Arishem remained silent.
She had lived for countless billions of years, and this was the first time anyone had spoken to her like this.
In her mind, the Celestials ' plan was beyond question. They were the ones who established the order of the universe and set the rules of life. No one had ever... dared to question her decision.
But this human not only questioned her, but also dissected her logic and refuted it point by point.
Even if what you say makes sense...
Arishem's voice softened slightly, but remained authoritative. "You have no right to make this decision on your own. The Embryo is the property of the Celestials; moving it requires our permission. If you can move the Embryo without permission today, someone else can kill it without permission tomorrow. If this sets a precedent, the order of the Celestials will collapse."
"So you're not worried about the embryo, but about saving face? You're afraid someone will imitate you, afraid your authority will be challenged."
Arishem did not deny it.
Silence fell over the sky once more.
Just then, a figure flew at high speed from a distance and landed on the farm.
It's Ikaris.
He wore the armor of the Eternals, glanced at Ajak and the others with a complicated expression, then knelt on one knee and bowed his head toward Arishem in the sky.
Ikaris's voice was devout. "I was not involved in their plan. I have always been loyal to you, loyal to the mission of the Celestials. These people have betrayed you, moving the embryo without permission. I beg you, judge them, and make them pay for their actions."
The atmosphere in the courtyard changed instantly.
Sersi looked at Ikaris in disbelief. " Ikaris? You...?"
"I did what I was supposed to do."
Ikaris stood up, looking at Sersi with pain in his eyes, but even more so with determination. "Our mission is to manifest ourselves; it is a responsibility bestowed upon us by the Celestials Emergence. You betrayed the God who created us for the sake of human life—this is unforgivable."
"Mission?"
Thena sneered and stepped forward. "Seven thousand years have passed. We've watched humanity progress from the Stone Age to today, watched them be born, grow, fall in love, and sacrifice. You..."
Ikaris's voice trembled slightly as he asked, "Tell me, these are all 'nourishment'? Ikaris, tell me honestly, do you really think the Emergence is right?"
"Whether I'm right or wrong isn't important. What's important is that this is the will of the Celestials. We were created by her, and our existence is to carry out her orders. To question her will is to question the meaning of our existence."
"That's enough."
Arishem's voice descended from the sky, interrupting their argument.
Ikaris.
His gaze fell on Ikaris. "I've seen your loyalty. But this matter isn't as simple as you think."
Ikaris was stunned. " Arishem?"
Arishem ignored him and looked at Lynn again. "You said the embryo is developing normally on the Nova. I need to confirm."
"Okay." Lynn nodded, raised his right hand, and a blue beam of light shot into the sky, unfolding a huge holographic projection above the atmosphere. The projection showed a real-time view of the desolate planet. The dark golden embryo lay quietly deep in the Earth's core, its thoracic cavity pulsating at a stable frequency, enveloped by the light of the Soul Stone and the Mind Stone, its energy fluctuations steady.
Arishem's senses swept across the projection, confirming the authenticity of the data.
The embryo is indeed developing normally, and in fact, because the Nova's core is larger and more stable, its growth environment is even better than that of Earth.
Lynn said, "The adaptation period is three months. After three months, it will be fully adapted to the new environment, at which point the Soul Stone and Mind Stone can be removed. Its subsequent growth will be no different from when it was on Earth. Fifty years later, the Emergence will occur normally."
Arishem remained silent for a long time.
She is evaluating.
Assess the credibility of this human's claims, evaluate the risks of embryo transfer, and assess the cost of waging war against this human.
Six Infinity Stones.
She knew what this meant. If a fight really broke out, she might not win. Even if she did, it would come at a huge cost. The Celestials had a limited number of members, and each one was precious. It wasn't worth fighting against someone who could collect all six gems for a fact that was already irreversible.
More importantly, the embryo is indeed still developing normally. The deed is done, and even if she kills these people, she can't move the embryo back to Earth—moving it back might actually damage it due to environmental changes.
