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Chapter 413: A 50/50 Split with Dormammu?
The terrifying fluctuations gradually dissipated, and the restless space-time also slowly calmed down.
This small-scale disturbance seemed to have momentarily caused the entirety of Nowhere to tremble, but it was extremely subtle.
After his slumber, Tony had successfully ascended to Level Six, just one step away from Level Seven.
The strange quacking of a duck echoed, filled with fear.
The dog in the spacesuit also whimpered, trembling uncontrollably.
Tony retracted the fluctuations, allowing the agitated cells within his body to grow quiet once more. He then calmly sat down in the Collector's seat, as if everything that had just happened was a mere illusion.
But for Sif, who was drenched in sweat, the hole smashed open when the Collector was thrown out and her own rigid body—both visible in her peripheral vision—told her that this was real.
The Guardian of Earth before her had become even more terrifying.
"What is an Asgardian doing here?" Tony asked calmly, like a host questioning a guest.
Sif gave a wry smile and said, "We came to inquire about you. Nowhere is a notoriously chaotic zone in the universe, which also makes it the most well-informed place. Additionally, Odin sends you the gratitude of Asgard and the entire Nine Realms. You saved us."
Tony appeared thoughtful, a playful look on his face. He looked at the warrior Sif, seeming to see right through her in an instant.
This put even greater pressure on Sif.
Tony knew exactly what Asgard was thinking. It was nothing more than a fear that he had become too powerful, upsetting the delicate balance of the Nine Realms.
Odin had always been worried about what Tony might do to Asgard in the future.
But Tony had no interest in that whatsoever. His ambition had always been to build his own planet and then charge into the Sphere of the Gods.
If this had been merely a fantasy before, he now had the ability to build a planet.
The time was ripe to build Cybertron.
Tony crossed his arms, looking at the hesitant Sif with a calm expression. "If you have something to ask, just ask."
"The Infinity Stones... are they still in your possession?" Sif hesitated for a moment before asking.
"They shattered," Tony said. "Except for the Soul Stone, which flew off on its own to an unknown location, the other five stones were destroyed in my battle with Trigon. From now on, this universe will only have the Soul Stone."
Sif instinctively found it hard to believe, but seeing Tony's calm expression, she could only nod helplessly.
She had to believe whatever Tony said.
Sif even suspected that the current Tony might already be on the same level as Odin. Otherwise, how could he exert such immense pressure on her, making her heart pound with fear...
It was even more terrifying than the feeling Odin gave her—that awful sensation of absolute suppression...
After a moment of contemplation, Tony asked, "How is Earth now?"
"Not well. A great war broke out not long ago. Atlantis declared war on the Surface World, causing tens of millions of deaths..."
Sif briefly described the situation. She didn't know much herself; it was what Heimdall, the gatekeeper who could see across the Nine Realms, had told her while she was using the Rainbow Bridge.
Afterward, Sif left, her heart heavy with worry.
Although she still found it hard to believe that five of the Infinity Stones had been shattered—after all, they were supreme artifacts of the universe—and despite the enemy being Trigon, seeing Tony not only unharmed but even stronger made her truly suspect that he had hidden them away.
After Sif left, Tony sat in the seat, lost in thought.
On both sides were numerous display cases, inside of which all sorts of creatures were held captive. These were the prized possessions gathered by the Collector. Although many had escaped during the Power Stone's explosion, the Collector had slowly managed to gather most of them back.
These collectibles all looked at Tony with expectant and pleading eyes, desperate for him to save them and grant them their freedom.
Tony slowly rose and walked straight to the dog in the spacesuit. With one punch, he shattered the glass and lifted it out.
This was a dog from Earth.
During the Cold War in the last century, the Soviet Union launched a space capsule containing a dog to test manned spaceflight technology. The dog in Tony's hands was that very dog, the first from Earth to go to space.
After drifting for a long time, the dog was eventually collected by the Collector and preserved as a rare treasure—by being thrown into a display case.
But one shouldn't underestimate this dog named Cosmo. Despite his cute appearance, with his tongue lolling out and tail wagging frantically, he had actually undergone a genetic mutation from cosmic radiation, granting him a super-high IQ, the ability to speak, and even telepathy.
