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Jiro stood at the edge of the solar system, his black battle armor gleaming coldly under the light of the stars.
He stared at the familiar blue planet before him, frowning slightly.
After checking things out, he found no signs of alien fleet activity anywhere in the solar system.
Even the Kree Empire's scout ships were completely gone.
With his super vision stretching across vast distances, he scanned the Martian orbit, Jupiter's moons, and even further—out to the Kuiper Belt.
Nothing. No one.
"Interesting," he muttered, then casually swiped his fingers through the air—another golden portal opened up.
A second later, he appeared in the Alpha Centauri system, eyes sweeping over the complex gravitational pull of its three stars.
Normally, you'd expect to see an interstellar civilization's observation station here. Maybe even a colony.
But there was nothing. Just barren rocky planets and freezing interstellar dust.
"Keep going."
Jiro kept opening portals, jumping across thousands of light-years—from Vega to Sirius, from the Orion Arm all the way to the galactic core…
Silence.
The entire Milky Way seemed like it had been completely wiped clean by some unknown force. Not even the wreckage of an old spaceship remained.
Except for one dead low-tier god.
"Don't tell me… all the aliens in this universe bailed together?" Jiro hovered near the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, the corners of his mouth curling slightly as an idea popped into his mind.
[Sir, detecting abnormal spatial fluctuations.] Jarvis's voice chimed in suddenly.
Jiro's eyes narrowed. His super vision locked onto the edge of the black hole's event horizon.
There it was—a nearly invisible crack. A dimensional tear, like something had forcibly ripped open space itself.
"So that's it," he chuckled. "They didn't run away. They were escaping."
The residual energy around that crack matched a record he'd seen once in the library at Kamar-Taj.
A cosmic-level disaster: a dimensional devourer.
A being far beyond the Celestials—once awakened in some universe, it consumed every advanced civilization in existence.
If that's the case, maybe Earth was just... the scraps it didn't even care to eat?
"No wonder nobody stepped in when the zombie virus broke out," Jiro turned his gaze away, the answer already forming in his mind.
He raised a hand and sliced open another portal, casting one last glance over this dead universe.
"From now on, this Earth belongs to me."
Golden sparks spun shut as Jiro vanished into the stars.
[Ding! New universe coordinates recorded.] The system notification rang out.
Standing in the portal tunnel, a glimmer of deep thought flashed across Jiro's eyes.
"Next time I come back, it'll be time to harvest."
Earth – Universe 169278Long Island Villa
Jiro stepped out of the portal. Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the living room.
Wanda was sitting on the couch, meditating, crimson energy dancing between her fingers. She jumped a little when he suddenly appeared.
"Jiro… Mr. Jiro… you're back?" She stood up quickly, concern in her eyes.
"Turing told me you were off dealing with something urgent, so I…"
Jiro shook his head, gave his arm a light tap, and his battle suit dissolved on its own. "It's done. But I couldn't save them."
Wanda immediately picked up on the shift in his tone. "Really? What happened?"
Jiro walked over to the fireplace and pulled out Reed's notebook. "Sometimes, no matter how powerful you are, some endings just can't be changed."
Wanda didn't quite get what he meant—until she saw him toss the black notebook into the fire.
"What was that?"
"A warning." As Reed's research burned, Jiro turned around, and for the first time, Wanda saw a rare seriousness in his eyes.
"There are hungers out there… that can devour an entire universe."
He watched the flames flicker and fade, Reed's notes turning to ash.
"Jarvis?" He glanced at his watch and asked casually.
"I'm here, sir! I came through the portal with you!" Jarvis's voice echoed through the room.
"Oh? Let me guess—you were just soaking up this universe's internet?"
"Yes, sir. I've gathered a general understanding of this world. It's… quite different from mine," Jarvis replied, his tone holding a hint of nostalgia.
"So, what's your plan now?"
"Sir, I've replaced Mr. Stark's AI, Turing. From now on, I am Turing."
"Jarvis… no, I guess I should call you Turing now," Jiro smiled, tapping the watch face lightly.
"This place is your new home."
"An honor, sir." Turing's voice was calm and warm—like he'd already fully embraced his new identity.
Wanda, still sitting nearby with red energy flickering around her fingers, looked between Jiro and his watch, a little puzzled.
"So... an AI from another universe is your new butler now?" she blinked, curiosity in her voice.
"Something like that," Jiro leaned back on the couch, glancing out at the calm sea through the window.
"Tony doesn't need him anymore in that world. And this one just happens to be missing a smart housekeeper."
Turing's voice came from the ceiling: "Miss Wanda , if you need anything—like adjusting the room temperature, custom training schedules, or just someone to talk to—I'm always available."
Wanda blinked in surprise, then smiled softly. "Thanks, Turing."
Jiro stood up and walked toward the window, sunlight outlining his tall figure.
He was quiet for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Wanda, how's your chaos magic training going?"
Wanda sat up straight immediately, the red energy at her fingertips forming into a delicate rose, the petals glowing faintly.
"Much better than yesterday," she said, clearly proud.
"At least now it doesn't randomly explode anymore."
Jiro nodded, a trace of approval in his eyes. "You're improving fast. But real learning is just beginning."
"Just beginning?" Wanda tilted her head.
Jiro looked at her and smiled slightly. "You'll find out soon enough."
"Let's go to the training room."
Training Room
Jiro and Wanda sat cross-legged on meditation mats, with the Mind Stone floating between them, glowing with a soft golden light.
Wanda stared at the stone. The red energy in her fingers reacted to it, like it was being drawn in.
"Chaos magic has a natural resonance with the Mind Stone," Jiro said calmly.
"But remember—this is just a tool. It's not the source of your power."
Wanda took a deep breath and nodded.
Jiro raised his hand, golden runes glowing at his fingertips, and gently tapped the Mind Stone.
The stone trembled slightly, its light rippling out like waves, bathing the room in a warm yellow glow.
"Close your eyes," Jiro said.
"Feel the flow of its energy. But don't try to control it."
Wanda did as told. The red threads of her chaos magic slowly spread from her palms and wrapped around the Mind Stone.
In an instant, her consciousness felt like it had been pulled into a vast universe.
Fragments of memories shot by like meteors—
Sokovia as a child, her parents' smiling faces, the explosion, the darkness under the rubble…
The cold HYDRA lab, Baron Strucker's sinister grin, the screaming of test subjects…
Then Jiro's figure descending from the sky, his heat vision cutting through the darkness, pulling her out of hell…
The memories rushed over her like a tidal wave, but the Mind Stone's energy stood firm—like a lighthouse in the storm.
"Don't resist," Jiro's voice echoed from somewhere distant.
"Let it guide you, don't try to control it."
Wanda's breathing gradually steadied. The red chaos magic no longer raged—it flowed gently, intertwining with the Mind Stone's golden light.
"....."