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[Superman] Chapter 133: Splitting Up and Wanda’s Arrival
🕑 Added 2024-05-19 06:30:04 +0000 UTCAccording to their previous experiences, there was usually an hour between each battle in the Battle Realm.
But now, with the ice-man's arrival, barely ten minutes had passed.
The sudden energy burst piqued Peter's curiosity.
Without hesitation, Peter led the two towards the source of the energy burst.
This time, the source was in a secluded small town.
Near the town, there was a vibrant garden filled with birds and flowers.
On the garden ground, a mysterious blue seed had suddenly started to rapidly root and sprout, as if nourished by some powerful energy.
In an instant, it inflated like a quickly expanding balloon.
In the blink of an eye, it burst beyond the confines of the garden, exposed to everyone’s sight.
"Oh my God! What is that?"
"How terrifying!"
People in the garden were drawn to the rapidly expanding phenomenon, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief at the sudden strange occurrence.
"No, everyone run!"
However, some sensed the danger immediately. The rapidly expanding energy was consuming everything around it.
"Ah!"
In an instant, as the energy mass expanded, devouring everything in its path, people in the park fled frantically.
The blue energy, like a rushing flood, swallowed everything around it.
Buildings and cars alike were rapidly engulfed by the expanding energy.
Swoosh!
Just as countless people were fleeing for their lives, three figures suddenly appeared in the sky above.
"It doesn’t seem like it's from another universe,"
Looking at the rapidly expanding, viscous energy mass below, all three of them were filled with surprise and confusion.
"Let's stop its expansion first!"
Seeing the scene before him, Peter instantly thought of the reason for the sudden energy burst.
Without a doubt, it was caused by Ego, the self-proclaimed Celestial of the living planet in the universe.
"Let me handle this!"
The ice-man understood the urgency. If the energy continued to expand, the entire town could be consumed.
Without hesitation, he directed intense ice towards the expanding energy mass.
Sizzle!
The ice quickly enveloped the energy mass.
Crack...
With a piercing sound, the surface of the energy mass instantly froze over.
"Thank goodness! We're saved!"
The fleeing civilians quickly noticed the frozen energy mass, cheering for the figures in the sky.
Some survivors hugged each other, celebrating their escape from death.
"Everyone, leave the area quickly. It's still not safe around here."
However, the ice-man, who had successfully frozen the energy mass, didn't look relieved at all.
Instead, his expression was grave.
"What's wrong? Is it difficult to deal with? Didn’t you say you could even freeze space-time?"
Magneto looked at the ice-man in surprise, somewhat doubtful.
This guy had just claimed his power was immense, capable of freezing space-time.
Now he seemed unable to handle this energy mass.
"Damn it, this energy is unusual. Normally, even energy stops all movement once frozen by my ice. But this energy seems to draw power from an unknown dimension."
"My ice can only stop its expansion, but I can't completely freeze it."
At this moment, the ice-man looked troubled, not expecting to face such a tricky situation just as he was about to showcase his strength.
"It seems the energy mass itself isn’t the problem, but rather the unknown source that supplies it with power."
Magneto didn’t doubt the ice-man’s words. After pondering for a moment, he pinpointed the issue.
"Alright, I know the true cause of all this."
Peter, of course, understood the real reason behind the phenomenon before them.
"You know? What’s going on?"
Their attention instantly shifted to Peter, filled with curiosity.
...
"A sentient life planet? Is it possible such a thing exists in the universe? It’s incredible!"
After hearing Peter’s explanation about Ego, both men were astounded by the boundless possibilities of the universe.
"Even if we know the root of the problem, we can’t solve it. The universe is vast, and finding a single planet in it is like searching for a grain of sand in a desert."
They quickly realized the difficulty of resolving the issue.
"Magneto is right. Even though I can freeze this energy temporarily, as long as its source keeps supplying power, it will eventually break through my ice and unleash a force capable of destroying the entire Earth."
The ice-man’s expression was grim. He could only stall the energy, not stop it permanently.
"Don’t worry. I may not know where that guy is hiding in the universe, but there’s someone who definitely does."
Peter remained calm, even wearing a confident smile.
Shortly after, they left the ice-man to continue containing the expanding energy.
Peter and Magneto traveled to Asgard’s new home in Norway.
The reason for their visit was simple: Yondu and his crew were temporarily residing there.
After all, Asgardians, also being aliens, were one of the few who could welcome other extraterrestrials on Earth.
"Hey, Captain, what brings you here today?"
"Are you planning to lead us back into the cosmic battlefield?"
Yondu, who had rushed to greet Peter, grinned broadly, revealing his yellow teeth.
Though life on Earth had brought him a rare sense of peace, as a space pirate, his true calling was the stars.
Moreover, his crew were not the type to settle down easily.
"No, that’s not it."
Peter’s words wiped the eager expression off Yondu’s face.
"So, what can I do for you, Captain?"
Yondu quickly regained his smile and asked Peter.
"Do you know where Star-Lord’s father is?"
"Star-Lord’s… father? How do you know about him?"
Yondu’s face turned to shock at Peter’s inquiry.
"Just tell me if you know or not."
"Of course I know, but his identity is extremely mysterious. If possible, we should avoid..."
"Alright, Captain, you’re the boss."
