Marvel: Chapter 141

Chapter 141: An Answer

[[Markus Hanley]]



"Why do you want to go against me?" Kang asked, still wondering why I chose to fight. "If I were to give you a chance to live and work for me, would you take it?"


He asked a genuinely good question. Without knowing my full powers and given what I have shown, I was still weaker than him in his eyes. 


And thus his question made sense. 


"Because I do not serve." I answered honestly. "I have been forced to work under someone before and it hasn't been a good experience. I prefer my freedom and my right to live on my conditions."


Memories of my past life flashed for the first time in years, reviving the sadness and trauma. And the words of the woman that haunted me in my sleep. 


"That's when I promised, never to bow down to anyone and never to follow in their whims."


Kang didn't reply immediately and surprisingly, he didn't attack. 


"Your cause is commendable." He voiced. "But what is respect and honour in comparison to being alive?" 


"It's not about respect or honour, Kang. It's about one's ability to follow their own path and their wishes. Which is what I am doing." 


Kang stared at me, trying to look for the truth. 


"You remind me of a certain someone that I met in the past." He said. "But my memory of that time is hazy, all I know is that it was someone I respected." He paused for a while. "Very well, I will respect your answer." 


Kang was a war-hungry conqueror but he respected warriors. "Now, ask your question."


There it was. 


The chance to confirm the existence of something that could change the equation of existence.


"Since…"


I took a deep breath. 


"You have been to countless timelines and seen countless artefacts, heard of countless tales and legends." 


Finally.


"I want to know if you have heard of a certain something."


"And what might that be?" 


Before asking, I smiled and flicked my fingers. 


Kang looked around and got curious. "Sound barrier. Why?"


"Because, I cannot allow anyone else to hear this question."


Kang's curiosity was rising. "Since, you won't be walking out of here to begin with, I will allow it. Ask."


"I want to know if you have heard of a certain item."


Kang stood patiently. 


"I want to know if you have heard of The—"


…

…


[TVA Headquarters]


Mobius smashed his table in fury as Markus erected a sound barrier.


"Find a way to listen!" He shouted at his underlings. "We cannot afford to stay in the blind!"


Despite hiring Markus, Mobius was aware of the possible threats that the anomaly might cause. And looking at the situation on hand, he saw it becoming a reality.


He tried to listen using every method he could think of but Markus still managed to prevent him from doing so.


Kang was the being that knew a lot of the TVA's secrets and if they were leaked to the public it would cause mayhem. 


'I cannot let Markus become another threat for the TVA.'


"Sir, the sound barrier is gone."


Mobius immediately looked at the screen to find a shocked Markus. 


"He looks…" The junior mused.


“Surprised? No, it's amusement." Mobius noted. “What did he ask about…”


Mobius’ frown grew deeper at the possibility of Markus figuring out about some of the dangerous cosmic level artifacts. But unknown to him, Markus already knew about most of them.


‘What was it that he asked about?’


“But do remember that those are just tales being told from mouth to mouth, I cannot promise that it exists. But only tell you that I have heard about it from a few mouths.” Kang said, drawing everyone’s attention.


“That is all I needed to hear.” Markus said in a satisfied tone. “Now, shall we continue?”


Kang’s answer was simple. “Prepare for your fall, warrior.”


…

…


[[Markus Hanley]]


The reason I didn’t kill Kang immediately, the reason I had to arrange such an army and the reason I didn’t use most of my Sentry powers lied within the question.


And Kang’s answer was all I wanted to hear.


There couldn't have been a better outcome for this situation.


“Thank you… Kang.”


Space trembled, reality warped as I unleashed my powers as the Sentry. There was no point in dragging the match and after so long, I could unleash my true powers.


Reality Manipulation.


Spatial Manipulation.


Combining those, I warped us to a dimension where I could go berserk and no one would be harmed. 


“What… is this.” Kang was taken aback at my ridiculous display of power. The power of a million exploding suns, compressed in one single body was far more than the conqueror could handle.


I had to hold onto my powers till I asked him the question. Mind reading was not something I could use on him because of the time manipulators he carried. He had countless voices in his head and it was impossible to differentiate the truth from the lies.


“Why?” The Conqueror widened his eyes, shocked at the display of ridiculous power. “If you had such power… Why did you not use it from the start?”


I could understand his reason for asking, it made no sense to others that I hid my powers. I could have wiped Kang even before the battle started.


However… 


“Don’t tell me.” Kang widened his eyes in realisation. “You played such a dangerous game, made such stupid choices and dragged the battle… for that one question?”


“I did.” I calmly answered.  


“However, that question meant a lot to me, Kang.” I announced, my powers raising the temperature around the area, making the spatial gasses burn. “But you were one of the only people that could answer my question. Someone who had been to multiple timelines.”


Another one was Strange but he would never tell me the truth, and I didn’t want to make him an enemy. Neither was reading his mind possible because just like Kang he had countless voices that reloved inside his head, making it nigh impossible to get the right from wrong.


And his Time Stone. I will have to get my hands on it when the time comes.


“An anomaly…” Kang hissed. “One of the reasons that the TVA chose you.”


He couldn’t read my future, not even the cosmic beings could and compared to them… Kang was merely a fly.


The reason Kang was so confident was his believe that the TVA would never be able to get someone with reality warping abilities to work for them.


And he was right. The only reason I chose to work for them was to meet Kang, the conqueror version of Kang.


Kang laughed hysterically. “But I am not foolish like them to believe that you are on their side. You are there just for your benefit and not for some sense of justice.”


“Not wrong and they should have figured it out long ago, but unfortunalyfor them, they didn’t.” I responded in a voice that only Kang could hear.

“However, Kang.” I said. “It’s time to end this.”


Kang used all his energy to power up his armour. “I didn't come so far to be defeated by some little brat!”


However, it was too late for him.


“Your reign ends here, Kang.”


And that led me to use my ability 'Death Touch' for the first time in a battle. 


“Begone.”