Resurrection

"Blood God, if you dare touch my Devouring Concept, I’ll fight you to the death!"

Seth’s remaining consciousness roared madly in the air. Concepts were the foundation of Ancient Gods, far more important than wives.

"Haven’t we been fighting to the death all along?"

Wang Bert scoffed and said, "Seth, where’s my Serpent Crown? Don’t tell me you’re planning to welch on the deal?"

"Blood God, this isn’t over."

Seth decisively chose to welch. Leaving behind one harsh threat, his consciousness completely dissipated.

This time, he had lost, but this would not end so easily.

"Of course it isn’t over. You still owe me a crown."

Wang Bert sneered. No one could owe him something and refuse to repay it. Besides, he was extremely interested in the Devouring Concept.

After dealing with Seth, Wang Bert turned to the group of Ancient Gods and said, "The show’s over. You can leave now."

"Blood God, you’ve given us quite a surprise. In a hundred years, we’ll have plenty of time to play."

The Ancient Gods sneered as they withdrew. At least they had far better sportsmanship than Seth.

"Great Blood God, we will never dare offend Earth again. Please forgive us for our mistake this time."

The Dimensional Demon Gods pleaded in terror. In fact, their true bodies had already fled far away; their phantoms remained only to obtain Wang Bert’s forgiveness.

It could not be helped. The Blood God was simply too terrifying. Even Seth’s projection had been no match for him, and he could even destroy an entire world.

"If you can escape, I’ll spare you."

Wang Bert said with a smile. The Dimensional Demon Gods were stunned. What did the Blood God mean by that? At that moment, the Blood God’s Projection appeared in the void with a group of demon god puppets and said coldly, "No one can invade Earth without paying a price."

"Blood God!"

The Dimensional Demon Gods turned pale in fright and hurriedly fled backward. The Blood God’s Projection immediately led the puppets after them.

There was no need to go into the details of the battle. In short, no one could escape Wang Bert when he possessed spatial abilities.

"He has become a true guardian."

Light Ancient One and Dark Ancient One were both very satisfied with Wang Bert’s performance. He would become an even more outstanding guardian than they were.

"I said I would destroy this world."

After dealing with the Dimensional Demon Gods, Wang Bert turned toward the collapsing Ten Thousand Snakes Dimension. With a grin, he turned his remaining energy into a colossal spear and hurled it at the world’s source.

Then, ignoring the explosions and crashes behind him, Wang Bert returned to his original form and turned to head back to Earth.

Real men never looked back at explosions.

On Earth, everyone watched the Ten Thousand Snakes Dimension collapse, feeling both exhilarated and shocked. He could actually destroy an entire world? The Blood God was far too terrifying. At that moment, the Blood God returned to Earth, and everyone looked at him with reverence and worship.

Seeing everyone staring at him, Wang Bert smiled faintly and said succinctly, "We won."

"Long live the Blood God! Long live Earth!"

Everyone erupted in loud cheers, while the audience roared themselves hoarse. This terrifying disaster had finally passed.

Steve rode Hydra over to Wang Bert and said, "We finally won. Good thing you didn’t really die, Bert. Otherwise, Earth would definitely have been destroyed."

Wang Bert smiled. "Don’t worry. I’m not that easy to kill, Director Hydra."

"Doom must have been setting me up."

Steve sighed miserably. His lifelong reputation had been ruined.

Steve looked down at the ruins and sighed. "We won, but New York has been destroyed, and a lot of people died in battle. That even includes Super Heroes. I saw that Power Man from your company die right in front of me."

Wang Bert smiled. "What are you talking about? How could anyone die in a war?"

Steve was stunned. "Bert, what do you mean?"

"Just wait for a miracle."

Wang Bert left him in suspense. At the same time, Strange was summoned before Light Ancient One and Dark Ancient One.

Looking at his two masters, Strange felt immense pressure. He asked, "Masters, what exactly is going on with you now?"

"Nothing unusual."

Light Ancient One did not elaborate. She smiled and said, "Strange, give us the Eye of Agamotto. We can use it one last time."

Dark Ancient One added, "This use was originally reserved for Dormammu, but the Blood God later proposed a plan that can easily deal with Dormammu, so we saved it for the end."

Strange trusted the Ancient One completely. Upon hearing that, he removed the Eye of Agamotto and handed it to Light Ancient One, then asked, "Master, what are you planning to do?"

"Create a miracle."

Light Ancient One and Dark Ancient One smiled at the same time. Then, they cast a spell together. The Eye of Agamotto opened, and the Time Stone within shone with dazzling green light.

