Chương 67: Chapter 67

BAM!

Thor's hammer smashed through Ben's defenses and lifted his body, which weighed a few hundred kilograms, into the air.

Ben felt a sharp pain from the attack, but Grimm was no stranger to taking hits. He quickly regained his bearings and countered the strike that followed the hammer.

Grimm struck faster than Thor, sending the God of Thunder crashing into another part of the training hall. Ben knew perfectly well that such a soft landing meant nothing to Thor, so upon landing, Grimm didn't let up his assault.

The massive stone body moved swiftly toward where Thor was now. However, Thor wasn't considered one of the strongest fighters among the Avengers for nothing.

Thor's hammer met Ben before Thor himself did; the Asgardian had already managed to get up.

"Ha!" laughed Thor as the hammer struck directly into Ben's torso.

Thanks to his strength, the stone golem managed to alter the hammer's trajectory. Ben was quite accustomed to what the hammer was capable of. Due to numerous sparring sessions with Thor, he also knew what would come next.

Their fists met simultaneously. The shockwave from the collision swept through the hall.

"I like this!" exclaimed Thor with a satisfied grin.

A smile also lit up Ben Grimm's face.

Thor's smile shone because, as an Asgardian god, he was always ready for a fistfight, while Ben enjoyed the battle due to his own nature.

The exchange of blows continued for about four minutes until Ben felt a familiar notification.

Because of the notification, Ben missed Thor's strike.

"What happened, my friend?" asked Thor, understanding that Ben could have dodged the attack.

Ben looked more closely at the notification and confirmed that it was indeed what he thought.

"Reed is back," said Ben. "Thor, I need to go meet him."

The Asgardian knew about Ben Grimm's close friend. He also remembered what had happened with Reed Richards when he helped save the city.

"I understand, my friend," said Thor.

The look in the God of Thunder's eyes was more eloquent than his words. Ben nodded gratefully and activated teleportation.

—= Reed Richards =—

"Reed!" exclaimed Sue, who was among the first to appear on the island.

Thanks to the body enhancement I left just in case, Sue had become much faster. With a single leap, the blonde crossed a distance of thirty meters.

I caught the girl who leaped at me in a surge of emotion and wrapped her in my arms. A pleasant scent of mint and something resembling citrus filled my nose. At that moment, I realized how much I had truly missed home.

"I missed you," said Sue.

"Me too."

Sue's head rested against my chest. She held onto me as if afraid of losing me. We stood like that for about a minute before she was convinced I wasn't going anywhere.

She raised her face and carefully studied mine.

"How much time did you spend there?"

"Much longer than I wanted," I admitted.

Sue understood everything without words. She gently pulled me toward her, and I didn't resist. Soon, our lips met in a kiss full of passion and tenderness, like a knight and a princess from an old fairy tale.

The kiss was filled with such strong emotions that the ice encasing my soul instantly melted. The warmth of her lips and the touch of her hands made me forget everything else. Every moment with Sue seemed both infinitely long and fleeting. I felt her heartbeat, her breath, her love.

Her fingers gently touched my face, awakening forgotten feelings within me. Our kiss was not just physical contact but a true merging of souls. We stood there, forgetting all the problems and trials behind us. In that moment, only we existed, and nothing else.

When our lips finally parted, we looked into each other's eyes. I saw in hers the same things she saw in mine: hope, love, and confidence that together we could overcome any difficulty. It was a moment that needed no words. Everything was clear without them.

—= Some time later =—

Ben appeared shortly after Sue, but we had to wait a bit for Johnny, as he decided to use his powers to get here.

By the time Johnny arrived, I had already had ample time to learn what had been happening in the world during my absence. The events were extremely interesting. Notably, the formation of the Avengers—a team uniting under its banner the most powerful heroes on the planet. As if in opposition, there was a significant increase in crimes involving superpowers. It seemed the world had decided to balance the forces of good and evil, following some strange, invisible law of the universe.

I understood that this would lead to superheroes and supervillains motivating each other's growth in numbers. Measures needed to be taken so this world didn't turn into cosmic ash.

Reality had changed, and the world adapted to new conditions. Events that once seemed unthinkable were becoming everyday occurrences.

A friendly squabble between Johnny and Ben pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Now that everyone's here," I said when Johnny and Ben finally calmed down, "I can start explaining what happened when Thor and I ended up in the Mirror Dimension..."

