As Sukuna in Invincible-Chapter 40: Double

The Imperial Throne Room of Viltrum stood silent and imposing, its vast marble expanse designed to humble even the mightiest warriors who entered its hallowed space.

Grand Regent Thragg sat upon the massive throne, his muscular form draped in the traditional red cape of Viltrumite leadership, his expression as impassive as carved stone.

The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps - confident, measured, familiar. Too familiar.

Thragg's eyes narrowed as he observed the figure approaching across the polished floor.

The newcomer was identical to himself in every physical aspect - the same impressive height, the same powerful build, the same regal bearing that commanded respect and fear in equal measure.

The same face that had overseen the execution of thousands who had failed the Viltrumite Empire.

The doppelganger stopped at the base of the throne's dais, standing tall but not challenging. There was no need for introductions or explanations - both beings understood the situation with the clarity that came from being the most tactically brilliant mind in the known universe.

"You are me," Throne Thragg stated, his deep voice resonating through the chamber. It wasn't a question.

"And you are me," the standing Thragg confirmed, his identical voice carrying the same authoritative tone. "From another timeline. Another universe."

Throne Thragg's fingers tightened imperceptibly on the armrests of his seat, the only outward sign of his inner tension. "The dimensional barriers have collapsed. Our realities have merged."

"Temporarily," Standing Thragg added, his analytical mind already processing the implications. "Such mergers cannot sustain themselves naturally. The universes will either separate again..."

"Or perhaps one will consume the other," Throne Thragg finished. "Creating a singular reality where only one version of each entity can exist."

A moment of silence passed between them as both considered the ancient legends - stories passed down through Viltrumite history of beings who traversed dimensions, consuming their alternate selves to gain power beyond measure.

"The old texts speak of demons and spirits," Standing Thragg said, his eyes never leaving his counterpart's. "Entities that could devour the flesh and souls of their duplicates across realities, gaining not just additional strength..."

"But multiplied power," Throne Thragg nodded. "Their essence combining rather than merely adding together."

Another silence, heavier than the first.

"We have always avoided such methods," Standing Thragg observed. "An unspoken agreement across the realities. The risk of failure..."

"Would leave our respective empires vulnerable," Throne Thragg agreed. "And the practical challenges of ruling across dimensional barriers made the prospect... inefficient."

"But circumstances have changed," Standing Thragg noted, his voice taking on a subtle edge. "The barriers fell without our intervention. The opportunity has presented itself without the associated risks."

Throne Thragg's grip tightened further on his throne, the sound of cracking marble filling the chamber as his fingers crushed the ornate armrest to powder.

"I assume you already understand how this will end," he said, rising to his full height, his cape billowing behind him. "Only one Thragg can rule. Only one Empire can exist."

"Only one universe will remain when this is done," Standing Thragg agreed, his muscles tensing in preparation.

No more words were necessary. Two identical minds had reached the same conclusion simultaneously, as they always had, as they always would.

They moved with the blinding speed that had made Thragg legendary among even Viltrumites, covering the distance between them in a fraction of a second.

Their fists connected with catastrophic force, the impact generating a shockwave that shattered the throne room's massive windows and cracked its ancient columns.

The battle for the title of Emperor of the Universe had begun.

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The green light faded gradually, revealing a changed landscape. Where once had been the devastated remains of a business district now stood an intact cityscape - similar but subtly different, as if someone had rebuilt everything with slight variations from the original design.

Sukuna was the first to recover, his four eyes blinking as they adjusted to the altered reality.

"What happened?" Mark groaned, pushing himself up from the ground where he'd fallen during the dimensional shift. "Where are we?"

"Not where," Sukuna corrected, his enhanced senses already analyzing their surroundings. "When. Or rather, which."

Eve stood beside him, her own transformed body still radiating pink energy as she scanned their environment at the molecular level. "The dimensional structure has been compromised," she reported, her scientific mind immediately focusing on the problem. "We're experiencing a reality merger."

"A what?" Mark asked, helping Uraume to her feet. The ice manipulator seemed disoriented but unharmed.

"Multiple universes collapsing into one another," Eve explained, her eyes glowing as she continued her analysis. "Similar to parallel dimensions but with slight variations in events, decisions, outcomes."

"So this is... still our city?" Mark questioned, looking around at the unfamiliar-yet-familiar landscape.

"Yes and no," Sukuna replied, his four arms flexing experimentally to ensure his powers remained intact. "It's the same city, but from a different timeline. One where our battle with Battle Beast either never happened or happened differently."

"That's... not possible," Mark said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Look, I've watched enough sci-fi movies and anime and read enough manga to at least think about dimensional travel being real, sure, but merging entire universes?"

"And yet here we are," Sukuna observed dryly. "The evidence suggests otherwise."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of approaching flight - the distinctive whoosh of someone moving at superhuman speed through the air. All four turned to face the newcomer, instinctively forming a defensive formation.

Two figures descended from the sky - one in a familiar black and blue costume, the other radiating pink energy. Mark and Eve, but not their Mark and Eve.

