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"This universe is completely different from yours.

There are countless civilizations out there—conservatively estimated to be nearly ten thousand.

But with so many civilizations comes war.

In fact, while I'm talking to you right now, one of them might already be getting destroyed."

Kain spoke slowly, preaching to Tohsaka Rin.

When she first arrived in the Marvel Universe, Rin had found everything overwhelmingly strange. Life existed not only on Earth, but in the far corners of the universe. You could even encounter a Celestial in a remote galaxy.

"Even Earth isn't truly safe," Kain continued. "There's a sleeping Celestial buried in its core. If it wakes up, the entire planet will explode."

"What?!"

Rin's voice cracked in disbelief. She couldn't imagine the world being this dangerous. Kain spoke so casually about it, but the destruction of a civilization wasn't something that could be brushed off with a single sentence. And now, the Earth could explode at any time? It was unimaginable.

Seeing her reaction, Kain smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. If that time comes, I'll step in."

As long as beings who transcended the multiverse didn't interfere, he had nothing to fear. Once he gathered all six Infinity Stones, there would be no one in this universe who could stand against him. Even the Celestials wouldn't dare destroy a universe recklessly—it would only create countless unknowns.

"Eric!"

A moment later, a house-elf in a dwarf-style uniform appeared in front of them, bowed, and greeted respectfully: "Master."

"Take Rin and help her get acquainted with the world. I'm heading out."

"Huh? You're just leaving me after dragging me here?" Rin protested immediately, arms crossed.

Wearing twin ponytails, black stockings, and a pouty expression, her displeased glare completed the textbook definition of a tsundere.

Kain chuckled and gently patted her head. "Alright, alright. I'll take you out for some fun first."

"Hmph. You said it yourself—don't blame me if I delay your work!"

Even as she said it, the corners of her mouth twitched upward. She quickly corrected herself and put on a haughty face.

"That's fine. I asked for it. There's a lot to see in this world—let me show you around."

With that, Kain and Tohsaka Rin stepped outside.

Instead of using magic, they randomly picked a sports car from the garage and left Kain Manor. Technology in the Marvel world had advanced rapidly. After the Kain Group monopolized the tech industry, new breakthroughs were being released regularly.

Virtual projections and anti-gravity vehicles had already been developed—the latter originally invented decades ago by Howard Stark. But back then, little progress had followed. Now, with Kain's energy industry dominance, his group had expanded into all fields. The U.S. could no longer sanction the Kain Group, and anti-trust laws were meaningless in the face of this giant. Especially since President Ross was backed by Kain's influence.

Rin was aware of many of these developments. After all, she had spent more than half a year with Kain since their worlds merged. Back near Mount Enzō, they were the only two people around. Over time, she'd learned things—like the fact that Kain had other women.

Her pride initially wouldn't allow her to accept such a thing, but she couldn't bring herself to sever ties either. So she endured, gradually adjusting to Kain's complicated world. Deep down, she knew she'd never be able to completely walk away.

Kain, for his part, understood the tsundere heart well. In just six months, Tohsaka Rin had nearly fallen completely into his hands—everything short of the final step.

"I didn't expect you to be a big-shot capitalist," Rin said sarcastically. "Building such a massive group in just a few years—pretty impressive."

"Just lucky," Kain replied with a smile. "Without that, it would take at least a hundred years to reach this point."

They spent time wandering around New York City, which was two or three decades ahead of Fuyuki City in technology. Many of the devices were things Rin had never seen before.

And as a self-admitted electronic idiot, it took her half an hour just to learn how to use a smartphone.

The store clerks were stunned—they had never met someone so clueless. But once they saw Kain by her side, everything made sense. A handsome gentleman being so patient? They understood completely.

After getting into the sports car, Tohsaka Rin muttered in frustration, her voice still loud with embarrassment:

"It's not as convenient as magic. The transmission range is limited too. It has a few more functions, but they're all useless."

"Really? Then let's go to the arcade next. I bet you've never been to one."

