Chapter 722: U: The Infinite Event (Conclusion)

The Cosmic Captain Spider-Man heard deep confusion in Eternity's tone, and suddenly remembered Eternity's warning: if he were to chase Shiler across universes, he must avoid exposure, avoid any dialogue with him, and prevent him from uttering a single word—to minimize damage to this universe as much as possible.

Previously, facing the great enemy Solus, all Spider-Men had been tense, with no time to care where Shiler was, what he had said, or what he was doing—including the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man, whose soul had nearly been drained by Solus; how could he have had any leisure to observe Shiler's condition?

But now, upon reflection, the great brawl that occurred in the Champa Universe bore no resemblance to Eternity's goal—it was the exact opposite.

Every time Shiler appeared, he delivered a line of dialogue, spoken with full vigor, echoing throughout the entire universe; during combat, he spouted endless absurd remarks, each one vividly showcasing his character's traits.

Especially those who spoke Japanese—few actual techniques, but their move names shouted loudly; no more than a few rounds of fighting, yet memories stretched for hours.

Paired with bizarre creatures, whenever they spoke, they never referred to themselves as "I"—they always inserted their character names; at this point, concealment was impossible.

And indeed, as Eternity traced the rapidly declining stability metric to the Champa Universe, he found only the exit lines of the various Shilers left behind.

Following the timeline backward, Eternity's vision went dark—all titles had been announced, all lines had been spoken; was there still any hope of recovery?

But Eternity was merely a worker—the boss's task must be completed; even if only his last breath remained, he must try to salvage it.

What troubled Eternity even more was that after the brawl, the Shilers had returned to their respective homes—but not to their dream-world origins; they had returned to the universes they had previously inhabited.

Many Shilers possessed little destructive power; after returning to their universes, they simply joined members of the Avengers on missions.

For example, Popeye Shiler was hired by S. . . . . . and became a proud member of the Avengers.

Woof Woof Team Shiler went to the Animal Universe and became its superhero; Garfield Shiler found a man named Jon in some universe and mooched meals off him; SpongeBob Shiler joined Atlantis in another universe and made a starfish his friend; Gray Wolf Shiler became the manager of a pasture in some universe…

Moreover, these cartoon Shilers, when living in human societies, mostly maintained human forms, making them extremely hard to find—and even harder to capture; even Eternity himself could not track them when certain feline Shilers "whooshed" away, their movements too swift for even his vision to follow.

Ultimately, cartoon and comedy characters operate without logic; if they didn't want to be found, placing a leaf on their heads made them invisible to Eternity—this was their unique ability, immune even to cosmic rules.

More importantly, Eternity could not use excessively violent methods against them—no energy blasts or outright planetary annihilation—because cartoon characters appear only in family-friendly works, typically rated 10+ or 12+.

In such crossover publications, no bloody scenes are permitted; even if heads or limbs are severed, they can be reattached, and no one may die casually; violating the rating rules invites a "water inspection."

Thus, if Eternity wished to capture them, he had to follow cartoon logic—but there were too many Shilers, and new ones kept being produced endlessly; ship after ship of Shilers were released from the Dream World, contaminating nearly every single universe in the multiverse.

For a transmigrator arriving in the Marvel Universe, what is their greatest advantage? Not systems or cheats—but memory.

The foundational logic of the Marvel Universe is the infinite multiverse; this concept forms the entire framework of Marvel and will never be discarded.

Since dreams and memories are universes, simply releasing the troublesome figures from one's memory naturally becomes a trump card.

Of course, ordinary transmigrators might use them as power-ups to acquire resources; but Shiler? He merely wanted to watch the world burn.

Just as Eternity was nearly hopeless, the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man offered him a brilliant idea.

"Since they came from the Dream Universe, someone must be dreaming, right? Just wake that person up," said the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man to Eternity.

Eternity considered it. Though he didn't know which Shiler was the original, it was far more likely none of them were—their appearances were merely characters born from the Dream World.

Their emergence was no accident; someone must be constantly drilling holes into the Dream World. If he could stop that one Shiler, even if he couldn't capture the others, he could prevent new ones from being created.

"I shall grant you power—to find this man and stop his destruction of the universe…" Eternity finally said to the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man.

But at that moment, the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man wore a troubled expression. "The Spider-Men are severely injured. I must stay at base to protect them, in case Solus strikes again. We also need to gather strength to fight him—he is the Avengers' greatest enemy."

Eternity snorted coldly. "I will assign others to deal with Solus. You only need to find that Shiler."

Eternity was already furious. Without Solus, the Shilers would never have gathered across universes, triggering the great brawl, spouting every possible line, and causing the universe's stability to plummet.

Moreover, Solus's attempt to drain the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man's soul had deeply angered Eternity. All life bound by Eternity's contract had souls belonging to him; Solus's act was not petty theft—it was outright robbery. Eternity had endured him long enough.

