With MUSIC to break into Marvel

Amid the lingering music, Clark strolled along the street, reminiscing about the myriad events that had transpired around him over the past twenty years.

Rather than mourning the will of the universe's source, it felt more like he was paying tribute to his own bygone youth.

By the time Clark's mood settled and he returned to the Avengers' base, the first-ever "Superhero Alliance" friendly match between the main universe and the mutant parallel universe had been temporarily halted.

Disrupting the match was the famously returned Tony Stark, who, after a months-long journey in space, had completed his cosmic honeymoon with Pepper and returned to the Avengers' base.

It wasn't just Tony's return that paused the ongoing friendly match, but what he brought back from space demanded everyone's immediate attention.

It was a gigantic alien mechanical lifeform's corpse, which, upon examination by Dr. Strange, was confirmed to be a member of the Celestial Order!

A Celestial's death often signaled major events in the universe. In light of this, a friendly esports match seemed trivial to these real-life superheroes.

Seeing the immense corpse of the Celestial, even Clark's expression turned grave.

Hadn't the old man just asked him to protect this universe, and now a significant event was unfolding?

It seemed he really was doomed to a life of toil.

"Clark." Dr. Strange approached as soon as he saw Clark appear. "Among us, you have the highest realm and the broadest perspective. Can you discern what exactly happened from this corpse?"

Clark replied with a serious tone, "He was killed by someone, an enemy of formidable strength."

Tony, overhearing this, quipped, "Even I could tell that much."

Clark then turned to Tony with interest, "Are you sure you've brought back everything you found, with no omissions?"

"It's what I found, fair and square," Tony retorted, seizing the chance to gain the upper hand in the conversation with a smug grin. "But, if you ask nicely..."

"No need..." Clark dismissed with a wave of his hand, "Whatever you found probably isn't of much research value. Keep it and study it at your leisure."

"In fact, that's all I can see," Clark shrugged helplessly. "Perhaps the enemy we're about to face is far more powerful than anyone can anticipate?"

Since assimilating the six Infinity Stones, Clark could usually discern the full scope of any matter from mere fragments. Only two things had eluded him: the pervasive sadness across the multiverse, now attributed to the departure of the universal will, and the cause of this Celestial's death.

Normally, the death of one or two Celestials in the vast universe was no big deal—they had died before.

However, the trouble lay in the fact that Clark could discern no clear cause or consequence from this Celestial's corpse!

All he could see was Tony finding the body, taking some insignificant items from it, and then discussing the future of humanity with Pepper on a rather shallow level.

At Clark's level, the only things that could obscure his vision were related to forces equal or superior to his own power.

It was clear that the crisis now before Clark far surpassed any previous ones, including the Dormammu crisis, and its magnitude was exponentially greater!

This was why, although Clark could see that Tony was withholding something, he wasn't concerned.

A being of that caliber wouldn't leave behind any valuable clues, and as for powerful artifacts? Those were the stuff of his novels.

Trying a different approach, Clark decided to resurrect the unfortunate Celestial. Such an act would have been unthinkable for him in the past, but now, it required just a thought.

"I... I am still alive..." The Celestial, easily revived by Clark, sat up from the tarmac of the Avengers' base. Upon seeing Clark nearby, he swiftly stood and bowed respectfully, "Recorder thanks the God of Vengeance for his salvation!"

Clark nodded and casually asked, "Do you remember who killed you?"

The Celestial named Recorder paused as if his circuits had shorted, and after a long moment, he regained his composure and replied, "I only remember performing my duties, then being successfully revived by you, the God of Vengeance. As for what happened in between and how I died, I can recall nothing."

Though the answer was unsatisfactory, Clark wasn't overly concerned since it was somewhat expected.

"Nodding, he said, "Go back to your duties; there's nothing more for you here."

The Celestial nodded, then as if remembering something, he asked Clark, "God of Vengeance. Earth is also within my designated observation and recording territory. I was planning to check on it in a few years, but now that I'm here..."

God damn it, he's already here! Clark knew Earth had its share of good and bad, and by the Celestial's standards, who knew what kind of

 unnecessary trouble could arise.

Though Clark wasn't afraid of the Celestial, he certainly didn't want the extra hassle.

So he calmly replied with four words: "It's not necessary."

"Very well!" The Celestial, whose body and mind resembled mechanical systems, accepted commands from Clark, a deity of a much higher order. Clark's dismissal functioned like a terminal command, and without hesitation, the Celestial agreed and soared into the cosmos.

As the Celestial left the atmosphere, a silver figure passed by him and headed straight for the Avengers' base.

Feeling the familiar presence, Clark's brow furrowed.

The Silver Surfer!

What was he doing on Earth this time?

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