Staring at the circular cavern filled with densely packed yellow-green insect eggs, Syd noticed that some had already hatched, while most remained dormant.
Clearly, the majority of these cosmic locust eggs were in a state of hibernation, awaiting a specific trigger before fully awakening.
As for what that trigger might be, Syd immediately thought of the Celestials.
Or perhaps the emergence of other high-purity energy sources, such as...
Frowning slightly, Syd instinctively considered himself.
As if to confirm his suspicions, in the next second, the seemingly lifeless insect eggs within the circular cavern suddenly emitted faint traces of life energy, as though transitioning from inanimate objects to living organisms.
It wouldn't take long before they hatched, instinctively seeking out high-energy targets to consume.
Most likely, their first target would be him.
"What a hassle..."
Without waiting for the yellow-green eggs to hatch, Syd unleashed Chaos Magic.
A deep crimson glow instantly enveloped the countless insect eggs within the cavern.
The next moment, all the eggs exploded simultaneously, disintegrating into vapor.
In the blink of an eye, the cavern was stripped bare, completely devoid of any remaining eggs.
Of course, Syd was well aware that what he had just eradicated was merely a drop in the ocean. Deeper within the cavern, countless more eggs remained, undisturbed for now.
However, he couldn't be bothered to deal with those. Given the distance, those eggs had likely not yet sensed his presence, so no mutations had occurred yet.
"Leaving these behind to trouble the Celestials isn't a bad idea."
Syd smirked.
The next moment, he clenched the Space Stone in his hand, causing it to cease its energy emissions. The spatial portal before him rapidly shrank and collapsed.
...
Meanwhile...
Ordinary people secretly observing the actions of the White-Clad Hero, including Fury and his team, had a look of confusion in their eyes.
They had no idea what he was doing.
Just then—
BOOM!
Another beam of blue energy shot forth from the Space Stone.
However, unlike last time, this time Syd infused it with Chaos Magic.
The portal had to open directly to the location of the slumbering Celestial Tiamut!
Under the surge of blue energy, a spatial gateway materialized.
As soon as the portal connected, a crimson glow erupted, accompanied by an overwhelming wave of heat that instantly raised the surrounding temperature, as if the sheer intensity of the heat could roast someone alive.
Gazing through the fiery-red passage, all Syd could see was magma, magma, and more magma—but not Tiamut.
Or rather, he could only see the magma.
"The portal is too small."
Syd was certain that he had connected to Tiamut's vicinity. There was no way he had made a mistake.
However...
Staring at the ever-expanding heat wave and the relentless surge of molten lava from the portal, Syd's expression twitched slightly. He had no choice but to contain the energy spill.
Otherwise, he would be submerged in lava before he even had a chance to meet Tiamut.
Not that the lava would do him any harm.
The Space Stone in his grasp radiated an intense glow, releasing an even greater energy surge, causing the spatial portal to expand rapidly.
Ten meters...
A hundred meters...
Three hundred meters...
A colossal fiery-red portal appeared in the sky.
At the same time, Syd also activated Chaos Magic.
The deep crimson energy enveloped the cascading lava, instantly vaporizing it.
Within moments, with the molten barrier removed, something was finally revealed—a golden figure.
Even with a hundreds-of-meters-wide portal, only part of its head could be seen.
A single glowing eye, gleaming like a celestial beacon, was staring directly at the spatial rift.
Syd looked up, locking eyes with it.
As the two beings gazed at each other, the ordinary people secretly observing, including Fury's team, were left completely stunned.
...
At S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters...
Fury, recognizing the colossal entity in the portal, felt a chill run down his spine. Even if he didn't recognize it, Captain Marvel would undoubtedly tell him.
"A Celestial?"
"What the hell is the White-Clad Hero doing now?"
"Which Celestial is this?!"
Fury felt a headache coming on.
Just as they had barely gotten rid of a few Celestials, now the White-Clad Hero had provoked another one?!
This is insane!
Any Celestial possessed the power to annihilate planets.
And yet, the White-Clad Hero had somehow dragged another one into this mess?
Was another battle with the Celestials about to begin?!
As Fury's expression grew increasingly grim, Tony Stark, standing in Stark Tower, along with the rest of the Avengers, all displayed equally solemn expressions.
"White-Clad Hero, just what are you up to this time?"
Not just them, but people all over the world were beginning to panic.
However, the ones who were the most alarmed and shaken were the Eternals, who had been secretly living among humans.
"The slumbering Celestial Tiamut?!"
The leader of the Eternals, Ajak, an intelligent and wise woman appearing to be in her mid-thirties, immediately sensed the disturbance. As the spiritual leader of the Eternals, she possessed advanced healing abilities, capable of using cosmic energy to mend injuries.
Without hesitation, she contacted the other Eternals.
"We must go to him and find out what he's trying to do!"
Following Ajak's command, the scattered members of the Eternals immediately started heading toward Syd's location.
Some relied on their powers, others on advanced technology, but their speed was astonishing.
Before Syd could even exchange words with Tiamut, two figures had already arrived.
One of them, clad in black attire, with a muscular build and handsome features, soared through the sky at high speed.
Syd and Tiamut both shifted their gaze toward the approaching figure.
Instantly, Syd recognized him.
"Ikaris of the Eternals?"
A being capable of high-speed flight, unleashing cosmic energy beams from his eyes—a weaker version of Superman.
Syd mused to himself.
As for the Eternals, they were somewhat similar to the Inhumans and Mutants.
Each Eternal carried cosmic energy, granting them supernatural abilities.
Their powers varied—superhuman strength, enhanced endurance, telepathy, longevity, flight, and cosmic energy projection from their hands or eyes.
Their abilities were akin to mutants, but their physical resilience was superior, and their lifespans stretched for thousands of years.
The Eternals had been created by the Celestials to protect humanity—or rather, to protect the Celestial Seed.
For a Celestial Seed to fully mature into a true Celestial, it required the life energy radiated by countless intelligent beings.
Thus, humanity's existence was never truly for itself—but a means to nourish a Celestial's birth.
(End of Chapter)
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