When Dragon Balls Descend Upon Marvel

Thena shook her head.

"I don't know how powerful this Shenron really is. Those messages—we don't even know if they're true."

"And this so-called Dragon Ball Tournament, it's only the second one."

"If what's inside the Dragon Balls is real, then my wish will be simple: I'll have Shenron cure me of Mahd Wy'ry once and for all."

Gilgamesh nodded at once. If Shenron could truly grant wishes, then this was indeed the best wish of all. The rest of them had no desires—no hunger for wealth, power, or fame. If they had, they never would have abandoned their grand city of Babylon, never stepped down from their thrones to scatter into obscurity.

"If the dragon can truly do it, that would be perfect," Gilgamesh said quietly. "But if it's another trick by some sorcerer or warlock…"

Thena's eyes hardened.

"Then I'll make them pay with their lives."

Gilgamesh smiled faintly at her resolve. "Shall we gather the others? If we ask the other Eternals to help, we could collect all seven faster."

Thena shook her head.

"This isn't a Deviant incursion. There's no need to summon them. My power alone is more than enough. If this tournament exists, then I'll enter—and I'll win."

Her confidence brought a rare smile to Gilgamesh's face. Without her fits of madness, perhaps they could have lived peacefully among mortals again, instead of hiding here in this barren desert.

······

Elsewhere, Smith Dole observed them through the Dragon Ball's vision. There was no sound, but reading their lips gave him enough of the conversation.

"Thena of the Eternals, Wenwu of the Ten Rings, Thor of Asgard, Baron Mordo of Kamar-Taj, Tony Stark… This tournament is shaping up to be far more intense than the first one."

"Which of them will win…? That, I honestly can't predict. Interesting."

Having confirmed five holders, he turned his sight to the sixth Dragon Ball.

It floated underwater, somewhere in a vast body—river, lake, sea, he couldn't be sure. With no way to distinguish, he moved on.

The seventh Dragon Ball revealed Eddie Brock. Venom.

Smith chuckled. Compared to the previous five monsters, Eddie looked almost pitiful. In this competition, he would suffer.

At that moment, Eddie was conversing with Venom.

"Venom, did you catch that message?"

Venom tilted his head. "What message?"

He dove into Eddie's thoughts and froze. "The Dragon Balls… Shenron… you humans have that on your planet?!"

"I'm hearing it for the first time too," Eddie replied. "A dragon that grants wishes—wild stuff."

Venom leaned forward eagerly. "What's your wish, Eddie?"

Eddie rubbed his chin. "Well… I just married Anne, with the big boss himself as witness. Life's good, work's solid. Capsule Group just bought a big media company, I'm running it, and secretly I'm New York's superhero."

He grinned. "Honestly, I'm at the peak of my life. But… if Shenron wants to throw in a little extra cash, I wouldn't complain."

Venom stared at him. "…Your ambition disgusts me. No dreams, no hunger. You're as pathetic as me."

Eddie shot back, "What about you, huh? What's your great wish?"

Venom thought for a long moment, then said seriously: "More brains. Can I eat more brains?"

Eddie sighed. "Only the bad guys, Venom. Only bad guys."

Venom shrugged. "Then I have no wishes. But you? You're weak. Train more. We only have one Dragon Ball—talking about wishes is a bit premature."

Eddie chuckled. "Maybe, but we're still superhuman. We've got a shot at this. Don't tell me you expect me to climb the Korin Tower next?"

Venom hissed. "Do you think the other contestants are ordinary humans? And why not climb it? With me, we'd make it."

Eddie frowned. The Korin Tower's training was brutal. He'd seen John Wick fall from the top, and the memory still haunted him. Besides, with Venom he already felt strong enough. New York crime bosses fell like flies; truthfully, his talents were being wasted.

"I bet most of the contestants are colleagues from our boss's organization," he mused. "Wouldn't surprise me if he's behind the whole tournament."

Venom thought about it. "Not impossible. In fact, it sounds exactly like something he'd do."

Eddie snapped his fingers. "Perfect. Tomorrow I'll go ask him straight. If there's a plan, he'll know."

Venom's voice dropped. "And if your boss wants the Dragon Ball for himself?"

Eddie shrugged without hesitation. "Then it's his. He's done so much for me already—what's one Dragon Ball?"

Venom stared at his host, and for the first time, he admitted to himself: sometimes, Eddie Brock wasn't stupid. He was… clever.

······

(End of Chapter)

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