Drex Valen was in the middle of another round of research.
It was common knowledge that under extreme pressure, ordinary large-scale physical laws started to fall apart. And Drex, besides being a master of electromagnetic force, was also a master of gravity.
Gravity was the weakest of the four fundamental forces, but once it reached a certain threshold, it became terrifying.
Right now, Drex was driving gravity at full output. Every material in front of him had been compressed down to atomic size, and strange changes were beginning to emerge.
His crushing gravitational field did more than flatten matter until its atoms were as pliable as dough. It forced them into a precision arrangement so tight and seamless it looked impossible.
Under that kind of pressure, atoms changed structure and formed shapes like strands of pasta, stacked layer upon layer.
Then Drex pushed the gravity even further.
In an instant, those pasta-like atoms transformed into hollow tubular formations, lined up in parallel.
And in the universe, there was already a material formed from structures like that.
Neutron star matter.
The atoms had been turned into something that resembled the substance inside a neutron star.
In terms of known matter in this universe, it was about as close to indestructible as you could get.
Drex felt his body go weak. Creating this neutron star matter consumed far too much energy.
Its pressure tolerance had reached one hundred million tons per cubic centimeter. Armor made from this stuff should be beyond anyone's ability to break.
"Though for now, even I can't put it on in less than a short span of time."
It was simply too heavy. For the moment, neutron star matter was something to look at, not wear.
As for whether it would collapse Earth's gravitational field and blow the planet apart, that was not a concern. Drex was maintaining the balance himself.
"Boss, you actually synthesized neutron star matter. That is unbelievable."
The Black Queen scanned the distorted gravitational field surrounding the material and spoke with clear amazement.
"What's so surprising about that? Back on Krypton, there were neutron star cannons. One shot could destroy a planet, even a star."
Drex had only simulated the supergravity systems Krypton once used in order to create the material.
The efficiency was nowhere near ideal.
"Drex."
A voice, unfamiliar and yet deeply familiar at the same time, sounded behind him.
Drex turned around.
"Ancient One, you really do know how to scare people."
He was not pleased at all with how the Ancient One could appear and vanish without warning like that.
"Sorry. But I assumed you would not be easily frightened."
The Ancient One smiled.
"So, you are here because of Morgan?"
Drex quietly signaled the Black Queen to destroy the less desirable materials, while he himself used psychic force and electromagnetic fields to construct defensive measures. He was not about to let the Ancient One slip into his mind without warning.
"No, Drex. I came because I need your help."
The Ancient One shook her head. Once Morgan had been targeted by the Darkhold on its own, she no longer dared leave the girl alone. The last thing she needed was for Chthon to descend in person.
For a dimensional demon of that caliber, even the Time Stone was no safeguard. The Ancient One could not see him in the future.
That made him the kind of problem no one could truly prepare for.
After all, Earth was no longer the ancient world where primordial gods ran wild and even the Celestials had been driven off. Now it was just her holding the line, and that line was getting harder to defend every day.
"Can I refuse?"
Drex asked immediately.
"I can let you into the library at Kamar-Taj."
The Ancient One tried bribery.
"That place does not really tempt me."
Drex shook his head.
Magic in the Marvel universe came with a cost that was absurdly steep. It was almost inaccurate to call it magic at all, because even white magic demanded payment.
A simple example was enough.
After becoming Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange could only sleep three hours a night. Go beyond that and he would fall into nightmares he could not escape. His stomach had an ulcer the size of a sewer rat's nest. At least twice a day, he coughed up chunks of his own soul.
He was used to vomiting after eating anything. Flesh and spirit were both infected, and the terrible diarrhea could leave even his soul feeling hollow. Any ordinary food, anything without magic, would turn to dust the moment it touched his lips or even brushed them. In daily life he was constantly, unavoidably plagued by horrifying hallucinations, mushrooms growing across his face, and pus spraying from his skin.
Even his kidney stones had developed evil self-awareness and made him urinate blood with alarming regularity.
And those were only the mild consequences, because that was still white magic. White magic came from the gentle power of the Vishanti, already reduced to a much lower cost than the rest.
That was exactly how bad Marvel's magic could get.
And now the Ancient One wanted to drag him into that trap? Her intentions were highly suspicious.
"The library at Kamar-Taj does not only contain spellbooks. It also has the cultivation methods of chi from Kunlun," the Ancient One said calmly.
"Kunlun? Chi cultivation like the Iron Fist?" Drex asked, genuinely surprised.
"Perhaps."
The Ancient One's expression suggested she was not entirely certain.
"That does not sound right. As far as I remember, the Iron Fist of Kunlun is not strong just because of chi. They also need the power of Shou-Lao the Undying, and the current Iron Fist already exists."
Drex was not that easy to fool.
Of course he wanted the Iron Fist's power. One generation of Iron Fist, Wu Fengji, had once beaten down the Phoenix Force in its prime when it came to Earth, then become its host and was now wandering the cosmos doing heroics.
"I know you are well informed. That is true. Every Iron Fist needs the power of an ancient dragon to become a true Iron Fist. But you are different, Drex."
The Ancient One shook her head.
She had already seen this generation's Iron Fist from Kunlun. He had come to the United States, but he felt weak. Compared with the Iron Fists before him, he seemed more like a child. Not someone she could entrust with anything important.
That was why she had come to Drex instead.
Drex was powerful, but he was also a man the countless timelines manifested by the Eye of Agamotto could not see. That unsettled her. It made her want to cast him out into the cosmos and wait for him to return only after she was already dead.
But she also feared provoking Drex and turning him against Kamar-Taj, so she had not acted.
Fortunately, after she had interfered a few times, Drex seemed to have developed some restraint. He was no longer as reckless as before.
"What makes me different? I have two eyes and one nose just like the Iron Fist. What, am I supposed to have three heads and six arms or something?"
Drex shot back.
"You are gifted."
The Ancient One's tone was serious.
After all, not everything could reach Drex's level. He had touched the threshold of the Father Tier at an absurd speed, and he had already mastered two of the fundamental forces...