Chapter 353: Lucas is the Protagonist?

Neutral Zone, the edge of the world, a forbidden zone for life.

In this extremely desolate realm, countless terrifying, grotesque, and indescribable monsters gathered. They writhed, they roamed, they were idle, waiting for the arrival of lost souls.

Whoosh!

A faint tremor ran through space, and a spaceship sped from a distance.

Boom!!!

The monsters instantly went into a frenzy, scrambling and mostly surging towards the spaceship's direction of travel.

Some monsters chose to flank from both sides, blocking the spaceship's escape route. This action saved their lives.

A silvery glow suddenly erupted from within the spaceship, engulfing the monsters in front of it. This glow appeared crystal clear, yet it carried a supreme radiance that made one dare not look directly or peer into it.

In an instant, the glow receded, and the spaceship had already departed, vanishing without a trace. And those monsters that had blocked the spaceship's path also disappeared.

"I didn't expect this operation to go so smoothly."

Inside the spaceship, a middle-aged man in a black cloak said.

Undoubtedly, this person was Strange, and this spaceship was the Ark.

"Only for you, Black Cloak Strange. Our goal of clarifying Eternity's true situation hasn't been accomplished."

Tony retorted, raising his glass of red wine to Strange as a gesture.

"Anyway, congratulations on getting what you wanted."

"Thank you."

Clink!

Draining the contents of his glass, Tony turned to Lucas. "Lucas, there must be something wrong with Eternity's state. Otherwise he wouldn't have appeared specifically to stop us."

"I know." Lucas nodded. "That's why I deliberately used a strong attitude to test him just now."

Lucas's previous words defending Strange were almost like pointing a finger and cursing Eternity, yet Eternity did not argue, choosing instead to compromise.

Was Eternity persuaded by Lucas?

Of course not.

"Lucas, what have you found?" Tony asked with a frown.

Lucas slowly shook his head. "More guesses, but still not certain. The only good news is probably that we don't need to worry about Eternity being defeated and the 404 Universe being affected and destroyed."

"Why do you say that?"

Lucas's brow furrowed slightly, and after a moment of thought, he said, "A feeling. I feel that Eternity doesn't seem to be worried about his own situation, only about me disrupting things."

"A feeling?!"

Tony's voice rose. "How can you rely on a feeling for something like this! This concerns the safety of Earth and even the entire Multiverse, we must ensure Eternity's safety."

Lucas said with some helplessness, "Tony, we're not the same. Eternity doesn't trust me, and I don't trust him. You should have heard it, right, Eternity's address to me."

The person from the other shore.

To different people, the meaning represented by the other shore is different.

A long time ago, Tony and Ancient One already knew that Lucas came from another Universe and was not a native of Earth-404.

They only thought Lucas was a lost soul from a distant shore within the Multiverse and didn't care much about it.

But when this term came out of Eternity's mouth, the meaning was completely different. For Eternity, the other shore was at least outside the Multiverse.

Tony frowned. "Lucas, where exactly are you from? Some high-dimensional Universe?"

Lucas shrugged, "Perhaps. I don't know the specifics myself. I was just an ordinary person when I traversed the Universe, a genuinely ordinary person."

"Compared to discussing where I came from, I think discussing what we should do next is more important."

"And before that, I want to correct a point of yours, Tony."

"Eternity is the physical embodiment of the Multiverse. Eternity is the Multiverse, but the Multiverse doesn't necessarily have to be Eternity."

"Before Eternity, the Multiverse had already undergone several iterations."

"You want to act against Eternity?" Tony frowned.

He heard the deeper meaning in Lucas's words emphasizing that the Multiverse doesn't necessarily have to be Eternity.

"It's just a possibility." Lucas chuckled.

"Eternity and I are currently like two people holding sharp blades but sitting close together. If trust cannot be established, then we can only constantly guard against each other."

"And once one side tires of this vigilance, conflict will erupt."

Smiling, Lucas said with some helplessness, "To be precise, I'm like an unwelcome guest who broke into Eternity's home but refuses to leave, which is indeed a bit unreasonable."

Tony also smiled, but his smile was a bit helpless. "It's regrettable that we, Earth-404, and even the 404 Universe, have all been tied to your faction, and can only be unreasonable with you."

Lucas said with a slight shrug, "Although that's the truth, please don't say it like that, Tony. No matter what, at least I can guarantee that Earth-404 will survive the coming turmoil that may involve the entire Multiverse."

"Doesn't that mean Earth is already safe and sound?" Tony asked with a smile, raising his wine glass.