"What? There's no need to go that far! I'm a little thirsty. Let's get something to drink first."

Rin immediately resisted. Just learning to use a smartphone had embarrassed her enough, and the idea of a noisy video game hall sounded even worse. She had no interest in going to such a place.

But instead of the arcade, Kain drove her to the Magic Academy and the Magical Creatures Zoo.

The Magic Academy wasn't open to the public, and even the Pent Group knew little about it. Over 300 magical apprentices had already been recruited there.

The Magical Creatures Zoo, located on an island near New York, would be open to the public soon.

Some magical creatures were quite popular—especially the Niffler, which looked like a platypus. If you tossed it gold coins, it would put on elaborate performances for tourists.

Tohsaka Rin had a great time at the zoo. With her magical abilities, she easily tamed all the creatures and even flew through the skies a few times on a Thunderbird. It was clear that she preferred magical creatures far more than electronic gadgets.

That evening, Kain personally cooked a meal using meat from a Sea King beast. The flavor was so unique that even people who didn't usually like meat couldn't resist. He also prepared seafood from Sky Island—as a food lover, Kain never passed up an opportunity to cook.

"This is delicious! What is this? It tastes amazing!"

Rin exclaimed with joy after her first bite. Her eyes lit up as she looked over the rest of the dishes, and she quickly picked up her utensils to dig in.

After everything on the table had been eaten, Rin noticed Kain had been watching her for a while. She blushed like an angry kitten and snapped,

"W-What are you staring at?! I just ate because I was really hungry, that's all!"

Kain chuckled. "Ah, of course. It had nothing to do with my cooking skills."

"You jerk… you're just bullying me again!"

Over the next few days, they didn't just explore Earth—they also visited alien worlds.

This time, Kain didn't use a spaceship. Instead, he teleported them directly using the Space Stone, arriving in Asgard, one of the most beautiful places in the cosmos.

They also visited Sakaar and the Nova Corps Galaxy. While showing Rin the wonders of the universe, Kain also made discreet inquiries about Yondu.

He had been away from the Marvel universe for a while. If Yondu had found the Power Stone, he was likely to come looking for Kain to make a deal. But it was also possible that Yondu's crew might try to raise the price—or sell it elsewhere. So Kain hired a broker to contact several other groups of cosmic mercenaries.

He needed the Infinity Stones to deal with the Celestial inside Earth. Though he knew Tiamut's heart was ultimately inclined toward humanity, and that it would willingly die in the end, Kain preferred to be in control.

If anything influenced Tiamut to change its mind, Earth could be doomed.

The Infinity Stones were Kain's insurance.

Even Kain hadn't visited all the places in the universe. Exploring a single planet could take a month or more—and there were countless life-bearing worlds out there.

After more than a month of traveling, Tohsaka Rin had been smiling almost every day.

But eventually—

"Alright, that's enough fun! Let's go back!"

Rin said with a satisfied grin. "If I keep going, I'll never want to study again. There's a lot I still have to deal with over there."

Though the Fate world could function on its own—and Kain didn't really need it—Tohsaka Rin couldn't just walk away. The "Lord" title she jokingly gave him didn't mean much to Kain. What interested him was the Root and the Throne of Heroes.

With the Holy Grail's body as a medium, the Root could be activated to resurrect Heroic Spirits. Even legends that never existed in real life could be physically manifested through their myth.

This meant a massive source of combat power. A powerful Heroic Spirit could fight on par with Odin, while weaker ones could take on a dozen super soldiers. Even non-combat types had their uses—though obviously, some were less effective in battle.

On the final night of their trip, Kain only booked one room at the Space Tower on the edge of Nova Corps territory.

When she saw this, Tohsaka Rin blushed and turned her head quickly, pretending not to notice what Kain was planning.

After being out together for so many days, they had always slept separately. Now, Tohsaka Rin's head was still a little dizzy, and her fingers nervously clutched the corner of her clothes.

Was this too fast?

