Chapter 36: Mastery and Departure
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Two Years Later - Remote Planet in the Dark Dimension
Lin Chen sat in meditation on a planet covered in eternal darkness, far from any inhabited worlds. For two years, he had been pushing his abilities to their absolute limits, mastering the subtle variations and sub-techniques of his cosmic powers.
Earth was at peace.
Which meant Lin Chen could focus entirely on understanding the true depths of his power.
His eyes opened.
And reality screamed.
A wave of pure Cosmic Energy erupted from his body without restraint.
The ground beneath him cracked. Then shattered. Then disintegrated into component atoms.
The pressure expanded outward at incredible speed. Nearby asteroids crumbled to dust. A dead moon orbiting the planet collapsed in on itself. The planet's core destabilized.
The wave continued expanding—one solar system, two, five, ten, hundred, thousand, one galaxy, ten galaxies...
Stars flickered and dimmed under the immense pressure. Planets broke apart. Space itself groaned under the weight of the cosmic energy. Countless dark souls screamed, The pressure continued intensifying in both in term of power and range.
If this had been Earth's solar system, the entire system would have collapsed instantly. The Sun would have been crushed. Every planet reduced to scattered atoms. If allowed to reach full range, everything within hundreds of trillions of light-years would be destroyed.
And the destruction was still accelerating, threatening to expand to Multiversal scales.
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed with focus.
He withdrew the cosmic pressure used Time Reversal.
Time reversed.
The destroyed galaxies and solar systems reconstructed themselves, rewinding through their destruction. Shattered planets reformed. Collapsed stars reignited. Space-time healed as if nothing had happened.
Within seconds, everything was exactly as it had been before—undamaged, stable, peaceful.
Lin Chen exhaled slowly, satisfied.
"Cosmic Energy Pressure," he murmured to himself, analyzing what he'd just accomplished. "Complete."
This was one of many sub-abilities he'd mastered over the past two years. The power to generate enormous amounts of energy that could crush, damage, or manipulate anything in surrounding areas. He could cause targets to be paralyzed by pressure alone, induce overwhelming fear, or kill with nothing but the intensity of his cosmic energy.
The pressure could negate attacks entirely, cause earthquakes across entire planets, crumble stars in its range, generate shockwaves powerful enough to level continents—or in extreme cases, destroy entire universes.
But he had complete control. He could decide exactly how much energy to emit, where it would affect, and what it would do.
"Energy Contact," Lin Chen continued, extending his hand toward a nearby electromagnetic field.
He reached out and physically grabbed the energy field—treating the immaterial electrical current as if it were a solid object. The energy didn't harm him. He simply held it, manipulated it, shaped it into different forms.
Light, electricity, fire, cosmic radiation—all forms of energy could now be touched and handled as easily as physical matter.
"Energy Conversion," he said, absorbing the electromagnetic energy he'd been holding.
The electrical energy converted instantly into kinetic energy, then thermal energy, then pure light. He could absorb any form of energy and convert it into any other form. The possibilities were endless.
Lin Chen stood up, his body beginning to shift in ways that defied normal physics.
"Self Atomic Manipulation."
His body disassembled at the subatomic level—protons, neutrons, electrons, quarks, all separating into their most basic components. His consciousness remained perfectly intact, fully aware even as his physical form ceased to exist in conventional terms.
He slipped into the quantum field, existing everywhere and nowhere simultaneously. Then, with a thought, he reconstructed himself exactly as he'd been.
The ability meant he could restore himself to any previous state. He could disassemble and reassemble anywhere, traveling through space without needing a physical body. Even complete destruction couldn't kill him—he'd simply reform from the quantum level.
This granted him a new form of Immortality (Physical Type).
Even if his entire body was destroyed—not even a single cell remaining—his soul was now powerful enough to reconstruct his physical form completely from nothing. Death had become merely an inconvenience.
"Space Unity."
Lin Chen's body transformed, becoming pure space itself. He looked the same—same height, same appearance—but he was no longer made of matter. He was made of dimensional space, occupying physical area without actually having a physical form.
He walked forward, then passed through a massive boulder as if it didn't exist. He could interact with physical objects when he chose, or become completely intangible. He could communicate, perceive, act—but nothing physical could harm him in this state.
Parts of his form existed outside the third dimension entirely, shifted into separate dimensional voids. He was there but not there, real but not real.
Lin Chen returned to normal form, his expression thoughtful.
"Space-Time Destruction."
