LazySageDao
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650. Unexpected Trouble
🕑 Added 2024-12-05 10:23:56 +0000 UTC(Please read the author’s note after the chapter.)
—--
“What happened?” Edward asked.
“Someone just forcefully broke through the protective barrier we have around our timeline,” Ra reported.
“Who? Is it Tony again?” Edward asked, not hiding the fury in his eyes.
“No, it’s not him — it’s the Celestials.”
“Arishem?”
“Not just him, but a bunch of them,” Ra said, making Edward grunt.
“What are they doing that they need to enter other timelines?”
“I’m not sure.”
Edward sighed. “We need to upgrade our security so no one else can leave or enter the timeline without our permission.”
“This was indeed an oversight on our part — it won’t happen again,” Ra reassured.
“I’ll trust you again. I’ll check on Arishem.”
“Before you do that—”
“What? There is more?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I don’t like your tone insinuating,” Edward said. He felt he was about to receive terrible news.
“We have detected the parallel dimension that the Celestials traveled to. Our reading indicates it's a rank three timeline.”
Edward’s expression became ferocious. A third-rank timeline met a minimum of one Demon God King.
“Did you detect the specific number of Kings?”
“The energy signature has only detected 2 of them, but we’re not completely sure of the exact number or how powerful.”
“2 kings means a 3E Timeline,” Edward muttered. “Alright, I’ll deal with it.”
He no longer hesitated and called for a meeting with the council. Soon, the projection of Ra, Odin, Frigga, the Ancient One, and King T’Chaka and his wife appeared.
“What happened?” Odin asked, and Edward told him of the situation.
“In other words, we are about to face an early convergence with a world with at least 2 Demon God Kings?” Odin asked.
“That’s right.” Everyone was silent.
“Do we know anything else?” The Ancient One asked. “How many Tier 10 entities do they have?”
“Our technology can only record the highest energy levels, so unless we send a probing team, I don’t know the exact number,” Edward said. The situation was indeed not ideal for them.
“I’m almost back in my prime, so I can fight one of the Kings if I fuse with the Destroyer. Its metal is unique, so even if I meet a much more powerful opponent, I can at least hold on for a while.”
“I can boost his vitality, allowing him to fight for a longer period, but my strength is not enough to directly partake in this battle,” Frigga said. According to Edward’s Tier system, after a few years of studying in his library, the Asgardian Queen was only Tier 9 and very close to Tier 10.
“I can barely fight with an Upper Demon God with the Space Stone in my hand,” the Ancient One said. “Without Earth’s Protection Array, I am no match for a King.”
King T’Chaka sighed deeply. “Wakanda has only recently built a Tier 8 Suit. We are not yet ready to partake in battles on such a scale. I’m sorry, my friends.”
“It’s okay. I’ll deal with the other King,” Edward said. “The issue is how to respond to this Convergence?”
“Can’t we just use our previous tactic?” Odin suggested.
“That probably won’t work,” Frigga added. “The Kings should detect our attack and stop it.”
“There are also the Celestials,” the Ancient One added. “They can be great allies, so it would be best to send a rescue team.”
“Is it really wise to help after they’ve caused so much trouble?” Queen Ramonda.
“They acted out of ignorance instead of malice, so there is no point in punishing them,” T’Chaka added.
“The Ancient One and the King are right,” Edward said. “The Celestials can greatly aid our cause, so let’s try to save them if we can.” After that, the council quickly formulated a plan. After everyone agreed on the nitty gritty, they went to prepare.
As soon as the meeting ended, Edward summoned the Avengers and Wong.
“Did something happen?” Steve was the first to ask.
“A convergence has occurred.” Everyone was first shocked before turning their heads to Tony.
“Don’t look at me. This has nothing to do with me.” The team looked at him with skepticism before focusing on Edward.
“He’s right — it has nothing to do with him.”
“In that case, does this mean the Great Convergence has started?” Natasha asked.
“No, this was also done artificially, but it was due to an accident,” Edward explained.
