"No emotional fluctuations?" Robert was momentarily taken aback upon hearing Diana's remark about Zeus's view of the Celestial Group. In his previous encounters with the Eradicators, while they were generally impassive except when entering their hunting state, he had observed some slight emotional responses.
Yet compared to beings like humans with rich emotional systems, or Zeus, a unique Earth deity, the Celestial Group was definitely inferior. Zeus was famously a collection of nearly all the seven deadly sins, except perhaps for gluttony, which was less related to him.
This unique nature of Zeus is precisely why he viewed the Celestial Group as a more advanced and perfect form of godhood, ultimately leading him, despite his fame, to defer the responsibility of this battle to Odin rather than take action himself.
When Odin donned the Destroyer Armor back then, he was indeed a formidable sight. In its activated state, Odin, clad as the Destroyer, could even match the size of one of the Celestial beings he was up against and ultimately defeated that Celestial.
The gods of Earth had expended vast resources and combined the powers of many pantheons to create the Destroyer Armor, which rivaled the Celestial's might. However, this victory quickly soured as Odin, fresh from victory, was soon overwhelmed by an onslaught from a whole squad of Celestials. His defeated state made Zeus feel deeply relieved he hadn't intervened and left him with a lasting fear and wariness of the Celestials.
"Maybe that's because your power level is much higher now? I still don't know your current capabilities, but judging from the Eradicators' attitude toward you, you're likely more troublesome than all the gods combined back in their prime; otherwise, they wouldn't have backed off," Diana commented, glancing at Robert with a look of awe.
"When I first met you, I couldn't even take you seriously in battle. Now, in just a few years, you've reached an unimaginable level of strength. Even with the resurgence of belief-driven power, I can hardly keep up."
"In terms of raw strength, I doubt the Celestial Group would be too worried about me. If they sent ten Celestials of similar strength to the Eradicators, I wouldn't be able to defeat them. I'd probably have to rely on instant teleportation to escape," Robert reflected.
"The real issue is Earth's lack of another protector. Ancient One and Odin used to guard Earth. But now, Ancient One has been absorbed by Earth's dimensional consciousness, and Odin's age has left him weak. Because of me and Clark, Odin no longer protects Earth, and Clark is in a slumber. So if Earth faces a major crisis, only I remain as its defender."
"Clearly, the Celestial Group views Earth as an experimental site, yet they don't wish to babysit it, monitoring its state and intervening in its dangers. So having someone like me to maintain order and keep Earth stable benefits them," Robert continued.
Diana looked at Robert curiously, "How did you figure out the Celestial Group's mindset?"
"Because that's how I think as well," Robert replied, shrugging. "When I was away, numerous dimensions stirred. If not for the decent abilities of Constantine and Doom, another dimensional invasion would have erupted."
"So, I plan to lend them the Reality Stone to further boost their strength, allowing them to handle dimensional disturbances more independently. They can manage the usual issues, and I'll only intervene when it's extreme."
"Like when the Celestial Group acted against the gods? Are you saying there might be Celestial agents secretly observing Earth's development?" Diana quickly caught on to Robert's point, furrowing her brows.
"Exactly. You're a demigod from Olympus and quite… experienced," Robert said, almost slipping into a comment on her age. "I figured you might have some insights."
"None!" Diana rolled her eyes at him, refraining from challenging him only because she couldn't best him in combat. Her expression then grew serious. "And it's not just me; all ancient lineages are equally clueless."
"The Celestials have appeared too infrequently, and not many on Earth would bother monitoring such beings, much less track any organizations or individuals they might control."
"But if such a group does exist, every ancient order, including Kamar-Taj and our Amazonian tribe on Themyscira, could be suspects."
"There's no need to be so tense. They're just the Celestials' lackeys; the primary threat is the Celestial Group itself," Robert patted Diana on the back, reassuring her. "Our main goal is to keep enhancing our own strength. After all, there's no substitute for real power, is there?"
Diana sighed, her tone low. "Since reaching the demigod level, I've hit a bottleneck. Even true gods can't challenge the Celestials; I'm afraid I won't be much help."
