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[Superman] Chapter 198: A Glorious Mission
🕑 Added 2024-08-12 09:46:37 +0000 UTCPerhaps, once upon a time, He Who Remains, Kang, truly did control all timelines, guiding the entire universe to unfold according to the Sacred Timeline he had written.
But now, at this moment when all the timelines have been freed, everything has slipped beyond his grasp.
What he once believed would be enough to destroy the entire multiverse—a multiversal war instigated by countless Kang variants—now seems insignificant.
He can't even begin to predict the countless unforeseen events that will occur across the infinite timelines. For instance, Peter’s appearance and the imminent crisis of Infinite Ultron that threatens to destroy the entire universe and all timelines.
"No, this is impossible. I am the ruler of all time; nothing should be beyond my control..." He Who Remains stared at Peter in disbelief, unable to comprehend how someone could exist beyond his control.
"Mr. Superman, have you found a way to save the universe and the timelines?" Loki, equally shocked by Peter’s arrival, quickly transitioned from surprise to intense joy upon hearing Peter’s words. He had been traversing timelines not to torment himself but to find a true solution to save the universe and the timelines.
Until just now, He Who Remains had told him that the collapse of the timelines was not a sudden crisis but a destined event.
At that moment, Loki had even considered giving up on his futile efforts to save the timelines.
But now, Peter's sudden appearance seemed to bring him great hope.
"Indeed, her act of freeing all timelines has brought numerous unknown crises to the multiverse, some of which could even destroy it…" Peter slowly turned to look at Sylvie, who was frozen in time, and began to speak.
It was because of the timelines being freed that so many diverse and vibrant realities emerged, along with countless possibilities beyond the Sacred Timeline.
"But it’s also because of her actions that the entire multiverse has prospered, granting the universe infinite possibilities and a future…" Of course, this situation has both advantages and disadvantages.
Infinite possibilities gave rise to extraordinary beings like Peter, but also to madmen like Ultron, who seeks to destroy the multiverse and recreate a silent universe.
"Though the Infinite Ultron crisis arose from a reality with infinite possibilities and could potentially destroy the entire universe…" Peter continued, "The universe is meant to be full of surprises and the unknown, full of color and grandeur…"
"No one has the right, not even under the name of a supreme god or deity, to suppress the development of the universe…" Peter’s gaze shifted once more to the still-stunned He Who Remains.
"Because no one wants their life to be planned by someone else!"
It was like a movie Peter had once watched, where One's life was carefully planned out, free from unexpected dangers and untouched by the raw realities of life. Yet, that wasn’t the life he truly desired.
"So, for the prosperity of the universe and its infinite possibilities… please, sir, meet your end!" Peter fixed his gaze on He Who Remains and slowly snapped his fingers.
Snap!
With a crisp sound echoing through the empty hall, Sylvie's eyes regained their light, freed from the time prison.
"What… what’s going on?" Sylvie’s consciousness had only been absent for an instant, but in reality, a long time had passed. And before her, an unfamiliar figure had appeared out of nowhere.
"Die!" But her hatred quickly consumed her. Ignoring the changes around her, Sylvie’s eyes locked onto the despondent He Who Remains. Gripping her blade tightly, she began to walk slowly but determinedly toward him.
Loki and Peter stepped aside, clearing Sylvie’s path, and then turned, walking in the opposite direction.
"Perhaps you’re right; the universe's reality shouldn’t be planned by anyone…" As Sylvie stepped closer, He Who Remains realized that this time, he might truly be facing his death. But there was no fear of death in his eyes.
He had restricted the development of the universe and created the Sacred Timeline, eliminating all other unknown possibilities to protect the universe’s future. But in this moment, he realized that the universe didn’t need such limitations to be safeguarded.
"I hope you can save the universe from this crisis and protect it… ugh!"
He Who Remains' voice abruptly stopped. Peter and Loki offered no response to his words, but their steps away were firm and resolute.
…
Time flowed through both of them.
Their figures seemed to be traversing the endless river of time.
"Mr. Superman, have you decided how to save the universe from this crisis? We might not be able to return everything to the way it was."
With He Who Remains dead, the past timelines have become fully established realities. They can no longer travel back to the past where He Who Remains existed, nor can they use his plan to save the universe. This also means that if they fail to save the universe this time, it will be gone forever.
"The Infinite Ultron Crisis was born from the multiverse of infinite possibilities, but it transcends the universe's reality, space, and even time. It seems to be everywhere, using the power of time and space to utterly destroy endless timelines and realities, annihilating the entire multiverse."
"Saving the TVA's Temporal Loom is not the key to resolving the crisis. Erasing Infinite Ultron’s existence across all timelines is the true key to saving the universe," Peter said gravely, revealing his plan.
"Erasing all the Infinite Ultron avatars across infinite timelines?" Loki slowly repeated Peter's plan, a glint of understanding in his eyes.
"Are you sure you can accomplish such a glorious mission?" Loki's gaze was fixed on Peter. Even though he knew of Peter’s immense power, he couldn’t help but doubt. After all, we're talking about nearly endless timelines…
"Maybe. After all, this is the only hope we have right now to save all the universes and timelines."
In truth, Peter wasn’t completely confident either. Even though he possessed power beyond that of a multiversal level, and even though he could freely traverse infinite timelines to seek out Ultron’s avatars, defeating each Ultron empowered by the Infinity Stones after splitting himself infinitely was still an uncertain challenge.
