Marvel's Shendu: Dominating the Multiverse

Chapter 68 The Destroyed Timeline

Thor watched silently as the barrier dissipated, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Loki is also good at this kind of trick."

Saul said in a low voice, "He always says he can control it, until he can't."

Modu didn't refute him, but just looked at him quietly.

Thor sighed, recalling the king's earlier words: "What's the bigger problem you mentioned?"

Wang was silent for a moment, then walked to the bookshelf and took out a bronze box. The surface of the box was covered with runes, and Thor recognized some of them as ancient Asgardian script.

"This is residue extracted three months ago from a destroyed timeline."

Wang opened the box, which was empty, but Thor could sense that something was inside.

"A timeline of destruction?"

Thor frowned. "What does this have to do with dark magic?"

"You can feel it, right?" Wang didn't answer, but instead asked, "What did you feel?"

Thor took two steps closer, placed his hand on top of the box, and divine power flowed in his palm.

Thor frowned. "It feels like the world is forgetting something."

Wang glanced at him, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "A very accurate description. After the timeline is destroyed, everything it carries, including life, events, and cause and effect, will be stripped from reality. But what remains is this 'forgotten' state, which we call the echo of the timeline."

"Echo?" Thor repeated.

"The destroyed timeline will not completely disappear."

Wang closed the box: "It will leave a mark, like a scar after a wound heals, and the scar we found is expanding."

Shendu leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, his face still bearing that ambiguous smile. Wanda stood behind him, head bowed, carefully sensing Shendu's presence.

"Is the scar getting bigger?"

Thor looked away and asked the king, "What does this mean?"

"This means that another timeline is being eroded."

Wang took a deep breath and lowered his voice: "If left unchecked, the erosion will spread like a plague to adjacent timelines, and then to even more adjacent ones."

"It sounds like a domino effect," the Holy Lord said calmly from the side.

Thor turned to face the Holy Lord: "You don't seem worried about this."

The Holy Lord shrugged: "Worrying and being able to do something are two different things. I have enough to worry about, one more won't make a difference."

"He's right," Wang interrupted. "All we can do right now is monitor it; we can't even determine what the destroyed timeline originally was. It was erased too thoroughly."

"Only echoes remain," Mordo replied.

A brief silence fell over the room as Thor's gaze swept among the group before finally settling on Mordo.

"You just said that dark magic can be used for protection."

Thor's voice was much calmer: "Is this thing that needs protecting related to your dark magic?"

Mordo did not answer immediately, but looked at the king.

Wang took a deep breath: "We tried to use dark magic to build an isolation barrier to separate that scar from our reality. If the erosion continues to expand, traditional defensive magic alone will not be enough."

"So you risked everything to gain power," Thor said.

"It's not 'we,' it's just me."

Mordo corrected him: "Among mages, I am the only one who can use dark magic now. At this point in time, it is a choice of fate."

"The choice of fate," Thor repeated. "Loki likes to say that too, before he messes up every single time."

Mordo was not angry, but looked at him calmly: "Then what do you think fate is? To be born a god, to wield a hammer that only you can lift, is that fate?"

"That's not the same thing." Thor's tone suddenly turned cold, as if he didn't want to continue the conversation.

"It's the same thing." Mordo took a step forward, his tone relentless: "Your power is innate, while mine is something I chose later in life, but there's no difference in essence. We both possess things beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. The only difference is that you've never truly chosen, while I choose every single day."

Thor remained silent, his hands clenched into fists, veins bulging on the back of his hands.

Wang sensed something was off about the atmosphere and interrupted the conversation: "Thor, I know you don't trust dark magic, and that's the right thing to do, but the situation is more urgent than you think."

Wang took a large record sheet from the bookshelf.

"This is the extent of the erosion we've monitored," Wang said, pointing to the markings above. "Three months ago it was only the size of a pinhead, but now it has spread to this extent."

Thor bent down to look, and there was a black circle at the marked location on the record chart.

"The rate of erosion is accelerating."

Wang said, "Based on the current trend, we will reach the first adjacent timeline within six months."

"What will happen then?" Thor asked.

"Then the eroded timeline will collapse one after another like dominoes."

Wang paused for a moment, then said, "Our reality will also be affected, to an unpredictable degree."

Saul straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the group before finally settling on Wanda.

"And her?" Thor asked. "She uses magic too, but her magic seems rather strange."

Wanda looked up, a fleeting red light flashing in her eyes.

"My power is none of your concern," she said calmly.

Thor frowned. "I didn't ask what your power is; I asked what role you play in it."

Wanda didn't answer, but subconsciously glanced at the Holy Lord.

The voice of the Lord was transmitted to Wanda's heart through the imprint on her soul.

"I'm in charge of dealing with things that traditional magic can't reach."

Wanda spoke up: "My abilities are very special; even dark magic cannot replace them."

Thor stared at Wanda and said, "But you don't look like a mage."

"I am not," Wanda admitted. "I am a tool."

Thor was stunned for a moment by the other person's answer. Who would reveal his identity like that?

"tool?"

"She's right," the Holy Lord interjected. "How I use my people is my business."

As Wanda listened to the Holy Lord speak of his people, a blush involuntarily rose on her cheeks.

Thor narrowed his eyes, Holy Lord: "You're using her as a tool?"

"She said it herself, not me." The Holy Lord shrugged, his smile still on his face. "Besides, what's the problem? Will your hammer complain?"

That's enough.

Wang stepped forward, blocking the two: "Thor, you asked to come to Kamar-Taj, and we agreed. You wanted to test dark magic, and Mordo demonstrated it. Now you want to know about the greater threat, and we've told you that too. But if you're just looking for someone to argue with, you're not welcome here."

"One last question," Thor said in a deep voice, "What exactly did Fury do?"

The Holy Lord: "You have no right to know."

Thor narrowed his eyes: "What do you mean?"