Chapter Title: Soul Split and Revelations
To demonstrate the power system of the Starry Sky World, Malrick personally took Tony on a tour of his inner world.
The landscape—mountains, rivers, and skies—mirrored the real world so closely that Tony couldn't help but marvel at it. His eyes lit up as he eagerly asked to learn how to wield this kind of power.
Unfortunately, even with Malrick's direct guidance, Tony couldn't connect with the universe's energy. The Gene Primordial Energy just wasn't compatible with someone from this world.
The Starry Sky World's system was exclusive to its own people. After all, what organism here would naturally have something like gene multiples?
Without the right physical conditions, there was simply no way to cultivate Gene Primordial Energy.
"You mean, if I followed you to that world and told this 'Source Will' that I could help too, it might transform me?" Tony asked, still unwilling to let it go.
No true scientist could resist the idea of creating galaxies, black holes, or even entire worlds within themselves.
Malrick gave a helpless shrug. "Don't count on it. I can't return myself. By the time I break through to the level of a Law Master and make it back, who knows how long it'll take?"
Tony groaned and ruffled his hair in frustration. "Damn it, I should never have let you explain this ridiculous power system to me!"
He circled his office desk twice, muttering to himself.
"You've dangled this incredible, mysterious power right in front of me, and I can't even touch it. That's just cruel. Worse than getting turned down by the hottest woman at a party."
Malrick tilted his head and smiled. "Hearing it like that, I get it. That does sound pretty painful."
Just then, the office computer chimed. Someone was requesting entry.
"Come in!" Tony quickly straightened up. His expression sharpened, and he ran a hand through his hair to fix it.
The door slid open, and Agent Coulson stepped inside.
"Apologies, Director. I tried booking this through the system, but there seems to be a glitch." Coulson gave a professional smile.
Since Tony had taken over as Director, his workload had been relentless. He was juggling his own R&D with Avengers operations, so all appointments had to go through Jarvis.
Urgent visits were filtered and prioritized, but right now, Jarvis was probably tied up.
After all, even an evolving AI tends to blank out when dealing with chaos.
"It's not your fault. The system's under maintenance for a week. What's going on?" Tony asked, adjusting his collar.
"Dr. Banner's awake," Coulson said, "and he's insisting on leaving. He won't take no for an answer."
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"You don't want to see the other guy. Just let me go!"
When the group arrived, Bruce Banner stood in front of Betty, surrounded by Agents.
"Dr. Banner, please, calm down. We're not the Military. We're an international defense organization," one Agent tried to explain. "You're not here for experiments. We're only trying to protect you."
The Agent speaking was Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye. His hand hovered near the grip of his bow, his body tense. The possibility of Banner turning into the Hulk had him on edge.
"Protect me? No. You're just scared of me! I'm not staying here. Let me leave!" Banner's voice rose with emotion. Faint green veins began to bulge beneath his skin.
Immediately, all the Agents raised their weapons and disabled the safeties, ready to fire at any sign of transformation.
Oddly, as the tension spiked, Banner suddenly steadied himself. He took a few deep breaths and relaxed slightly.
"You see? You're not ready either," he said bitterly. "I need to be somewhere isolated, away from people. Because no one—not even me—can control that thing inside me."
"That might not be entirely true." Malrick stepped forward past Tony.
"If science can't offer a solution, maybe it's time to try something else—like magic."
"Magic?" Banner blinked at Malrick, surprised. "That uniform… Are you the guy from the footage? You're really that strong?"
His expression softened slightly. "I wanted to find you, actually… to thank you."
"You don't need to," Malrick replied with a modest smile. "That mess was partly Tony's fault, anyway."
Banner shook his head. "I don't remember much, but Betty told me you knocked me out before I lost total control. Without that, the damage could've been catastrophic."
"So… you're with the Avengers?" he asked, some hope glinting in his tired eyes. "That's good, but still… you can't be there every time I lose control. Eventually, something terrible's going to happen."
Malrick placed a firm hand on Banner's shoulder.
"You're looking at it the wrong way. I don't need to be there all the time—but you can be."
"Me? What does that mean?" Banner asked, confused.
"Watch."
Malrick tapped his chest lightly.
Banner felt his insides jolt. He staggered back as a shimmering projection burst from his body and hovered in the air.
It was his soul.
Banner's physical body collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
Everyone froze. Betty gasped and rushed toward his body, panic etched on her face.
Banner looked around in stunned disbelief, staring at his translucent hands and then down at his unconscious form on the floor.
"Wait—what is this? Did Superman kill me?!"
Malrick calmly replied, "This is magic. It's called Astral Projection. It allows your soul to separate from your body."
To everyone else, Malrick looked like he was speaking to thin air.
Tony stepped forward, arms crossed. "Wait. You extracted his soul? That's… that's not science—and it's definitely not Superman behavior."
He waved his hand through the space where Banner's soul floated, his fingers passing through with no resistance. "There's nothing here. Is he in another dimension?"
"He's in the Spiritual Realm—a realm that only souls can access."
Malrick snapped his fingers.
Everyone else's souls slipped from their bodies and hovered beside them.
"Whoa!" Tony yelped, twisting in the air to look at his own body slumped on the floor. Everyone else began floating and glancing around, voices echoing in amazement.
Tony immediately started experimenting, trying to interact with solid objects—unsuccessfully.
Ignoring the others, Malrick turned back to Banner.
"Well? In your soul state, you should be able to sense him—the other guy."
He gently tapped Banner's forehead.
Banner's ethereal form suddenly distorted, and a giant green figure burst out.
"HULK!" the beast roared.
The Hulk lunged at Malrick, swinging a massive punch. But his fist passed straight through.
"Roar?" Hulk stared at his hand in confusion and swung again, with the same result.
He tilted his head, clearly puzzled. Then he crouched down like a curious child and began poking Malrick's face repeatedly.
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