"Why has Satanish's presence completely vanished?" Robert frowned in confusion as he observed the desolate ruins of Satanish's territory, now reduced to nothing after his bombardment. What he didn't know was that Satanish had chosen to completely give up and avoid revival. Robert began using various sensing abilities to scan the entire domain, but no matter what he tried, he found nothing.
Ever since Satanish had expelled him from the core area, Robert could no longer sense its presence or locate where it was hidden. All Robert could do was search around the ruins of Satanish's palace, but once again, his efforts were in vain.
"Is he really dead? That's unlikely. If he had truly died, this territory wouldn't be so peaceful," Robert mused after stopping his search. He wasn't convinced that Satanish had perished. Although the explosion he unleashed was powerful, it was improbable that it had destroyed a Hell Lord within his own domain. Robert guessed that Satanish had used some special ability to hide himself.
After all, the powers in this world were far more complex than those in the Dragon Ball world. It wasn't surprising if Satanish had some elusive ability that Robert couldn't detect. But as the saying goes, "you can run, but you can't hide." Robert didn't believe Satanish would abandon his domain, which was the foundation of his status as a Hell Lord.
With a swoosh, Robert disappeared from the Hell Dimension. The territory remained eerily quiet, devoid of any signs of life.
This was what Robert found suspicious. The Hell Dimension was far from a peaceful place. If Satanish were truly dead, other Hell Lords would be swarming in to claim his domain, not leaving it untouched and deserted as it was now.
Sometime later, Robert reappeared in the same place. He still couldn't detect Satanish's aura. He had locked onto the domain's energy and teleported back, but it was clear Satanish had prepared for this and had no intention of returning anytime soon.
"Fine, if you want to hide, then stay hidden. As long as you don't cause trouble in the Earth dimension, that's all that matters." After a moment of contemplation, Robert spoke softly before vanishing once again.
However, Robert hadn't completely given up. He kept an eye on Satanish's aura in the background. If it resurfaced, he was ready to teleport and destroy Satanish's core region as well.
But Satanish had already made up his mind to lie low and not revive. He immersed his consciousness into the Hell Dimension's source power, completely abandoning the idea of restoring his body or caring about the state of his domain.
After all, his empty, lifeless territory held no value for him anymore. As long as the land remained, Satanish could return in decades or centuries to rebuild. He doubted Robert would still be around by then. Satanish, as a Hell Lord, wasn't afraid to wait it out. Even if Robert was powerful, he hadn't taken the path of the gods. If a few centuries weren't enough, Satanish was willing to wait a thousand years. It was all about outlasting the other.
Robert had no idea Satanish had been pushed to this point. After scanning for a while and finding nothing, he finally stopped waiting for Satanish to reappear. If necessary, he could always come back to check the Hell Dimension periodically.
With a swoosh, Robert reappeared in Kamar-Taj. The students, who had been resting, immediately stood up upon seeing him, awkward expressions flashing across their faces.
After regaining their energy and waking up, the students had remembered their earlier actions against Robert, and naturally, they felt embarrassed.
Especially since they had dealt with Robert several times before, they knew his style. The fact they were still alive after attacking him was a huge favor from Robert.
"You seem to have sobered up. Hopefully, you'll continue familiarizing yourselves with your powers and keep an eye on the Hell Dimension…" Robert nodded at the awkward students and offered some advice.
"The Hell Dimension? Is Daulta still alive?" Constantine asked, surprised, with a hesitant tone. "And who was that other Hell Lord? Why did Daulta summon him after being injured? Are they related, like father and son?"
"Father and son? No. Daulta was merely food that Satanish had been raising, the fattest chicken in the coop, so to speak…" Robert explained briefly. "During our battle, Satanish couldn't keep up and ended up devouring Daulta to boost his power."
"So Daulta is dead? What about Satanish? Didn't devouring Daulta make him even more dangerous?" Doctor Doom asked in suspicion, eyeing the unscathed Robert.
"Satanish hid after I shattered his body twice. I don't know where he went, so I'll need you to keep an eye on the Hell Dimension," Robert said calmly, shaking his head.
The room fell into silence. Even Baron Mordo, who had followed the Ancient One, was stunned. The Ancient One never flaunted her achievements, but Robert's feats had already surpassed what they knew of her.
Mordo wasn't sure who would win in a fight between the Ancient One and Robert, but it was clear the Hell Lords would rather avoid encountering someone like Robert, who had already defeated several of them.
"Alright, I'll leave monitoring the Hell Dimension to you. I need to transfer the Guardians to the Avengers base. It'll make things more convenient for the Avengers in the future," Robert waved his hand and disappeared again, not mentioning the Reality Stone at all.
