No one could refuse the Sorcerer Supreme's terms. Ikaris could not either, especially when this was nearly the weakest Time Point for the Eternals.
In the end, he agreed to trade the deaths of some of his people for the survival of others.
They had agreed to act after dinner. He and Thena would serve as guides, helping Deathstroke carry out targeted eliminations and kill those "Earth traitors" who had chosen the path of rebellion.
Still, he felt terrible. After all, he was the leader of all Eternals. Whether everyone acknowledged him was another matter, but as their nominal leader, he ought to have shouldered responsibility and led the entire race toward prosperity and comfort.
But now? The Eternals had nearly reached a dead end, and he still had to purge his own people personally. The feeling was difficult to put into words.
Not everyone could easily kill their own family. Though many Eternals had no direct blood ties, they had known one another for tens of thousands of years. Their relationship had long surpassed what family could describe.
But there was no choice. He had no options now, because the Sorcerer Supreme represented the Vishanti. If he wanted to slaughter every Eternal, he could probably do so with ease.
After the last battle in New York, many Eternals had secretly witnessed Oshtur's ultimate weapon—the ever-hungry, ever-greedy God Eater—return.
God Eater was now under Deathstroke's control. Perhaps all he needed to do was whistle, and that crazed monster would hunt any target to the ends of the earth.
Ikaris knew he was far weaker than Chthon. A being that could chase the Dark Demon God off Earth for millions of years was simply not something he could contend with.
More frightening still, God Eater was not out in the open.