But she couldn't just let it go.
Authority must be upheld.
"I can accept what's done is done," Arishem's voice finally rang out again, "But on conditions."
Everyone in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief.
Lynn raised an eyebrow. "You say."
"First, you are responsible for monitoring the embryo's development," Arishem's voice was authoritative. "If the embryo develops abnormally or fails to Emergence normally due to the transfer, you will bear full responsibility. I will come to you personally then."
Lynn nodded, "Okay. I was planning to take full responsibility anyway."
Arishem continued, "Secondly, this matter ends here, and there can be no second time. You are not allowed to interfere with the embryos that the Celestials have planted elsewhere for any reason. If something similar happens again, I will consider it a declaration of war against the Celestials."
Lynn thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I only care about Earth; I don't concern myself with the affairs of other planets."
Arishem's gaze shifted to the Eternals; "they."
Ajak's body stiffened.
"They disobeyed my orders and assisted you in moving the embryo without authorization."
Arishem's voice was icy. "According to the laws of the Celestials, they should be destroyed."
"No," Lynn said immediately. "I was the one who initiated this; they just helped a little. Punish me if you must, it has nothing to do with them."
Arishem's voice held a hint of amusement, "Punish you? You think I can't punish you?"
Lynn didn't speak, but the six gems on her chest shone a little brighter.
The sky fell silent for a few more seconds.
Then, Arishem's voice rang out. "Very well. Their lives can be spared. But the Eternals ' mission ends here. From this day forward, they are no longer agents of the Celestials, no longer need to guard the Embryo, and are no longer under my command. Their actions from now on are none of my concern."
Sersi's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
free.
For the first time in seven thousand years, they had heard this word.
Ajak closed his eyes, and two lines of tears slid down his cheeks. The burden of seven thousand years, the mission of seven thousand years, was finally completely lifted at this moment.
Thena's hands trembled slightly. She lowered the short sword from her waist and a relieved smile appeared on her lips.
Gilgamesh slapped the Druig hard on the shoulder. The Druig cursed, but his eyes were red.
Phastos took off his glasses, wiped his eyes, then put them back on, muttering to himself, "Free... we're free..."
But Ikaris did not laugh.
He stood there, his expression shifting from shock to bewilderment, and finally to emptiness.
You are free.
His lifelong beliefs, mission, and meaning of existence completely collapsed when Arishem uttered the words "I am free."
He was loyal to the Celestials and to his mission, even at the cost of standing against his own comrades. But in the end, Arishem himself revoked their mission and granted them their freedom.
What about his seven thousand years of perseverance?
Ikaris didn't speak, turned around, and slowly flew into the sky.
" Ikaris!" Sersi called out.
Ikaris did not turn back. His figure grew smaller and smaller until he finally disappeared into the clouds.
No one chased after him.
Everyone has their own path to walk. After his faith collapsed, he needed time and space.
Arishem's gaze finally settled on Lynn.
"Human." Her voice carried a complex emotion. "What's your name?"
Lynn.
" Lynn," Arishem repeated the name. "I'll remember you. I'll remember what you said today, I'll remember your promise. If there are any problems with the embryo, I'll come back to you."
"You're welcome anytime."
Lynn smiled. "But next time, could you perhaps come somewhere else? You just shattered all the windows in North America; I'll have to pay for the repairs."
There was a moment of silence in the sky.
Then, Arishem's body slowly rose, and the enormous shadow receded from the skies over North America. Sunlight returned, and the clouds gathered again, as if nothing had happened.
Only the shattered glass on the ground and the still-shaken people testified to the existence of the standoff that had just taken place.
The farm was quiet for a long time.
Then, Sersi was the first to burst into tears.
Seven thousand years of waiting, seven thousand years of struggle, seven thousand years of mission, have finally come to an end today.
Ajak walked over and gently embraced her. Thena also came over, and the three of them hugged each other.
Gilgamesh and Druig stood to the side, their smiles barely concealed despite not crying. Phastos squatted on the ground, hugging his modified computer, crying like a child.
