Chương 630: Reaction
"You think?" Steve asked. "Dozens, if not hundreds, of people died, and it's all because you wanted to play god."
"You're wrong about that," Edward replied. "Not a single person died. Of course, the news will report dozens of casualties, but all these people were false identities that I've created for this event."
"That doesn't make what you did any better," Maria Hill added. "New York is in shambles, and it will cost billions of dollars to repair."
"Money, huh? Sometimes, I forget the way I think, which is now completely different from normal humans," Edward stated. He raised his hand above his hand to open a portal that showed somewhere in the Solar System. He pointed at one of the asteroids.
"Asteroid L-876A— this thing contained natural resources estimated to be worth 3.6 trillion dollars." As he finished these words, the asteroid shrunk and passed through the portal before closing. "Money will never be an issue."
The room was quiet, and everyone was speechless. Then, Natasha broke the silence. "I think the point no one likes is that you're controlling the lives of this planet for arbitrary reasons."
"Ah, so you feel used – like puppets," Edward nodded. "Unfortunately, your fate was long decided, even before I became a factor. Let me show you what would have happened if I had not interfered."
Edward snapped his finger to show the group's future from the events of the first Iron Man movie to the End Games. Of course, he hid certain facts, such as Bucky's existence and the fact that he killed Tony's parents. He used a spell to accelerate their perception so they could experience everything quickly.
"So, I'm dead?" Natasha asked.
"Join the club," Tony added. However, he soon focused on his life with Pepper and his daughter, Morgan Stark.
"How can this be Asgard's fate?" Thor muttered. He could not believe his powerful country would be reduced to such a state. "Hela?" He muttered, his eyes containing a certain level of ferocity.
"If time were allowed to flow naturally, this would be your fate," Edward explained. "But my presence and the cataclysm has shifted things."
"What exactly is this cataclysm you speak of?" Fury asked.
"Yes, let's get back on topic," Edward nodded. "You should know or have heard the term multiverse?" Everyone nodded. Some of them may not have been too familiar with the concept previously, but after seeing their future, they had some understanding of it.
"Someone or something, for an unknown reason, forced all the universes to clash and fuse until only one remains in an event called the [Convergence]. I know you cannot envision how terrible such an event is, so I'll show you some snippets of the futures my predecessor and I saw."
Numerous terrifying images appeared in the room, showing the group sight of terrifying creatures invading this reality and slaughtering the universe. They saw how they fought pointlessly against these invaders and how some of the invaders were variants of themselves. One of the images shown was a variant of Hulk that treated people like food and ate countless galaxies' worth of individuals.
"Stop it," said Bannerm, and Edward did so.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Edward added. "Infinite dimensions with infinite possibilities. Even with my abilities, I can only see a small percentage." The silence in the room became deafening. After what felt like an eternity, Edward spoke again.
"Do you understand now? I didn't do what I did because of power or something stupid like wanting to play god," Edward said. "The future is bleak, and it's my job to ensure our reality survives this ordeal, and I will do anything for success. However, I cannot do everything alone, so I need your help."
"What can we do in such a situation?" Hawkeye asked, his voice full of hopelessness and despair. The fight with Loki already showed him his limit as an average human, let alone dealing with these ungodly creatures that treat galaxies and universes as their plaything.
"No need to despair. Our world has plenty of powerful protectors, and we have experienced two convergences and dealt with the issue with no problem."
"Deal with? How?" Fury asked.
"We annihilated their universes before fusing with ours," Edward replied calmly, shocking everyone. They knew this man was powerful and that the scale of things he dealt with was incomprehensible, but it was something else to have him directly stating he annihilated a universe.
Edward waved his hand to show the team the proof. He showed them not only their group attacking but also the effect or process of that universe being annihilated. He also showed them what happens if their universes are destroyed.
"So cruel," Steve commented. He was a soldier and saw the cruelty of war. However, his experience paled compared to an event of such a cosmic scale.
"Indeed. Unfortunately, this is a situation of either them or us," Edward nodded. "Any question?"
"I have one," Fury said before taking a deep breath. He knew he was facing a Gold-like being but decided to ask. So, he looked Edward in the eyes. "Does the US government know about this?"
Edward smiled. "Are you wondering whether I used magic to get the position of SHIELD's Secretary? The answer is no. After showing these leaders the future and promise of technology beyond anything they could imagine—including immortality through genetic manipulation—most did not hesitate to sell their country and give me the political and military power I wanted."
Fury granted silently. He knew these people and how they operated, so he believed Edward's words.
"Anything else?"
"What exactly do you plan to do with us?" Banner asked.
"That's a good question," Edward smiled. "All of you are talented individuals, so I've prepared training plans to ensure you become people capable of turning the tide in this event."
"Training? Are you going to teach us magic?" Hawkeye asked.
"Not necessarily," Edward shook his head. "Magic may not be the best path for you. Luckily, I've traveled to many dimensions and know countless power systems that can grant you strength."
"And when does this training begin?" Hawkeye continued.
"I still have some unfinished business, and my clone needs to clean up the aftermath of this invasion, so it will take 2 to 4 weeks," Edward replied with a smile.
"That seems a little long," Hawkeye muttered, and Edward's smile grew brighter.
"I hate to pop your bubbles, but I have not agreed to join your little club," Tony declared.
"Tony–"
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I must check on Pepper." He walked out of the room and summoned his suit to fly away. Everyone looked at Edward, but he was calm. "It's fine." He knows Tony will have no choice but to turn to him if he wants to protect Pepper or his friend, Rodhey. And even if he doesn't, it won't matter since some people can replace him, for example, Hank Pym, Riri Williams, and Shuri, and if needed, he can even revive Tony's father, Howard Stark.
"I must take my leave," Thor declared. He had many questions he needed to ask his father and mother. "Brother, are you coming with me?"
"I'm going home but still have unfinished business here."
"That's fine." Thor flew outside and called for Heimdall to teleport home. He did not even go to see Jane.
"I guess I'll see you in a few weeks," Edward said to the rest before teleporting away with his clone.
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