Bab 66: *C65 - Aftermath of the Battle, System's response.
'Inner dialogue/thoughts'
"Normal dialogue"
[System]
[Diary entries]
(Word count: 3,257)
~ With Luke ~
With the battle finally over, the streets of Los Angeles fell silent once more. Luke stood amidst the ruins, breathing heavily but victorious. 'Well, that went better than I thought it would.' Luke thought as he maintained his abilities to send the giant creature into outer space.
"PUT YOUR HANDS UP!"
Suddenly, Luke heard someone shouting a command. Looking around, he saw that an army general had walked onto the streets after he had taken care of the Messengers. 'What the, what the hell is he doing here? Wait, he's looking at. . . ME?'
To confirm his thoughts, Luke pointed at himself, as if asking for clarification on who the general had shouted the command towards. Seeing Luke's actions, the general further added, "Captain Chase, this man is a wanted fugitive of the United State Army for the deaths of countless soldiers on his hands. Get your man and place him under arrest."
'Did he just say I killed countless soldiers?'
"Negative, sir. This man saved my men. If it weren't for him, we'd all be dead by now." Captain Chase, who had escorted the general to the scene, refused.
Surprised, the general turned towards Chase, "Are you disobeying a direct order from a commanding officer? You would risk a Court Marshall to save this army killer?"
"Sir, as far as I'm concerned, those. . . things were what killed our soldiers, not him. Even when he went all crazy with the water, our soldiers were informed early to remain out of his way, so we shouldn't have had any casualties unless they provoked him first." Chase rebutted, holding his ground.
While Chase and the general argued over the morality of the situation, Luke stood at his spot, confused and curious as to what would happen next. Although he already knew that whatever the outcome was, it would not go the way of the general as he saw Natasha already speaking, with whom he believed to be Fury, on the phone.
A few minutes later, the argument stopped when the general finally declared. "Very well, in my authority as Lieutenant General of the United States Army, Captain Chase you are hereby relieved of command. The rest of you, if you don't want to face Court Marshall, raise your weapons and bring this fugitive in for justice."
Under his threat, a few of the soldiers raised their weapons reluctantly, but most hesitated, looking uncertainly between Chase and the general. Luke glanced at Natasha, who gave him a subtle nod, indicating that help was already on the way. He took a deep breath and decided to try and deescalate the situation before it heated up any further.
"General, you're making a mistake." Luke said, raising his hands slowly to show he meant no harm, "I'm not your enemy, those creatures are, and this may not necessarily be the end of them. Arresting me now won't be doing anyone any favours."
The general's eyes narrowed, but before he could respond, his phone vibrated within his pockets.
"General Ross, you should answer that." Natasha said as she walked up and stood beside Luke, "Someone wants to talk to you."
'Oh, we can sell this.' Luke mused, thinking of a way to tease Natasha in this situation. "Hey, it's the pretty lady who caught me. People call me Red Hood, but you can call me anytime." Luke said as he stretched his hand out toward Natasha.
On the other hand, Natasha looked unamused as she stared at Luke. Seeing her stare, Luke slowly lowered his hand, "Right, wrong place, wrong time. Got it."
Meanwhile, General Ross was on the phone speaking with his superior officer. After a moment, he clenched his jaws, but knew better than to carry on with antagonizing Luke further. With a begrudging sigh, he signalled for his men to lower their weapons, "Stand down." Ross then turned to Natasha before adding, "You tell whoever it is you work for that this isn't over. This man is a national threat and the longer you protect him, the more damage it'll do for our country."
"Oh, it is for now." Natasha replied, "And I'd suggest you keep your ambitions in check, General. There are plenty of aspiring officers looking to take over your post."
As they watched the general and the army start making their retreat, Luke finally asked the question he had been wanting to ask since the start of the battle. "So, you guys got a large clean-up crew or something? There are a lot of bodies to be picked up and a lot of debris to clean up, and the sooner the better."
"That is not my problem. Field agent, remember. This is now the boss's headache." Natasha swiftly responded, not wanting to deal with the situation any further. Luke nodded his head, appreciating her knack for evading responsibility just as he would.
