The wind howled in Mike’s ears.
The space around him seemed to rapidly contract before his eyes.
No one knew how long it lasted.
BAM!
Mike’s entire body slammed heavily onto a hard surface.
The next moment, he got to his feet and looked around.
Before him was a vast, empty space that resembled the depths of some ancient cavern.
The ground was dark gray, with nothing supporting the edges.
The only source of light was a dim red glow reflected from something high above.
But Mike soon figured out where the light was coming from.
Following the faint red glow, he spotted a massive stone pillar in the distance.
Strange runes covered its surface, unlike any writing found on Earth.
They emitted a faint, pulsing light, as though they were protecting something.
Or rather, suppressing something.
The Reality Stone.
It was neither at the top nor the bottom of the pillar.
It was sealed in the center.
Mike could see a mass of liquid moving inside it as though it were alive.
Dark red.
It looked like blood, but even more like molten lava.
“The Reality Stone!” The moment Mike’s eyes fell on the dark red liquid sealed inside the pillar, his pupils contracted and he called out its name.
As everyone knew, Infinity Stones were supposed to look like actual gemstones.
Except for the Reality Stone.
It did not exist in solid form.
Instead, it took the form of a liquid and was therefore also known as the Aether.
At that moment, the Reality Stone sealed within the pillar seemed to possess a will of its own.
Its form constantly shifted.
Sometimes it was flowing liquid.
Sometimes it became swirling mist.
At other times, it condensed into an irregular sphere of light.
Dark red energy churned inside it, illuminating the surrounding rocks and casting a red glow across Mike’s face.
Mike slowly approached, his footsteps echoing through the empty space.
Soon, he arrived in front of the stone pillar.
Only the Asgardian runes sealing the Reality Stone separated him from the writhing mass of energy inside.
The Reality Stone seemed to sense Mike’s presence as well.
Its movements became faster, and countless dark red tendrils emerged from it, repeatedly striking the Asgardian runes sealing it away as it attempted to break through and reach Mike.
Thousands of years had passed, and Asgard had long since forgotten about this place.
The runes sealing the Reality Stone had deteriorated over time and were already on the verge of collapse beneath its attacks.
That was also why the Reality Stone had been able to pull people in from outside.
But…
Even though the Asgardian runes were already on the verge of collapse, the Reality Stone still could not completely break through them.
Mike was incredibly excited to finally see the Reality Stone he had spent nearly a year planning to obtain.
However, he did not immediately reach for it.
Instead, he looked away from the Reality Stone and began examining the Asgardian stone pillar sealing it.
With every attack from the Reality Stone, Mike could clearly see the critical points of the rune seal.
After all, he had been born in the Sanctuary during his second life.
The Sanctuary protected by the goddess Athena.
Although Athena had a habit of reincarnating and dragging all the Saints along with her into the cycle, there was no denying that the Sanctuary was filled with talented people.
Mike had not only seen runes before, but had even studied them for a period of time.
Although he was now in a completely different universe, energy runes were generally similar in structure.
And so…
Once Mike identified the key points of the rune seal, he did not hesitate.
He took half a step back, drew his fist back, and then, matching the rhythm of his breathing, punched directly at one of the glowing runes on the stone pillar.
When his fist struck the rune, there was no earth-shattering explosion.
Only the sound of something like shattering glass rang out.
The next moment, the Reality Stone, finally freed from its seal, burst out of the pillar and floated in front of Mike.
Countless blood-red tendrils immediately extended from it toward him.
Mike did not retreat.
The Reality Stone’s energy tendrils suddenly stopped just before touching him.
But it was not because the Reality Stone had decided not to possess him.
Rather— The instant the Reality Stone extended its tendrils, Mike had already moved first.
He reached out with his right hand and touched the Reality Stone floating before him.
His entire purpose for coming here had been to obtain the Reality Stone.
So Mike had no need to wait for it to possess him like it had Jane Foster.
Instead, he took the initiative and merged with it himself.
He knew what came with being possessed by the Reality Stone.
Just like the other Infinity Stones, the power of each Infinity Stone was immense, but using that power came with a price.
Take the Soul Stone, for example.
To obtain it, one had to sacrifice the soul of someone they loved.
Then there was the Power Stone.
An ordinary person could not withstand its energy.
Only someone capable of handling its power could use it.
And then there was the Reality Stone before him.
Its price was simple.
If you have energy, it consumes your energy.
If you have no energy, it consumes your life.
Because the Reality Stone existed in liquid form, while possessing its host, it would continuously drain the user’s energy.
And if the user had no energy left, then unfortunately, it would begin draining their life force instead.
But Mike did not care about that price.
As long as the Reality Stone could awaken the Cosmo within his body, he would have an endless source of energy.
He would not have to worry about nearly being drained dry like Jane Foster had been while possessed by the Reality Stone.
What if the Reality Stone failed to awaken his Cosmo?
That was fine too.
At worst, he would die.
If he was lucky and things went quickly, perhaps he could start his fourth life sooner.
Mike had a very open-minded attitude toward it.
At first, he had planned to live as an ordinary person in this world.
But Loki, the Chitauri, and the mastermind behind everything, Thanos, had destroyed that dream.
If that was the case, then so be it.
If he could not live like a great man, dining in splendor, then he would die fighting like one.
In this life, either Loki, the Chitauri, and Thanos would die…
Or he would.
There was no third option.
The debt he owed to those who had given him life and raised him could only be repaid with blood.
Most importantly— Mike preferred taking the initiative.
So!
Before the Reality Stone could possess him, Mike moved first and plunged his hand directly into the mass of blood-red mist floating before him.
The next moment— Buzz!