"Another one!" the descending Mark shouted, his expression hardening as he accelerated toward them. "Levy's getting desperate if he's sending them in groups now!"

Before anyone could respond, this alternate Mark slammed into their Mark with devastating force, sending both crashing through a nearby building.

"Mark!" Eve - our Eve - cried out, her powers flaring in response to the threat.

The alternate Eve hovered above, her hands already glowing with molecular energy. "I don't know what game Levy's playing," she called down, "but it ends now!"

Sukuna stepped forward, his four eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. "We are not your enemies," he stated, his voice carrying that unmistakable authority. "There has been a dimensional merger. We are from another reality."

"Yeah, right," alternate Eve scoffed, unleashing a blast of pink energy. "That's exactly what the last batch of duplicates said before they started killing civilians!"

Sukuna deflected the energy blast with a casual wave of cursed energy, his patience visibly thinning. "Enough. This misunderstanding is becoming tedious."

Inside the damaged building, the two Marks grappled with each other, evenly matched in strength and speed. They crashed through walls and support beams, bringing down chunks of ceiling around them.

"I don't know what Levy told you," alternate Mark growled, landing a solid punch to his counterpart's jaw, "but I'm not letting you ruin my life!"

"I don't even know who Levy is!" our Mark shouted back, retaliating with a kick that sent his doppelganger flying backward. "We were fighting Battle Beast when everything went green!"

Outside, the situation was escalating as alternate Eve attempted to restrain Uraume with molecular bonds, only to find her constructs shattered by precise applications of ice.

"Sukuna-sama," Uraume called, her voice calm despite the chaos, "shall I neutralize this opponent?"

"No," Sukuna replied, watching the aerial battle with calculated interest. "They are not our enemies. Merely confused."

Our Eve had taken to the air, engaging her counterpart in a dazzling display of pink energy that lit up the sky like fireworks. The two molecular manipulators circled each other, testing defenses, probing for weaknesses.

"You're good," alternate Eve admitted, creating a shield to block an energy pulse. "This is new though - with Angstrom sending duplicates of me as well. "

"I don't know who this Angstrom is, but I'm not working for anyone," Our Eve retorted, her enhanced powers allowing for more complex molecular manipulations than her counterpart had ever displayed.

"I'm simply you from another reality. A better reality, apparently."

The two Marks burst from the building, still locked in combat, their costumes torn and bloodied from their exchange.

"ENOUGH!" Sukuna's voice thundered across the battlefield, carrying enough power to momentarily freeze everyone in place. Cursed energy radiated from him in palpable waves, his four eyes glowing with inner light.

"This pointless conflict solves nothing," he continued, his tone brooking no argument. "We are not working for whoever your enemy is. We are versions of yourselves from another timeline, brought here by whatever caused the dimensional merger."

Alternate Mark hovered cautiously, blood trickling from a split lip. "How do we know you're not just another of Levy's tricks? He's been sending alternate versions of me to destroy my reputation for weeks now."

"Because we have no idea who this Levy person is," their Mark replied, wiping blood from his nose. "We were in the middle of a battle with an alien warrior named Battle Beast when everything went green. Next thing we knew, we were here."

"Battle Beast?" alternate Mark's expression shifted from hostility to confusion. "The alien gladiator who worked for Machine Head?"

"He is more than that - at least he was In our world more than that. Don't really know about yours." their Mark said. "He nearly killed me before Megumi stepped in."

Alternate Eve descended slowly, her powers still at the ready but her aggression diminished. "And who exactly is Megumi? This... four-armed guy I'm guessing?"

Sukuna inclined his head slightly. "I am Megumi Fushiguro. Also known as Sukuna, one people call hero in this world."

"That doesn't explain why we should trust you," alternate Mark said, though his stance had relaxed somewhat. "We've been dealing with dimensional incursions for days now. All of them hostile."

"If we were working for your enemy," Sukuna observed calmly, "we would have continued the attack rather than attempting to explain ourselves. Logic suggests we are telling the truth."

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Our Eve drifted closer to Sukuna, her body radiating pink energy. "Look, I understand your caution. But we're as confused as you are about what's happening. We just want to figure this out and return things to how they're supposed to be."

Alternate Eve studied our Eve noting the differences in her appearance and energy signature. "You're... different from me. Enhanced somehow."

"Recent development," their Eve replied with a small smile. "Evolutionary adaptation, you might say."

Alternate Mark and Eve exchanged glances, some unspoken communication passing between them.

"Fine," alternate Mark said finally. "Let's say we believe you're not working with Levy. We still need to figure out what happened and how to fix this... dimensional merger, you called it?."

"Perhaps we should continue this discussion somewhere more secure," Nolan suggested, descending from above.

"The Global Defense Agency might have resources to help us understand what's happening. The Guardians will also be useful."

"Dad?" Alternate Mark called out in shock, his body tensing as he hovered in midair. Beside him, Alternate Eve immediately shifted into a combat stance, pink energy flaring around her.

"You're working with Omni-Man?" Alternate Eve demanded, her voice tight with anger and fear. "He's supposed to be off-world!"

