…
This beat-up thing was something Leon had secretly signed in from the Apokoliptian Mother Box guarded on Themyscira back when he was still in the DC Universe.
It was just as busted as Arcee had been.
When it first dropped—
It was even worse off than Arcee had been, scattered across the floor in countless fragments.
Leon had painstakingly used his "super brain," channeling his inner Pharaoh Atem assembling the Millennium Puzzle, to piece together something roughly cube-shaped.
For the sections too damaged to properly reconnect, he resorted to an absurdly strong industrial adhesive the System had rewarded him with, gluing the structure into a stable form.
That was how he ended up with the "complete" metal cube now in his hands.
"Leon, I said that was the last time…" the Ancient One warned.
"Master~"
Faced with Leon's imploring puppy-dog eyes, the Ancient One's lips twitched. The hand behind her back clenched and unclenched before she finally sighed.
"This truly is the last time."
"Time manipulation is a double-edged sword. We never know when it may turn on us."
"Master, I absolutely adore you!"
Leon enthusiastically attempted several playful Leon's Grips, only to have his hand smacked away by the Ancient One's fan. She took the mysterious cube from his other hand and examined it carefully.
"…Remarkable."
"This metal construct appears to have existed for billions of years."
Her sensitivity to time allowed her to perceive its origins instantly.
"Can it be fixed?" Leon asked, slightly uncertain. After all, it wasn't from this universe—there was no guarantee the Time Stone would work.
"…Yes."
After a moment of contemplation, she nodded.
"If the span between its creation and destruction were comparable, I might be powerless."
"But fortunately, it was only intact for billions of years and destroyed mere decades ago."
With that, she rotated the Time Reversal Array counterclockwise once more, rewinding the cube to the point before its destruction.
And then—
BOOM!!!!!
A colossal metal cube—twenty-five meters per side and covered in intricate alien glyphs—materialized in full size and instantly crushed Kamar-Taj into ruins.
At the last possible moment, Leon reacted, catching the enormous structure with one hand before it could fully settle and cause casualties.
Still—
The Ancient One's expression darkened to a shade resembling burnt charcoal. Under her guardianship, Kamar-Taj had never suffered such humiliation.
"Leon," she said calmly, though her tone carried weight. "I believe I deserve an explanation."
"Uh…"
Leon gave an awkward laugh.
"Can I say I forgot it used to be that big?"
"Ancient One, are you unharmed?!"
Wong, the librarian of Kamar-Taj, arrived instantly through a portal.
"Ancient One!"
"What happened?"
Baron Mordo, accompanied by more than a dozen apprentices, rushed in as well.
"It is nothing," the Ancient One replied evenly.
"Merely a minor mishap during a magical experiment between Leon and myself. Inspect the defensive wards and ensure the camouflage enchantments remain intact."
The Eye of Agamotto closed slowly as she concealed her spell-casting hand behind her back.
"…Understood."
Before leaving, Mordo cast Leon a suspicious look—particularly at the sight of him holding up a twenty-five-meter alien cube with one hand—then led the apprentices away.
He knew the Ancient One would never act recklessly.
The only plausible variable was her unusually favored final disciple.
Mordo had never understood her indulgence toward someone with no magical talent.
Yes, Leon might be powerful in the outside world—fearsome even, as Homelander · Leon—but in Kamar-Taj, he was little more than a student who couldn't form even the simplest Sling Ring portal.
"Master Wong," the Ancient One added gently, "if you have no further matters, you may return as well. Leon and I will handle the rest."
"Yes."
Wong bowed and departed through a portal.
Once he was gone, the Ancient One looked at Leon.
"Do you intend to hold that thing up indefinitely?"
"I could," Leon replied.
"But there's no need."
He summoned Arcee (A2 Mode).
The moment she looked up and saw the gigantic cube, she gasped.
"Oh my God!"
"The AllSpark!"
"Shh—"
Leon pressed a finger to her lips.
"Arcee, make it smaller. You can do that, right?"
"Leave it to me!"
Excited, Arcee began tapping across the glowing alien glyphs etched along the cube's surface.
Moments later, Cybertronian Compression Technology activated.
The twenty-five-meter cube compressed in blatant defiance of physics, shrinking down to a compact twenty-five-centimeter cube—small enough for Leon to hold comfortably in one hand.
[AllSpark: The origin and destination of Cybertronian sparks. Through curvature-folded internal architecture, it contains an immense quantity of Source Code.]
[Capable of converting any electronic device into mechanical life and supplying the energy required for its survival.]
[Description: The spark of civilization—and the key to destruction.]
Now that's more like it.
After reading the detailed description, Leon was practically grinning from ear to ear.
"I have glimpsed a fragment of the future," the Ancient One said solemnly.
"On a certain level, this metal cube may be more dangerous than the six Infinity Stones combined. You would do well not to abuse it."
The Infinity Stones at least had extraordinarily high usage thresholds—most beings couldn't even touch them safely.
But this cube was different.
Anyone could use it.
Its only limitation was its finite energy reserves.
And unfortunately—
It now belonged to Leon, a man who already possessed effectively infinite energy.
Creation or destruction…
Would depend entirely on a single thought.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789