Beyond all things, a deep blue phantom, even larger than Eternity, was hidden in the shadows, ominously watching Eternity.
"Logos, who replaced the Living Tribunal, was actually defeated, and along with the Aspirants (Dark Celestials), he was captured. How strange."
The deep blue phantom was precisely the one behind Eternity's imprisonment, the First Firmament.
"However, according to the information sent back by the Aspirants, in order to enhance Eternity's power, they seem to want to unify Eternity."
"Hehehe..."
First Firmament let out a few strange laughs that only he could hear, then disappeared back into the shadows.
— — —
Snap!
Closing the book in his hand, Lucas's gaze turned to the Eternity Gate.
After several long hours of waiting, the ripples on the surface of the Eternity Gate grew more intense, as if a portal was about to open at any moment.
Sure enough, the next second, a white light suddenly emanated from the Eternity Gate, followed by a series of clicking sounds, and the tightly closed Eternity Gate slowly began to open to both sides.
"Let's go."
Without Lucas's urging, Lifebringer, Chthon, and 1610 Mister Fantastic, who had been lying on the ground in a daze, quickly stood up.
The four of them, without distinction, walked towards the Eternity Gate together.
Inside the Eternity Gate, the sky and water were one, the water surface like a mirror, reflecting blue sky and white clouds.
Stepping onto it, Lucas immediately noticed an anomaly. The water surface was only a thin layer, beneath it was a true mirror surface.
Deception!
Before Lucas could continue his criticism, a shout interrupted his thoughts.
"Great Eternity! Lifebringer Galan salutes you and implores your response!"
Lucas looked in the direction of the voice, only to see that Lifebringer had somehow already walked to the seated avatar of Eternity and was calling out repeatedly.
However, there was no response. No matter how Lifebringer called, Eternity remained quietly seated there, without the slightest reaction, as if only an insensate statue remained here.
Lucas walked straight over and suggested, "How about we smash him and then restore him to see if that works?"
Lifebringer's eyelid twitched.
Chthon and 1610 Mister Fantastic had different but similar reactions.
"Sorcerer Lucas, this is improper. One cannot disrespect Eternity." Lifebringer quickly advised, genuinely worried that Lucas might actually do such a thing.
"Just kidding, but calling out foolishly like you isn't a solution either. Let me try." Lucas shook his head.
Everyone knew that he, Lucas, was a young man of excellent character, talent, and academic achievement. Such rude behavior as smashing Eternity's avatar inside the Eternity Gate was something he wouldn't usually do.
Hearing this, Lifebringer gave an awkward laugh, then seemed to notice something and asked, "Sorcerer Lucas, do you have a way?"
Lucas nodded, then shook his head. "Yes, but it's not needed."
Walking closer, Lucas stood before Eternity and said in a normal tone, "Ignoring guests... Eternity, you haven't been beaten silly by the First Firmament, have you?"
After speaking, Lucas said no more, only standing quietly before Eternity.
Although there was no evidence, Lucas firmly believed that Eternity had already noticed them, but simply didn't want to meet.
Not long ago, when he, Tony, and Strange went beyond all things, Eternity had discovered them as soon as they arrived in the Neutral Zone.
In their conversation, Eternity referred to Lucas as the elephant in the room. Now that this elephant had entered Eternity's bedroom, Lucas didn't believe Eternity hadn't noticed.
And indeed, it was as Lucas thought.
As early as when Lucas and the other three stepped into the Altar of Eternity, Eternity had discovered them. The reason for not responding was simply that he didn't want to meet Lucas.
To Eternity, Lucas was a complete disruptor, adding many unforeseen variables to this cosmic war out of nowhere.
In the plan formulated by Eternity, j3 would use the Multiverse's abnormal reboot and period of weakness to lure the First Firmament, who had been lurking near the Multiverse and eyeing him covetously, into action.
Once the First Firmament was exposed, he would call upon successive Eternities to jointly take the First Firmament to the other shore, completely resolving this major hidden danger to the Multiverse.
This was originally a slow-cook process, where Eternity would gradually make concessions, luring the First Firmament deeper and deeper until he was inextricably trapped.
But with Lucas's intervention, Logos and the Dark Celestials quickly fell, and the power the First Firmament had invested in corrupting the Multiverse was instantly cleared out.
If it weren't for the plan proposed by 1610 Mister Fantastic still dangling, the First Firmament would probably have given up his actions by now and retreated back into some unknown corner.
However, 1610 Mister Fantastic's plan was too dangerous, and for Eternity, it was a huge gamble.
While unifying the Multiverse would greatly increase Eternity's strength, losing the Multiverse's infinite possibilities and vast vitality would cause Eternity's fault tolerance to plummet.
This was like a duel between two people.
A single Universe wielded a sharp blade and wore sturdy armor, but had only one health bar. Once depleted, it died.
The Multiverse had only a fire poker and tattered clothes, but possessed almost countless health bars. Even if it was far inferior to the heavily armed single Universe, it simply couldn't be killed.
...