"Say, Saiyan, why are you here?" The Guardian, who had been resting on a chair, looked at the suddenly appearing Robert with a hint of surprise and excitement.
To be honest, the Guardian hadn't been very involved lately. With the teleportation portals from Kamar-Taj and Robert's teleportation, the Guardian had long stopped receiving calls from Robert.
Meanwhile, Constantine had officially become a student at Kamar-Taj, even vying for the position of Sorcerer Supreme. He had no intention of returning to the magic base.
Only Clare continued working hard, honing her powers while hunting demons that had snuck into the Earth dimension. She was making a name for herself in the supernatural world.
"Constantine won't be coming back. Although you've established yourselves in the supernatural world, I think it's better to consolidate your forces," Robert explained, nodding at the Guardian.
"You mean…" The Guardian's eyes gleamed with excitement as he caught on to Robert's meaning. "We can work with the Avengers?"
"More than that. If you're willing, you can join the Avengers," Robert smiled. "Of course, if the Shadowhunters don't want to, they can continue living their own lives. I won't force them."
"They've all grown accustomed to the supernatural world. If they could return to normal life, they would've done so already…" The Guardian sighed softly, nodding seriously. "I'll contact Clare and the others right away!"
"Good. I'll let Tony and the Avengers know. You can move your things to their base, and it'll be more convenient for the Avengers to operate in the future." After giving these instructions, Robert teleported to the Avengers base.
There was one thing Robert hadn't mentioned—having the Guardians join the Avengers would help fill the gap left by Clark's absence. It might even bring a bit of optimism and energy to this currently somber world.
Truthfully, Robert hadn't expected that after so many extraordinary events, the world's atmosphere would become this grim. Maybe this was what a world without Dragon Balls to reverse everything would look like after enduring supernatural disasters.
Although the global death toll wasn't as high as in the darkest timelines Robert knew of, the overall mood had become as oppressive as the future timeline in Dragon Ball, where Androids ruled with violence and fear.
Official order still held, but the rise in crime was noticeable, and the world hadn't completely descended into chaos. Still, both the elites and the common folk lived in constant fear of death, unsure whether tomorrow or tragedy would arrive first.
"Guardians? Teleportation portals? That's great news!" Steve Rogers was instantly thrilled when Robert explained about the Guardians. He turned to Peter Parker with a grin. "Looks like our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man will have to expand his operations!"
"Of course. I may not be Superman, but I'll do everything I can to change this gloomy world!" Peter Parker responded with a smile, his innate optimism shining through. Now that he had the power, he was ready to help even more people.
Back at the magic base, Clare and the Shadowhunters all returned after being summoned by the Guardian. When they learned they would be joining the Avengers, they were excited.
To be honest, the magic base had always been funded by Constantine, but his resources weren't sufficient. The Avengers were a different story. Tony Stark was a billionaire, and their conditions were bound to be much better.
More importantly, the Avengers' intelligence network far surpassed anything the Shadowhunters could gather on their own. Joining the Avengers would also allow Clare to hunt demons much more efficiently.
And so, after the Guardian's portals opened, everything from the magic base was moved to the Avengers' base. The teleportation made it much easier for the Avengers to act, no longer needing to figure out how to get out of their base each time.
Meanwhile, in the distant reaches of space, at the core of a dimly lit planet, Thanos sat upon his throne. Standing beside him was Thor, under his control.
After being taken over by Thanos, Thor's status had risen above that of the Black Order's top three members, causing a hint of dissatisfaction in Supergiant.
But Supergiant couldn't challenge Thor. Although Thor's resistance to mind control wasn't particularly strong, he was currently under the influence of the Mind Stone. If Supergiant were to attempt to overpower Thor's will and accidentally free him from the stone's control, Supergiant would face Thanos' wrath a thousand times over.
"That ultimate weapon of the dwarves was quite something. It could harness the power of a neutron star. If you hadn't brought me back that day, I wouldn't have recovered so quickly," Thanos said to Thor, sighing softly.
Thanos's expression grew distant. He wasn't sure if it was because of the Infinity Gauntlet and the Mind Stone, or because of the terrifying blast from the dwarves' neutron star, but while unconscious, he had experienced visions—like his life flashing before his eyes.
In those visions, Thanos saw not only his past but also a future where he had collected all the Infinity Stones. When that moment came, Thanos felt the presence of a supreme being—one who seemed far more powerful and noble than the entire universe. She was the embodiment of ultimate power.
Yes, she. Thanos was certain it was a goddess, a divine representation of ultimate strength.
It was after seeing this goddess that Thanos had remained unconscious longer than expected. Upon awakening, his desire to collect the Infinity Stones grew even stronger. He was now more eager than ever to gather all the stones and fulfill his ultimate goal—to meet the goddess herself.
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