Chapter 232 233: Gathering

Ikaris held Sersi in his arms, flying higher and higher.

Mavuika looked down at the rock trapping his feet, then lifted his foot gently; the rock shattered like tofu beneath him, and he walked out unscathed.

Thor stomped his foot hard, causing the rock beneath him to explode, sending debris flying in all directions. He cursed, then looked up at the sky, where Ikaris and Sersi had already become two tiny black dots.

"They ran away." Thor was unwilling to let it go.

Hela glanced at Mavuika, her eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

"Why did you let them leave?"

Her tone wasn't accusatory, but puzzled; she knew that if they wanted to keep those two, it would have been impossible for them to get away.

Mavuika patted Hela on the shoulder, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "The situation has changed a bit."

Hela looked at him.

Mavuika continued, "I originally thought these Eternals were all clear about their mission, but now it seems that isn't the case. That woman named Sersi, she really doesn't know there is a God embryo inside Earth. Her shock wasn't fake. And that Ikaris—"

Thor walked over, carrying his hammer, a look of unwillingness still on his face. "So what do we do now? Chase after them?"

Mavuika shook his head. "No need."

"Instead of hunting them down one by one, it's better to let them gather together themselves."

...

In the distance, Ikaris, holding Sersi, had already disappeared over the horizon.

The mountain wind blew, the whimpering of the pine forest sounding like an ancient dirge.

Hundreds of kilometers above the clouds, Ikaris held Sersi, flying at an extreme speed.

Sersi was held tightly in his arms, her hands gripping his clothes, her eyes watching the land rushing by below.

Her mind was still echoing with those images: Ajak's corpse, the wound on her chest, Ikaris's accusation, Mavuika's calm gaze.

"Ikaris." Sersi spoke, her voice somewhat blurred by the wind.

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure it was them?"

Ikaris was silent for a moment.

"If not them, who else could it be?"

Sersi didn't answer; she didn't know the answer.

Ikaris adjusted his direction and flew south. The place he was going to was an island in the Indian Ocean, the hermitage of another one of their companions.

"We need to find everyone," Ikaris said.

"Kingo, Makkari, Druig, Phastos, Sprite—everyone. Tell them what happened, tell them Ajak is dead, tell them the enemy has arrived."

Sersi looked at him. "Enemy? Are you sure they are the enemy?"

Ikaris looked down at her, a complex light that Sersi couldn't read in his deep brown eyes.

"Ajak is dead, Sersi, killed by Fire. There is only one person on this Planet who can kill an Eternal with Fire. What more proof do you need?"

Sersi was silent.

Ikaris continued, "They finding you wasn't a coincidence. They want to use you to find all of us. Ajak was the first, you are the second."

Sersi's voice was very soft.

"But they didn't kill me."

Ikaris paused for a moment.

Sersi said, "If they wanted to kill me, they could have done it long ago. Whether it was that woman named Hela or Mavuika, I couldn't have stopped them."

Ikaris's brow furrowed.

"Maybe they have other plans. Maybe they want to use you to find the others and then wipe everyone out."

Sersi didn't argue. Maybe Ikaris was right, maybe Mavuika really was the enemy.

But there was a voice in her heart saying, No, that's not it.

She didn't know if that voice was intuition, stubbornness, or her inexplicable fondness for that red-haired woman.

She only knew that she didn't want to jump to conclusions so quickly.

Three days later, footsteps sounded behind Sersi.

Ikaris walked out of the woods, wearing that deep blue battle suit, the expression on his face still cold.

"They have all arrived."

Sersi turned and looked at him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Ikaris's brow furrowed slightly. "Do what?"

Sersi said, "Attack immediately, without giving them a chance to explain."

Ikaris looked at her. "Explain what? Ajak is dead, the murderer is right there, what more explanation is needed?"

Sersi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Ikaris's gaze made her swallow the words.

That look wasn't anger, wasn't sadness, but a colder, iron-like determination.

She had known Ikaris for thousands of years and knew that when he showed that look, no words could change his decision.

"Let's go." Ikaris turned and walked out of the woods.

Sersi followed behind him, her steps heavy.

On the beach, the others had already gathered.

Kingo leaned against a tree, his hands in his pockets, chewing on a grass stem.

Seeing Ikaris and Sersi walk over, he straightened up and spat out the grass stem.

"Everyone is here. Now can you tell us what exactly is going on?"

Makkari stood barefoot on the beach, her toes sinking into the damp sand. She looked at Ikaris without speaking, but her eyes were asking the same question.

Druig sat on a rock, hands resting on his knees, expressionless.

His emotion-sensing ability told him that there was a suppressed, intense anger on Ikaris, while there was confusion and hesitation on Sersi.

Phastos pushed a small cart, the equipment on it already in standby mode. He pushed up his glasses and looked at Ikaris.

"I received your message, it was very urgent, but I still don't know exactly what happened."

Sprite sat on Phastos's small cart, swinging her legs, looking like a bored Damselette, but her eyes were constantly observing the surrounding environment, illusions already coalescing at her fingertips, ready to be woven at any moment.

Gilgamesh stood by the sea with his arms crossed, facing the ocean. His back was like a mountain, silent and solid.

Tina stood beside Gilgamesh, her hands resting on the short sword at her waist, her eyes sharp, like an unsheathed blade.

Nine people, nine postures, nine moods. But all eyes were focused on Ikaris.

Ikaris stood before everyone and was silent for a second. Then he spoke, his voice low and clear, each word like a hammer striking an anvil.

"Ajak is dead."

The beach was silent for a moment. Everyone froze, as if struck by lightning, their brains unable to process this information for a moment.

"What?" Kingo's voice was tight. "What did you say?"

Ikaris repeated it. "Ajak is dead, she was killed."

Kingo stepped forward, his voice raised. "Who? Who could kill Ajak?"

Ikaris's gaze turned sharp. "Asgardians."

The beach was silent again.