End of Time.
An inevitable end, the moment when the timeline converges, the last moment before the cosmos shatters.
Universe collision, world destruction, life extinct on Earth.
Just a little more, and the entire universe would cease to exist. This is the last 0.000001 second, and time has been artificially halted.
In the sky, there is only darkness; light has withered away. Countless parallel universes crash into each other, leading inevitably to annihilation.
Sun collides with sun, creating a bizarre black hole that draws in all light, returning everything to the void.
Earth collides with Earth, the shockwave turns the whole world into ruins, and at the same time, a fierce wind lifts a person's cape.
In the corpse-laden ruins, a silhouette walks silently, leaving a trail of long footprints in the dust of everything that once was. The grey dust, piled like mountains, is stirred by the heavy steps, then settles back into calm as the footsteps fade away.
The silhouette inspects his country, the land he dearly loves.
Though the once-prosperous Latovinia no longer exists, now it is only desolate.
Yet in the eyes of this person, he sees not these ruins but images of the past, the smiling faces of people and their cheers for him.
Skyscrapers lined the street, people's lives were prosperous and stable. They erected a majestic statue for him, even placing a garland around its neck.
They call him 'Master' or 'Your Majesty,' this country is the embodiment of his will.
He cherished everything here, even the guerrillas opposing him, considered them family.
But now he stands silently in the once-bustling square. Before him, the statue remains only two broken legs, like trees snapped by a typhoon, buried among the rubble.
The green cloak behind him billowed high, his eyes were filled only with determination.
He wanted to prevent this end, to protect his country, to protect this world.
"Valeria, initiate the plan."
He issued the command through the battle armors' cross-temporal communication device.
"Don't be in a hurry to leave, Victor von Doom, we've been waiting for you at the end of time for a very long time."
"Doom sensed you, traces in thermal imaging and magic sight, I wondered when you would step out, Deathstroke."
Dr. Doom turned around, the light in his eyes visible through his metal mask, arms crossed, quietly watching the group.
Su Ming smiled, his face mask melted, revealing his face, and the dust lifted by the wind settled on his skin.
This apocalyptic scene is the world's final end.
But Doom halted it at the cliff's edge; he had his own plan.
"Doom is curious, you already had a safe escape during the multiverse collision, why involve yourself in this matter again?"
Doctor Destruction knocked on his mask but had no intention of removing the iron mask.
Su Ming gestured for the Secret Guest and others to stay put, approaching Doom himself. He now needed Doom's help, and in the future, Doom would need his.
He didn't answer Doom's question, but asked Doom.
"The timeline where your actual body is located, how far is it from here?"
"One week left, the Illuminati's efforts were futile, only Doom can save the world."
A muffled voice emerged from under the iron mask; Doom remained calm.
"Do you know now? What caused all this?"
"Do not provoke Doom, you know the future earlier than I do, this is true, but flaunting it to me is a very low-level act."
Doom calmly countered Deathstroke's words, which also made Su Ming acknowledge that his relationship with Doom wouldn't be bad in the future, at least saying such things, Doom did not attack.
"Not sure what you misunderstood, but I came from 1945."
"Even lower-level," Doom interjected, sitting on the statue's broken leg, "If you knew a century ahead in 1945, you should have informed Doom earlier."
"But there's still time, isn't there."
"Yes, there's still time."
"I'm here to negotiate, Doom, please help me in the past, and I will repay the favor in the future."
"You've always cursed me, always have, seems in 1945 you didn't know how terrifying your so-called 'negotiations' are, almost everyone who did deals with you died miserably."
"But you are still alive, lived to the end of this world."
"Yes, I am still alive... now inform Doom about your deal, I can spare the time to listen."
"Help me deal with a God of Story, and I'll help you become 'Eternal,' it's that simple. The universe has a week left to destruction; your options are few, but my matter has plenty of time, with many choices."
"Deal with a certain Loki? I need some preparation."
"Deal concluded?"
"Deal, but Doom won't shake hands with you."
Doom looked at Deathstroke's outstretched hand but remained unmoved.
He is also a mage, willing to indulge in certain arcane theories.
It is said that those who bargain with Deathstroke only need to avoid a handshake to stay alive.
Better to believe it exists than to dismiss it. The consciousness of this world subtly influences everyone. Although his scientific instincts compel him to seek answers continuously, some things will always remain unanswered.
Doom possesses high levels of technological expertise, coupled with profound knowledge of magic, making him one of the most powerful mages in the Marvel World.
His armor, forged by a group of hidden monks, separates Doom's soul from the reality, with the casting cost transferred to other Destruction Robots.
This is an attempt to decode the magic system with science.
There are, of course, side effects: the separation of soul and body leaves Doom nearly devoid of emotions, except for his love for his mother and his country.
