Chapter 698: The Infinite Event (Part 14) (Patreon)

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What does the world look like after death?

Many can't fathom its true nature. Death is just that - death, leading to nothingness. However, if everyone truly ends up in the same place after dying, what would that place be like?

Schiller had pondered this question too. A deep-seated impression had etched itself into his mind. His perception of death was of a plane plummeting rapidly, intertwined with flashes of life's memories right before passing out.

It wasn't a particularly painful way to die. He had almost blacked out in an instant, but at that moment, time had slowed. All the places he'd been to, everything he'd experienced, played back in a mere second.

This was Schiller's second encounter with death. He initially believed it would be no different from the first. But for some reason, while his life was flashing before him, it seemed like there was a glitch.

From his first visit to the Marvel world, meeting Strange, giving Stark psychological treatment, and getting to know Steve and Peter, there seemed to be something missing, something that didn't align with Schiller's memories.

After a moment of confusion, Schiller realized the truth. The flashing images only contained experiences from the Marvel world, while events from another dimension were conspicuously absent.

This wasn't entirely unexpected. The death within the Marvel universe would naturally only cover events from that world. Yet, only half of those events were shown before they abruptly ended.

Darkness enveloped Schiller's vision, lasting what felt like an eternity. It was so prolonged that Schiller felt as though a century had passed. Then, a point of light appeared. As it expanded, he found himself in a garden.

It was the backyard of a Gothic castle. The surrounding vegetation was lush, showing no signs of decay or death.

At the garden's center stood a fountain. Beside it, under a pavilion, was a long table. Sitting across it was a woman in a black gown, her face obscured by a thin, black veil hanging from overhead.

Exhaling, Schiller unceremoniously walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He wrapped a scarf around his neck, picked up a knife and fork, and began to eat.

The veiled woman simply watched him in silence. Schiller first cut into a steak, and upon seeing its slightly red interior, reached for the salt shaker, then poured himself a glass of red wine.

After finishing his meal, Schiller strolled around the garden, sometimes admiring the hot springs, other times the trees. After taking in all the scenery, he headed towards the castle.

As he was about to knock on the castle door, a voice finally rang out from behind him, "How did you get in here?"

Lowering his head, Schiller turned to face Death and replied, "I guess you must be puzzled. The Realm of Death is under your total control. You can kick me out as soon as I get close. You've done it many times before."

"But you'll notice I'm still here, and I probably arrived even earlier. You just made me lose consciousness and started looking for a loophole."

"You've searched everywhere, found nothing. Every corner of the Realm of Death is under your control. There's no broken door or shattered window. Yet here I am, appearing unexpectedly."

The figure opposite him seemed shrouded in a thin mist, making her features and form elusive.

"Uninvited guests are not welcome," Death responded.

Schiller chuckled, "Uninvited? Do you even remember you're Death? You should accept each death impartially. Yet now you rebuke a dead person as an intruder."

"This is none of your concern," Death retorted, referring to her rejecting certain deaths and letting others create more for her.

"Indeed, it's none of my business, madam. But whether I die or not is none of your concern either. Why interfere with my death?" Schiller took a few steps closer to Death, stating, "The inevitability of death is the source of your power. While you mock many for their futile resistance against death, someone will eventually mock you..."

"Mocking you for being Death, yet resisting death for some reason."

The figure began to ripple intensely. Schiller's words seemed to have struck a nerve. Screams echoed in his ears, yet he remained unfazed.

Smiling, Schiller continued, "You must have many questions now. Let's exchange answers. You answer one of mine, I'll answer one of yours. Deal?"

Death seemed to regain her composure, her form stabilizing. With a sigh, she inquired, "What do you want to know?"

"Why won't you let me enter the Realm of Death?" Schiller questioned.

"Because you can't die," Death replied. It seemed like an obvious statement, but Schiller keenly sensed an underlying meaning. "Can't die? Why?"

Instead of answering, Death redirected, "How did you get here?"

