Subduing

"All right, stop wasting time. Let’s go find Alioth."

Wang Bert’s voice suddenly rang out from Sylvie’s mouth. Then, the Sentinel stretched out its arms and carried the three of them into the sky to search for Alioth.

Ravonna and Mobius were merely ordinary humans, so Wang Bert thoughtfully added a Defense Shield. Thinking of something, he asked Ravonna, "Ravonna, is there anything you can tell me about Alioth?"

"Sorry, there’s nothing I can tell you, because I had no idea Alioth even existed before."

Ravonna gave a bitter smile and said, "But I do know a little about the End of Time."

"You know about the End of Time?"

Wang Bert’s eyes lit up. He said, "Tell me. The more I know, the better our chances of getting out."

Ravonna said, "The End of Time is an abandoned Timeline. It won’t affect the Sacred Timeline, so Kang the Conqueror deliberately preserved it to deal with Time Criminals, Time Branches, and all kinds of trash."

Sylvie sneered. "To you people, aren’t Time Criminals just trash?"

"Of course not. We don’t hate Time Criminals. We deal with them only to maintain the Sacred Timeline."

Ravonna shook her head and said, "The End of Time was originally headed for destruction, but Kang the Conqueror used a special method to keep this Timeline existing indefinitely."

Wang Bert asked, "What special method?"

"I don’t know. I’d never been here before, so I don’t know much."

Ravonna shook her head again. "I’m telling you this because I’m worried that method will fail after Kang the Conqueror’s death. If that happens, we’ll perish along with this Timeline."

Sylvie cried out in alarm, "What? We’ll die?"

"When a Timeline collapses, everything inside it naturally dies with it."

Wang Bert used Sylvie’s hand to stroke his chin. "In other words, we don’t have much time. We have to get out before the Timeline is destroyed."

Sylvie came back to her senses and snorted. "That woman might just be trying to scare us. And Blood God, stop making such sleazy gestures with my body."

"She isn’t."

Wang Bert shook his head. "I noticed long ago that there was something wrong with this Timeline. In this universe, only our Solar System remains. Worse still, the edge of the Solar System is collapsing bit by bit."

Everyone was stunned. "Only the Solar System remains?"

"A Timeline originally encompasses the Entire Universe, but now there’s only the Solar System. That means the universe is falling apart."

Wang Bert said, "Before long, the Solar System will disappear as well."

Sylvie hurriedly said, "Then we have to find Alioth as quickly as possible and escape this place."

"Finding Alioth might not let us escape. It’s only a possibility."

Wang Bert smiled. "We’ll talk once we find it."

Sylvie shouted, "You can still laugh?"

"Why shouldn’t I? When the Timeline is destroyed, you’ll definitely die, but I won’t."

"You won’t die?"

Everyone was dumbfounded. Wang Bert said, "Of course I won’t die. Although I’m the weakest avatar of the main body, with the Mind Power I possess, even the collapse of space-time can’t kill me.

"However, I can’t keep you alive with me. After all, it’ll be the collapse of space-time. Even I can only protect myself."

Sylvie was somewhat displeased. "If you can survive, why are you still looking for Alioth?"

"Three reasons."

Wang Bert said, "First, the collapse of space-time takes too long. I don’t have time to waste here. Things on Earth are a little bad, and I’m worried something major will happen.

"Second, I promised to take you out. I’ll do everything I can to keep that promise. I don’t like breaking my word.

"Third, I’m very interested in Alioth. I’m planning to give it to my wife as a wedding gift."

"You’re giving such a treasure to your wife as a wedding gift? Isn’t that a little over the top?"

Sylvie complained. At its peak, Alioth could rival a Creator God—this was like an ordinary person giving the Earth to his wife as a wedding gift.

"If it isn’t valuable, how can it prove my sincerity? Besides, my wife is also a Creator God."

Wang Bert smiled. "Sylvie, don’t get any ideas about me. Otherwise, you might get beaten to death by a Creator God. The especially brutal kind."

Sylvie snorted. "Who would get ideas about you? And are you really a Creator God? You look no different from an ordinary person."

"I’m skeptical too."

