Arishem

Yesterday, when I had nothing to do, I glanced at the first few chapters and noticed that the "he" in Arishem's name was always written as "she"...

Please forgive me, typing on a mobile phone sometimes makes it difficult to pay attention to these details.

I'll revise it when I have time.

The day after the transplant was completed.

The sun shines brightly on a farm in South Dakota.

Sersi sat on the porch steps, holding a cup of hot tea, watching Gilgamesh and the Druig wrestle in the courtyard.

The two remained locked in a stalemate for almost five minutes, their faces flushed, neither willing to let go. Thena leaned against the doorframe, a glass of red wine in her hand, a faint smile on her lips, watching these two clowns.

Phastos was squatting in the corner of the yard, with a pile of disassembled electronic components in front of him and a soldering iron in his hand, modifying his surveillance computer.

Ajak stood by the wheat field, eyes closed, his mental energy extending into the depths of the universe, establishing a connection with that distant, barren planet. The embryo's condition was stable, the Soul Stone and Mind Stone were supplying energy normally, energy fluctuations were within the expected range, and the adaptation period was progressing smoothly.

Everything was peaceful.

It was so calm it felt almost unreal.

The burden of seven thousand years has been lifted so easily.

It felt like waking up from a very long nightmare to find the sun shining brightly and everything normal.

But Sersi could never be completely at ease.

She knew this wasn't over yet.

Arishem.

The Celestials Judges who created them and gave them their mission will eventually discover that the embryos have been removed. What will happen then, no one knows.

Lynn said he was confident, but she had seen too many "confident" things turn out to be "unexpected."

She looked up and glanced at the sky.

Blue sky and white clouds, gentle breeze and bright sunshine, nothing at all.

But she always felt that something was coming from the depths of the universe toward Earth.

SSC Base, Lynn's Room.

Lynn leaned against the headboard, her eyes closed, the six gems on her chest emitting a faint glow.

The transplant procedure took a toll on him, and he has been recovering for the past three days.

Natasha sat on a chair by the bed, flipping through a magazine, glancing up at him every now and then.

Natasha asked, "Still not recovered?"

"That's about it."

Lynn opened his eyes, moved his wrists, and found that the power of the six gems had recovered to about 70%, and his mental strength had almost fully recovered as well. He could easily undergo another transplant.

Natasha put down her magazine and looked at him. "Will that Arishem you mentioned come?"

"Yes."

Lynn's tone was certain; "The embryo's energy fluctuations changed drastically, there's no way he wouldn't have noticed. The Celestials monitor their embryos very closely, especially those that are nearing maturity. He should already be on his way."

How much longer?

Lynn thought for a moment, "Soon. Although the Celestials move quickly, it would still take at least a few days for them to travel from deep space to Earth. It's been three days since the transplant was completed, so I estimate... at most two more days."

Natasha was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Are you confident?"

Lynn smiled, "You've asked me about this eight hundred times since I first told you."

I'm worried.

Natasha didn't shy away from the question. "You said Arishem is Celestials, and although I don't know what the Celestials are, he's definitely not on the same level as the villains you've dealt with before."

Lynn sat up, reached out and took her hand. "Six Infinity Stones, my own abilities, Odin's divine power, Kamar-Taj's magic. Combined, even if I can't defeat Arishem, I can at least make him think twice. And besides, he hasn't lost anything."

What does """ mean?

"An embryo transplanted to a barren planet can still grow, and fifty years later, it will still manifest Emergence, and a new celestial being will still be born. For the Celestials, there is no real loss. The only difference is that Earth wasn't destroyed. If Arishem insists on pursuing this, it's really just a matter of face. Someone changed his plans without his permission. But matters of face are negotiable."

Natasha looked at him, the worry in her eyes fading somewhat. "You're always like this, thinking everything through so clearly."

"There's nothing we can do."

Lynn smiled. "I promised to protect the Earth, so I have to think things through."

Just then, the alarm in the room suddenly went off.