He focused on a small area of empty space about ten feet away. With a gesture, that section of space-time simply... ceased to exist.
The timeline in that location was deleted. Space collapsed into nothingness. It was as if that area had never existed at all.
He could destroy both time and space simultaneously, causing timelines to be depleted and physical space to vanish completely.
Over the past two years, he'd also mastered countless sub-abilities of Mind Manipulation—over forty distinct techniques that gave him complete control over all aspects of consciousness, from addiction and behavior to dreams and reality perception itself.
Lin Chen had also achieved a profound breakthrough in understanding Life Force.
By comprehending his own cellular life force and combining it with his cosmic energy manipulation, he'd mastered Life Force Manipulation—the ability to generate and control life force endlessly.
He'd also developed Power Seal—the ability to seal away others' powers completely, making even the strongest opponents helpless.
And he'd begun working on Genetic Manipulation.
This one required extensive study. His studied his own genetic structure. He'd analyzed human genetics thoroughly at Xavier's School. He'd studied X-gene variations extensively. He'd examined Thanos's unique Titan biology after killing the Mad Titan a month ago. He'd analyzed different alien species across the galaxy.
But it wasn't enough for true mastery. Genetic manipulation required understanding the fundamental building blocks of life across all possible variations.
Over the past two years, he'd also resolved many problems in his timeline:
He'd personally eliminated all remaining HYDRA cells worldwide, including Dr. Zola's AI consciousness hidden in S.H.I.E.L.D. systems and Bucky Barnes—the Winter Soldier who had killed Tony's parents. With no HYDRA and no Winter Soldier revelation, the Civil War between Avengers had never happened.
He'd collected all six Infinity Stones from his timeline and devoured them, increasing his power significantly.
He killed Thanos before the Mad Titan could collect additional Stones, eliminating that threat permanently.
Earth was more peaceful than it had ever been. The Avengers worked together without internal conflict.
Which meant Lin Chen could afford to pursue knowledge across the multiverse.
He opened his system interface, reviewing his current status.
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[STATUS WINDOW - LIN CHEN]
[NAME: LIN CHEN]
[AGE: 23 YEARS]
[RACE: HUMAN - DIMENSIONAL LORD - HYPERVERSAL ENTITY]
[CLASSIFICATION: INFINITE DIMENSIONAL THREAT]
[PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES:]
STRENGTH: (Normally 14,804 tons) [INCOMPREHENSIBLE WITH COSMIC ENHANCEMENT]
PHYSIQUE: (Normally 8,713.8) [INCOMPREHENSIBLE WITH COSMIC ENHANCEMENT]
SPEED: (Normally 856 m/s / 826,000,000 m/s with super speed) [INCOMPREHENSIBLE - OMNIPRESENT WITH SPACE-TIME ABILITIES]
MENTAL POWER: 56,294 (HYPERVERSAL SCALE)
[DIMENSIONAL EXISTENCE]
Lin Chen can exists across eleven dimensional levels simultaneously:
3rd Dimension - Physical reality (normal human perception)
4th Dimension - Time (can perceive and manipulate temporal flow)
5th Dimension - Probability (can see and alter possible timelines)
6th Dimension - All possible timelines from one starting point
7th Dimension - All possible timelines from all possible starting points
8th Dimension - All possible universe histories with different physical laws
9th Dimension - All possible universes with all possible physical laws
10th Dimension - All possible realities (Complete Complex Multiversal awareness)
11th Dimension - Beyond conventional dimensionality (Hyperversal-scale)
Note: He Can project consciousness and power across any dimensional level. Exists primarily in 3rd dimension but can access and manipulate up to 11th dimensional space.
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[PAST YEAR ACHIEVEMENTS:]
- Mastered 40+ sub-abilities of Mind Manipulation
- Achieved Self Atomic Manipulation
- Developed Space Unity
- Mastered Space-Time Destruction
- Created Cosmic Energy Pressure technique
- Achieved Physical-type Immortality
- Developed Power Seal ability
- Advanced Genetic Manipulation studies (ongoing)
- Devoured Infinity Stones
- Eliminated Thanos and HYDRA
**[NOTES:]**
- Power level: Hyperversal Scale
- No known weaknesses
- True immortality through multiple methods
- Can reconstruct self from nothing
- Can exists partially across 11 dimensions simultaneously
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Lin Chen closed the status window, satisfied with his progress.
"Time to return," he said aloud.