—= Some time later =—

I told them everything that had happened to me on the day Thanos's subordinates attacked our planet.

"You said you killed Victor?" said Ben. In my friend's voice, I heard no condemnation, only confusion, as if two pieces of a puzzle didn't fit together.

"Yes," I nodded.

Ben scratched his head and said, "But then I don't understand—where did Victor von Doom come from in Latveria?"

Ben's question didn't surprise me. I fully expected that Victor would have contingency plans in case his life was threatened.

"Did Fury's agents manage to infiltrate Latveria?" I asked, though I knew the answer was likely no.

Ben told us he had several operations with Steve Rogers. For this reason, it could be expected that my best friend would have some connections with Fury's spies.

"No," Ben shook his head.

"Then we don't know whether the one sitting on Latveria's throne is our old acquaintance or not..." I muttered.

"We can't act openly while Victor von Doom is in Latveria," I said.

After what happened to us because of Doom, every member of my team was ready to punch that ruler of Latveria in the face.

"And it's not just that it would create certain problems for our loved ones who live in society, but also because Latveria is Doom's fortress, and its defenses are quite formidable."

"Are you suggesting we just drop this matter?" Johnny asked.

Among all my friends, the blond was one of the most proactive, but this time his sentiment was echoed by Ben as well.

"No. I suggest we prepare."

Ben understood me much faster than the others.

"You want to use Fury's services," Ben stated bluntly.

"Partly," I admitted. "However, I don't particularly believe that Fury will be able to do anything against Doom."

Fury had far fewer resources than Victor von Doom.

"For now, we need to focus on another issue," I continued in a more serious tone. "We need to become strong enough so that the threat I managed to notice isn't so unreachable for us."

Those beings beyond existence were terrifying enough to imprint themselves on my consciousness like childhood traumas.

"And that means it's time to strengthen each of you."

—= Some time later =—

To prove the existence of the threat, I had to use my new powers. After they saw what kind of menace looms over the multiverse, they too wanted to become stronger.

The enhancements my friends received were extremely diverse. Given that there were many possibilities for improvement, I was quite surprised when Johnny and Ben refused possible eye enhancements.

Ben justified his choice by saying he didn't want to change his fighting style. Johnny explained that he needed to maintain the image he had in people's eyes.

As a result, Ben received an enhanced version of the Eight Gates and Wolverine-level regeneration. Johnny gained levitation and the Heat element. Of course, both received extensive enhancements to their bodies at a basic level. Now they were not defenseless in their normal forms.

Sue, on the other hand, agreed to eye enhancements. However, she decided to take the Tenseigan instead of the Rinnegan. According to my girlfriend, it was all about me having the Rinnegan, so for variety, the Tenseigan was needed. Along with that, she received omega-level mutant telekinesis.

All this together strengthened each of them. In my opinion, the number of individuals on this planet capable of causing harm had become much smaller.

"Hmm, this is really quite interesting," Sue said, using her eyes to examine the products of my fūinjutsu. In particular, her gaze was directed at the parts responsible for storing various items in the scroll's subspace.

I could have provided her with full information on what needed to be done to create such seals. However, Sue refused, saying she wanted to study it on her own.

At that moment, I received information that my clone, who was responsible for modifying some of the island's defense protocols, had managed to finish his work. Now the defense protocols included the developments I was able to create after gaining access to the shinobi world.

—= Some time later =—

After the team got used to the new abilities they received, and I left my clones to refine the remaining defense protocols, we had time to complete matters that required my presence.

"The issue regarding the rights to Herbert's books can be considered resolved," I said, looking at the promising director who wanted to make this film.

The reason I decided to enter the media industry war was to set the appropriate trend among the young. Movies, TV series, games, books, anime, cartoons, and animated series—all of this together is a powerful tool for influencing the population.

"Oh, and by the way," I added, looking at the people who had recently arrived here, "our work will proceed without any external funds that might allocate money."

Thanks to the fact that my finances were managed by an AI, I didn't have the usual problems that large companies had.

Each of them perfectly understood that we were talking about the Big Three investment companies, but particularly about Laurence Fink, who had already begun pushing his vision of how this world should work in a rather radical way.

"Which means," I continued, looking at those who would be creating these products, "you must fully showcase your artistic potential without regard to anyone's wishes but your own."

