Chapter 553: Anomaly
Edward and his team soon arrived at their destiny with no issue, or so they thought. As soon as they entered the new world, everything spun even worse than the first time.
“What’s going on?” asked Edward.
“I don’t know,” replied Morgana before running more diagnostics. The process lasted longer than expected, and it wasn't until everything stopped spinning that Edward received an answer.
“Well, what was it?”
“This universe seemed to be shaking and moving.”
“Moving? How is that possible?” He knew his destination, and this place should be very safe— especially for someone of his power level.
“Did the universe suddenly acquire consciousness and become a living creature?” he asked after thinking about their previous experience.
“It appears it’s not the case.”
Edward grunted. Small accidents kept occurring, and he did not like this. “Alright. How are our systems?”
“It appeared some of them were destroyed or malfunctioning.”
“Are you serious?” Even the previous chaos in the Void did not damage any of the city’s systems, so how could entry into a universe do such damage?
“What’s going on?” Edward asked before receiving an answer, Morgana continued, “Boss, we are surrounded.”
A screen materialized before Edward and his pupils shrank, “Are those — Amazonians?” Many women dressed in armor, holding cold weapons, and some on horses surrounded the city. His gaze focused on one woman with long black hair; she was beautiful, regal, and full of power and charm.
“Wonder Woman?” He was sure it was her as his memory of a particular animated movie popped into his mind. Before his reincarnation, Marvel dominated the box office while DC was supreme in the animated movie department. They had a new rebooted Justice League animated movie, and this Wonder Woman resembled that version.
“Can someone tell me what is going on?”
His destination was the Flash TV Universe, which was only the CW universe. His purpose was to study the Speed Force, another manifestation of time. As such, Wonder Woman should not exist in that universe.
“I don’t know either,” replied Morgana, and Edward exhaled deeply. He closed his eyes to contact the Akashic Record. Soon, he saw a customer service response from a small blue-winged elf AI similar to his.
“Sir, Edward, how can I help you?”
“You people sold me the wrong coordinate.”
“That’s not possible. We would never make such an error.”
“Then explained the situation to me,” he replied, showing her the screen Morgana was displaying. The little elf frowned before saying, “Wait a moment before I open up your file.”
After a few seconds, she had an apologetic look.
“So, you did make a mistake.”
“Technically, yes and no.”
“What do you mean?”
“The coordinates are the ones you asked for. However, a major change has occurred in the Void recently. We should have sent you a warning but failed to do so.”
“What major change?”
“I’m afraid this is beyond your security level.”
“You are the one who made the mistake, so you can repay me by answering my question.”
The blue elf paused for a few seconds; she seemed to be doing something. Then, she spoke:
“To answer your question, universes like DC and Marvel are experiencing an event called [Convergence]. Previously, many of the ‘anime,’ ‘films,’ and ‘television’ you used to know were separate but connected worlds of the main universe—the comics. But now, everything is fusing.”
It took every fiber and ounce of strength of Edward’s body not to curse out loud. He had read the comics, so he knew how terrifying they were. The minimum power level was Tier 12, and it might go as high as Tier 14. With his measly Tier 8 and even Tier 10 Floating City, he was nothing but a slightly large cannon fodder.
‘Wait, my main destination for this voyage is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Doesn’t it mean that world is also screwed?’ He exhaled to calm down.
“What’s going on with this Convergence? Doesn’t that mean the danger levels of these worlds are now much higher?”
“Yes, not the point of exaggeration. The DC Universe Convergence has just reached the late stage while Marvel is still in the early steps, so there is still plenty of time before the danger level of these worlds reaches the highest peak.”
Edward sighed in relief. As long as he hurries with his affairs in DC, he can rush to his destination and still take his time. He looked at the elf:
“Can you tell me how long before the process ends?”
“Unfortunately, such knowledge is beyond your security level.”
Edward could tell she would not budge on this issue, so he did not insist and focused on something else:
“Since this was your error, are you prepared to compensate me?”
“Of course. We have reimbursed your previous purchase. I hope our response is satisfactory.”
“I am indeed pleased,” nodded Edward as he sensed his Knowledge Points balanced increase. “Well, thank you for your service.”
“Wait a moment.”
“Is there something else?”
“You have a message from Sir Merlin,” said the elf. “Would you like to read it now?”
“Yes! Hurry.”
“Don’t worry. I’m fine; I'm just busy. And grow faster, time is running out.”
Edward was first relieved the old man was okay. After not hearing about him for so long, he started worrying. Luckily, nothing has happened to him.
Then, he sensed the ominous shadows behind these words. The previous sensation that he had all the time in the world was gone, replaced by a sense of urgency.
“Is this all, or is there something else?”
“That’s all.”
“Thank you.”
Edward opened his eyes to a flurry of questions: “Well, what did they say? Do you have a better understanding of the situation? And what’s our next step?”
Edward grunted before explaining the situation to her.
“So, this world is indeed moving and expanding. Our sudden entrance must have disrupted the process and created a tide of chaotic energy that swooped us.”
Now, they finally understood the situation. “What’s next?”
“You fix the damage to our systems, and I will deal with the people outside.”
“Are you sure? These people hate men and should not be too friendly.”
“I know, but if the situation is not dealt with swiftly, they could alert the Gods in Olympus, leading to other problems. So, it’s best to find a peaceful and diplomatic solution.”
“I’ll be fine — I think. But what about you?”
“This world is very accepting of magic, so we don’t have to worry about adapting for too long. So, the only problem is fixing these damaged systems.”
“Alright, I’ll leave everything to you.”
Edward walked out of the city with his hands raised. As soon as he appeared, countless spears, swords, and bows pointed at him.
“Easy, I came here in peace.”
“A man? Why have you intruded into our territory?” asked Hippolyta, the Queen of Amazon and Diana's (Wonder Woman) mother.
“An accident. My ship landed in this place by accident?”
“Ship? Such a large city is a ship?” asked Diana.
“Well, although a little flamboyant, but yes — it’s a ship.”
Edward saw her beautiful eyes light up, probably wanting to say a compliment. Alas, before she could speak further, Hippolyta spoke. “You are now under Amazonian soil, so accept surrender before we discuss how to deal with you. Do not make any hostile moves.”
Edward frowned as he pondered. It would be easy to subdue these people, showing them he could have easily harmed them. But such an act might elicit a negative response.
If it was only Diana, this could work. But with how Hippolyta is portrayed in different media, such a move might make her consider him a bigger threat and escalate the situation.
‘Fine, let’s allow them to capture me. Anyway, these people cannot harm me, and I can consider this situation as experiencing bondage after a long while.’
Edward placed his hands together to show his surrender. Hippolyta motioned for one of the Amazons to tie his hands. Edward secretly shook his head at how primitive such a move was. He thought they would use some magical artifact, but it was just a robe made with a unique material. Such a restraint was a nightmare for a normal mortal man but nothing to him.
“Follow us,” said the queen with a stern face.