Under the control of the two Ancient Ones, the Time Stone’s green light formed a massive green Magic Array that enveloped all of New York.

"Time, reverse."

Light Ancient One and Dark Ancient One shouted together. The array activated, and New York seemed to have had its rewind button pressed as time began to flow backward—collapsed buildings returned to normal one by one, while shattered streets restored themselves piece by piece.

Not only that, those who had died in battle earlier, including Power Man, came back to life one after another. They looked around in confusion. Hadn’t they died in battle?

It was worth mentioning that only their own side was resurrected.

"This is…"

The Earth Allied Forces, along with the audience outside, stood dumbfounded. This was simply—no, this was a miracle. God had revealed himself.

Many people could not help kneeling toward Light Ancient One and Dark Ancient One in the sky. They were God. There was no doubt about it.

Even Steve could not help swallowing, his legs feeling a little weak. He asked Wang Bert, "Is this real?"

As Wang Bert sensed the fluctuations of time, he said, "Of course it’s real. But only this once. There won’t be such a good thing again."

"Once is enough."

Steve nodded repeatedly in excitement. This was wonderful. They were all alive.

Tony, his armor battered and pitted, flew into the sky and repeatedly shouted, "This isn’t scientific! This isn’t scientific! Time can’t be reversed!"

Wang Bert could not be bothered with Tony. This was magic, not science.

Three minutes later, the New York Sanctum began to restore itself. Light Ancient One drew upon Time Power to restore the other two Sanctums as well. Immediately afterward, Earth’s Defense Net re-formed, firmly protecting Earth.

Wang Bert nodded in satisfaction. "Earth has protection again."

Tony said arrogantly, "We’re this strong. What does Earth need protection for? I say we tear down the Defense Net and invade other dimensions."

"That’s not how it works. I may be strong, but I can’t protect Earth forever. Without the Defense Net, there will definitely be enemies who slip through the cracks."

Wang Bert shook his head and said, "If enemies slip through, someone might die. That would be very bad."

Tony nodded. "That’s true. We still need the Defense Net. I take back what I said."

Wang Bert said, "You weren’t entirely wrong. It’s time for Earth to shift from defense to offense, but that has nothing to do with you. Your task is the Galactic Empire. Leave magic to Strange."

"Technology belongs to technology, magic belongs to magic."

Tony did not object. Magic was far too unscientific. He did not want to study it, or even see it.

Soon, the reversal of time ended. The Magic Array vanished, and the Eye of Agamotto closed again. Immediately afterward, Light Ancient One and Dark Ancient One both gave muffled groans, their faces deathly pale. They had suffered backlash from the River of Time.

Fortunately, their strength had greatly increased. If it had been the original Ancient One, she would probably have needed an IV drip by now.

"Strange, keep the Eye of Agamotto safe."

Light Ancient One returned the Eye of Agamotto to Strange and said, "From now on, it will be up to you and the Blood God. We need to deal with our own affairs and will not return to Earth anytime soon."

"The Ancient One is no longer Kamar-Taj’s Ancient One."

Dark Ancient One said as well. Strange put away the Eye of Agamotto and respectfully bowed to the two Ancient Ones. "Masters, farewell."

"Farewell, Masters."

Wang Bert bowed as well. Seeing this, Steve and Tony hurriedly bowed too—Wang Bert and Strange were performing Kamar-Taj mage salutes.

"Farewell, Sorcerer Supremes—Gods."

Seeing this, everyone else bowed as well. Quite a few even fell to their knees, calling out for God’s blessing.

Light Ancient One and Dark Ancient One did not waste words. They nodded to the crowd and led the Angels and Dark Elves back to their respective realms.

In the not-too-distant future, the war between light and darkness would inevitably erupt.

Wang Bert remembered something and hurriedly transmitted his voice to Light Ancient One. "Master, what about the mutants?"

"Come to Heaven to find me in a few days, and I’ll tell you everything."

Light Ancient One chuckled. "From now on, that will be your responsibility, Guardian Blood God."

Wang Bert rubbed his nose. Why did he feel like his master was up to no good? Could those truths be some kind of trap?

After Heaven and the Dark Dimension withdrew, Tony said flippantly, "I think we should throw them a farewell party. They are the guardians of the world, after all."

"Yes, she is a guardian of the world."

After thinking it over, Wang Bert called out to Strange, "Strange, I’m planning to make a documentary about the Ancient One. You and Kamar-Taj will both need to appear in it."

Strange’s face darkened. "Blood God, Master just left, and you’re already using her to make money?"

"Do you think I care about money? I have so much money that it’s just numbers to me."

