"Save me? What nonsense are you talking about!?"
Wenwu didn't believe a single word.
The hatred in his eyes didn't fade at all.
"You just destroyed everything I had!"
"You really don't know the truth."
Facing Wenwu's resentment and unwillingness, Alex paused briefly, then explained the truth.
"What Ying Nan told you earlier—it's all real."
"The voices in your mind were caused by the Dweller-in-Darkness manipulating you."
"Do you know why I came here? Someone in Krakoa was also being influenced. I came here to put an end to the source."
"As for you—if you had really tried to 'save' your wife, all you would've done… was release a terrifying demon and then get eaten by it."
"I know you probably don't want to believe me, but tell me—what reason would I have to lie to you?"
Wenwu froze.
He had been stripped of the Ten Rings.
His strength was gone.
He was nothing—a powerless mortal in front of Alex.
Under this situation… why would Alex lie to him?
It wouldn't make sense.
Of course, accepting that everything he'd believed for years was a lie…
that his wife had never called out to him…
that it was all the Dweller's manipulation…
That wasn't easy.
Not in one moment.
That was Wenwu's obsession.
---
"Ying Nan, Guang Bo—farewell."
Alex didn't plan to keep talking to Wenwu.
He gave a simple farewell to Ying Nan and the other guardians, then turned and left Ta Lo.
As for how the guardians would deal with Wenwu—that wasn't Alex's concern.
Alex immediately returned to Krakoa.
---
"Everyone, the Dweller-in-Darkness has been eliminated. Jean will never lose control again."
As soon as Alex said those words, the entire atmosphere in the hall instantly brightened.
Especially Jean—she finally let out a long breath.
From now on, she would no longer be a living time bomb.
This was good for her—
and for all of Krakoa.
"Great! Jean, I told you the Headmaster would resolve everything."
Cyclops (Scott) grabbed Jean's hands, smiling with relief.
"Alex… thank you!"
Jean bowed her head in gratitude.
"All right, I accept your thanks. Page turned. Everyone, go do your thing—I still have matters to attend to."
Alex waved casually, smiling.
He greeted the other leaders, then returned to his room.
The first thing he needed to do—
Upgrade.
He had just absorbed 100,000 Origin Points.
That was no small amount.
---
"Enhance!"
The moment Alex issued the command, he felt his body shifting dramatically.
Testing his new physical limits, Alex was pleasantly surprised.
His strength had reached 36,000 tons.
His speed—25,000 meters per second.
"Not bad."
Feeling his new state, Alex nodded with satisfaction.
This trip to Ta Lo had been more profitable than expected—
not only eliminating the Dweller, but also acquiring 100,000 Origin Points.
A huge win.
Alex was in a great mood.
---
"Should I visit Ta Lo a few more times…?"
Having tasted benefits, Alex couldn't help letting his thoughts wander.
The movie never explained the Ten Rings' origins clearly,
but in the comics, their background was absurdly OP.
Their predecessor—
was actually Nezha's Qiankun Rings.
Yes.
Nezha.
Marvel does have Nezha.
And also the Jade Emperor.
Ta Lo in the Shang-Chi movie?
That was essentially the Jade Emperor's realm.
The Ten Rings originated there because—
Long ago, the Jade Emperor split Nezha's Qiankun Ring into twelve rings, scattering them across the universe.
Over endless years, ten of them resurfaced and eventually ended up in Wenwu's hands.
Meaning—
The Ten Rings are divine artifacts from Ta Lo.
Ta Lo was basically Marvel's version of Heaven.
If Alex looted the place?
The gains would be unimaginable.
But after a moment—
Alex dismissed the thought.
He never claimed to be a saint—
but he had a bottom line.
He wouldn't turn the world upside down just to grow stronger.
The Jade Emperor was still a god.
Ta Lo was still a divine realm.
Not something to mess with on a whim.
And realistically—
Alex's power growth was already insane.
He was satisfied.
So he spent the next days extremely low-key.
Staying in Krakoa.
Checking on Hank's research.
Watching America Chavez train.
Nothing noteworthy.
But while Alex wasn't planning trouble—
someone had already set their sights on him.
---
Time Variance Authority (TVA)
Inside a large conference room—
Agent Mobius was hosting a serious meeting.
"The individual responsible for destabilizing the timeline of Universe-617—
the same time variant who vanished six years ago—
the Variant known as Homelander Alex—
has resurfaced."
Mobius tapped a button.
A projection appeared, displaying Alex's image.
That's right—
Universe 617.
Not Earth-616 of the MCU.
The universe Alex arrived in was a parallel world strongly resembling the MCU
—but not the canonical one.
"According to intel, Alex acquired all six Infinity Stones and has mastered traversal of parallel timelines."
"During his six-year disappearance, he almost certainly traveled through other universes."
"Which universes? We don't know. But they were outside TVA jurisdiction."
"That doesn't matter. What matters is—
Alex has reappeared."
"And this time—
we must capture him."
"Thanos was never supposed to be killed by him.
Ultron with the Infinity Stones was never supposed to be killed by him.
The Infinity Stones must not fall into his possession—
and neither should inter-universe travel!"
"This variant has violated multiple major regulations."
"I want him taken in—
at once."
"For trial."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 60 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~