Just as everyone was puzzled, the door of the wooden house slowly opened.
Ajak, dressed in a simple robe, walked out of the house.
Her face was etched with deep fatigue and sorrow, as if she had aged hundreds of years in an instant.
"She's telling the truth," Ajak said, her voice heavy.
"Children, we've all been deceived."
Everyone was stunned, looking at Ajak in disbelief.
Ajak was the closest to a God among them, the only one who could communicate directly with Arishem the Judge.
Her words carried more weight than anyone else's.
"What do you mean, Ajak?" Ikaris's brow furrowed; he couldn't accept the word "deception" coming from his leader's mouth.
Ajak scanned each of her kin, her eyes filled with guilt.
She slowly revealed the cruel truth completely.
From the Celestials' seed to the true purpose of the Emergence, and then to their mission as Guardians.
"So, we are not Guardians," Ajak sighed.
"We are executioners."
The wasteland fell silent.
Kingo's expression was strange; he opened his mouth, unsure what to say.
The fame and fortune he pursued, the life he enjoyed, everything he was proud of, was all built upon a Planet about to be destroyed?
This was more absurd than any disaster movie he had ever filmed!
Gilgamesh's smile also vanished; he subconsciously shielded Tina behind him, his eyes filled with confusion and anger.
Tina, meanwhile, was muttering to herself, seemingly on the verge of another attack of Eternal Sickness.
As for Ikaris, his body swayed uncontrollably.
No... impossible!
This is a lie!
"This is a lie!" He roared, his eyes turning crimson.
"Ajak! You've been misled! It's that person! The one Sersi mentioned, isn't it?! Who exactly is he? What did he tell you?!"
His emotions spiraled out of control.
Seven thousand years of faith crumbled.
He couldn't accept that the mission he had fought for all this time was a complete and utter deception.
He would rather believe that Ajak and Sersi had been lured by some powerful being.
Sersi looked at the nearly frantic Ikaris and said sadly, "His name is Leon Odinson. He said he came to offer us another choice."
"Odinson? Asgard..." Ikaris froze; mentioning that name seemed to trigger some unpleasant memories.
Just then, a gentle voice echoed in their ears.
"It seems my reputation hasn't been forgotten by time. That saves me the trouble of introducing myself."
Everyone turned their heads sharply.
Not far away, two figures were suspended in mid-air.
The man in the lead wore a well-tailored black casual suit, a gentle smile on his face, his eyes calmly watching them.
The Sun behind him converged into a dazzling halo, making him seem like a God descended to the mortal world—no, he was a God!
And by his side stood a somewhat thin man wearing black-rimmed glasses.
At this moment, this man looked at them nervously, his body trembling slightly.
Leon.
Bruce Banner.
They had arrived.
Leon's appearance made the atmosphere on site tense.
The Eternal instinctively adopted combat stances.
Ikaris's eyes had already begun to gather golden cosmic energy, and Kingo's hands also condensed energy blasts, though he himself looked like he wanted to get on a plane and escape immediately.
"Don't be so tense," Leon smiled as he descended from the air, his feet lightly touching the cracked earth without raising a speck of dust.
"I'm not here to fight. At least, not yet."
His gaze swept across the face of every Eternal.
Ikaris, a loyal but ignorant warrior, a perfect enforcer.
Sersi, possessing the powerful ability to transmute matter, yet overly sentimental, weak-willed, and in need of discipline.
Kingo, flashy but insubstantial, yet clever enough to know how to choose.
Tina, the strongest Valkyrie, but unfortunately mentally unstable, a defective product in need of repair.
Leon mentally labeled each of them.
These, in his eyes, would be his soldiers for future conquests of the Universe.
"It's you!" Ikaris stared intently at Leon, squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth.
"What did you do to Ajak and Sersi?!"
"What did I do?" Leon shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle.
"I merely told them the truth they should have known long ago. Or do you prefer to live in a lie, Ikaris?"
"Shut up!" Ikaris roared, no longer able to suppress his fury.
Boom!
Two scorching beams of light burst from his eyes, carrying an aura of destruction, and shot fiercely towards Leon's face!
Faced with this attack, Leon didn't even bat an eyelid.
He made no defensive move, but stood still, the smile on his face unchanged.
Just as the energy beams were about to touch him.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
The two golden beams of light seemed to hit an invisible wall, freezing in mid-air.
Then, they began to dim at a visible rate, their energy rapidly decomposed and absorbed, ultimately turning into specks of golden light dust that dissipated into the air.
As if they had never appeared.
"This..."
Ikaris's eyes widened; how many years had passed, and he still couldn't win?
The other Eternal members also showed expressions of shock.
They knew all too well how powerful Ikaris's strength was.
Although he had been defeated once, why was the gap still so huge?!
"Your light is too faint," Leon spoke, his voice still gentle, but the disdain in his words was undisguised.
"Like a firefly trying to contend with the Sun."
After speaking, he didn't look at Ikaris again, but turned his gaze to Ajak.
"Now, I think you should have already discussed the outcome," Leon's tone became flat.
"Will you choose to continue being the Celestials' sheepdogs, awaiting your ultimate abandonment? Or will you choose to pledge allegiance to me, and become the founders of a new order?"
He extended his hand to the Eternal, as if offering a benevolent invitation.
"I can grant you true freedom."
Ajak looked at Leon, her eyes complex.
She opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.
But Ikaris roared again.
"Never!"
He bellowed, his body transforming into a golden stream of light and charging towards Leon once more.
This time, he chose close-quarters combat!
Leon watched the charging Ikaris, shaking his head helplessly.
"What a disobedient subordinate."
He didn't move, gently tilting his head to speak to Bruce Banner beside him.
"Dr., your new colleague doesn't seem very friendly."
"It seems we need anger now."
Banner took a deep breath; he knew his performance time had arrived.
He stepped forward, blocking Leon's front, facing the rapidly approaching Ikaris.
He took off his glasses and smiled at Leon.
"Leon, actually, I've always been angry."
As soon as the words fell.
"Roar!!!"
An earth-shattering roar echoed throughout the entire wasteland!
Banner's body began to swell and deform wildly!
Hulk, entered the stage!
....
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