In the comics, Alioth is an incredibly powerful character who can exist at any point in time and, after devouring a timeline, can directly leap to all the parallel worlds associated with it. However, in the movie universe, Alioth seems to have a slightly different setup.
At first, Alioth was fleeing into the distance, constantly cutting off the parts of his body engulfed in flames.
But no matter what, Blake's speed was simply too fast, and the flames spread through the clouds even faster. Finally, Alioth stopped struggling altogether.
Once the struggle ceased, it was much easier to handle. Blake initiated an internal and external combustion process, and in less than an hour, Alioth had been completely incinerated.
The once city-sized entity had been reduced to roughly the size of a large building.
Just as Blake thought the flames would burn away the clouds entirely, a shockwave suddenly swept out from the remaining clouds in all directions. Ripples surged through the air, and as the ripples passed through the flames, the so-called Eternal Flame, which was said to never extinguish, vanished into nothingness.
"There really is something hidden here!"
Blake made a half-circle in the air and landed steadily beside Groot and Mandela.
"You two seem pretty familiar with each other already. Did I miss something? You're from Earth, aren't you?"
Blake's eyes remained fixed on the clouds, but his words were directed at Mandela.
"Yes, I am from Earth," Mandela responded. "I've heard that the people who come here might come from different timelines. If you're from Earth in the late 20th century, you might have heard of me."
"What?"
Blake exclaimed loudly, "You were supposed to have passed away in the last month of 2013, yet you look so young. What era are you from?"
"Seems we're not from the same parallel universe," Mandela replied. "I'm from the 1980s. I was in prison when I was brought here. Looks like I lived a long life in your universe, though I wonder what eventually happened to South Africa..."
Before Mandela could finish speaking, there was a reaction from the remnants of the crimson cloud.
The remaining red mist began to disperse, revealing the faint outline of a castle within. A voice echoed from deep inside the castle:
"The Eternal Flame, the only thing Alioth fears, has encountered someone like you. How amusing. And you've arrived here by accident? This is getting interesting. Come in, guests. You are the second group of visitors I've received in countless eons."
The red mist completely faded, retreating into a turret atop the castle, unveiling the full structure. With a creak, the large gates slowly swung open.
Blake glanced at Groot and Mandela, placing Groot on his shoulder before gesturing an invitation to Mandela.
"Let's go! Let's see what's inside!"
The Mandela from the 1980s, a man imprisoned for over 20 years and long indifferent to life and death, followed Blake calmly inside.
"Welcome to the realm of the Great Timekeeper..."
"Bang!"
As soon as they stepped into the castle, a cartoonish clock figure leapt out and began speaking.
Before Blake's reincarnation, he had seen numerous breakdown videos of Loki trailers and knew this was Miss Minutes, a character from the Time Variance Authority. She was akin to J.A.R.V.I.S. from the Avengers—a tool used by the hidden manipulators to monitor the TVA.
Blake had no patience for a manipulated AI, no matter what energy composition it had. He simply smashed it with a single punch.
"If you're sincere, come out and meet us yourself. Why send an annoying little thing like this to bother me?"
Blake's seemingly reckless behavior was actually a test—a test of the castle owner's strength and attitude.
Creating such a grand spectacle, the castle owner was undoubtedly no simple figure. The Eternal Flame countering Alioth was an unexpected boon, but who knew what other tricks he might have up his sleeve?
Upon entering the castle, Blake seized the opportunity to test this mysterious figure, trying to determine whether the person was hiding due to a lack of combat ability or because some condition limited their ability to act beyond a certain range.
If it was the latter, Blake figured he could still escape with Groot before it was too late.
With this in mind, Blake took direct action, shattering the so-called Miss Minutes.
Although Miss Minutes exploded into fragments, flecks of orange light flickered and reassembled her back into her original form.
Hands on her hips, her gloved little arms trembling with anger, she was just about to scold Blake when a voice interrupted her.
"It was my fault for being rude. You see, it's been far too long since I've had any contact with anyone. The last two visitors who came here… one of them tried to kill me. Or, more accurately, she *did* kill me. In fact, she succeeded quite thoroughly."
The voice was accompanied by the appearance of a man with dark skin like Mandela's. He was dressed in robes resembling something from the medieval era and wore a gentle smile as he approached Blake and the others.
"The Timekeeper?"
Blake asked cautiously.
"Timekeeper? Haha, that's just a name I came up with on a whim. My name is Kang. I've long stopped using my surname. In my universe, everyone calls me the Conqueror—because I've conquered all of time!"
Kang the Conqueror laughed heartily, like a simpleton from a small village. As he approached, he examined Blake, Groot, and Mandela with great interest.
Circling them like an oversized monkey, he finally stopped in front of Blake and extended his right hand.
"I'm not interested in shaking your hand. From the current circumstances, it's unlikely we're going to be friends," Blake said nonchalantly, though inwardly he was on high alert.
Blake had some prior knowledge of Kang the Conqueror from comics—a mad scientist from the 31st century who ruled the entire universe in his time. To satisfy his desire for conquest, he created a machine capable of traveling through time and unified the entire timeline.
While Blake wasn't overly familiar with the comics and knew the movie's interpretation might differ, he understood that caution was paramount when dealing with someone who could control the timeline and create the Time Variance Authority.
In stark contrast, Mandela, an ordinary man, extended his hand without hesitation.
"Mandela."
"I know, I know. In fact, I know all of your origins. I even read your biography as a child," Kang said with a grin. "As someone with dark skin like you, from Earth in the 31st century, I've always admired your legacy."
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