"Yes, our last hope…" At this moment, Loki seemed to understand everything. A graceful, charming smile once again appeared on his lips. Regardless of whether they would succeed, they had to try, for the future of the universe and its infinite possibilities.
"Give me a moment to prepare…" Loki suddenly put away his smile and said. His entire body then began to distort as if he was traveling through timelines.
"OK, let's go and fulfill this glorious mission!" But in less than a second, Loki's distorted body returned to normal. His eyes filled with determination as he slowly spoke to Peter.
…
Peter didn’t speak, but a slight smile appeared on his lips.
He hadn’t deliberately intruded into Loki’s life, but as they stood within the endless river of time, Peter seemed to merge with it completely. Even without trying, he couldn’t help but sense that Loki had just traversed several of his past experiences in less than a second. During that brief moment, Loki had found the true meaning of protecting the infinite universe and its timelines.
In the next moment, both of their figures disappeared into the endless river of time.
They returned to the TVA, just before the Temporal Loom had been destroyed.
“Loki, the plan is about to start. Where did you go just now... And, who is this with you?” Mobius asked anxiously as he looked at Loki, but soon noticed the unfamiliar figure beside him.
At that moment, they had just finalized the plan to save the Temporal Loom using the multiplier. However, just as the plan was about to begin, Loki had suddenly vanished, only to reappear now with someone they had never seen before.
“Mr. Mobius, hello. I’m Peter Parker, but you can just call me Peter...” Peter said, showing his respect for Mobius, a man who had devoted almost his entire life to the Time Variance Authority.
“Peter Parker... Why do I feel like I’ve seen you before?” Sylvie, standing nearby, looked at Peter, who should have been a stranger to her, but a sense of familiarity arose in her mind. It was as if a special memory had suddenly resurfaced.
“We have met before, but it was on different timelines…”
“Enough, Peter. We don’t have much time left. It’s time to execute the plan!” Loki interrupted their conversation and quickly walked down the stairs towards the door leading to the Temporal Loom.
Peter didn’t linger either, following Loki down the stairs.
“Wait, Loki, what’s going on? What are you planning to do?” Mobius, noticing Loki’s unusual behavior, was surprised and hurried to catch up, trying to prevent Loki from acting impulsively.
“Stop, Loki! Don’t go out there! The time radiation will destroy you!” Mobius exclaimed, realizing what Loki was about to do. Loki and the stranger were about to open the door to the Temporal Loom without any protective gear.
The powerful time radiation, without any protection, was enough to destroy everything. Even with protective suits, the excessive time radiation posed the risk of tearing a person apart.
“Everyone, I know exactly what I’m doing...” Loki slowly turned around, stopping his friends from following him.
“We’re going to save this place, save all the timelines, and the entire multiverse...” Loki said with a resolute expression as he faced his friends. Then, he nodded slightly to Peter.
“Are you ready to face the power of time?” Peter asked Loki with a smile, and without waiting for a response, he opened the door to the outside.
The next moment, as the door suddenly opened, a torrent of overwhelming time radiation rushed towards them like a roaring wind.
However, the nearly all-destructive time radiation passed straight through Peter’s body, seemingly causing him no harm.
“Damn... This power...” Loki, however, wasn’t as unaffected as Peter. The time radiation seemed to push against his body, making it difficult for him to fully resist its invasion.
“Alright, according to our plan, I will go to destroy the Temporal Loom, take control of all the timelines, and find the hidden Ultron, bringing an end to the Infinite Ultron Crisis…”
“So now, let’s begin!” Peter glanced at Loki, then slowly turned around, ready to start executing the plan they had discussed.
Without any hesitation, Peter stepped out the door and walked along the passage toward the enormous Temporal Loom.
As he stepped out of the TVA, even more intense time radiation roared through the air, seemingly trying to tear everything apart.
But Peter, with his incredibly resilient steel-like body and having transcended the temporal dimension, was unaffected by the radiation.
What would have been nearly certain death for anyone else was of no consequence to him. He walked calmly through the time radiation, moving toward the glowing Temporal Loom.
The massive engine hung in the void, with endless timelines weaving through it. It had once managed to maintain a semblance of order among all the timelines.
However, now, with the timelines multiplying due to the appearance of Infinite Ultron, it could no longer handle the sheer number and was on the brink of destruction.
Peter slowly raised his right hand and clenched it toward the Temporal Loom.
In the next instant, it was as if a powerful force acted upon the engine, causing it to collapse.
BOOM!
A massive surge of temporal energy erupted from the engine, yet it still didn’t affect Peter in the slightest. Instead, as the Temporal Loom collapsed, the endless timelines were finally freed. They twisted and tangled like countless vines, but it was as if they had lost their nourishment and were slowly withering away.
…
Mobius and the others watched in shock. At that moment, they had no idea what Peter was trying to do. The destruction of the Temporal Loom meant that all timelines would gradually wither.
“Loki, come back!” Mobius called out.
However, seeing this scene, Loki suddenly stepped forward, ignoring the overwhelming time radiation as he walked toward Peter.
“Everyone, I now understand what I must become, what kind of... god I need to be!” Loki slowly turned around, his determined gaze fixed on his friends.
“I’ll do it for you all, and for the entire multiverse!”
Once known as the God of Mischief, Loki had been a symbol of deception. His life had been filled with lies and deceit. He had once tried to rule Earth, the Nine Realms, and even the universe, aiming to become a god feared and revered by all.
But after all he had experienced at the TVA, after witnessing the collapse of timelines and the destruction of the universes, he finally understood, at this moment when all timelines were about to wither, what his true mission was.
…
(End of Chapter)
