The winds on Vormir howled fiercely.
Ahead stood a mountain, and at its summit was a crude stone altar, roughly stacked together.
Beside the altar stood a figure in a black robe, their face hidden beneath a hood.
Levi walked up the mountain.
The snow grew thicker with each step, swallowing half his foot every time.
The robed figure didn't move, standing there like a statue.
Levi reached the altar and stopped.
The figure raised its head.
Beneath the hood was a red face—noseless, with sunken eye sockets and a skeletal outline beneath thin skin.
Levi recognized him.
Red Skull — Johann Schmidt.
The HYDRA leader who had been teleported here by the Tesseract seventy years ago.
"Welcome," Red Skull said, his voice hollow. "Seeker of the Soul Stone."
Levi didn't respond.
He looked at the altar. At its center was a hollow depression—empty to the eye. Yet he could feel something there: a vast, intangible force tied to the very essence of souls.
"You know who I am," Levi said.
"I know all who come here," Red Skull replied. "Their names, their pasts, their desires. The Tesseract bound me here as the guide of the Soul Stone. It is my curse—and my duty."
Levi stared at him.
"Do you know me?"
Red Skull fell silent for a few seconds.
His crimson face turned toward Levi, the darkness in his eye sockets like bottomless pits.
"You are… unusual," he said slowly. "I cannot see your past. You are like a mist drifting along the river of time—without root, without origin."
Levi clenched his fist.
The same answer again.
Odin had said he didn't exist within the timeline. Red Skull couldn't see his past either. He was like something forcibly inserted into this universe—an anomaly with no history, no belonging.
"Where is the Soul Stone?" Levi asked.
Red Skull raised a hand and pointed toward the cliff.
"Below," he said. "But not everyone can claim it. The Soul Stone has its own criteria—it requires a sacrifice."
Levi walked to the edge of the cliff.
He looked down.
A bottomless black abyss churned with mist, like the entrance to another world. He could feel something waiting within—not a physical entity, but a concept… a law tied to the essence of souls.
"What sacrifice?" Levi asked, turning back.
"A soul for a soul," Red Skull said. "You must lose one you love. Only when you offer the soul you cherish most will the universe grant you the Soul Stone. This is an eternal exchange—a rule that cannot be bypassed."
Levi looked at him.
"Everyone has to do this?"
"Everyone."
Levi fell silent for a moment.
"What about me?" he asked. "You said you can't see my past. Can you see who I love?"
Red Skull stared at him, the black voids of his eyes unmoving.
"I cannot," he finally said. "Something obscures your soul. I cannot probe it. But the rule does not change—you must sacrifice the one you love, or you will not obtain the stone."
Levi turned and looked into the abyss.
The wind howled louder.
He thought of Wanda—the red-haired girl whose eyes always carried a trace of confusion, yet became unwavering when she wielded chaos magic. She had vanished in the Snap, turning to ash before his eyes. He had promised to protect her—but failed.
He thought of Steve, Tony, Natasha—the comrades who had fought beside him.
If the rule demanded sacrificing someone he loved… who would he choose?
Levi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Then he opened them and turned back to Red Skull.
"I won't sacrifice anyone," he said.
Red Skull said nothing.
"I'll take the stone another way," Levi continued. "I'll speak to the Soul Stone directly—and let it decide whether to give itself to me."
A trace of mockery entered Red Skull's voice.
"Who do you think you are? The Soul Stone is a creation of the universe. Its rules have existed for billions of years. Countless powerful beings have come here—many at the Skyfather level—yet none have bypassed the rule. What makes you think you can?"
Levi didn't answer.
He stepped to the edge of the cliff, placed one foot forward, and leaned out.
The abyss churned beneath him.
Then he let go.
His body plunged downward.
Wind roared past his ears.
He fell fast, the mist slicing against his skin like blades. He didn't struggle, nor did he use any power to slow himself. He dropped straight down like a stone.
The abyss had no end.
Thirty seconds passed, and still there was only darkness. The mist thickened, obscuring everything—but he could feel it: that law, drawing closer.
He activated the Law of Mind.
His consciousness extended outward like a probe, searching for the Soul Stone. But the mist wasn't merely physical—it interfered with perception. His awareness was repelled the moment it touched it.
Levi changed tactics.
He invoked the Law of Death.
Black energy surged from his right hand, forming a flame in his palm. It wasn't hot—rather, it carried a chilling cold that seemed to freeze the soul itself. He thrust it forward, and the dark light tore through part of the mist.
Behind it, a platform appeared.
A stone platform, floating in the middle of the abyss. At its center hovered a glowing object.
Orange light.
The Soul Stone.
Levi adjusted his trajectory with the Law of Space, curving through the air and landing lightly on the platform's edge.
The platform was small—less than ten meters in diameter.
The Soul Stone hovered at the center, encased in a transparent barrier covered in flowing runes, each radiating ancient law.
Levi stepped forward.
He reached out and touched the barrier.
Instantly, a powerful repulsive force exploded outward.
He was blasted back, crashing into a stone pillar at the edge. Dizziness washed over him.
Levi steadied himself and stood up.
The barrier remained unchanged.
"Not physical defense," he muttered. "It's rejecting me at the level of laws. It's testing whether I qualify through sacrifice."
He approached again.
This time, he didn't touch it immediately. Instead, he summoned the eight laws within him—Space, Power, Life, Mind, Time, Reality, Death… and Life once more—eight different lights weaving into a complex network around his body.