My words had the desired effect. I felt that the creators appreciated what I said. I was essentially giving them free rein in many aspects. The only limitation that existed was hidden in the budget the director would receive.

Sue, who was next to me, smiled when she saw my gaze. She was also pleased that we could enjoy spending time together like this. Compared to what we had to do before... this was something of a respite.

"I suggest we start discussing the list of screenwriters we have on hand at this very moment," said Sue.

—= Some time later =—

—= Avengers Tower =—

Stark Tower was renamed Avengers Tower soon after the Battle of New York. It was in this tower that I now found myself.

"This is our workshop where we create!" Tony exclaimed with a satisfied grin.

Tony had brought me here in hopes of showing off his toys.

The laboratory was located on the upper floors and was full of gadgets that Stark himself had created, where Hank Pym was currently working. The scientist was engrossed in his work and didn't notice Tony's exclamation.

Stark noticed this and gave me a meaningful look.

"Sometimes I think you're a teenager," I said, understanding what my friend intended to do.

The smirk on Stark's face only widened. Then Tony proceeded to carry out his plan.

Stark approached Pym silently.

"Boo."

—= Some time later =—

The Avengers team at the moment included: Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain America, Ant-Man, and Wasp.

At this moment, each of them was in the room that, as I understood, would be used for negotiations in the future. The table in the center of the room and the chairs around it clearly paid homage to Arthur's Round Table.

"My name is Reed Richards," I said, observing the reactions of these highly impressive personalities. "And I am the leader of the Fantastic Four. I hope this is the beginning of a strong friendship."

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Chương 68: Chapter 68

—= Somewhere in the United States of America. Sinister's Laboratory =—

Deep underground, Sinister's laboratory was abuzz with activity. One of the many clones of Nathaniel Essex, who considered himself the true original, was intently watching multiple screens.

The screens displayed an idyllic scene. The School for Mutants was experiencing no difficulties or problems.

"That bastard could interfere," muttered the man with the red diamond on his forehead.

Sinister's gaze was fixed on Jean Grey, who was currently studying the material given to her by Reed Richards.

The genius yet mad mind of Sinister had already envisioned a scenario where the entire project could derail.

He turned his attention to what could salvage the situation.

"We just need to initiate the plan..." Sinister whispered, a satisfied smirk curling his lips.

—= At the Same Time =—

—= New York. Avengers Tower =—

Steve Rogers was an icon, a symbol of America in every sense. He was undoubtedly a good friend, but in critical situations where one had to choose between the lesser of two evils, Steve was incapable of making the hard choices that needed to be made.

Thor, in this regard, was more flexible, being the heir to the throne of Asgard. Moreover, he had vast life experience, during which he had performed an incredible number of both noble and rather unsavory deeds.

The Wasp, or Janet van Dyne, was an idealist. This was due to her having grown up in quite sheltered conditions. She didn't yet possess the necessary skills and experience to make tough decisions.

Natasha and Clint, because of their profession, viewed the world through a distorted lens. To them, the world was a chessboard where each side was ready to tear the other's throat out. In essence, they were both right and not entirely so. They were prepared to commit both questionable and monstrous acts.

Hank Pym and Tony Stark, in such moments, were the closest to my way of thinking. They could consider problems from various perspectives, and for this reason, they were capable of choosing between a bad and a worse option.

"Reed, if it's not a secret, what is your team currently working on?" Pym's question pulled me out of my whirlpool of thoughts. We were on the penultimate floor of the tower, where Stark had organized a party as only he could.

"No, I wouldn't say it's something sacred or secret," I replied, looking at the couple before me.

Pym and van Dyne appeared to me as a very harmonious pair. Hank complemented Janet's weaknesses, and she, in turn, covered his vulnerabilities.

"In that case, could you tell us what you've planned?" Janet asked with a slight smile.

I glanced around. Each of the Avengers was interested in what I would say next.

"You're probably already aware that our company has started working closely with directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and so on?"

I knew that by leaking certain types of information, we could save on advertising and set a positive tone for future projects. For this reason, I had orchestrated controlled leaks that were stirring up the internet.

The internet of this era wasn't accustomed to the methods I'd witnessed in my past life. Therefore, creating and controlling hype was quite simple.

"If you're talking about the controlled leak you orchestrated, then yes, we're all aware—probably except for the well-preserved old man," Tony said with a slight smirk.

