Jonathan Carnahan.
Perhaps many people aren't too familiar with this name. But if you mention that sneaky guy from The Mummy movies—the one who's always pilfering his companions' belongings without anyone noticing—then anyone who's seen the films will surely remember him right away.
Jonathan isn't the protagonist of The Mummy series.
Some remember him for his petty thievery, while others remember him simply because he's the heroine's brother—and Herman happens to be the kind of honest man who still vividly recalls Jonathan's beautiful sister.
"A character from the Dark Universe, huh..."
Herman muttered, staring at Jonathan, who was now suspended before him under telekinetic restraint. At this point, he was almost certain—this was indeed the universe he was living in.
Outside the Marvel Universe influenced by the [All-Seeing Eye], characters like this—ones that didn't belong to Marvel at all—shouldn't exist in any of its parallel universes.
Just like with the DC Universe.
The Dark Universe was another cinematic world a certain film studio had once tried to build—long before Herman's transmigration.
However, in both reputation and power scale, the Dark Universe could never compare to Marvel or DC. It was a cinematic universe that had collapsed before it could even be completed.
Most of the supernatural beings in that world were creatures like Frankenstein's monster, Count Dracula, and other legendary "monsters" from folklore.
Among them, The Mummy series was by far the most successful, telling the tale of a group of adventurers during the height of the Gold Rush.
Compared to vampires or Frankenstein's monster, the power level explored in The Mummy series reached nearly the highest tier within that cinematic universe.
In 1719 BC, in the Egyptian city of Thebes, the Pharaoh's high priest Imhotep had an affair with the Pharaoh's wife, Anck-Su-Namun.
When their affair was exposed, Anck-Su-Namun took her own life. Imhotep, wielding powerful magic, tried to resurrect his beloved in the City of the Dead using forbidden dark rituals—an act that desecrated the Egyptian gods.
While Imhotep performed the ritual in Hamunaptra, the Pharaoh's guards arrived and interrupted the ceremony. The priests who assisted him were mummified alive, and Imhotep himself was sentenced to the "Curse of the Mummified"—the most brutal curse and punishment in all of Egypt.
That curse condemned him to eternal agony. Yet he would never truly die. Only when his decaying body finally turned to dust could Imhotep find peace.
As his sarcophagus was sealed and his terrified screams echoed through the tomb, the curse took hold—his hatred and lust for vengeance growing ever stronger in the darkness.
Centuries later, when he was finally awakened, he sought to use his immense power to rule the living world and resurrect his lover once again.
It must be said—he was an exceptionally devoted villain. And a powerful one.
After all, he possessed immortality. Beyond the ancient sorcery of that cursed priest, The Mummy series also touched upon divine powers.
More than one Egyptian god was involved.
Judging from the perspective of the Marvel Universe, those Egyptian gods would at least be Sky Father–level beings—and perhaps even stronger.
After all, since these entities had been merged into the Marvel Universe through the [All-Seeing Eye], they couldn't be judged by Marvel's usual standards.
Of course, Herman wasn't particularly interested in most of the Egyptian gods. The only one that truly caught his attention was the most renowned figure from The Mummy series.
"The God of Death... Anubis."
Herman's eyes flickered slightly.
As the [Lord of the Dead], the one who commanded the authority over death itself, he was naturally fascinated by the power of such a "colleague."
If his memory served him right, in The Mummy films, both the Book of the Dead and the Book of Amun-Ra were manifestations of Anubis's divine authority and power.
And then there was the Scorpion King, who appeared in the second movie—he had once made a pact with Anubis, gaining command over the god's army and a portion of his power.
According to the lore of The Mummy, there once existed a Scorpion King. In 3067 BC, after his failed invasion of Egypt, he lost his entire army. Left utterly alone, he sold his soul to Anubis, the god of the underworld.
In return, he was granted a vast army from the depths of hell. Later, after the Scorpion King's ambitions were fulfilled, Anubis claimed his soul, while the Egyptians managed to seal away the truth.
However, the Scorpion King's soul—and Anubis's army—still slumber somewhere beneath the desert sands, waiting for someone to awaken them.
If I could study the power of Anubis, might it deepen my grasp of the authority over death, thereby allowing me to ascend to the Universal-level more swiftly?
Herman felt a stir within his heart.
The Platinum-tier status itself corresponded directly to the Universal-level. It could be said that Herman's identity as the [Lord of the Dead] already granted him the ticket and qualification to become a Universal-level being. What he lacked now was merely a deeper understanding and mastery of the Death Laws.
