harleyscars Chapter 149 The Genes Intercepted by the Celestial Group
Chapter 149 The Genes Intercepted by the Celestial Group
Chapter 149 The Genes Intercepted by the Celestial Group
The strongest fighting force of the Eternals, a manipulator of cosmic energy, and an existence marked as a "planetary threat" in the Illuminati's files.
Thanos recognized him. He hadn't seen many of the Eternals on Titan, but Icarus's name was known far and wide throughout the universe and was often mentioned in connection with the legends about the Celestials.
The spaceship's communication channel was forcibly accessed, and Icarus's voice was directly injected into the cabin.
"come out."
Two words, no self-introduction, no explanation of purpose.
Thanos frowned: "How did he find this place?"
"There's a connection between the Celestials and the Eternals," the Holy Lord said calmly as he walked towards the hatch. "Aristem is dead, and the feedback from the broken connection will be transmitted to every Eternal. I didn't conceal the energy traces when I killed Aristem, so it won't be difficult for them to find me."
Wanda followed, saying, "I'll handle it."
"Need not."
The Holy Lord walked to the airlock and pressed the open button. The airlock opened, and he stepped out, standing directly on the hull of the spaceship. The vacuum environment had no effect on him.
Icarus hovered five hundred meters away, the golden light in his eyes even brighter than before.
Two people stare at each other in a vacuum.
Icarus spoke first, his voice transmitted directly through energy vibrations: "Where is Arithm?"
"He's dead."
"I know he's dead." Icarus's voice was low, an energy field rippled around him, and golden light seeped from the gaps in his armor. "I'm asking you, by what right do you have?"
The Holy Lord didn't speak, but smiled dismissively.
"Aristem is the creator god, our maker, and the maintainer of the cosmic order." Icarus took a step forward, closing the distance to three hundred meters. "You killed him, and you're still standing here, not even going to offer an explanation?"
Inside the spaceship, Wanda and Thanos watched the outside world through an observation screen. Thanos stood with his arms crossed, his expression indifferent. Wanda's gaze remained fixed on Shendu; her fingers didn't move, but her magic was already circulating within her.
The Holy Lord finally spoke.
"explain?"
He pronounced those two words very softly, as if he were savoring a joke.
"You want me to explain."
Icarus shone with golden light, and two beams of energy shot out from his eyes. They were not an attack, but a deterrent. The two beams grazed past the Holy Lord and blasted two holes in a distant asteroid.
"I have served the Celestials for seven thousand years," Icarus said.
The Holy Lord tilted his head, looking in the direction where the two beams of light dissipated: "They missed."
Icarus's communication skills are completely disproportionate to his combat abilities. Seven thousand years have passed, and all he can do is glare.
"I'll say it one last time," Icarus's body began to glow, transforming into a moving golden energy source, cosmic energy surging within him to a critical level: "Give Arithm an explanation, or else—"
"Otherwise what?"
The Holy Lord interrupted him.
He didn't make a move, didn't release any spells, didn't invoke any gems, and didn't even lift a finger. He merely released a wisp of the Tiger Talisman's aura.
Only a trace.
The effect is immediate.
The energy within Icarus went completely out of control in that instant.
The golden light no longer obeyed his commands, rampaging through his body like a fire hydrant with its valve turned on, energy gushing uncontrollably from his eyes, hands, and chest. His flight posture collapsed, and his body began to fall. There is no concept of falling in space, but he was indeed falling, the energy field that had kept him suspended shattering completely.
The Holy Lord stood on the hull of the spaceship, looking down as Icarus fell.
The strongest warrior of the Eternal Race struggled for three seconds in the out-of-control energy of his own body before his knees slammed into the hull of the spaceship, and he knelt before the Holy Lord.
There was no fighting or confrontation throughout the entire process.
Icarus knelt there, his eyes unfocused, golden light flickering on and off. He desperately tried to control his power, but the power no longer recognized him. The cosmic energy that had served him like an extension of his own body for seven thousand years had, in this moment, become poison within him, every cell rejecting his commands.
He looked up at the person standing in front of him.
The Holy Lord looked down at him, his expression neither cruel nor pitying, but simply stating a fact:
Your power comes from something of mine.
Icarus's pupils contracted slightly.
"What right do you have to stand here and talk to me?"
Inside the spaceship, Thanos watched the entire process. He glanced down at the genetic report on his terminal, then at Icarus kneeling on the screen, and shut down the terminal.
Wanda withdrew her magic. From beginning to end, she didn't need to lift a finger.
Outside the cabin, Icarus was still struggling. His willpower was strong; seven thousand years of combat experience was not for nothing. Even though he lost control of his strength, he did not fall. He knelt on his knees, his back was still straight, and his hands were on the hull of the spaceship, his fingertips scratching dents into the alloy surface.
"No—it's impossible—" he squeezed out the words through clenched teeth.
The Holy Lord squatted down and looked him in the eye.
"The Celestial Group extracted a projection from the Tiger Talisman and wrote it into your genes. The source of every bit of power in your body is a fragment of this thing in my hand."
The Holy Lord spoke slowly, not so that Icarus could understand, but so that he could accept it.
"You have been loyal to the Creator for seven thousand years, but you are using stolen things."
The Holy Lord withdrew the aura of the Tiger Talisman, and the energy within Icarus resumed its flow, but the memory of that loss of control was etched into his bones. He stood up from the hull of the spaceship, a dent in his knee armor, and the golden light in his eyes was much dimmer than when he arrived.
Without saying another word, he turned and disappeared into the depths of space as a beam of light.
Thanos remarked from the bridge, "A smart man."
The Lord walked back to the airlock, and Wanda closed the door for him.
"He'll go back and get reinforcements," Wanda said.
"Of course." Shendu walked back to the command console and brought up the flight path map that Thanos hadn't finished explaining earlier: "Continue."
Thanos glanced at him, offering no comment on what had just happened, and pointed to the star map: "This is the location of Olympia. From here, a standard jump would take eleven hours."
Where did the Eternal Tribe build their base?
"The planet's northern hemisphere. The entire planet has only one city, similar to Titan's, but on a larger scale." Thanos pulled up the reconnaissance data, and an overhead holographic map of the city unfolded on the command platform. It was a circular structure with a tower in the center, more than three times the height of the surrounding buildings. "That tower is their world engine, and also the central hub for communication with the Celestials. Now that Arithm is dead, that hub should be disconnected."
The Holy Lord scanned the city's layout: "Defense system?"
"The Eternals don't rely much on external weapons; they are weapons themselves. But Olympia has a planetary-level shield powered by the World Engine, which can theoretically withstand continuous bombardment from a fleet."
How many people?
"No more than twenty remain permanently on the ground. The total number of Eternals is small, and the Celestials only produce one batch at a time, about ten at a time. Over several eras, there are probably forty to sixty alive, scattered across different star systems carrying out missions."