"Stupid dog, silly dog! Acting cute is shameless!" In the adjacent display case, Howard the Duck couldn't take it anymore. He cursed under his breath, then looked at Tony with expectant eyes.
"Good dog. I'll take you back to Earth. You can keep that silly dog of mine company..." Tony murmured, ruffling the dog's head, not pointing out that Cosmo was deliberately playing cute.
In reality, it wasn't that Cosmo didn't want to speak, but that he was terrified. He had wanted to use his psychic abilities to probe Tony's mind, but his instincts screamed that doing so meant certain death.
That terrifying psychic presence, as deep as a bottomless abyss, left Cosmo trembling with fear. So, he simply feigned ignorance and played cute, especially wagging his tail more joyfully upon hearing the words "back to Earth."
Tony patted Cosmo's head and strode out, not giving the various creatures on either side a second glance.
Cosmo was from Earth, and he could also help train that Kryptonian dog of mine. Tony had a reason to take him. As for the others, on what grounds? He had no intention of being a saint.
Outside, the twelve colossal figures, who had long since sensed Tony's presence, began transmitting joyous emotions through their sparks into the Allspark, which Tony perceived.
These twelve Knights, who followed the path of Divine Power, had been playing dead nearby all this time, disguised as scrap metal or other junk, quietly awaiting Tony's awakening.
In his mind, the Allspark pulsed faintly. Ever since Tony had acquired the Singularity trait, his perception of the Allspark had become much sharper. It wasn't that the Allspark had changed, but that Tony himself was different.
"Let me see your memories..." Tony casually patted one of the Knights, and the complete memories of all twelve behemoths flooded into his mind.
He scanned through them as quickly as flipping through a book, his expression growing darker the more he saw.
"The great Dormammu?"
"Savior of the universe?"
"The man rumored to be an even match for Trigon?"
"And... the master of Sorcerer Supreme Tony? The despicable coward Tony?"
Reading the last part, Tony's expression changed completely, twisting into a cold, chilling smile.
It seemed that during his slumber, Dormammu, who had been pursuing him all this time, had been undertaking a remarkable new enterprise...
(end of chapter)
The terrifying fluctuations gradually dissipated, and the restless space-time also slowly calmed down.
This small-scale disturbance seemed to have momentarily caused the entirety of Nowhere to tremble, but it was extremely subtle.
After his slumber, Tony had successfully ascended to Level Six, just one step away from Level Seven.
The strange quacking of a duck echoed, filled with fear.
The dog in the spacesuit also whimpered, trembling uncontrollably.
Tony retracted the fluctuations, allowing the agitated cells within his body to grow quiet once more. He then calmly sat down in the Collector's seat, as if everything that had just happened was a mere illusion.
But for Sif, who was drenched in sweat, the hole smashed open when the Collector was thrown out and her own rigid body—both visible in her peripheral vision—told her that this was real.
The Guardian of Earth before her had become even more terrifying.
"What is an Asgardian doing here?" Tony asked calmly, like a host questioning a guest.
Sif gave a wry smile and said, "We came to inquire about you. Nowhere is a notoriously chaotic zone in the universe, which also makes it the most well-informed place. Additionally, Odin sends you the gratitude of Asgard and the entire Nine Realms. You saved us."
Tony appeared thoughtful, a playful look on his face. He looked at the warrior Sif, seeming to see right through her in an instant.
This put even greater pressure on Sif.
Tony knew exactly what Asgard was thinking. It was nothing more than a fear that he had become too powerful, upsetting the delicate balance of the Nine Realms.
Odin had always been worried about what Tony might do to Asgard in the future.
But Tony had no interest in that whatsoever. His ambition had always been to build his own planet and then charge into the Sphere of the Gods.
If this had been merely a fantasy before, he now had the ability to build a planet.
The time was ripe to build Cybertron.
Tony crossed his arms, looking at the hesitant Sif with a calm expression. "If you have something to ask, just ask."
"The Infinity Stones... are they still in your possession?" Sif hesitated for a moment before asking.
"They shattered," Tony said. "Except for the Soul Stone, which flew off on its own to an unknown location, the other five stones were destroyed in my battle with Trigon. From now on, this universe will only have the Soul Stone."
