Chapter 131: A Queenly Declaration (Extra Chapter 10/50 of The Silver Monarch, Burning Dawn)

His bones crackled and popped, the sound echoing within him like roasting chestnuts. His arm swelled, pushing toward a limit where the skin and muscle felt as if they were tearing inch by inch—a agony that, in the past, would have surely moved Mei Mumu to tears.

But after being tormented by Dormammu so many times, after dying again and again, pain had become… well, just pain.

His body felt like a robot that had been starved of power for an eternity; as the potent current surged through him, his frame solidified into true steel. It was an absolute sense of self-confidence, the feeling that he was omnipotent and immune to all ailments.

Unfortunately, goddammit, his head and that arm he was pretending to have rendered useless remained completely unchanged. Mei Mumu knew full well that using the Eye of Agamotto would restore him, or that returning to 2016 would automatically reset his body to normal, but since he couldn't do that now, the sensation was infuriating—like a desperate itch he couldn't scratch.

Nothing to be done. He just felt like crying.

"Host, why do I get the feeling you aren't happy at all?" the system girl asked, offering a rare moment of empathy.

"No! I just remembered something unpleasant. I am immensely satisfied with this exchange."

"This is only the beginner level, you know."

"May I ask how many Deviation Points the intermediate level costs?"

"Hehe! That is no longer something that can be described by 'deviation,'" the girl replied with a mysterious air.

Considering his own lack of willpower, and following the girl's suggestion, Mei Mumu used his remaining Deviation Points to purchase a skill: [Intermediate Fear Ward].

Originally, this was a specialty of Dwarf Priests in World of Warcraft, granting a teammate a chance to resist fear. Under the system's enhancement, however, it had become a special solidified barrier that bolstered willpower and countered [Mental Weakening]. It could block three [Planetary-level] fear-based mental attacks per day, with all charges automatically resetting every night after midnight, provided his physical condition remained normal.

Perhaps 99% of the time, this thing would be purely ornamental, but in a critical moment, it would undoubtedly save his life.

After spending his remaining Fate Fragments to strengthen some of his spells from the Dungeons & Dragons series, Mei Mumu could say he had successfully converted his combat achievements into actual strength.

"One final concern…"

Mei Mumu summoned Natalia and Yelena to his new office separately. Strictly speaking, it was against protocol for him to do this, as both generations of Black Widows had already graduated from the Red Room.

The Intelligence Department didn't want to offend this new political rising star in Moscow who had just charmed Stalin, though. Since he had formally filed an application under the guise of congratulating his disciples before they departed for their new posts, the department had no choice but to approve it.

When he first saw Natalia, who was clearly in a good mood, Mei Mumu cut straight to the chase: "I've blocked the surveillance. Listen, I will be leaving 1943 very soon."

The Black Widow’s large eyes widened to their limit. "You… Brother, you…"

"I arrived in this era by accident. It is clear now that I must return to my own time, 2016. In New York, I still have to hold back a great demon capable of destroying the entire solar system."

Natalia shuddered.

If she had just met Mei Mumu, she would have certainly thought him insane. But since receiving Valira’s legacy and learning to channel shadow energy—allowing her body to achieve optical camouflage-level stealth—she had discovered a brand-new world.

Especially after witnessing Mei Mumu’s incredibly exaggerated magic, she became convinced that this existence, who was as close to her as a brother, was by no means a mortal. The miraculous performance of him letting his arm recover only to force it back into a crippled state had stunned her even further.

Yet, she never imagined that Mei Mumu wasn't even from this time!

This was too fantastical, wasn't it?

Natalia dug her nails into her palms, her bright red lips pressed together so tightly that her teeth nearly drew blood. After several seconds of thought, she walked over firmly, placed her hands on his shoulders, leaned in close, and spoke in a voice filled with pleading.

"Brother, can’t you… can’t you stay? For me, and for Yelena, even if it means leaving the Soviet Union… I would—"

Mei Mumu gave a bitter smile. "It’s not that I don’t want to, but that I cannot." With that, he pulled the Eye of Agamotto from his chest. The green light atop it was incredibly faint, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

There were things he couldn't tell Natalia. At this point in time, the true Eye of Agamotto was sitting in Kamar-Taj. It was impossible for two Time Stones to coexist at the same temporal coordinate; they would inevitably influence and interfere with one another.

The Time Stone in Mei Mumu’s hand was clearly under severe suppression from the other one. Not only could it not recharge itself, but it was also accelerating the consumption of its temporal power just to maintain Mei Mumu’s existence.

Natalia was clever enough to guess the crux of the matter. At that moment, not only did her face turn pale, but even her vibrant red hair seemed to lose its luster, her expression filled with an irrepressible sorrow. "Do I… really have to wait 73 years for you? Perhaps by then, I will have already…"

Mei Mumu felt quite awkward. "Well, perhaps it won't take that long. After the year 2000, we should have a chance to meet. If I can survive that ordeal in New York in 2016, we will be able to see each other often."

Natalia’s entire body went rigid, but in the next heartbeat, she straddled the armrest of his office chair, cupped his face, and kissed him—no, she gnawed on him. Her jaws clamped down with force, biting his lower lip until it dripped with blood.

"Ugh! Nata… mmmph!"

As if chewing on a pig’s trotter, she gnawed on him relentlessly for a full minute before finally letting go. Mei Mumu had struggled and resisted, but he was pinned down by Natalia.

This was not a suppression of physical strength, but a dominance of spirit.

The emotions in those bright eyes were far too complex, not at all the gaze one would expect from a fifteen-year-old girl.

Growing up in the flames of war; reborn in solitude.

In this life, when she was at her most desperate and miserable, it was Mei Mumu who had appeared before her, becoming her savior, her brother, her surrogate father (guardian), and her mentor.

It was difficult to describe their relationship using any simple, traditional term. Perhaps "love intertwined with hatred" was the most accurate way to describe Natalia’s feelings at this moment.

Finally, their lips parted.

There was not a trace of romance!

At this moment, she looked like a vampire princess who had just tasted blood, exuding a sharp, brutal aura. Suddenly, she laughed—a laugh that was wanton and bold. Despite sitting in a suggestive position on his lap, she sat as if she were mounted on a warhorse, looking down at him as she declared:

"Hmph! So it’s sixty or seventy years? I’ve undergone genetic enhancement, I can afford to wait! But if you don’t show up when the time comes, I will hunt you to the ends of hell!"