"Come on, if we're going to keep up the act, there's a place we have to be right now." Natasha said as she began walking away, Luke trailing slightly behind her, wondering what she meant.
~ A few minutes later at the forward camp ~
Natasha and Luke had just arrived at the forward camp where Natasha was informed that Crystal and the Maximoff siblings had been taken to. They had already changed into their civilian clothing and had already discussed their background information on what they had been doing during the entire ordeal.
Walking into a medical tent, Luke scanned the area for his friends, and saw them at the corner of the tent. "Guys!" He called out, grabbing Pietro and Crystal's attention.
"LUKE! NATASHA!" Crystal exclaimed when she saw them, already rushing towards Luke. Seeing that Crystal was not slowing down as she got nearer, Luke readied himself to take yet another hit to his person. "Uh oh." He muttered.
Spreading his arms, Luke caught Crystal in an embrace as she thanked God for listening to her prayers and keeping Luke and Natasha safe from harm. "Hey, there pup. Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but I seem to remember telling you to remain in the café." Luke stated, his tone a balance between relief and scolding.
Before Crystal could reply, she had been pulled away from Luke by the ear. "NAT, OW OW OW OW OW!"
"What did he say? He told you to stay put, and yet here you are?" Natasha said. Contrary to Luke, her tone was calm but deadly serious as she gave Crystal a stern glare.
"I'm sorry!" Crystal yelped, wincing. "I was just worried about you guys!"
Sensing that she was sincere and that other around the tent were starting to stare, Natasha reluctantly released Crystal before pulling her into a hug, "Thank you. But the next time you do that again, it won't just end with an ear twist. Understand?"
"Please don't let there be a next time." Crystal replied as she returned the hug. The three of them then walked towards where Wanda and Pietro were. As he walked, Luke noticed that Wanda was staring at him intently. He was relieved that Wanda was doing fine, though he was also confused how she was fine after he had seen a building collapsing onto her. 'What's going on?'
Arriving by Pietro's side, Luke was the first to speak, "I take it that I have the both of you to thank for saving our little Crystal over here?"
Pietro nodded his head, "That's too much credit for us. If anything, those soldiers out there saved all of our lives." As Pietro said this, all three of Crystal, Wanda and himself looked at the ground, their expressions heavy with grief.
Crystal's voice was barely above a whisper as she added, "It's all my fault that they. . . If I had just stayed in the café. . ."
Luke placed a hand on her shoulder, his grip firm but comforting. "Hey, don't blame yourself. They died in their line of duty. They would've done so for anyone else in trouble. You were just caught in a bad place at a bad time, that's all. A soldier's greatest achievement is when they've successfully protected those that they swore to. So don't blame yourself for their sacrifice. Honour their memory and live."
'Besides, if anyone's truly at fault for this mess, it's me.'
Hearing Luke's comforting words, a soft smile appeared on Crystal's lips, "That's the same thing Pietro told me earlier."
Looking towards Pietro, Luke nodded, "Then you should know that we aren't just speaking to comfort you. But don't make the same mistakes in the future Crystal, okay?"
"Okay." Crystal responded as the doubts in her eyes cleared up slightly.
"Luke." Wanda, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, catching Pietro off guard completely. 'She hasn't spoken since she woke up, and the first thing she says is this guy's name? Is this what I think it is? NO! OVER MY DEAD BODY WILL I GIVE UP MY SISTER TO SOME RANDO-'
"Can you come closer please." Wanda requested. Confused, Luke did as requested and moved to stand by her bedside. Motioning for him to bend towards her, Wanda surprised everyone present when she suddenly reached out and gave Luke a hug.
Stunned by her actions, especially Luke, they all stood still in silence. 1 second, 2 second, 3 seconds and the time kept getting longer. They remained still for a total of 10 seconds, when Wanda finally released her hold of Luke.
None of them spoke, as the moment of silence extended close to a minute. Finally, Pietro was the first to break the moment when he exclaimed, "WHAT THE FU-"
~ Later that night with Luke, in his apartment ~
[Congratulations host for completing Hidden Mission: Survive the Horde! Would you like to claim rewards now?]
