The appearance of the Gemstone illuminated one corner of the artificial rock formation. Time and space seemed to turn viscous, as though thickened into syrup. The beam of light resembled fluorescent green liquid, dazzling to the eye.
Countless streams of green energy extended outward in irregular curves, spreading in every direction before collapsing and condensing in an instant, revealing its true form—
A smooth, translucent green gem, roughly four to five inches long and two to three inches wide, generally oval in shape.
The Time Gem.
Ancient One held the Gemstone aloft and pushed it through the air toward Master Chief John.
"...A treasure refined from the essences of six singularities before the birth of the universe—and two of them are actually on Earth?"
Was there something special about Earth? Unaware of any particular uniqueness of Earth within the Marvel universe, John felt genuinely astonished.
"More than that." Ancient One smiled faintly. "This is my token. The Time Gem was originally bestowed by the great cosmic deity Eternity. Now, it returns to its rightful owner."
"A token..." John murmured. "A gift from a cosmic god."
Through the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Elder of the Universe known as the Collector in Knowhere, he had indeed gathered intelligence regarding the Infinity Stones.
But such supreme secret treasures—cosmic divine artifacts—John had never naively believed he could simply collect them through his own efforts.
For the time being, he had not intended to stir up unnecessary complications. He only wished to develop steadily, to build, to establish a reliable forward outpost for the Empire—then accumulate greater strength.
To be honest, after arriving on Earth, although the negotiations had encountered some twists, they had proceeded smoothly. John had already been quite satisfied. He had not expected the North American authorities to hand him an additional surprise.
When they presented the so-called tribute list, even John had initially assumed it was merely ceremonial.
Among the listed items was a trophy from Norse mythology—the scepter of Loki, the God of Mischief.
According to the North American briefing, the scepter possessed the ability to control minds. It had originally been kept by the now-disbanded S.H.I.E.L.D., later transferred to Tony Stark and Dr. Bruce Banner for joint research. That research directly led to the Ultron crisis, sparked the Battle of Sokovia, and resulted in the enactment of the Sokovia Accords...
At present, the Gemstone removed from Loki's scepter had been embedded in the forehead of one of the Avengers—Vision—apparently the source of his life and sentience.
At first, John had accepted it merely as an Asgardian divine artifact, going through the motions to demonstrate the authority of the Emperor of the Sacred Selene Empire.
He had not expected that, after Merlin was dispatched to retrieve the "Gemstone from Loki's scepter," a message would come back—what was embedded in the scepter was an Infinity Stone: the Mind Gem.
John had personally jumped over to confirm it.
He had examined the damaged body of Vision, on the verge of collapse. The yellow Gemstone glowing on his forehead unmistakably reminded him of the same primordial essence he had sensed while traversing that unknown cosmic sea.
Especially because there was a sense of familiarity. John realized these Gemstones shared a convergence point with the energy tide stirred not long ago when Her Majesty Selene [Eternity] had transmitted her message.
Now, there was no possibility of him giving it up. He had to obtain it.
Even if it were not an Infinity Stone, it was still a cosmic artifact.
"Sorcerer Ancient One, I cannot guarantee that Her Majesty will respond to me..."
As he spoke, John cautiously used the power of imaginary space to catch the Time Gem from afar. Instantly, buzz!—the green Gemstone rapidly expanded within his violet-red energy claws. Crystalline streaks of fluorescent green light crawled up his outstretched right hand.
Bzzz—
A surging mass of green energy slammed into the artificial rock formation, shaking it to the brink of collapse. Already riddled with cracks, it finally reached its limit. Amid the alarmed cries of Secretary Ross and other North American officials, it shattered completely. Fortunately, Merlin proved reliable at a critical moment, using flower magecraft to lift everyone into the air.
This was not the true might of the Time Gem's temporal power—merely a simple eruption of cosmic energy.
Clang!Szzzt—
"Master Chief!" ×N
At the sight, the Demon Judges reacted instinctively, drawing their weapons in unison.
"It's fine. It's genuine. Sorcerer Ancient One did not deceive me. I... feel Her Majesty's presence!"
John extended his right hand. Upon his armored palm, violet-red Honkai particles intertwined with the green radiance of one of the Marvel universe's primordial laws embodied by the Time Gem, forming a dreamlike vortex of energy.