"But the prophecy says only the Spider Family can defeat Solus, so…"

The Cosmic Captain Spider-Man had barely finished speaking when Eternity hurled him out of the temple. At the same moment, in the Kamar-Taj Grand Hall, Wong suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong, Master? You just got back—can't you stay a little longer?" Strange asked, watching Wong rise.

Wong said nothing, merely activated his inner power and opened a portal. Strange, puzzled, asked: "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to kill someone."

With that, Wong vanished. Strange shook his head, exasperated but silent—after all, Wong was either killing someone or on his way to kill someone.

As he prepared to resume meditation, his phone rang. Strange answered:

"Hello? Oh, Tony. Yes, I'm at Kamar-Taj. What? You say someone illegally teleported into our universe? More than one? Who dares?"

"Spider-Man? Or multiversal Spider-Men? What do they want? …Looking for someone?"

Strange frowned, his tone grave. "You mean they want to find a Shiler and bring him to Eternity… Tony! Stop them! Absolutely forbid this!"

He stood, walked to the center of Kamar-Taj's grand hall, and slammed his staff into the ground. "All Kamar-Taj, follow me! Earth's Magical Defense Network activated! Intercept the Spider-Men!"

By the time Strange arrived, Stark had already confronted the Spider-Men. The Amazing Spider-Man was still pleading, but the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man was growing impatient.

Thanks to Eternity's power, he could traverse the multiverse—he knew many Iron Men. He believed Iron Man had no capacity to stop him; with a mere surge of power, he could scan Earth and quickly locate the unique Shiler.

But as he unleashed his power, a golden network spread across the sky. Strange descended with all the Masters of the Mystic Arts, his voice echoing over New York:

"Multiversal Spider-Men, Eternity's power is not your excuse for illegal transit. Withdraw. Leave Earth!"

"The Supreme Sorcerer…," the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man said to Strange, "both the Supreme Sorcerer and Cosmic Captain serve Eternity. This is Eternity's command…"

"I don't care whose command it is!" Strange's tone was unyielding. "No entity exceeding ordinary power levels may breach Earth's Magical Defense Network. Get out!"

The Cosmic Captain Spider-Man paused. He had met many Supreme Sorcerers—but no Stephen Strange from any other universe had been this uncompromising.

The Cosmic Captain Spider-Man was no pushover. He darkened his expression. "Stephen, do you know what you're saying? I'm preventing cosmic destruction. If this continues, every living thing in this universe will be annihilated!"

"Is that so?" Stark suddenly spoke. "Your great being, Eternity, cannot reset this universe again?"

The Cosmic Captain Spider-Man blinked—he didn't understand Stark's meaning. But Stark smirked.

"Whenever this universe doesn't obey your wishes, you casually reset it. All our efforts, in your eyes, are meaningless."

"If so, why not use this method to save the universe? Why must you bother with insignificant mortals?"

"Tony!" Strange interrupted Stark's sharp mockery. He, possessing the Time Stone, sensed something amiss—but said nothing.

Yet in this world, the one least willing to accept fate was Tony Stark. He looked at the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man.

"You believe your so-called deity can toy with us, manipulate time, reset universes at will."

"But look at him now—powerless. Faced with a chaotic universe, all he can think of is harassing mortals."

"That's why I refuse to become a god. Those who claim to control the rules never reflect on their own failures…"

The Cosmic Captain Spider-Man watched as Stark pulled out his chest reactor, then withdrew a glowing, magical core from his armor and implanted it into his chest.

Instantly, Iron God descended upon the cosmos. The Cosmic Captain Spider-Man stepped back two paces, activating Eternity's power to ascend to the cosmic plane.

"Tony Stark! Do you know what you're doing?" the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man demanded. "Aren't you an Avenger sworn to justice and peace?"

"I am not an Avenger. I have nothing to avenge. If I must name something…" Stark's cold electronic voice echoed, "the only thing I seek to avenge is you arrogant gods."

Silver coated Iron God's armor. The electronic voice grew increasingly detached, yet the power surged ever stronger.

Facing an endless mechanical army, the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man felt profound dread.

At this moment, he understood: this universe was unique. Stark, Strange, and every Avenger were pouring everything into defending its uniqueness.

Beneath the cosmic barrier, Thor, the God of Light, looked down upon the Spider-Men, listening to their chatter. In his hand, he gripped his spear, speaking to a raven beside him:

"Do not let them take Shiler. In Loki's vision above the cosmos, every universe without Shiler followed the path of Ragnarök. He is unique—the sole variable for Asgard."

"Will you defy Eternity?" Odin's voice came from the raven.

"Perhaps he has always been our enemy," Thor rumbled. The raven sighed, circled him twice, then dissolved into pure energy and merged into Thor's body.

