Chapter 271: Tiamat (2)

Ikaris simply shrugged at Phastos' denial, neither agreeing nor arguing further.

He was proud by nature and never cared about pleasing others. Aside from Ajak, Sersi, Sprite and Kingo, his relationships with the rest of the Eternals were far from harmonious.

When the group split up centuries ago, it wasn't just because Druig and others resented Ajak's leadership—his strained relationships with them also played a role.

"It could be someone else. A Kree recently visited Earth, and there are the Inhumans with their strange abilities, or even invaders from other dimensions. Any of them could be a threat to us," Sersi spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

As the Celestials' tools, and having lived on Earth for over 7,000 years, the Eternals were highly knowledgeable about the planet and the various extraordinary beings beyond it.

Take Asgard, for example.

When the Frost Giants invaded Earth long ago, the Eternals had fought alongside Odin and the Asgardians. In a way, this made them allies—one of the reasons why Randolph had recognized Ajak and even dined with her and Ikaris on her farm.

Josh's uncle, Randolph, was actually a former elite berserker from Asgard. He had been sent to Earth on a mission in the 12th century, but chose to stay rather than return. This is how he met the Eternals.

However, their alliance didn't mean Asgard and the Eternals were truly close.

Odin, wise and experienced as he was, understood the true reason the Eternals had remained on Earth. He was aware of the existence of the Celestials and the true nature of their creations.

But unlike in the comics, the Odin of the MCU was not powerful enough to challenge the Celestials alone.

He knew that the Emergence was something neither he nor Asgard could stop.

Interfering would only bring disaster upon his people.

Despite considering himself the protector of the Nine Realms, Odin was not reckless enough to risk Asgard's future for Earth.

So, while he maintained a friendly front with the Eternals, he chose to turn a blind eye to their presence.

And when the Ancient One rose to power centuries ago, effectively ending Asgard's direct influence over Earth, Odin distanced himself even further.

"Other-dimensional invaders are unlikely. The Sorcerer Supreme may not be on good terms with us, but she would never allow such beings to enter this universe unchecked," Ajak said, shaking her head.

Of course, she was referring to the Ancient One.

Having lived for countless ages, Ajak had witnessed the Ancient One's rise to power firsthand and knew just how strong she was.

Compared to the Eternals, the Ancient One was quite young, but in terms of raw strength, even if all the Eternals combined forces, they probably wouldn't be able to match her.

And from Ajak's perspective, it was hard to believe that someone as powerful as the Ancient One wouldn't know about the Celestials or the Emergence.

Yet, despite this knowledge, the Sorcerer Supreme had never interfered, nor had she ever confronted the Eternals about it.

This confused Ajak.

But since the Ancient One never caused them trouble, Ajak saw no reason to seek her out either.

But she was certain that no extra-dimensional invader could escape the scrutiny of such a powerful being.

So, the possibility of an invasion from another dimension was immediately ruled out.

"That leaves the Inhumans and the Kree?" Ikaris followed up.

The likelihood of it being the Kree was also slim. The one Kree who had been on Earth had left months ago—along with Dracula!

Makkari shook her head and gestured quickly.

Why had she appeared in Java just minutes after Josh had pulled out the broken steel sword and taken it?

Because she had been watching the sword for a long time.

When the sword was still in Dracula's possession, Makkari had been wary of the powerful vampire.

So instead of taking action, she had asked Phastos to plant a tracking device on the sword, waiting for the day something happened to Dracula—so she could take it the moment he was out of the picture.

But when Dracula gave the sword to Josh, he was still on Earth, and Josh had stored it in his system, rarely taking it out.

Makkari hadn't dared to make a move then.

After Dracula left Earth, however, she lost track of the sword.

It wasn't until Java, when Josh pulled it out, that she found its location and arrived within minutes to retrieve it.

Because she grabbed the sword and left immediately, she didn't hear Josh's later conversation with Vito and the others.

If she had, she might have made Josh her prime suspect.

But for the moment, that thought never crossed Makkari's mind.

To her, Josh and his people were just ordinary mortals, incapable of threatening Druig and Kingo.

...

While the Eternals were deep in discussion about who had silently taken Druig and Kingo, on the other side of the world, over the Indian Ocean, it was late at night.

Josh was fast asleep.

During this period of targeting the Eternals, Josh had barely gotten any proper rest.

After all, going after such a unique group was extremely risky—any mistake could be fatal.

So, he had made extensive preparations.

For example, the transport submarine was loaded with high-yield nuclear warheads, ready to erase all evidence if necessary. If those warheads detonated, it could take decades for the Amazon Basin to recover.

Fortunately, due to his training in Five Elements Technique and his long-term consumption of the Pool of Eternal Life's Elixir, losing sleep didn't exhaust him too much.

But getting a good night's rest was certainly a rare luxury.

That night, however, something unexpected happened while he was sleeping.

A golden figure appeared in his consciousness.

"Who are you?"

Inside his mind, Josh frowned as he looked at the glowing figure, who felt oddly familiar.

Right—he had seen this figure when he was almost controlled by Druig.

But after waking up he had forgotten about it.

Now that he was seeing it again, the memory resurfaced.

"I am Tiamut, child. I need your help."

The golden figure spoke in an exceptionally gentle tone.

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