It resembled a spectacular visual display meticulously prepared by special effects artists—instantaneous, magnificent, breathtaking.
"You have gained the Time Gem's recognition."
Ancient One seemed to release a quiet breath of relief. Her profound gaze was wise and luminous, as though capable of perceiving the threads of fate.
She had confirmed something.
John's [Eternity] and the great Eternity she had encountered were the same—yet not the same—one and the same existence.
Using a Gemstone and being acknowledged by one were two entirely different matters.
The conditions required to obtain a Gemstone were extraordinarily harsh. Do not be misled by the fact that the Space Gem (the Tesseract), the Reality Gem (the Aether), and the Mind Gem (Loki's scepter) were all connected to Earth and had even been studied and contained by humans.
Consider who these Gemstones truly came from.
The Space Gem had been obtained by Odin, King of the Gods, after immense effort from an unknown realm of higher wisdom. The Reality Gem, originally liquid in form, had been gathered over centuries by the Dark Elves—Asgard's mortal enemies—who ruled the dark world of Svartalfheim, before being sealed by Odin. As for Loki's scepter, embedded with the Mind Gem—it had never truly belonged to Loki at all, but was gifted to him by the "Mad Titan" Thanos as a tool to probe Earth's defenses.
In other words, the current wielders of these Gemstones were not their original possessors.
The nearly impossible conditions for acquiring them had already been broken through by the previous generation of great gods.
Odin—Lord of Asgard, king of the Nine Realms—who in his youth battled ceaselessly across the cosmos.
The Dark Elves—sovereigns of the dark world and one of the most formidable adversaries on Asgard's path to dominance.
Thanos—last Eternal of Titan, excluding those who had journeyed to Earth.
And the Power Gem had been even more direct—initially wielded by a Celestial.
What circulated now were merely remnants passed down.
Look instead to the Soul Gem, which had yet to fully manifest. Its acquisition condition was brutally absolute—you must sacrifice the one you truly cherish, the one you truly love, in exchange. That death was irreversible by the Time Gem, impossible to restore even through the combined power of all six Gemstones.
The Time Gem was even harder to obtain.
For any world, its timeline was a domain to be treated with utmost solemnity. Ancient One had only gained it through direct recognition by the cosmic creator deity, Eternity.
And now, the Time Gem had acknowledged John.
It was acknowledgment—not mere reliance on equipment as a vessel, nor some superficial method of usage. Ancient One understood this clearly. If given sufficient time to study the arts of Kamar-Taj, John might well become Sorcerer Supreme himself—able to see through countless illusions, unravel dark magic, even observe the past and future.
Ancient One lifted her head, gazing at John, whose entire suit of armor was now crawling with fluorescent green patterns. She waited.
Bzzz—
As the green radiance of the Time Gem intensified, John's body trembled faintly, as though bearing an overwhelming force.
Countless strange patterns twisted space itself. They were primordial laws passed down from the far side of the void—ancient, formidable.
Everyone present felt an inexplicable suffocation and disorientation. Their thoughts seemed to stagnate entirely. Only Ancient One raised her head.
"It has come."
Just as John intended to withdraw his hand from the Time Gem, an unbearable heaviness struck his chest and mind. The world before his eyes blurred into overlapping images. His consciousness seemed influenced by something unseen. A wave of drowsiness washed over him—his awareness remained sharp, yet his thoughts grew hazy, as though he were falling.
Falling into a bottomless abyss of the void.
Descending through ten thousand dimensional realms, as if an infinite-faceted prism had been placed within a chamber lined with mirrors on every side—layer upon layer, endlessly reflecting.
In the deepest reaches of viscous cosmic darkness, several vast, indescribable abstract silhouettes stood towering, emanating a despair-inducing aura—perhaps they were the "universe" itself.
"Thank you."
The cosmos itself seemed to tilt and shift with their movement.
"It is your authority, my 'kin.' The will of the heavens watches over you and me..."
The immense yet unreal majesty gradually receded. The abstract silhouettes vanished.
Where is this?
Only then did John's consciousness barely stabilize. His body swayed slightly as he struggled to steady his mind, circulating every ounce of power within him to resist the invasion of that incomprehensible presence.