Yondu initially tried to dissuade Peter, aware of the mysterious nature of Star-Lord’s father, comparable to the Collector they had previously encountered.
But seeing Peter’s calm and unwavering demeanor, Yondu relented.
"Captain, let’s go. I’ll take you to him."
Without hesitation, Yondu led Peter and Magneto to his ship, ready to head into space to find Star-Lord’s father.
"Wait, I’m not going with you. He’ll go instead."
Peter pointed to Magneto, addressing Yondu.
"Him? Can he handle it?"
Yondu looked skeptically at Magneto, who didn’t appear particularly remarkable without displaying his powers.
"Don’t worry. He’s more than capable of dealing with Ego."
Peter had faith in Magneto’s abilities. Despite their previous conflicts, he knew Magneto could easily destroy Earth if given the chance.
"Alright, you’re the Captain."
Reluctantly, Yondu agreed, trusting Peter’s judgment.
Soon, Magneto and Yondu’s crew boarded the ship, preparing to set off in search of Ego.
"Superman, remember our deal."
Before departing, Magneto reminded Peter.
"Don’t worry. Once you deal with this, I’ll help you find a way back to your universe."
Magneto’s cooperation hinged on their agreement. He was not altruistic, and his willingness to help stemmed from their mutual understanding.
Crack!
Just as the ship was about to launch, a bolt of lightning split the sky.
Thor, wielding Stormbreaker, suddenly appeared above.
"Hey, Yondu, where are you heading? Mind if I join?"
Thor had grown close to Yondu and his crew, often exploring Earth with them.
"This… Captain?"
Yondu looked to Peter, awaiting his approval.
"It’s fine for Thor to go with you."
Peter quickly decided. Though Magneto was strong, Ego was a Celestial, and having Thor along provided extra security.
Plus, Thor was a powerful ally and didn’t cost them anything.
"Wait, I suddenly don’t feel like going…"
Thor glanced around at the group, sensing he might be getting involved in something big.
"Too late for regrets now!"
...
Ultimately, Thor decided to join them on their journey into the cosmos.
As for why Peter didn’t accompany them to find Ego, it wasn’t just because Ego’s power could be handled without his intervention.
There was another important reason: Peter anticipated that the next victor would soon be sent into their universe. Additionally, Peter was eager to gather more information about the Battle Realm and the mysterious figure orchestrating it all.
He wanted to confront this enigmatic character in person and uncover what grand scheme was being plotted.
While Peter waited, the hour mark since Iceman's arrival approached quickly.
"It’s time!"
Suddenly, Peter sensed a change in the cosmos, another being entering Earth.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
"Hmm? This doesn’t seem like my original universe. That guy lied to me!"
A cold, stunning woman dressed in a red gown, with a crown of scarlet energy atop her head, appeared on Earth.
"Ha, your observational skills are far sharper than those who came before you," a voice sounded from behind her, tinged with a note of approval.
"Of course, I know my original universe’s reality inside and out."
The woman in the red dress turned slowly, unfazed by Peter’s sudden appearance. However, a hint of surprise flickered in her eyes as she gazed at him.
"Oh? It seems you’ve done quite a bit to alter your universe’s reality."
Peter looked at the beautiful and sensual woman before him and instantly recognized her. A woman capable of manipulating reality at will, known as the Scarlet Witch, wielding the power of chaos.
"Hmm? Are you referring to the mutants I erased?"
"And it seems you know quite a lot about me!"
Wanda Maximoff, known as the Scarlet Witch, stared curiously at Peter. It was clear he had heard of her exploits.
"Not exactly a lot, just some of your stories."
Peter had a decent understanding of the Scarlet Witch. From their brief exchange, he quickly deduced she was the one responsible for the infamous comic book moment where she declared, "No more mutants."
"In that case, would you care to explain the current situation to me?"
Wanda’s curiosity turned into a smile as she looked at Peter, while simultaneously taking in the unfamiliar universe.
"Honestly, I don’t know much. All I know is that we seem to be caught in a crisis that transcends universes."
"But I need to know about your situation before you were transported here."
Peter spoke calmly, briefly introducing the scenario before inquiring about Wanda’s previous circumstances.
"Situation? I was just battling an unknown opponent, erased him from the universe, and then got transported here. Nothing much to it."
Wanda recalled and spoke slowly.
"I meant, had you completed your escape plan?"
Peter was taken aback, clarifying what information he was truly seeking.
"Oh, you mean the boring plans those people came up with?"
"Maybe they’ve already started."
"They did say they discovered the mysterious figure’s weakness. Apparently, after he destroys a universe, he enters a period of weakness, the perfect time to execute their plan."
Hearing Peter’s explanation, Wanda seemed to remember something and spoke slowly.
"What? They’ve already started?"
Peter was shocked. He then punched the air in front of him.
Crack!
In Wanda’s astonished gaze, the cosmic barrier shattered easily under Peter’s fist. In the next moment, he vanished from this universe.
"This guy is that powerful?"
For the first time, an expression of disbelief appeared on Wanda’s face as she watched Peter leave the universe.
Meanwhile, Peter, now outside the universe, carefully sensed the infinite multiverse.
Finally, he detected a burst of terrifying energy in the distant cosmic void!
...
(End of Chapter)
