The Supreme Observer strained with all his might. His face flushed crimson from the effort, yet the wrist in Malrick's grip refused to budge.
"This… this kind of power… how can it exist in the Multiverse?" he gasped. Each word was a labor, drawn from the very limits of his strength.
He had seen countless figures in his long existence, yet this entity before him was unlike anything he had encountered. Malrick's calm smile and detached gaze unsettled him. The Supreme Observer tried again to wrench his wrist free, but it remained locked. A chill surged from his feet to his neck, making his hair stand on end.
Suddenly, Malrick raised his arm. The Supreme Observer was lifted into the air without resistance.
"The part of me you see is only a fragment," Malrick whispered. "The version you know belongs to the past, not the present."
The Supreme Observer's understanding of Malrick's power was shallow, no greater than Jarvis's. Memories of Malrick's battle with Doctor Doom at the end of time had faded for most; only he and Shen Loki knew the full scope. The rest of the Multiverse remained oblivious.
Malrick's leg extended in a controlled motion, kicking the Supreme Observer in the abdomen. There was no haste in the movement; it was almost graceful, elegant, a display of art rather than combat. Yet the impact sent the Supreme Observer hurtling backward, as if struck by a Multiverse itself. His surroundings twisted into monochrome, dimensions collapsing under the force.
Observers watching saw him shatter Realm Walls, breach the Five-Dimensional Space, and plummet into the Universe, tearing through layer after layer of Cosmic Crystal Walls. Meanwhile, Malrick hovered calmly, breathing evenly, his presence alone seeming to stretch and compress the Observer Realm.
The remaining two Supreme Observers froze, mouths agape. Malrick reached forward, plunging his arm into the Void Realm as if dipping into water. After a brief search, he pulled the battered Supreme Observer back from the ripples. Half of his body was mangled, vital signs barely registering. Malrick tossed him toward the others.
"As the strongest Observers, if this is all the strength you can muster, you won't survive a Universe's destruction," Malrick said, scanning the Observer Realm for a fitting place to end this. "If you have other abilities, use them. Otherwise, embrace Death before the Universe does. There may still be a place for you in the Domain of Death within the newborn Multiverse."
The two remaining Supremes hastily propped up their companion, readying an ultimate attack. Yet when they opened their mouths to issue threats, the memory of Malrick's display froze their courage. Finally, one whispered, "Now… we will become truly powerful."
A magnificent energy surged. The two Supremes, holding the dying leader, spun and rose into the air. Their minds synchronized, their energies fused, forming a trinity. The Supreme power of the Observers was unleashed.
Rumble!
A terrifying pressure descended, blanketing everything. A holy, Supreme light radiated across the Multiverse, threatening to erase existence itself. The Carter Squad screamed, curling in instinctive defense. Phantoms of their parallel variants flickered into existence, only to shatter instantly.
The fusion completed. The leading Supreme Observer recovered, shouting in triumph. "We are invincible! Even you, Malrick Stark, cannot—probably cannot—resist this!"
Behind them, their integrated energy threatened to erase every variant from the Multiverse. Malrick hovered, expression calm.
"Not bad," he said. "Your integration rivals even Doctor Doom of Battleworld."
A crimson glow lit Malrick's eyes. Heat Vision erupted, slicing through the Observer Realm, striking the integrated Supremes. Screams echoed as the invincible observers were wounded, separated, and cast into a coma.
"Supreme!" Waqtu groaned, injured by the Supreme Observers' attack but unable to ignore his compassion. Instinctively, he caught the three fallen Supremes and gently set them on the ground.
Malrick descended beside him.
"Don't worry," Malrick said, patting Waqtu on the back. His eyes glimmered with meaning. "Since you cannot help but interfere with the Multiverse, you must truly wish to reform the corrupt oaths of the Watchers' Cult."
Waqtu met Malrick's gaze, bewildered, and pointed at himself. "Ah… me?"