Chapter 152: A World Returning to Its End

Pterosaur Norman and his three-headed Allosaurus siblings were sent into the forest below by Peter to hunt on their own.

The parchment vulture was also sent far away.

After all, every world might have a Sorcerer Supreme. Some worlds had a benevolent Doctor Strange, while others had a malevolent one. Since these individuals were unpredictable, it was best to keep them at a distance.

This way, they wouldn't cause trouble for the good Doctor Strange or introduce unexpected variables for the bad one.

Only Peter, Gwen, and Electro remained at the site, continuing their search.

Although this slowed them down slightly, Peter wasn't in a rush, so it didn't really matter.

However, despite their thorough search, they found neither Superior Doctor Strange-2 nor the possible existence of the Soul Stone.

Instead, they discovered fragments of shattered spell books and remnants of what appeared to be magical artifacts scattered on the ground.

Unfortunately, both the books and artifacts had long since lost their power due to the passage of time.

At best, these remains served as proof that the Sanctum Sanctorum had indeed once stood here.

After finishing their search outside, the three of them entered the hidden Sanctum within the mountainside.

The dimly lit and narrow underground chambers exuded an eerie, unsettling aura.

As they ventured deeper, they noticed strange marks on the walls and ceiling.

They resembled claw marks.

Moreover, the deeper they went, the more abundant these marks became, with increasing signs of destruction all around.

Eventually, they reached the lowest level and stopped before a door.

It appeared to be the basement of the Sanctum Sanctorum.

However, the door was sealed with a powerful enchantment. When Peter tried pulling it open, it didn't budge.

Seeing this, he didn't dare exert too much force or attempt to break the seal.

If both the Sanctum Sanctorum and Doctor Strange were gone, yet the seal remained, then clearly, it was there for a reason.

Even after enhancing his Spider-Sense with quantum energy, he detected no immediate danger.

But who could say for sure?

Perhaps the magical seal itself could block his Spider-Sense.

Using magic to counter magic—it made perfect sense, right?

Besides, in all the sci-fi, fantasy, and supernatural movies he had seen, one thing was clear: unlocking a mysterious seal out of curiosity never ended well.

Take The Cabin in the Woods, for example. A character recited a spell, unleashing werewolves, aliens, zombies, ogres, and all sorts of monsters.

Or Prometheus, where someone foolishly touched something on the ground, leading to a facehugger attack and ultimately the crew's demise.

There were countless similar cases.

With those cautionary tales in mind, Peter had no intention of making the same mistake.

He also stopped Gwen and Electro from touching the door.

They might have been only one step away from the final answer, and while that was frustrating, Peter had no regrets about his decision.

So, the three of them bypassed the sealed door and resumed their search elsewhere.

If they still found nothing, Peter would have no choice but to abandon the investigation and leave this world behind.

Another ten minutes passed.

Just as Peter was about to give up, Gwen's voice suddenly rang out from the other side.

"Peter! Come take a look at this!"

Peter immediately rushed over.

It was a small, cramped room, resembling a storage space. Wooden shelves lined the walls, but they were completely empty.

However, in the corner of the room lay a glowing orb.

Its light was faint, flickering like a candle on the verge of burning out, as if it could extinguish at any moment.

Peter first enhanced his spider-sense using quantum energy to ensure the orb wasn't dangerous before approaching it.

As he neared, a strange feeling washed over him.

It was as if he had seen this thing before.

No—

This was the Soul Stone!

Or, more precisely, a fragment of the Soul Stone?!

Shocked, Peter crouched down and reached out a finger toward the glowing sphere.

Buzz—

The moment his fingertip made contact, a faint warmth spread through him, followed by a surge of energy rushing into his body.

It happened so fast that he didn't even have time to react.

When Peter came to his senses, he realized that his surroundings had completely changed.

But he was used to it.

Back in the Extraordinary Universe, the Sorcerer Supreme had used a similar method to give him an experience like this before.

Though he had no idea what the Sorcerer Supreme of this world—or the fragmented Soul Stone—was trying to do, he knew that he might be able to find the answers he was seeking here.

However, what Peter hadn't expected was that when the scenery around him finally stopped shifting, there was no "Sorcerer Supreme 2" standing before him, nor any cutscene-like vision playing out.

Instead, there was only—nothingness.

No—

When he looked down, he saw an endless, desolate land.

Jagged rocks covered the barren terrain, devoid of any signs of life.

It was a land of complete and utter silence.

In the center of this wasteland, however, was a massive patch of glowing green substance.

But no matter how hard Peter looked, he couldn't figure out what it was.

A river?

Didn't look like one.

Lava?

The color was all wrong.

Then what was it?

Just as Peter was puzzling over this, a sudden flicker appeared somewhere on the ground.

The next moment, a strange machine materialized in this world.

It looked like a four-legged platform, except that each leg was equipped with a peculiar pod—resembling a cryogenic chamber.

"What the hell is this?" Peter wondered.

Just then, all four pods started moving, their doors slowly opening.

Several figures emerged.

They were clad in black-and-silver sealed suits with breathing helmets, resembling astronauts in appearance.

But their method of arrival was bizarre.

"Could this be a world of advanced technology?" Peter speculated.

The people below soon began to take action.

One of them stepped forward first, crouched down, and grabbed a handful of soil, carefully rubbing it between their fingers.

"Looks like it's their first time here," Peter deduced from their cautious, investigative movements.

Only someone setting foot in a place for the first time would handle things with such meticulous curiosity.

Behind this person, another figure retrieved a long pole from one of the pods. Something was wrapped around it.

Wait—what?!

With a swift flick of their wrist, the cloth covering the pole unfurled, revealing an unmistakable emblem—

The Union Jack!

(End of Chapter)

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09