Chapter 457: Silas's Projection
Peter rushed out of the lounge, only to find Gwen standing there looking quite smug.
"Hi, Peter! What are you doing here?! I was just about to challenge this dojo for a bit of fun," Gwen said, her eyes darting around as she quickly spun an excuse.
Peter rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Give it a rest, Gwen. Tell me, why did you follow me?"
"I was just a bit curious. But if you don't want me to know, I'll leave right now!" Gwen made a move to walk away.
"Forget it, you're already here," Peter said, catching Gwen's right hand. He turned to the others with an apologetic look. "Sorry, everyone."
With that, he led Gwen into the lounge.
"That's the first time I've seen a woman who can fight as well as Master Rei. She took Henry down in just a few moves," the onlookers whispered in astonishment.
The Lounge
Click!
Rei looked up at the door, surprised that Peter had actually brought Gwen inside.
"This is my wife. Don't worry, she's reliable," Peter said with a light smile.
"Hello, I'm Gwen Stacy," Gwen said, extending her hand with a smile.
"Yes, I know you," Rei said, shaking her hand. "The Spider-Woman of the city. Not bad."
"Peter, you told her our identities?!" Gwen immediately pulled her hand back, looking at Peter in confusion. They had agreed not to reveal their secret identities to others; after all, they had made many enemies among criminals, and exposure would be dangerous.
"She already knew. She is one of Silas's subordinates." Peter then briefly explained Rei's background.
"Oh, I see," Gwen said, realized she had overthought things. She had initially wondered if Peter was meeting some secret lover.
The two sat down again, and Rei continued the conversation.
"Because the Holy Lord disappeared, the Shadow Khan have also vanished, including the most important figure, Little Black."
"He was General Ninja, but he was special. He was a Shadow Ninja originally summoned by our Lord."
"Though he was later granted a mask by the Holy Lord, he ultimately depended on the Holy Lord's existence in this world, so he disappeared in the end as well."
"However, he left behind some of the Holy Lord's belongings, saying they would be of great help to you. I'm not entirely sure what they are myself."
Rei stood up and clicked a ballpoint pen on the desk.
Clack!
The wall, which had been covered in white paint, suddenly rotated to reveal a hidden tunnel.
"Follow me," Rei said, leading the way.
"Are we following her?" Gwen didn't quite trust Rei; for all she knew, this could be a trap.
"Of course." Unlike Gwen, Peter trusted Rei simply because she was Silas's subordinate—the person Silas had specifically told him to find in the letter.
Seeing Peter follow her in, Gwen had no choice but to follow.
The Secret Room
Inside was a laboratory filled with various instruments, equipment, and high-tech products.
"Welcome back, Rei. Let's see... I didn't expect the master's brother, Peter, and his classmate, Gwen, to be here this time," a man's voice echoed in the lab.
"Thank you. Peter finally came to find me," Rei said with a faint smile.
"Who are you?" Peter thought the voice sounded incredibly familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Gwen, meanwhile, watched her surroundings warily.
"My name is Genji. I wonder if you remember me, Peter," Genji's voice echoed through the lab.
"It's you!" Peter said in surprise. Genji was the catalyst for the Civil War; back then, everyone thought he had the Mind Stone in his head.
It wasn't until Thanos arrived that everyone realized Genji's forehead only held a trace of the Mind Stone's energy manifestation.
"Who is he?" Gwen asked curiously.
"I'll tell you more about it later." Peter felt it was too complicated to explain now; he could fill Gwen in later.
"Hmph~" Gwen turned her head away, slightly annoyed that things were being kept from her.
As Peter moved deeper, he discovered Genji's body housed within the lab. Finally, Rei stopped in front of a large door.
"For the past five years, Genji and I have been trying to achieve time travel, but unfortunately, we've failed every time."
As Rei spoke, a red scanning beam flashed across her eyes.
"Identity confirmed: Rei," an electronic voice chirped, and the door opened.
Behind the door, Peter and Gwen saw a silver, disc-like machine. It looked like something out of a sci-fi future, with most of its frame made of Vibranium.
The machine was primarily silver, etched with black patterns that added a touch of nobility to its mysterious design.
"What is this?" Peter asked in confusion.
Rei replied irritably, "How should I know? The Holy Lord said to open it only when you came to find me, or when I came to find you."
This was a legacy left by Silas. Even the AI, Genji, had never seen it. The only person allowed to enter this room was the loyal Shadow General, Rei.
"Er..." Peter rubbed his head sheepishly.
The three of them entered the final laboratory.
"Peter? Thank goodness you finally arrived," Silas's voice echoed in the room.
"Silas!" Peter's tears nearly broke through as he heard that familiar voice.
"My Lord?!" Rei was equally shocked, her body instinctively dropping to one knee. Only Gwen stood there, a bit lost.
"It's me, Peter." A projection appeared before Peter, taking on Silas's likeness.
"Silas!" Peter reached out to embrace him, only to pass right through Silas's body.
"I forgot to mention, Peter—I'm just a projection. The real me hasn't been resurrected yet," Silas said, turning to Peter with a smile.
"A projection?" Peter wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. "I haven't even been thinking about you."
"Well, that's truly heartbreaking," the Silas projection said, clutching his chest in mock agony.
"Actually, I've always wanted to ask you: Silas, why did you give up the Mind Stone?" Peter was very confused about this. Silas's decision to hand it over was exactly like Doctor Strange's.
Peter had recently learned a bit about Strange from Misty. Strange was the previous Sorcerer Supreme, tasked with guarding the Eye of Agamotto and protecting Earth from mystical threats. Why would such a person give up the Eye?
"You know, Peter, that battle was destined to be a loss because the power of the Infinity Stones is unmatched."
"When Thanos used the Stones without restraint, even Carol—as strong as she is—was no match for him, because her power comes from the Space Stone."
"But the Time Stone has another function: seeing the future. Since Strange gave up the Time Stone voluntarily, it means he saw a hope for victory. Though the hope is slim, we still have a chance."
"When I learned Strange had given up the Time Stone, I gave up the Mind Stone too. I had only one condition: that you must live."
The Silas projection explained his choice.
"So that's why." Peter finally understood. He was deeply moved that Silas had done it all just to protect him.
"I'm glad you understand." The Silas projection flew to the top of the large machine. "This is actually a time machine."
"What?! A time machine?!" everyone in the room shouted in shock.
The Other World
"This is actually my original world from before I traveled to Marvel!" Silas exclaimed in surprise.
It was Silas's tenth day in this world, and he finally understood everything. This was his original world. As for why he had returned, he had found the answer.
Although the Dog Talisman made him immortal and brought him back from the dead, he had technically "died" in the Marvel world. The only way to truly resurrect would be to use the Infinity Stones.
One must use magic to defeat magic, and use Infinity Stones to undo what the Infinity Stones did.
Because the Marvel world recognized his death, the world's consciousness rejected him after his revival. Eventually, the rejection forced open the unhealed spatial rift he had originally fallen through, and he was sent back.
"What a mess..."
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