"I'll pass, but, sir." Peter paused, then said cautiously, "They look like humans. Dissecting them..."
"Humans? Not really. They were manufactured. And if you knew their mission, Peter, you wouldn't be so kind."
Hyuga Mirai said with a smile. Seeing that Peter intended to stay a while longer, he took out a drink and gave it to him.
"Peter, if they were the ones who would destroy Earth, would you still pity them? For example, if decades from now, Earth is destroyed because of them, and everyone on the planet dies..."
Peter Parker's eyes widened. He didn't know what to say. Though he didn't want to kill, if these two really were the ones who would destroy Earth, Peter didn't know how to choose.
"You're lying!"
Druig had woken up by then. Hearing Hyuga Mirai's words, he shouted angrily,
"You're the one destroying Earth! The Eternals have been protecting humanity for thousands of years. We've silently watched over humans. Without the Eternals, humanity would have long been extinct. And you killed Sprite, humanity's guardian!
You also planted a massive tree, absorbing Earth's energy, creating a desert with a fifty-kilometer radius. If your actions aren't stopped, the entire Earth will be destroyed!"
"Don't call it a massive tree. It's a Divine Tree. Do all Eternals have a habit of misnaming things that belong to others?"
Hyuga Mirai retorted, then gestured to Wanda and Pietro as well. "Sit down, Wanda. It seems you have many questions too. If I don't tell you today, you and Pietro will probably sneak in tonight looking for answers. You too, Peter."
"The Divine Tree is the best option for me and my family to evolve. Planting a Divine Tree on a living planet and letting it bear fruit is the path of our evolution. Of course, it's not the only path, but it's the most suitable for now."
As Hyuga Mirai spoke, a holographic projection appeared in the middle of the room, showing the entire process of planting the Divine Tree.
He had been on Earth for a while now, had collected two Infinity Stones, and the Ancient One had agreed to give him the Time Stone. Some things no longer needed to be hidden in Hyuga Mirai's eyes. Even if he revealed them, it didn't matter.
"Don't be alarmed. On the very first day I planted the Divine Tree, Earth's guardian already knew about it. I made a deal with her. She would give me the Time Stone, and I would plant no more Divine Trees."
Wanda, Peter Parker, and Pietro were speechless for a long time after seeing the images on the holographic projection. The information they had just received was far beyond their scope. Half an hour ago, they were just ordinary superheroes.
Peter Parker swallowed, then asked hesitantly, "Mr. Mirai, then what about them..."
"The Eternals are mass-produced products created by the Celestials. Their mission is to protect the new Celestial, Tiamut, as it gestates within Earth. The birth of a Celestial is far more terrifying than my Divine Tree. It would destroy the entire Earth..."
Before Hyuga Mirai could finish, Druig shouted back hysterically, "You're lying! Our mission is to protect humanity!"
"That's because you haven't received your true mission yet. The only difference between you and a robot is the material you're made of. Arishem has tens of thousands of Druigs, Ikarises, and Sprites. There's nothing special about you.
Most of the energy the Divine Tree absorbed came from Tiamut. Why else do you think Earth's guardian didn't stop me?"
"The Celestials are the greatest danger to Earth. When they awaken, Earth will be destroyed. And the Eternals' mission is to ensure the new Celestial is born smoothly. How many times did you do this before Earth? Does lacking memories mean you never did it?"
"At first, it was because I wasn't certain, Mr. Mirai."
A portal suddenly opened inside the room, and the Ancient One stepped out. Seeing this, Peter Parker immediately stood up and said in surprise, "Ancient One!"
The Ancient One greeted Peter Parker as well. "Mr. Parker, long time no see. I wanted to visit you before, but when I learned you were doing well with Mr. Mirai, I gave up on that plan."
When Peter Parker first arrived in this universe, the Ancient One had arranged his identity and residence. Though they hadn't been in touch much since, Peter Parker was still very grateful to her.
Hyuga Mirai asked, "Ancient One, did you come here... because you saw a new future?"
But the Ancient One shook her head. "I can no longer see an accurate future. The future I saw yesterday is completely different from the one I see today. So there's no point in looking. I originally planned to give you the Time Stone at the very end, but it's better to give it to you early, Mr. Mirai."
With that, the Eye of Agamotto on the Ancient One's chest opened. A green gem floated out and was held in her hand.
Hyuga Mirai was slightly surprised. "Ancient One, why did you suddenly change your mind?"
"Perhaps it's intuition. It feels like this is the best choice."
Then the Ancient One simply let go, allowing the Time Stone to float toward Hyuga Mirai. This Time Stone was the Infinity Stone he had coveted most. It could reverse time and even interfere with the powers of other Stones.
Moreover, one could use the Stone's power to see the past and future. Hyuga Mirai's Yin-Yang Release could almost create life, nurture souls, and create space, but he had no clue whatsoever when it came to time.
"Then I'll take my leave, Mr. Mirai. Peter, feel free to visit Kamar-Taj when you have time. As for your return trip, you can ask Mr. Mirai for help."
After saying this, a golden portal opened behind the Ancient One. She stepped backward and returned to Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One's behavior left Hyuga Mirai completely puzzled. It deviated significantly from their agreement. Even though he had obtained two Infinity Stones, given the Ancient One's skills, even if she couldn't win, she could escape. Why would she suddenly hand over the Stone?
After acquiring the Stone, Hyuga Mirai lost all interest in the Eternals. He immediately transferred Druig and Makkari to the Initial Ball Space to study later when he had time.
"That's enough for today. I have other things to do now. Peter, if you have questions, you can come find me another day. After all, we both ended up here the same way – by accident."
Peter Parker was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood what the Ancient One had meant. So Mr. Mirai, like him, had accidentally come here from another universe.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm sorry... for doubting you just now." Peter immediately apologized to Hyuga Mirai. Without the Ancient One's appearance, he might have been fooled by Druig.
"Don't worry about it. Remember to eat a lot when you get back. And your Spider-Man suit has a webbing function too..."
After saying this, Hyuga Mirai vanished from the room, leaving Peter Parker, Wanda, and Pietro utterly shocked.
After a few seconds, Peter Parker finally reacted and said to the other two, "Let's go, Pietro, Wanda. Today's events will keep me thinking for three nights."
"It might take me ten nights to understand, Peter. What was all that just now?"
Pietro was still very confused. At first, he might have understood a little, but after that bald mage appeared, he understood less and less.
Moreover, Pietro had always thought Mr. Mirai was just a brilliant scientist, the world's greatest. He never expected that tonight he would suddenly become a superhuman like them... Perhaps from what he just said, calling him a god wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"When did Mr. Mirai become so powerful? Peter, did you know?"
"I never knew. Like you, I only knew the captain was very strong."
After hearing Peter's words, Wanda and Pietro simultaneously recalled Tsunade's actions. There was an indescribable feeling. Even Pietro, facing Tsunade, didn't feel confident he could escape safely.
"But the Ancient One must be very powerful. When Uncle Ben and I first arrived here, the Ancient One discovered us. She is a powerful sorceress and Earth's guardian."
Wanda pressed, "Peter, what did Mr. Mirai mean by 'accident' just now?"
"That's complicated. I'm not from this universe. Before I explain, I need to eat something."
The Time Stone. Master its power and you control time. Time is probably the most mysterious power in the universe. Holding the Time Stone, Hyuga Mirai felt he could see countless timelines.
With the Time Stone in hand, Hyuga Mirai felt himself traversing the time paths leading to the future. With a single thought, he could create many different timelines. But these futures appeared only briefly, vanishing after a moment. However, by then, Hyuga Mirai had already seen everything that would happen on that timeline.
A timeline disappearing didn't mean that future wouldn't occur. But he couldn't continue watching. Perhaps actions taken to avoid that timeline would ultimately still lead to that future.