Odin's energy helped Thor breach the barrier of the single universe. Countless energies accumulated over millennia by the Allfather, plus the power of Yggdrasil granted to Asgardians, converged within Thor.

Thor's boundless will, amplified by this energy, surged forward—only one step remained before he ascended beyond the single universe.

Meanwhile, in Asgard, Loki held Hela, gazing upward. The twilight of Asgard was always so bright—like burning flame. She would never forget the countless universes she had witnessed upon entering the multiverse layer, each Asgard sharing the same fate.

In the final outcome, that fire matched every evening's twilight exactly.

Loki set Hela down, stroked her head. "If we don't return, you are Asgard's future."

With that, light rings ignited behind her. She ascended to the barrier of the single universe, just as Thor had.

As the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man struggled against the multiversal Iron God Stark, a voice echoed from afar:

"Stark, stop! This is Eternity's command!"

In the empty cosmic boundary, a beam of light appeared—then three figures materialized at the battlefield's center: the Vishanti descended.

If the Cosmic Captain Spider-Man and Wong were mere entry-level employees of Eternity Inc., the Vishanti were its managers—these gods were Eternity's direct representatives.

Stark, newly ascended to multiversal level, could not possibly match the veteran multiversal god Vishanti.

Moreover, the Vishanti's rank was incomparable to any single god. It was well known that the triune nature of the Vishanti greatly elevated a god's rank.

The Vishanti intervened—and the tide turned instantly. Iron God retreated step by step. Even with Kamar-Taj supplying him near-infinite energy, his rank still fell short.

One of the Vishanti, Hoggoth, spoke: "Stark, cease. This only brings more destruction to the universe…"

"You should have the power to reboot all this. Why don't you?" Stark's electronic voice echoed. A heavy sigh came from the Vishanti trio—but no answer followed.

Seeing Stark refused to yield, the Vishanti unleashed full power. Soon, all machines were destroyed. But just as all believed the Iron God was finished, two more figures arrived on the cosmic plane.

Thor, having absorbed most of Odin's energy and part of Yggdrasil's power, successfully breached the single-universe barrier. The Goddess of Light, Loki, ascended to the cosmic plane using her own aura.

And as the powers of Iron God Stark, the God of Light Thor, and the Goddess of Light Loki merged—

A new triune god was born.

Stark represented Wisdom, Thor represented Will, Loki represented Rule. The archetypes they embodied surpassed the archetypes of each Vishanti member in rank.

When they united as a triune deity, the entire universe trembled. Eternity's power began to resonate.

The Vishanti stepped back. The situation had spiraled beyond control. If they fought here, all surrounding single universes would be destroyed—a loss Eternity could not accept.

As Stark had asked—and the Vishanti had not answered—rebooting the universe carried a cost. Once universe mass was depleted, destruction accelerated. If universes were destroyed en masse, the multiverse structure would destabilize. When the multiverse collapsed, the first to suffer would be Eternity.

The Vishanti had assumed they could scare Stark off. They never imagined a single universe harbored three such dragons.

Everyone in this universe was far tougher than Eternity imagined. They showed no reverence toward high-rank entities. Threats could not deter them.

Fear stems from the unknown. But these heroes had seen the view from the heavens. The so-called gods who toyed with mortals were merely specks of dust in the vast cosmos.

Those who claimed to control cosmic rules feared the rules themselves.

Since we are all products of cosmic rules, living under the same system—if you invoke your innate permissions to arbitrarily manipulate lives of insignificance, this universe will teach them what "a spark can start a prairie fire" means.

What "the power of the masses is infinite" means.

As both sides stood locked in confrontation and the Vishanti prepared to act, every life across the multiverse heard a sigh from a higher plane—filled with an inexplicable emotion.

They did not know whether the complex emotions they had heard contained love or guilt, but soon, all beings in this multiverse felt the wind howling past their ears.

The entire multiverse was propelled at incredible speed by an unnamed force, until it reached the boundary of the Marvel Universe.

In a daze, Stark saw a pair of enormous eyes appear beyond the multiverse; he saw that even the infinite multiverse was but a tiny grain of sand within it.

A pair of powerful arms cradled all the universes as if holding helpless, crying infants in swaddling clothes.

At that moment, those arms extended their palms and gently pushed this unique multiverse beyond the edge of the Marvel world.

Like a mother first guiding her infant, learning to walk, out of the small world of its bedroom.

In that instant, they understood that this multiverse would no longer be bound by cosmic rules.

Standing outside the great world, gazing at the endless infinite universes, they were both constrained and protected by cosmic laws.

After leaving their mother's embrace, an infant feels not only wonder and curiosity toward the new world, but also danger and challenge.

And the path ahead, they must walk alone.

Yet what filled them with joy and exhilaration was the countless new futures awaiting them—every life within this universe had regained infinite possibilities.

-u: The Infinity Event (End)