Information about my parents?
The disdain on Skye's face vanished instantly, replaced by sharp surprise. She wasn't shocked that Richard knew she had been searching for answers about her origins. He had already ordered Black Car Bud to investigate her thoroughly. What unsettled her was something else entirely.
He spoke like a man who already had the answers.
"Where are they?" she demanded, stepping forward slightly. "How did you find them?"
Her voice carried urgency now, no trace of sarcasm. For all her bravado, this was the one subject that could pierce through her defenses.
"There's no free lunch in this world," Richard replied evenly. His expression didn't change. "Find Ikaris within one day, and I'll tell you what I know."
"If you want the truth about your parents, bring me Ikaris."
Unlike Skye's agitation, he remained perfectly composed. He hadn't needed to hack S.H.I.E.L.D. himself. Black Car Bud's investigation had already revealed the essentials. Skye's parents were Calvin Zabo and Jiaying. Up to this point, her life matched the version he remembered almost exactly—except she hadn't been recruited by Coulson.
"You'd better not be lying," Skye said through clenched teeth. "If you are, I'll expose everything about you and the Hellfire Club."
"I don't joke about things like this," Richard replied calmly. "If you need equipment, tell Bud. You have one day."
Before she could respond further, he teleported away.
In a blink, he returned to Silver Manor.
He stopped briefly to check on Clarice, who had not yet reached the peak of her powers. Afterward, he spent the evening with the White Queen in private conversation that gradually turned into something far less academic. By the time night ended, his mood was steady and unhurried.
…
Noon the following day, after finishing a proper meal at the manor, Richard teleported back to the Hellfire Club's New York base.
He found Skye asleep on the sofa.
Compared to yesterday, the living room had transformed into a chaotic command center. Computer towers, monitors, external drives, and cables covered nearly every surface. Power strips trailed across the floor like tangled vines.
Skye herself looked exhausted. Despite that, she was undeniably attractive in a sharp, understated way. Her figure was slim rather than curvaceous—167 centimeters tall, weighing just under fifty kilograms. Not striking in a dramatic sense, but compelling.
Richard used telepathy to wake her gently.
Her eyes opened slowly, still heavy with sleep.
"The day's up," he said.
She grabbed a tablet from the table, glanced at it, then tossed it toward him.
"He's in Paris. Alias Richard Mack. Staying at the Best Western M-Treize in Asnières-sur-Seine."
She held his gaze firmly. "Now tell me about my parents."
"Your father's name is Calvin Zabo. Your mother is Jiaying," Richard replied calmly. "I don't know their current location. You were brought to the United States by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Your foster families were arranged by them."
"If you want more, hack S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database."
Skye frowned immediately. She had investigated her past relentlessly, but she hadn't traced it back to S.H.I.E.L.D. yet. The revelation clearly unsettled her.
"You're really letting me go?" she asked cautiously.
"I keep my word," Richard said. "If you don't want to leave, you can stay. I'll make an exception and let you join the Hellfire Club."
"I'm not joining your club," she shot back.
She stood and walked toward the exit. After a few steps, his voice stopped her.
"You might want to wash up first. You're pretty, but skipping hygiene doesn't help."
She spun around, offended. "You're the one who doesn't care about hygiene!"
Richard ignored the remark and summoned the Cosmic Cube. A spatial portal crackling with faint lightning formed in front of him. Without hesitation, he stepped through and vanished.
…
Paris.
Asnières Station.
The moment he emerged, Richard activated telepathy. Ikaris's mental presence stood out clearly within seconds.
He teleported to a nearby park.
Ikaris sat behind a bench, watching pedestrians with a distant expression. Since separating from Sersi centuries ago, he had drifted from city to city without attachment.
Richard appeared in front of him.
Recognition flickered in Ikaris's eyes. He had seen the reports. He knew the name.
"Ajak and Sersi are dead," Richard said evenly. "You're the last Eternal on Earth. I hope you perform better."
Shock crossed Ikaris's face, but he didn't hesitate. His eyes flared gold and heat vision burst forward.
Richard responded instantly with Alpha-level heat vision of his own.
Red met gold.
The air hissed as energy collided, crackling violently. Though Ikaris had struck first, he gained no advantage. Within seconds, his golden beam began to lose ground, pushed back by Richard's stronger output.
Realizing the imbalance, Ikaris cut the beam and prepared to take flight.
Richard swung the Yama Sword.
Dimensional Slash.
He didn't use the enhanced variant—just the standard technique.
Space warped violently around Ikaris. Six crescent-shaped spatial blades formed and struck from multiple angles.
The result was immediate.
Ikaris was cut into dozens of pieces mid-motion.
Plunder.
New abilities acquired: Heat Vision, Flight, Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Physique, Immortality, Control of Cosmic Energy.
Duplicate abilities detected. Fusion initiated.
Super Strength, Super Speed, Immortality, and Cosmic Energy Control enhanced.
Ikaris possessed more raw abilities than the others, though none surpassed Richard's own upper limits. Even so, the cumulative reinforcement strengthened him further.
Richard prepared to decompose the remains when a system notification appeared.
Mission "Superman Supreme" completed.
Mission reward: Kryptonian Physique (Superboy Supreme) delivered.
Second Template awakened: Superboy Supreme.
System update complete.
World Copy unlocked.
First Template: Sephiroth (65%)
Second Template: Superboy Supreme (5%)
World Copy: 1 Challenge Available.
He stared at the interface briefly. Awakening Superboy Supreme was not what he had predicted. He had expected Virgil's template to unlock next. Still, surprise passed quickly.
He decomposed Ikaris's remains and teleported to a nearby rooftop.
Opening the World Copy description, he read carefully.
Randomly travel to another world. Return upon completing the challenge. Time ratio 100:1.
Warning: Non-template abilities may be strengthened, weakened, or restricted depending on the world.
So not merely parallel universes.
He liked it.
After returning to Silver Manor and spending a week considering the risks, he decided to activate it. Even if decades passed in another world, only days would pass here. The time advantage was enormous.
Standing in the center of the training ground, he selected "Yes."
A three-meter black sphere appeared in front of him, swirling like a miniature singularity. A powerful suction force pulled him forward.
He did not resist.
The next moment, he was expelled from the other side.
He found himself floating above a city.
System interface appeared.
Current Universe: Marvel Zombie Universe.
World Challenge: Kill all zombie heroes and villains.
Time Limit: None.
Reward: Awaken Virgil Template.
World Limitations: None.
A faint smile touched his lips.
No ability restrictions. That simplified things.
He tested the Cosmic Cube briefly and confirmed its function remained intact. Satisfied, he stored it away.
Telepathy expanded outward, blanketing the entire city.
Almost instantly, he frowned.
.....
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