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Five Days Later - Norwegian Cliffs
Lin Chen sensed Odin's arrival on Earth through his cosmic awareness. He recognized the possibility immediately.
He teleported from his home, arriving at the Norwegian cliffs in an instant.
The mist over the rocky coastline turned a heavy, bruised purple as reality rippled around his arrival. Thor and Loki stood in tense silence nearby, their capes snapping in a wind that had suddenly turned ice-cold.
Doctor Strange stood a few feet away, his hands glowing with Eldritch circles. His eyes darted to Lin Chen with a mixture of relief and wariness.
"you're..., Mr. Lin," Strange said carefully. "Do you plan to intervene?"
"Relax, Stephen," Lin Chen replied, his voice calm and grounded in a way that made the surrounding reality feel more solid and stable. "I've spent the last two years mapping genetic blueprints across multiple species and dimensions. I didn't come here to fight; I came to collect a missing piece of the puzzle."
Odin sat on a nearby crag, his form shimmering like a failing hologram. He looked at his sons with love, then turned his gaze toward Lin Chen with ancient, knowing eyes.
"My time is a river reaching the sea," Odin murmured, his voice carrying the weight of millennia. "Young man... you possess a Spark that even I, who fought against Celestials, find... formidable. My daughter..." His expression darkened. "She was my greatest weapon, and my greatest failure. Please, do not just cage her."
"You have my word, Odin," Lin Chen said respectfully. "I'll give her something better than a throne built on conquest—that's importance of life."
With a soft sigh, Odin dissolved. His essence didn't just vanish; the golden dust flowed toward Lin Chen for a fraction of a second before scattering into the wind.
The atmosphere curdled immediately. A jagged, dark green rift tore open, and a palpable death aura spread outward. Hela stepped through, the Goddess of Death in her full, terrifying glory. She smoothed her hair back, her black-and-green armor manifesting as she drew power directly from Asgard itself.
"So," she purred, her eyes scanning the group with predatory interest. "He's gone. A shame. I would have liked to see the look in his eyes when I took his throne and his head."
Thor stepped forward, Mjölnir crackling with lightning. "Hela! I am Thor, son of Odin! You will not—"
"You don't look like him," she smirked, manifesting a necrosword with casual menace. "Weak. Sentimental. Disappointing."
Loki stepped up, his daggers materializing. "Perhaps we can reach an arrangement? Surely there's—"
Hela's laughter was like breaking glass. She moved to strike—
But she froze.
Not because she chose to, but because the space she occupied had become as thick as set concrete. Her body locked mid-motion, her necrosword suspended in the air.
Lin Chen walked toward her calmly, stepping through the frozen space as if he were walking through a peaceful park.
"Hela, Queen of Hel, Goddess of Death," Lin Chen said, his voice resonating directly in her mind. "Your unique genetic structure is fascinating. You're fueled by the life-force of Asgard itself, tied to specific coordinates in the Nine Realms. A very... localized form of divinity."
Hela strained against the invisible pressure, her eyes wide with something she hadn't felt in millennia—genuine fear mixed with confusion. "What... is this? Magic?"
"Architecture," Lin replied simply. He reached out and caught a necrosword she'd managed to half-summon despite the spatial lock. With a subtle flick of his fingers, the obsidian metal transformed into soft white silk ribbon that fluttered harmlessly in the wind.
[ABILITY ACQUIRED: NECROSWORD MANIFESTATION (Large Planetary scale)]
[DESCRIPTION: CAN CREATE AND CONTROL NECROSWORDS THAT CAN PIERCE NEARLY ANYTHING]
[SCALING TO HYPERVERSAL LEVEL...]
[ENHANCEMENT COMPLETE: CAN NOW MANIFEST AND CONTROL NECROSWORDS INDEPENDENTLY ON INFINITE DIMENSIONAL SCALE]
He stood directly in front of her, the height difference making her look up at him. He activated his mind manipulation abilities to soothe the millennia of lonely rage vibrating in her spirit—showing her what true power looked like beyond mere conquest.
"I'm not your brother, and I'm not your jailer father," Lin Chen said, his tone shifting to something low and magnetic. He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw gently. The touch felt like the warmth of countless suns, an endless well of Life Force that made her own "death" power feel like a flickering candle in comparison.
Hela's aggression faltered. Her breath hitched involuntarily. For a being who had spent eons in the rot of Hel, Lin Chen was an impossible anomaly—neither afraid of her nor attempting to dominate her through brute force.
