552. The First Mission.

Amid the shattered spatial turbulence, a train violently plowed through, with countless sparks bursting from the outside, merging into the fragments and turning into glowing specks.

Franklin gripped the handrail beside him, using all his strength to stabilize the front of the train. However, the shattered magical shield indicated that he was already at his limit.

"Stark's magic is about to fail. It must have been damaged when we broke through the spatial rift earlier. If we don't restart the shield, the entire front of the train will lose control under the influence of the spatial turbulence," Brainstorm said, her voice tinged with urgency as she looked at the flashing warning alerts on the console.

Tony Stark's research into magic had indeed made significant progress over the years, but in a world where most forms of magic had been lost, it was difficult for him to recreate the magical wonders of the past.

Facing spatial turbulence, something he had never dealt with before, Stark had used every spell available to him. But with the rapid consumption of energy, the magical shields were continuously shattering.

"I'm doing my best," Franklin wiped the sweat from his brow, already exhausted from adjusting the rails and controlling the direction of the train.

"Don't worry about the shield, Franklin. Just focus all your energy on controlling the route. Leave the rest to me." Alex silently supported Franklin.

In the next moment, a holy white light erupted from Alex's head, and a radiant cross appeared outside the front of the train, restoring the shattered magical shield.

With the power to withstand the pressure of the broken space, a simple Seraphic Shield wouldn't have been enough. But when it came to magic, it depended on who wielded it.

After awakening the purest energy within his body, the Seraphic Shield exploded with incredible durability, firmly blocking all the incoming space debris.

Seeing that the greatest threat had been neutralized, Brainstorm finally let out a sigh of relief.

Thinking back to the raging fire earlier, she still felt a sense of unease. "I knew unfamiliar dimensions were dangerous, but I thought the divine realm would be more beautiful."

"Perhaps the divine realm was once beautiful, but everything changed after that battle," Alex shook his head slightly. "But we've been lucky. Since we've pinpointed the Black Panther God's dimension, it means we're also very close to other divine realms."

"You want to bring the realms of the gods back to the real world? I thought your goal was to acquire resources from those magic-rich dimensions," Brainstorm blinked in surprise.

"Those are certainly part of my goals, but if possible, I think bringing back the gods is more important. The wastelands need these great powers now more than ever."

Alex sat back in his seat, his voice deep.

"Do you know what kind of disaster this universe has been facing ever since the Church of Cosmic Truth and the Planet Devourers left? Famine, cold waves, natural disasters... these aren't just 'Earth's specialties'; nearly half the universe is in peril."

"You're saying these disasters are connected to the Planet Devourers?" Brainstorm quickly understood what Alex was implying.

"I can't be sure, but I'm certain that the universe has changed since the Planet Devourers left. The Guardians of the Galaxy can't help so many civilizations. To withstand these natural disasters, we need to bring the power of faith back to the Wasteland Universe."

Although Thor's power had been inherited in this universe and the Thunder God was still alive, those divine powers were far from enough to protect so many civilizations.

The entire universe hadn't produced any new gods in a long time. If we don't bring back those lost divine realms, the Wasteland Universe will lose a significant portion of its civilizations and energy.

"From the dimension we saw earlier, you must have noticed that the power of faith still exists, even if the gods are dead. It's just that they're trapped in their own divine realms."

"You mean the Black Panther God? He should have died, so how could he still unleash such powerful combat strength?" Brainstorm furrowed her brows.

Though she couldn't see the shadows or the Panther God with her own eyes, based on Alex's and Franklin's brief words, she could deduce the situation.

"Don't underestimate the gods. He's definitely dead, but that dimension is his divine realm. As long as the divine realm exists, the Black Panther God still has a slim chance of survival," Alex said, stroking his chin.

"Then why did he end up like this?" Franklin turned his head.

"He's lost his mind, or rather, the dark magic has invaded the Panther God's divine realm. This not only severed his connection to the divine realm but also destroyed the entire legacy. He and the generations of Black Panthers are doomed to suffer endless cycles of torment."

After a brief pause, Alex shook his head. "Of course, this is just my guess. I didn't have time to observe everything at that moment."