"That doesn't sound like the Diana I know. Where's your warrior spirit? Your strength isn't only due to divine power. Beyond that, can't you develop your own innate power?" Robert asked, locking eyes with her.
"My own power? You mean something like your energy training? I tried before but couldn't produce true energy. I can mimic its effects with divine power but can't cultivate it," Diana responded, puzzled.
"Then keep honing your body. The body is the foundation of all strength. Right now, you're still stronger than Kara, but if you both relied on sheer physical power without divine energy or heat vision, you'd fall short."
"How do you know I'd lose to Kara in pure physical strength?" Diana huffed, glaring at him.
Robert simply looked at her, expressionless.
"Damn! Am I actually weaker than that girl?" Diana glanced at herself and fumed. She was an Amazonian warrior; how could she be outdone by a young Kryptonian? It was all Robert's fault.
Fueled by frustration, Diana threw herself at Robert, determined to prove herself in a second bout. Yet, with Robert's now considerable power advantage, her efforts were quickly subdued, leaving her once more on the losing end.
"Alright, your divine power is still rooted in your body, not just your bloodline. Once you've fully developed your bloodline's limits, it's time to enhance your physical form too. This is how you can surpass your current limits and potentially even outgrow the bounds of your bloodline," Robert encouraged her gently as she lay defeated.
"It won't be easy, but any progress is better than none. Who's to say the Olympus pantheon is your limit?"
For Diana, her divine power, vast as it was, ultimately set an upper limit for her abilities because Zeus himself marked that boundary. Myth had it that Zeus's offspring could reach divine levels, but none could match Zeus's power. Even if Zeus had a prophecy about being killed by one of his children, surpassing his power through shared blood alone was challenging.
"I understand…" Diana nodded wearily. The gap between her and Robert was now clear. Once, she could keep him on the defensive in their fights. Now, after two rounds, she lay exhausted, while Robert seemed unfazed. This loss made her realize it was time to incorporate physical training into her regimen.
"I'll head out; I need to bring the Reality Stone to Kamar-Taj," Robert said, patting her on the head before vanishing.
At that moment, Robert held three Infinity Stones. The Space Stone was stored on a remote island, the Reality Stone was housed at the Avengers base, and the newly acquired Power Stone, along with an ultimate weapon, was secured in his created space.
Yes, Robert now had the ability to summon objects and create small spaces—both abilities inspired by Piccolo. However, he wasn't sure if these stones would stay secure there. So, after receiving a message from Star-Lord, he decided to transfer the Reality Stone to Kamar-Taj to prevent any issues that might arise from two Infinity Stones interacting within his space.
He returned to the Avengers base, bringing out the Power Stone and ultimate weapon for Jarvis to analyze, then prepared to move the Reality Stone to Kamar-Taj.
"Here, the Reality Stone. Don't overreach with its power. If I catch either of you trying to wield it recklessly, you won't get another chance," he warned Doom and Constantine.
Although Kamar-Taj hadn't officially designated a new Sorcerer Supreme, Doom and Constantine had long surpassed Wong, Baron Mordo, and Kaecilius, becoming the de facto leaders.
"We'll handle it with care," Doom and Constantine nodded seriously, exchanging glances.
"Robert, please return immediately!" Jarvis's voice suddenly cut in from a tablet at Kamar-Taj, prompting Robert to disappear on the spot.
"Technology, so unreliable!" Kaecilius grumbled, eyeing the tablet.
"Technology has its order, unlike chaotic magic," Doom replied, his gaze fixed on the floating Reality Stone.
---
"What's going on?" Back at the Avengers base, Robert asked, facing Pietro and the others.
Tony Stark and Reed Richards were frantically working, their fingers flying across a supercomputer keyboard as if battling an unseen force.
"Someone's hacking into Jarvis's database, accessing Infinity Stone data, especially the recently scanned Power Stone," Bruce Banner explained gravely.
"Jarvis detected the intrusion but couldn't counter it alone. Even with Tony and Reed working together, they aren't gaining ground."
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