The whole thing really had been an absurd misunderstanding.
Strictly speaking, Jonathan owed his current life to Athena.
She had used the remaining technology of this world to send his soul into the Marvel Universe, allowing him to live again.
With that in mind, Jonathan asked another question that had been bothering him.
“Then what exactly was the deal with the original me in the Marvel Universe?”
Although the transition appeared complete, he still worried that the original consciousness might someday return and fight him for control.
“Don’t worry.”
“That person was you all along,” Athena explained casually.
“I used the last of this world’s energy to send an embryo containing your DNA into the Marvel Universe.”
“I also implanted your consciousness into the embryo beforehand.”
“However, your brain couldn’t withstand the impact of your previous life’s memories before you turned eighteen.
That was why those memories only awakened after your eighteenth birthday.”
Jonathan breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
As long as there was no second soul waiting to fight him for his body, everything was fine.
However, he quickly noticed another problem.
“Wait a minute.”
“If your technology was already this advanced, why do you need an ordinary person like me to save the world?”
Athena blinked and continued smiling innocently.
“Because you’re human.”
“And I’m not.”
“What does being human have to do with anything?”
Jonathan stared at her in complete confusion.
Athena raised her small face and solemnly delivered a line that sounded suspiciously like something from an official speech.
“Because humanity possesses infinite possibilities.”
“Artificial intelligences like us, on the other hand, are created to fulfill predetermined objectives from the moment we are born.”
After saying that, she even rolled her eyes.
The corner of Jonathan’s mouth twitched.
No matter how he listened to it, her explanation sounded like an excuse to make him do all the work.
She clearly did not seem much different from a real human.
“Stop doubting everything.
I’m really not lying to you.”
Athena puffed out her cheeks, visibly displeased by the suspicion written all over Jonathan’s face.
Jonathan scratched his head before raising a hand and pointing toward the door behind her.
“Is that the door you used to travel to my original world?”
He admittedly had little interest in saving worlds.
But traveling through different universes?
That was another matter entirely.
Just hearing about it was exciting.
“That’s right.”
Athena immediately puffed out her small chest, a hint of pride entering her voice.
“This is what makes this world so special.”
“It can connect to countless worlds.”
Jonathan examined the door before narrowing his eyes.
“Why does the light around it seem dimmer than before?”
The moment he asked, Athena reacted as though someone had stepped on her tail.
“I already told you that this world is falling apart!”
“Isn’t it perfectly normal for the Dimensional Gate to become unstable along with it?”
“So it could disappear?”
Jonathan was genuinely concerned now.
“Yes.”
Athena nodded, her expression becoming more serious.
“Only by pulling this world back from the brink of destruction can the Dimensional Gate become stable again.”
As she spoke, a faint trace of nostalgia passed through her eyes.
It was as though she were remembering what this world had once looked like when it was still whole.
Jonathan glanced at her before continuing.
“What exactly do I need to do now?”
Truthfully, he felt little attachment to whether this world survived or perished.
But the gate could not disappear.
It would determine whether he could continue traveling to other worlds.
And if he lost that ability, he might be trapped in the Marvel Universe until Thanos erased half of all life.
Jonathan refused to accept such a fate.
He intended to take control of his own life.
“Thank you, Jonathan.”
The moment she heard him agree, a smile appeared on Athena’s face.
Jonathan immediately raised a hand to interrupt her.
“Don’t thank me yet.”
“I’m helping you for my own sake.”
Athena did not seem to mind and continued explaining.
“At this stage, all you need to do is become stronger.”
“This world is being eroded by the Void.
With your current strength, you are nowhere near powerful enough to resist it.”
“Erosion by the Void…”
Jonathan quietly repeated the phrase.
It sounded both strangely familiar and more than a little melodramatic.
However, he did not dwell on it.
“I don’t care about any of that.”
“Just tell me this: Do I only need to keep getting stronger?”
Athena nodded.
A remarkably practical thought immediately entered Jonathan’s mind.
Once he became powerful enough, what would he have left to fear on Earth?
He could stop Thanos himself and be done with it.
For now, however, that remained nothing more than wishful thinking.
The most important question was how he should begin.
After thinking for a moment, Jonathan asked another question.
“Which worlds can the Dimensional Gate connect to right now?”
“At the moment, it can only maintain a stable connection between this world and the Marvel Universe,” Athena answered without hesitation.
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