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*****
"Master, the seal has been established."
In the vast, shimmering void, the Living Tribunal knelt before a towering, ethereal silhouette, reporting with profound reverence.
The silhouette nodded in satisfaction. "Well done. Let's see that old fellow Hongjun try to cheat now."
He and Hongjun were matched in power; their numerous clashes throughout the ages had always resulted in a stalemate. Consequently, they had struck a wager: each would send a single individual to the other's world. These subjects had to be ordinary humans, and within a set timeframe, the winner would be whoever achieved the greatest growth.
As it turned out, Hongjun had stealthily granted his candidate the ability to create clones, allowing the subject to skyrocket to Multiversal level in an impossibly short duration.
"Cheating? You were the one who cheated first," a second silhouette suddenly materialized, causing the Living Tribunal to press his forehead even lower against the void.
These two figures were none other than the masters of their respective domains: One Above All (OAA), the sovereign of the Marvel Multiverse, and Grandmaster Hongjun, the supreme ruler of the Great Desolation.
"Is Stark not an ordinary human?" OAA countered, pointing a finger at Hongjun. "How can you call that cheating?"
"You could have chosen a clever mortal yourself," Hongjun replied calmly. "But bestowing a divine cloning technique directly? That is crossing the line."
"Which is why I did not stop you from having your subordinate seal him." Hongjun smiled thinly. "However, while you have sealed his ability to generate new clones and severed the mental link between them, you cannot sever the sharing of power."
He continued, "As long as those existing clones increase their strength, the main body's power will rise accordingly. Sooner or later, he will break that seal."
OAA narrowed his eyes. "As long as he can't pop out new clones like before, his current number of bodies won't be able to increase his strength too quickly. By the time he breaks free, I trust Stark will have already surpassed him. In all likelihood, he'll be trapped forever, and the victory will be mine."
"Then let us wait and see."
Hongjun maintained his enigmatic smile. OAA, sensing something off, added a note of caution: "It's a deal, then. From this moment on, neither of us shall interfere with the two subjects, or the wager is void."
"Agreed."
"I've been played!"
Though the mental connection had been severed, every clone shared the same fundamental soul essence as the main body. Their thoughts were identical.
"At least the basic power-sharing remains intact."
The moment the link snapped, the clone's consciousness processed the situation for a mere two seconds before simultaneously halting all cultivation, bringing his magic power to a stable, dormant state.
On the other side, the main body had entered a deep state of meditative cultivation, focusing entirely on increasing the mana within his body at maximum speed.
The clone immediately felt the surge of magic power within himself, confirming his hypothesis. Although the soul-link was blocked and the main body could no longer manifest new versions of himself, the feedback loop of strength remained.
As long as the clones grew strong enough to shatter the Living Tribunal's seal from the outside—or rather, by proxy—the main body would naturally gain the power to break out from within.
"It seems I need to find a way to power up quickly."
Strictly speaking, there was no immediate danger. The main body was merely sealed within the original parallel universe, where he could continue to live a normal life with his family and friends. Even if he never broke the seal, it wasn't an entirely unacceptable fate.
As for the clones, while they couldn't multiply further, they were free to enjoy their lives across various worlds. The clone in the Sorcerer's Apprentice world, for instance, had already fully absorbed and fused with that universe, becoming its Creator.
However, George was not one to succumb to complacency.
Having traversed so many worlds and having guessed part of the truth behind his transmigration, he knew that being a "salted fish" would eventually lead to disaster. Who could guarantee the Living Tribunal's promise wouldn't change, or that OAA wouldn't suddenly decide to eliminate him? Even Hongjun might grow bored with his lack of ambition and decide to wipe the slate clean.
Placing his life in the hands of others was not his style. Safety was only real when destiny was held in one's own grip.
He resolved to increase his strength at the fastest possible rate, break the seal on his main body, and lead his home universe to completely break away from the Marvel Multiverse. Once reunited, he would strive to reach the same level as Hongjun and OAA—or at least a level where he was no longer a pawn in their games.
After some deliberation, George formulated a strategic plan for rapid growth and the "Rescue the Main Body" operation:
First, for the worlds already undergoing absorption, he needed to accelerate the fusion process into his own internal world. This would provide a massive boost to his foundational strength.
Second, now that he had reached the Multiversal level, he needed to make contact with the Creators of the various worlds his clones inhabited. If a world lacked a Creator, he would claim it directly. If one existed, he would judge their intent. Friendly Creators, like the one in Middle-earth, could be allies for mutual learning and growth. Unfriendly ones, like the potential ruler of the Fairy Tail world, would be eliminated and their worlds devoured. If he couldn't win, he would retreat into the void, get stronger, and return to finish the job. With his current power, few should be able to oppose him.
Third, he needed to merge the clones. The clone in the Sorcerer's Apprentice world had already consumed its universe and had no further room for growth there. It made more sense to merge that power back into the collective.
If all clones merged, his strength would undergo a qualitative leap. For example, if each clone's world-level was at a factor of six, the main body was also at six. If eleven clones merged, the collective world-strength would jump to sixty-six, and individual power would increase elevenfold.
At that point, even among Multiversal beings, the main body would be a top-tier powerhouse. The odds of shattering the Living Tribunal's seal would be significantly higher.
Of course, the Primordial Chaos was full of dangers. The Creator of the Sorcerer's Apprentice world had been killed while wandering through it. George knew he couldn't just rush out like a headless fly.
He already had a few ideas. The main body might have lost the "cheat" ability to create clones, but that didn't mean George couldn't use his own magic. He possessed cloning spells of his own, and once he devoured the Uniqueness of the "Error" pathway, his ability to manifest avatars would reach an entirely new level.
(End of Chapter)