"So, you came back without catching anyone, right?"
Artoria looked at the beautiful blonde woman in front of her with some emotion.
She hadn't expected the Captain America counterpart, the Hydra Captain, to be so beautiful and have such a great figure, even surpassing Susan, making one's heart itch.
But through their chat, this Hydra Captain brought out a document listing several wanted criminals.
Although their appearances were unfamiliar, the name of the leader made Artoria instantly dumbfounded. My God~!
If Director Nick knew that his counterpart in this world had replaced the Hydra of that world, was causing destruction all over the world, and had even formed a Villain Alliance, Director Nick Fury would probably be furious.
The main thing was that the Nick in this world was a white man, also one-eyed, but he had hair. You tell me, isn't that infuriating? Director, regarding her perception of this world, Artoria felt that everything she had known before was turned upside down.
"They ran away too fast."
Hearing Artoria's question, the Captain appeared somewhat indignant.
She had been just a little bit away from blowing up the head of the Villain Alliance leader, Nick, which made her unhappy.
It was a perfectly good, great cause for the country and the people, and she had failed to complete the task.
Most importantly, such a good opportunity this time, she probably wouldn't get such a good opportunity in the future.
Although her superior didn't blame her for the failure, she felt bad about it and decided to self-exile for a period, commonly known as a vacation.
"Don't worry, dear, you will definitely bring this group of bad guys to justice."
When the Captain spoke, a very regretful expression appeared on her face.
At this moment, Toni suddenly wrapped herself around her, hugging the Captain and comforting her like a lover, but she was punched back by the Captain.
It seemed her behavior made the Captain very unhappy; otherwise, she wouldn't have let the Captain, whose temper seemed very good, directly raise her fist and hit her back.
Such behavior between the two seemed very familiar; otherwise, they wouldn't be so coordinated.
At least, judging by the strength in the Captain's arms, she should have been able to blow a person's head off, but there wasn't a single scratch on Toni's face. How could one not see that the Captain had pulled her punches?
"Actually, I support you beating her to Death."
Watching the interaction between the two, which was like an affectionate married couple, Artoria couldn't help but roll her eyes.
She really didn't want to deal with these two people. After leaving that sentence in the Captain's ear, Artoria moved away from these two.
She now missed the way Pepper used to tie up Tony; at least having someone lock up this 'Teddy' could keep the people around from being disturbed.
Now facing the female Toni, Artoria actually really hoped someone could manage this woman whose personality was a bit like a lecherous old man, at least to make her understand not to hit on people of the same sex.
"Since the world is turned upside down, does the Ancient One of this world exist?"
After returning to the room, Artoria began to ponder.
If the Ancient One of this world had not died, then with her strength, would she be able to feel the anomaly in her body?
After thinking about it, Artoria felt she had to go to the Kamar-Taj of this world.
Even if she couldn't get the answer she wanted, she had to go and see; at least it could calm the anxious emotions in her heart a little.
Artoria's personality was to do as she thought. Directly summoning her Spirit Gear, Artoria tried to use the Infinity Stones, but they wouldn't work at all.
At this moment, Artoria patted her head; she was used to using them, and now that she couldn't, it was inconvenient.
Taking advantage of the fact that it was almost dark, Artoria rode on her black horse and flew towards the Himalayas.
"It really hasn't changed at all here."
After flying for about half an hour, Artoria arrived at the edge of the Himalayas.
Looking at the familiar high mountains, Artoria revealed a look of nostalgia.
Just as Artoria was preparing to fly up the mountain, a golden circle suddenly unfolded in front of her.
Artoria was all too familiar with this thing; it was a portal opened using a mystic ring.
Artoria had tried it once, but she had too much magic power in her body, and she couldn't control it at all; she couldn't operate such delicate magic.
"Since you're here, why not come up for a chat?"
Artoria looked at the circle and fell into deep thought.
She didn't understand if the other party was acting with good intentions. After all, a big-shot figure in a Universe, even if they couldn't kill her, could still seal her away.
Artoria didn't want to rush headlong into a trap designed by someone else.
The other party seemed to have sensed Artoria's concerns and directly transmitted a message to Artoria, which made Artoria realize that she seemed to have been targeted; the other party had anticipated she would come.
Pursing her lips and thinking for a moment, Artoria strode into the golden portal.
When Artoria walked in, the portal also disappeared.
"You really are cautious, my disciple from another world."
As Artoria gazed forward, a long-bearded old man dressed in ancient attire slowly walked up to her. His black eyes were like two black holes, soul-stirring and seemingly able to see through a person's soul. A mysterious smile played on his face as he instantly identified Artoria's origin. Although she was mentally prepared, seeing the person before her and hearing his words caused a mix of emotions to well up in Artoria's heart. It was a different voice and a different face, but the tone was equally gentle, and the concern it held was the same. Artoria suddenly felt that standing before her was not an old man, but a bald woman with great poise.
"Can you tell me about your experiences and what you've discovered? Child."
Seeing Artoria silently shedding tears with an expressionless face, her pale gold eyes consistently revealing indifference, the Sorcerer Ancient One of this world didn't mind at all. Instead, he asked Artoria very gently, waving his hand as he spoke. Everything around them vanished, and wooden furniture slowly emerged from the surroundings. They had been standing in a courtyard, but now they were inside a room with a tea set placed in the center, identical to the one used by the Ancient One in the other world. Seeing this, Artoria composed herself, nodded to the Ancient One, and naturally sat down opposite him.
"Truly miraculous! The Cosmic Spirit Stones—or rather, the Infinity Stones—I never expected they could open a passage to a parallel world. It seems you haven't fully mastered them yet, to the point where a single thought in your mind or the content of a dream might resonate with them and create a miracle. Your body in that world might still be sleeping right now."
After two cups of tea, Artoria began to recount what she had discovered upon waking up and the abnormalities of the Infinity Stones. The Ancient One asked to see the Infinity Gauntlet, and Artoria didn't refuse, extending her left hand for him to inspect. Feeling the power of the six Infinity Stones, the Ancient One began to analyze the situation for her. This situation was clearly a case of excessive power leading to an uncontrollable rampage of abilities. It might also be related to having collected all the Infinity Stones; after all, the Time Stone of this world was still hanging around the Ancient One's neck.
"If you can Master the power of the Infinity Stones within this world and gain their recognition, you should be able to return. The consciousness of your current body is being completely suppressed by them. She will only be able to wake up after you leave. But this must happen quickly; otherwise, you will unconsciously devour her consciousness, and the two of you will merge into one. By then, it will be too late to leave this world."
The big shot truly lived up to his reputation, quickly identifying several problems and the news that this world's Artoria's consciousness was still inside the body. Hearing the Ancient One's words, Artoria subconsciously clenched her hands. This meant that if she didn't return to her own world soon, she would kill her counterpart in this world. Even if she was unwilling, she would subconsciously do these things, a feeling that Artoria found repulsive.
"How much time do I have left, Master?"
Artoria naturally used the title 'Master'. Regardless, even in a parallel Universe, the Sorcerer Ancient One was indeed her Master. As long as the Ancient One wasn't a villain who enjoyed harming life, Artoria accepted his identity. Artoria's form of address pleased the Ancient One; she was like a piece of unpolished jade, not yet fully crafted. He didn't mind helping the version of himself from a parallel Universe continue to teach a disciple.
"You don't have much time. Under normal circumstances, you have three months left."
"Then I'll leave it to you, Teacher. Please teach me well."
"It seems these old bones of mine still have some use, hahaha!"
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.