Ch 74- Imagine Breaker
[Congratulations to the host for receiving the reward:]
Name: [Imagine Breaker];
Grade: [A Rank];
Description: Whether it is a superpower or magic, any "supernatural ability" can be nullified as long as it is touched by your right hand!;
Slogan: The Right Hand of God!;
Well...
It has the same effect.
With [Dimension Control], Marcus could directly disable an opponent's ability, so there was no need to touch them at all.
However,
Adding it to the [Book of Contract] would still be quite useful for his wives.
After all, it was borrowed power and did not possess the full strength of the original version.
After reproducing [Imagine Breaker] with [Dimension Control], Marcus planned to give it to one of his wives later.
"The system giving one reward twice isn't bad."
After playing with Wanda for a while, they waited for Pietro to return.
Wanda immediately pulled him over to test their speed.
With Marcus as the referee, even movements at the speed of light were visible under his "Super Vision."
In the first test,
Pietro didn't take it seriously and was instantly overtaken by Wanda going all out!
"What? How are you so fast?" Pietro exclaimed. "Marcus! Did you secretly power up Wanda?"
Marcus shrugged, showing his innocence.
"Hmph! Do you admit defeat now?" Wanda said proudly. "From now on, I'm the real older sister, because I'm stronger than you!"
Pietro had originally been the older brother, but to indulge Wanda's little obsession, he had become the "younger brother."
Before, it was just playing along.
Now she wanted to make it official.
Could Pietro accept that?
"That one doesn't count!" Pietro protested. "I wasn't serious! Let's do it again!"
Wanda had expected that.
"I knew you wouldn't accept it, so let's race again!"
"But let's agree first!"
"If you lose again, no cheating!"
Pietro looked unconvinced.
"I'll definitely win!"
Wanda stood at the starting line with a smile and secretly winked at Marcus when she turned around.
Marcus gave a slight nod, indicating he understood.
When the siblings got ready again, Marcus raised his hand.
"I'm starting the countdown!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
Wanda, who had already been warned beforehand, immediately shot forward.
Pietro froze for a moment before realizing what happened and hurried after her.
To be fair,
Wanda had only gotten the [Rabbit Talisman] recently, so compared to Pietro's long-developed speed, she was still a little slower.
But she had started running early!
Although Pietro was closing the gap, it was happening very slowly.
In the end, they crossed the finish line almost side by side.
"Well? Did I win?" Wanda asked expectantly.
"You two cheated!" Pietro complained angrily. "Marcus! You're a biased referee! I don't accept it!"
Marcus spread his hands.
"Then does the first race still count?"
"Of course not!" Wanda said loudly. "There was no rule saying you could skip directly from three to one!"
Pietro obviously didn't want to admit it either, but when he saw Wanda's threatening gaze...
What else could he do?
"Fine." Pietro compromised. "But we crossed the finish line together just now, so that's a tie, right?"
Wanda didn't argue and looked at Marcus.
"Marcus! Be fair this time!" Pietro reminded him.
Marcus laughed.
"Pietro, you did cross the line at almost the same time." Marcus gestured in front of his chest. "But Wanda was still slightly ahead."
The siblings didn't understand at first.
Then Wanda's face instantly turned red!
She turned into a blur and ran away in embarrassment.
Pietro immediately understood and made a strange face.
That counts too?
With Wanda already gone, there was no point continuing the competition.
Pietro grinned at Marcus.
"Marcus, got any other abilities? Give me one too?"
A brother-in-law's request was easy enough to grant.
However...
"Then you and Wanda..."
"She's definitely the older sister!" Pietro declared firmly. "I've always been the younger brother anyway, haven't I?"
Marcus nodded in satisfaction and took out the [Ox Talisman].
"You already have speed, but your strength is lacking. This one's for you..."
After hearing about the [Ox Talisman's] ability, Pietro practically started drooling.
Once it fused into his body,
Feeling the power to crush bricks with his bare hands made him grin from ear to ear.
"Brother-in-law, enjoy yourself, I'm leaving first!"
"That guy Barry keeps acting proud because he's a little faster than me. Today I'm gonna punch the crap out of him!"
Pietro disappeared in a flash.
Marcus casually walked over to Wanda's bedroom door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Wanda? I'm coming in!"
"Hmph! No!" Wanda shouted. "All you do is bully me! Go away!"
The door wasn't locked.
Did Marcus actually believe her?
He pushed the door open directly.
Wanda immediately buried herself under the blanket and refused to come out.
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
You won't come out?
Then I'll go in.
"Ah!"
"Mmm!"
Wanda's eyes widened.
Her mind went blank and she completely lost the ability to think.
Marcus immediately pressed his advantage and used his hands to measure Wanda's winning "secret weapon."
Their relationship had already developed enough.
It was time to move things forward.
A [Space Gate] opened.
Marcus was pushed back out by Wanda, whose face was bright red as she avoided looking at him while fixing her messy clothes.
Marcus was about to say something with a smile...
Wanda waved her [Chaos Force] and forcibly closed the space gate.
"Oh?"
"In a panic, her control over Chaos Force actually improved."
Marcus shook his head with amusement.
Then he turned and headed upstairs.
Diana was in the living room carving a stone statue. The outline was clearly Marcus.
Marcus walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
At the same time, he fused the power of [Imagine Breaker] into Diana's body.
Diana, who had been smiling sweetly, immediately noticed something.
"What was that?"
"A pretty useful ability. It..."
After listening to Marcus's explanation, Diana put down her carving knife.
She turned around, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stared into his eyes.
"Such a valuable gift deserves a proper reward."
"Oh? And how are you going to reward me?"
Diana didn't answer.
She simply looked at Marcus and slowly knelt down.
Marcus hadn't expected Diana's reward to be this generous.
The fire Wanda had left behind was instantly extinguished.
Since he wasn't stingy, he immediately gave Diana the [Dragon Talisman].
Granting her long-range attack capabilities.
Then, based on her existing abilities,
He integrated fragments of "Super Flight" and "Super Breath" from the "Omnipotent Cells" into Diana's body.
Diana was overjoyed!
She immediately flew around the room, completely forgetting she wasn't wearing any clothes.
The sight was more than enough to keep Marcus entertained.
Just as it looked like a new battle was about to begin,
Suddenly!
A [Portal] opened, and Natasha stepped out.
The scene in front of her made her freeze!
She immediately closed the [Portal] behind her.
If Maria Hill, who was about to follow, hadn't reacted quickly, her long legs would have been caught by the closing portal.
A flash came from the [Space Ring] on Diana's hand. A dress appeared on her body as she landed gracefully from midair.
She looked slightly unhappy.
" Natasha, remember to knock next time."
The warning was obvious.
Natasha smiled awkwardly and was about to apologize...
But Marcus spoke first.
"Diana, Natasha is my wife now too. You two should get along from now on."
Natasha glanced at Marcus, her eyes full of amusement.
Being protected like this really wasn't a bad feeling.
Diana looked surprised.
Then her displeasure disappeared, replaced by a friendly smile.
The hierarchy was made very clear.
Natasha smiled and replied, " It really was my fault for barging in..."
Diana simply smiled and didn't continue the topic. Any further would feel forced.
"Natasha, are you here because the operation is about to begin?"
"Yes!" Natasha nodded seriously. "Even if Project Insight is activated, we still have to stop HYDRA!"
Diana nodded approvingly and then looked at Marcus.
"Marcus, I heard you accepted Pierce's gift. You're really not planning to interfere?"
It was quite a direct question.
Natasha became a little worried and quickly stepped forward to calm Diana down.
That tone was dangerous.
Marcus wasn't angry. He wasn't a dictator.
He shrugged.
"Whether it's S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA, neither is destined to remain."
"So I'm waiting for both sides to wear each other down, then I'll recruit some useful people to strengthen Dawn's structure."
"Besides, I wasn't planning to stay out of it completely. The Yellow Power Rings came from Parallax. That guy really hates me."
"No matter what happens afterward, I'm taking back every Yellow Power Ring."
After hearing Marcus's real plan, Diana relaxed and her tone softened.
"Actually, from your position, staying neutral is the best choice."
"It's just that I thought you supported HYDRA's Project Insight..."
"I was a little aggressive just now. Don't mind it."
Marcus smiled, hugged Diana, and kissed her forehead.
"Do you really think I'd support something like that?"
Diana kissed him back.
The long dress on her body transformed into armour once more, and the heroic warrior was ready to head into battle.
"Wait!"
Marcus stopped her and looked unhappily at the exposed areas of her armour.
"Your armour doesn't provide enough protection. Let me improve it."
Marcus directly took out the [Destroyer Armour], melted it into liquid, and merged it with Diana's armour.
It wasn't bulky, but it covered everything properly.
Perfect.
Diana looked at the armour that now protected her from head to toe, even including a helmet that could appear at any time.
She couldn't help smiling.
So he really disliked how little protection her old armour provided?
He always claimed he wasn't bothered by such things, but now he was being so particular.