“I’m guessing you called us here because you have something for us to do,” Banner said.
“That’s right,” Edward nodded. “You have a mission. While the [Council] and I hold off their most powerful creatures, you must infiltrate their dimensions to find the Celestials. If they are in danger, save them. If not, bring them back as soon as possible and by any means necessary.”
“It sounds simple enough,” Natasha said. “But will it be as simple as stated?”
“What do you think?” Edward rebutted, and Natasha just laughed nervously.
“Banner, Stark, Sam, and Natasha — you’ll be in charge of the infiltration. Clint, you’re in charge of reconnaissance. Steve and Agent Maria — you’re on standby in case the enemy bypasses our defenses and enters our timeline.”
Edward turned to Wong and handed him a sling ring with weird designs. “You’re accompanying Stark and his team. This sling ring can allow you to open portals between timelines. You’re their ticket home, so protect yourself.”
“Don’t worry, Sorcerer Supreme, I won’t let you down.”
Edward nodded. His gaze shifted to the last person in the room — Agent Coulson, who is not Director Caulson.
“Your job can be said to be the most important,” Edward stated, immediately alarming Coulson. “If the council fails and we die, you’ll receive a letter with instructions on activating Project Last Stand. You only need to follow the procedure immediately. Even if Stark and the others haven’t returned, activate it. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Coulson nodded. “But, what’s Project Last Stand?”
“It’s the last resort I’ve left for this dimension,” Edward explained. “Upon activation, the entire universe will teleport away from its coordinate and turn into a wanderer. It will instinctively avoid all dimensions and timelines, trying to survive for as long as possible.”
Coulson took a deep breath. “I know what to do.”
Edward looked at Stark’s team: “I hope you don’t blame me.”
“No, we understand,” Stark replied. If the councils die, it will only mean their timeline will be destroyed next. In that worst-case scenario, it’s a must for Coulson to take the universe away and leave it behind. The lives of their families and the trillions of others are more important than the four of them.
“Can I go with them?” Steve asked.
“You are not a full guardian yet, so your strength will drastically weaken once you leave this dimension.”
Steve secretly clenched his fists after hearing this. He was used to being the first one on the frontline, making the sacrificial play, but now, he felt powerless.
“Everyone go and prepare. Clint, come with me — I’ll take you to your post.”
Edward teleported Clint to a tower floating in the Blank Realm right outside their timeline. This thing was created especially to help Hawkeye’s Divine Eyes. “Your job is to use your eyes to find our enemies and how powerful they are.”
“I understand,” Clint nodded. Edward also left to prepare. His current strength, without the city's help, was not enough to fight a King Powerhouse. So, he also needed some preparations. The entire process took him a few hours before everything was ready.
As Edward floated in the void of the Blank Realm, preparing for his first cross-level battle, his mind wondered. ‘This could be my last fight in the world.’
‘What? Are you already thinking about death before the fight even begins?’ Morgana mocked.
‘You can say that,’ Edward nodded. ‘I’m more thinking about my legacy in this vast Omniverse. What do you think will happen to the Empire if I ever die? Do you think it will continue, or will it crash and burn?’
‘My opinion is that if the family can maintain unity and work together, they might preserve it. There might be a long period of instability, but if they can survive that, it’s possible to preserve it.’
‘What about its future prospects?’Edward asked.
‘You’ve left a great blueprint for them,’ Morgana continued. ‘As long as they follow it and even learn from the magus race, their future potential is still great. Of course, it will probably take them a thousand times longer to reach a certain level without your guidance.’
‘You think so?’ Edward said with a smile. He wondered how they were doing now.
—--
[AN: My motivation to write this arc is at an all-time low. So, I decided to try writing about the Empire and see different people’s perspectives. Maybe this will help.]
Comments
Drake
agreed, motivation is often way more important than anything else in writing, if you're not motivated, you can turn a great story into a horse that you beat until you extract all value out of it
hector lyng
I think that's fine, sometimes it's better to divert attention from the main story to add a little padding to clear the mind.
