The War God's Relic

Brad was a little worried.

Gods, and beings above even the Multiverse-this made him start to doubt himself.

Brad couldn't help wondering whether, after finally reaching the pinnacle of technology in the future, he had merely done all the hard work for that incorporeal Skynet.

And now that Ultron had obtained the Nanobugs, had that god already awakened?

His Skynet had mentioned that the god Skynet had fought another unknown Technology God for countless years. Where was that opponent now?

But Brad soon tucked those questions away.

As he was now, he couldn't even blow up Earth. What was the point of dwelling on all that?

He would be better off thinking about his earlier plans and carefully reviewing the path of development he had chosen.

Still, the affair with the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak had served as a warning.

In this place called Marvel, most supernatural powers outside the technological sphere seemed to belong to someone.

Sending his subordinates out to acquire them so casually had been rather rash.

So, with The Ancient One right there, Brad took the opportunity to ask a few questions.

He projected the locations of the other two supernatural substances he had discovered and asked the Sorcerer Supreme to identify them.

Brad had seen The Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, through Future Sight. She was undeniably worthy of respect, having constantly protected this universe from invasions by demonic gods from other dimensions. She was also very unlikely to turn evil, making her someone Brad could tentatively trust.

Her future successor as Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, was another matter. In Brad's Future Sight visions, that former surgeon had a fairly high chance of turning evil.

On average, he turned evil in two out of every ten possible futures. And because his power had such a high ceiling, he posed a tremendous threat to the entire universe.

In Brad's judgment, that made him someone who demanded extreme caution.

When The Ancient One saw the projected locations of the other two supernatural objects Brad had planned to excavate, she couldn't help giving him several extra looks.

Her expression even began to sour.

"This one."

The Ancient One pointed at the projection. "You'd best leave this one alone. It's called the Book of God. If I could throw it out of this universe by myself, I'd have tossed it out like garbage long ago."

"It alters reality, and the danger it poses is far too great. For example, a single sentence could erase every trace of you from this universe. Anything you created would disappear, and everyone who knew you would lose their memories of you."

"I suggest you forget about acquiring it. First, only someone with profound mastery of magic can use it. It's a magical treasure."

"You're the representative of a god of technology. No magical god or demonic god would be willing to have anything to do with you. You're effectively a Magic Insulator."

"Second... it's too powerful. It could erase even me. At present, and in every future I can see, no one exists who can withstand it."

"My original plan was to wait a few decades, until after I died, then contact my other selves across the Multiverse. Together, we would dismantle it and send it out of this universe. In the future, through the work of a creator god, it would become a mutant named Franklin."

"Of course, there's no telling yet which universe this Franklin would be born in."

"But now that you've discovered it ahead of time, the spell I placed to make everyone overlook its existence has automatically failed."

Brad swallowed hard. "Even a creator god is afraid of this thing?"

"It could erase even a creator god with a single sentence. No one knows where it came from. It's like something made as a joke."

The Ancient One watched Brad warily. Only after confirming that he had completely lost interest in excavating the Book of God did she breathe a small sigh of relief.

But the third supernatural object soon caught her attention.

"The War God's Handprint."

"The handprint of the War God, one of the Prehistoric Avengers."

"The Prehistoric Avengers?"

Brad repeated the name, making it clear that he was unfamiliar with it and interested.

"A group formed voluntarily by powerful figures in ancient times. Its members included my predecessor, Sorcerer Supreme Agamotto; a young All-Father Odin; the Panther God, who now slumbers in Wakanda; the Phoenix Force's first host on Earth; Kunlun's first Iron Fist; Starbrand, who is still alive today; the first Ghost Rider; and the War God, who traveled through time."

Brad thought back carefully. In the visions shown by Future Sight, he had seen Agamotto, Odin, Black Panther, Phoenix, Iron Fist... He remembered all those figures.

But who was the War God?

The Ancient One noticed his confusion.

"No one knows which era the War God came from."

"But since he appeared in prehistoric times, he predates even Apocalypse. That makes him the true first mutant."

"Interestingly, no one could figure out what his mutant ability was. Apparently, he once tried to explain it to Odin and the others, but Odin and the other Prehistoric Avengers said they couldn't understand it."

"He fought with nothing but his fists and feet."

"His physique was enough to leave gods awestruck. A single punch could even pierce a Celestial's armor."

"The Prehistoric Avengers fought the Celestials that came from space. Back then, the concept of the Multiverse wasn't yet clearly defined. Countless universes were chaotically intermingled, and countless Celestials constantly searched for inhabited planets, or planets with the potential to nurture life, to extract some sort of substance."

"All of this is recorded in Agamotto's notes. If you're interested in the War God, I can lend them to you."

Brad looked thoughtful. "So this thing isn't as dangerous as the first two?"

"I have no objection to you obtaining it. After all, most of the Prehistoric Avengers have successors today. The War God alone has none."

The Ancient One suddenly narrowed her eyes, looking for all the world like a cunning old fox. "But you won't get it easily."

"In addition to the War God's own seal, the War God's Handprint bears seals jointly placed by all the other Prehistoric Avengers. Unless you can find at least two of their present-day successors, you won't be able to obtain it."

"But if you're willing to do me a favor, I can go to Kunlun and persuade the current Iron Fist."

Brad scratched his head. He didn't seem to have any reason to refuse. He could simply treat it as a trade. Surely the esteemed Sorcerer Supreme wouldn't ask him for anything too difficult.

The Ancient One wanted Brad to accompany her and reinforce the seal on the Book of God.

They would use magic and technology together to confine it to that location. That way, even if a magician who had fallen into darkness found the Book of God in the future, it wouldn't be so easy to acquire.

Brad agreed.

Then, after a little bargaining, he obtained the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak.

An ordinary person couldn't control this thing, but he could.

After giving it some thought, The Ancient One handed the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak over to Brad.

The two then spent several days discussing how to arrange the seals and coordinate their efforts.

Brad's real-time projections made things quite convenient.

He needed to make some preparations, but now all he had to do was issue orders in his mind. He could stay at Kamar-Taj for a few more days himself.

Brad sent messages to Howard and the Hydra Base under his command, saying that he was away sightseeing for a few days. There was no need to look for him or worry.

He also asked Professor X, Charles, for a few days off. He had originally been due to return to the academy and start classes the day after tomorrow.

A week later, The Ancient One opened a portal.

Hundreds of Ultimate Nullifiers were already waiting there under Brad's orders.

The Ancient One gave them an interested glance, then began waving her hands, conjuring magic circles to lay down the seals.

Brad, meanwhile, directed the Ultimate Nullifier Army.

Time to get to work.

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