Still,
Diana didn't care about details like that and accepted it.
"Then I'm leaving."
She stepped through the [Portal].
Natasha rushed over, gave Marcus a quick kiss, then patted his butt before slipping through the portal as well.
Marcus stood there holding his backside, his face full of disbelief.
You dare tease me?
Just wait until you get home.
We'll see how you explain yourself then.
Now then...
Marcus took out his phone. There hadn't been much activity for a while.
Skye had asked him out yesterday, but between Natasha and the battle with his wives, he hadn't replied.
She was probably angry by now.
Marcus opened a [Space Gate] and arrived directly at Skye's house.
The destination was the living room.
He figured this way he wouldn't accidentally walk into an embarrassing situation.
Unfortunately...
"Creak..."
The bathroom door opened.
Skye stepped out through the steam, tilting her head while drying her long hair with a towel. The hanging towel barely covered the important areas.
Marcus:
Uh...
This was something he could see for free now?
Or...
Should he leave and come back later?
But!
Skye turned around and met Marcus's gaze.
After confirming who it was, both froze.
"AHHHHH!"
Three minutes later,
Marcus restored the wrecked living room to its original condition with a wave of his hand.
Skye had changed into a shirt. Her hair was still damp as she glared fiercely at Marcus.
"So you finally decided to show up?" Skye bared her teeth. "And why did you come in without knocking?"
Marcus shrugged innocently.
"How was I supposed to know your bathroom is outside the living room instead of attached to the bedroom?"
"Is that somehow my fault?" Skye raised her voice. "Do you want me to apologize to you too?"
Marcus couldn't help laughing at her angry pufferfish expression.
That only made Skye angrier.
"You're still laughing?" Skye shouted. "Get out! You're not welcome here!"
Marcus stood up and directly opened a [Space Gate].
"Are you sure you want me to leave?" Marcus asked. "The sixth date is coming up soon. Are you really giving up already?"
Skye froze.
That...
Actually was the reason.
Seeing her calm down a little, Marcus took out the [Casket of Ancient Winters].
"I've been busy lately. I brought you Jotunheim's treasure. It's a pretty nice item."
The blue [Casket of Ancient Winters] radiated cold mist and floating frost crystals. It clearly looked valuable.
Most of Skye's anger disappeared immediately.
So he hadn't been ignoring her.
He'd actually been busy.
"Then tell me that." Skye said sadly. "You disappeared for days. I thought... I thought..."
Marcus smiled and waited.
Skye gritted her teeth and finally said it.
"Fine! I admit it, okay? You attracted me!"
"I was thinking about you!"
"When you didn't reply, I kept thinking about it!"
"Were you tired of me already?"
"Did you lose interest?"
"Did you find someone new?"
"If you told me you were saving the world, I wouldn't have bothered you!"
"But there was no news at all!"
Watching Skye finally vent everything, Marcus stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.
"Don't doubt your charm. If you're worried, we can register right now."
Skye didn't struggle and simply huffed.
"Who wants to register with you? You haven't even proposed..."
The second half was extremely quiet.
Unfortunately for her, Marcus's hearing was far too good.
The [Casket of Ancient Winters] shrank and transformed into a ring.
Holding the [Ring of Frost], Marcus knelt on one knee.
"Beautiful lady, would you marry me?"
Skye covered her mouth in surprise.
He actually heard that?
But no matter what,
Skye smiled and stretched out her hand.
Marcus was far too popular. She was afraid someone else would snatch him away if she waited too long.
Marcus placed the [Ring of Frost] on Skye's finger. The Frost Law inside had already been adjusted to suit her perfectly.
But Skye didn't care about any of that right now.
She jumped directly into Marcus's arms, wrapped her long legs around his waist, and pulled him into a deep kiss.
She had wanted to do this for a long time.
Today...
She was determined to claim Marcus for herself!
Ch 75- War
[Congratulations to the host for receiving the reward!]
Name: [Tremor-Tremor Fruit];
Grade: [A Grade];
Introduction: The user can cause the sky, earth, atmosphere, and ocean to vibrate at will. It can create powerful earthquakes and tsunamis, accompanied by tremendous shockwave power. It possesses extremely powerful destructive force!;
Slogan: The power to destroy the world!;
Well...
Marcus opened the Gate of Babylon and took out a spherical fruit covered with blue ripple patterns.
The [Tremor-Tremor Fruit]!
In One Piece, it was the ability of the strongest Emperor, Whitebeard, who could smash the Marine Headquarters apart with a single strike.
And that was when his combat power had already declined significantly.
But...
The [Tremor-Tremor Fruit] was good, but if Marcus wanted to create shockwaves, he only needed to modify the gravitational parameters of a dimension.
This fruit was useless to him.
And it had side effects, namely being weakened by seawater.
Although it was specifically seawater from the One Piece world, it was still a side effect.
Marcus used [Dimension Control] to locate a black thread inside the [Tremor-Tremor Fruit], pulled it out, and crushed it.
Much better.
"Huh? This..."
Marcus smiled and made no further changes.
He turned to look beside him.
Although Skye had awakened her ability, she originally only had an ordinary physique. After two hours, she had already fallen asleep.
Marcus raised his hand and slapped down.
"Smack!"
Skye's soul was knocked out of her body. She clutched her butt and looked at Marcus in confusion.
What was going on?
"Two things. You can go back to sleep after hearing them." Marcus held up the [Tremor-Tremor Fruit]. "If you eat this fruit, it can strengthen your ability and give you the power to shatter continental plates."
"..."
Skye instantly woke up, her eyes sparkling.
"I want it! Give it to me!"
Shatter continental plates!
She was currently struggling to destroy a building. How could she hesitate?
Marcus nodded.
He let Skye's soul return to her body. She immediately opened her eyes, snatched the [Tremor-Tremor Fruit], peeled it open, and saw the blue flesh inside.
But when she thought about the power to shatter continents, she didn't care anymore.
She took a huge bite.
"(QAQ)"
"Holy crap!"
This taste...
It was like a ton of durian compressed into a single fruit!
Skye slowly covered her mouth, swallowed without chewing, closed her eyes, and took another huge bite.
Watching from the side, Marcus gained a deeper understanding of Skye's abilities.
Good lord!
So your mouth can open that wide?
I'll have to test that sometime.
Before long,
Skye had eaten most of the [Tremor-Tremor Fruit].
Marcus finally said, "One bite was enough. You didn't have to eat the whole thing."
Skye froze.
She looked at Marcus in disbelief.
Why the hell didn't you say that earlier?
She immediately threw away the remaining fruit.
Because of the sudden emotional surge, she instinctively triggered the power of the [Tremor-Tremor Fruit]!
A visible shockwave rippled through the air, shattering the remaining fruit and continuing outward.
Skye's bedroom, living room, and even the neighboring building were instantly cracked apart and collapsed.
Bright sunlight shone directly onto Skye's stunned face.
Then her expression gradually turned into excitement.
Wasn't this way too powerful?
All her anger toward Marcus instantly disappeared.
Marcus stepped forward and wrapped a blanket around her, resisting the urge to tease her.
Even if Skye hadn't eaten it, he could have extracted the ability and injected it directly into her.
...
With his reaction speed, he would have had plenty of time to stop her.
But he had been curious about just how terrible the taste of a Devil Fruit really was.
So...
Ahem.
Marcus glanced at the [Vibranium Bracelet] on Skye's wrist.
The shockwave had only filled about one-third of its storage capacity.
A bit disappointing.
Marcus directly used [Dimension Control] to overwrite the space laws, expanding the energy storage enchantments by a million times.
Now, even if Skye destroyed an entire continent, she wouldn't be able to fill it.
After a brief moment of excitement, Skye suddenly jumped up nervously.
"Oops! Did anyone get hurt?"
Still kind-hearted.
"Don't worry." Marcus said. "I moved everyone away and paid compensation."
Skye finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she suddenly felt a chill across her body and looked down.
"Ah!"
Half a minute later,
Skye was wearing an oversized shirt and glaring angrily at Marcus.
"I'm your woman now. Doesn't that mean you're not worried about other people seeing me?"
"Not worried." Marcus smiled. "No one can see you except me."
Skye didn't doubt him.
Although she felt a little embarrassed...
She had already given herself to Marcus anyway. What did a few extra looks matter?
"Didn't you say there were two things?" Skye asked excitedly. "Tell me already! What's the second one?"
Marcus shook his head with a smile.
"Don't rush. The situation over there is still developing." Marcus explained. "I have two ways to make you stronger: Contract Spells and Omnipotent Cells."
He briefly explained both options.
"Contract Spells rely more on abilities. Their potential is definitely higher, but your physical body will be much weaker."
"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power requires a strong body to support it."
"Choose."
Skye thought for only a moment before making her decision.
"I'll take the Omnipotent Cells." Skye answered without hesitation. "Compared to spells and stuff like that, I still like vibrations."
Marcus nodded.
