American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

187. Breaking Through the Blockade.

The Master of the World's real name is Eshu. While his history suggests he's a formidable presence, in reality, his appearances in the comics are quite rare, making him almost a background villain.

On the other hand, Vandal Savage, a villain from the DC Universe with a similar backstory, is far more well-known.

Both Savage and the Master of the World were primitive men who, during ancient times, were affected by alien artifacts, granting them immense longevity and power. Over the vast expanse of time, they amassed incalculable wealth and advanced technology far beyond Earth's civilization. However, in their respective universes, the experiences of Savage and the Master of the World diverged greatly.

The former stole Batman's Babel Tower plan and came within a hair's breadth of annihilating the Justice League. Meanwhile, the latter mostly caused trouble in Canada, with his most famous encounters being with heroes like Wolverine and Namor.

Yet, Alex doesn't look down on the Master of the World for this. After all, not just anyone can wipe out all of Atlantis. The Master of the World's success in such a monumental battle in this world is proof enough of his capabilities. Moreover, the fact that he's encroached on Red Skull's territory shows that he no longer fears Hydra. It's clear he's set his sights on ruling the entire planet, fully prepared to clash with Red Skull.

Alex isn't particularly worried about this guy. The Master of the World generally stays holed up in his high-tech spaceship base and rarely takes the initiative to strike. The problem, however, is that the Master of the World has set up numerous checkpoints here, likely to weed out Hydra spies.

"We probably can't go any further; the snow is getting deeper. We should 'borrow' some useful gear from those people up ahead if we want to keep moving," Alex said.

Stopping the car in the wilderness, Alex signaled everyone to get out. A cold wind hit them as they stepped out into a landscape entirely covered in white snow.

Kara didn't seem affected at all, having long reached a state of immunity to the elements. She was still wearing her ripped jeans and black T-shirt. But Pietro and Ashley shivered as soon as they got out. While they were superpowered, their abilities didn't grant them much resistance to the cold. Seeing this, Venom immediately shifted, transforming into a visible, warm outfit that tightly blocked out the cold, allowing Ashley to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Is that more comfortable?" Venom asked, his tone showing a bit of concern, though not much.

"...Thank you," Ashley nodded, her face flushed, though it was unclear whether from the cold or something else.

As for Pietro, he suddenly found himself enveloped in a green glow, and the next moment, he was clad in a full set of winter clothes. He turned to Alex, seeing the faint green light flickering in his hands.

"Magic is quite something, isn't it?" Alex smiled, then looked at Kara. "Want a set too?"

"No need, I'm fine as I am. Too many layers would restrict my movement," Kara shook her head slowly.

Hearing this, Alex didn't press further. He knew that wearing too much could hinder their performance, but given that things were still relatively safe, warmth was the priority. With Venom looking after Ashley, Alex didn't need to worry much about her. But Pietro was different—he couldn't exactly tell him to 'just start running to warm up,' after all.

"There's a checkpoint not far ahead. They should have snowmobiles there. With those, we can make much better time. Hopefully, we can catch up to Barton; I can feel he's not too far from us," Alex said.

"How do you know where my fath—Barton is?" Ashley asked, quickly correcting herself.

"You think I tied him up just for fun? I left a magical mark on him earlier. If he gets into danger, it'll activate to save his life. And since I left the mark, I can naturally sense where it is," Alex explained.

Ashley nodded but still didn't quite understand why this Sorcerer was so concerned about old Barton. The group soon arrived at a checkpoint near the Canadian border. From a distance, Alex could see seven or eight armed guards stationed there, with a relatively simple barrier blocking the road. Along the way, two more guards were clearing snow from the road.

Without hesitation, the four of them headed straight for the checkpoint. As they got closer, Alex finally spotted the snowmobiles he'd been hoping for, parked behind some of the shacks.

"Stop right there!"

Seeing four strangers approach the checkpoint without any regard, the guards immediately raised their guns, aiming straight at Alex and his group.

The leader shouted out, "This is the territory of the Master of the World, the King of the North. State your names and show your IDs, or else…"

"Or just kill them. We've had no excitement here in ages. Sitting around all day is boring as hell. These little (expletive) just delivered themselves to us; we might as well have some fun," one of the officers suggested with a cold laugh.

"And those two chicks aren't half bad. We might be able to sell them for a good price after we're done."

The guards clearly didn't take Alex and his team seriously, instead making lewd comments and laughing among themselves.

Ashley had never been disrespected like this before. She clenched her fists, ready to strike, but before she acted, she carefully glanced at Alex.

"Leave none alive," Alex said without even turning around, his tone utterly calm.

But for the other three, those words were more than enough.

In the blink of an eye, Pietro, Kara, and Ashley charged forward at incredible speed. The guards hadn't expected these seemingly young people to be a threat, but they would soon pay dearly for their mistake.

Alex, meanwhile, didn't pay any attention to the guards' screams. Instead, he turned and walked toward the shacks.

Activating his Watcher's Eye, Alex could clearly see a faint green flame flickering inside one of the shacks. He drew his umbrella, loaded it with armor-piercing rounds, aimed, and fired in one fluid motion. The black umbrella emitted a sharp crack as a finger-sized hole appeared in the wall, and the green flame inside the shack instantly went out.

With that done, Alex put away his umbrella and turned his attention back to the snowmobiles.

...…..

20 advanced chapters on p@treaon
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188. Sentinel Robot!
189. Just in Time.
190. The Shock of Songbird and Hawkeye.
191. Another Conversation with Hawkeye.
192. New Clues.