A grand and solemn hall.
The floor tiles were pristine and luminous, free from the slightest dust.
In the hall, exquisitely crafted leather sofas were arranged to provide a commanding view of the Wanda Gorge Mountains, the scenery stretching endlessly.
The origami master thief, Casablanca, stood before everyone, his thick eyebrows and hooked nose giving him a fierce, predatory look.
Several magical chains inscribed with runes wound around his body, yet he remained defiant.
"I would rather die than betray my master!"
Casablanca roared.
However, the scepter of the mind, embedded with dazzling gemstones, unleashed a brilliant beam!
In an instant, it twisted Casablanca's will.
The beam directly invaded the thief's memory core, projecting every thought, every memory, every scene he had personally experienced, without omission!
A cat-faced monster, familiar yet alien.
A Fuso samurai wearing a blue Noh mask.
A tall, blonde beauty with her hair pinned up, dressed in a dark green body suit, came into view.
"Phantom Demon King?"
"Tara!"
"That katana looks exactly like the heirloom of the Yashida family!"
"Isn't Ichiro already performing a kick?"
The suit-clad thug, Valon, and his lieutenants, Lasuanfen and Zhou, exclaimed in shock.
As an international crime lord, Valon had undoubtedly seen much and had even led his men to forcibly raid the Yashida family to steal the Hanabira cards.
He had a particularly deep impression of the Yashida family.
"Seems Shingen has successfully risen to power."
"General Icarus' mask is already worn on his face."
"…I guess Xiaoyu will soon become a true Dark Queen, completely eclipsing Tara."
A tall, elegant Eastern youth smirked.
He had ignored Tara all along because she posed no real threat.
The Hanabira cards.
A crucial item.
They recorded the hiding places of all Phantom Masks and the formulas to remove them.
As long as he had the Hanabira cards, no matter how cunning Tara was, she would pose no trouble.
Even if Hulk wore the Phantom Mask, he had the means to remove it!
Once Bolang returns, then it would be time to deal with Tara.
For now, the urgent matter was the Dark Council!
He needed to quickly determine the unique, correct method.
After all, time was not simply linear—it was a prism of infinite possibilities.
The multiverse.
How many Holy Lords existed?
How many Shendos?
How incredible were the abilities or talents of other versions of himself?
Perhaps everyone was even bound to a system?!
Theoretically, anything was possible.
"Casablanca."
"Serve me."
"Your origami ability will undergo a transformation."
Shendo's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke, a hint of seduction in his tone.
Transformation?!
The origami thief's breath suddenly quickened at the words.
He seemed desperate for transformation.
Crucial.
The master of magical origami would not tolerate betrayal!
Without this ability, how could he continue collecting Far Eastern artifacts to satisfy his thieving compulsion?!
"Antiques."
"Merely artifacts."
"In my palace, there are thousands displayed, everything imaginable."
"Never mind."
"Mental interference is far more convenient anyway."
Shendo waved his hand.
Buzz!
The mind scepter released a bright beam.
It rewrote Casablanca's will.
Stamped a steel seal upon his thoughts!
For such an insignificant being, the mind scepter was indeed effective.
In an instant.
Casablanca dropped to one knee, humbled, his expression devout, immediately calling Shendo "Master."
However, the mind scepter was not omnipotent…
If the target had undergone special training, possessed abundant magical energy, or had unfathomable cosmic potential, the effect of mental programming would be greatly weakened.
Some beings could even be completely immune to mental interference.
"Your Majesty!"
"The plan to induce mutation in the mysterious factors within monsters via the mind scepter's high-energy radiation is progressing in an orderly manner."
"Currently, the scale of mutants in Sokovia has reached astronomical numbers."
"Secondly, the second-generation super-serum has been successfully developed."
"Multiple 'Supermen' have already been born!"
The thug in the emerald suit hurriedly reported the results.
Superman?
Shendo was slightly surprised.
"Yes."
"Laser eyes, immense strength, impenetrable skin, capable of slow flight!"
"Jealousy, envy, but not hatred!"
"Really wish I could participate in high-energy mutation."
Lasuanfen and Zhou spat their words wildly.
Ah, really.
Even this counts as Superman?
Shendo chuckled silently.
Still, it was commendable—enough to give Black Tiger Afu the power to take on the Avengers in a one-on-one.
At that moment.
A vivid 3D projection suddenly materialized.
A super AI, with golden wheat-colored skin, a graceful figure accentuated by an elegant qipao, appeared, coquettishly speaking:
"Master."
"Didn't you miss me?"
The Red Queen!
Both Sokovia and the Life Foundation had installed special holographic devices to allow her manifestation.
"I just thought of you, and here you are."
Shendo's lips curved.
"Tch."
"You're so naughty, Master."
The Red Queen raised a delicate finger, blushing coyly.
Then, she suddenly shifted tone, truthfully explaining Ultron and Dr. Zola's existence, and introducing the metaverse constructed with codes and strings.
"Matrix world?"
"The Matrix?!"
Zhong Su and Di Kui looked at each other in disbelief.
Almost convinced they were hallucinating!
The virtual reality world portrayed in movies had somehow evolved into reality?
Real-world sites had transformed into dazzling celestial bodies in infinite deep space, orbiting, rising, and falling!
Countless virtual characters navigated through shuttle-shaped spacecraft.
It was breathtaking!
"Ultron?"
"The ultimate AI created by Tony Stark simulating his own brainwaves?"
"…That's possible?"
Shendo clicked his tongue.
Even stealing the mind scepter hadn't stopped Ultron's birth!
How incredibly powerful must natural will be?!
He immediately realized the severity of the problem.
In the complex spacetime where multiple worlds coexisted, Ultron could infiltrate any criminal force!
Of course.
The Red House Lighthouse Base in the sky had no safety concerns.
Red Queen.
A system-made masterpiece!
Moreover, Ultron had not yet matured; he was still a genuine infant and not yet a concern.
"The metaverse."
"The entry point to virtual reality…"
Shendo furrowed his brow, suddenly conceiving many ideas, but all seemed unattainable, temporarily impossible to realize.
He had missed fleeting inspiration.
Wait.
It seemed the Sheep Talisman could help him astral project…
Log into the networked world?!
"Stellar projection?"
"I also possess a similar ability."
Zhong Su and Di Kui rubbed their hands eagerly.
The two demon lords felt genuine curiosity toward the virtual space.
"Wait a moment."
"Dark brothers."
"Allow me to leave briefly."
Shendo smiled.
Then, he held a delicate black crystal card between his fingers, channeled magic into it!
[Mysterious Invitation]
Instantly, it transformed into a dazzling stream of light wrapping around Shendo's spirit, transporting him to an unreachable, distant dimension.
Beyond reincarnation, above the heavens.
A mysterious place inaccessible to mortals.
According to secret texts, it was called the Astral Realm!
Of course.
The Astral Realm had nothing to do with outer space.
It was an abstract space formed from the emotions and thoughts of all things in the universe!
Rooted in reality.
Yet above reality!
Most dimension lords spread influence through the Astral Realm to indirectly interfere with and manipulate reality.
Weak-willed mortals, even if they accidentally stepped into the Astral Realm, would succumb to mental chaos, unspeakable madness.
Even the mighty unique demons dare not linger long in the Astral Realm…
Because the universe's negative emotions and thoughts would also birth extremely terrifying, twisted life forms, grinning in the ocean of ether…
The Eye Demon called them the Outer Gods.
As the name suggests,
They were chaotic beings from outer space.