Chapter 396: Kang the Conqueror Is Coming
When Ethan finished the letter, tears slid from the corners of his eyes before he could stop them.
The letter caught fire in midair and burned like a grand farewell ceremony. As the flames died, all the feeling in it turned into the smallest specks of dust in the universe, scattering on the wind without a trace.
That probably meant Chen Ye was gone with it.
Ethan quietly closed his eyes. It was a long time before his heart settled.
As a fellow transmigrator, he understood exactly how badly Chen Ye had wanted to go home.
How much he'd wanted an ordinary life. And from the letter, Ethan could tell how bitter and unresigned Chen Ye had been.
"You've already paved the road for me, so I'll walk the rest of it." Ethan made the vow silently, his tone firm with a barely perceptible tenderness. He knew this wasn't only about fulfilling Chen Ye's last wish. It was for himself too.
Ethan also realized his enemies were far more powerful than he'd ever imagined. He gave a bitter laugh, his feelings a tangled mess.
"Like they were worried my life was going too well. I find out the truth, and now I know I've got all these enemies. What a headache."
And making friends with those gods was clearly off the table. Ethan just couldn't do it. Knowing they had killed another version of him, he couldn't swallow his disgust and try to befriend them.
He really couldn't. He'd never met that other self, and he was no saint. He wasn't going to swear revenge for Chen Ye. But he had to gain the upper hand for the final showdown.
"If we can't be friends, then I'll be the enemy they fear." Ethan's gaze slowly turned cold.
The only thing Ethan could do now was raise his own power, build up his faction, and win over as many powerful people as possible to prepare for Transcendence.
In a world where strength ruled, power was the only thing that counted. Only by making himself strong enough could he protect the people he wanted to protect and change the fates he refused to accept.
That was probably one of Chen Ye's goals, too. He hadn't spelled it out in the letter, but if a few powerful people had stood on his side back then, maybe he wouldn't have ended up in such a desperate state.
And there was one more thing, the most important of all. Chen Ye hadn't written it down, but Ethan could feel it.
The Friendship System was also meant to give him a family in the Marvel world. If he didn't succeed, if he never made it back to the original world, he would still have a home here.
"Thank you for doing so much for me, Chen Ye," Ethan said silently in his heart.
He had a feeling that if he could transcend, bringing Chen Ye back to life might not be impossible.
At the thought, a glint of resolve and anticipation flashed in Ethan's eyes.
But reaching Transcendence was nowhere near that simple. With the System's help, he could climb step by step to the realm his other self had reached.
Even that would likely take a long time. Chen Ye had written about it all so lightly, but Ethan could imagine how hard it had been.
Even with the System's help, it would take him a long time. How much harder must it have been for Chen Ye?
And this was a question Ethan couldn't ask anyone. He'd have to figure it out on his own.
The most urgent task was still to find the last two Infinity Stones. Ethan didn't know where they were, but the Loki in front of him surely did.
Meanwhile, Loki, God of Stories, had been quietly watching Ethan's every move.
Loki noticed that as Ethan read the letter, his expressions shifted like colors on a palette. First puzzlement, then astonishment at the secrets it revealed, then anger at the unfairness of fate.
Then comfort at Chen Ye's understanding of him and trust in him. In the end, every emotion converged into a deep sorrow that reddened Ethan's eyes and set tears welling in them.
Loki knew that for a man this tough to show such a vulnerable side, the letter had to hold something extraordinary.
Loki, God of Stories, had been watching Ethan since the day he was born. The last time Ethan cried was when his father in this universe died.
The range Ethan had just shown in a few short minutes was enough to earn him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Loki was very curious what Chen Ye had written. He had never read the letter.
He would have liked to, if he could. But the letter carried a seal of Chen Ye's that kept him out. And he wasn't so classless as to try.
"It seems the letter had a lot to say, enough to bring out your true feelings."
"Would you mind telling me what Chen Ye wrote?" Loki's voice was full of undisguised curiosity, his eyes glinting with inquiry.
Ethan thought it over for a moment and decided to tell him part of it.
As he saw it, Loki ought to be on his side. Otherwise he wouldn't have given Ethan the letter and the System.
As for why Loki dared help someone who had openly defied the One Above All, Ethan had no way of knowing.
Ethan left out the more sensitive topics, the realm of Transcendence and why Chen Ye had chosen a Friendship System.
He told Loki basically everything else.
"I never imagined Chen Ye had been through all that. Fascinating, fascinating."
He had never guessed that beneath Chen Ye's icy exterior lay the deep scar of a woman's betrayal.
It wasn't that he'd never tried to look into Chen Ye's past. Unfortunately, every trace of it had been erased.
Still, Chen Ye's fascinating history gave him fresh inspiration. Perhaps he could use the same script and see whether he could shape a superhero like Chen Ye.
Of course, Loki could tell Ethan hadn't told him everything.
He didn't mind in the least. Everyone has a few secrets. Besides, Chen Ye's story alone was more than enough.
Ever since reading the letter, Ethan had felt that time was running short.
He didn't want to waste any of it.
"Is there anything else, Mr. Loki? And do you know where our universe's last two Infinity Stones are?"
Loki understood that Ethan was in a hurry to leave.
He just smiled faintly.
"You need to grow up quickly. You have less time than you think. As for the Infinity Stones, they're already within your universe. Soon, the threads of fate will bind you tightly together."
"Protect the Time Variance Authority for me. Kang is coming soon."
"As I warned you before, countless Kangs are about to strike. I hope you'll shelter the TVA."
"The TVA is only Kang's first stop. If it falls, Hell's Kitchen will be next."
"So whether you like it or not, Ethan, you're destined to face all of this. Your contest with Kang the Conqueror is a road you must travel to grow."
"Of course, in exchange, I can give you some help."
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