Alex and Danvers returned one after the other.
After that, Krakoa became thoroughly lively.
Strictly speaking, the current Krakoa was finally complete—truly whole, truly impregnable.
Although no immediate opportunities for further power growth had appeared—and staying in Krakoa wasn't exactly conducive to that either—Alex didn't rush to leave.
Since he was back, he might as well stay for a while.
After all, this was his home.
The nation he had built with his own hands.
What's more, during the short time since his return, Alex had absorbed two incredibly powerful special energy sources in succession.
A full 500,000 Origin Points in one sweep!
That alone counted as a massive harvest.
Alex's current strength had reached 290,000 tons, just one step away from breaking the 300,000-ton threshold.
As for speed, it had climbed to a terrifying 140,000 meters per second.
The word exaggerated barely did it justice.
Alex wasn't the type to be endlessly dissatisfied. After such a major breakthrough, relaxing in Krakoa for a while was perfectly reasonable.
So he stopped thinking about getting stronger for the time being and embraced a laid-back lifestyle.
Every day was leisure and entertainment—life was extremely comfortable.
Danvers did much the same.
For a time, the atmosphere in Krakoa was exceptionally good.
However, that pleasant mood was broken after a week.
"Alex, Ajak is here again."
Alex, who was fishing, was interrupted by Raven's sudden appearance.
"She's certainly persistent."
Alex set down his fishing rod and shook his head with a sigh.
This wasn't a casual neighborly visit—crossing into another country twice in less than half a month.
Clearly, something urgent was going on.
"Well then… I'll go see her."
After a moment of thought, Alex made his decision.
Judging by Ajak's determination to see him at all costs, simply brushing her off clearly wouldn't resolve anything.
After a brief cleanup, about twenty minutes later, Alex rode his transparent surfboard to the reception hall.
There, he saw a woman who appeared wise, composed, and faintly maternal.
Ajak.
"King Alex, thank you very much for agreeing to meet me."
Ajak stood up and greeted Alex with great courtesy.
"Please, sit, Ms. Ajak."
Alex gestured politely, and the two of them took their seats.
"King Alex, if it weren't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't trouble you."
"Because this world is already on the brink of destruction."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ajak suddenly spoke with a solemn expression.
The world is on the brink of destruction?
Alex's heart stirred.
He knew exactly what Ajak was referring to—
The Celestial Tiamut, gestating within Earth, nearing awakening.
Because Alex's presence had altered events, Thanos never snapped away half of Earth's population.
Naturally, Banner never snapped them back either.
Which meant Earth never experienced that sudden explosive surge of energy.
As a result, Tiamut's awakening had been delayed by several years compared to the original timeline.
But now—
The moment had finally arrived.
If that was the case, then some preparations really did need to be made.
Alex made a quiet decision in his heart.
"You're talking about the life gestating inside Earth, aren't you?"
"Is it about to break free of its shell?"
Alex raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ajak with a knowing look.
"You… you already know there's a Celestial inside Earth?"
Ajak looked utterly shocked.
Before coming, she'd been wondering whether Alex would even believe her true identity.
After all, things like Eternals and Deviants sounded like fairy tales.
Most people would dismiss them as nonsense.
But if Alex already knew about the Celestial inside Earth, then communication would be much easier.
"Did you really think I wouldn't notice something inside Earth that possesses such overwhelming vitality?"
Alex replied matter-of-factly.
Ajak was momentarily speechless.
Indeed.
An ordinary human could never detect the Celestial within Earth.
But the man standing before her wasn't ordinary.
No matter what—
He was someone who had once defeated Galactus.
Even if it had been with the Infinity Stones, the method didn't matter.
The result did.
Defeating Galactus was an indisputable fact.
"Since you've already sensed Tiamut, Homelander,"
"Then do you also know that when Tiamut awakens, the entire Earth will collapse along with it?"
Ajak stared intently at Alex as she asked.
As expected.
This was the real reason Ajak had come.
Alex understood perfectly.
"So… that thing is a Celestial?"
"Then you must be an Eternal, Ms. Ajak."
Alex deliberately played dumb in front of her.
"You've heard of the Eternals?"
Ajak looked slightly surprised, but quickly understood.
The Eternals hadn't only operated on Earth.
They had left traces on countless planets across the cosmos.
And Ajak's group wasn't the only one—other Eternals were active throughout the infinite stars.
For someone like Homelander, who transcended a single universe, hearing of the Eternals wasn't strange at all.
"Yes. I am an Eternal."
Ajak nodded firmly, acknowledging her identity.
"Homelander, I came to you hoping to borrow your power to save this planet."
"After all… this is also your planet."
"Ajak, I think you've misunderstood something."
Alex smiled faintly and interrupted her.
"Why do you assume that I care whether Earth lives or dies?"
Ajak froze.
Completely caught off guard.
Before coming, she had imagined countless possible reactions from Alex—
But this one hadn't been among them.
Not caring about Earth's survival?
You live on Earth!
If Earth is destroyed, are you planning to drift through space forever?
"Homelander, I don't quite understand what you mean."
"Or perhaps I didn't explain it clearly enough."
"If Tiamut awakens, he will drain all of Earth's life energy."
"At that point, Earth will be completely destroyed."
"All life on Earth—humans, mutants, everything—will cease to exist."
"Even the planet itself will be reduced to cosmic debris."
Ajak spoke gravely, carefully outlining the catastrophic consequences of Tiamut's awakening.
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