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Chapter 438: Recruitment
Tony glanced indifferently at the little girl, then directly lifted the visibly thinner, pale-faced Clark and tossed him to Shockwave. "You guys leave first," he ordered. "Shockwave, you're responsible for taking him back to Kansas. He just needs to rest for a few days, and he should recover."
"Knock Out, you leave too. I'll keep the Codex of Life here."
Shockwave paused for a moment, then silently grabbed Clark and left. Knock Out hesitated, giving Tony—who had been talking to thin air—a suspicious look, but still steeled himself and departed.
If this was an enemy even Tony couldn't handle, it would be useless for them to stay here.
Both Shockwave and Knock Out were convinced that there must be something near Tony that they couldn't see.
The moment Shockwave turned, his single eye flickered as he silently recorded the information. Tony's words, "deceiving Thanos," were a key phrase. Although he didn't understand it, he knew it would be useful in the future.
Shockwave knew very well who Thanos was.
The footsteps gradually faded, leaving only Tony in the entire underground laboratory.
Oh, and one invisible "person."
The little girl dangled her feet as she sat steadily on the table, watching Tony with a gaze full of amazement.
"Don't think you can pull the same trick on me that you used to deceive Thanos. It won't work."
"How do you know that? Anyone who knew about Thanos's past has already been killed by him," the little girl said softly, scratching her cheek.
Tony gave her a cold look. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that what you're doing is disgusting?"
The little girl covered her mouth and smiled gently. "Are you talking about me deceiving Thanos?"
"No, I'm talking about you. An old woman who's lived for billions of years, yet insists on dressing up as a young girl. The worst part is that you even mimic a young girl's mannerisms. It's nauseating just to think about," Tony said coldly.
The little girl's movements froze abruptly, and her gentle demeanor vanished in an instant.
Someone called her... disgusting?
The little girl's expression stiffened, her face gradually turning ashen. Her youthful liveliness vanished completely, replaced by an endless gloom and killing intent.
That youthful, adorable face was now cast in a deep, cold shadow, flickering with an utterly terrifying despair.
With a pale face, Tony glanced into her cold, malicious eyes and felt as if he'd plunged into the abyss of death itself. Inside, countless lost souls were wailing as familiar faces flashed before his eyes.
Death, who controlled the demise of all life in the multiverse, was responsible for guiding these undead souls to the next world.
But today, Tony had insulted her.
"Are you courting death?" the little girl stared at Tony and said, enunciating each word.
At that moment, all life on Earth seemed to feel the arrival of a deadly fate. The faces of countless people skilled in prophecy changed drastically as they each used their own methods to foresee the future.
"Pfft!"
In a secret room, a woman violently spat out a mouthful of blood. Her face was deathly pale, and she almost fainted.
"Why is it like this again?! The last time I made a prophecy about the Hulk, I touched upon some unknown being and my vital energy was severely damaged, forcing me to spend years recovering! Why have I been seriously injured again after just one more prophecy?! Who in the world is targeting me, Madame Xanadu?!"
The woman, her hair disheveled, spat out mouthfuls of blood, nearly dying from sheer anger.
But the wound to her spirit was deeper than the physical one.
She was a divination sorcerer whose greatest skill was foreseeing the future. But... two prophecies in just a few short years, resulting in two consecutive, severe injuries—Madame Xanadu couldn't help but question her very existence.
She had used divination magic many times, but why were these last two so life-threatening? Who was trying to harm her?!
...
Tony stiffly raised his head, staring indifferently into the little girl's eyes.
"I have no interest in wasting time with you. Just say it, what do you want? If you want me to end up in that pathetic state like Thanos, don't even think about it."
Tony sneered, the sense of crisis in his heart skyrocketing. On his chest, a flash of black light appeared and vanished.
If she really pushed him to the brink, he'd flip the table and risk it all. If he couldn't kill Death's main body, could he not kill a goddamn clone?
If he really lost his temper, he would just rip out the Plot Gem. Even at the risk of exposing himself, he wouldn't let Death get off easy.
As for bowing his head... anyone who knew even a little about Death would never do something so utterly foolish.
What kind of person was Death? To put it bluntly, a seductive vixen, a bitch.
Just look at the countless versions of Thanos across the multiverse—what a miserable state she's ruined them all into. Perhaps a few lucky Thanos doppelgangers managed to escape that fate. Maybe in some universe, Thanos even bears the responsibility of being the "Cosmic Family Planning Commissioner"...
