Chapter 49: New Horizons

Marcus, transformed into Limbo, carefully explored the power this armor bestowed upon him.

He could clearly perceive the varied energies within this world—some emanating from Earth itself, others flowing from different dimensions.

"No wonder the Ancient One is so vigilant. In her position, I might be even more cautious!"

Earth was surrounded by too many mystical forces, with interdimensional energies hovering at its periphery.

He could distinctly sense dimensional whirlpools encircling the planet, each potentially opening at any moment.

This realization deepened Marcus's respect for the Ancient One. So many dimensions threatened Earth, all their weight resting on her shoulders alone, yet she maintained such remarkable composure. Her mental fortitude was truly impressive.

A flash of light enveloped his body as Limbo gradually dissolved, returning Marcus to his normal form.

"Limbo has been successfully shaped. As for the second armor, I need to consider my options carefully."

Though six Aya Starss remained, he chose not to create another armor immediately. He would preserve this opportunity, using it when truly necessary.

His supply of Aya Stars was limited, so maintaining flexibility seemed the wisest course.

After tidying the underground space, Marcus brought the Cosmic Cube to Mar-Vell's laboratory. Having extracted all the Aya Stars he could from it, the cube would better serve Howard's research.

"I'll leave this with you," Marcus said, handing the Cosmic Cube to Howard. He turned to Bucky and continued, "I'm embarking on an extended journey and may not return for some time. I'm entrusting my farm to you."

When shaping Limbo, Marcus had resolved to search for Charles and the others. Now that the armor was complete, he naturally needed to prepare for departure.

Uncertain how long his interdimensional travels might take, he could only inform everyone and ask Bucky to manage his property.

Howard and the others misinterpreted his intentions, assuming Marcus had discovered a Hydra location.

"Have you found another Hydra base?" Bucky asked curiously.

"Not at all," Marcus rolled his eyes at Bucky. "I'm going to visit some old friends. They live quite far away."

Live far away?

This puzzled both Bucky and Howard. Shouldn't Marcus's friends be on Earth? No matter the distance, such phrasing seemed strange.

Facing their confused expressions, Marcus offered no explanation. Instead, he walked aside, blue light emanating from his body as he moved.

Soon, he transformed before everyone's eyes, becoming an elegant gentleman wearing a top hat.

"Time to depart!" Marcus waved goodbye as void energy surrounded him.

With a casual gesture, he opened a void rift. His figure gradually vanished from sight as the rift closed.

"He can actually transform?"

Bucky frowned, staring at the spot where Marcus had disappeared. His appearance moments ago had seemed decidedly non-human.

"Howard, did you know Marcus could transform?"

"I had no idea," Howard shook his head. "When I first met him, he appeared completely human."

Reflecting on Marcus's recent transformation, Howard found answers to questions long buried in his mind.

He had originally assumed Marcus used Kree weapons to disable the ship's engine six years ago, but now it seemed Marcus had transformed to accomplish the task.

"I never suspected he could assume different forms."

Fury approached them. He still vividly recalled Marcus's energy skeleton form, but now Marcus had transformed into something entirely different—no longer a skeleton, but an elegant gentleman.

"Have you seen Marcus transform before?" Howard and Bucky asked simultaneously.

"Yes, he became an energy skeleton to battle the Kree," Fury confirmed. Many Skrulls had witnessed that transformation before Marcus stormed the battleship.

While Howard and the others discussed his nature, Marcus found himself bewildered.

After passing through the void rift into the void dimension, he was stunned by the countless worlds connected to it. So many realities linked to the void dimension that it made his head spin.

"My God! Finding my way back to a specific world could take ages."

If Limbo hadn't recorded the coordinates for the Avengers universe, he would be forced to enter worlds randomly.

Nevertheless, the sheer number of potential worlds gave him pause.

"Maybe I should just pick one? The Avengers world coordinates are safely stored, so I can always find my way back."

This seemed his only viable option. Though the chance of returning directly to the mutant world was slim, entering any world was the first step toward eventually finding his way back.

"Alright, let's try my luck. Perhaps fortune will smile on me."

With that, he selected a world, opened a void rift, and stepped through.

On the other side lay a farm. Gazing at the vast agricultural land beneath the night sky, Marcus laughed.

"It seems I have some cosmic connection to farms. Of all places to appear!"

As he spoke, he noticed something trailing smoke plummeting from the sky, hurtling directly toward him at tremendous speed.

"Damn! Getting hit by that would be extremely unpleasant!"

Marcus instantly stomped his foot, his body enveloped by rift energy that allowed him to enter a parallel plane.

The falling object passed straight through his insubstantial form and crashed hard into the farmland behind him.

BOOM!!!

"What the...? Whose missile went astray? And a dud, at that," Marcus grumbled.

Examining the streamlined object that had impacted the farmland, Marcus grew curious. This didn't resemble any missile he recognized. With a flash of light, Limbo's form disappeared.

"Let's investigate this thing first."

Walking around the object, he suddenly heard a pickup truck engine roaring in the distance. After years of driving one himself, the sound was unmistakable.

"Sounds like the farm owner has arrived."

No farmer would ignore something crashing into their property, especially given the extensive damage this object had caused.

Sure enough, a pickup truck soon appeared before him.

"Wow, that truck must be from the 1970s, right?"

Marcus couldn't help commenting. Having lived in the Avengers universe for years, he'd become quite knowledgeable about vehicles.

This model couldn't be from the 1990s. Even in the 1980s, such outdated pickups were rare.

A couple stepped out of the vehicle. Upon seeing Marcus, they froze in surprise. The man raised his shotgun.

"Who are you? Why are you on my farm? What is that thing behind you?"

"Easy now, I'm not a threat," Marcus replied, raising his hands. "Why am I on your farm? Simple—I was tracking this object. As for what it is, I'm as puzzled as you are."

Seeing Marcus's complete lack of concern about the weapon, the farmer frowned. A person so unconcerned by firearms likely had an unusual background.

Just as he was about to speak again, the object behind Marcus made a hissing sound.

"Looks like it's opening. How about we investigate together?"

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