Even without using the elevator, it took less than half a second for a black figure to streak through the opulent corridors of the Toon Club and the lively dance hall, swiftly ascending the spiral wooden staircase that led to the third floor.
Kyle's face remained stern as he arrived at the door of the first room, he abruptly paused, not even taking a moment to glance at the room number. He extended his hand towards the closed door and gave it a push instead of a knock.
Due to an excess of force, Kyle's palm barely touched the door before it dented inward. The sheer strength behind the impact sent an invisible shockwave reverberating in all directions.
With a resounding crash, the metal lock of the door handle bent, parts of the door's frame shattered and fell off, and the entire door was flung into the room. The luxurious decorations within the room, expensive suits and dresses, were torn and strewn across the floor.
"An earthquake? What's happening?!" A couple on a red bed exclaimed, startled.
Before they could react, Kyle had reached the side of the bed. His gold-flecked eyes were icy and indifferent as he calmly surveyed the room.
The woman hesitated for a moment, then checked her own body and immediately shrieked before diving under the covers.
The man looked at Kyle, his eyes filled with panic, and he stammered, "Sir, may I help you with something?"
Kyle remained silent, and a surge of energy enveloped him as he exerted his dominance. It felt as though invisible waves were pulsating outward. In less than a second, the couple on the bed had fainted.
"Master, you've got the wrong room. This isn't 301; it's the next room," Vis's voice came as a delayed reminder.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Kyle turned decisively. Instead of leaving through the door, he used his left foot to kick the wall of the room.
With a deafening explosion, the wall crumbled as if it had been struck by a bomb, creating a massive passageway between the room and the adjacent 301.
Amidst the dust and rubble, a small figure sat in the lobby of Room 301 and looked towards Kyle, muttering with inexplicable emotions in a low, almost distorted voice, "As expected. Just like she said, you're direct and impatient. You haven't changed a bit after all these years."
"Who are you? Why do you have Peggy's card? Why did you bring me here?" Kyle's voice was cold and unforgiving, firing off his questions without a pause.
He didn't advance any further. Standing about five meters away, he knew that getting closer to someone with the power of Space Mastery was impossible.
"At this point, you still haven't figured it out? Or is it that you've figured it out but aren't willing to admit your past mistakes?" The mysterious person spoke in a voice that sounded like a bizarre combination of laughter and tears.
Kyle remained silent.
Some speculations might have crossed his subconscious mind, perhaps as a fleeting thought over sixty years ago. It was a thought that ultimately buried both his vulnerability and humanity in the annals of history.
He had indeed become stronger, colder, and more ruthless. The height of his evolution had transformed his very marrow, blood, and even his genes, which now radiated an inescapable nobility that made him distinct from ordinary people.
However, no matter how he changed, Kyle's soul remained human—an Earth-crossed-over being from a distant parallel world. This fundamental essence would never change, not even in a thousand or a million years.
In the connected rooms 301 and 302, once the dust had settled.
"What's your name?" Kyle suddenly asked.
The mysterious person hesitated for a moment and then responded, "You can call me 'Apostle.' I still rather like that heroic title."
Kyle shook his head and persisted, "I asked for your real name."
The mysterious person paused and spoke in a slower tone, "Luke, Luke Carter."
"Luke, that's a good name," Kyle nodded. He raised his left wrist and directly addressed Vis, who had taken on an electronic form. "Vis, add a name to the Carl family registry, call it 'Luke Carl.'"
"Of course, master," Vis promptly obeyed the command.
"You really are..." Luke began but shook his head helplessly as he stood up from the chair.
"Alright, I should be leaving," Luke said. As he spoke, a gust of night wind blew in through the window, passing through the debris in the room without stirring the cloak on his shoulders.
In the dim light, his small figure seemed to change from reality to illusion. The shadow cast on the floor lost its sharpness, and it appeared as though he was evaporating within the room.
"I see now," Kyle said calmly after taking a brief look. "You don't exist in this world, or should I say, in this particular Marvel universe."
"Indeed," Luke smiled. "Other people are fine, but whenever I get close to you, I'm repelled by this world and banished to another. In our world, this is known as the Savior Exclusion Rule."
"However, having the chance to meet you was worth it."
As Luke spoke, his feet vanished, leaving only the upper half of his body. It appeared like an unreal 3D projection on the wall.
Kyle was not one to openly display his emotions. He calmly said, "Is there something you want me to know?"
"Of course," Luke nodded and quickly conveyed his message using sign language.
In the next dimension, we'll meet again.
"I will bring you back," Kyle's words were confident. He waved a casual farewell as Luke's last remnant faded into nothingness, leaving only an afterimage.
"Earlier, you mentioned the mistakes of the past. Perhaps it wasn't a mistake, but simply not as obvious..." Kyle mused.
With Luke's final remnant completely gone, the enigmatic feeling in the room subsided.
Those words lingered in the room, where only Kyle remained.
Kyle stood there, motionless. After a long silence, Vis ventured to ask, "Master, what just happened..."
"Did you add the name I told you to?" Kyle inquired.
"It's been added," Vis quickly replied.
"Good. As for the other matters, I'm not entirely sure myself. We'll have to take our time to unravel and understand it in the future."
After a moment of contemplation, Kyle decided not to linger any longer and left the room.
Luke had indeed departed as he claimed—left this world. In the phrase he used, 'world' did not refer to Earth, the galaxy, human kingdoms, or even the divine realm that ruled over the universe, composed of nine grand realms.
Instead, it referred to another parallel universe in the Nine Realms.
"Where should we go?" Vis continued to ask.
"We're not going anywhere. We've obtained control over the remaining two Helicarriers, and we'll leave the final cleanup to Fury, Steve, and Tony. The Hydra and SHIELD spectacle can officially be declared over. From now on, no large organization on Earth will be able to instigate a civil war."
After summarizing, Kyle added with a profound undertone, "It's time for us to go home."
(End of this chapter)
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