Tony knew his own limits. What made him stronger than Thanos was his status as a Quasi-Unique God, two unique items, and, of course, his knowledge of the storyline.
If he believed Death's bullshit, he would be a true fool. He could bow his head to any person or god, he could go over to any ancient deity and serve them, but this would never include Death.
Whoever pledged themselves to Death was literally courting death.
Aside from eternal, infinite life, they would gain nothing, and they would be lucky if their personality didn't completely collapse.
The little girl's gaze was gloomy. Suddenly, the icy and deathly aura dissipated, and everything returned to normal.
The little girl—no, it should be said Death—was cold, without a trace of warmth. She reached out, grabbed the top of her own head, and then pulled hard.
The scalp was torn off, the flesh was ripped away, dripping with blood, revealing the jade-white bone underneath.
Death had torn away her disguise. In the form of a skeleton, she stood there, looming over Tony from on high.
Her dark eye sockets were as deep as an abyss where countless lost souls wailed in agony. The skeleton beneath her black robe emanated the aura of death itself.
Her body wasn't tall, but it gave off a sense of majesty that transcended space-time, as if she was omnipresent throughout the past and future. Compared to Death, Tony seemed so insignificant, like an ant, like a speck of dust.
"Tony, serve under me. You are worthy," Death said in a cold voice, her hollow eyes looking over, the vortexes within them spinning.
Tony sneered, "Don't be ridiculous. You think you can recruit me by sending a single clone? I'm not a fool like Thanos, to be deceived by a few words! I would rather go over to Trigon, or flee to Hell right now, than ever join you, you..."
"Or else, die!"
"...Your majesty is supreme, Lady Death. What I meant was, it would be my honor to serve you."
Tony's tone changed abruptly. Without blushing or his heart skipping a beat, he lied through his teeth, naturally spouting Starscream's famous line without a shred of guilt.
"Tony, you and Thanos are indeed not the same kind of person. I have high hopes for you, a self-developed Singular God."
Death paused, and before Tony could speak, she said indifferently,
"If it were Thanos, he would rather die than compromise. Perhaps that is where he is inferior to you."
(end of chapter)
Tony glanced indifferently at the little girl, then directly lifted the visibly thinner, pale-faced Clark and tossed him to Shockwave. "You guys leave first," he ordered. "Shockwave, you're responsible for taking him back to Kansas. He just needs to rest for a few days, and he should recover."
"Knock Out, you leave too. I'll keep the Codex of Life here."
Shockwave paused for a moment, then silently grabbed Clark and left. Knock Out hesitated, giving Tony—who had been talking to thin air—a suspicious look, but still steeled himself and departed.
If this was an enemy even Tony couldn't handle, it would be useless for them to stay here.
Both Shockwave and Knock Out were convinced that there must be something near Tony that they couldn't see.
The moment Shockwave turned, his single eye flickered as he silently recorded the information. Tony's words, "deceiving Thanos," were a key phrase. Although he didn't understand it, he knew it would be useful in the future.
Shockwave knew very well who Thanos was.
The footsteps gradually faded, leaving only Tony in the entire underground laboratory.
Oh, and one invisible "person."
The little girl dangled her feet as she sat steadily on the table, watching Tony with a gaze full of amazement.
"Don't think you can pull the same trick on me that you used to deceive Thanos. It won't work."
"How do you know that? Anyone who knew about Thanos's past has already been killed by him," the little girl said softly, scratching her cheek.
Tony gave her a cold look. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that what you're doing is disgusting?"
The little girl covered her mouth and smiled gently. "Are you talking about me deceiving Thanos?"
"No, I'm talking about you. An old woman who's lived for billions of years, yet insists on dressing up as a young girl. The worst part is that you even mimic a young girl's mannerisms. It's nauseating just to think about," Tony said coldly.
The little girl's movements froze abruptly, and her gentle demeanor vanished in an instant.
Someone called her... disgusting?
The little girl's expression stiffened, her face gradually turning ashen. Her youthful liveliness vanished completely, replaced by an endless gloom and killing intent.
That youthful, adorable face was now cast in a deep, cold shadow, flickering with an utterly terrifying despair.
With a pale face, Tony glanced into her cold, malicious eyes and felt as if he'd plunged into the abyss of death itself. Inside, countless lost souls were wailing as familiar faces flashed before his eyes.
