Sitting on the brand-new sofa and sipping tea brewed from freshly purchased leaves, Lucas Reed's mood had finally improved somewhat.
After all, he had already vented his anger, and the other party had compensated him with an entire new villa.
Not only that—the furniture inside the house had been almost completely replaced with brand-new items, and anything missing had been fully replenished.
Some electrical appliances were things Sersi couldn't transmute, so Ikaris had taken Gilgamesh into town to buy them.
As for items that couldn't be found locally—such as Carrie's toy dolls—Makkari had sprinted to neighboring towns or even farther cities to purchase them.
In the end, Lucas still wrote them a thirty-thousand-dollar check.
Of course, the money had nothing to do with house repairs—it was payment for Makkari running errands on his behalf.
Naturally, the check also included about eighty dollars in leftover change as a tip. Lucas felt he was being quite generous.
"All right, Mr. Reed—how do you find it?"
Sersi sat across from him on the sofa, smiling gently as she asked.
The other Eternals stood behind her, all visibly on guard.
After all, less than three hours ago, this man had beaten them senseless like a rampaging demon. Who wouldn't be wary?
"Have some tea." Lucas lifted his hand in invitation.
As an Eternal who had lived for thousands of years—and as a museum curator—Sersi naturally understood etiquette.
After swallowing the bitter tea, she heard Lucas set his cup down and ask:
"Do you know why so many people enjoy drinking tea?"
"To remember bitterness and cherish sweetness?" Sersi replied with a faint smile—though a trace of bitterness lingered in it.
Memories surfaced in her mind, and Ikaris' figure unconsciously appeared.
"No," Lucas said with a smile. "It's simply because tea is good for your health."
Sersi paused, then nodded.
Then Lucas suddenly asked:
"Is Ajak dead?"
In that instant, Sersi's expression changed—so did the expressions of every Eternal behind her.
"You believe the Deviants killed her," Lucas continued calmly, pouring himself another cup of tea and inhaling its faint fragrance.
"That's why you chased them all the way here."
"Do you know what really happened?" Sersi immediately asked.
She wasn't foolish—Lucas' words had already revealed far too much.
"I'm not a prophet," Lucas said lightly, then glanced toward the back.
"Right, Ikaris?"
Ikaris' face changed dramatically.
Sersi turned to him in confusion, but Ikaris had already forced his expression back under control.
"But I can tell you this," Lucas continued, his voice sinking,
"Everything traces back to the judgment of the Celestial behind you—Arishem."
"You have someone among you who wants a new Celestial—Tiamut—to be born," Lucas said coldly.
"And the price for that birth is all life on Earth."
"Mr. Reed… what exactly are you talking about?" Sersi and the others were completely confused.
Only Ikaris' eyes flickered wildly, his body trembling faintly.
Lucas sighed and explained Arishem's plan in full.
When he finished, he looked straight at Ikaris.
"You killed Ajak because she betrayed Arishem—because she didn't want Tiamut to be born and destroy all of humanity. Am I wrong?"
All Eternals turned their gaze toward Ikaris.
Lucas added quietly, "Ikaris, I strongly advise you not to try running. This time, I truly won't hold back."
Despite his calm exterior, Lucas felt deeply unsettled inside.
Since encountering the Deviants and the Eternals, his mood had never truly recovered.
He was so frustrated he felt like cutting someone down.
This was the first time since arriving in this world that he had encountered something so utterly beyond his control.
The word "Celestials" weighed heavily on his heart.
Those beings were simply too powerful.
In the movie universe alone, their bodies exceeded three hundred twenty thousand meters in height. Humans were no more than ants before them.
They twisted space-time to create black holes for movement, and with a mere thought could summon Eternal members from unknown distances.
By definition, they were the first "life race" in the universe, predating even the Infinity Stones.
Even in a combined DC–Marvel universe, Lucas dared not assume that any hidden powerhouse on Earth could stop a Celestial.
Even Odin—who once wore the Destroyer Armor and fought nine Celestials at once—
Had only barely managed to defeat one before being utterly crushed by the remaining nine.
Celestials were not beings who played fair.
Thus, Lucas could only choose to strike first.
Just like in the movie—have Sersi kill Tiamut while he was still in the cradle.
Then gamble that Arishem wouldn't pursue the matter.
And if he did—Sersi would take the blame.
If Arishem came after Lucas himself, then he would simply accept his fate.
There was also a comic storyline Lucas couldn't confirm—
That although Tiamut's body had not yet emerged from Earth, his consciousness had already awakened, and that Sersi's eventual success relied on Tiamut's own unwillingness to see humanity perish.
But Lucas refused to gamble on that possibility.
'At the very least, I'd rather fight than lie down and wait for death.'
At that moment, Sersi stared at Ikaris and demanded:
"Is what he said true?"
Ikaris took a deep breath and replied, "Yes. I killed Ajak. She betrayed Arishem—I couldn't allow her to live."
"You—!"
All the Eternals were stunned.
They had never imagined that Ikaris would actually kill Ajak, their leader.
"She was unworthy of leading us!" Ikaris shouted, his composure finally breaking.
"She defied Arishem's will—she betrayed her original purpose!"
Facing the gazes of his kin and the woman he loved, Ikaris completely lost control.
"You are all traitors! I won't let you stop Tiamut's birth!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he attempted to flee.
But just before he could escape, Lucas suddenly appeared in front of him and drove a knee straight into his chest.
Left and right hooks followed in rapid succession.
Ikaris collapsed instantly, losing consciousness on the spot.
"Bind him," Lucas said calmly, turning to Phastos.
Phastos snapped out of his daze and immediately used his abilities to restrain Ikaris tightly.
If Lucas hadn't feared that killing Ikaris outright would cause Sersi to turn hostile and derail the entire plan—
He would have eliminated Ikaris the moment they met.
"What do we do now?" Sersi asked, panic finally setting in.
"I have a way," Lucas said quietly.
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