Kapitel 28: Ch-28 The Truth About Khonshu
At the Night.
Laura was curled up in his arms, fast asleep. Russell, however, lay awake, his eyes open in the darkness, pondering his next move.
The computer components had been assembled and connected in series, drastically reducing the time needed to crack the TemPad.
What would have taken three years could now be done in a month. This was good news - no more risky trips to the black market.
But once the TemPad was unlocked, he couldn't just drag Laura along and run around the timeline.
It would be far too unpredictable and uncomfortable. Staying here wasn't safe either.
Even though Cassandra looked defeated, with only her mental power left, Russell knew that someone with such a powerful mind could easily take over a new body without needing much time to recover.
The next time he was cornered, there might not be another Khonshu to save him.
He couldn't rely on luck forever - eventually, it would run out. So he had to move.
Russell thought of a ruined city, far away from Cassandra's organization.
It was the perfect refuge, especially since it was filled with rather naive Lokis. Coincidentally, it also held something he desired: Phantom Magic. This high-level Asgardian spell would be invaluable for his timeline travels.
Next, he'd have to decide which timeline to visit first...
Boom!
The ground shook and chunks of earth fell around him.
"An earthquake in the void?" Russell thought, stunned. But he didn't hesitate.
Holding the now-awake laura in his arms, he was out of the house in seconds.
They both froze in shock.
In the distance, a golden pillar of energy shot into the sky, lighting up the dark night! Even from a distance, they could feel its terrifying, destructive aura.
"Is that... the Black Market?" Laura asked, her eyes wide.
Russell's face darkened. Was this retaliation for the incident during the day? But Cassandra couldn't possibly wield such power, which meant that it was probably the TVA that was taking action.
The organization that controlled the timeline would undoubtedly have powerful offensive means.
And then a loud, mocking laugh echoed:
"Foolish Time Prisoners! Did you really think I'd appear here for nothing? You've been tricked! Haha, I was deliberately pruned ages ago so that I could safely harvest souls here without triggering time branches!"
"And the best part... thanks to all your positive and negative energy, today I will surpass Father and become a god here!"
Suddenly, a faint green light appeared, revealing a massive spectral pyramid made entirely of soul matter.
As it absorbed the surrounding positive and negative energies, the pyramid transformed, its green color changing to gold and becoming more tangible.
The golden column of energy began to thin and finally vanished, replaced by flashes of blood-red lightning.
The Time Monster, Alioth, had appeared! This time, it didn't roar. It dove straight down and crashed into the pyramid.
Boom!
Russell felt the entire room shake violently! Alioth exploded, releasing countless red lightning bolts that cascaded down the pyramid like a crimson waterfall, corroding it with a hideous, terrifying force.
"Dream on!" Khonshu's voice boomed, echoing through the sky once again.
"Sun power!"
In an instant, night turned into day. A blazing sun appeared in the sky, flooding the area with intense light.
Alioth's blood-red lightning hissed and began to dissipate under the scorching sunlight.
Khonshu seemed to be gaining the upper hand, but Russell wasn't so sure. As if on cue, a series of TVA portals opened in the sky.
There were no Hunters or mechanical puppets - just large amounts of orange-golden viscous liquid pouring out, falling first on the "sun".
Immediately, the sun began to dim, cracks of golden light spreading across the sky.
Russell recognized these cracks - they resembled the ones he'd seen in the citadel at the end of time.
As the sun darkened and turned into a massive, solid sphere, it began to plummet to the ground.
Golden wedge-shaped runes appeared out of nowhere and arranged themselves into a huge magical circle.
Faint stars appeared in the sky, and moonlight poured down on the falling orange-gold liquid.
But instead of having any effect, the moonlight was tainted, turning the same color before solidifying and shattering.
The fragments bore golden lines, suggesting that they had a sealing effect on both energy and objects.
Russell guessed that this might have something to do with time, though he didn't fully understand its function.
Khonshu's voice echoed again, now filled with anger:
"This is impossible! How can there be so much negative time energy?! Is that why you bind all the timelines? Despicable time thieves!"
With his last words, a spectral image of a scale appeared! The Soul Pyramid immediately collapsed, and part of it fell to the left side of the scale.
Suddenly, the sky tilted, revealing a swirling vortex - the legendary Gate to the Afterlife.
Khonshu's figure appeared, then dove into the gate without hesitation, his solemn voice echoing:
"To those who remain, I curse you to die in time!"
The Gate to the Afterlife vanished, and the "Sun", now sealed with negative time energy, cracked.
Although not completely sealed, its core, the size of an eyeball, remained intact.
Then a blazing light erupted!
The artifact exploded, turning the sky blindingly white. For more than ten seconds, there was nothing but brilliant light.
When the Void darkened again, the portals, the orange-gold liquid, and the pyramid fragments had all vanished as if nothing had happened.
Russell looked up at the sky, deep in thought. This part of the story was not mentioned in Deadpool 3 or Loki.
Had it been covered up, or had something changed? And how did this moon god know so much?
After a moment he sighed. This was the Marvel Universe, full of unpredictable twists and turns.
If he followed the plot too closely, he might meet a tragic end.
Russell felt a growing desire to become stronger. He decided to go to the ruined city immediately.
It was then that he noticed something unusual. Tiny dots of green matter appeared in his vision, gradually moving toward him and coalescing.
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*Author's Note
Here, "Time Thief" is just Khonshu's own term.
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Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein