"I knew it!"
In the neighboring Universe 1610, Ultimate Tony couldn't help but exclaim in realization.
He and the Wanda/Quicksilver siblings were all members of the Ultimate Team, and he'd spent plenty of time with them.
He'd always felt their interactions were a little off, as if there was a deeper connection between them.
Ultimate Tony had long suspected something, but he'd dismissed it as being overly gossipy.
Now, seeing this, he realized his instincts were completely right.
This was some serious drama!
"Logan?"
After digesting the gossip, Ultimate Tony couldn't help but show surprise.
Wolverine was clearly Professor X's man. Why would he be ordered to assassinate Quicksilver?
This turn of events left Ultimate Tony utterly bewildered, with no idea of the context or consequences.
Still, it was no secret that Magneto's relationship with the Wanda/Quicksilver siblings was strained. Their decision to join the Ultimate Team instead of Magneto's Brotherhood made that clear.
Given that Magneto was indeed a ruthless individual, Ultimate Tony wouldn't have been surprised if he'd tried to kill his own son.
He also wasn't surprised by Wanda's power.
The only thing that caught him off guard was that, in the other universe, Wanda had "Darkened."
What did "Darkening" mean?
Had she become a villain?
And judging by the Diary's tone, Wanda's power had actually increased after "Darkening."
He just couldn't figure out the reason behind it.
Still, when it comes to potential, I'm still quite optimistic about this universe's Wanda. After all, that "summoning" ability is truly outrageous.
If I remember correctly, during the Ultimate Team's battle against the Supreme Squadron, Wanda summoned the entire Supreme Squadron from the other universe.
Holy crap, she brought an entire superhero team from another universe as backup!
Isn't that way more impressive than Dreamwalking or something?
Remember, the Supreme Squadron is incredibly strong—they're basically Marvel's version of the Justice League.
Hyperion is basically Superman's counterpart, Doctor Spectrum is Green Lantern, Power Princess is Wonder Woman, and the rest of their powered individuals are just as formidable.
Even without looking at anyone else, Hyperion alone completely dominated Thunder God Pilihuo, the Human Torch, and Invisible Woman.
If Wanda hadn't brought in reinforcements and Nick Fury hadn't timely brought in Hulk, the Ultimate Team really wouldn't have been able to handle it.
Supreme Squadron.
Tony in Universe 199999 immediately felt his mind drawn to this name.
The Diary had mentioned this group before. The playboy knew it was another superhero team, but he didn't know anything about its nature.
It didn't seem to be from Universe 1610, but from another universe entirely.
And Nick Fury had somehow caused the deaths of tens of millions of people in that universe.
So, could the Ultimate Team's battle against the Supreme Squadron mentioned here be related to that incident?
Or perhaps connected to it?
Tony naturally made this assumption, but he couldn't reach a definitive conclusion.
Even so, Wanda actually bringing an entire superhero team from another universe seemed too outrageous.
So, the Wanda from the neighboring universe can do more than just summon dinosaurs; it seems she can summon anything.
If she can summon the Supreme Squadron, a team of superheroes, then theoretically, she could also summon the Avengers from her own universe!
The thought immediately piqued Tony's interest.
He was genuinely excited at the prospect!
Visiting another Marvel universe would be incredibly fun.
After a brief moment of fantasizing, Tony refocused on the diary, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
"Justice League?"
Tony pondered.
Based on the diary's descriptions of Supreme Squadron members like Hyperion and Doctor Spectrum, this wasn't just a metaphor.
It seemed the Supreme Squadron's powers were quite similar to those of the Justice League members.
But what about their strength?
Given Hyperion's combat record as mentioned in the diary, how bad could they really be?
Although Tony didn't know who the Human Torch and Invisible Woman were, they were undoubtedly superheroes. And then there was Thor.
Even Thor, along with two superhero allies, was being overwhelmed, which only highlighted Hyperion's overwhelming power.
"Wanda, you can actually do this?"
Even Ultimate Tony from Earth-1610 was astonished by Wanda's true capabilities. He knew she was a powerful sorceress, but frankly, he had never truly taken her seriously. In Ultimate Tony's eyes, Wanda was even less of a threat than Quicksilver. After all, he could handle Wanda's magic, but Quicksilver's super-speed was a genuine headache for him.
Now, Ultimate Tony realized how badly he had underestimated Wanda. Summoning dinosaurs was nowhere near her limit—she could do so much more!
"This Supreme Squadron is no joke either!" Ultimate Tony exclaimed again. It wasn't just Wanda; the entire Supreme Squadron's strength far exceeded his expectations, especially Hyperion.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring Universe 199999, Reed Richards existed, but the Fantastic Four had not yet formed. As a result, Tony from that universe was unaware of Human Torch and Invisible Woman, let alone their powers.
In the Ultimate Universe, the Fantastic Four did exist.
Ultimate Tony was well aware of Human Torch and Invisible Woman.
Human Torch was self-explanatory; his pyrokinesis was formidable.
Though nicknamed Invisible Woman, she could generate and control force fields, making her a formidable combatant in her own right.
Even with Thor added to the mix, the three of them couldn't defeat Hyperion. This gave Ultimate Tony a clear understanding of Hyperion's true power level.
He was undoubtedly one of the top-tier powerhouses he had ever encountered.
There was no doubt about that. The only mystery was what had happened during the battle between the Ultimate Team and the Supreme Squadron.
This conflict had involved the Ultimate Team and two Supreme Squadrons.
One of these Supreme Squadrons was an enemy of the Ultimate Team, but the other was supposed to be their ally?
It was utterly bewildering.
So, that time, Egghead nearly screwed up big time.