JARVIS's voice came through the speaker, tinged with an unusual urgency. " Mr. Lynn, an unusual energy fluctuation has been detected. Originating from outer space. An extremely large energy body is rapidly approaching Earth and is expected to enter the atmosphere in twelve minutes."

Lynn and Natasha stood up at the same time.

"Energy level?" Lynn asked.

"Unable to accurately assess." JARVIS's voice was somewhat grave, "Far exceeding any previously recorded target. Based on energy characteristic comparison, the match rate with the Celestials data provided by the Eternals is ninety-seven percent."

A slight smile appeared on Lynn's lips, "Here they come."

Twelve minutes later.

The sky over North America darkened.

There were no dark clouds, nor was it a solar eclipse, but rather a massive, suffocating shadow that slowly pressed down from above the atmosphere. The shadow's outline resembled a human figure, but its size was beyond imagination.

Dark gold armor covered its body, engraved with intricate, circuit-like patterns. Its head had two enormous, backward-curving horn-like structures, and its face was covered by a flowing energy barrier, obscuring its features. However, one could sense two star-like gazes looking down upon Earth from high above.

Arishem.

Celestials Judges.

He hovered above the atmosphere, his enormous body casting a shadow that covered most of North America. On the ground, countless people looked up, their faces filled with fear and bewilderment. Videos taken on cell phones instantly spread across social media, news channels interrupted their broadcasts, and the world's attention was focused on the skies above North America.

But Arishem paid no attention to those insignificant humans.

His senses penetrated directly through the earth's crust and reached its core. Then, he "saw" it.

The Earth's core is hollow.

The embryo he had planted himself was gone.

Arishem's body trembled slightly. Anger surged up within him.

An immense, suffocating pressure emanated from him, causing the entire atmosphere to tremble. The clouds over North America were instantly dispersed, glass on the ground shattered, and some structurally weak buildings even developed cracks.

Panic gripped the world.

On the streets of New York, pedestrians screamed and scattered in panic, cars collided and crashed, and subway stations were packed with people. In Washington, the Pentagon urgently activated the highest level of defense protocol, and fighter jet formations took off from various bases, but faced with a presence larger than the city above the atmosphere, these fighter jets were as laughable as mosquitoes.

World leaders' hotlines were inundated with calls, and the United Nations World Security Council convened an emergency meeting, but no one knew what to do. Faced with such a colossal entity, all of humanity's weapons seemed like toys.

Inside the SSC base, Tony Stark stared grimly at the enormous energy reading on the holographic screen. He pressed the communication button. " Lynn, did you see that?"

"I saw it."

Lynn's voice came through the communicator, calmly. " Arishem. I'm heading to South Dakota now; the person he's looking for is there."

Tony asked, "Need support? I can send some armor over."

"No need. At this level of confrontation, armored vehicles would only cause trouble. Do me a favor: notify governments worldwide not to use any weapons to attack Arishem. He's only questioning us right now; he hasn't made any move yet. If someone impulsively launches a missile, that would be the real disaster."

"I understand."

Tony immediately began coordinating.

Arishem lowered his head, his gaze fixed on a farm in South Dakota.

On the farm, everyone looked up.

Even through the atmosphere, they could clearly feel Arishem's presence. It was a kind of pressure ingrained in their bones, a pressure from the creator, that made their bodies instinctively want to kneel down.

Ajak's face turned pale. He had lived for seven thousand years, and this was only the second time he had faced Arishem so closely. The last time was seven thousand years ago, when Arishem created them.

"He's here."

Ajak's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Sersi's hands trembled slightly. Thena gripped the short sword at her waist, Gilgamesh stood in front of Sersi, and the Druig's expression was also grim. Phastos took off his glasses, wiped them, and then put them back on, his fingers shaking.

Just then, a portal opened in the courtyard, and Lynn walked out.

He looked up at the enormous shadow above the atmosphere and whistled. "It's bigger than I imagined."

Ajak looked at him, " Lynn. He's found you."

"I know."

Lynn nodded, her tone calm, "Don't panic. I'll handle it."

Just then, a deep, thunderous voice descended from the sky and resounded directly in everyone's minds.

Ajak.