Nolan raised an eyebrow, noting their hostile reaction. "Interesting. My relationship with you appears to differ significantly in your reality."

"Differ? You tried to kill me!" Alternate Mark shouted as he realised this one wasn't his father - though still too frustrated to not vent, his fists clenching. "You murdered the Guardians of the Globe!"

Our Mark's expression fell, his tone becoming somber. "Oh... so Megumi didn't stop Dad in your world."

"Stop him? Also, back up, I know he introduced himself, but that was too short - so, again who the hell is Megumi? And how could he possibly stop, him." Alternate Mark demanded, pointing at Nolan.

His father beat him to near death - to him, his father when not holding back was an unstoppable force of destruction.

Our Mark pointed with his thumb to Sukuna. "He's my best friend. In our world, he confronted my dad in the Flaxan dimension and... well, changed things. Prevented a whole lot of murder and mayhem."

Alternate Mark stared at Sukuna with disbelief. "You stopped Omni-Man? How is that even possible?"

"It's a long story," Sukuna replied simply, his four eyes surveying the cityscape. "One better told in a secure location. The Global Defense Agency would be the logical choice, as Nolan suggested."

Alternate Mark hesitated, exchanging another glance with his Eve. "The GDA isn't exactly friendly territory for me right now. Cecil and I aren't on good terms. Like, restraining-order-not-good-terms."

"Nevertheless, they have resources we need," Nolan stated. "And if dimensional barriers are collapsing, we need all the help we can get."

After a moment of tense silence, Alternate Mark nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But I'm watching you," he added, pointing at Nolan. "All of you."

The group took to the air, flying toward the GDA headquarters visible in the distance. As they flew, our Eve drifted closer to Alternate Eve, studying her with scientific curiosity that bordered on uncomfortable staring.

"So," our Eve asked suddenly, "are you single?"

Alternate Eve nearly dropped altitude in surprise, her concentration breaking momentarily. "What? Why would you ask that?"

"Just curious about differences between our timelines," our Eve replied with a too-casual shrug that fooled absolutely no one.

"Uh, no, I'm not single," Alternate Eve answered, confusion evident in her voice. "Mark and I are together."

Our Eve's face lit up with a smile that was just a little too bright, like someone had replaced her normal expression with a thousand-watt bulb. "Oh, that's wonderful!"

Our Mark, overhearing the exchange, shook his head with a small smile. "Your yandere side is showing, Eve."

"My what?" our Eve asked, at the exact same moment that Alternate Eve and Alternate Mark both exclaimed, "Her what?"

"You know," our Mark explained, gesturing dramatically, "the whole 'I-will-track-your-molecular-signature-across-time-and-space' thing. The 'I've-cataloged-every-breath-you've-taken-for-the-last-six-months' obsession.

The 'if-anyone-else-looks-at-you-I-will-rearrange-their-atoms-into-a-modern-art-installation' possessiveness. That whole deal."

Our Eve's smile turned dangerous, though it never left her face. "Mark, if you don't shut up right now, I'll molecularly rearrange your vocal cords into a pretty bow tie. Then I'll use them to tie your shoelaces together. While you're flying."

"Megumi?" Alternate Eve asked, looking between our Eve and Sukuna with wide eyes. "You're with... him? The four-armed guy with the extra set of eyes who looks like he stepped out of a horror movie?"

"Eve and I are in a relationship," Sukuna confirmed, "A recent development, but a significant one."

Our Mark raised his hands in a defensive position, though his smile remained. "Hey, I think it's great! Terrifying, but great. Like watching a volcano erupt from a safe distance. Except there is no safe distance."

"I'm not terrifying," our Eve protested, though her eyes glowed slightly brighter with the statement, making her look like a pink lighthouse beacon.

"You literally threatened to destroy the universe when you thought he died," our Mark pointed out. "You were going to unmake reality because you were sad. That's not normal breakup behavior. That's not even normal 'my-goldfish-died' behavior."

"That was an emotional moment!" our Eve defended, pink energy flaring briefly around her like an agitated aura.

"Besides, he's fine now. Better than fine, magnificient really..." she added, her gaze softening as it landed on Sukuna's transformed form, a look that somehow managed to be both adorable and deeply unsettling.

Alternate Mark and Eve exchanged bewildered glances, clearly struggling to process this strange dynamic from their counterparts.

"Your world is... different," Alternate Mark finally said, the understatement hanging in the air like a lead balloon as they approached the GDA headquarters.

"Different is one word for it," Alternate Eve muttered. "Completely insane is another."

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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the Chapter!

Do tell me how you found it. Yeah, Eve was basically: "The only one who can possibly threaten me is me. If that me is interested in what's mine than I'll fucking kill me!"

So yeah, I hope that clarified it.

Also, the Thragg eating Thragg thing possibility - its based on the comics when Sinister Mark cannibalized his other counterparts.

Oh yeah, before I forget, not everyone is double. The strong willed people are, otherwise, people fused.

So yeah, that's all. I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)