'Okay, that's official. Today has been the craziest day since I appeared in this reality.' Luke thought in silence as he meditated. It had already been hours since the battle and Luke had taken the time to reflect. There was quiet a few events that happened that day which Luke needed to think on. However, the most pressing of them all was with his system.
'System, before that, I think it's time we had that talk. What the fuck is going on.'
[Responding to host, is there a particular incident in which host requires clarification?]
'THERE'S MORE THAN JUST ONE! . . . You know what? Yes, there is. What the fuck is with Marak Azathraal and all those abilities that he just displayed. For one thing, I could not feel his presence AT ALL! It was like he wasn't anywhere near the battle! And for another, I am very certain I did not write that he had the ability to use illusions, or that he had any specific abilities at all!'
[Responding to host, the system does not recognize any abilities that the host has stated. Marak Azathraal does not have any abilities.]
'The hell did you just say? No, abilities. NO, ABILITIES?! THEN CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW HE DID WHAT HE DID EARLIER?'
[Marak Azathraal does not exist in host world. As such, system has provided an illusion only to prove his 'existence' to the host's current world.]
'. . . Huh?' Luke was dumbfounded by the system's response. 'Does not exist? Are you shitting me?' However, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense to Luke. As he had not given any specifics to Marak, how could he appear in the MCU?
Moreover, from the interaction earlier, it was just as the system said, Marak felt exactly like an illusion. Luke had thought it was one of Marak's abilities, but after knowing that it was only an illusion provided by the system, Luke released a sigh of relief.
'System, aside from the Messengers, will any of the original villains I have created make a material and physical appearance in this world?'
[Responding to host, no. Messengers appeared due to the introduction of compulsory "Hidden Quest: Survive the Horde!". Neither Marak Azathraal nor the True Demon God will appear unless personally requested and confirmed by host. However, for that to happen, host will need to finalize abilities of the villains. Would host like to finalize now?]
'Why ask me such a stupid question?! Don't you dare do something stupid system, or so help me I will uninstall you.'
[Unable to confirm host's intention. Would host like to finalize now?]
'. . . NO! I would never like to finalize!' Luke responded exasperatedly. 'But this is good, at least I can confirm that Marak and that god will never exist until I say so. System, if he doesn't exist, then how come he knows about Natasha and is able to hold conversation with me?
[Fragments of knowledge was instilled into the illusion. Knowledge of diary entry contents was provided in full, as such Marak Azathraal knows about the events of the 'Parallel world' from the diary.]
Accepting that answer, Luke proceeded to ask other questions regarding the battle. 'System, how did such a huge number of creatures show up in Los Angeles?'
[Individuals from nearby places were reached out to by the system.]
'Were there innocents? How did you select these individuals?'
[Individuals were selected at random based on existing criteria set by host. Main criteria used were individuals who have strong desire to seek knowledge or power but have weak wills. Innocence was not taken into consideration.]
At the system's prompt, a pang of guilt washed over Luke. 'So, in the end, my vagueness has caused the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people.' Reflecting on his choices, Luke finally made the decision.
'System, from this point forward, any Messengers created will only be from those who seek malicious harm onto others. None of any with a pure of heart will ever be considered. Confirm command.'
[Command received and confirmed.]
'Good, next, was any events in the battle earlier influenced by the system in any way?'
[Aside from Marak Azathraal's appearance and the appearance of the Horde, no other events had been influenced.]
'Then do you know what happened to Wanda Maximoff?'
[Responding to host, system is unaware of any events relating to Wanda Maximoff. System's primary and sole focus is on the host.]
Luke had to try. He had been confused at how Wanda, and in extension Pietro and Crystal, had been able to survive. Moreover, he was further confused at the way Wanda acted after the battle. She had been staring at him intently ever since he appeared in the tent, had hugged him out of nowhere, and then did not speak a single word afterwards, even twisting Pietro's ears when he had tried the big brother routine on Luke.
'It seems that something happened to Wanda. But who can tell me? I've already asked Pietro and Crystal, and they both don't seem to know anything. I should try asking Natasha later if she or Fury knows anything about it.