Sif instinctively found it hard to believe, but seeing Tony's calm expression, she could only nod helplessly.
She had to believe whatever Tony said.
Sif even suspected that the current Tony might already be on the same level as Odin. Otherwise, how could he exert such immense pressure on her, making her heart pound with fear...
It was even more terrifying than the feeling Odin gave her—that awful sensation of absolute suppression...
After a moment of contemplation, Tony asked, "How is Earth now?"
"Not well. A great war broke out not long ago. Atlantis declared war on the Surface World, causing tens of millions of deaths..."
Sif briefly described the situation. She didn't know much herself; it was what Heimdall, the gatekeeper who could see across the Nine Realms, had told her while she was using the Rainbow Bridge.
Afterward, Sif left, her heart heavy with worry.
Although she still found it hard to believe that five of the Infinity Stones had been shattered—after all, they were supreme artifacts of the universe—and despite the enemy being Trigon, seeing Tony not only unharmed but even stronger made her truly suspect that he had hidden them away.
After Sif left, Tony sat in the seat, lost in thought.
On both sides were numerous display cases, inside of which all sorts of creatures were held captive. These were the prized possessions gathered by the Collector. Although many had escaped during the Power Stone's explosion, the Collector had slowly managed to gather most of them back.
These collectibles all looked at Tony with expectant and pleading eyes, desperate for him to save them and grant them their freedom.
Tony slowly rose and walked straight to the dog in the spacesuit. With one punch, he shattered the glass and lifted it out.
This was a dog from Earth.
During the Cold War in the last century, the Soviet Union launched a space capsule containing a dog to test manned spaceflight technology. The dog in Tony's hands was that very dog, the first from Earth to go to space.
After drifting for a long time, the dog was eventually collected by the Collector and preserved as a rare treasure—by being thrown into a display case.
But one shouldn't underestimate this dog named Cosmo. Despite his cute appearance, with his tongue lolling out and tail wagging frantically, he had actually undergone a genetic mutation from cosmic radiation, granting him a super-high IQ, the ability to speak, and even telepathy.
"Stupid dog, silly dog! Acting cute is shameless!" In the adjacent display case, Howard the Duck couldn't take it anymore. He cursed under his breath, then looked at Tony with expectant eyes.
"Good dog. I'll take you back to Earth. You can keep that silly dog of mine company..." Tony murmured, ruffling the dog's head, not pointing out that Cosmo was deliberately playing cute.
In reality, it wasn't that Cosmo didn't want to speak, but that he was terrified. He had wanted to use his psychic abilities to probe Tony's mind, but his instincts screamed that doing so meant certain death.
That terrifying psychic presence, as deep as a bottomless abyss, left Cosmo trembling with fear. So, he simply feigned ignorance and played cute, especially wagging his tail more joyfully upon hearing the words "back to Earth."
Tony patted Cosmo's head and strode out, not giving the various creatures on either side a second glance.
Cosmo was from Earth, and he could also help train that Kryptonian dog of mine. Tony had a reason to take him. As for the others, on what grounds? He had no intention of being a saint.
Outside, the twelve colossal figures, who had long since sensed Tony's presence, began transmitting joyous emotions through their sparks into the Allspark, which Tony perceived.
These twelve Knights, who followed the path of Divine Power, had been playing dead nearby all this time, disguised as scrap metal or other junk, quietly awaiting Tony's awakening.
In his mind, the Allspark pulsed faintly. Ever since Tony had acquired the Singularity trait, his perception of the Allspark had become much sharper. It wasn't that the Allspark had changed, but that Tony himself was different.
"Let me see your memories..." Tony casually patted one of the Knights, and the complete memories of all twelve behemoths flooded into his mind.
He scanned through them as quickly as flipping through a book, his expression growing darker the more he saw.
"The great Dormammu?"
"Savior of the universe?"
"The man rumored to be an even match for Trigon?"
"And... the master of Sorcerer Supreme Tony? The despicable coward Tony?"
Reading the last part, Tony's expression changed completely, twisting into a cold, chilling smile.
It seemed that during his slumber, Dormammu, who had been pursuing him all this time, had been undertaking a remarkable new enterprise...
(end of chapter)
