prevously in chapter 127
From these doors, fifteen figures emerged, their forms clad in black and orange tactical gear. They moved with precision and purpose, wielding batons that glowed with an ominous orange light at their tips. Henry, watching them with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance, sighed deeply. "What else have I overlooked?" he thought, rising from the throne with deliberate slowness. One of the figures stepped forward, his voice authoritative and unyielding. "Anomaly 103445, Henry the Alchemist, on behalf of the Time Variance Authority, you are hereby arrested for crimes against the Sacred Timeline."
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Chapter 128
Henry's expression shifted to one of mild amusement as he listened to the soldier's words. With a slight tilt of his head, Henry focused his mind, effortlessly reading the thoughts of the intruders. As the information flooded into his consciousness, he began piecing together the truth behind this strange organization.
"The Time Variance Authority," Henry thought, his lips curling into a slight smirk. "An organization that operates outside of time, self-tasked with pruning branched timelines caused by someone altering time. Pruning meaning they kill off that entire timeline, or rather, they send it to a landfill called The Void."
Amusement flickered in his eyes as he processed this revelation. This was a group that sought to control time itself, to maintain a singular, sacred timeline by eliminating any deviations. It was a noble, if somewhat futile, endeavor—especially when faced with someone like Henry.
Without a word, Henry began to walk towards them, his steps measured and calm. The soldiers tensed, their batons raised, ready to engage. But Henry was unfazed. With a single though, Henry unleashed his telekinesis. The first wave of force rippled outward, a nearly invisible shockwave that bent the air and sent the nearest agent skidding back. But the TVA agents were quick to respond. One of them swung his baton, the orange tip aimed directly at Henry's chest. Henry barely needed to move—he simply flicked his wrist, and the baton froze mid-swing, the agent's momentum halted as if hitting an invisible wall.
Henry tightened his grip on the baton with his mind, intending to snap it in two, but the agent's response was quicker than expected. With a twist, the agent activated the baton, and the weapon extended, breaking free from Henry's telekinetic hold and slashing toward his face. Henry leaned back, narrowly avoiding the strike, and countered by sending the agent flying backward with a telekinetic push.
The agent crashed into a pillar, but the others were already moving in. Two more agents lunged at Henry, their batons crackling with energy as they swung from either side. Henry created a telekinetic shield, the air around him shimmering as it absorbed the impact. The agents' batons sparked against the barrier, but they didn't relent.
Henry focused, his mind splitting into multiple tasks. He sent one agent sprawling with a burst of force while simultaneously lifting the other into the air, intending to slam him into the ground. But before he could, the agent twisted in mid-air, using the momentum to throw his baton directly at Henry. Henry deflected it with ease, sending the weapon spinning off course, but the move cost him precious seconds.
Another agent, moving faster than expected, closed the distance and struck with his baton. The glowing tip connected with Henry's side, and suddenly, his movements slowed to a crawl. Time around him distorted, and the world seemed to blur as if he were wading through thick syrup. The agent swung again, aiming to take advantage of Henry's slowed state, but Henry fought against the temporal drag with sheer force of will.
With an immense effort, Henry shattered the time distortion, his body snapping back to full speed. He lashed out with his telekinesis, slamming the agent into the ground with a force that cracked the floor beneath him. The impact was brutal, but the other agents were already on the move.
They coordinated their attacks, two more agents striking from the front while another two flanked him from behind. Henry's telekinetic barriers flared to life, blocking the strikes from all directions. The room was now a war zone, the once-pristine floor littered with debris, and the walls were marred with deep cracks. The very air was charged with energy, each clash of batons against his barriers sending sparks flying.
Henry countered with a wave of telekinesis that blasted the agents backward, but they recovered with unnerving speed. One agent, seeing an opening, aimed his baton at Henry's legs, the tip glowing with that deadly orange light. Henry redirected the strike upward, sending the agent crashing into the ceiling. Another agent attacked from behind, but Henry pulled a chunk of the broken throne toward the agent, crushing him instantly.
Yet, the agents pressed on. They were relentless, and their tactics were wearing him down. Henry could feel it—their strikes were becoming more coordinated, their timing impeccable. Despite his overwhelming power, the TVA agents were exploiting every momentary lapse, every slight distraction as one of them said, "set the time charge" as another ragent placed something down, only for that something to disappear, "what?" the agent was shocked but before they could register anything, their neck was snapped, so was the neck of all agent, "i had enough" he though as beside him was the sphere of cognition, "anyways-" before henry could continue, he felt an overwhelming pressure suddenly pressing down on him as the world around him stretched.
suddenly, something happened, something that henry has not seen for a long time, a system notification flashed in his mind. [Ding!] [WARNING! WARNING! AN ENTITY DANGEROUS TO THE HOST IS DETECTED, INITIATING PROTECTION PROTOCOL] As the blaring system notification echoed in Henry's mind, he reacted instantly. "No, not yet. Don't waste it. I have a plan," he commanded with an edge of urgency. The notification, which had been a constant, alarming presence, abruptly ceased. Henry sighed in relief, muttering, "Gosh, you almost made me waste that precious chance."
The chance Henry referred to was a unique, one-time intervention from the system—something Goldie had warned him about. It was a last-resort measure, a safeguard meant to save him from an overwhelming threat. But Henry wasn't willing to squander it, especially not on a mere Celestial.
As the notification faded away, Henry suddenly found the world around him distorting. Space and time stretched and twisted beyond comprehension until he was no longer in the throne room of Wakanda. Instead, he floated above Earth, the vastness of the cosmos surrounding him. Before him loomed a being of unimaginable scale, so colossal that it could cradle Earth in its hand. The being was a Celestial, its form composed of metallic and rock-like materials. Bright red light glowed ominously from the cracks that veined its body, and its face bore six pairs of round, pupil-less eyes that radiated an ancient, cosmic power.
Before the Celestial could speak, Henry took the initiative, bowing slightly. "I greet you, great lord Arishem the Judge," he said with a measured tone of respect. His words caught the Celestial off guard, though its expressionless face betrayed no emotion. Arishem remained silent for a moment, his immense presence exerting a pressure that felt like it could crush a planet.
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A/N: Do you think Henry should have used the protection protocol on Aresham, and what do you think the system would have done if it had activated the protection protocol?
A: Skip to the future where Henry achieves godhood.
B: Turn Henry into a giant phoenix with the power to kill the celestial.
C: Just kill the celestial itself.