy blade pressed against his throat, wearing an unreadable smile.
Ikaris was about to speak when his eyes suddenly widened with confusion and reluctance.
Swoosh
A razor-sharp blade of concentrated cosmic energy pierced Ikaris's throat, severing his cervical vertebrae completely.
The counterfeit Superman Ikaris perished, his eyes frozen wide in death.
Minutes later, as Ryan's operatives and the remaining Eternals reached the crash site, they discovered Ryan dragging Ikaris's lifeless body back toward them.
Everyone stared at Ikaris's corpse in stunned disbelief, and Sersi's eyes filled with tears of profound grief.
Ryan approached and spoke quietly, "I'm sorry, Sersi. I didn't anticipate it would end this way."
Sersi shook her head sadly, knelt down, and gently caressed Ikaris's cold face with trembling fingers.
They had been married centuries ago before their companions, yet he had suddenly vanished from her life. Despite Ikaris's fundamental flaws, he remained the man Sersi had deeply loved.
Just as Ryan was about to offer consoling words to comfort Sersi, a massive Deviant suddenly emerged from the jungle, seized Sersi, and launched itself skyward.
Ryan reacted instantly, leaping upward to pursue them while manifesting a cosmic spear that he drove fiercely into the Deviant's torso.
"ROAAR!"
The wounded Deviant instinctively released its grip, sending Sersi falling toward the ground, where Gilgamesh caught her safely.
Simultaneously, several additional Deviants burst from the forest canopy, forcing Sprite and Druig to scramble for cover.
One Deviant lunged at Steel Payne. His enhanced skin immediately hardened to diamond density, and the creature's fangs nearly shattered attempting to bite through his reinforced tissue.
"GRAAAHHH!"
Blonsky roared, transforming into the Abomination, grabbing the Deviant attacking Payne and hurling it away with tremendous force.
Death Blade Anthony extended his bone blades, dodging an attacking Deviant while striking back, though his weapons weren't sharp enough to inflict significant damage to their armored hides.
Gilgamesh and Thena joined the battle, each engaging separate Deviants—a relatively manageable task given their enhanced abilities.
Payne, lacking offensive capabilities, could only retreat while protecting the equally vulnerable Sprite.
Blonsky, in his Abomination form, pinned a Deviant to the ground while Anthony provided support.
Just as Abomination was about to finish off the creature, the Alpha Deviant Kro suddenly appeared and knocked Abomination aside with a single devastating blow.
Unfortunately, at that critical moment, Thena suffered another episode of Mahd Wy'ry. With Abomination engaged with other Deviants, Gilgamesh was forced to face Kro alone.
The Alpha Deviant Kro noticed Thena battling her psychological demons and immediately redirected his assault toward her vulnerable position.
Gilgamesh, attempting to protect Thena, fell directly into Kro's tactical trap.
"AHHH!"
After discarding Gilgamesh's broken body, Kro turned his attention back toward the defenseless Thena.
"DIE!"
At the critical moment, Ryan—having just eliminated another Deviant—finally reached the main battlefield. Before Kro could attack Thena, Ryan severed the Alpha Deviant's arm with a single strike, leaving a massive gash across his chest.
However, Kro had absorbed Ajak's healing abilities, allowing him to recover rapidly from the wounds.
Recognizing the arrival of a formidable opponent, Kro immediately abandoned his plan to absorb Thena's power and fled into the jungle depths.
Ryan had intended to pursue the Alpha Deviant, but Druig and Sersi encountered immediate danger, forcing him to turn back and assist them.
With Ryan's intervention, the sudden battle was quickly brought to its conclusion.
Five Deviants had been eliminated, but Gilgamesh was lost in the process.
"I've arranged for military aircraft to extract us. We need to transport the bodies back with us. If they fall into Kro's hands, that would create serious complications."
The aircraft retrieved everyone and returned them to the nearest military installation. During their recovery period, Ryan collected blood and bone marrow samples from both Ikaris and Gilgamesh. Since they were already deceased, preserving the remains would be wasteful.
After adequate rest, they immediately proceeded to the location of the Domo spacecraft.
The ship also housed Makkari, whose superhuman speed rivaled that of Quicksilver, though she was deaf and maintained a close relationship with Kingo.
"The problem now is that we don't know the exact location where Tiamut is about to emerge, and we have no clear method to return him to dormancy," everyone aboard the Domo discussed potential strategies.
Ryan spoke at that moment: "Ajak once told me the general location is somewhere in the Indian Ocean, but we may not know the specific coordinates until we arrive in the region."
"Then let's move out immediately!"
Sersi, having assumed leadership, ordered their immediate departure for the Indian Ocean.
When the Domo reached the Indian Ocean, they observed a distant underwater volcano emitting dense smoke columns, appearing ready to erupt at any moment.
After the team made landfall, they witnessed the ocean surging violently and felt the ground trembling beneath their feet.
"Tiamut is beginning to awaken. We must act immediately."
End of Chapter 74
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