"You have a choice, Hela," Lin Chen murmured, his eyes locking onto hers. Through subtle mind manipulation, he showed her visions—possible future. Where she fought a tedious war, conquered Asgard, and was eventually destroyed by Surtur and Ragnarok.
"You can go to Asgard, fight a war you'll eventually lose, and be erased by a fire demon. Or—" his voice dropped lower, more intimate, "—you can come with me. Be my partner, my queen across universes. Or..." his expression hardened slightly, "refuse, and I'll have no choice but to seal you away permanently. You won't die, but you'll never escape without my permission."
Thor and Loki watched, baffled, as the most dangerous woman in Asgardian history let her weapons dissolve. She wasn't being puppeted; she was a predator who had just found something much bigger and infinitely more interesting than a throne.
Hela looked at his hand on her face, then back at his eyes. A slow, predatory smile touched her lips. "You talk very grand, mysterious stranger."
"I am the one you belong to now," Lin Chen smiled back, his confidence absolute.
Hela's smile turned sharp. Without warning, she manifested her necrosword and drove it directly at his chest with all her divine strength—a killing blow that could pierce nearly anything in the Nine Realms.
The blade passed through him harmlessly, as if he were made of empty space itself.
Because in that moment, he was.
Lin Chen's mood shifted. With a twist of space, both he and Hela vanished instantly, leaving Thor and Loki standing alone on the silent cliffside.
Loki blinked. "Did... did he just take her on a date?"
Thor stared at where they'd been, still gripping Mjölnir. "I believe he just saved us, brother. Though I'm not sure if I should be relieved or terrified for what he offered her."
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Dark Dimension - Unknown Location
Hela found herself on an endless plane surface that stretched to infinity in all directions. The ground beneath her feet was solid but featureless—just flat, gray space extending forever.
She was confused. Disoriented.
A voice rang out from everywhere and nowhere: "You can't understand where you are. Accept my terms, or stay here forever."
Hela scoffed, her pride flaring. "You think you can imprison ME?" She opened a portal to Hel, her domain where she was effectively immortal.
She crossed through it, traveling more than a light-year's distance in an instant.
But she hadn't reached the end of the gray plane. It was still there, endless and unchanging.
She teleported again. And again. And again, each jump covering impossible distances—burning through her divine power reserves faster than she ever had before.
Still the plane stretched on, infinite and inescapable.
She attacked randomly with manifested necroswords, trying to tear through the dimensional fabric itself. The weapons simply dissolved into nothing upon contact.
Finally, exhausted and drained of divine power for the first time in millennia, Hela stopped.
"What IS this place?" she demanded, her voice carrying an edge of genuine fear. "Why can't I escape?"
"Oh! That's just my hand," the voice answered.
Hela looked up.
And froze completely.
Above her, stretching across the entire "sky" of this infinite plane, was a face. Not a normal face—a giant visage composed of swirling cosmic dust and stellar matter, larger than the combined size of the Nine Realms she had once conquered.
She was standing on his palm. The "infinite plane" was just the surface of his hand.
Her mind struggled to process the scale. She'd seen many things in her long existence—Celestials, cosmic entities, dimension-devouring beings. But this...
"You..." Hela's voice was barely a whisper, all her earlier arrogance completely stripped away. "What are you?"
"Someone who exists across dimensions you can't even perceive," Lin Chen's voice resonated through the space. "Your power comes from Asgard—one realm. Mine comes from existence itself across infinite realities."
The cosmic face smiled gently.
"Now. Do you understand? I'm not trying to dominate you through force. I'm showing you the difference between a queen of one realm and a someone who could touch infinite universes."
Lin Chen returned to his normal size, standing before Hela in the Dark Dimension's true form—a realm of shifting darkness and cosmic energy where he held absolute authority.
Hela stood there, genuinely humbled for the first time in her existence. The rage that had defined her for millennia felt... small. Pointless.
He leaned in close, his lips brushing her ear as he used his mind manipulation—not to control, but to gently reshape the ideological foundations that had made her into a weapon. To show her that conquest through fear was a cage, not freedom.
"Come with me," he murmured. "I think you need to understand that you're not just a war tool. You're capable of so much more. Sometimes winning hearts is the real solution. War should only be a last resort in extreme situations, not the default answer."
Hela turned to face him fully, and for the first time, her expression wasn't cruel or mocking. There was something vulnerable there—something that had been buried under millennia of isolation and violence.
"And if I come with you," she asked quietly, "what would I become?"
