American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Chapter 612 A Crisis Revealed Just the Tip of the Iceberg

After being helped up by Rune, Stark ran straight to Steve, who also stood up, his posture even more upright than before.

"You—" Tony tried to say something, but something seemed to be pressing on his throat, making his words choke. "You bastard! Everyone thought you were dead, I even—"

He couldn't continue speaking, so Steve quickly stepped forward and hugged Tony tightly.

Steve knew how proud Tony was, so he used his body to shield Tony's face, preventing Tony from crying in front of Rune, a little boy.

Rune wisely left without joining in the old friends' reminiscing.

"I'm sorry for making you worry," Steve said softly. "When I stayed behind, we encountered Thanos from another universe. Black Panther, the other heroes, and I were no match for him. And I—"

He gave a wry smile. "I just happened to be the last one to die—as it should have been, if I hadn't exposed your escape from this multiverse. So Thanos didn't kill me, but wanted me to tell him how to escape to other universes, but I never did."

Rune, who was far outside the church, also poked his head into the doorway and said loudly, "I also thought he was dead, but some time ago, in order to solve the problem of interdimensional communication, I created a spell and heard whispers from that universe. That's when I realized he wasn't dead."

Steve nodded. "It was Rune who saved me and brought me to a completely new universe, where I received the blessing of the Holy Light."

Stark released his grip, frantically rubbing his eyes with both hands. "Looks like you've actually benefited from this misfortune, haven't you?"

"Of course, this power is peculiar. It's warm, powerful, and can heal wounds and ward off darkness." Steve's tone even carried a hint of piety, which made Stark frown.

Tony took a half step back, carefully examining the holy light in his palm. A hint of wariness and curiosity flashed in his eyes. He had heard from Rune that holy light could affect a person's mind, but as a staunch technologist, he was also curious about this power that could not be explained by science.

"I think you're a bit strange, Steve." Tony squinted. "Rune once told me that the power behind the Holy Light is so strong that it might even affect your personality. I hope that no matter what, you can understand what you're doing right now, okay?"

"Of course, I know exactly what I'm doing," Steve said with a smile. "Holy Light isn't just some simple magical energy; it's more like a resonance of belief."

He raised his hand, and the holy light writhed in response to the hero's thoughts. "The church priest said that the holy light only responds to the belief in protection and justice. It chose me because I have always held fast to my original intention to protect others. And I will continue to fight to uphold justice."

Steve paused, looked at Iron Man, and said with a nostalgic look in his eyes, "Just like we used to do together."

Tony paused for a moment, a complex smile playing on his lips. He recalled their past disagreements and fights, and their times fighting side by side. In the end, he could only say, "Perhaps."

"And you guys?" Steve asked. "Peter, Banner—how have they been lately?"

"Very good, very good." Tony patted him on the shoulder and said softly, "We're all doing well, but the Avengers will always need you."

"Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I've recovered from my injuries." After saying that, Steve walked outside the church and found Rune.

At this moment, the mage was studying the Dream Demon Orb. Having obtained this treasure, he had no time to study it, so he couldn't fully utilize its power in battle, which was a complete waste.

Steve then gently patted Rune on the shoulder. "I have something to discuss with you."

Rune raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I know you've helped us a lot, and I shouldn't keep asking you to help me again." Steve took a deep breath, his words clearly tinged with unease. "But, I really have no other choice—"

"It's alright, go ahead and say it," Rune said indifferently. "If I can help, I definitely will.

"I wasn't always locked inside the spaceship while Thanos was imprisoning me," a hint of seriousness flashed in Steve's eyes. "They were afraid I would escape when they left, so I was present when Thanos was wiping out life in other universes."

At this point, Steve began to pant heavily, and Stark immediately ran over to help him up, asking in a low voice, "You—"

Do you have PTSD?

Why would Stark say that? Because he also has PTSD—it was something he developed after being kidnapped to the Middle East. Tony isn't as resilient as Steve; he was originally just a scientist.

As the saying goes, experience makes one a doctor, and Stark immediately noticed that Steve's condition was not right.

Steve, his mouth agape, desperately gasped for oxygen as he nodded, but his mind was filled with horrific images, and his entire body trembled. Keep in mind, he was a World War II veteran. Even during that terrible war, he hadn't developed PTSD, simply because he was convinced he was fighting for justice.

But Thanos and his Black Order members were true psychopaths who enjoyed killing. They were extremely cruel and never hesitated to torture their enemies in the most brutal ways.

Even more terrifying, in order to force Steve to reveal the secret of traveling through the world, Thanos would torture underage children to threaten him. Amidst their mournful cries, Steve tried to tell the answer countless times, but in the end, he did not.

He knew that if he revealed the secret, more children would suffer the same fate.

After a long while, Steve finally shook off the hallucination and began to speak: "I've discovered an organization, Rune, I've discovered a terrifying organization—they call themselves the Forsaken, and they want to start a war throughout the multiverse, and the Marvel Universe is one of their targets. They want..."

Before Steve could finish speaking, Rune's mood immediately turned heavy.

He always assumed that the Forsaken were eyeing the DC Universe, given that the time before the Source Wall broke was running out. However, Rune overlooked one thing: the Marvel Universe next door didn't have a Source Wall, and they were in the midst of a catastrophe.

Even more terrifying, when he rescued Steve from Thanos, the Creator and the Black Order were already hiding in the Ark of Doom.

This means that Marvel's last two survivors—the main universe and the ultimate universe—are about to collide. Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange are not far from using Molecule Man to kill the Beyonders and save the multiverse, and Battleworld is about to be born.

But this point in time is precisely when the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe is at its most vulnerable.

On the surface, Doctor Doom has Thor's army at his disposal, and heroes from various universes have become his lords. However, in order to maintain his rule, most of the heroes and villains in the multiverse have not been resurrected by God-King Doom, not to mention the zombies and robots that are blocked outside.

If at this moment, the Forgotten Ones attack the Battle Realm—