I had no doubt that my friend would figure out my machinations. After all, Stark had access to JARVIS, who could record such data and present it to him. It wasn't too difficult for Tony to put two and two together.

"For your information, I now understand many references!" Steve declared.

"Oh, really?" Tony said in a mocking tone.

Steve's brow twitched slightly, but he managed to suppress his irritation and said:

"Yes."

"See?" Tony said to me. "Even the old-timers are up to speed about you."

Everyone present had realized that this was Stark's way of joking, so there was no animosity.

"After wrapping up my current projects, I was planning to build the first spacecraft capable of taking us beyond the Solar System."

Stark and Pym pondered this. Thor, however, smiled, as he'd already visited various galaxies, and such statements stirred old memories in him.

"So you've completed the creation of stable portals within our universe?" Stark asked.

When he mentioned portals, the pieces clicked into place in Pym's mind, and he couldn't contain his surprise.

"You sly dog!" exclaimed Stark when I nodded. "When you plan the flight, I have to be there!"

Stark rationally decided that he probably wouldn't have time to finish a similar project in the same timeframe.

"Haha, sure."

At that very moment, I received an alert. Moments later, the entire hall was flooded with alarms.

The reason for the Avengers' alarm was an attack by Sentinels on a mutant settlement in New York. My own alert concerned an attack on Xavier's School.

"I'm heading to Xavier's School," I said, preempting the Avengers' dilemma over where to act.

—= Some Time Later =—

—= The School for Gifted Youngsters =—

This day was passing peacefully for the mutants. Everyone was occupied with their own affairs and enjoying life.

Even the perpetually grumpy Logan could admit he was savoring the tranquil atmosphere. However, the mutant with incredible regeneration noticed everything going awry the moment numerous telepaths clutched their heads and screamed in pain.

At that instant, Logan's keen sense of smell caught a very familiar scent. His pupils dilated as he realized exactly whose scent it was.

"Get the children out of here!" Logan shouted, looking at the teenagers who were watching the unfolding events with shocked eyes.

Hearing the teacher's shout, the mutants began to act more cohesively.

Logan's gaze fell on Scott and Jubilee, who were trying to bring Jean and Charles back to consciousness.

"Get them out!" exclaimed Ororo, who also realized a fight was imminent. "They won't be able to help us now!"

Jubilee nodded, and Scott turned his gaze to Kurt, who appeared in a flash of light. He was busy transporting all the other telepaths into the school.

"Take them," said Scott as his eyes found those responsible for the attack.

Numerous Sentinels stood alongside individuals known to Logan.

"Government lapdogs," Logan said, stepping up beside Scott.

In moments when Charles wasn't with them, leadership fell to Cyclops.

"In that case," Cyclops's visor gleamed red, "let's show these bastards that messing with us is a bad idea. X-Men, to me!"

—= Egypt =—

— The Pyramid of En Sabah Nur =—

Deep beneath the earth's surface lay a pyramid of immense significance to the world. The tomb of one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs was buried under the sands of dunes and the sands of time.

It was in this depth that the eyes of the ancient mutant, En Sabah Nur—also known as Apocalypse—opened.

—\\—

"Well, well, Jimmy!" exclaimed Victor with a satisfied smirk on his face.

His brother's claws had left bloody streaks on his torso, which were already beginning to heal.

Pain mixed with rage fueled Logan's core. His adamantium claws had also left gashes on Victor's body, which unfortunately were also starting to close.

"Victor!" roared Logan, who had regained his memories of the days spent with Victor and of the atrocities his deranged brother had committed.

Despite having adamantium claws that were sharper and stronger than Victor's, the fight between them wasn't entirely in Logan's favor. Victor compensated for the difference in claw sharpness with his feral rage and bloodlust.

"I'd love to tear your little friends apart, but I think your carcass will suffice!" Victor exclaimed gleefully as his claws sank into Logan's torso.

Logan, accustomed to pain, didn't hesitate and tried to sever Victor's head, but his brother was extremely agile and dodged at the last second.

A long wound appeared on Logan's body, stretching from chest to groin, which began to heal.

Logan managed to block before Victor's claws reached his eyes.

"You're an even bigger fool if you think you can get out of here alive!" shouted Logan as Victor's claws sliced his arms to the bone.

Pushing back his brother's onslaught with a kick, Logan lunged into Victor's torso. He needed to finish off Victor to help his friends, his family.

