CHAPTER 221

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I stepped through the portal with the Ancient One to the nexus area, immediately noticing the place felt ancient, as old as the planet itself, brimming with life all around, the nexus, was huge, at least a few miles wide from what I could tell, and was vibrating vividly with waves of cosmic energy.

It was truly a miracle to behold, how the Nexus siphoned the cosmic energy the dreaming celestial emanated from getting out back to the nexus point, all in a marvelously efficient way, as to prevent leakage before it was time for the celestial to wake up and emerge.

"Stop right there!" I heard someone shout in a shrill.

[Ikaris Eternal - LV 202]

"We mean you no harm," The Ancient One was the first to reply, as she floated towards them slowly.

"And yet, you have killed most of us," Ikaris growled, his voice tight and full of anger.

"That was Alice, not us," I replied, taking a deep breath, "So leave, before I am forced to hurt you." If given the choice, I would prefer to spare them, sure, their job was basically to farm humans to feed the celestial within the earth's crust for its emergence, but that didn't mean I wanted to kill them, directly speaking, they had done nothing to me or the humankind, beyond protecting them from the deviants, so even if their goals were less than… virtuous, what they had done so far, had been nothing but beneficial for humanity as a whole.

"Don't worry, you won't hurt me, I will hurt you!" Ikaris growled, making the Ancient One sigh as she stepped out of the way as the rage blinded Eternal charged at me, blasting a beam of pure cosmic energy from his eyes to my chest.

I didn't move, letting the blast hit me, perhaps if he realized his laser did nothing to me, not even burning my clothes off, he would desist from this futile endeavor and go home.

Sadly, this Eternal seemed to be rather hotheaded, because even after his laser did nothing, he continued his assault on me, turning his advances to a more physical approach.

"Very well," I sighed, as the Eternal attacked me with all his might, throwing punches, kicks, and the occasional laser, all attacks being strong enough to level buildings downs, but not strong enough to wrinkle my clothes.

"Must you indulge this?" The Ancient One inquired, raising an eyebrow at me accusingly. 

"Yeah," I nodded, slapping the Eternal away, effectively knocking him down with a single humiliating strike, that would probably damage his fragile ego more than his body in a few hours or so.

"Please, do slap the next ones a bit faster, we are running behind schedule as it is," The Ancient One sighed, floating away into the center of the nexus point.

I nodded, following her close behind, only to feel someone trying to probe my head violently. I frowned, opening my minimap to see a red dot hiding behind some rocks, another Eternal, the one I had saved apparently, I sighed, extending my hand towards the rock before using my control over gravity to pull her towards me at Mach 1.

Slamming against my open hand, I looked at Makkari and asked, "Wasn't your power being super fast?"

Makkari froze, her breathing accelerating under my grasp, her muscles tensing as she started to sweat profoundly, her eyes going wide and her whole body started to shake.

I didn't need my power to tell me she was terrified.

"Let her go!" I heard someone shout, soon after, feeling something hit my back, something pointy that shattered upon contact, a spear, maybe a sword, made out of cosmic energy.

[Thena Eternal LV 200]

I sighed, this was going nowhere, time to be efficient. "Sleep!" I shouted, using [Macro] to order every creature in a one hundred-mile radius to fall asleep, with the only exception being the Ancient One.

Immediately after, Thena and the rest fell to the floor, not without having some expressions of shock, probably coming to understand, that they never had a chance, to begin with.

Funny enough, Thena and one other Eternal didn't appear in my minimap as red dots, but as green, I wonder why.

"You could've done that?" The Ancient One said, giving me a look that said, really?

"I… it's a new power, first time I… actually use it in a fight," I chuckled, approaching the center of the Nexus point.

"Very well, you know what to do," The Ancient One smiled, levitating the bodies of the Eternals out of the way, as I proceeded to carve the runic circle to start the spell.

Each rune had to be perfect, the being I was absorbing, was stronger than me, the only advantage I had over him was my age, and current state of being, Tiamut while powerful was a newborn, and during the merging, he would be confused and disoriented, being that the only moment I would have to overpower his will.

"Done," I sighed, the runic circle was complete, now… all that was left was to start the process.

[Alice is back on Earth]

"She's here," The Ancient One announced, making a vast array of magic circles around me, "I will buy you time, so start the ritual!"

I nodded, letting myself be immersive in the next step, pulling Tiamut's essence into my soul.

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[The Ancient One POV]

A bright light engulfed Alex away, as a battle of wills began, meaning as of now, Alex was at his most vulnerable.

"Well hello there!" 

"Alice," I replied, turning to face her.

"That's me!" Alice giggled, turning to look towards the ball of light that was Alex and Tiamut with a glare brimming with hate.

"You won't touch him," I declared, floating in her direction.

Alice blinked, grinning from cheek to cheek, "Stop him? Oh my, of all people, I expected you to be… more… intelligent, I have him right where I want him."

She had him right where… no, could it be?! "You want to absorb him?"

"Bingo!" Alice beamed at me, "I knew the moment I started absorbing Eternals that Alex would notice like I knew the spell I had learned was an incomplete mess, so I played the long game… I mean, absorbing a Celestial at my current level would take years, even if I absorbed every Eternal in existence, so… why not have boy me, do it for me? I mean, he had the tools to find the right spell, and the power to see it through, so why not? Not only do I get his absurd powers, but I get the Celestial as well if I eat him, in the process, becoming the original!"

"I will stop you," I replied, forming two Eldritch circles around me, "And if I fail, others will."

"Like Thor?" Alice laughed, "I'm mad, not stupid, the little King is currently fighting an invasion on his home planet, one that requires his attention, so… that leaves the only threat to my plans out."

Before I could reply, a green and black portal opened in the middle of the room, revealing no other than Hela, "Does it now?" 

"He let you out?" Alice sighed.

"Well, seeing as he's fighting a horde of… black goo monsters, he had no choice but to let me out," Hela grinned, summoning a pair of blades to her hands, "Ancient One, how long till Alex finishes his… meal?"

"Not long," I replied with a smile, realizing what Thor had done, Hela was not to be trusted, but the seal he had carved into her soul made it so it was impossible for her to betray us, lest she wanted to explode and die.

"Good," Hela nodded.

"Don't you love Alex?" Alice asked, smiling at Hela, "I'm him, in a way, and soon, I will be him completely, so help me, and I will give you what you desire."

"Darling, I want Alex, not you, those credits don't transfer," Hela scoffed rushing into battle.