One year later.
In the secret chamber of Kamar-Taj, Wanda, Mysterio, Raven, and Russell hugged him one by one in farewell.
Russell didn't hide the fact that he needed to leave the current timeline and travel to other worlds to create new time anchor points.
Wanda's eyes were red, reluctant to let him go.
Mysterio and Raven, on the other hand, showed pride. They assured him there was nothing to worry about—especially Mysterio, who would temporarily assume the role of Sorcerer Supreme to help protect the real dimension.
After their final goodbyes, Russell brought along Strange—who looked quite reluctant—into the quantum machine.
With his current knowledge, replicating such a device had been simple.
In the next second, the two shrank rapidly and entered the Quantum Realm.
At what was once the Conqueror's Fortress, now controlled by the rebel forces, Russell found the female leader and asked her to prepare a cup of Khan tea for Strange.
To Strange's surprise, after taking a sip, he found he could suddenly understand the local language of the Quantum Realm. He exclaimed in disbelief:
"Sir, what kind of magic potion is this? This is incredible!"
"And... is that a slight strawberry flavor?"
He had been worried about how to communicate in this strange world, but it turned out that the great Sorcerer Supreme had already thought ahead for him!
Haha! So thoughtful.
At this moment, Russell pointed toward the red jelly-like creature not far away and asked casually:
"Does its secreted body fluid taste good?"
Strange's expression froze. After a few seconds, he gagged violently:
"Ugh... ughhhh!!"
Russell patted his shoulder comfortingly.
"Think positive. At least it looks like jelly. And it's red."
"Of course, if you're not satisfied, I can send you to the border of Hell. The demons there are very considerate and speak fluent English."
Strange nearly passed out.
What kind of joke is this?! I'm human-flavored! I'd end up as demon food for sure!
Russell stopped teasing and his tone grew serious:
"Alright."
"Remember the spell I taught you. Don't dream."
Strange nodded solemnly. After all, he valued his life.
"Then, I'll have to trouble you."
Russell turned to the female rebel leader. She replied humbly:
"Mr. Russell, you're too polite. If you hadn't defeated the Conqueror, we'd still be exiles."
"Don't worry, I'll treat Mr. Strange well."
Russell shook his head.
"No, I mean—keep a close eye on him."
"This guy isn't exactly honest. He's likely to cause trouble. You'll need to watch him carefully."
The female leader paused, her expression stiffening slightly.
But she nodded nonetheless, shifting a wary glance toward Strange.
After giving a few more instructions, Russell didn't linger.
Timeline:
24575
Date:
2017.05.21
As an orange portal opened, it felt as if the world's pause button had been released—time began flowing again.
Sanctum Sanctorum, New York.
A man standing at the window, peering through the World Window, suddenly twisted his neck and grinned.
"Damn, freezing the timeline really feels uncomfortable."
But he quickly chuckled.
"My good brother is finally here... I've missed you."
After sensing something for a few seconds, he raised his hand and opened a portal. A blast of freezing air swept through from the other side.
Shrinking his neck against the cold, he stepped out, addressing the figure ahead:
"How'd you end up teleporting to this godforsaken place in the Arctic? It's freezing!"
Russell didn't even turn his head. He simply pointed at the base below and said:
"Is HYDRA in your timeline always this bold? Building a base here right out in the open?"
In the valley base below, all the soldiers wore the HYDRA emblem boldly on their chests, showing no attempt to conceal their affiliation.
It was obvious that HYDRA here wasn't parasitic inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
Tony Stark, wrapped in a levitating cloak, said casually:
"This is nothing. Red Skull's still alive."
"Let's go. Don't bother with them playing war games. Take a break—something big's happening tonight."
Russell took a deep glance at the base below. It wasn't surprising that the time-space portal might open here.
But when he first arrived in this world, he hadn't sensed the usual premonition. So, he wasn't in a rush.
Take it slow.
Back at the New York Sanctum, Russell asked curiously:
"What's the big event tonight?"
"Some magical crisis? Another demon invasion?"
