"What? What did you say?"
"Say it again, Malrick. What exactly did you and Jarvis do?"
Tony unbuttoned his crisp suit, yanked off his jacket, and threw it onto the desk, looking ready to challenge Malrick to a gentleman's duel.
"Calm down, Tony. Don't put on that arrogant face. I just came to tell you," Malrick said, pressing down on Tony's hands, which were twisting his tie in frustration.
In the S Universe, only two days had passed since the battle between the Avengers and Professor X's team. Tony had been representing the Avengers at a Security Council meeting, reporting on the Earth's recent crises. After the meeting, he and Pepper had been casually chatting as they walked out of the United Nations building—until Malrick intercepted him.
Upon hearing Malrick's words about a "high-level mission to save the Universe," Tony nearly exploded.
"When you discovered the problem, you didn't come to me. When you sought a solution, you didn't come to me. And now, for the cleanup, you finally involve me?" His eyes widened as if a torch had ignited behind him.
"Why wait until only our Universe was left in the Multiverse? You missed out, Malrick. I'm telling you, you missed out on my top-notch genius!"
"Your plan must have loopholes. Now, quickly—before you ruin everything—take me to save the world!"
Tony slapped the Arc Reactor onto his chest and activated his gold-and-red armor, iterated for anti-Superman capabilities. Flames shot from his feet and back, lifting him into the air while papers scattered around in the gust.
"Let's go! Open the portal, hurry!" Tony demanded, rubbing his hands in impatience.
At that moment, the office door opened, and Pepper entered, carrying two cups of coffee.
"Tony!? What are you doing?" Her eyes widened at the papers fluttering around.
Tony glanced at Pepper and then at Malrick, silently urging him to explain.
Malrick spread his hands, a hint of amusement on his face. "Tony says he's risking his life to save the world."
"What? Tony, you!?"
"You brat… Pepper, there's no life-threatening danger. Malrick already handled the dangerous parts. I'm just cleaning up…" Tony's armor landed back on the floor, deactivated.
Tony couldn't bear to enjoy a peaceful life while the Multiverse was in turmoil. Even after years of stability with Morgan, the fire inside him had never truly cooled. No one knew how fiercely he had burned inside when facing Magneto and Apocalypse. That day, he hadn't had the chance to show his strength, as the two formidable adversaries ended the battle swiftly.
Now it was different. Now, they were saving the Multiverse.
Just hearing that phrase filled him with passion, blood rushing through his veins. The only problem was that Malrick had been too slow. Tony had been forced to wait another half-day, pacing impatiently.
At Kamar-Taj's Small World, outside the academy, Malrick gathered everyone except the low-grade students: Official Sorcerers, Apprentice Sorcerers, and ungraduated senior Sorcerers. He also included the Avengers, Men in Black, the Amazon tribe, and Loki and Hela—present only to fill numbers. Essential personnel remained behind to stabilize the situation.
Malrick intended to take everyone he could. The people from S Universe Earth had been trained by him for years; compared to recruits from other worlds, they were more trustworthy and reliable.
"The Multiverse is in peril. Each of you now carries a mission," Malrick said, opening a portal to the TVA.
"Depart!"
Wonder Woman Diana and Supergirl Kara flew through the portal simultaneously, followed by Tony, clad in his Anti-Superman Armor, and Pepper, radiating photon energy. Morgan was entrusted to Jarvis's sub-entity and Happy for safekeeping.
Behind them, Wong, Mordo, Banner, Hawkeye, Captain America, Yelena, Natasha, and others followed. The TVA had brought hundreds of employees, but the S Universe heroes served as the operation's backbone. They would form the core for future coordination when Superheroes from other Universes were recruited.
Upon arrival at the TVA, everyone, following Jarvis's guidance, entered Black Strange's Earth for their "First Exercise" with the Little Spiders.
Though a little noisy, the Little Spiders were exceptionally talented. On arrival, the Spider-Man with the strongest hacking skills immediately infiltrated multiple global systems, sending intelligence to governments and Superheroes alike. The team split into smaller groups: those who doubted TVA claims were visited in person, while the skeptics were contacted online.
The first exercise proved remarkably efficient.
Black Strange, while accompanying Christine on a shopping trip, monitored global developments and felt relatively reassured.
Soon, Tony and the others joined. Tony hacked global screens, broadcasting instructions. Kara and Diana located the strongest Earthbound Superheroes—another Tony Stark and Thor on a date with Jane Foster in New York—while Captain America coordinated with his S Universe counterpart.
Half a day later, most factions on Black Strange's Earth accepted the TVA's claims. The evidence was undeniable, and the video materials were shocking and realistic. Moreover, the TVA operatives were simply too strong. The Tony from Black Strange's Earth fired his Iron Armor cannons, but Kara shrugged off the blasts as though they were harmless lasers.
Jarvis had emphasized that the TVA's main task was to earn the Superheroes' trust, avoiding unnecessary conflict. Once convinced, Black Strange contacted Malrick.
Malrick descended, his massive hand engulfing the Earth. Panic swept through everyone—if they hadn't recognized Malrick, resistance would have been inevitable.
The giant hand held the Earth only for a few breaths before releasing it. Sunlight returned, but most people had yet to process what had happened: their Earth had already been assimilated into the God Realm Dimension.
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