"Master, are you troubled by something?"
At the edge of the cliff within Kamar-Taj's training grounds, Wong gazed at the fading golden-white rainbow in the sky before turning toward Ancient One. Her expression carried an unusual weight.
They had just sent Lucien away, a man whose strength forced even the Masters to remain cautious.
For the past three days, Wong had been responsible for his daily needs. During that time, Lucien frequently asked questions about magic. Their interactions remained distant, neither friendly nor hostile, no different from strangers.
"I have seen many possible futures," the Ancient One said slowly. "He is not the only outsider. Earth…"
Through the Time Stone, she had glimpsed countless timelines, but they were unstable and fragmented.
She had seen Earth destroyed.
Aliens, humans, and outsiders like Lucien appeared in those visions. Worse still, Lucien was not alone. There were others like him, each terrifyingly powerful. Their futures were obscured, impossible to read, impossible to interfere with.
Those outsiders, including Lucien, appeared like silhouettes shrouded in a hazy light. Even she could not perceive them clearly.
"Is there no way to stop it?" Wong asked, his voice tightening as he grasped the gravity of the situation.
The Ancient One shook her head.
Though disasters filled the future, hope remained. It never completely disappeared.
More importantly, she could not interfere recklessly. That was why she had shown such openness over the past three days. No matter what Lucien asked, she answered. She even granted him access to Kamar-Taj's most important library, despite him being an outsider.
---
New York City.
A place of towering landmarks and endless prosperity.
And also a city cursed with disaster.
Whether in battles against aliens or conflicts with powerful villains, it was always the chosen battlefield.
High above the city, nearly a thousand meters in the air, the golden-white rainbow dissipated.
Lucien hovered silently, his gaze sweeping across the skyline. Then his body began to change.
His face softened. His frame reshaped. His clothing shifted.
The T-shirt and beach shorts vanished, replaced by a long dress. Flip-flops became low-heeled sandals.
Within seconds, Lucien had transformed into a striking Western woman.
Thanks to the so-called Golden Finger, he possessed complete mastery of languages and writing systems. English, Japanese, alien dialects, ancient scripts, all of it came as naturally as breathing.
Lucien did not need to guess.
Nick Fury already knew about him.
Until he confirmed whether other Reincarnators or Transmigrators existed, Lucien had no intention of drawing attention.
Stability came first.
His figure vanished from the sky and reappeared in a quiet alley. From there, he walked into a large shopping mall, his appearance shifting repeatedly.
By the time he stepped out, he had become an entirely different woman, plain-looking, forgettable.
---
As expected, S.H.I.E.L.D. had detected his arrival the moment he descended onto Earth.
"You must find him."
Inside a dim office, Nick Fury stood by the window. His expression remained calm, but his thoughts were anything but.
The energy contained within that man could destroy Earth with ease.
If Lucien held any malicious intent, the consequences would be catastrophic.
He had to act.
But the man had disappeared after entering the atmosphere.
A living weapon capable of ending humanity at any moment.
Even nuclear arsenals did not compare.
Meanwhile, politicians and world leaders continued to pressure him. The President had already called personally.
This was not just America's concern. Every nation was searching, openly or in secret.
Fury's gaze hardened.
"It's time to move forward with the plan."
He would accelerate the creation of the Avengers.
Only individuals beyond normal human limits stood a chance against something like this.
Precautions had to be taken.
---
At Stark Industries Tower, the lights never dimmed.
On the top floor, Tony Stark worked inside his lab, wearing a sleeveless shirt as he adjusted parts of his Iron Man suit.
"Sir, the energy readings suggest this individual could destroy Earth," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported.
Tony paused, setting down his tools as he studied the holographic projection.
A figure surrounded by golden-white flames appeared before him, its face distinctly Asian.
"Is he from the East?" Tony muttered, frowning.
"A preliminary analysis indicates he appeared suddenly on the moon. His origin is likely extraterrestrial."
Tony exhaled slowly.
A ticking time bomb.
"Current location?"
"Unknown. He disappeared after entering Earth's atmosphere."
Tony's expression sharpened.
"Then keep searching."
---
Brooklyn, New York.
A place where luxury and decay coexisted.
Towering buildings housed the wealthy, while hidden corners sheltered the desperate.
Heaven and hell, separated by a single street.
In a foul-smelling garbage dump, a sudden burst of light illuminated the darkness.
When it faded, a figure stood where nothing had existed before.
A Hawaiian shirt. Torn jeans. A white hat. An earring glinting from his right ear.
Black hair. Black eyes.
A careless, almost mocking smile.
Theodore.
"Not bad… a modern world," he muttered, glancing around before letting out a relieved breath.
The last world he experienced had nearly broken him.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
"New missions issued."
A glowing panel appeared.
"Mission One: Acquire the six Infinity Stones.
Option 1: Infinite Lifespan, immortality without aging, but still killable.
Option 2: Time Reversal, reverse time by ten seconds, upgradeable.
Option 3: Future Prediction, foresee ten seconds ahead, upgradeable.
Mission Two: Hunt the Darkness and strip them of their Golden Finger.
Note: The Darkness hunts Sons of Destiny, Reincarnators, and Transmigrators.
Option 1: Dragon Ball Ki cultivation method.
Option 2: Saiyan near-death growth ability.
Option 3: Law Following Speech.
Mission Three: Hunt Reincarnators.
Note: Reincarnators from the Main God Space are organized threats across worlds.
Option 1: Xuanyuan Sword, sealed in ten layers.
Option 2: Natural-type Devil Fruit, Ice-Ice Fruit.
Option 3: Mysterious Reward, random ability or item."
Theo frowned as he read through the missions.
Once, he had been an ordinary man in the 21st century.
Then everything went wrong.
A staged accident while riding his motorcycle home from work.
He was poor, exhausted, and already at his limit.
The other party demanded an outrageous amount of money.
If it had been small, he might have paid to avoid trouble. But they demanded a thousand, acting arrogant and aggressive.
So he called the police.
Before he could react, his phone was slapped away.
An old woman clung to his leg, screaming curses as if rehearsed. Her voice drew a crowd.
They pointed at him.
Blamed him.
Some were clearly accomplices.
At that moment, something inside Theo snapped.
He was only twenty-three.
Life had already pushed him to the edge.
And now this.
Something broke completely.
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