"Whatever you choose," Lin Chen replied honestly. "Not my servant. Not my weapon. My partner. Someone who stands beside me because she wants to, not because she has to."
Something in those words broke through her final defenses.
Hela pulled him closer, her lips meeting his in a kiss that was fierce, desperate, and somehow tender all at once. It was the kiss of someone who'd been alone for thousands of years finally finding connection.
Lin Chen responded, his arms wrapping around her as cosmic energy swirled around them both. The kiss deepened, charged with power and genuine emotion.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily.
"Show me," Hela whispered, her green eyes searching his face. "Show me what it means to be your equal."
What followed was intense beyond anything Hela had experienced in her long existence, his life force intertwining with her death energy in ways that should have been impossible.
The Dark Dimension itself seemed to respond to their union, darkness and light swirling together in patterns that defied conventional physics.
Hours became meaningless. Power and passion merged. Two cosmic beings finding connection in ways that transcended normal physical intimacy.
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According to Earth Time: Days Passed - Dark Dimension
Lin Chen was lying on a bed he'd created—comfortable. The Dark Dimension's "sky" showed swirling patterns of dark matter and stellar dust.
Beside him, Hela was sleeping peacefully—something she hadn't done in millennia. Her usual harsh expression was completely relaxed. She looked almost... soft. Vulnerable in a way she'd never allowed herself to be.
Her black-and-green armor had dissolved, replaced by simple dark silk that moved gently with her breathing.
Lin Chen watched her for a moment, analyzing what had happened. Not just the physical intimacy, but the genuine connection they'd formed. He mind abilities had helped, yes—but it hadn't forced anything. It had simply cleared away the trauma and rage that prevented her from being anything except a weapon.
What remained was the real Hela—still fierce, still powerful, but no longer drowning in pointless violence.
She stirred slightly, her eyes opening to meet his. For a moment, confusion flickered across her face—then memory returned, and something amazing happened.
She smiled. Not a cruel smirk or predatory grin. A real, genuine smile.
"Good morning," she said softly, her voice carrying none of its usual sharp edges. "Or is it morning? Time's strange in dark Dimension."
"Time is whatever we want it to be," Lin Chen replied, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "It's one of the advantages."
Hela shifted closer, resting her head on his chest. "I've existed for thousands of years," she murmured. "Conquered realms. Killed gods. Ruled through fear. And I've never felt..." She paused, searching for words. "...peaceful. Is that what this is?"
"That's what connection feels like," Lin Chen said gently. "When you're not fighting everything and everyone around you."
She was quiet for a long moment, then: "What happens now? You promised me universes to rule."
"I promised you'd be my partner across universes," Lin Chen corrected. "There's a difference. You don't rule through conquest and fear anymore. You guide, you protect. That's infinitely more powerful than just destroying things."
Hela lifted her head to look at him properly. "You really believe I can be more than a weapon?"
"I know you can," Lin Chen said with certainty. "The real question is whether you believe it."
She considered this, then nodded slowly. "I want to try. This feeling—peace, connection, purpose beyond just killing—I want more of it."
"Then you'll have it," Lin Chen promised. He sat up, cosmic energy swirling around him as he prepared to open a portal. "But first, we should probably deal with your brothers and Asgard. Thor's likely panick now."
Hela laughed—a real laugh, not her usual cruel amusement. "Let that fool panic a bit longer. I'm enjoying this." She pulled him back down for another kiss, this one playful and affectionate rather than desperate.
When they finally separated, she asked casually, "So, you have other partners?"
"You felt that?" Lin Chen asked, impressed.
She reminded him. "I can feel connections between souls."
"Yes."
Hela processed this without jealousy—surprising both of them. "I suppose if I'm to be your equal, I should meet them. Will they accept me?"
"They'll be... cautious," Lin Chen admitted. "You're literally the Goddess of Death with a history of conquest and genocide. But if you're genuine about changing? They'll give you a chance. That's who they are."
"Then I'll prove myself worthy of that chance," Hela said seriously. She stood up, her armor manifesting around her body again—but noticeably different now. Less spiked and aggressive, more elegant and purposeful. "Shall we go face the consequences of our... extended absence?"
Lin Chen smiled, standing beside her. With a wave of his hand, a portal opened—showing the rainbow bridge of Asgard on the other side.
"Welcome your home realm again?" he asked.
Hela looked at the portal, then back at him. "With you beside me?"
They stepped through together, hand in hand.
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