Hyuga Mirai suddenly understood the Ancient One a bit better. But he had just acquired the Time Stone and didn't fully understand how to use its power.
Now the three Infinity Stones were scattered. Unlike Thanos, who had crafted a gauntlet to use the Stones' powers at will.
"Let me try the gauntlet's function too."
Hyuga Mirai fetched the other two Stones. He directly used Yin-Yang Release to create a Truth-Seeking Ball gauntlet. After attaching the Infinity Stones, cracks appeared in the Truth-Seeking Ball gauntlet.
"The Truth-Seeking Ball is disintegrating?"
Hyuga Mirai was surprised at this sight. The Truth-Seeking Ball, formed by combining seven chakra nature transformations, was the hardest substance he knew. Even vibranium couldn't compare.
But now, with three Infinity Stones attached, the Truth-Seeking Ball gauntlet was slowly cracking, and the cracks were spreading.
Before the Truth-Seeking Ball gauntlet completely disintegrated, Hyuga Mirai put it on. Only then did he understand why it was disintegrating.
The Time Stone, affected by his careless use, was constantly leaking energy, converting the Truth-Seeking Ball back to before its chakra nature transformations. However, once Hyuga Mirai controlled the Time Stone's power, the Truth-Seeking Ball gauntlet returned to normal.
"There's some strain, but not much. Perhaps all six Infinity Stones together would cause a change. Three Infinity Stones are still lacking."
Hyuga Mirai looked at the three Infinity Stones on the gauntlet. The Time Stone could affect him, and the Mind Stone and Space Stone were also formidable. If someone could truly unleash the Stones' power, no one in this universe could stop them.
The Ancient One could probably use most of the Time Stone's power, which was how she protected Earth from the Dark Dimension's incursions. Now that Hyuga Mirai possessed the Time, Space, and Mind Stones, he could also sense the Dark Dimension's existence.
For now, the Dark Dimension was quiet. Only after those who had defected from Kamar-Taj began summoning Dormammu would the Dark Dimension's power become active. Seeing this, Hyuga Mirai considered striking first to eliminate them, which would also keep the Dark Dimension's power from becoming so active.
But just as this thought arose in Hyuga Mirai's mind, he saw a complete timeline appear before him. In that timeline, the Ancient One stopped his actions.
"Seeing the future isn't always a good thing, especially when you see yourself failing."
Hyuga Mirai rubbed his brow. Fortunately, that was only a small part; otherwise, it would be quite unpleasant.
Since the Ancient One didn't want that, Hyuga Mirai didn't plan to meddle. He simply removed the three Infinity Stones and continued using their power to nurture and transform the Divine Tree sapling.
Thanos had already obtained the Power Stone, causing major upheavals with his influence. But Thanos would eventually come to Earth. Or, after Thanos got the Soul Stone, Hyuga Mirai would go to him.
The video of Spider-Man being attacked spread across the internet instantly. That night, at a busy intersection in Brooklyn, a riot of over a hundred people broke out. After Spider-Man appeared, was attacked, and taken away, the riot inexplicably stopped.
The video was recorded and quickly spread online. The fact that a member of the Super Seven Team had been attacked and taken away made many people deeply distrust New York's safety.
Afterward, the NYPD questioned many people, but none knew why they had been fighting, nor did they remember anything about the incident.
But just as many were worried about Spider-Man, Peter used an online livestream to tell his fans and New Yorkers that the terrorist attack had been resolved. Wanda and Pietro also appeared in the livestream.
Seeing the three of them safe, everyone knew the two terrorists had failed. They then flooded the internet with condemnation and abuse directed at Druig and Makkari.
Although Makkari's speed was incredible, the few seconds she stopped were captured on someone's phone.
The remaining Eternals also saw this. After watching Peter Parker, Wanda, and Pietro appear in the livestream, Ajak and the others knew their companions were likely in grave danger again.
(End of Chapter)