"You encountered another formidable enemy?" Tony Stark was momentarily taken aback. Honestly, he had initially believed the universe wasn't all that dangerous—especially since even the Kree Empire, one of the three great galactic powers, had been effortlessly dealt with by Robert.
But now, Star-Lord was contacting the Avengers again. Stark, reflecting on the scale of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the vastness of the universe, hesitated. He suspected the frequency of major incidents in the universe was higher than he'd imagined—how else would the Guardians keep running into so many crises in such a short time?
"We did encounter a strong enemy, and we're currently tracking them. We've chased them all the way to the solar system. We're near Jupiter now, but they show no signs of stopping!" Star-Lord hurriedly explained.
"What?!" Stark's eyes widened as he turned to J.A.R.V.I.S. "Calculate the distance between us and Star-Lord. Prepare to dispatch probes toward Jupiter."
As humanity's understanding of the universe expanded, the Avengers had placed various probes throughout the solar system. However, even with these probes, they couldn't guarantee detection of all intrusions into the solar system.
Given the vastness of space, the probes' range was limited—especially in a three-dimensional universe. Detecting everything was nearly impossible.
Stark's decision to deploy probes stemmed from the fact that Star-Lord had provided coordinates. With this information, the chances of intercepting the enemy improved significantly.
Even so, Stark remained puzzled. Star-Lord and his team were already near Jupiter, leaving only Mars, Earth, Venus, and Mercury within the inner solar system. Mars, once home to Martian Manhunter's civilization, was now devoid of life. Could Star-Lord's enemy be heading for Earth or one of the other planets?
"Star-Lord's current coordinates indicate they are 21 light-years away, with no sign of the distance closing," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported. Both Stark and Star-Lord were momentarily stunned by this revelation.
"What are you talking about? Are you saying I'm not in the solar system? Then what about Saturn, which I just saw? Or Jupiter, which I'm looking at right now? I can even see the asteroid belt!" Star-Lord protested, glancing at the scene outside his ship.
The distance between Jupiter and Earth is nowhere near one light-year, let alone 21 light-years.
"According to the quantum communication coordinates, it seems we really aren't in the solar system…" Gamora, standing nearby, checked the data and hesitantly confirmed the discrepancy.
"What the hell? Where are we, then? Is there a second solar system in the universe?" Star-Lord swore, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at the viewscreen.
"Stay on the line. I'll gather the Avengers," Stark responded. "Based on what I know, parallel worlds occur in other universes. Are you saying a parallel world exists within our universe? If so, wouldn't two identical systems eventually discover each other if their civilizations advanced far enough?"
Stark was clearly baffled. As he alerted the Avengers, he speculated further.
"And what about the Martian civilization? It was incredibly advanced. Did they ever mention another solar system? Is the enemy Star-Lord encountered from a parallel Earth or a parallel Mars?"
Among the inner planets, only Earth and Mars had hosted civilizations. Venus and Mercury remained largely unexplored by the Avengers, making Stark suspect these two worlds.
But the idea of a parallel Earth raised more questions for Stark. If such a planet existed, would it also host an Avengers-like team or even Robert?
"Wait a minute. Aren't parallel worlds supposed to be outside the current universe?" Robert's voice interrupted. He had arrived promptly and seemed just as perplexed. In his understanding, parallel worlds didn't exist within the same universe.
"We've reached another Mars-like planet and can see a second Earth. Damn, the modified humanoid's ship just entered its atmosphere!" Star-Lord's voice suddenly cut in, confirming the astonishing situation.
"I'll take Baron Mordo and check it out. Open a portal for the rest of you afterward," Robert stated, vanishing immediately.
"I don't recall our Martian civilization ever discovering another Martian civilization," the Martian girl remarked, having arrived early.
"While the odds of two identical Earths—or solar systems—existing naturally are not zero, it still feels bizarre," Reed Richards commented as he followed her, frowning.
"You're not suggesting this star system is artificial, are you? Come on. The difficulty of creating a star, let alone an entire solar system, is astronomical!" Stark scoffed at the idea, dismissing it outright.
Even with the Avengers' advanced technology—especially their firepower—Stark couldn't imagine replicating the sun, a colossal star.
After all, even Octavius, despite his progress, hadn't created a perfect artificial sun. His attempts with small-scale suns consistently ended in catastrophic collapses.
If small suns were so dangerous, producing a star on the scale of the sun seemed impossible. And even if such a star could be created, its composition and properties would differ, making it unlikely to replicate the exact conditions of the solar system.
Thus, whether through natural formation or artificial means, the existence of a duplicate solar system seemed implausible—yet it undeniably existed. Stark's curiosity deepened.
"Hey, Saiyan—uh, long time no see!" Star-Lord's voice jolted Stark back to reality as a fiery portal opened in the Avengers' base.
"You're even more of a troublemaker than I thought," Robert greeted Star-Lord with a smile. "I expected you to quietly gather intel, but you've already stirred up so much commotion."
"Heh, not our fault this time. It's connected to the last incident—and some old grudges. Deadly ones," Star-Lord said awkwardly, glancing at Rocket, whose expression was resolute.
"Yes, old grudges. But what's Thor doing with that guy?" Robert mused, sensing Thor's presence alongside Supergiant, which puzzled him.
Robert recalled Odin's promise to enhance Thor's power, expecting significant growth. While Thor had indeed reached sub-Skyfather levels, his progress wasn't enough to excite Robert.
"What? Someone's following us?" Star-Lord asked sharply, his face turning serious.
"Yes. Not only is someone tailing you, but you've been led here deliberately. That planet is teeming with powerful beings. While they're no match for me, they're more than capable of dealing with you," Robert replied, smiling.
"Damn it, Nebula! Fire the planetary cannon! Let's see if they survive the explosion!" Rocket snarled, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
Rocket longed to defeat the High Evolutionary personally, but the idea of thwarting his elaborate traps and destroying his base was equally satisfying.
"Wait!" Stark and Richards shouted simultaneously, alarmed at the prospect of obliterating an Earth-like planet. They had plans to study it thoroughly.
"Calm down. With the Avengers and Robert backing us, we can handle the High Evolutionary. I want to see what this guy looks like," Star-Lord said confidently, patting Rocket's shoulder.
Though aware of the ambush awaiting them, the Guardians, emboldened by their allies, boldly approached the blue planet.
"Why are there so many people?" Ash groggily woke up aboard the ship as sunlight hit him, his confusion evident.
"Buddy, you're awake! Surgery was a success—you're a girl now," Star-Lord teased, grinning.
"What?!" Ash exclaimed, leaping to his feet. He relaxed only after confirming he was unharmed and turned to Robert. "What's going on now?"
"We've encountered another strong enemy. You were out for a while—luckily, we survived, or you might have become cosmic dust in your sleep," Star-Lord summarized nonchalantly.
"Apologies for being unconscious so long. But I feel stronger than ever—no enemy can defeat me now," Ash declared confidently.
"Relax, buddy. With the Avengers here, we don't need you," Star-Lord quipped.
"It's fine. Let him test his newfound strength. The High Evolutionary seems like the strongest among them," Robert suggested, smiling.
As the Guardians neared the new Earth, Thor and Supergiant trailed behind, perplexed by the planet's uncanny resemblance to Earth.
"This isn't Earth... but it looks just like it," Supergiant remarked after consulting the star charts.
If it wasn't Earth, then Supergiant felt no fear—he feared Earth's people, not the planet itself.
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