The upper limit of Omnipotent Cells might not remain this low forever. Faora was still conducting deeper research.
Besides...
Even if Skye regretted her choice later, Marcus could simply turn back time and start over.
Waste time?
As Marcus's wife, the thing she had the most of was time.
The Eternal Life Buff was right here!
An Omnipotent Cell in his left hand and a ball of light energy in his right.
"Smack!"
"Smack!"
Skye's ordinary physique had instantly risen to Superman level.
Of course, she would still need time to get used to all her new abilities.
Marcus equipped her with a [Space Ring], a Vibranium molecular combat suit, and finally bound a [Resurrection Cross] to her.
In a single moment, her combat power jumped from a random civilian to Surface Level.
The strongest level of power on a planet's surface.
This was the standard universal power ranking Marcus had learned from Odin.
They were:
1. Street Level
People with no superhuman abilities or low-level metahuman traits who rely on martial arts, gadgetry, or minor physical enhancements.
2. Low to Mid-Tier (Urban/Metahuman)
People possessing superhuman strength, agility, or specialized abilities (like mutant powers or basic magic), capable of fighting street-level thugs or small gangs effortlessly.
3. High Tier (City to Planetary)
Powerhouses capable of taking on entire armies, destroying buildings, or even manipulating whole ecosystems and elements.
4. Cosmic Level (Herald to Solar System)
Extraterrestrial beings, god-like entities, or powerful energy manipulators. These characters can destroy planets, move at incredible fractions of the speed of light, and survive in the vacuum of space.
5. Skyfather / Trans-Cosmic
Mythological deities, cosmic architects, and heralds of universe-ending threats. They control the fundamental forces of the universe and command power that affects entire galaxies.
6. Omnipotent / Multiversal Reality Warpers
The absolute peaks of both universes. These are conceptual embodiments of creation, death, or time who exist outside space and time and can rewrite reality at a whim.
7. One above All
The current Odin was at the limit of the [Skyfather Level].
That was also the limit of the Asgardian gods.
But now, with the blessing of the "Eternal Life Buff", he would likely get stronger in the near future.
As for Marcus?
Without question, he was wasn't sure which level he was!
Of course,
These combat power rankings were only broad categories.
In an actual fight,
Wasn't the Ancient One still suppressing Dormammu?
While thinking about it,
Marcus received a notification from Rob1. He immediately opened a Space Gate and brought Skye to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Just in time,
Steve Rogers magnetic voice echoed through the facility's broadcast system.
"You've heard a lot about me these past few days."
"Many of you have even received orders to arrest me."
Even Skye, who wasn't part of S.H.I.E.L.D., instinctively raised her head and listened.
Steve Rogers?
What was he about to say?
Marcus casually opened a Space Gate and walked through it with Skye in his arms.
Rogers, who was in the middle of his speech, immediately turned his head.
Hill and the surrounding S.H.I.E.L.D. agents also raised their weapons.
"Relax." Marcus said with a smile. "I'm just here to hear the speech up close."
Seeing that it was Marcus, everyone lowered their guard.
Both sides already understood that the Saviour wasn't taking anyone's side.
As for the unfamiliar Skye...
Since she came with Marcus, nobody questioned it.
Rogers continued speaking.
"It's time for you to know the truth."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has changed."
"It's been taken over by HYDRA, and Pierce is their leader."
"I know this is difficult to hear, but freedom has always come with a price."
"But it's a price I'm willing to pay."
"If I were the only one left, I'd still fight to the end."
"But I believe..."
"I won't be fighting alone."
The one-minute speech left the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. facility silent.
Off to the side,
The newly recruited Falcon, Sam Wilson, looked at Rogers with admiration.
"Did you prepare that speech beforehand?"
Rogers smiled but didn't answer.
He looked seriously at Marcus and was about to speak.
Marcus interrupted by raising his hands and applauding.
"Very inspiring speech. But I keep my word. If I say I'm not getting involved, then I'm not getting involved."
Rogers let out a long breath.
Marcus staying out of it was actually better for Earth overall.
As for the outcome today...
"So this is the big show you were talking about?" Skye said excitedly. "Damn! HYDRA is still around? Project Insight is real? The first target list has two hundred million people on it?!"
Rogers immediately recognized a potential ally.
After all, nobody around Marcus was weak.
Up until now,
Other than Faora and Jane Foster, every one of Marcus's wives had joined the battle.
And each one was stronger than the last.
"That's right." Hill stepped forward and said seriously. "The original target list contained two hundred million names. Mutants and Inhumans alone accounted for ninety million of them."
Skye immediately grabbed Marcus's arm and looked at him pleadingly.
"Don't look at me. As an outsider, I'm not joining the war." Marcus shrugged.
Skye looked disappointed.
Rogers quickly added, "Miss, you're from Earth, aren't you? Then you're fighting for your own home. I don't think Mr. Marcus would stop you."
Skye looked at Marcus.
Marcus nodded.
"I support whatever my wife wants to do."
Skye immediately cheered.
"Then what should I do..."
"Zzzzt!"
A yellow beam of light shot through the ceiling.
Ten middle-aged women wearing Yellow Power Rings descended from the sky.
They immediately targeted Rogers and prepared to attack.
Then their faces suddenly distorted.
One of them smashed through a wall and disappeared.
Kara, wearing a short leather skirt, slowly revealed herself.
[Snake Talisman]!
She first smiled at Marcus, then looked at Skye.
"Welcome to the family, See those women wearing Yellow Power Rings? Just beat them to death."
As soon as she finished speaking,
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Five figures wearing Yellow Power Rings flashed into the broadcast room.
Different appearances, same murderous expressions.
Skye glanced at them and confirmed they were wearing Yellow Power Rings.
Then she punched forward.
"Crack... Crack..."
Spiderweb-like fractures appeared in the air where her fist landed.
A massive shockwave erupted outward and swallowed all five ring users.
"Boom!"
The entire wall exploded apart.
The destruction extended thousands of meters into the distance.
The five Yellow Power Ring users were buried beneath the rubble.
No movement followed.
Nobody knew whether they were alive or dead.
Marcus glanced at the Vibranium Bracelet on Skye's wrist.
The attack had only filled a tiny section of its storage capacity.
Before the upgrade, that same attack would have filled the entire battery several times over.
That destructive power...
Kara gave Skye a thumbs-up.
Nicely done.
Rogers and Sam both fell silent.
These women were monsters.
Compared to them, they were basically ordinary people.
Only Hill's eyes flickered as she secretly glanced toward Marcus.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Rattle!"
Gunfire suddenly erupted throughout S.H.I.E.L.D., echoing through every corner of the facility.
...
The battle had officially begun.
"Woooosh!"
The Strike Freedom Gundam streaked across the sky before coming to an abrupt stop.
Its wings separated into floating cannons and unleashed overwhelming firepower in all directions.
"Ratatatatat!"
Large numbers of Iron Soldiers emerged.
Heavy cannons locked onto the Strike Freedom Gundam as missiles launched into the sky.
Ninety-nine percent of them were intercepted.
The few that got through suddenly began flying around randomly within ten meters of their target.
It was Lorna's [Magnetic Field Control]!
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
One Portal after another opened around S.H.I.E.L.D.
Natasha Romanoff, Esme, Gwen, Jean, and the others rushed out first.
Behind them came tanks, armoured vehicles, and infantry carriers.
More Portals opened in the sky.
Armed helicopters dove out.
Fighter jets roared through behind them.
Together, they unleashed overwhelming firepower against the Iron Soldiers below.
...
The battle had officially entered its hottest phase.
Watching the chaotic battlefield in front of him, Marcus couldn't help shaking his head.
This had somehow turned into a full-scale fortress defense battle.
So...
Why not just open a portal and go straight inside to decapitate the leadership?
Ch 76- Bystander
Why not just behead him?
Marcus used his spiritual scan and quickly understood the situation.
Pierce had come prepared this time. He knew Fury would try to stop him.
So instead of staying in the Triskelion, he had boarded the Helicarrier.
Most of his combat force was gathered there as well.
Opening a portal directly onto it was basically delivering himself to their doorstep.
"Whoosh!"
A streak of yellow light shot into the sky, trying to eliminate the aerial firepower.
"My turn."
Kara stepped forward.
She flew into the air alongside Clark, Diana, and the other flying superheroes.
They immediately engaged the Yellow Lantern ring bearers.
Skye looked anxious, unsure which battlefield she should join.
"Did you forget you can fly too?" Marcus reminded her.
The abilities granted by the Totipotent Cells included flight.
"Huh? I can?" Skye scratched her head in confusion.
How was she supposed to fly?
Marcus chuckled and kicked her off the edge.
The drop was only a dozen stories high. With her Steel Body, she would not get hurt even if she hit the ground.
But Skye did not know that.
Faced with the threat of falling to her death, her survival instincts kicked in.
She stopped herself a few meters above the ground and awkwardly flew into the sky.
One of the Yellow Lantern ring bearers saw her clumsy flying and immediately moved in to bully the rookie.
