Chapter 79: Ancient One

Chapter 79: Ancient One

Chapter 79: Ancient One

After Peter and the rest left, Benjamin and Carol stayed in Xandar for a while to discuss something with Adora before leaving as well.

They didn’t travel via Carol’s spaceship and instead, Benjamin directly opened a portal to Earth. Carol stayed behind to help out for a bit more.

Appearing back in the EPD Headquarters, Benjamin saw Fury and handed Nebula to him.

“Oh, you’re back already. How’s the date in space?”

“You know how it is. Kree invasion, Infinity Stone, the usual. Here, take her to a cell. I’ll question her later.”

“...Did you at least bring back some souvenirs?”

Fury chose to ignore how Benjamin just shrugged off a Kree invasion and Infinity Stone.

Forget it, it’s just another headache to deal with.

It was a good thing he’s no longer director of SHIELD so he didn’t have to worry about those things anymore.

With a boss like Benjamin, he can just toss all those complicated stuff to him.

Benjamin chuckled and tossed a Xandarian-style eye patch to Fury.

“Nice. Oh, and some bald chick has been looking for you. Says she’s some magician or something.”

“Huh?”

Blad chick? Magician?

Is he talking about the current Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One?

“Where is she?”

“Right behind you, Mr. Freed.”

Just as he asked, a voice sounded from behind him.

Turning around, he saw a hooded lady in yellow robes.

Indeed, it’s her. The Ancient One.

The Ancient One smiled.

“You’re quite the hard man to find, Mr. Freed.”

“Well, I was off-world for a while. Is there anything I can help the Sorcer Supreme?”

“You know me?”

The Ancient One asked. Although she didn’t look too surprised.

Benjamin nodded and led her to his office.

“Let’s talk in my office.”

“Alright.”

After reaching his office, Benjamin went to the side and asked.

“Anything you want to drink? Water? Wine? Tea? Coffee? Soda?”

“Tea is fine.”

Benjamin nodded and started to prepare one.

As he prepared, he spoke.

“You know, it’s a good thing you came to find me actually. I was about to go look for you.”

“Oh? May I ask why you wanted to see me?”

“The Time Stone.”

The Ancient One paused for a bit before asking.

“Oh? Why? Did you want to take it as well?”

“Hmm, although taking it is convenient, it’s not necessary. It’s good enough to take you instead. Uhh, not in a weird way.”

The Ancient One was a bit speechless.

“I did hear you are quite a...womanizer. Have I entered your sights as well?”

“Uhh, I did say not in a weird way, right? What I meant was, it’s fine to have you by my side for a while...wait, that doesn’t sound right either.”

Benjamin shook his head.

Finished with the tea, he held it and placed it on the table between them and sat on the couch opposite the Ancient One.

“Look, someone is about to come to Earth to take the stones. I just think it’s easier to protect the stones if they are close to me.”

The Ancient One smiled and leaned forward.

“How close do you want me to be?”

“Umm...”

Is there any correct answer to this?

“Ben, someone took the Soul Stone.”

“...I just had to jinx it...”

Benjamin groaned.

“What happened?”

“The guy with the red skull head took it.”

“Red Skull!? How!? Did he already take Sinthea...?”

But that’s impossible. The Brehe sisters would’ve called him if that were the case.

Death shook her head.

“I do not know of this Sinthea you spoke of, but the person he sacrificed was a young boy whom he called his son.”

“Red Skull had a son!?”

Benjamin frowned.

After a while, he asked.

“Do you know where he is?”

Death smiled.

“I knew you’d ask that. That’s why I didn’t recall my other half just yet.”

She then approached Benjamin and sat on his lap.

“Uhh, Death?”

“Shh, I’m borrowing your Soul Stone for a bit.”

Death chuckled and tapped on the Soul Stone on his Infinity Crown.

Suddenly, an orange light shot out from it and a projection screen appeared in front of them.

The scene on the screen showed Red Skull and another figure.

When Benjamin saw that purplish figure, he frowned.

“Thanos? Those two are together?”

At this moment, in a certain corner of the universe, a large ship hovered in space.

Inside that large ship were Thanos and Red Skull. It was the scene that Benjamin is currently watching now.

Thanos sat on his throne while holding onto an orange stone.

He glanced at it for a moment before glancing back to Red Skull.

“I must say, I didn’t think you had it in you. When you came to me all those years ago and disappeared, I thought you’d take the stone once you got it and run on your own.”

“I...considered it.”

Red Skull answered.

“And what made you decide to give it to me?”

“The stone...required an exchange. A soul...for a soul. To get it, I had to sacrifice that which was dear to me. My son. My...true heir.”

“Yet you didn’t keep the stone.”

“I tried to keep it. I tried to use it...but my will wasn’t strong enough.”

Red Skull shivered slightly as he recalled something.

“What do you mean?”

“When I used it, I was sent into this...strange world. And in that world...I saw...Death.”

Thanos’ eyes widened as he heard that.

Back on Earth, Benjamin turned to Death curiously but she just shrugged.

“What? All I did was scare him a little.”

“A little...”

He’s practically about to piss his pants!

It seems Death didn’t like him and thought of pulling a prank. Who knew he’d chicken out and directly hand it to Thanos...

Red Skull continued.

“Thanos, son of Alars. According to our deal, the Soul Stone is yours. In exchange...Earth is mine!”

Thanos grinned.

He brought the Soul Stone to his gauntlet and suddenly, the stone stuck to one of its sockets like a magnet.

A surge of orange energy rushed from the gauntlet and poured into his body.

Thanos only grimaced a bit before the pain stopped.

The grin on his face grew wider.

“Then Earth, you shall have.”