The thought flashed through Rin's mind, but when she looked up and saw Kain's face, she convinced herself again:

"It's been over a year already. It's not that fast. Some of my classmates moved even quicker."

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, the moment Kain stepped out of the bathroom, Rin's mind went completely blank.

…

After returning from his second trip across the universe, Kain checked on recent events. Other than the Infinity Stones, the Eternals were the next major issue he needed to address personally.

Sharon had done well. Although the powers of the Eternals were granted by the Celestials, they weren't so powerful that they couldn't be dealt with—especially not when faced with superhuman soldiers, ability users, and space gem-based energy weapons.

However, the black, obese mutant engineered by the Grandmaster was still at large. There were too many potential suspects on Earth who matched his traits. Thorough investigation was nearly impossible—especially for thinner members of his sub-species.

To cover her bases, Sharon deployed numerous agents to keep an eye on the Eternals. Ever since the Avengers rescue debacle, her reputation had taken a hit. If not for Kain backing her, she wouldn't have lasted long as the deputy director of the Super Personnel Bureau.

When Kain arrived at the island prison, he took all eight Eternals into custody. None of them could resist him, and he even placed several curses on them.

The strongest, Ikaris, now resembled a frail old man in his 80s. Even without guards, they wouldn't be able to escape.

That was Kain's insurance policy. He planned to have his researchers dissect the Eternals and study their powers firsthand.

He brought them to his underground hive lab and handed one over to a researcher skilled in magical analysis.

Though live subject research was undeniably inhumane, Kain had no sympathy for enemies—especially not ones this valuable.

The lab's dual-path research—magical and biological—soon bore fruit. The hive's extensive archives helped speed things along. Magical animal blood had already been successfully transplanted in several cases.

The Eternals' powers were indeed strange, but they left patterns—patterns that could be studied.

"It's a bit like a magical rune… but fundamentally different. It rewrites the body itself. These beings might look human, with human organs and structure, but in essence, they're something else entirely."

After reviewing the data, Kain realized that replicating an Eternal-like species from scratch was nearly impossible.

However, enhancing humans based on Eternal templates was viable—though the resulting lifespan wouldn't be nearly as long.

"No need for constant recharging. I'll use the Holy Grail as a converter for empowerment—like an alternate, infinite energy source."

Kain had the option of enriching others' chakra, granting them powers like ninjas. But once chakra was given, it was difficult to reclaim.

After some thought, he decided to use the Holy Grail instead.

In fact, based on what he had learned in the Fate world, he suspected his future self would do exactly that. The Holy Grail and the Kamui World would become transit points, and eventually, anyone connected to him could reach him through the Grail.

Hermione, Tsunade, Kushina, Yoko, Naruto—and many more.

"Alright… let's do it."

Kain began modifying the Holy Grail. His current Grail body had been created by the Yusan family centuries ago. While it was indeed one of the best tools for connecting to the Root, he still saw room for improvement.

He could now channel magical power through the Grail more smoothly than through even the Infinite Magic Wand.

As long as the apprentices at the Magic Academy paid sincere homage, they could receive Kain's magical blessings and cast powerful spells.

Half a month later...

"It's finally complete. Now to test it on a few people. Or maybe go to other worlds, record them in the Grail, and summon them like Servants. A harem lottery, perhaps?"

Kain chuckled at the thought, then shook his head.

"No, no. This is for the advancement of civilization. Totally unrelated to anything else."

Still, he knew he had to be cautious when bestowing power.

He thought of Pietro—a good candidate. He and Wanda were among the top-tier supers in the Super Personnel Bureau.

Kain planned to upgrade Pietro's speed, and also grant him a protective energy shield that would activate during high-speed movement—strong enough to withstand even a nuclear blast.

Moreover, Pietro continues to gain power from the Holy Grail, which has resolved his previous shortcomings—namely, the need for rest and large amounts of sugar after running.

Following his success with Pietro, Kain asked the Red Queen to help him identify other suitable candidates.

Meanwhile, he plans to travel to other worlds to activate another function of the Holy Grail.

….

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