Skye smashed him apart in a fit of anger.
He exploded into a cloud of blood on the spot.
Only the Yellow Lantern Ring survived and was summoned over by Marcus.
These rings were valuable. Besides the settlement rewards, they could be reassigned to other users after modification.
Rogers and Sam were already fighting on the front lines.
Holding a tablet, Hill walked over to Marcus.
"Quite a spectacle, isn't it?"
Marcus glanced at Hill.
He understood her intentions immediately.
Because of his presence, HYDRA did not dare act recklessly.
She was basically using him as a shield.
Marcus casually wrapped an arm around her slender waist.
Her muscles stiffened for a moment, but she quickly relaxed and accepted it.
If she wanted protection, there was no such thing as getting it for free.
"I wouldn't call it spectacular," Marcus said casually. "A few days ago I was on Cybertron fighting the Dark Elves. That battle was much bigger than this."
Hill pursed her lips.
"Cybertron? The homeworld of the Transformers? Wasn't it abandoned?"
Even now, she was still trying to gather information.
Marcus did not care.
"It was teleported near New Krypton and reactivated," Marcus replied casually. "I also picked up a symbiote planet by accident."
Compared to that, the scene in front of him really was nothing.
Hill continued chatting while frequently checking the tablet in her hand.
Until suddenly...
Two massive openings appeared in the plaza.
Steel soldiers and tanks dropped through them, crashing onto the Helicarrier's deck.
Three Helicarriers slowly rose into the sky.
They were equipped with the latest Quinjets, laser cannons, and large numbers of directed-energy weapons.
These were all technologies reverse-engineered from Kryptonian tech and integrated into Project Insight by Pierce.
All the Yellow Lanterns in the sky abandoned their opponents and descended onto the Helicarriers.
This allowed all the weapons to focus their fire on the carriers.
But...
A layer of yellow energy shields protected them.
Pierce and the elite Yellow Lanterns were all concentrated aboard the Helicarriers.
Hill's expression changed dramatically.
"How did they get the Helicarriers airborne?"
She stopped chatting entirely and looked down at the tablet.
A countdown timer appeared.
She switched to the combat channel and spoke seriously.
"Three minutes and fourteen seconds until Project Insight launches. Execute Plan B!"
The next moment, Sam carried Rogers into the sky.
Other flying superheroes also charged toward the Helicarriers.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Streams of yellow energy blasted out, knocking back the advancing heroes one after another.
Mixed among them was a red beam.
Homelander.
Clark immediately responded with his own Heat Vision.
His beam overwhelmed Homelander's attack and forced it back.
But then...
"Whoosh!"
Homelander's hand glowed yellow.
A yellow energy blast struck Clark and sent him flying.
A Yellow Lantern Ring.
Homelander had been accepted by one too.
"Looks like Pierce bought him off?" Marcus asked with amusement.
The guy really could switch sides without hesitation.
"Not just him," Hill said through gritted teeth. "There's also Magneto, Joker, Ivan, Xu Wenwu Winter Soldier..."
Hill listed a long series of names.
Clearly, HYDRA had made extensive preparations for this battle.
Wait.
"Xu Wenwu?" Marcus asked in surprise. "That name isn't..."
The next moment, Diana became the first person to land on a Helicarrier.
A chain of glowing rings flew straight at her.
Sensing danger, Diana crossed her arms and unleashed her divine protection.
The glowing rings collided against the barrier and entered a stalemate.
Only then did everyone see them clearly.
There were ten rings in total.
Ancient runes covered both the inside and outside of each ring, shining with mysterious light.
The Ten Rings.
Even with Diana's strength, the rings were knocked back and returned to their owner.
A middle-aged Chinese man who looked exactly like Tony Leung caught them.
Five rings wrapped around each arm.
On his finger was also a Yellow Lantern Ring.
Instead of retreating, Diana charged forward.
Holding the God Killer Sword, she looked ready to engage him in close combat.
Just as Xu Wenwu prepared to respond...
Diana opened her mouth and fired an orange energy beam.
The Dragon Talisman.
Xu Wenwu reacted instantly.
The Yellow Lantern Ring on his finger lit up, forming a yellow shield that blocked the attack.
But the brief delay cost him the initiative.
Diana closed the distance and immediately forced him onto the defensive.
Meanwhile...
Lorna piloted the Strike Freedom Gundam and became the second person to reach a Helicarrier.
Using its beam shield, she broke through the defensive fire.
But she was immediately blasted off the carrier by a torrent of steel.
Even her Magnetic Field Control could not redirect it.
The Strike Freedom Gundam stabilized itself.
The steel torrent spread apart like a flower, revealing a white-haired middle-aged man.
A ring gleamed on his finger.
Magneto, Erik.
Magneto looked at the Strike Freedom Gundam with a complicated expression, but he did not attack.
That hesitation gave Lorna an opportunity.
She immediately activated the anti-magnetic protection systems.
Once the restrictions on her magnetic powers were removed, she opened the Super DRAGOON Beam Cannon mounted on the chest and fired without hesitation.
"Zzzzt... BOOM!"
The Yellow Lantern Ring on Magneto's finger lit up.
A yellow shield appeared and firmly blocked the beam attack capable of destroying an island.
In terms of mastery over the Yellow Lantern Ring, Magneto had already surpassed most of its users.
Lorna refused to back down.
After finishing the bombardment, she drew the Super Lacerta Beam Saber and charged straight at Magneto.
But a yellow shield instantly appeared around him.
At such close range, Magneto had entered the shield's protected area, making it impossible for Lorna to interfere with him using Magnetic Field Control.
Ch 77- Darcy's showoff
Even the Strike Freedom Gundam itself was completely restrained by Magneto and could not move!
As the master of magnetism and the natural ruler of metal, Magneto was the perfect counter to it.
In front of Magneto, the Strike Freedom Gundam was no different from a toy.
Magneto raised a hand.
The cockpit opened, leaving him face to face with Lorna.
Lorna tried to manipulate the surrounding metal, but nothing happened.
"Stop struggling," Magneto said calmly. "I am your father. Your abilities came from me. How can you fight against me?"
Lorna's eyes burned with hatred.
"You are not my father! My parents died a long time ago!"
Magneto sighed but said nothing more.
He manipulated a piece of iron and pointed it at Lorna.
Whoosh!
Pierce appeared in front of Magneto at super speed.
"Are you crazy?" Pierce shouted angrily. "I already told you! Beat her if you have to, but don't kill her! Didn't you hear me?"
Magneto frowned.
Ignoring Pierce, he flicked a finger.
Slash! Slash!
Metal fragments tore through the cockpit, cutting various control lines.
Before they could be repaired, the Strike Freedom Gundam was temporarily out of action.
Magneto spoke bluntly.
"I'm not going to kill my daughter. Not everyone is as ruthless as you."
So the two of them knew each other?
Pierce looked displeased but did not argue.
A portal opened.
Marcus and Hill stepped through.
Both Magneto and Pierce immediately became tense.
Had they accidentally touched a sensitive subject just now?
Marcus ignored them both and pulled Lorna into his arms.
"Your game time is over. Train harder next time and come back for a rematch."
Lorna was clearly unwilling to accept it.
But the Strike Freedom Gundam had been disabled, and her Magnetic Field Control was completely suppressed.
What else could she do?
She glanced at Natasha and the other women who were using all kinds of flashy magic on the battlefield.
Lorna gritted her teeth.
"I want to learn magic too!"
"I gave you the chance a long time ago, but you couldn't let go of Dawn," Marcus said with a shrug. "With Xavier and the others helping manage it, you can leave it behind completely."
Lorna was always stationed at Dawn Base and worked nonstop.
She was also the only one among Marcus's wives who had chosen neither the Omnipotent Cells nor the Book of Contracts.
Losing to a veteran like Magneto was not unreasonable.
After repairing the Strike Freedom Gundam and storing it back in the Space Ring, Marcus turned and left with Lorna.
Magneto's expression darkened.
This was the first time he had ever been ignored like that.
But he did not dare attack.
If he really angered Marcus and pushed him to the opposite side, then even if HYDRA agreed to all of his conditions, everything would be over.
Pierce was already used to it.
His gaze drifted toward the tablet in Hill's hands.
If that tablet could be destroyed, then Project Insight would become unstoppable.
But...
Pierce could not figure out what kind of relationship Hill and Marcus actually had.
Looking back at the battlefield,
Although Fury had gathered many superheroes, most of Marcus's wives were fighting on Fury's side.
Even so,
They were still at a disadvantage against Pierce's Yellow Lantern Corps and their many allies.
They had the advantage.
No need to take risks.
Pierce chose not to move.
If he made the wrong choice and angered Marcus, he would lose instantly.
Pierce understood better than anyone just how terrifying Marcus's power was.
Finding another good viewing spot, Marcus casually sat down and watched the battle.
Lorna, as the first person eliminated, was unhappy.
But Hill...