Death, who controlled the demise of all life in the multiverse, was responsible for guiding these undead souls to the next world.
But today, Tony had insulted her.
"Are you courting death?" the little girl stared at Tony and said, enunciating each word.
At that moment, all life on Earth seemed to feel the arrival of a deadly fate. The faces of countless people skilled in prophecy changed drastically as they each used their own methods to foresee the future.
"Pfft!"
In a secret room, a woman violently spat out a mouthful of blood. Her face was deathly pale, and she almost fainted.
"Why is it like this again?! The last time I made a prophecy about the Hulk, I touched upon some unknown being and my vital energy was severely damaged, forcing me to spend years recovering! Why have I been seriously injured again after just one more prophecy?! Who in the world is targeting me, Madame Xanadu?!"
The woman, her hair disheveled, spat out mouthfuls of blood, nearly dying from sheer anger.
But the wound to her spirit was deeper than the physical one.
She was a divination sorcerer whose greatest skill was foreseeing the future. But... two prophecies in just a few short years, resulting in two consecutive, severe injuries—Madame Xanadu couldn't help but question her very existence.
She had used divination magic many times, but why were these last two so life-threatening? Who was trying to harm her?!
...
Tony stiffly raised his head, staring indifferently into the little girl's eyes.
"I have no interest in wasting time with you. Just say it, what do you want? If you want me to end up in that pathetic state like Thanos, don't even think about it."
Tony sneered, the sense of crisis in his heart skyrocketing. On his chest, a flash of black light appeared and vanished.
If she really pushed him to the brink, he'd flip the table and risk it all. If he couldn't kill Death's main body, could he not kill a goddamn clone?
If he really lost his temper, he would just rip out the Plot Gem. Even at the risk of exposing himself, he wouldn't let Death get off easy.
As for bowing his head... anyone who knew even a little about Death would never do something so utterly foolish.
What kind of person was Death? To put it bluntly, a seductive vixen, a bitch.
Just look at the countless versions of Thanos across the multiverse—what a miserable state she's ruined them all into. Perhaps a few lucky Thanos doppelgangers managed to escape that fate. Maybe in some universe, Thanos even bears the responsibility of being the "Cosmic Family Planning Commissioner"...
Tony knew his own limits. What made him stronger than Thanos was his status as a Quasi-Unique God, two unique items, and, of course, his knowledge of the storyline.
If he believed Death's bullshit, he would be a true fool. He could bow his head to any person or god, he could go over to any ancient deity and serve them, but this would never include Death.
Whoever pledged themselves to Death was literally courting death.
Aside from eternal, infinite life, they would gain nothing, and they would be lucky if their personality didn't completely collapse.
The little girl's gaze was gloomy. Suddenly, the icy and deathly aura dissipated, and everything returned to normal.
The little girl—no, it should be said Death—was cold, without a trace of warmth. She reached out, grabbed the top of her own head, and then pulled hard.
The scalp was torn off, the flesh was ripped away, dripping with blood, revealing the jade-white bone underneath.
Death had torn away her disguise. In the form of a skeleton, she stood there, looming over Tony from on high.
Her dark eye sockets were as deep as an abyss where countless lost souls wailed in agony. The skeleton beneath her black robe emanated the aura of death itself.
Her body wasn't tall, but it gave off a sense of majesty that transcended space-time, as if she was omnipresent throughout the past and future. Compared to Death, Tony seemed so insignificant, like an ant, like a speck of dust.
"Tony, serve under me. You are worthy," Death said in a cold voice, her hollow eyes looking over, the vortexes within them spinning.
Tony sneered, "Don't be ridiculous. You think you can recruit me by sending a single clone? I'm not a fool like Thanos, to be deceived by a few words! I would rather go over to Trigon, or flee to Hell right now, than ever join you, you..."
"Or else, die!"
"...Your majesty is supreme, Lady Death. What I meant was, it would be my honor to serve you."
Tony's tone changed abruptly. Without blushing or his heart skipping a beat, he lied through his teeth, naturally spouting Starscream's famous line without a shred of guilt.
"Tony, you and Thanos are indeed not the same kind of person. I have high hopes for you, a self-developed Singular God."
Death paused, and before Tony could speak, she said indifferently,
"If it were Thanos, he would rather die than compromise. Perhaps that is where he is inferior to you."
(end of chapter)