He pressed his hand against the barrier.
All eight laws surged in.
The barrier trembled.
The runes flickered chaotically as it resisted, trying to push his power out. But Levi didn't stop—he kept pouring in energy.
A crack appeared.
Thin at first, spreading outward from his palm.
Levi gritted his teeth and pushed harder.
His power drained rapidly—he could feel his vitality slipping—but the crack widened, spreading across a third of the barrier.
Then he heard a voice.
Not through his ears—but directly in his mind.
You want me?
The voice was hollow, without gender or emotion—like the universe itself speaking.
Levi stopped and stared at the Soul Stone.
"I need you," he said.
Why?
"To reverse Thanos' Snap. To bring back those who disappeared. I need all six Infinity Stones."
Silence lingered.
You have not made a sacrifice, the voice said. The rule demands a soul for a soul. You have paid no price—why should I allow you to take me?
Levi took a deep breath.
"Because I'm not part of your rules," he said. "I don't belong to this timeline—or any timeline. I'm an anomaly forced into this universe. I have no past, no future. Your rules don't apply to me."
An interesting argument, the voice replied. But insufficient. Rules are universal—they do not change because you are special.
Levi clenched his fist.
"Then let me put it another way," he said. "What is the essence of sacrifice? It's proving you understand the value of a soul—proving you're willing to give up what you cherish most. Right?"
The voice didn't respond—but he could feel it listening.
"I've paid a price," Levi continued. "To grow stronger, I fused eight laws. Every breakthrough was a struggle on the brink of death. I was eroded by void energy—nearly lost my entire right arm. I was hunted by the Time Variance Authority, targeted by the Anti-Monitor, treated as an anomaly by the multiverse."
He raised his right hand, the black patterns on his palm clearly visible.
"This is my sacrifice. I didn't sacrifice someone else's soul—I sacrificed myself. Every breakthrough cost me my humanity, my safety, my future. That's why I'm qualified to take you."
The crack stopped spreading.
Silence followed.
Levi could feel the Soul Stone thinking—measuring his words. He didn't know if this would work, but it was his only option.
He would not sacrifice anyone.
Your argument has merit, the voice finally said. But it is not enough to convince me.
Levi frowned.
"Then what do you want?"
Proof, the voice replied. Show me you truly understand the essence of the soul—not through sacrifice, but through revelation. Let me see your soul, and I will judge whether you are worthy.
Levi paused.
"How?"
Open your mind, the voice said. Let me in.
Levi hesitated.
Opening his consciousness meant exposing everything—his memories, secrets, weaknesses. His identity as a transmigrator, his system, his knowledge of the future.
But he had no choice.
He closed his eyes and lowered his mental defenses.
The gates of his mind opened.
Orange light flooded in like a torrent. His memories flipped open one by one.
He saw himself working overtime in an office.
He saw himself awakening on a World War II battlefield.
He saw himself copying Logan's healing factor, struggling to survive amid Normandy's bombardment.
He saw himself fighting alongside Steve Rogers, being frozen for seventy years.
He saw battles on Xandar, defeating Ronan, overcoming Ego, breaking through to the Skyfather level on Sakaar.
He saw himself in the DC Universe, copying Superman's abilities, clashing with a projection of the Anti-Monitor.
He saw Wanda turn to ash—and his vow to undo it all.
Everything was laid bare.
Levi didn't resist.
The orange light lingered—then slowly withdrew.
He opened his eyes, feeling mentally drained.
"I've seen it," the voice said. "Your soul is complex—greed, fear, guilt, determination… all intertwined. You are neither hero nor villain. You are simply someone who wants to survive—and protect those around you."
Levi said nothing.
"And that is precisely why you are worthy," the voice continued. "A true soul is not pure good or evil—it is the sum of all emotions. You understand this. Therefore, you understand me."
The cracks spread instantly across the barrier.
With a sharp crack, it shattered.
Orange light burst forth. The Soul Stone fell—and Levi caught it. It felt warm in his hand, neither hot nor cold, like something alive.
The system's voice echoed:
[Detected SSS-Class Law: Soul Stone]
Levi didn't hesitate.
"Copy."
Pain exploded in his chest.
It felt as though his soul was torn in half—one part remaining in his body, the other merging into a new law. Orange energy rampaged within him, colliding with the other eight laws.
Levi dropped to one knee, sweat pouring down his face.
Nine laws.
Space, Power, Life, Mind, Time, Reality, Death, Life, Soul—nine colors formed a massive vortex within him, clashing and merging under his will.
He was breaking through.
The bottleneck of high-tier Skyfather shattered. His domain expanded—one kilometer, three, ten…
The laws began to fuse.
Space and Time intertwined into the seed of spacetime.
Life and Death formed the concept of reincarnation.
Soul and Mind elevated his understanding of consciousness.
His body glowed—nine colors interwoven like a burning star.
Then everything settled.
Levi stood up and opened his eyes.
Nine colors swirled in his pupils like a condensed galaxy.
He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power.
Peak Skyfather level.
With all nine laws mastered and a ten-kilometer domain, he was the sole god within it—able to define all rules.
He stored the Soul Stone and activated his spacetime GPS. Blue light enveloped him, preparing to send him back to 2023.
But just as the teleportation began—
He felt a gaze.
Not from Vormir.
From somewhere far beyond.
Beyond the multiverse. From a dimension he couldn't reach.
Something… was watching him.
Levi looked up into the void.
Then the teleportation completed—and he vanished from the abyss.
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