The power granted by the identities of the [All-Seeing Eye] always worked this way. The strength bestowed by the [Lord of the Dead] was comparable to the divine essence granted by the Gold-level identity [Raven Emissary], yet both still required Herman to comprehend and master their power before he could truly make it his own.
Anubis's mastery of the Law of Death could undoubtedly accelerate Herman's grasp of death's authority. It wasn't that Anubis's level surpassed Herman's [Lord of the Dead] status, but rather that Herman's understanding of death hadn't been honed as deeply as that of the ancient death deities.
At most, Herman was only in his early twenties this year.
For transcendent beings, this age was absurdly young. Even among Sky Father–level beings, Herman was likely the youngest. Thor, the God of Thunder, had lived thousands of years and was still only a quasi–Sky Father-level existence.
Compared to most beings of equal or higher rank, Herman's deficiency lay not in power level but in the depth of understanding forged through time.
"Let me go!"
"You damn Eastern sorcerer!"
While Herman pondered, Jonathan—still bound by telekinetic restraints—continued to yell and scream at him. This fellow was a mystery, whether bold or cowardly. He looked terrified, yet his shouts rang hollow, more bark than bite.
Perhaps he was trying to attract the attention of passersby? Unfortunately, under Herman's influence, the surrounding pedestrians instinctively ignored this area.
"Even if you scream yourself hoarse, no one will come to save you." Herman's voice dripped with amusement as he watched Jonathan, frozen in place as if under a "Freeze Spell."
"Are you trying to make me scream 'hoarse'? Your joke isn't funny at all." Jonathan was the type of con artist who'd seen it all.
"I didn't expect him to get that reference..." Herman was slightly taken aback. During the Marvel Universe's World War II era, was this kind of dry humor really popular?
"Listen, friend... This time I'll admit defeat. I accidentally provoked a sorcerer like you. I'm willing to offer my wristwatch as an apology."
"Let's make a deal. Consider it making friends... Can you just let me go?"
Jonathan glanced around at the passersby, none of whom were coming to his rescue. Realizing something was wrong, he forced a smile and quickly changed tactics.
"A watch?"
Herman smiled brightly. He hadn't expected someone to try and bribe him. This was something unthinkable in his own era—after all, most people knew he was a billionaire who never lacked for money.
"Yes! Yes! Swiss-made!"
Most famous watch brands weren't widely known back then, so Jonathan emphasized his watch's Swiss origin. During World War II, Swiss-made timepieces were globally renowned. People might not know specific brands, but they understood the value of Swiss watches.
Jonathan was now willing to trade his watch for his precious life—a painful sacrifice for someone who loved money more than anything.
After all, Jonathan was the type who valued money above his own life. That he was willing to make such a sacrifice showed just how deeply terrified he was by Herman's "witchcraft."
"I know... Rolex, right?"
Herman glanced at Jonathan's wrist.
"Yes! Rolex! It's a Rolex! Worth over a thousand dollars!"
Jonathan hadn't expected Herman to recognize the brand. A flicker of pain crossed his eyes, but he quickly emphasized the watch's worth.
"Rolex is indeed a fine brand, but unfortunately, yours is a fake." Herman raised an eyebrow, instantly recognizing Jonathan's Rolex as a high-quality counterfeit. A particularly shoddy knockoff, the kind that would get bad reviews.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I traded gold for this watch with Jack!" Jonathan's voice rose again. He clearly had great confidence in his "appraisal skills."
"Look at these."
Herman cheerfully rolled up his sleeves. Before Jonathan could react, he revealed his arm completely covered in Rolex watches. For a billionaire with "storage space," carrying dozens or even hundreds of luxury watches was perfectly reasonable.
"What!? Damn it! Where did you get so many Rolexes! Damn... Each one looks way better than mine!"
Jonathan's eyes widened at the sight of the long string of watches on Herman's wrist. He couldn't even begin to fathom why someone would go out wearing so many watches at once. His attention was completely captured by the exquisitely crafted, gleaming timepieces adorning Herman's arm.
Designs nearly a century ahead of their time were bound to astonish people during World War II. Jonathan even momentarily forgot he was still bound by "witchcraft."
"No one knows Rolex better than me." Herman gave his wrist a casual flick, delivering a joke probably only he understood these days.
"You... you're so rich! No wonder I spotted you instantly in the crowd. Good heavens, you're wearing diamond-encrusted watches from head to toe!"
"So this is the real Rolex! That damn Jack! If I ever see him again, I'll wring his head off and kick it like a ball!"
Jonathan's expression was pure, unadulterated frustration.
"Want one?"
Herman's smile widened. Anyone familiar with The Boys would have felt a chill run down their spine at the sight of it.
The sun was out. Clearly, he had something up his sleeve.
...
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