System, during the battle, I had gone into a berserk state while I was trapped within my own mental space. Do you know why that happened?'
[Affirmative.]
'Great! Please tell me, I've been wrecking my brain trying to figure out how the hell a fake Wanda had appeared and calmed me down from torturing myself.'
[Responding to host, host's-]
[Unable to respond. Information locked.]
Luke stood in disbelief at what the system had just responded with, 'Not this bullshit again. . . How do I unlock this information?' Thinking that he had to complete another Hidden Mission, Luke was curious to know how to unlock the mysteries that he had experienced earlier.
[Unable to respond. Information locked.]
'Huh. What can you tell me in that case?'
[Host need not worry, it is not something harmful to the host.]
'Haha. . . That's very reassuring system, thanks.' Luke thought with a touch of sarcasm.
[Host is welcome. Is there anything else host would like clarification on?]
Shaking his head at the system's inability to detect his sarcasm, Luke reflected back on the events again to see if there were anything he missed out on.
'One last thing, system. At the very end there, a giant Messenger appeared. I know for certain that I did not approve of such creature existing, so why does it exist?'
[Unable to respond. Information locked.]
'OF COURSE IT BLOODY IS BECAUSE WHY WOULD IT EVER BE THAT SIMPLE. . .' Luke internally complained, his frustrations at his system growing. 'What about the origin? Can you at least tell me the origins of the giant Messenger?'
[Unable to respond. Information locked.]
'. . .Thanks for nothing, system.' Luke complained, half-expecting no response.
[Host is welcome.]
Although the system was unable to answer the more mysterious aspects of the events, Luke could be rest assured that it would have no malicious intent towards it, as it had from the beginning been an entity to assist him.
'A higher power is at play here, but who. Is it the One Above All? Or maybe The Source Wall?' Luke thought as he casually glanced all around him. Shaking his head, Luke couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.
'Alright then, system, what rewards did I get for completing the mission?'
[Congratulations host for obtaining the Primary Indestructible Body.]
Luke was underwhelmed with the rewards he had received. He was already in possession of the body enhancement of a Super Soldier, but at least twice the enhancement at that. And now he had just received another body reward.
Feeling helpless at the situation, Luke could only accept it and ask of the benefits.
[Host's body is extremely durable and is resistant to most damage and environments, including but not limited to blade cuts and bullet wounds, and touching molten lava or being in negative 100-degree Celsius environments. Additionally, host has developed immunity against most radiation.]
'Well shit, so I have the strength of twice of Captain America, and the body of a nerfed Superman. If lady luck isn't smiling at me then I don't know how else to explain such good rewards.' Luke had immediately done a complete reversal of attitude after getting the explanation from the system.
Luke had always worried about being taken out by surprise, however, with his new body, he would be almost unkillable by normal means. 'I could probably go toe to toe against Thanos and come out victorious and unscathed.'
Happy with the outcome, Luke tested his body a few more times in glee. After feeling satisfied, Luke decided to move on to the next task that he had to do.
"Let's get back to work," he muttered to himself, preparing to face the next event in the MCU, Tony Stark's return.
- End of Chapter 65 –
E/d note: This marks the end of the Original Arc – Luke's Debut! And also marks the ending of Volume 1 of "My Diary system in Marvel"! To mark the ending, here's a special 3.2k word chapter based on the aftermath of the battle, so basically slice of life and some questions and answers regarding the battle.
Wait out for my Afterthoughts as I write my thoughts on Volume 1. And for Webnovel readers, I will be putting this series on a one-week hiatus to signal the ending of Volume 1, but for Patreon, I will maintain the updates. I will take that one week to gather feedback from the main readers (Webnovel) to see how well the series is doing and where to improve.
For any questions you may have, or feedback, please wait out for the Afterthoughts chapter. I will have a dedicated section where I will read what you think and also answer what I can! For starters though, Volume 2 has about 14 chapters already, of which about 9 of them are Original chapters. Because the MTL post this arc just really took a downward slope. . .
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
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