—= Kitty Pryde =—

"Damn!" exclaimed the girl, becoming intangible as one of the Sentinels accompanying those bastards aimed its weapon at her.

The energy blast passed through her as her body phased into the ground, but she didn't begin an endless fall into the depths of the earth. Instead, she quickly reached the giant foot of the Sentinel. Emerging to the surface, she grabbed the Sentinel's leg. In an instant, half of the robot's torso was buried under layers of earth. When Kitty Pryde canceled her intangibility, the Sentinel was irreparably damaged. She had trained for a long time to master this trick but had finally succeeded.

She was about to look around when she suddenly disappeared in a familiar purple haze.

"You should have been more careful, Kitty," said Kurt with the accent she had only ever heard from him.

Following Kurt's hand, she saw that in the spot where she had been moments ago, there was now a huge crater. The second Sentinel had managed to position itself in Kitty Pryde's blind spot.

"Damn..." whispered Kitty, realizing she had narrowly escaped death. "You saved my life."

Kurt smiled and said:

"We're a team, after all."

At that moment, the Sentinel, which had spotted Kurt and Kitty, was hit by a burst of red energy that vaguely resembled a laser beam.

—= Scott Summers =—

From his vantage point, Scott could easily see the entire battlefield. After Kitty had destroyed one of the Sentinels and became the target of the second, Scott had already removed all limitations.

As soon as Kurt got the girl out of the Sentinel's path, Scott fired at the Sentinel. The Sentinel's head was torn from its torso with incredible ease.

BAM

An explosion sounded next to Cyclops. Without turning, he knew it was Ororo, as only she commanded the sky, which was now overcast.

"Scott!" he heard Kitty's shout, and the next second he heard the characteristic bamf that only occurred when Kurt used his power.

"Well, well, I can't let you stab my friend in the back," said Kurt.

Turning, Scott saw that one of the people who had arrived with Sabretooth had appeared behind him.

The dark-skinned man said nothing and simply disappeared, reappearing behind Kurt, but the blue-skinned mutant had incredible reflexes that allowed him to react to the attack.

Scott trusted Kurt, and therefore, without any second thoughts, turned his attention back to the unfolding battle.

Ororo had taken on the bulk of the Sentinels, but some had slipped past her. The numbers were clearly not in their favor.

And that's not to mention those government dogs. Jubilee, Rogue, and Kurt were already engaged in combat.

Scott didn't have the chance to help the others, as he was attacked by one of the government's mutants.

—= Reed Richards =—

The moment I appeared at Xavier's School using the Hiraishin, the battle was in full swing.

I sensed a distortion in space, and a moment later, a bamf sounded next to me. I'd recognize that teleportation signature anywhere.

"Kurt?" the thought flashed through my mind for a moment before my eyes took in what was before me.

My eyes could see the spiritual essence of the beings in front of me. I had seen such entities many times, especially when working at Chronos.

At first glance, they were the X-Men, but in reality, what stood before me were clones. I'd even say clones with a time bomb.

"RAARGH!!!" roared the Logan clone, leaping at me.

His claws flashed but didn't reach me, as my Truth-Seeking Balls disintegrated him in an instant. The clone's skeleton wasn't adamantium, so it was easily destroyed.

"Do you think you can delay me?" I asked the clones, fully aware I wouldn't get an answer.

The Scott Summers clone prepared to use his eyes to destroy me with his power. However, I acted faster. Using telekinesis, I destroyed the clone's eyeballs.

The blue-skinned clone tried to teleport behind me, but I was quicker and turned him into mincemeat with my Susanoo's fist.

At that moment, I was struck by a lightning bolt created by the Ororo clone.

"If I were you, I'd try to do that more effectively," I said calmly.

The lightning had pierced Susanoo's defense, but I felt no discomfort, as my body was enhanced several times over, not to mention that my control over electromagnetic waves allowed me to easily absorb the lightning's energy.

The clone was about to create something else, but she burned up in the flames of Amaterasu.

"What the hell is this?" the thought flashed through my mind when I noticed a device that was getting on my nerves.

After scanning it, I understood what it was. Essentially, the device was creating incredibly strong interference in the psychic plane, hindering telepaths. Considering that the main power of the device was concentrated in the first impulse, I could understand why Charles and Jean were inside the school and not outside at this moment.

CRACK

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