The Five Great Gods were indeed among the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe.
However...
When it came to actual combat experience, even they had surprisingly little.
Beings at the level of the Five Great Gods rarely fought one another.
Throughout history, whenever beings of this level fought to the death, it became a major event affecting the entire Multiverse.
Whenever they personally intervened, the destruction caused was often on the scale of entire universes.
For beings like them...
A single thought might be enough to decide a battle.
Naturally...
When faced with a powerful enemy like Abraxas, they found themselves somewhat at a loss.
That was precisely why Eternity wanted outside assistance.
And throughout this universe, only a handful of beings met his requirements.
Karl was naturally one of them.
In a way, it was almost amusing.
Before Karl appeared, various Super Heroes had usually taken responsibility for fighting on Eternity's behalf.
Sometimes...
When particularly formidable enemies appeared, Eternity would even gather Super Heroes from across the universe to face them together.
But now...
The current battle had clearly exceeded the capabilities of most Super Heroes.
Eternity could only turn to Karl.
His other option was to search through the River of Time for some exceptionally powerful beings.
However, that was a last resort.
He would not use such a method unless absolutely necessary.
Therefore, as far as Eternity was concerned...
Karl was the best choice.
With a thought...
Eternity's figure disappeared.
He then located one of his sublight vessels.
Every existence at the level of the Five Great Gods possessed countless avatars throughout the Multiverse.
Eternity could move between them with ease.
"Wait."
"This universe has actually become stronger?"
"How did this happen?"
A visible trace of surprise flashed across Eternity's face.
Even the Five Great Gods were not truly omniscient or omnipotent.
There were still many things in this world that they did not know.
Recently, because of Abraxas, they had been secretly investigating various anomalies.
But it was only after Eternity's true body arrived that he suddenly discovered just how powerful Karl's universe had become.
In fact...
Karl's universe was considerably stronger than most Parallel Universes in this world.
"Looks like that kid has done something extraordinary again."
"I really wonder how he managed it."
"But the stronger he gets, the better."
Eternity sighed.
The stronger Karl became, the more he could do for them.
After determining the direction...
Eternity flew toward his destination.
In the blink of an eye...
It was almost as though his body had been exchanged with another version of itself, and he appeared near Earth.
After transforming his appearance into that of a human...
He appeared inside Kamar-Taj in the very next instant.
Eternity did not conceal his aura.
Therefore, the moment he arrived, Karl—who had been secluded in training—immediately sensed him.
"Lord Eternity. I wasn't expecting you."
Karl stepped out of the void.
The aura surrounding him was profound and unfathomable.
"No need for formalities."
"I wouldn't have come without a reason."
"I'm here because I need your help."
Eternity sighed.
"Lord Eternity, let's talk inside."
Karl led Eternity into a reception room and prepared tea for him.
Only then did he speak.
"Lord Eternity, what brings you here this time?"
"You're one of the mighty Five Great Gods. What could you possibly need my help with?"
Eternity shook his head.
"Don't underestimate yourself."
"Your current strength is no longer that of an ordinary being."
"You're already fully qualified to stand alongside the Five Great Gods."
"Naturally, there are many things you're capable of doing."
Karl gave no response.
Based on his limited experience...
Whenever someone began flattering him like this, it usually meant that an extremely troublesome request was coming next.
Sure enough...
Before Karl could say anything, Eternity continued.
"With your current strength, you should have sensed it as well."
"Yesterday, countless universes shattered, and the Origin Sea of the world trembled."
"The embodiment of destruction has returned."
"Abraxas has resurrected."
"And that's not all."
"He has become even stronger."
"There are still beings more powerful than me to deal with something like this."
"This doesn't seem to have much to do with me, does it?"
"How could it have nothing to do with you?"
"You're already one of those powerful beings."
Eternity answered without hesitation.
"But there are still others above me, aren't there?"
"There's the great Living Tribunal and other beings like him."
"Not to mention the Five Great Gods."
Karl tried to deflect the responsibility.
"The problem is that even the Five Great Gods are powerless against him."
Eternity looked seriously at Karl.
Internally, he sighed.
He had known this cunning kid would not be easy to persuade.
"Karl, I came here specifically to discuss this with you."
"We want you to intervene and defeat Abraxas so that the balance of this world can be maintained."
"When those universes shattered yesterday, even those of us you call gods suffered severe injuries."
"We need your help."
Eternity made no attempt to conceal the situation.
"I don't want to go."
"This should be the responsibility of the Five Great Gods."
"There's no reason for me to do it."
Karl answered directly.
He was not a Super Hero.
He was not prepared to risk his life for some lofty ideal or sacrifice himself for the inhabitants of the cosmos.
His ideals had not reached that level of selflessness.
"...I know."
"This is naturally our responsibility."
"That's why, if we're asking you to intervene, the gods are prepared to offer part of their accumulated treasures as compensation."
"You should understand that this is wealth belonging to some of the most powerful divine beings in the cosmos."
Eternity finally revealed his bargaining chip.
Karl's expression immediately shifted.
He certainly did not want to work for free.
But...
They were offering an extraordinary amount.
This was compensation being collectively offered by the gods of the Multiverse.
Anyone could understand how staggering that wealth must be.
Even Eternity himself found it tempting.
However, after hesitating for a moment...
Karl still shook his head.
"It's too dangerous."
"I'm afraid I'd die before I could collect the reward."
Karl was being completely serious.
Half of the Multiverse had been destroyed in an instant, and the resulting aura of destruction had spread throughout the entire world.
How terrifying was that?
Eternity's expression did not change in the slightest.
"Do you think Abraxas won't come after you just because you refuse?"
"You already killed him once."
"Abraxas holds grudges. You're probably the first person he'll come looking for."
"If you cooperate with us, we can help you."
"If you face him by yourself, you'll truly be fighting alone."
Eternity spoke sincerely.
Karl considered it.
He had to admit that Eternity was right.
Eternity continued.
"And you don't need to be afraid of dying."
"Death is my sister."
"As long as she refuses to claim you, she can save your life when necessary."
"We only need you to help suppress Abraxas for a while."
"We'll be the ones who finish him off."
"You only need to fight once, and you'll receive enough wealth to make even the Five Great Gods envious."
"Tell me—doesn't that sound worthwhile?"
Karl paused.
It seemed Eternity had actually managed to persuade him.
"I can give it a try."
"However..."
Karl looked at Eternity.
"I guarantee it on my status as one of the Five Great Gods."
Eternity answered without hesitation.
"Then I'll thank you in advance for the generous compensation, Lord Eternity."
Karl smiled.
Eternity merely shook his head.
(End of Chapter)
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