American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

204. Splitting Up.

"Alex, you're not really going to let them just walk into their deaths, are you?"

After the two groups parted ways, Pietro couldn't help but ask.

Old Barton had already been through enough. Zemo, who had been monitoring him for so long, was unlikely to just sit back and wait for Barton to kill him. It was easy to imagine that at the end of the road, what awaited Hawkeye and the others was something akin to a living hell.

In response to Pietro's concern, Alex merely shook his head with a smile. "Of course, I'm not going to let them walk into their deaths. That's why the two of you will follow them, but try not to let them notice."

Alex understood what Pietro was thinking. After battling the Sinister Six formed by Osborn, Pietro and Kara should have already noticed that the extraordinary abilities of this world were steadily declining.

If the battle from forty-five years ago marked a turning point, everything before that was flourishing, with diverse fields like magic, theology, and technology all advancing toward higher levels of development. But after that battle, the world's progress seemed to hit a wall. With the magical dimensions exiled to unreachable places, the world had entered what could be called the 'Era of Waning Magic.'

Continuous conflicts and the rulers' internal struggles had led to a sharp decline in the world's development. When people couldn't even meet their basic needs, who would have the luxury to think about advancing civilization?

This wasn't just a decline in magic and sorcery; it was also a regression in science and technology. Greedy lords plundered resources and locked away 'knowledge' that belonged to everyone in their castles.

Gradually, children deprived of basic education lost their humanity and morality because, in this world, no one would tell them what was 'right' or 'wrong.' All they learned was how to survive.

In such a world, even the once-powerful supervillains were weakening. These villains, basking in the victories of the past, had grown old and feeble over the years. Their minds dulled, muscles atrophied, and even their once-formidable superpowers had lost much of their menace.

Everyone had noticed these changes, but Alex didn't want Pietro and Kara to make a wrong judgment based on them.

"Follow them… wait, 'we'?" Pietro was stunned, his eyes widening in surprise.

"And what about you? Aren't you coming with us?"

"I have some things I must do. The Wasteland is vast, and there are still many hidden threats that can help me replenish my energy and enhance my combat abilities," Alex said with a faint smile.

"You're going to hunt those weird creatures again and use that 'magic' of yours to absorb them into your body?" Kara frowned slightly, a hint of worry in her eyes as she looked at Alex.

"Yes, and no," Alex said, meeting Kara's gaze without evasion. "Devouring magic originates from ancient gods, but I'm not yet capable of wielding it like a true ancient god. To perfect this method, I'll need some help."

At this point, Alex could only perform basic devouring against enemies, but reaching the level of Doctor Strange was still beyond him.

After all, Doctor Strange had gradually learned from transcribing the Darkhold, while Alex had figured it out through his own experimentation—there was still a gap between them.

"It seems you already have a target," Kara raised her head.

"In Doctor Doom's territory, there's a strange town hidden by magic. I should be able to find what I need there."

Nodding slightly, Alex didn't conceal his plan. In the timeline of this Wasteland universe, Baron Mordo, Doctor Strange's senior and archenemy, had not yet been killed by Doom.

After Baron Mordo helped Red Skull win the battle against the superheroes and used magic to banish the dimension lords who attempted to conquer Earth, he decided to focus on studying deeper magic.

To this end, before Red Skull burned all magical artifacts, Mordo secretly took the Darkhold from Hydra's archives and then found an isolated place, casting a spell to pull an entire town into the mirror dimension. Not only that, after mastering the Darkhold's spells, Mordo even used magic to 'kidnap' Agatha.

Now, Agatha was one of the most powerful witches on Earth. Though she wasn't a formidable fighter, her knowledge of magic and sorcery was second to none.

Agatha excelled at spells that controlled the surrounding magical energies, with her most impressive magic being the control and manipulation of minds. For Baron Mordo to enslave someone as adept at mental control as Agatha, his power was undoubtedly formidable.

If there was any remaining magical artifact in this world, the Darkhold in Baron Mordo's possession would certainly be one of the most important. And that was exactly what Alex needed right now.

However, facing a magical master like Baron Mordo was no easy task. This was someone who had dueled Doctor Strange multiple times, often gaining the upper hand—he was no ordinary villain like Green Goblin Osborn.

If Enchantress Lorelei had relied on the residual power of Asgard to barely wield magic, then Baron Mordo had embraced the dark god, attempting to use the Darkhold to connect with Chthon and gain supreme dark magic.

Both were sorcerers, but they were not comparable. Judging by their current states, Baron Mordo was undoubtedly more dangerous than Lorelei. And that was why Alex chose to go alone.

In the realm of magic and sorcery, Pietro and Kara would be of little help.

If Kara were in her prime, she might have been able to go head-to-head with her Kryptonian genes. But in her current state, weakened by the Wasteland sun, she was almost as feeble as those inferior Hulks. So, taking them along would be pointless.

It was more likely that Alex would be hindered by their presence. So, given the situation, it was better to divide the tasks. Kara and Pietro could help Hawkeye deal with Zemo, which would be like cutting off one of Hydra's heads.

As for Alex, he would confront the remaining mystical forces in this world, devouring and converting them one by one. This would also speed up the timepad's recording of this universe's timeline.

...…..

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206. The Secret of the Sacred Timeline.
207. The X-Men's Final Resting Place.
208. The Shadow King.
209. The Necromancer.