Lynn stood to the side, watching all this with a faint smile on her lips.
Ajak released Sersi, walked up to Lynn, and bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
Her voice was still choked with emotion, "For seven thousand years, we've always thought the Emergence was inevitable. You gave us another possibility, you gave us freedom."
Lynn waved his hand, "No need to thank me. I just did what I was supposed to do. Besides, you all helped a lot."
Lynn glanced at the sky; Arishem had completely vanished.
He knew this wasn't entirely over. The embryo would undergo an adaptation period of three more months, followed by fifty years of continuous monitoring until the Emergence occurred normally. Although Arishem had accepted the fait accompli, he was certainly still observing from the shadows.
But at least, the most dangerous hurdle has passed.
Earth is safe, the Eternals are free, and the embryo is developing normally.
This is the best possible outcome.
That evening, Lynn returned to the SSC base.
Natasha was waiting for him in the room. Seeing him return, she stood up and looked him up and down. "Are you alright?"
Lynn walked over and sat down beside her. "It's alright. It's settled. The condition is that I'll be responsible for monitoring the embryos, and I won't interfere in the affairs of other planets in the future."
Natasha nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
The day after Arishem left.
SSC Base, Lynn's Room.
Lynn leaned against the headboard, the six gems on his chest emitting a faint light, slowly replenishing the power he had expended the day before.
"What are you thinking about?" Natasha noticed he was lost in thought.
Lynn frowned. "I reached an agreement with Arishem yesterday; the embryo issue is resolved. But there's a potential problem."
What are the potential risks?
"Follow suit."
Lynn sat up. "Imagine," he said, "A human, carrying Six Infinity Stones, forced the Celestials Inquisitors to compromise and even removed the embryo. If word got out, what would those with some power and ambition in the universe think? They'd think, 'Oh, so the Celestials aren't so bad after all; embryos aren't so immovable after all.' Then, even more people would covet embryos on other planets."
Natasha's expression changed. "You mean...?"
Lynn nodded. " Arishem's concerns were valid; once a precedent is set, others will follow suit. Although she promised not to pursue the matter, the impact has already spread. Yesterday, her arrival on Earth caused such a huge commotion; countless eyes in the universe were watching. Although they didn't know the specifics of what happened, they could guess it was related to the Celestials embryo."
"So what do you plan to do?"
Lynn's tone was calm. "A battle is needed. A battle between me and Arishem, a battle where the embryo-transplanter is badly wounded and forced to retreat."
Natasha was stunned. "Are you crazy? You just reached an agreement yesterday, and you're going to fight again today?"
Lynn smiled. "It wasn't a real fight. It was just for show. Think about it, if the result was 'the person who had the transplanted embryo fought the Celestials, was severely injured, and fled, almost dying in space,' who would dare to touch the Celestials ' embryos in the future? Arishem would save face, maintain his authority, and deter those who would follow suit. It was a win-win situation, and it also avoided future trouble."
Natasha was still worried. "Then you don't have to actually fight. Just put on a show, okay?"
"I can't act it out."
Lynn shook his head. "The aftershocks of a battle Celestials can spread hundreds of light-years. Countless powerful figures are secretly observing. It's easy to tell if it's a real fight or not. Besides, to make others believe I've truly lost, I need to genuinely suffer an injury. The more serious the injury, the better the effect."
Natasha looked at him, her eyes full of worry. "Can't you try another way?"
Lynn reached out and ruffled her hair. "This is the best way. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Arishem can roughly sense my strength; she won't, and wouldn't, really go all out. Besides, I also want to test just how powerful I am now."
Natasha remained silent for a long time, finally only sighing, "Be careful."
"Okay." Lynn smiled, stood up, and said, "I'm leaving."
He raised his right hand, activating the power of the Space Stone, sensing Arishem's presence from yesterday, and a portal opened in the room.
Lynn stepped inside and disappeared into the light.