Sersi kept shaking her head at Lucas Reed, silently warning him not to provoke Arishem with words.
The other Eternals, however, looked at Lucas with a trace of admiration in their eyes.
Lucas spoke calmly.
"I know that the universe's first star was ignited by you."
"I also know that everything you do serves one purpose—to allow the universe to continue expanding within three-dimensional spacetime."
"It is precisely because of the Celestials that the universe can maintain its operation, rather than collapsing into self-destruction through entropy."
"And as the universe continues to grow, you require more Celestials to help sustain its ecological balance."
Arishem responded evenly, without emotion.
"Human. The fact that you can perceive this proves that you are intelligent."
"Then why did you interfere in this matter?"
Lucas answered clearly and firmly.
"First, because I am human."
"Tiamut's birth would require the annihilation of the human race, along with countless other forms of life on Earth."
"Whether by emotion or by reason, I must intervene. Otherwise, I would not deserve to call myself human."
"Second, I do not believe that so many lives are worth less than a single Celestial."
Arishem's voice remained cold and detached.
"Human, what you say is irrelevant to me. No matter how precious your lives are, they cannot outweigh the balance and survival of the universe."
Had Luthor been present to hear this, Lucas was certain he would spend the rest of his life plotting how to kill this damned Celestial.
Lucas immediately countered.
"But whether Tiamut is born does not directly determine the life or death of the universe."
"More accurately, we merely followed the laws of natural selection. In the struggle for survival between us and Tiamut, we won—did we not?"
Arishem replied,
"Which is why I did not choose to erase you. I have simply followed the universe's natural progression."
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly.
He understood clearly—Arishem cared only about whether the universe remained stable and continued to expand. Anything that threatened that stability would be eliminated without hesitation.
Only when a civilization's development endangered the universe itself would the Celestials descend to erase it.
Arishem did not share humanity's moral framework.
He had existed for immeasurable ages. The values, ethics, and philosophies formed during humanity's brief history meant nothing to him.
To Arishem, humanity was no different from microorganisms within his own body.
Good and evil, law and morality—none of these concepts existed for him.
Only one principle mattered.
The stability of the universe outweighs everything.
"You cannot take them," Lucas suddenly said.
Arishem's voice rose for the first time, carrying a hint of anger.
"Human, do you understand what you are doing?"
Lucas could not allow Arishem to take the Eternals—especially Phastos, whom he needed.
Moreover, no film ever depicted what decision Arishem would make afterward regarding Earth.
Rather than leave such uncertainty alive, Lucas chose to crush it at the source.
"I understand," Lucas said resolutely.
"I am speaking for the survival of my species."
"From the moment humans were born, we have never accepted others deciding our fate."
"We seize our destiny with our own hands. We do not need judgment from anyone."
Arishem spoke again.
"Human, do you know that Asgard and Olympus once took whatever they wished from Earth?"
"It was the Celestials who forced them to stop."
"Without us, you might still be ignorant primitives."
Lucas met him head-on.
"Human resistance would have succeeded eventually."
"And I believe the real reason you intervened was simply because you did not want them interfering with Tiamut's birth."
Arishem fell silent for a brief moment.
Then he raised another massive hand.
"Enough. I have allowed you to speak before me."
"Now, you will pay the price for your insolence."
In the next instant, the golden rings surrounding Lucas began to glow.
The Ki enveloping his body melted away like snow under sunlight. He could no longer control it—no matter how hard he tried.
This was the first time since arriving in this world that Lucas experienced true helplessness.
Yet he did not feel fear.
Because he had already anticipated this outcome.
Otherwise, he would never have interfered in the first place.
The moment his Ki completely dissipated, Arishem's power reached him.
At that instant, it collided with a faint radiance.
A presence beyond space and time—something nearly omniscient—was stirred.
"…Hm?"
Behind Arishem, the fabric of space rippled outward, revealing darkness and truth beyond the universe itself.
A pair of colossal eyes appeared within that reality, gazing down upon everything.
Without warning, Arishem had already turned to face those eyes.
A voice—formless, ageless, directionless—echoed beside Lucas.
"This place does not welcome you, Arishem."
When Lucas regained awareness, he found himself lying on a recliner in the prison courtyard.
Everything that had occurred felt unreal—like a fleeting dream.
Then his phone rang.
"Lucas, you're alright, aren't you?" Sersi asked anxiously on the video call.
"Yes," Lucas replied, puzzled.
"But I clearly remember Arishem trying to act against me."
"I saw it too," Sersi said quickly.
"But when I came to my senses, I was already back on Earth. It all felt unreal."
"I asked Ikaris and the others—they experienced the same thing!"
"I tried contacting Arishem through the golden sphere, but there was no response at all!"
Lucas suddenly laughed softly.
"It's over," he reassured her.
"Arishem won't come back."
"Really?" Sersi asked, hardly believing it.
"Have I ever lied to you?" Lucas replied.
"That's wonderful…" Sersi covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes.
"Then it's truly over," Lucas said gently.
"Go. Live as yourselves."
Cheers erupted from the other end of the call. Moments ago, they had believed themselves doomed.
Now, not only were they alive—they were free from the Celestials' control at last.
"Oh, and tell Phastos to come see me once he's finished resting," Lucas added.
"I will," Phastos replied immediately.
"I'll come to you once I've settled things at home."
"Good."
After ending the call, Lucas let out a long breath.
Things had deviated slightly, but the outcome matched his expectations.
Those higher existences would never allow Arishem to wipe out humanity.
After all, Earth holds far too many secrets.
A critical node of universal space.
The Heart of Eternity, an origin god.
The soul-root of the World Tree.
A cradle of creation gods.
A convergence point of the Infinity Stones.
A cosmic spike embedded in the eye of an apocalyptic deity.
Countless labels confirmed one truth—
Earth is no ordinary planet.
Especially after Tiamut and the Ancient One both made their appearances, Lucas gained even more confidence to confront Arishem head-on.
As for the being that intervened at the end—Lucas neither needed nor cared to know its identity.
What mattered was this:
He had to grow stronger.
Strong enough to seek out Arishem one day—
And beat him senseless.
A Saiyan does not tolerate such humiliation.
Even Celestials are not invincible.
They can die.
And Lucas Reed would not mind taking a Celestial's head as his trophy.
___
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