Chapter 144: The Final Secret
A month had passed. From the vast cosmos, Ragna returned to Earth, accompanied by the fully restored Holy Kesha.
Above the desolate landscape, the remaining Elders of the Universe and the entire Celestial Host—their forces greatly diminished—stood in solemn silence. They had once ruled as cosmic arbiters, shaping reality with ancient power, but now they stood as mere witnesses to the coming revelation.
Above them, Ragna sat suspended in the heavens, his expression unreadable. Around him, the King's Guard of Angels, the celestial warriors of the High Heavens, filled the sky in shimmering formation. Their radiant wings, enhanced by cosmic energies, reflected the aura of absolute dominance.
On the ground, Doctor Strange, the newly anointed Sorcerer Supreme, led the magi of Kamar-Taj in quiet observation. They had sensed the approaching cosmic beings yet did not dare to interfere. The sheer magnitude of power gathered before them made resistance unthinkable.
And yet, none of them felt fear.
For Ragna , the Supreme Lord of the Heavenly Temple, was present.
The universe itself seemed to pause, held in the shadow of his presence.
As Sorcerer Supreme, Strange was no stranger to cosmic affairs. Through the All-Seeing Agamotto and the Cosmic Mirror of Watoomb, he had borne witness to events beyond mortal comprehension:
• The fall of Thanos, the Mad Titan, by Ragna 's hands.
• The annihilation of the Watcher's Temple.
• The Celestials, once invincible, reduced to fractured remnants.
• The rise of the Heavenly Temple, surpassing even Asgard and Olympus in divine authority.
Strange did not need to be told—he already understood: Ragna stood above the gods.
A sudden burst of cosmic energy split the sky—Bifrost shimmered into existence.
From its bridge descended Hela, Goddess of Death, astride the mighty Fenrir, her piercing gaze unreadable. Beside her, Thor, the Odinson, gripped Mjolnir, his storm-forged armor gleaming with the might of Asgard.
Even the divine rulers of the Nine Realms had come to bear witness.
Now, the final audience was complete.
The Elders of the Universe, ancient beings who had wandered reality since its infancy, fixed their gaze upon Ragna . They had spent eons in pursuit of the ultimate truth, and now—at last—the answer was within reach.
Yet, in this moment of revelation, every second of waiting felt like an eternity.
Their patience was formidable. After all, these were cosmic entities who had witnessed the birth and death of stars. But today, the weight of anticipation was unbearable.
Ragna sat in silence, his thoughts turning to the six Infinity Gems embedded upon the silver wings of Holy Kesha.
He had long pondered the ultimate secret—the so-called "True Hope."
Now, he hesitated.
He was invincible. Unchallenged in power, unbound by the laws of mortals and gods alike.
If he so desired, he could remain in the Marvel Universe eternally, bathed in endless glory and supremacy.
Would that not be enough?
Lost in thought, Ragna barely noticed Thor's impatient whisper:
"What is my brother doing? Is he… lost in thought?"
"He looks like Father," Thor muttered, a rare moment of uncertainty crossing his face. "Has he… grown old as well?"
Of course, Thor's words were not truly whispered—every god, every celestial, and every cosmic elder heard them clearly.
The Angelic Kings glared at Thor for his insolence. Hela smirked at her brother's discomfort, but said nothing. The Elders of the Universe merely continued their silent vigil, though their composure was beginning to wane.
And then—Ragna stirred.
Thor's words had triggered a realization.
Even gods can grow old.
If he remained in the Marvel Universe, then no matter how powerful he was—eventually, he would succumb to time.
And even if he was eternal—what was pleasure, to one who already had everything?
Ragna made his decision.
With a thought, the six Infinity Gems detached from Holy Kesha's silver wings.
One by one, they embedded themselves upon the Sun Scepter.
At that moment, a brilliance unlike any seen before erupted across the cosmos.
For an instant, it seemed as if infinite light had engulfed reality—then suddenly, all fell silent.
The Infinity Gems had vanished.
At that moment, the System's voice rang in Ragna 's mind:
[The host has successfully sacrificed all six Infinity Gems. Reward granted: "True Hope."]
[True Hope: The Door to Transcendence has opened. The host may now access the True Universe.]
A flood of knowledge surged into Ragna 's consciousness.
Within the depths of his mind, a strange portal shimmered in and out of existence.
Ragna understood everything.
He opened his eyes, surveying the stunned faces around him.
The Elders of the Universe, the Celestials—they could no longer maintain their composure.
Some laughed madly, others wept like children.
For the moment the Infinity Gems disappeared, the universe itself trembled.
Matter and energy had been stripped away, leaving the universe weaker, smaller… fragile.
And with the universe growing frail—certain hidden truths were finally revealed.
Sorcerer Supreme Strange was the first to react, his voice trembling with fear:
"Impossible… The entire universe is collapsing! You've doomed everything! Do you mean to end all creation?!"
Even Thor and Hela turned to Ragna , their divine instincts warning them of a greater crisis.
Asgard itself stood within the cosmos. If the universe died, so too would the golden halls of Valhalla.
Ragna merely sighed. With a flick of his hand—Strange was reduced to ashes.
A fool blinded by the will of the universe.
He turned to the others. "Look closely. Look at Earth, at the universe itself. Everything should be obvious now."
A new anomaly had emerged.
Not only had the universe weakened, but now—it flickered.
Like a mirage, shifting between falsehood and reality.
Ragna murmured softly: "Tell me… do you truly exist?"
The Elders of the Universe and the Celestials did not answer.
Instead, they simply turned away, departing with bitter smiles.
Even Hela and Thor, despite their usual arrogance, now wore grim expressions.
For in that moment—they, too, began to flicker.
The illusion of their existence wavered.
Ragna closed his eyes, whispering:
"It doesn't matter."
"At least, to me, you are real."
Within his mind, the knowledge granted by True Hope revealed the ultimate truth.
• The Marvel Universe was a construct.
• The System was a creation of the Psionic Civilization, an advanced race that had nearly achieved transcendence.
• The true nature of the cosmos—expanding, dying, inevitably collapsing into nothingness.
To escape, civilizations had only one path to transcendence: mastering the energy of the singularity.
But how could they observe a singularity—when one had not existed since the birth of the universe?
Unless—they created one.
By merging reality with fiction, by absorbing energy from fabricated worlds—the singularity could be achieved.
And Ragna , with the System as his key, had finally touched upon the ultimate truth.
Transcendence was within reach.
At last, Ragna stepped forward, through the shimmering Door of Transcendence.
And in that moment—he left the Marvel Universe behind.
Here, in this new domain—was the True Universe.
A realm beyond gods. Beyond fiction. Beyond all limits.
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