Her expression was extremely complicated.
This was obviously a life-and-death battle for Earth's future, so how did Marcus have the option to simply declare someone "defeated and eliminated"?
It felt like a game.
The strange thing was,
Whether it was Pierce or Fury, both sides followed Marcus's rules.
Once Marcus said Lorna was out, nobody attacked her and nobody asked her to continue fighting.
"Can't I keep fighting ?" Lorna asked through gritted teeth. "I can still fight!"
Marcus glanced at her.
Seeing her stubborn expression, his heart softened.
"Fine. I'll give you a resurrection token."
Marcus flicked out a strand of Time Power, instantly reviving a fallen Yellow Lantern and returning his ring.
This way, if Lorna rejoined the battle, it would not count as breaking the rules.
Compared to a Yellow Lantern equipped with a Light Energy Ball and Omnipotent Cells, Lorna was obviously stronger even if her Magnetic Field Control was countered.
"Alright."
Marcus smacked Lorna on the butt.
"You've been upgraded. Get back in there."
Lorna glared at him and jumped off the building.
While falling, she summoned the Strike Freedom Gundam, slid directly into the cockpit, and returned to the battlefield.
...
Pierce and Fury exchanged glances and merely frowned.
Neither paid much attention.
Marcus spoiling his wife was nothing new.
Besides, a Yellow Lantern versus the Strike Freedom Gundam, it was hard to say which was stronger.
More importantly, neither side could do anything about it.
They simply pretended they hadn't seen it.
But Magneto apparently lacked that level of awareness and tried to attack his daughter again.
Maybe it was his silent protest against Marcus.
But he seemed to have forgotten something.
Lorna's backer was not just Marcus.
Magneto controlled a torrent of metal and sent it flying.
Just as it was about to enter attack range...
Mirror-like patterns suddenly appeared in the surrounding space and dragged everything into another dimension.
The Mirror Dimension!
Darcy floated opposite Magneto, wearing the Cloak of Levitation.
For once, there was clear killing intent in her eyes.
"You're a terrible father. Why can't you just leave your daughter alone?"
Magneto did not waste words.
He immediately launched the metal torrent toward her.
The magic circle in Darcy's hand transformed into a five-meter-wide orange shield that easily blocked the attack.
Fwoosh...
"Pssh..."
The metal torrent transformed into countless green butterflies that spread their wings.
The Ancient One's Spell!
If it could erase even Thanos's black hole attack, then dealing with a stream of metal was naturally no problem.
And...
Darcy formed hand seals.
Countless arms emerged behind her, multiplying again and again.
The Images of Ikonn!
Unfortunately,
Her next attack was not the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak but a series of ordinary magic whips.
They were blocked by Magneto's Yellow Lantern Shield.
Even so,
Marcus, who was watching everything from outside the Mirror Dimension, was genuinely surprised.
How long had she been studying magic?
A few months?
Darcy had already started mastering such advanced contract spells?
As for the cost of borrowing power through Mephisto's contract magic...
Marcus did not care at all.
Did those Mephistos really dare come collect a debt?
He would beat them so badly that even their followers would not recognize them.
After all, Darcy's training time was still short, and her spell repertoire was still limited.
So...
She decisively used her trump card.
"Time Stop!"
A green halo spread out and instantly enveloped Magneto, freezing his thoughts.
Darcy waved her hand.
The Cloak of Levitation flew out and wrapped around Magneto's head, blocking his vision.
Then the Time Stop ended.
After all, she had only recently mastered the Contract Spells. Even with no casting cost, she could not maintain it for long.
But it was enough.
Having lost his vision, Magneto could neither attack nor counterattack effectively.
He could only create a few yellow energy arms, trying to tear away the Cloak of Levitation.
But this was the Cloak of Levitation.
Magneto wanted to tear it apart?
In his dreams.
Standing on a magic shield, Darcy opened a portal behind Magneto's head, bypassing the Yellow Lantern Shield.
Then she used a Magic Weapon spell to create a magic staff.
And swung it down hard.
Clang!
To defend against Xavier's Telepathy, Magneto had worn a protective helmet for years.
Darcy thought it would not be particularly durable. After all, Magic Weapons could cut through aircraft alloys.
She had not expected this...
The magic staff shattered, but Magneto was not knocked unconscious!
Darcy had held back.
Otherwise, if she had used a magic sword instead, Magneto would have been dead on the spot.
The attack completely enraged Magneto.
He immediately unleashed his powers without restraint.
The magnetic field went berserk, pulling in all nearby metal and forming a giant metal tornado.
Everything around him was attacked indiscriminately.
Left with no choice,
Darcy recalled the Cloak of Levitation and flew out of the attack range.
Magneto glared at her.
"You've managed to piss me off," Magneto said quietly. "Now I'll show you the price of that."
He raised a hand.
Inside the Mirror Dimension, steel reinforcement bars were ripped from the surrounding buildings, filling the sky like a metal dragon.
Darcy immediately realized that her limited skills were not enough to beat Magneto head-on.
"It's a shame I haven't learned how to manipulate mirror reflections yet, otherwise I could steal control..."
After muttering to herself, Darcy opened a portal and closed it half a meter later.
Then she folded her arms proudly.
No matter how powerful Magneto was.
Could he break the Mirror Dimension?
If not,
Then he could stay trapped inside until another sorcerer opened a portal and let him out.
Then Darcy slapped her forehead.
Right!
Defeating an enemy was troublesome.
But trapping an enemy inside the Mirror Dimension was exactly what magic was good at.
The problem was that the Mirror Dimension took time to cast, especially for a beginner like her.
She needed a cheat first.
She looked around but could not find the person she wanted.
So she simply shouted,
"Kara! Get over here!"
Kara, with her super hearing, thought Darcy was in danger and immediately abandoned her opponent to rush over.
Seeing Darcy completely unharmed, she looked confused.
"What happened?"
"Can I borrow your Snake Talisman?" Darcy asked with a smile. "I thought of a trick. It's super useful."
Kara did not waste any time.
She directly took out the Snake Talisman and tossed it to Darcy.
On the main battlefield, the Snake Talisman's boost was minimal for Kara anyway. She still relied mainly on raw power.
As Kara turned to leave again,
She spotted Tony being chased by a group of Iron Soldiers.
Immediately, a sweep of Heat Vision cut across the battlefield.
Most of the enemies were wiped out.
The remaining Iron Soldiers that were about to clean up the survivors...
Suddenly found themselves surrounded by glass-like distortions.
Everyone within a kilometer, including an entire group of Iron Soldiers and a Yellow Lantern warrior, was pulled into the Mirror Dimension.
A portal opened and immediately closed.
Darcy emerged from invisibility and patted her chest with lingering fear.
The motion caused a noticeable bounce.
When she had entered the Mirror Dimension earlier, Magneto had still been trying to break out.
She had almost been caught in the attack.
She touched the Cloak of Levitation.
The back of the cloak was covered in damage.
It had protected her long enough to give her the chance to open a portal and escape.
"Good thing I have you."
Darcy activated the Horse Talisman through a Contract Spell and healed the damage to the Cloak of Levitation.
Then she flew away to prepare another ambush from a different location.
Wherever the Mirror Dimension was opened in reality, it would connect to that same location from inside.
Could Magneto really catch her that easily?
Time for another sneak attack.
Compared to Darcy's efficient battlefield reduction,
The battles of everyone else could only be described as difficult.
The Yellow Lantern Rings could absorb fear and convert it into power.
Most of the superheroes present were battle-hardened veterans and felt little fear.
But the ordinary agents were different.
Especially the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had only recently chosen sides after Captain Rogers exposed HYDRA.
How could they not be afraid when facing death?
As a result, the Yellow Lantern warriors never lacked energy.
Their Yellow Lantern Shields remained active constantly, making them nearly invincible.
This shell was ridiculously hard to break.
And there were layers upon layers of them.
For nearly two minutes,
The number of Yellow Lantern warriors actually taken out could be counted on one hand.
No one had managed to break into the Helicarriers.
Everyone was still being blocked outside.
As the Project Insight countdown entered its final minute...
Fury, hidden in the shadows, finally could not hold back anymore.
"All units, fire at full power! Natasha Romanoff and the other sorcerers, fall back and prepare portals directly into the Helicarriers!"
"We're out of time! Begin Plan C!"
"I repeat!"
"Begin Plan C!"
"Deliver the override chips to the designated locations at all costs!"
Everyone's heart sank.
Plan C...
A lot of people were going to die.
But Fury's orders were clear.
Give it everything you've got.
Frozen Breath!
Divine Protection!
Dark Phoenix Annihilation!
Psychic Storm Bombardment!
Everyone unleashed their strongest attacks to draw as much attention as possible.
Meanwhile, Natasha and the other women retreated.
One after another, they opened portals and left.
Then new portals opened directly inside the Helicarriers.
Pierce and the Yellow Lantern warriors around him immediately activated their rings.
Ready to strike at any moment.