That was Arishem's voice. It acted directly on consciousness. Every word was like a mountain pressing down, making it hard to breathe.

Where is the embryo I implanted?

Ajak took a deep breath, stepped forward, and looked up at the enormous figure in the sky. " Arishem, I..."

"I asked, where is the embryo?"

Arishem's voice grew louder, making the pebbles on the ground vibrate slightly. "Don't avoid the issue."

Ajak's lips moved, but he finally spoke, "It was removed."

There was a moment of silence in the sky.

Then, Arishem's voice rang out again, filled with suppressed rage. "Moved? Who gave you the authority to move the embryos of the Celestials?"

"It's me."

Lynn stepped forward, stood beside Ajak, and looked up at the enormous presence above the atmosphere. His body was as small as a speck of dust in front of Arishem, but his eyes were calm, without the slightest fear.

"I removed the embryos myself. It has nothing to do with them."

Lynn's voice wasn't loud, but under Arishem's imposing presence, every word was clearly uttered. "The person you're looking for is me."

Arishem's gaze shifted to Lynn.

Those two star-like gazes fell upon Lynn, carrying scrutiny and pressure. An ordinary person would have suffered a mental breakdown from just one glance from those gazes. But Lynn simply stood there, the six gems on his chest glowing faintly, shielding him from that mental pressure.

"Who are you?"

Arishem's voice held a hint of doubt. "A human? No... you have the aura of the Infinity Stones. Six... you've collected Six Infinity Stones?"

Lynn nodded. "I guess so. They're with me now."

Arishem remained silent.

He knew exactly what the Six Infinity Stones were. They were the six fundamental forces that existed at the birth of the universe, each possessing the power to rewrite the laws of the universe. Theoretically, anyone who collected all six could do anything.

But he had never heard of anyone who could have all six gems set in their body and remain unharmed.

"Where did you move the embryos?" Arishem asked again.

Lynn didn't hide anything. "On the edge of the Milky Way, a barren, rocky planet. No life, no civilization, a stable core, and the star still has billions of years left to live. An embryo can grow safely there, and fifty years later it will Emergence."

"Do you know what you're doing?"

Arishem's voice was filled with anger. " Emergence is the way the Celestials reproduce. The location, growth environment, and Emergence of each embryo's Manifestation are precisely calculated. Your unauthorized movement of the embryo may cause abnormal development or even death. The birth of a Celestials brings new stars, new galaxies, and new life to the universe. You may be destroying the future of the entire universe!"

"I didn't destroy anything."

Lynn shook his head. "I just changed its Cradle. The embryo is still growing; it will still Emergence in fifty years, and new gods will still be born. The only difference is that the Earth hasn't been destroyed."

"The destruction of the earth is part of Emergence."

Arishem's voice was icy. "Intelligent life on a planet is merely nourishment for an embryo's growth. Emergence, the planet crumbles, and new gods are born. This is the order of the universe, the law we have followed for billions of years. What right do you, a mere human, have to tamper with the plans of the Celestials?"

Lynn smiled. "Why should I? Because I promised someone I wouldn't let anyone destroy the Earth."

"The lives of seven billion people are insignificant on a cosmic scale."

Arishem's voice was devoid of emotion. "The birth of a new god will create thousands of planets with life, giving rise to trillions of intelligent beings. For the sake of seven billion people, is sacrificing trillions of lives worthwhile?"

"This isn't a question of whether it's worthwhile or not."

Lynn's tone became serious. "Putting aside the promises I made, those seven billion people aren't just numbers; they are living, breathing lives. They have their own stories, their own families, their own dreams. You can't use existing lives as nourishment just because it 'might' create more lives. And..."

He paused, then continued, "What you called 'possibles' are just possibilities. Whether the new gods will create life, and how much life they will create, are all unknowns. But the seven billion people on Earth are real. Destroying the certain present for an uncertain future doesn't make sense."

Arishem remained silent.

He had lived for countless billions of years, and this was the first time anyone had spoken to him like that.

In his mind, the Celestials ' plan was beyond question.

They established the order of the universe, they set the rules of life. No one has ever dared to question their decisions.