Merely a cold titanium shell.
"Then you can have Valeria start the teleportation." Su Ming gestured for others to come closer, as Doom's technological teleportation range was not large.
"Don't try to command Doom. We are masters of cybernetics, and this is merely a transaction."
............
"Uncle Doom? Are you okay? You called my name very loudly, as if you were scared."
A little girl around four or five years old, wearing a pink sweater, sat on a hovering chair. In front of her was a giant computer, resembling a massive wall.
She had long golden hair and looked as cute as a doll, yet her eyes reflected a wisdom beyond her years.
Her full name was Valeria Richards. Her father was Mr. Fantastic, Reed, and her mother was the Invisible Woman, Susan.
Due to gene mutations inherited from her parents, she also became a mutant, and her ability was energy shaping, allowing her to transform invisible energy into tangible matter.
But her greatest advantage wasn't her mutant ability but her super intelligence.
Her father, Mr. Fantastic, was hailed as a divine child from a young age, having graduated successively from world-class universities like the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Columbia University, and Imperial State University, earning doctoral degrees in fields such as engineering, mathematics, and physics.
However, Reed only graduated in his twenties, while Valeria, at four, disdained pursuing doctoral degrees as she had already amassed a bunch.
Her technological knowledge surpassed her era, so much so that Tony and Reed, regarded as genius scientists, sometimes couldn't comprehend her, nor predict her actions.
About a year ago, The Four Wonders caused another problem, landing them in international court.
It wasn't a conspiracy but Reed indeed made a mistake, dragging The Four Wonders into it.
Thus, he and Susan were stripped of child custody, as people believed that parents, being mad killers, couldn't raise children properly, and they should be nurtured by kind-hearted people with societal welfare agencies' aid.
Only then can they become pillars of society, the hope of the future.
The Four Wonders ended up in jail, while Franklin and Valeria were sent to a foster institution, an orphanage.
Franklin, Valeria's brother, was also a mutant with the power to alter reality and create parallel worlds. After discussing with his sister, he crafted a pocket universe and entered his own world.
It was a world without superheroes or super villains, a place where he could relax and experience an ordinary life.
Valeria didn't accompany him because as long as she had a computer and internet, she could study anywhere, and life at the orphanage was similar to before.
Besides, apart from their uncle occasionally taking them out, they barely saw their parents a few times a year. Reed's solution was to create a robot to accompany the kids, a robotic butler named Herbie.
It started well, but shortly after, Herbie was controlled by Ultron, a robot butler no taller than a suitcase decimated The Four Wonders and almost killed both children...
If Iron Man and The Avengers hadn't arrived, their whole family would've perished at their own creation's hands.
Tony empathetically patted Reed's shoulder, playing with robots and having it backfire wasn't uncommon. However, Captain America gave Reed and Susan a full-day course in ethics and morals, making them promise never to use dangerous AI again, before letting them off.
Afterward, Valeria asked her father why the butler robot was equipped with a Starship Reactor and a Micro-Nuclear Bomb?
Reed replied that next time he would obtain Tony's license to refit an Ark Reactor onto a new robot and patch up the loophole Ultron exploited.
Is that really the issue? Isn't avoiding AI use more crucial? Can Ultron's invasions really be perpetually thwarted?
The little girl was exhausted; it seemed the orphanage was still safer than home.
But merely ten days after the judgement, as the case of The Four Wonders cooled down, she was adopted by the dictator of Latovinia.
Doom wielded his connections and financial power.
For others, being as rich as a nation is just an expression, but for Doom, it is fact.
He is the state.
With less than one percent of the United States' land area, Latovinia's GDP rivals that of the United States, as it is Doom's private enterprise.
While initially fearful of Doom, given he was her parents' mortal enemy and frequently clashed with The Four Wonders and The Avengers for years, routinely causing explosive demolitions in New York, leaving the Richards family to spend untold amounts on renovations each year.
Gradually, she found Doom treated her well, speaking with her daily and doting on her like a daughter, offering her good food, clothes, and the entire nation addressed her as a princess.
Whatever she desired, Doom built it, without hesitation. He even made a S.H.I.E.L.D. model aerospace carrier for her as a plaything.
Doom trusted her greatly, not treating her as an ordinary child, granting her control over all high-tech aspects of Latovinia, including his Destruction Robots.
Hence, the little girl happily lived with Doom, though she often couldn't help but recall the rumors about Doom and Susan...
Could Doom have genuinely been the neighbor?
Until recently, she heard that Reed and The Four Wonders had busted out of prison.
These parents are really worrying, the little girl sighed, she needed to persuade them to turn themselves in.
However, while tracking her parents' clues, she accidentally discovered a situation: the worlds within the All-Powerful Universe were constantly colliding, and everyone was doomed.