No, he already did screw up. The Supreme Squadron universe he invaded ended up being held hostage, forced to take responsibility for the deaths of over ten million people.
Honestly, he had it coming. Who asked him to scheme against Reed?
But I have to admit, Reed is truly amazing. Before he even turned twenty, he managed to send detectors to countless other dimensions.
That's transcending dimensional limitations!
He even designed something like the Cosmic Cube.
The Cosmic Cube in this universe is completely different from the one in Universe 199999. This one has the power to rewrite reality at will!
In other words, Reed wields the ability to rewrite reality!
"Just as I suspected!"
"My guess was correct."
In Universe 199999, Tony couldn't help but nod.
He had just been speculating whether the battle between the Ultimate Team and the Supreme Squadron was related to Egghead's role in the deaths of tens of millions, and the Diary immediately confirmed it.
So, not only did Nick Fury cause the deaths of tens of millions in other worlds, but he also triggered a war involving the superhero teams of three universes!
Good grief.
What exactly did this Egghead do?!
*He really went all out, dragging three universes into this mess.*
*Moreover, judging by the tone of the Diary, Tony couldn't quite grasp the full context, but it seemed like everything was connected to Reed's launch of that probe.*
*The Reed from that other universe was far more capable than the one in his own.*
*While his own Reed was on his level and had even co-created Vision with him, he had never even brushed against the boundaries of the Multiverse!*
*But that other Reed?*
*He achieved this before he was twenty!*
*This was truly astonishing. Even compared to someone of Tony's caliber, he was exceptionally brilliant.*
*Remember, Tony had accomplished nothing at that age.*
*And even more outrageous, he had designed the Cosmic Cube itself!*
*What exactly was the Cosmic Cube?*
*It was an alien artifact from Asgard, and hidden within it was the Space Stone, one of the Infinity Stones.*
*The supreme existence, containing the most powerful force in the universe.*
Judging by the diary, the Cosmic Cube in the neighboring universe was actually a technological product?
And it seemed unrelated to the Space Stone, since only the Reality Stone could alter reality.
This suggested that the Infinity Stones in Universe 1610 were indeed different from those in his own universe.
He wondered which Infinity Stone was hidden inside his variant's brain.
Unfortunately, the diary never mentioned it.
"Nick Fury will be trapped in another dimension?"
Ultimate Tony in Universe 1610 was stunned.
In simpler terms, Nick Fury would be imprisoned in another universe?
The diary mentioned that universe would hold Egghead responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people in his world. He wondered how that accountability would be enforced.
Could it mean eliminating Nick Fury?
In Ultimate Tony's view, such a grave mistake could never let Egghead live.
But even if that were true, it would be entirely Nick Fury's fault!
Ultimate Tony had never liked Nick Fury much, and the previous spoilers had confirmed his suspicion that the man was a ruthless, unprincipled old hardliner.
Even if such a fate were to befall Fury, Ultimate Tony felt it had little to do with him.
At best, once he had gathered sufficient intelligence, he could warn Fury—but no more than that.
Even in doing so, Ultimate Tony's primary motivation was to prevent a tragedy that could cost millions of lives in another universe.
However, the information he had now was clearly insufficient. It wasn't time to reveal it to Egghead yet.
Then there was Reed.
Why was he sending probes to other dimensions?
And what kind of probes was he sending?
Could he be conducting some kind of scientific research?
Without more intelligence, Ultimate Tony couldn't know for sure, but the Diary's spoilers made it clear that this was all connected to Egghead.
No matter what Reed was doing, Nick Fury was pulling the strings behind it!
And then there was the Cosmic Cube mentioned in the Diary. *Good heavens, can that thing actually alter reality?*
*Alter reality!*
This was truly outrageous. Had Reed actually managed to develop such a thing?
The Cosmic Cube's blueprints and raw materials were stolen from Baxter Building by Red Skull, hired by Nick Fury!
After successfully manufacturing the Cosmic Cube based on the blueprints, Red Skull became virtually invincible. The Ultimate Team stood no chance against him.
If Captain America hadn't delivered that final, devastating blow to Red Skull, the consequences would have been catastrophic!
After all, that thing could truly rewrite reality.
Red Skull coveted the Cosmic Cube solely to rewrite reality, to ensure Captain America had never left him, and to live happily ever after as a family.
Who could have imagined that this executioner who assassinated Melazon, the one who attacked Baxter Building, harbored such a beautiful wish?
"So there was such a hidden motive behind it all?" Tony of Universe 199999 murmured with a sigh.
The Diary had mentioned Nick Fury hiring Red Skull to cause trouble, but it had never revealed that Red Skull had stolen such a crucial item.
Let alone successfully creating the Cosmic Cube.
This meant Red Skull had gained the ability to alter reality itself.
A Red Skull with such power would indeed be a formidable opponent. It wasn't surprising that he could defeat the Ultimate Team.
The real question was how Captain America had managed to severely injure Red Skull, who possessed such a power.
Could it be that Red Skull couldn't bear to strike down his own father?
Was it due to emotional factors?
Tony considered this a distinct possibility.
But whether his speculation was correct, he couldn't say for sure.
As for Red Skull's true purpose in stealing the Cosmic Cube, Tony had to admit it completely defied his expectations.
Not world domination, nor endless wealth, nor any other ambition-driven desire—instead, he simply wanted to have a complete family?
Since when did Hydra care about such things?
Or was the Red Skull from the adjacent universe not actually part of Hydra?
Yet the Diary had previously described Red Skull as "terrifying to the point of causing fear," suggesting he was far from a good person.
And after obtaining the Genie's Lamp, he only made such a simple wish?
(End of Chapter)