Wang Bert said irritably, "I just want Earth’s people to remember Master. She protected Earth for hundreds of years. She should not remain unknown."

This was the greatest difference between Wang Bert and the Ancient One. The Ancient One gave without seeking anything in return, while Wang Bert did seek recognition.

Strange nodded at first, then said hesitantly, "That makes sense, but wouldn’t it be bad to make Kamar-Taj public?"

"The times have changed. Kamar-Taj no longer needs to stay hidden. Strange, I hope Kamar-Taj expands its enrollment and changes from passive defense to actively exploring other dimensions."

Wang Bert said, "Earth now has the strength to venture outward."

"About that…"

Strange hesitated. "Blood God, come to Kamar-Taj when you have time. We can discuss it together. This is no small matter."

"Alright."

Wang Bert nodded. Strange was clearly tempted.

Then, Wang Bert waved away the light barrier surrounding New York City and said, "Alright, warriors. The battle is over. Now it’s time to celebrate. Our Iron Man will personally organize the celebration, and I guarantee you’ll be satisfied."

"Wow! Long live the Blood God! Long live Iron Man!"

Cheers rose like a tidal wave. Everyone was filled with excitement and anticipation. A party planned by Iron Man and the Blood God would surely be extraordinary.

"Leave it to me! I guarantee I won’t disappoint you."

Tony shouted excitedly. Tony Stark, known throughout the world as the party little—uh, old prince.

Steve smiled, then controlled Hydra to fly down and handle the various affairs. As Director of S.W.O.R.D., he had no shortage of matters to deal with.

After all, he was not like someone who spent every day shirking responsibility.

Though Wang Bert very much wanted to shirk responsibility, some matters had to be handled personally, such as the reinforcements from Asgard, Xandar, and Sovereign. He definitely had to meet them himself.

"Bert."

Just after exchanging pleasantries with the Xandarians, Natasha ran over with her younger sister Yelena and said happily, "Thank you. All those female agents came back to life."

"Those female agents were resurrected too?"

Wang Bert was a little surprised. The female agents had belonged to the enemy. He had not expected the Ancient One to resurrect them as well.

Natasha said, "Yes, they were resurrected too. Bert, I’ll honor the agreement and lead them in serving you."

"Sounds nice, but you just want me to stabilize their souls, don’t you?"

Wang Bert scoffed. "Fine. Since they’re all beautiful women, I agree. I’ll examine each of their bodies and heal their souls."

Natasha complained, "Bert, that sounded so sleazy."

"A sleazy person sees sleaze everywhere."

Wang Bert looked disdainful. He said, "Natasha, let’s make this clear in advance. After I heal them, they must serve me for at least ten years."

"That’s only right."

Natasha nodded. There were no free lunches, and the Blood God was no philanthropist—well, it seemed he really was a philanthropist. The Blood God Group and Osborn Corporation donated vast sums every year.

After dealing with that matter, Wang Bert walked toward Little Hela. Looking at the grown-up Little Hela, he asked, "Can you change back?"

Little Hela smiled. "I don’t want to. I’m already grown up. Master, remember to adjust my age. I’ll be twenty from now on."

Wang Bert sighed. "Why is everyone in such a hurry to grow up? Don’t you know childhood is the best part of life?"

"I do, but time waits for no one. I need to build up my credentials within ten years, then run for the second Speaker election."

Little Hela said, "Only then can I lead Earth into the galactic era and turn the Earth Federation into the Galactic Federation."

"You certainly have great ambitions."

Wang Bert rubbed Little Hela’s head and said affectionately, "As long as you don’t harm Earth’s interests, I’ll support you."

Little Hela becoming Speaker would actually cause quite a few problems. For example, she was too young, and her identity was somewhat problematic—she had been born in Asgard but grew up on Earth, making her half Asgardian and half Earthling.

Still, it was not a major issue, because it would be a perfect opportunity to bring Asgard into the Earth Federation. One mountain could not hold two tigers; if Earth wanted to expand, Asgard was an obstacle it could not avoid.

More importantly, Wang Bert stood behind Little Hela.

"Thank you, Master."

Little Hela smiled sweetly. Next, she would enter government work—although she was not very old, as a top student, she had already learned everything she needed to.

Within Little Hela’s consciousness, Hela was filled with jealousy. Why was Little Hela so fortunate while her own life had been so miserable? Then, Little Hela asked, "Master, I promised Hela I would let her out. Is that alright?"

"No problem."

Without further words, Wang Bert teleported with Little Hela to Hela’s Sealed Land—a place filled with death, devoid of daylight, and as hellish as Hell.