"To Earth."

"To Earth."

Draining his drink, Tony smiled confidently. "Tell me what you know, and I'll help you strategize."

In terms of wisdom, he had always been confident that he was not inferior to anyone.

"Alright." Lucas nodded.

"Do I need to step out for a moment?" Strange, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly interjected.

"What do you think?" Lucas retorted.

Strange shrugged, remaining seated and motionless.

...

After listening to Lucas's words, Tony frowned, and he summarized, "If First Firmament wins, the entire Multiverse will be devoured by him, and we can only escape with Earth and some friends."

"If Eternity wins, almost everything remains unchanged. But after losing First Firmament as an external enemy, Eternity might begin to expel you or force you to compromise."

"And you are more optimistic about and hope for Eternity to achieve the final victory."

Lucas nodded slightly. "Exactly."

"Then there are only two solutions: establish mutual trust with Eternity or go somewhere else."

Tony paused, then asked, "Lucas, how much do you know about what lies beyond all things?"

"Almost nothing." Lucas slowly shook his head, his expression a bit strange.

"But I know someone who might know something about what lies beyond all things."

"Who?"

"The vanished physical embodiment of the Second Cosmos."

"Reliable?"

"In this Multiverse, he incarnated as the Creator of the Elder Gods on Earth-616. And in some sense, I am the savior of the Elder Gods. We have a relatively deep cooperative relationship."

Hearing this, Tony's brow relaxed slightly, and he said, "Then contact him as soon as possible for consultation. If the danger level beyond all things is acceptable, leaving is not a bad option."

Crack!

The sound of shattering glass echoed as the Ark returned from the Neutral Zone to the Superflow.

"No time like the present, let's do it now." Lucas said, raising his hand, and a stream of light flew out from the Ark.

After a while, a vast and profound illusory figure like the starry sky appeared on the Ark.

"Creator, I have a question for you…"

In a few words, Lucas expressed his concerns and inquired about the situation beyond all things.

The Creator did not answer, instead asking, "Sorcerer Lucas, what is beyond Earth?"

"The Solar System."

"And beyond the Solar System?"

"Get to the point."

The Creator nodded. "Beyond Earth, within the Solar System, there are several Planets with environments and sizes similar to Earth but different."

"Beyond the Solar System, within the Milky Way Galaxy, there are hundreds of billions of star systems similar to and different from the Solar System."

"Earth is not alone in the Universe, and our Multiverse is not alone in the Omniverse."

"What is called 'beyond all things' is merely another 'within all things'."

Pausing, the Creator continued, "Sorcerer Lucas, you don't need to worry. It is Eternity who truly needs to worry."

"Even the smallest tiger is a carnivore, and even the largest buffalo is a herbivore. Eternity cannot harm you, but you have the potential to devour him completely."

Lucas shook his head, slightly puzzled. "There are many tigers in nature that die young before they grow up. Creator, my original intention was just to ask you about the situation beyond all things, to leave myself a fallback."

"But from your words, you seem to want to persuade me to stay?"

"Exactly." The Creator nodded.

He asked, "On Earth, there is a comic series called 'Superman', has Sorcerer Lucas heard of it?"

Lucas nodded.

Superman is a big IP, both before and after traversing.

Seeing this, the Creator nodded, then asked, "On Earth, there is also a comic series called 'Dragon Ball', has Sorcerer Lucas heard of it?"

Lucas nodded again.

Dragon Ball is also a big IP.

The Creator explained, "Sorcerer Lucas, you are to this Multiverse as Superman and Goku are to Earth. You can either bring trouble and danger to the Multiverse, or you can become its Guardian."

"Goku just eats a lot. He can't eat up Earth, but I'm different." Lucas shook his head, pointing out the flaw in the Creator's analogy.

"Aren't you afraid I'm a Celestials' cub?"

The birth of every new Celestial requires a large amount of energy from intelligent life. When the Celestials are fully developed, they will hatch from within the Planet. This means the complete destruction of a living Planet.

"You won't." The Creator shook his head.

He had observed Lucas for a long time and understood his character quite well.

"But I have this ability. Even if I don't now, I will in the future."

"So Eternity fears you, but I don't. I have already perished." The Creator chuckled.

He suddenly suggested, "Sorcerer Lucas, I have a suggestion."

"Kill Eternity."

"What?!" X3

Like a bolt from the blue, this suggestion from the Creator made Lucas, Strange, and Tony all a bit unsettled, and the three looked at each other.