Large numbers of figures resembling Jean, Gwen, Natasha, and others rushed out of the portals.
Pierce's expression changed dramatically.
"Stop! Don't fire!"
But he was too late.
The first volley had already been launched.
Countless yellow beams intertwined into a deadly net, instantly vaporizing large numbers of targets.
Many disappeared before they could even fully emerge.
Yet the stream of people continued moving forward without hesitation.
"Form defensive lines!" Pierce ordered. "Do not counterattack under any circumstances!"
Only dozens of seconds remained.
If one of Marcus's wives was killed now, everything they had worked for would be wasted.
It had to be said,
Fury's plan was vicious.
Pierce truly did not dare gamble.
What if one of Marcus's wives was mixed in among them?
He could not afford that risk.
So,
All the Yellow Lantern warriors formed layer after layer of yellow walls, attempting to block the advancing crowd.
Pure power had effectively crushed Fury's strategy.
But...
Was that really the case?
Did Fury not anticipate this outcome?
Of course he did.
The female agents suddenly pulled out energy weapons.
Thick orange beams blasted into the yellow walls, putting tremendous pressure on the Yellow Lantern warriors.
These were the first weapons developed from research on the Tesseract.
Even Yellow Lantern warriors struggled against weapons directly powered by Space Stone energy.
"Hold on!" Pierce shouted. "Only thirty seconds left!"
However...
What he failed to notice was that Fury's real trump card was...
Ch 78- Cat woman
When Pierce and the others had their attention completely focused on the female agents,
They did not notice at all...
A portal so small it looked like a tiny point of light opened behind them.
Then an ant-sized figure crawled out.
Ant-Man!
Through the helmet visor,
You could vaguely make out the gray beard and aging eyes.
It was Hank Pym himself.
He took out a miniature bomb and placed it on the chip cluster containing the Insight Algorithm.
Then he turned and left.
The same type of bomb was placed on the other two Helicarriers.
Finally, he sent Fury the signal.
The offensive from the female agents suddenly stalled.
Then they retreated like a receding tide.
The rampaging superheroes also abruptly stopped and pulled back.
Fury, who had been hiding in the shadows, finally appeared behind a portal.
This strange reaction made Pierce frown.
He felt that something was wrong, but he could not put his finger on it.
He looked at the countdown.
Only fourteen seconds remained.
"Ready to give up?" Pierce asked.
Fury smiled without answering.
He took out a remote control and pressed the button without hesitation.
What dramatic speech?
What grandstanding?
He was not a villain, so he skipped the nonsense.
At the same moment,
The red lights on the three miniature bombs began flashing rapidly.
Their size expanded from ant-sized to the size of a human head.
Only then did everyone see clearly...
Those were not bombs.
They were Arc Reactors!
More than a dozen of them bundled together into a single cluster.
They looked extremely dangerous.
What was even crazier...
The red lights flashed again.
The reactor clusters expanded once more, instantly crushing the integrated chip modules beneath them.
They became giant reactor clusters nearly a hundred meters across, stacked in the very center of each Helicarrier.
Pierce only had time to turn his head and look.
"Zzzzzzzzzzzz!"
The reactors unleashed tens of billions of joules of electricity per second.
In an instant, they exploded into gigantic spheres of lightning that swallowed the entire Helicarriers.
Three colossal lightning spheres appeared in the sky.
Blinding and impossible to ignore.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Yellow flashes appeared everywhere.
The Yellow Lantern warriors had activated their Yellow Lantern Shields and escaped.
As for the rest of HYDRA...
When the giant lightning faded, the Helicarrier hulls were still mostly intact.
But they looked like battle-damaged wrecks.
Every precision component and circuit board had been completely destroyed by the electrical surge.
The Helicarriers entered free fall and crashed toward the Triskelion below.
And inside the building, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and HYDRA operatives were still fighting.
All the superheroes and Yellow Lantern warriors watched the falling Helicarriers in silence.
The difference was,
The Yellow Lantern warriors were angry because the Helicarriers had crashed.
The superheroes...
Were angry because countless people inside the Triskelion would be buried beneath the wreckage.
There were simply too many people.
Friend and foe were mixed together.
Rescuing them all was nearly impossible.
Not to mention...
The Yellow Lantern warriors led by Pierce were visibly furious.
Their great future had just been destroyed.
"Good! Very good!" Pierce laughed in anger. "Nick Fury! I was right about you! You really do have the resolve to make hard choices!"
Three Helicarriers!
And tens of thousands of agents!
All sacrificed without hesitation?
Fury's face remained expressionless.
But deep in his eyes was a trace of helplessness.
If he truly felt nothing, this mutually destructive Plan C would not have been the final option.
He really had no choice.
But under the gaze of so many superheroes, Fury did not bother explaining.
"My original Plan A was to seize control of the Helicarriers and fly them to an uninhabited area before destroying them."
"But that required two Level 10 authorizations, mine and yours."
Fury removed the eyepatch from his left eye, revealing a gray artificial eye.
"I kept a backup. You probably removed the authorization tied to my right eye, but you never found the left one."
"But Pierce, you protected yourself too well. I never had the opportunity."
After a pause, Fury continued.
"Plan B was to take control by force."
"But as you've seen, there was no way to get inside."
"So..."
"For the sake of two hundred million innocent people, I could only choose this."
At this point,
Fury truly had very few options.
"Hahaha! What a choice!" Pierce laughed angrily. "Then let me show you my choice!"
"Do you think you're the only one with a backup plan?"
"The Insight Project failed, but the target list generated by the Insight Algorithm still exists!"
"Everyone, proceed with Case G!"
As soon as the order was given,
Hundreds of Yellow Lantern warriors scattered in all directions.
The closest ones immediately began attacking Washington D.C.
This was not random slaughter.
It was a planned massacre.
As if...
They had a list as well.
Even someone as powerful as Clark could not stop them all in a short time.
Against ordinary civilians, they were overwhelming forces of destruction.
And because the Yellow Lantern Rings granted flight at near-light speeds,
Only a handful of superheroes could keep up with them.
Far too few.
The only option was for Natasha and the other women to use portals to respond wherever attacks occurred.
But most of the time,
What greeted them were only corpses and ruins.
The Yellow Lantern warriors?
They were already gone.
The exhausted superheroes simply could not stop enemies that were no longer holding back.
Fury's expression darkened.
Inside his pocket, his fingers repeatedly rubbed against the button of a pager.
Should he call her back...
But distant help could not solve an immediate crisis.
By the time she returned to Earth, the planet would already be covered in devastation.
Helpless,
Fury turned to Marcus, hoping he would help.
Marcus shook his head.
Fury's heart sank.
"Marcus! The situation is different now!" Fury said gravely. "Things are out of control. Pierce has gone crazy!"
"Director Fury is right!" Hill added. "Marcus, please help! Whatever price you want, we'll pay it!"
Marcus continued shaking his head, though a mysterious smile remained on his face.
Help?
There was no need.
Because...
Suddenly,
Catwoman walked over with confident steps.
She removed her mask, revealing her beautiful face.
"My name is Selina Kyle," she said as she approached Marcus. "If you're willing to help, I can be your woman."
Oh?
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
Catwoman was definitely attractive...
At that moment, Hill stepped forward as well.
"And me," Hill said seriously. "If you help, I can too."
This time, Hill's expression was no longer completely calm.
There was a rare trace of hesitation in her eyes.
Marcus could not help wondering.
Was his public image really that bad?
Did everyone think he had no resistance to beautiful women?
Well...
They were surprisingly accurate.
But...
Marcus still shook his head.
Though not as firmly as before.
That gave Fury hope.
The one-eyed director immediately started thinking about persuading other female superheroes to join the offer.
After all...
Many of them would probably be perfectly willing to become Marcus's women.
A win-win situation, right?
At that very moment,
Something unexpected happened!
A brilliant light suddenly erupted.
Marcus smiled and shook his head, then looked up at the sky.
Everyone else subconsciously looked up as well.
What they saw next was something they would never forget.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
One green streak of light after another illuminated the entire sky.
Like a green meteor shower, countless rays spread across the heavens and fell through the atmosphere to every corner of Earth.
Their targets were the Yellow Lantern warriors carrying out massacres.
The green meteors came to a stop.
Green figures of various races and appearances emerged, each armed with a Green Lantern Ring, launching a fierce assault against the Yellow Lantern warriors.
The Green Lantern Corps had arrived!
As a force responsible for maintaining peace across the universe's 3,600 sectors,
The Green Lantern Corps completely outclassed the Yellow Lantern Corps in both quality and experience.
The battle that had left Fury and the others helpless was resolved so easily.
Sharon landed beside a red-skinned Green Lantern.
Fury instinctively stepped forward, only to be pushed aside by Darcy and the other women.
"Oh my God! Sharon, your timing is perfect!"
"Are those really Green Lanterns?"
"They're so strong! The Green Lantern Rings are way better than the Yellow Lantern Rings!"
