Chapter 161: Orion Cross’s Strange XP System

"These people..."

Orion Cross frowned deeply as he listened to Doctor Strange list one name after another.

"What’s wrong?"

Doctor Strange looked at Orion Cross in confusion.

Orion Cross had been acting strangely for a while now.

Still, because Strange trusted the Ancient One, he extended some of that trust to Orion Cross as well. He hadn’t concealed anything, nor had he asked why Orion Cross wanted to know all this.

Orion Cross shook his head without answering.

According to the original timeline, these people should have been among those who turned to dust.

In other words, everyone who was supposed to have been dusted was still alive.

Meanwhile, those who should have survived, such as Iron Man, the Hulk, and Captain America, had probably been turned to dust instead.

"What about Wanda? She’s strong enough to tear Thanos apart by herself. You didn’t bring her along?"

Orion Cross suddenly thought of something and asked.

If everyone who should have been dusted was still alive, then why hadn’t Wanda joined this time-travel mission?

"Wanda? Who?"

Doctor Strange wore the exact same expression he had when Orion Cross mentioned Nebula earlier.

"Huh?"

Orion Cross’s eyes widened.

Fine, maybe no one had heard of Nebula. She wasn’t from Earth, after all. But now, even the Scarlet Witch of this parallel universe was unknown?

"Then what about Carol Danvers and Natasha Romanoff? Have you heard either of those names?"

This time, it wasn’t Orion Cross asking, but the Ancient One.

The two people she named were both supposed to survive the Snap. Following the development of this parallel world, they should therefore have been turned to dust.

"Never heard of them."

Doctor Strange searched his memory for a moment before shaking his head.

"I understand."

The Ancient One flicked her sleeve and grasped at empty space. A book appeared in her hand.

"You understand what?"

Orion Cross stared at her blankly.

Doctor Strange had much the same expression. Even now, he still didn’t understand what Orion Cross and the Ancient One’s questions actually meant. He had simply been answering them.

"Because of your transdimensional magic, any existence that might become connected to you undergoes isotopic fusion, causing all their parallel counterparts to converge into a single existence."

The Ancient One placed the book on the table and waved her hand. Its pages began flipping rapidly before stopping on one particular page.

"Could you say that in normal human language?"

Orion Cross scratched his ear.

Who was supposed to understand all these obscure terms from ancient magical texts?

Orion Cross didn’t understand, but Doctor Strange, who had read the book before, immediately grasped what the Ancient One meant. He stared at Orion Cross in shock. bdfg.

"Isotopic fusion and convergence into one mean that across all parallel universes, only a single version of that existence remains."

Doctor Strange explained the terminology with astonishment in his eyes, then voiced his disbelief. "But something like this should only happen to a tiny number of dimensional demon gods with extremely high existences. How could..."

According to the Ancient One, these beings who had converged into one weren’t powerful enough to transcend everything on their own.

Simply because they might become entangled with Orion Cross, they had somehow gained this effect?

Then just what level of existence was Orion Cross himself?

And what exactly was this transdimensional magic the Ancient One claimed had caused all of this?

Doctor Strange sank into endless confusion.

"If that’s the case, how do you exist? Are you saying I’ll have absolutely nothing to do with you in the future?"

Orion Cross asked in puzzlement.

"Ahem."

The moment Orion Cross asked that question, the Ancient One patted him on the shoulder from behind.

Orion Cross turned around and found her expression slightly awkward.

"What I said just now was a little vague, so you misunderstood me completely."

"Hm?"

A question mark practically appeared over Orion Cross’s head.

"What she means is that the condition for isotopic fusion isn’t merely someone who might have something to do with you. It’s someone who might have that kind of relationship with you."

Doctor Strange rolled his eyes and helped explain what the Ancient One meant.

When Orion Cross had asked him that question just now, Strange had almost thought Orion Cross swung both ways.

"WHAT?!"

Orion Cross stared blankly at them.

"Don’t get worked up. It’s only a possibility."

Seeing Orion Cross’s expression, Doctor Strange hurriedly tried to calm him down. "I’ll be returning to my own universe soon anyway. No one will ever know that you’re sexually interested in a ’blue-skinned woman who’s been almost completely turned into a machine.’"

Doctor Strange deliberately reused Orion Cross’s own description of Nebula from earlier.

"STOP! Stop!"

Orion Cross frowned.

"It’s only a possibility, right? Not guaranteed?"

Orion Cross admitted that his XP system might be a little different from an ordinary person’s, but his standards of beauty were still those of an Earthling. How could he possibly bring himself to make a move on a bald, blue-skinned cyborg woman?

And earlier, the Ancient One had asked about Carol and Natasha, only for neither of them to exist here either...

"Damn it."

Orion Cross immediately felt a headache coming on.

Thankfully, there were only three people here. One was about to leave this universe, while the other didn’t have much longer to live. Otherwise, Orion Cross’s dignity would have been completely destroyed.

"That’s right. It’s only a possibility."

Doctor Strange nodded cooperatively, then continued, "It’s like how Stark might sleep with every cover girl of the month, but still end up missing one or two of them."

"I’m starting to think you don’t want the Time Stone anymore."

Orion Cross stared expressionlessly at Strange.

"My fault. My fault."

Doctor Strange immediately surrendered, raising both hands while barely suppressing his laughter.

He never would have imagined that such a terrifying existence of such an absurdly high level could actually have a side like this.

"Lend it to him. Tony’s daughter shouldn’t have to grow up without a father, even if she belongs to a parallel universe."

Orion Cross glanced at Strange and sighed.

As long as Thanos from this world didn’t go over there, all they had to do on Strange’s side was snap their fingers once and everyone would come back. There was practically no risk.

Originally, that bastard Tony had died after snapping his fingers, leaving Pepper and his daughter Morgan behind as a widow and an orphan.

Now that he had been turned to dust instead, he wouldn’t need to fulfill that fate anymore...

Wait.

Something didn’t seem right.

Orion Cross suddenly realized a serious problem.

Hadn’t Tony’s daughter been born after the Snap?!

Sure enough, Doctor Strange’s expression instantly became strange and horrified as he stared at Orion Cross.

"Tony Stark doesn’t have a daughter."

Clearly, Doctor Strange believed that Tony Stark had no daughter in his world because Orion Cross might potentially make a move on her, causing isotopic fusion.

That was...

Way too depraved, wasn’t it?

Seeing Strange’s expression, Orion Cross gave a helpless smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I feel like beating you up first. Is that okay?"

Before Doctor Strange could finish speaking, Orion Cross grabbed him and hurled him through a portal.

From the other side came a beast-like roar.