"I died. So I came to the Realm of Death," Schiller retorted in kind. He continued, "When you say I can't die, do you mean you can't accept me, or you don't want to?"

"Both are true," Death replied once more, then pressed, "How did you truly die?"

"It's a long story," Schiller responded, gently pushing the door of the castle open. "You've always been reluctant to have me as a guest, but my curiosity about this place got the better of me. Thus, I reached out to your superior and asked him to throw me in here."

Death remained silent, clearly skeptical of the explanation. Schiller didn't bother to elaborate further, only suggesting, "Considering your capabilities, you should possess the power to both observe and alter the timeline. If that's the case, why not try throwing me out again?"

"You're trying to set a trap for me," Death responded. Yet, Schiller fell silent, leaving Death deep in contemplation.

She could sense the underlying allure in Schiller's tone, as if tempting her to unravel the mystery of his presence. Indeed, she longed to know how Schiller had managed to enter her domain.

Just like the Dimension Demon, Death held an absolute dominion over her realm. It wasn't merely a relationship of a ruler and her territory between the Dimension Demon and the dimension; the Dimension Demon was the dimension itself.

Given Death's superior power and standing, nothing could enter the Realm of Death without her consent.

She controlled all aspects of death. Hence, nothing could truly die unless she allowed it. For instance, if she denied someone entry into the Realm of Death, they'd live indefinitely, like the Grandmaster.

In reality, Grandmaster wasn't particularly powerful, but few were willing to oppose him. Even Odin felt the same, for they all understood one truth: the Grandmaster couldn't be killed. Even if Odin nearly destroyed Grandmaster, the moment he would succumb, he'd be resurrected. All because Death wouldn't allow Grandmaster to enter her realm.

There were various reasons one might get 'blacklisted' by Death. Some were chosen to cause more deaths in the world, others left a poor impression on Death, and a few innocents were rejected simply because they displeased her.

Ironically, to be rejected by Death is to achieve a form of immortality. However, this didn't imply a joyous existence. One could evade death, but not the pain associated with it.

For instance, if Odin were to kill the Grandmaster, the pain he endured would still exist, even if he were resurrected afterward.

For an average person, while death could be evaded, aging couldn't. Should an ordinary individual be rejected by Death, they might endlessly oscillate between being on the brink of death and resurrection. They would be trapped in a cycle of perpetual suffering.

However, some appeared to benefit from Death's rejection due to their unique nature. Grandmaster belonged to a race that lived for ages, while Deadpool, owing to modifications in his body, had an almost infinite lifespan. Moreover, they possessed incredible regenerative abilities, allowing them to quickly recover from any fatal injury.

Without these qualities, the fate of those rejected by Death might be to constantly hover between the throes of death and grievous injuries.

Being 'blacklisted' by Death was an automatic process. The Realm of Death would automatically eject a rejected soul. Schiller was no exception.

Yet, Schiller was the first to enter the Realm of Death after being blacklisted. In theory, this was impossible.

The very concept of Death meant that if she denied your death, how could you possibly die?

After thoroughly investigating her realm and confirming her own status, Death deduced the issue wasn't with her.

So, even suspecting a trap, Death decided to trace back Schiller's timeline to ascertain the nature of his death.

For a being of Death's stature, navigating time was effortless. But upon witnessing the moment of Schiller's death, she was taken aback.

From a human perspective, Schiller's death was indeed dramatic: directly confronting the symbiote god, Knull, ambushed and then captured by a star's gravitational pull, perishing in the infinite blaze of the Sun.

Yet, to Death, this didn't seem an unusual way to die. She had seen countless beings perish in cosmic wars, many consumed by stars.

She revisited this particular point in time multiple times but found no anomalies. So, she continued tracing forward, not only following Schiller's story but all others in this world.

Until she heard a statement from Otto Parker:

"This is a curse... the curse of Spider-Man..."

"All those who've come to understand this reason, those who've uttered these words to us... they're all doomed."

Death was baffled.

A curse of certain death? How did she not know of this?

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 699: The Infinite Event of U (Part Fifteen)