"Still nowhere near Marcus."
"Who told you to compare everyone to Marcus?"
"If you'd come back any later, we'd have gotten 110 more women!"
Faced with the girls enthusiasm, Sharon kept a serious expression.
"We'll talk later. I have something very important right now."
Sharon turned toward Marcus.
"Marcus, this is the leader of the Green Lantern Corps, Thaal Sinestro."
Sinestro had been observing Marcus the entire time.
At Sharon's introduction, he merely nodded.
"I heard from Carter that you have the power to solve the Green Lantern Corps current crisis. I need to verify that myself."
He raised a hand in what was supposedly a greeting.
When Sharon realized something was wrong and her expression changed drastically...
The Green Lantern Ring on Sinestro's finger lit up.
A green energy beam shot directly at Marcus's left arm.
Marcus did not move.
Absolute Defense activated automatically.
The green beam bounced back and was immediately reabsorbed by Sinestro's Green Lantern Ring.
Sinestro raised an eyebrow, his expression becoming serious.
It had done nothing.
Then Marcus hooked a finger.
The Phoenix Force directly restrained the Green Lantern Ring and pulled.
Sinestro instinctively clenched his fist.
The ring was ripped off together with his finger.
Sinestro immediately lost his ability to fly and dropped to the ground.
Oddly enough...
He looked happy.
Yes.
Happy.
This alien who looked like he had been boiled alive had just lost a finger.
Yet not only was he not in pain, he actually looked pleased.
Marcus could not help wondering.
Could this guy be a masochist?
The exchange happened too quickly.
Only now did Sharon get a chance to speak.
"Marcus! It's a misunderstanding!"
Sharon grabbed Marcus's arm.
"Leader Sinestro rushed here to support Earth as soon as he heard about the situation!"
"But shortly after we left, we received news from Oa. The Parallax creatures attacked the planet and wiped out most of the Green Lanterns stationed there!"
"But Sinestro didn't return. He chose to continue supporting Earth instead..."
At that moment,
Sinestro picked up his severed finger and stood.
"You don't need to make me sound so noble," Sinestro said honestly. "There were thousands of Green Lanterns stationed on Oa, and they were still destroyed by the Parallax creatures. Even if we returned, we'd only be throwing our lives away."
His calm attitude earned a bit of Marcus's respect.
Marcus casually threw a Healing Light at him.
The severed finger regenerated instantly.
Then Marcus tossed the severed finger and the Green Lantern Ring back to him.
Only then did he speak.
"So, Sharon, you told him you once became a Parallax creature?"
Sharon nodded repeatedly.
"Marcus, you can kill Parallax, right?"
Marcus did not answer immediately.
He was thinking.
If he captured Parallax, the reward should be pretty good too, right?
...
Marcus looked at Sinestro and smiled mysteriously.
If the Green Lantern Corps became his subordinates, the rewards would definitely be incredible.
Dimensional Manipulation was already extremely powerful.
But it was like inheriting hundreds of billions without owning an actual business.
He still needed more powerful organizations and abilities under his control.
However...
The Green Lantern Corps consisted of strong-willed individuals.
Making them submit would not be easy.
The real power behind them was the Guardians of the Universe, a race whose technological level rivaled that of the Watchers.
Trying to steal their people would be difficult.
Then...
Marcus looked at Sharon.
There was another route.
It might be easier to have his wife kill Sinestro and become the leader of the Green Lantern Corps instead.
...
His wives were immortal, could be resurrected, and had him backing them.
Once Sharon became the leader, the rest would be much easier to handle.
Yes.
That would work.
...
"Sinestro, right?" Marcus asked with a smile. "Besides the Green Lantern Corps, are there other corps that use Emotional Spectrum rings?"
Marcus immediately thought of the various Lantern Corps.
Surely some of them could be recruited.
"There are indeed other Lantern Corps," Sinestro replied with a nod.
This was common knowledge throughout the universe.
He pointed toward the Yellow Lantern warriors being besieged in the distance.
"The Yellow Lantern Corps represents fear. You already know about them, so I won't explain further."
"The Indigo Tribe represents compassion. It was founded by Abin Sur, the first Green Lantern you came into contact with. They imprison criminals and use indigo light to instill compassion, reforming them into better people."
He glanced at Sharon.
"Abin Sur's Green Lantern Ring was given to Sharon. He has now joined the Indigo Tribe and become one of its leaders."
Marcus smiled.
No wonder Abin Sur had been so calm back then.
Sinestro continued.
"The Orange Lantern Corps represents greed. More accurately, it consists of only one member."
"The bearer is already extremely greedy. Wearing the Orange Lantern Ring only amplifies that greed further."
"They refuse to share orange light power with anyone else. Any other bearer is immediately killed and transformed into an energy construct servant."
"We call them Orange Light Constructs."
Honestly,
That behavior fit the emotion of greed perfectly.
"The Blue Lantern Corps represents hope. It was founded by the exiled Guardian Ganthet and Sayd. They recruit only individuals of exceptional character."
"Their abilities are unique. They can neutralize yellow light energy, strengthen green light energy, and even possess the power to restore dying stars."
Hearing this,
Marcus remembered something interesting.
The Lantern Rings were all based on technology originally developed by the Guardians of the Universe on Oa.
The Guardians were the inventors.
People like Sinestro were merely users of the technology.
So,
It was not uncommon for Guardians who had been exiled from Oa to establish their own Lantern organizations.
"The Star Sapphires represent love," Sinestro continued.
"A group of female Guardians split off because of ideological differences and created the Star Sapphire Corps, built around the power of love."
When he reached this point,
Sinestro paused.
A strange expression appeared on his face.
Because...
Ch 79- Owner
"The Star Sapphire Corps only accepts female members, but it does not restrict the gender... or even the race of the ring bearer."
He did not elaborate further.
But everyone present immediately understood.
That meant...
"Huh…."
What a colorful lineup.
Marcus fell into thought.
An all-female corps...
This one definitely had to be recruited!
Besides...
Of the Seven Lantern Corps, only the Red Lantern Corps of Rage had not been mentioned.
Then again,
That corps was only formed after Hal joined the Green Lantern Corps.
It was understandable that it had not appeared yet.
So...
"There are quite a few rewards here. No rush."
...
Sinestro continued his explanation.
"The Black Lantern Corps of Death."
"Its members are all corpses wearing Black Lantern Rings. They serve as puppets of the Black Hand and Nekron."
"The Black Lantern Ring cannot replenish itself from ordinary energy sources. It must consume the emotional energy of other Lantern Corps or the hearts of living beings."
"It is the most evil Lantern Ring."
"In contrast..."
"The White Lantern Corps of Life."
"Those who wear a White Lantern Ring cannot die and possess the power to destroy Black Lanterns with a single strike."
"In theory, a White Lantern can resurrect all life."
"However, every person chosen by a White Lantern Ring must obey the will of the White Entity and cannot act entirely according to their own wishes."
After explaining the eight existing Lantern Rings,
Sinestro fell silent for a moment, allowing everyone time to process the information.
Only then did he continue:
"The Green Lantern Corps on Oa has been destroyed. The Guardians of the Universe cannot intervene because of existing agreements. The Parallax creatures are heading toward Earth."
"I can send out a signal and request assistance from the other Lantern Corps."
"But..."
"Doing so will undoubtedly expose Earth's coordinates."
"Not long ago, we received confirmation that Asgard, the owner of this planet, gifted the entire world to you, Mr. Marcus."
"So I need your permission before sending out a distress signal."
After speaking,
Sinestro remained silent and waited for Marcus's answer.
Nearby,
Fury and the others stared with wide eyes.
What?
Earth had been given away?
Why didn't they know about this?
Fury immediately turned his head and stared at Marcus with his one eye.
There was even a trace of resentment in it.
Seriously?
You're the owner of Earth now, and you're still saying you won't interfere in their struggles?
What kind of scam is this?
Marcus scratched his head and smiled.
"Odin works pretty fast." Marcus shrugged. "Alright, no more hiding it. Earth was indeed packaged up and handed over to me by Odin."
Fury and the others: (⊙_⊙)
This was ridiculous!
Since it was your planet, why were you sitting there watching the show?
Catwoman became even more frustrated.
"Then why didn't you just step in and wipe out HYDRA?" she asked. "Why let us fight to the death here?"
Marcus looked at her in confusion.
"Whether it's S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA, whoever ends up ruling the world, do you think they'd dare ignore my orders?"
Everyone paused.
That...
Actually...
No, they wouldn't.
Whether it was Fury or Pierce, their attitude toward Marcus was the same.
Don't provoke him.
Just cooperate.
The difference was that before, Marcus had been an overwhelmingly powerful outsider.
Now he was an overwhelmingly powerful boss on their side.
Thinking about it...
They might have actually come out ahead.
Catwoman felt completely confused.
What was she even supposed to say?
She could only turn toward the person who had brought them all together.
Fury.
Fury's face was dark, but he was also the calmest person present.