Mobius said, "Shouldn’t a Creator God stand high above all others, with a single glance enough to scare mortals shitless?"

"What’s wrong with Creator Gods? Why would they scare mortals shitless? Besides, I’m different from other Creator Gods. I ascended from being a mortal."

Wang Bert said, "Meeting is fate. Once this is over, I’ll invite you to attend my wedding. By then, most of the gods in the Entire Universe will be there."

"Can mortals really become gods?"

Ravonna asked with shining eyes. Wang Bert nodded. "Of course. In fact, it isn’t uncommon for mortals to become gods. But only my fiancée and I have become Creator Gods."

"You make it sound real."

Sylvie was half-convinced. Fortunately, Wang Bert did not mention how long it had taken him to become a god. Otherwise, Sylvie would probably have given him the middle finger.

Becoming a Creator God in just a few years? What, did you build this universe yourself?

Wang Bert did not intend to say more. He led everyone to find Alioth again, then completely concealed himself within Sylvie while controlling the Sentinel to fly everyone toward Alioth.

Alioth, in its black mist form, quickly noticed them. It was somewhat nervous at first, but soon realized Wang Bert was not among them. It immediately pounced in excitement, devouring everything in its path except dirt and stones.

"I hope you weren’t bluffing, or we’re dead."

Sylvie could not help swallowing. Compared to before, Alioth was clearly more vicious and terrifying.

Mobius shouted, "God bless us! By the way, is God on the Creator God level?"

"I won’t die. My life is destined to be incomparably glorious."

Ravonna muttered, her gaze incredibly resolute. Soon, the black mist enveloped the three of them and the Sentinel. Then, Alioth began devouring them.

At that moment, Wang Bert stepped out of Sylvie’s body, radiating brilliant light as if a heavenly god had descended.

Alioth was horrified and immediately prepared to flee—this world was its home ground, and it could teleport at will.

"Sorry, but I’m already inside."

Wang Bert smiled faintly. The Space Stone in his palm flashed brightly, and the surrounding black mist was frantically sucked into it. Though Alioth struggled desperately, it was useless. Before long, it was completely swallowed by the Space Stone, and light returned to the world.

With the job done, Wang Bert led everyone down to the ground and said, "I’m going in to deal with Alioth. Do you want to come?"

"I’ll wait outside for you."

Mobius waved his hands repeatedly. He was in full couch potato mode now and had no interest in doing anything unnecessary.

Ravonna said, "I want to go in with you. I’m very interested in Kang the Conqueror’s castle."

"I want to see how you subdue Alioth."

Sylvie said, "Iron Man was completely helpless against it. I hope you won’t be as useless as him."

"That’s the same as insulting yourself, because you can’t subdue Alioth either."

Wang Bert shook his head. Before Sylvie could explode, he pulled both her and Ravonna into the Space Stone.

The space inside the Space Stone was enormous. Not even Alioth could occupy it completely. When it saw Wang Bert enter, it immediately shrank into a ball of black cloud and hid to the side, trembling as though a child had encountered a villain.

"Is this still the Alioth I know?"

Sylvie was speechless. She complained, "It’s hard to imagine that I was chased around by this thing before, running for my life every day."

Ravonna said with a complicated expression, "This thing devoured most of the Time Variance Authority’s staff. Only Mobius and I survived."

Sylvie snorted. "The ones who deserved to die didn’t."

Ravonna gave Sylvie a disdainful look, as if she could not be bothered to argue with a child. Sylvie gritted her teeth in anger. She should have cut this woman down with one slash back then.

"Don’t worry, I won’t devour you."

Wang Bert said to Alioth, "Submit to me."

Alioth froze at first, then excitedly separated a wisp of Black Qi and wrapped it around Wang Bert’s finger. This represented its acknowledgment of Wang Bert as its master.

Wang Bert nodded in satisfaction. "Done."

"That’s it?"

Sylvie and Ravonna were both utterly baffled. This was not some stray cat or dog. It was a super beast with the potential to become a Creator God, one that had killed countless Time Criminals. Why had it been so easy?

"You find that strange?"

Wang Bert turned to glance at Sylvie and Ravonna. They nodded at the same time. It was not merely strange—it was extremely strange.