"John."
"Your Majesty."
The voice was like celestial music. The instant it reached his consciousness, thoughts, and soul simultaneously, Master Chief John calmed without reason.
The abstract silhouette bore no face—only two clusters of starlight where its eyes should have been. Translucent, pure blue primordial law traced the graceful contours of Selene's visage, the flowing patterns of galactic constellations woven like celestial garments. It was a sculptural style intimately familiar to every soldier of the Sacred Selene Empire.
"Great God Eternity."
Within the kaleidoscopic, stagnated sliver of space-time, Ancient One—also drawn here—bowed with impeccable formality and solemn respect.
"When you behold me, what is it that you seek?"
"Guardianship. Legacy. Liberation."
...
Meanwhile, at the Avengers base on the outskirts of New York.
BOOM!! An explosion tore through the air.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
"The world belongs to mutants!"
The screech of metal slicing through atmosphere followed. The base's low metal fortifications were smashed open. Several grotesque figures were brutally torn in half on the spot by silver-helmed, heavy-armored Demon Judges. Bone fragments and flesh sprayed everywhere.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Magneto will slaughter you all! Every last one of you deserves to die!"
Half his body blown apart by explosive energy beams, dragging his own intestines, eyes bulging, the creature roared. His limbs bore obvious animalistic mutations—clearly no longer purely human.
"Who is he?"
A fully armed Imperial auxiliary soldier turned to ask a Secret Service agent fighting alongside him. Even like that, he was still alive—impressive vitality.
"Mutant. Member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants. Beta level. Specific data—stand by..."
Bang!
Upon hearing he was an insignificant mutant, the auxiliary lost interest in a beheading. He raised his rifle and pulled the trigger. A laser beam instantly tore through the mutant's skull. Blood mist exploded outward.
"Small fry. No need to check further."
He moved on to hunt the next mutant infiltrating the base.
Across the meeting site, muzzle flashes erupted endlessly. To an uninformed observer, it would seem the negotiations had collapsed.
In truth, they had not. A closer look revealed the fighting was almost entirely confined outside the base's main structure, never spilling into the conference hall where discussions were reaching a preliminary consensus.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please believe me—the mutant threat is imminent."
Shielded by towering Imperial auxiliary troops wielding energy shields larger than their own bodies, the Black president felt unprecedented security. He even had the leisure to address the attending senators.
Had they not seen the starship overhead? Staying here was far safer. At least beside the Divine Empress Order's negotiators, there was no fear of being annihilated in a single barrage.
Recalling that he had neatly packaged numerous governmental time bombs and uncontrollable "hazardous items" to hand over to the Divine Empress Order for disposal—
Truly, he could not help but think that their arrival might actually be a good thing for Earth—for America.
Of course, such politically incorrect sentiments could never be spoken aloud during his term.
"Your Excellency. In this attack, we are victims as well. We had no prior knowledge. The mutant issue—much like the rogue superhuman factions opposing the Sokovia Accords—has long been a public safety crisis."
He spoke earnestly to the Demon Judge squad leader assigned to his security.
Between the lines, he distanced himself and implied everything necessary: mutants are not representative of humanity; the true culprits are extremist factions led by Magneto; we too suffer; we require assistance...
As he spoke, the president frequently glanced toward the fiercest battlefield.
Clang—clatter!
Amid a storm of twisting, shrieking metal, the levitating elderly man—attacked relentlessly by a towering giant resembling a Spartan warrior wielding shield and spear—was none other than Magneto. Draped in a purple-black cape, clad in black Kevlar combat attire, wearing a half-enclosed metal helmet that looked almost theatrical, he resembled a performer of avant-garde art.
The infamous mutant.
From youth to near his grave, he had never ceased stirring chaos.
"Magneto is making a desperate gamble, attacking the summit directly... Does he truly believe his control over magnetism can seize control of a starship?"
Screee—!
Suddenly, an earth-shattering shriek split the air. Heat surged violently. Towering flames swept upward, the air thick with searing waves. It felt suffocatingly hot, dizzying—like standing inside a furnace.
"People from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters..." The Black president's eyes widened.
"Are they intervening as well?"
—
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