After submitting the mission completion report, Earth was returned to the God-Kingdom Universe by Malrick's corporeal form. The Avengers, meanwhile, returned to the Dimension Continent alongside Sentinel Bob. Everyone was fascinated by this young man, whose powers surged whenever his personalities shifted. Tony even considered researching armor inspired by Sentinel's abilities.
Weeks passed. Captain America and Banner made progress in Bob's psychological therapy, while Tony used a Mind Stone to create a mind-control device. With recognition and new equipment, Bob could finally harness his powers autonomously while suppressing his Void personality. Under Tony's persuasion, he naturally joined the S Universe Avengers, aiding in the rescue of worlds across the Multiverse.
Time flowed slowly. Saving an infinite Multiverse made weeks, months, or even years feel fleeting. As the TVA rescued more universes, more superheroes joined the mission. Unknown to the heroes, two years had passed on the Dimension Continent. The time spent by heroes saving worlds stretched hundreds or thousands of times longer.
A once-small village on the continent had grown into a massive city over a hundred kilometers wide. Its architecture varied—cyberpunk towers, magical spires, and even traditional village aesthetics. Each Universe's Earth maintained an outpost there. Surrounding the city, thousands of smaller settlements had formed, representing alliances of superhero variants: the Iron Man Awesome Alliance, the Hulk-Hates-Banner Alliance, the Captain America Justice League, the Scarlet Witch-Take-Down-Wanda-and-Steal-Malrick Alliance… A patchwork of both quirky and legitimate cities spanned tens of thousands of kilometers.
Hundreds of millions of superheroes traded, dueled, and rested in this hub daily.
Three legends dominated the city's gossip.
The first: to defeat S Universe Iron Man, one had to unite the strength of all Iron Men. Tony had dominated every Iron Man Day for over two years, earning both fear and resentment from his counterparts. Other heroes eagerly watched to see if the "shameless" Tony would finally lose.
The second legend: the team that had ventured to the continent's frontier two years ago in search of the Zeus Spring Water had succeeded and achieved true immortality. Time in the Multiverse passed quickly, but with the coffee from Jarvis's cafe infused with the spring water, superheroes could travel from Earth to Earth without aging. This team, including the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Warriors Three, Frog Thor, and Alligator Loki, became city celebrities. They often sent messages hinting that the spring water was near, sparking heated speculation—though, in reality, they were hundreds of trillions of kilometers away, walking in the opposite direction.
The third legend: a future war between the God-Kingdom Universe and Battleworld. TVA agents had encountered Doctor Doom's minions, who were actively destroying timelines, causing universes to fall into Battleworld. Heroes speculated a confrontation was inevitable. In truth, Doom was anxious. Malrick's plans had reduced the number of universes falling to Battleworld. Doom's forces tried to counteract, using time weapons to accelerate Multiverse collapse. Both sides understood this as inevitable, while Dimensional Demon Gods panicked at the sky literally falling. Once covetous of Earth, these gods now sometimes fought for its protection, yet most would not survive to witness the Multiverse's destruction.
"These are the three major legends in our city right now, Mr. Stark," Jarvis said as he prepared Tony's coffee, recounting the stories. "Your exploits became a legend just last week. The catalyst was White Can Iron Man forming an Anti-S Tony Alliance."
Tony frowned. "Something's off. That White Can Iron Man has been defeated by me countless times, and now he's rallied others? He's prepared."
"Sir, do you mean the other party might have found a counter to you?" Jarvis asked.
Tony scoffed. "Impossible… No, counter me? The Multiverse's number one Iron Man cannot be countered!" His pride was stubborn, though a hint of hesitation lingered.
"You said… that White Can could be a spy from Battleworld?"
"I have an idea, Jarvis. Can you contact Malrick and ask him to check what White Can is up to?" Tony hoped to handle the matter indirectly.
The robot shook its head. "Apologies, sir. Young Master Malrick has been in the God-Kingdom Universe for months and cannot be reached."
"Months? What could Malrick be doing? He hasn't gone off to other worlds, has he?" Tony pondered, perplexed.
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Powerstones?? (´ε｀ )
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Patreon = _Zeph