During this period, Juggernaut showed no signs of anything abnormal.
That puzzled Karl greatly.
But there was nothing he could do about it for now. He could only continue monitoring Cain and wait to see what Cyttorak intended.
Meanwhile, after Yan and the others noticed how frequently Karl entered the Shadow World, they gradually developed a sense of crisis.
Black Phoenix and Hela even began waiting around Karl's room almost every day, occasionally teasing the "golden phoenix" he kept there—La.
Even if they managed to catch Karl, however, they were still no match for him.
...
Today was the day everyone transferred to the new warship.
Karl arrived aboard with Black Phoenix, Yan, May, Raven, Helen Cho, Ganata, Hela, Great Wanda, Little Wanda, Ruby Crystal, Natasha, Yelena, Pietro, Crystal, Peter, Juggernaut, Lockjaw, Samuel, Speed, and La.
Everyone immediately began searching for their rooms.
The entire warship had been designed largely according to Yan's specifications.
White and gold dominated its interior.
Elegant golden patterns covered its walls and halls, giving the vessel an appearance reminiscent of the grand warships of the Angel Civilization.
Karl didn't mind.
When he entered his own quarters, however, the corner of his mouth twitched.
The room alone was almost half the size of his quarters aboard the previous warship.
There were numerous exquisitely designed beds inside.
At the center stood the largest and most luxurious one.
Karl sighed.
Then he turned around and headed for the command center to inspect the warship's capabilities.
Its main weapons were capable of destroying entire galaxies and could repeatedly launch galaxy-destroying attacks as long as sufficient energy was available.
The warship could traverse timelines and enter selected temporal nodes.
It could also instantly travel to any cosmic coordinate previously recorded or detected by Vastness.
Its computational system could perform limited conceptual definitions involving matter and energy.
Furthermore, because the warship carried multiple Infinity Stones, it could use their abilities to create or modify matter directly.
With a complete set of six Stones, the vessel could even reproduce effects comparable to Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet snap in the MCU timeline, provided sufficient control and energy were supplied.
Its defensive shield could withstand virtually anything below the Single-Universe level while stationary.
And if the warship actively used its Infinity Stones and temporal crystals, its defenses would become considerably stronger.
It was essentially a mobile cosmic fortress.
The warship possessed no independent artificial intelligence.
Everything was controlled through Vastness.
Karl retained absolute authority over the vessel, while Vastness possessed delegated operational control beneath him.
After completing his inspection, Karl returned to his quarters and made several additional adjustments.
Then he disappeared.
...
Meanwhile, Tony and Howard were still exploring the warship.
Vastness continuously explained its various technologies to them.
Even Tony and Howard were repeatedly shocked by what they saw.
The two had also spent considerable time studying the Time Stick Karl had given them.
Eventually, they developed a temporal wrist device capable of generating a localized field that slowed everyone within its range except the wearer.
Tony proudly integrated his version directly into his armor.
Howard looked rather annoyed.
Apparently, Tony had finished first.
...
Yan, Hela, and Black Phoenix could sense that Karl was still connected to the warship, yet they couldn't locate him anywhere aboard it.
They immediately understood.
He had gone inside again.
The three women's expressions darkened.
Those goddesses were practically trying to swallow Karl whole every time he entered the Shadow World!
...
Their guess was correct.
After Karl entered the Shadow World, he appeared before the gates of the enormous palace where the former Olympian goddesses lived.
Several goddesses waited there almost every day for his arrival.
The instant Karl appeared, three of them rushed forward and threw themselves into his arms.
Feeling the three soft bodies against him, Karl smiled and kissed each of them several times before taking them inside.
News of the God-King's arrival rapidly spread throughout the palace.
After Karl ascended his throne, the remaining goddesses soon gathered before him.
Hera, former Queen of Olympus, and Gaea, the ancient Earth Mother, stood at the front.
The three goddesses who had arrived with Karl left his embrace and joined the others.
Under Hera and Gaea's lead, all fifty-nine goddesses knelt.
Their foreheads nearly touched the floor.
"Greetings, God-King! May the God-King be well!"
Their voices echoed throughout the hall.
Karl looked over the scene with satisfaction.
This ritual hadn't been something he ordered.
Hera had initiated it herself.
Afterward, the other goddesses had gradually begun following her example whenever Karl arrived.
"Rise."
The goddesses obeyed.
Karl rested one hand against the throne.
"I came here today to tell you something."
"In a little while, all of you will move into my quarters aboard the new warship."
"That means you'll finally leave this place."
"What do you think?"
Hera and Gaea immediately answered.
"God-King, we are willing!"
Karl raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
His gaze settled on Hera.
"You were once Hera, Queen of Olympus."
"Now you've abandoned your former status and willingly remain beside me."
"Are you certain?"
Then he turned toward Gaea.
"And you."
"You are Gaea, one of Earth's ancient Elder Gods and the ancestor of the Olympian bloodline."
"Rhea is your daughter, and Hera is your granddaughter."
"Yet now, in front of so many of your descendants, you're kneeling before me and willingly accepting this position."
"Are you certain?"
Finally, Karl looked at Rhea.
"And you, Rhea."
"Former Queen of the Titans."
"Your mother and daughter have both chosen this path."
"Are you certain you want the same?"
Hera, Gaea, and Rhea exchanged brief glances.
Instead of showing embarrassment or hesitation, excitement appeared in their eyes.
They answered together.
"It is our honor. Please grant us your favor, God-King!"
Karl smiled.
He reached toward Gaea and lightly touched the golden characters marked near her collarbone.
"Very well."
Karl returned to his throne.
Then he raised his hand.
Golden energy spread throughout the hall and entered the bodies of all fifty-nine goddesses.
Each woman immediately felt as though something had briefly wrapped around her heart.
The sensation vanished almost instantly.
They understood that Karl had done something.
Yet none showed fear or dissatisfaction.
The next moment—
Whoosh!
Karl disappeared.
All fifty-nine goddesses vanished with him.
...
Inside the new warship, Karl's enormous private quarters suddenly filled with divine auras.
Yan sensed it immediately.
So did Hela.
And Black Phoenix.
Dozens of Sub-Skyfather and Skyfather-level presences had suddenly appeared around Karl.
The three women arrived outside his room almost instantly.
The door opened.
Inside stood a large group of extraordinarily beautiful women looking curiously around their new surroundings.
Their elegant divine garments and striking appearances were enough to make even Black Phoenix and Hela pause for a moment.
Then—
their gazes slowly shifted toward Karl.
...
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