Inside the Altar of Eternity, the vast white clouds in the high sky suddenly receded at extreme speed, revealing the blue sky beneath.
Then, the stars shifted, and constellations emerged. Starlight showered down, traversing endless distances directly towards the seated figure of Eternity.
It changed!
The feeling Eternity gave Lucas and the other three changed.
Previously, Eternity, while grand and unfathomable, felt like nothing more than an exquisitely crafted work of art. Now, it had transformed from a work of art into a boundless starry sky.
Though unwilling in his heart, Eternity ultimately chose to respond to Lucas and the others.
"Sorcerer Lucas, Galan, Chthon, Reed Richards, I have understood your intentions."
Hearing this, Lucas and the others were not surprised. They exchanged glances, and Lifebringer asked Eternity for his opinion.
"Then, Eternity, what is your choice? The Multiverse, or a single Universe?"
"The Multiverse, or a single Universe?" Eternity repeated Lifebringer's question, and just as he was about to voice his concerns, an anomaly occurred.
Dark chains suddenly appeared out of thin air, instantly crossing space and time to bind Eternity's hands, feet, and neck, as if they had always been there.
"Who?"
Chthon and Lifebringer were greatly alarmed. They looked around, activating their senses with all their might, trying to find the one who had ambushed Eternity.
Lucas's pupils also contracted, divine power quietly flowing within him. All things in the world instantly slowed down to near stillness in his eyes.
Looking back at his memories, Lucas finally understood why these chains had bound Eternity right in front of him, Chthon, and Lifebringer, yet they couldn't detect them.
These chains were already on Eternity, arriving with his projected consciousness, appearing on Eternity in a Planck time, with no process at all in reality.
"No need to search, there's no one." Lucas reminded Chthon and Lifebringer.
He then gestured to Eternity with his eyes, urging him to make a decision.
Eternity spoke concisely, revealing his concerns, "The First Firmament is a more mature, more powerful single Universe. Even if I unify the Multiverse's power and transform into a single Universe, I am not confident I can defeat him."
"On the contrary, he might seize the opportunity to complete his devour."
"So, Eternity, you don't want to take risks and wish to maintain the status quo?"
1610 Mister Fantastic summarized, then pointed to the areas on Eternity that were constantly decaying with the appearance of the chains, posing a question.
"However, isn't maintaining the status quo also just waiting for death?"
"No. Logos and the Dark Celestials have already been defeated. As long as the Multiverse regains balance, the decay will stop. At that time, I will also pass through my period of weakness and break free from the First Firmament's shackles in one fell swoop."
After speaking, Eternity looked at Lucas, his meaning clear.
Chthon understood upon seeing this. Eternity wanted Lucas to hand over his new cosmic law from Logos, which Chthon was unwilling to see.
With a cold sneer in his heart, Chthon stepped forward and righteously declared, "The rise and fall of the Multiverse is everyone's responsibility. I am willing to inherit the Logos law and help the Multiverse regain balance."
Eternity remained silent, but Lifebringer could not sit still.
He glared at Chthon. "Chthon, what do you mean by this? I thought you genuinely cared about the safety of the Multiverse, but I didn't expect you to be eyeing the cosmic law."
Chthon retorted to Lifebringer, "Galan, don't slander me. You can evolve from the Devourer of worlds into the Lifebringer, so why can't I evolve from the God of Black Magic into the Living Tribunal?"
"Prejudice in people's hearts is like a great mountain. No matter how hard you try, you can't move it."
Lucas glanced sideways at Lifebringer and Eternity, and said earnestly, "Chthon, no matter what others say, I am willing to trust you this one time."
Chthon gave Lucas a grateful look, then feigned a sigh. "Although I study black magic, am the first Black Magic Master of the Seventh Cosmos, and even hailed as the God of Black Magic, power is not good or evil. I actually always wanted to be a good person, I just didn't have a choice."
"Set attacked and devoured Hipps, sparking the God-Eater War, what could I do?"
"Gaea and the Creator combined to give birth to Atum, and Atum indiscriminately attacked all Elder Gods, what could I do?"
"Those sorcerers who yearned for knowledge, willing to live and die for knowledge, approached me, only seeking to witness truth, what could I do?"
"Haha..." 1610 Mister Fantastic couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Seeing Chthon's gaze, he said, "I think the God of Darkness is right."
"Don't call me the God of Darkness. Call me by my name, Chthon."
"Alright, Lord Chthon, actually, I understand you very much. I am also often misunderstood."
"Chthon, do you believe what you're saying?"
Lifebringer couldn't stand it anymore. He sharply interrupted Chthon and 1610 Mister Fantastic's mutual flattery.
"Galan, when you evolved into the Lifebringer, Lord Chaos and Master Order didn't believe it either."
Chthon ignored Lifebringer's questioning, merely seizing upon Lifebringer's past and repeatedly emphasizing it.
The two argued for a long time, but neither could convince the other. Their purpose in arguing was not to refute the other, but simply for Lifebringer to vent his frustration.