"But you had time to set the anchor point?"

Brainstorm carefully glanced at Alex, realizing that the Lord of the Wasteland seemed to have many secrets.

"Anyway, now that we've confirmed the Black Panther's divine realm, let's proceed to track down the other divine realms," Alex said, taking a deep breath and speaking seriously.

"The battle from the past indeed caused great destruction, but not all gods perished. Some dimensions still have remnants of divine existence," he continued.

Upon hearing this, Billy Batson forced a complicated smile.

"Let's hope they can hold on until we find them."

Outside the Wasteland Universe's timeline, inside the House of Mystery.

Pietro, fully prepared, stood eagerly at the door. Today was the day they had agreed to depart, and Pietro was bubbling with excitement.

Although he was still nervous, just the thought of returning to the old universe filled him with exhilaration.

The last time, he had been afraid of making a fool of himself in front of Old Bruce Wayne, so he rarely spoke to the people from that world. But this time, it was different.

Pietro had been through quite a lot of significant events by now, and his mentality had stabilized a great deal. He wasn't as insecure as he once was, at least not because Old Bruce Wayne was too wealthy.

"Pietro, are you ready?" Ashley walked quickly down the corridor, with her neighbor Kara behind her.

"Of course, I can't wait. This time, when I go to negotiate in the Flashpoint Universe, it's not to prove how great I am to Old Bruce Wayne, but to make him understand that the dignity I lost back then, I will get back!" Pietro waved his fist, speaking resolutely.

"I didn't know you lost your dignity back then," Kara chuckled helplessly.

"You wouldn't understand. I admit I was immature at that time, and no one took me seriously. But this time, I'll make everyone know that I'm not just Alex's sidekick. I'm a member of the Overseers, a hero who can stand on my own," Pietro said earnestly.

"Okay. Although no one thinks that, I guess if you're happy, that's what matters," Kara shrugged and casually asked, "By the way, have you fully prepared for this mission?"

"Of course, I've learned a lot about diplomacy and political policies. I even watched the entire season of House of Cards—now I feel like I'm on top of the world." Pietro gave a thumbs-up.

"If you think inter-universal trade is that simple, then you're still too young!"

At that moment, a carefree voice echoed from afar, reaching everyone's ears.

Pietro turned to look and saw Tony Stark walking toward them, holding a cheeseburger in one hand and a briefcase in the other.

"Stark, what are you doing here?" Pietro asked.

"Of course, I'm here to offer you some professional technical support. Don't thank me," Tony Stark replied, taking a bite of the burger as he chewed.

"Wait, wasn't this mission just for me, Ashley, and Kara? No one told me you'd be joining," Pietro frowned, looking at Tony Stark with displeasure.

Sensing Pietro's annoyance, Tony Stark laughed heartily.

"I applied to Alex to join you as your companion, and he agreed. Alright, Speedster, I admit that it was my fault last time when you and your little girlfriend were turned into frogs, but the main responsibility was still on you, wasn't it?"

"Are you kidding me? Setting up trap magic at the Overseers' base—how could you even think of that?!" Pietro yelled angrily. Who knows how many flies he had eaten that day.

Even now, just thinking about it, he could still feel his tongue tasting bitter, and his stomach was starting to churn.

"Isn't it because you two didn't pick a good place for your date? You went to the House of Mystery library, and do you know how difficult it was to clean up the spider webs the next day?" Tony Stark raised an eyebrow. "And magic is just as worthy of respect as science. How could you be so disrespectful?"

Upon hearing this, Pietro instantly became furious.

"We did respect magic! We went to the library to study. I want to help Alex, and I want to become someone useful. How could you take away my freedom to learn?!"

"Oh, really? But the library's surveillance footage…"

"I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please forgive my youthful ignorance," before Tony Stark could finish, Pietro flashed in front of him and bowed his head to apologize, his attitude sincere.

Watching these two goof around, Kara facepalmed and smiled.

"Alright, enough messing around. This is our first mission without Alex. We better take it seriously."

"Understood," Pietro, Tony Stark, and Ashley replied in unison.

.....

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