In this battle, Steve suffered a complete defeat.
Before the fully unleashed Ikaris, he was as powerless as a frail child.
From beginning to end, he was completely overwhelmed. Even his proud Demon Strike was crushed head-on by Ikaris, who nearly shattered his giant left arm in the process.
The last remaining warrior of the Eternals, and once their strongest warrior.
Steve had now personally experienced the weight carried by that title and honor, though the price was rather heavy.
"It was I who saved your life in Siberia. Now it's time for you to repay me!" Madness flickered with killing intent in Ikaris' eyes as dazzling golden light gathered once more, intending to blast Steve into dust once and for all, cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots forever.
"Not a chance!"
A thunderous roar exploded through the sky as a figure streaked across the air, delivering a flying kick straight at his face.
Ikaris crossed his arms into an X-shaped guard. The moment they collided, his heart shook in shock, because the power behind that kick far exceeded his expectations. He was sent flying dozens of meters by that single strike.
After finally stabilizing himself, Ikaris locked his murderous gaze firmly onto the one who had interfered.
A dark crimson bodysuit, a half-covered hooded mask, a firm square jaw covered with short stubble, two batons hanging from his waist, and the double "D" emblem printed on his chest immediately allowed the bystanders to recognize him.
"It's Daredevil!"
"Great! Daredevil is here to save us!"
"Daredevil, help Captain America! Kill that son of a bitch!"
Amid the cheers and encouragement from the crowd, Matt felt power surging endlessly from within his body.
Ever since obtaining the Schrift: Hero, his superhero activities had become increasingly frequent, covering virtually the entirety of Hell's Kitchen and even spreading into the surrounding areas. The reason was perfectly justified as well—his Schrift required the audience's "cheers" to become stronger.
The moment he sensed the enormous energy fluctuations nearby, Matt rushed over without hesitation.
As it happened, he arrived just in time to witness Captain America's defeat, with Ikaris preparing to deliver the killing blow. As a hero, Matt naturally couldn't stand by and watch, so he immediately joined the battle and stopped Ikaris from killing Captain America.
"I don't know who you are..."
Matt narrowed his eyes and drew his two batons. "But I can't let you kill Captain America here!"
"So... you're one of them as well."
Ikaris gave him a deep look. The energy surging around Daredevil's body was simply too familiar to him.
"They" naturally referred to those capable of manipulating spiritual power.
That included Soul Reapers, Hollows, Quincies, as well as special humans like Steve.
But what truly made him wary was the pentagram pendant hanging from Daredevil's suit.
The pentagram... was the symbol of the Wandenreich.
Since someone from the Wandenreich had appeared here, it meant Haschwalth had most likely already discovered him.
Taking a deep breath, Ikaris suppressed the overwhelming rage surging inside him. He coldly sized Daredevil up before shifting his gaze to the unconscious Steve and sneering, "Consider yourself lucky today. But soon... all of this will be over."
"Trying to run?!"
Sensing his intention, Matt burst forward with spiritual power erupting beneath his feet, shooting out like a cannonball.
"You think you can stop me?"
Ikaris curled his lips in disdain, activating the energy within his body as he transformed directly into a streak of golden light.
"Damn it! Another one who can fly!" Unable to catch up, Matt could only watch as Ikaris drew a golden line across the night sky before gradually disappearing from sight. Half helpless and half resentful, he cursed under his breath.
...
...
...
Northeast of the Philippines, the Mariana Islands, beneath the Pacific Ocean.
Here lay the deepest ocean trench on Earth, stretching over 2,500 kilometers in length. It formed a great arc with an average width of roughly 70 kilometers, and was conservatively estimated to have existed for over 60 million years.
The Mariana Trench was hailed as the abyss of the sea.
At present, humanity's deepest submersible exploration limit was approximately 11,000 meters. Its terrifying depth was enough to contain an entire Mount Everest, yet this was still far from the deepest point, because certain fissures continued extending downward.
At a depth of over 10,000 meters beneath the ocean, the pressure could reach 110 megapascals.
That was equivalent to more than two thousand African elephants standing on a person's back. Converted, it amounted to 16,000 tons of pressure. The pressure alone could crush hardened titanium alloy. No terrestrial organism could survive in such an environment.
Even humanity's most advanced probes could only reach depths of a little over 11,000 meters.
A completely cloaked triangular spacecraft appeared above the ocean at some unknown point.
The flattened vessel, constructed from an unknown metal, was covered with mesmerizing and intricate patterns. It possessed a futuristic technological aesthetic intertwined with an ancient aura. It was none other than the spacecraft the Eternals had used to arrive on Earth.
Inside the control room, Druig operated the spacecraft without taking his eyes off the controls. "The coordinates of the Reishi Laboratory are directly below us, correct?"
"Yes," Fury replied with a dull expression and stiff voice. "The Reishi Laboratory is twenty thousand meters directly below."
Very few people actually knew that humanity's exploration depth far exceeded 11,000 meters.
The correct answer was... 20,000 meters!
Under normal circumstances, with humanity's current level of technology alone, reaching such a depth would have been virtually impossible.
But for the Eternals, whose technological level far surpassed Earth's, 20,000 meters was nothing. Piloting the Eternal spacecraft, Druig cut through the surging ocean currents, plunging rapidly into the raging abyss as though nothing could hinder its descent.
Soon, the diving depth reached 20,000 meters.
"Hiss..."
Looking through the spacecraft's display screen, Druig witnessed a scene that left him utterly astonished.
At the 20,000-meter depth of the Mariana Trench, within the endless black seawater, stood a magnificent ancient structure. It covered an area of several thousand square meters, its entire body forged from an unknown bronze.
The entire structure consisted of three levels and took the shape of a cube.
It resembled a pyramid built from stacked blocks, but unlike the Egyptian style, it was a flat-topped temple.
The shock brought about by this unknown sight was no less overwhelming than a Category 18 storm.
Even someone as knowledgeable as Druig was unable to identify the age of that pyramid or the craftsmanship used in its construction.
After magnifying the pyramid's outer surface tens of thousands of times with the instruments, Druig couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Th-This is simply a miracle. Characters engraved at the molecular level... how in the world was this accomplished?"
"I don't know."
Fury answered stiffly, "This pyramid is a creation of a prehistoric civilization. I only know how to use it. As for its exact age, its construction techniques, or who built it, I know nothing."
"I never imagined... Earth once possessed a civilization like this!"
Admiring those inscriptions, Druig let out a sigh of praise after a long while before lamenting, "But unfortunately, it will soon disappear."
Once the Emergence was complete, the entire Earth would be destroyed.
What did it matter how ancient or glorious a civilization had once been? In the end, it would still become nothing more than a handful of dust drifting through the universe.
As Druig admired the pyramid, he failed to notice the unnatural glint that flashed through Fury's eyes behind him.