"First, it isn’t that strong. You can tell from the fact that Sylvie was able to control it."

Wang Bert explained, "To put it simply, I can kill it with one hand."

Sylvie said, "That example is accurate, but why does it feel like you’re looking down on me?"

"Don’t worry, that isn’t your imagination. I am looking down on you."

Wang Bert said. Sylvie bared her teeth at him. If she could beat him, her blade would have been out already.

This guy definitely isn’t a Creator God. What kind of Creator God has such a horrible personality?

"Back to the topic."

Wang Bert said, "Not only can I defeat Alioth, I can kill it too. Alioth knows that, so every time it sees me, it immediately runs away.

"Unfortunately, no matter how cunning the prey is, it can’t outsmart the hunter. It was eventually captured in my Space Stone. It’s terrified of me and fears that I’ll beat it to death.

"Under these circumstances, when it heard that I wouldn’t kill it and only wanted it as a pet, it naturally submitted at once, lest I change my mind and fry, roast, boil, or stew it."

Sylvie suddenly understood and scoffed. "This thing really bullies the weak and fears the strong. The reason Tony Stark couldn’t subdue it was because Tony Stark was too weak."

Ravonna asked, "I still think Alioth surrendered too quickly. Blood God, could this be a trick?"

"Don’t worry, it isn’t."

Wang Bert said, "You think it was too quick because you overlooked one thing: I’m a Creator God. For a dignified Creator God to take it as a pet is its good fortune. Naturally, it surrendered immediately."

In common terms, overwhelming kingly aura.

Ravonna said, "That makes sense. If the president personally invited me to work for him, I’d definitely agree immediately."

"If it were me, I’d only stab him."

Sylvie snorted. She looked Wang Bert up and down. Was this guy actually a Creator God? Heaven must really be blind.

"That’s called being mentally ill."

Wang Bert rolled his eyes and said, "Enough of that. Little Ai, can you devour the energy of the Infinity Stones?"

Sylvie was stunned. "You want it to devour the Infinity Stones sealing off the End of Time?"

"Yes." Wang Bert nodded. "It can devour anything. The Infinity Stones should be no exception."

Alioth could not speak. It conveyed a message to Wang Bert through its thoughts: "I can devour the Infinity Stones, but their energy is too vast, and I am too weak. I need a period of time to finish devouring them."

Wang Bert asked again, "How long is a period of time?"

"More than a thousand years."

Alioth’s answer left Wang Bert speechless. To Alioth, a thousand years was nothing, but Wang Bert could never wait here for a thousand years.

Besides, Old Tony was no fool. He would definitely monitor the Infinity Stones regularly. Once he discovered Alioth devouring their energy, he would certainly do something.

Wang Bert asked again, "Do you have any way to leave the End of Time?"

Alioth replied, "I could leave before, but the passage has now been sealed."

"So there’s no way."

Wang Bert sighed. He patted Sylvie on the shoulder and said with a grief-stricken expression, "If there’s anything you want to do, go do it. Don’t leave yourself with regrets."

Sylvie looked utterly confused. "What do you mean?"

Ravonna said dejectedly, "Alioth can’t take us out. That means we’re as good as dead."

"Oh, that’s what you meant."

Sylvie suddenly understood, then looked suspiciously at Wang Bert and asked, "Why does it feel like you’re messing with me?"

"I’m only comforting you."

Wang Bert smiled. With his strength, he could not preserve Sylvie and Ravonna’s bodies, but preserving their souls would not be difficult. Still, there was no need to tell them that, because it would not be fun if he did.

"Hmph, you obviously have bad intentions."

Sylvie snorted. "If this path doesn’t work, another might. Until the very end, I’ll never give up."

"You really aren’t Loki at all."

Wang Bert sighed. Then, he ordered Alioth, "Little Ai, open the castle inside your body. I want to take a look around."

Upon receiving the order, Alioth immediately returned to its original size. Then, the black mist dispersed, revealing an ancient-looking castle before them.

"This is Kang the Conqueror’s castle?"

Ravonna, who had been somewhat dejected, immediately brightened. "He controlled everything here, commanded everything, and had the entire universe under his control. Wow, this is practically the life of my dreams."