He didn't mind helping out.
After all, he had nothing else to do at the moment. Maybe the time anchor point would even trigger.
Tony grinned mysteriously:
"You'll find out tonight. Trust me, it's huge."
Meanwhile – Asgard.
For some reason, Asgard had fallen into ruin.
At the end of the Bifrost, Odin stood silently, gazing out into the universe.
Beside him, Thor was bound in chains engraved with runes, restrained by the Golden Guards.
"Father!"
"Midgard needs me! Let me go!!"
Thor roared, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
That was from Odin's earlier beating.
The Three Warriors of Asgard (without Lady Sif) stood silently to the side, heads bowed, not daring to speak.
Odin suddenly turned, his expression icy:
"He's begun to awaken."
"Staying on Earth now will only help him... you'll become nothing but fuel to strengthen him!"
"Thor, I hope your head holds some wisdom, not just muscles."
"Take him away. Lock him up."
Bang!
Mjolnir grew incomparably heavy and fell directly from Thor's waist.
The two Golden Guards followed orders without hesitation, dragging Thor away, their faces expressionless.
Odin cast a cold glance toward Earth.
"I hope Midgard can hold out a little longer…"
He sighed inwardly, then ordered Heimdall beside him:
"Go to Nidavellir. I need the artifact reforged."
"Yes, Allfather."
A few seconds later, a torrent of rainbow light surged into the depths of space.
New York Sanctum – Second Floor.
Tony Stark had briefly introduced the details of this timeline.
This world… was more complicated than the original.
Not only was Red Skull still alive, but Captain America here wasn't Steve Rogers—it was Bucky Barnes. Steve Rogers, in this world, was merely an agent.
And there were mutants.
What surprised Russell most was that this world also had the Fantastic Four. But strangely, the Human Torch didn't look like Captain America.
What's more, both the heroes and villains here were noticeably stronger than in the Sacred Timeline.
But Russell was only concerned about one thing.
Since the Fantastic Four existed… then there was one entity that was nearly unavoidable.
Galactus.
When weakened, even the cosmic-level entities wouldn't fear him.
But his upper limit… was terrifying.
If he wasn't too hungry, perhaps he'd be at a cosmic single-entity level.
But once he fed… his power could grow beyond imagination.
Before crossing over, people online joked that Galactus was a unit of measurement, always doomed to fall in every major event.
But after actually coming to the Marvel Universe… that "joke" wasn't funny anymore.
This guy clearly wasn't a god, yet he could stand alongside Eternity, Death, and other abstract entities. That alone said enough about his threat level.
Russell could only hope the next time anchor point wouldn't trigger near that guy.
Let the Fantastic Four handle it.
Time passed quickly, and night fell.
Tony Stark disappeared for most of the evening, but Russell didn't think much of it.
Until nearly 10 PM—Tony suddenly opened a portal, dragged Russell through without warning, and pulled him into…
...a utility room?
When Russell opened the door—
A wave of perfume, alcohol, and other scents mixed together, hitting his face.
And the deafening music nearly lifted the roof off.
But that wasn't the shocking part.
Russell scanned the bar area ahead and froze.
There were… over thirty supermodels—wearing various angel wings—dancing, laughing, and drinking wildly.
At that moment, Tony nudged him with his shoulder, raised his eyebrows proudly, and said:
"How about it?"
"My title of 'Prince of Nightclubs' isn't fake, right?"
"These supermodels just stepped off the Victoria's Secret runway—I invited them all here."
"Whether tonight's a success… that's up to you."
He winked, spread his arms, and, laughing, dove straight into the crowd of supermodels.
Very practiced.
Russell could only sigh silently.
Good God… this guy is something else.
But not because Tony had gathered so many supermodels.
What shocked Russell… was that among those models, seventeen were vampires.
Just with your fragile human body, you're not afraid of being drained dry?
If I don't intervene, who will?
Russell felt he needed to rescue Tony Stark.
So, he too stepped into the crowd of supermodels… for "rescue."
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