"Our opinions don't matter. The opinions of other countries do," Fury said bluntly. "Out of the 197 countries on Earth, how many are willing to recognize Asgard's authority? How many would acknowledge this transfer of ownership?"
Everyone immediately felt a chill run down their spines.
Just taking the United States as an example,
They would definitely wave the banner of freedom and declare that they did not recognize this unilateral transfer.
Then what?
Was Marcus really going to use force to suppress them?
"Their opinions are irrelevant," Sinestro said, shaking his head. "Even the Green Lantern Corps must respect the laws of each sovereign power."
"Earth belonged to Asgard, which falls under the protection of the Nova Empire."
"Now Marcus is Earth's lord and has the right to dispose of everything on the planet."
"Even if he slaughtered his own subjects, no interstellar force would have grounds to interfere."
"Because he would simply be exercising authority over his own property."
The implication was obvious.
If Marcus became angry enough,
He could legally start a massacre.
...
Now Fury was truly worried.
It didn't matter whether Earth belonged to Asgard or Marcus.
Marcus wasn't the type of person who enjoyed governing.
Most likely,
He would appoint a capable subordinate, such as Fury himself, to handle everything while he remained hands-off.
Fury could even use this opportunity to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. with far greater authority.
But!
If countries refused to accept the situation as he had described and ended up provoking Marcus...
Once Marcus started killing people, who could stop him?
No one.
That was the truly terrifying outcome.
...
Before Marcus could say anything more, Fury spoke decisively.
"Leave it to me."
"I can handle all of these relationships."
"You can keep living exactly as you always have, without any changes at all."
He was afraid any delay could lead to irreversible consequences.
Marcus had already expected Fury to volunteer.
"Alright. How much time do you need?"
Fury thought for a moment.
"My current manpower is stretched pretty thin..."
He was about to come up with an excuse to buy more time.
...
Marcus waved his hand.
The Power of Time descended upon the ruins of the destroyed Triskelion.
As Marcus rotated his wrist, time reversed.
The shattered building reconstructed itself.
The burning Helicarriers returned to their previous state.
Countless dead agents came back to life.
Everything returned to the way it had been before the war.
The only difference was...
HYDRA had already been exposed during the battle.
There was no hiding anymore.
Marcus precisely used the Power of Time to freeze every HYDRA member in place.
He even thoughtfully placed glowing arrows above their heads.
They could be spotted from miles away.
Marcus looked at Fury.
He said nothing.
Yet he had already said everything.
Could Fury handle it now?
Fury could only force out a bitter smile.
Having a boss this powerful wasn't entirely a good thing.
"One month," Fury finally said. "Give me one month, and I'll make every nation on Earth accept your authority."
Marcus shook his head.
Fury's expression immediately darkened.
Was even one month too long?
...
Marcus raised two fingers and said:
"Two months," Marcus said. "But I don't want them to merely accept it. I want all laws to be unified, and I want Earth to eliminate its borders."
"A perfectly good planet divided into too many systems is far too chaotic."
"Unified laws, unified writing, and a unified language."
"Of course, differences can still exist, and local customs should be respected."
After saying that,
He ignored Fury's increasingly shocked expression and turned directly toward Sinestro.
Leaving Fury completely stunned.
What kind of joke was this?
Unified laws, unified writing, unified language?
In two months?
Two years wouldn't be enough!
Maybe after two hundred years of gradual influence, there would be a slight chance...
"It's only a Parallax monster. I'm confident I can deal with it," Marcus said to Sinestro. "But I have one condition."
Sinestro gestured for Marcus to continue.
"I want Sharon to become the new leader of the Green Lantern Corps." Marcus smiled. "As for you, how about becoming the leader of the Yellow Lantern Corps?"
Sinestro froze.
He stared at Marcus in shock.
Was this guy serious?
Marcus smiled and nodded, making it clear he wasn't joking.
In the future,
Sinestro would leave the Green Lantern Corps and form the Sinestro Corps.
The Yellow Lantern Corps.
As for the reason...
"I have to admit, your willpower makes you a perfect match for the Green Lantern Ring," Marcus said with a faint smile. "But you'll eventually enforce your will across your entire sector and turn it into an iron-fisted dictatorship. The Guardians of the Universe won't approve of that."
Sinestro's initial doubt turned into complete shock.
He was certain of one thing.
Today was the first time he had ever met Marcus.
How did Marcus know all of this?
Sharon had only visited Oa once to ask for reinforcements.
She never had a chance to learn information this secret.
...
How did Marcus know?
"Stop thinking about it." Marcus saw right through him. "I can travel through the river of time. Seeing your entire life is easy."
As he spoke,
Green light flashed in Marcus's eyes.
He had genuinely entered the river of time, a technique recorded in Kamar-Taj's Book of Time.
"Thaal Sinestro, from Korugar, Sector 1417."
"Huh? Both parents died. A pretty standard beginning."
"Your childhood was ordinary, but to survive, you stole and robbed. Still, you never deliberately hurt anyone."
"Tsk. One time, after stealing food, you got kicked right between the legs and nearly lost your ability to have children."
"As an adult, you worked as an adventurer on Korugar when you encountered a dying Green Lantern being hunted by a Weaponer."
"The Green Lantern Ring chose you, and you used it to defeat the Weaponer who had coveted the ring for years."
"After that, you naturally became a Green Lantern. Using the ring, you overthrew the old regime and restored order to Korugar."
"Everything started well. The people respected you, and you lived up to their expectations."
"But your desire for control grew stronger and stronger."
"You monitored everyone's actions, even their heartbeats, all in pursuit of your perfect utopia."
"But the dragon slayer eventually becomes the dragon."
"On Korugar today, you're simply a new dictator."
Every detail of Sinestro's life was laid out.
"Do I need to continue?" Marcus raised an eyebrow. "For example, after being expelled from the Green Lantern Corps by the Guardians, you'll accept the power of the Yellow Lantern Ring and become..."
"Enough!" Sinestro shouted. "Those things haven't even happened yet. There's no need to continue!"
Marcus wasn't offended.
He simply smiled at Sinestro.
Around them,
Several Green Lanterns who knew Sinestro personally looked at him with complicated expressions.
No matter what,
So many people had heard this today.
His future violations could no longer be hidden.
If they survived this crisis...
Knowing how stubborn the Guardians were, Sinestro's best outcome would be losing his Green Lantern Ring and being exiled to the Anti-Matter Universe.
Sinestro understood his situation perfectly well.
He glared at Marcus but didn't dare say anything threatening.
...
At this point,
Only Marcus could protect him.
...
When the Parallax creatures appeared, Sinestro had already realized that the current Green Lantern Corps couldn't defeat them.
He had once suggested to the Guardians that they fight fear with fear and use Yellow Lantern Rings against Parallax.
So he wasn't stubborn.
...
Sinestro was the kind of villain who genuinely believed he was a hero.
He didn't care what others thought.
He only cared about results, not methods.
So...
Once he realized he had no other choice, he could only smile bitterly.
He removed the Green Lantern Ring himself and tossed it to a nearby Green Lantern.
"Jones, I hereby exile myself from the Green Lantern Corps."
The Green Lantern Ring in Jones's hand flickered several times.
Then it transformed into a green streak of light and shot off.
It flew straight toward...
Hill.
The ring hovered directly in front of her.
"Oh? Interesting." Marcus smiled. "Sharon, teach Hill how to bond with the ring."
Sharon nodded and walked over.
As for Sinestro,
He still hadn't moved.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The Yellow Lantern Rings captured from various Yellow Lantern warriors suddenly broke free and flew toward Sinestro.
Waiting for his decision.
Sinestro instinctively looked at Marcus, assuming he was controlling them.
Marcus innocently shrugged.
"I didn't do anything. They chose you."
"Like I said, you were born to lead the Yellow Lantern Corps."
Sinestro nodded thoughtfully.
He casually picked up one Yellow Lantern Ring.
There was no difference between stronger or weaker rings.
Everything depended on the wearer.
Then he hesitated.
Lantern Rings normally required an oath and a connection to their emotional energy source.
But then he realized something.
So many Yellow Lanterns had bonded with their rings.
There was no way all of them had special energy batteries.
As long as someone absorbed fear for the first time, they could become a Yellow Lantern.
Still...
It felt a little lacking in ceremony.
...
"BOSS."
"Leave the Four Kings to me."
"Understood, my king," Sinestro replied politely. "The Yellow Lantern Corps still needs energy storage devices like Green Lantern Power Batteries. The manufacturing technology is controlled by the Guardians, and I don't have access to it."
That was indeed a problem.
Marcus looked toward Sharon.
Sharon immediately pulled out a Green Lantern Power Battery from her Space Ring and tossed it over.
Several Green Lanterns twitched when they saw that.
That thing was incredibly important!
And she just threw it away?
As expected,
Marcus did not disappoint them.
The moment he caught the Green Lantern Power Battery, several Green Lanterns immediately panicked.
"Stop!"
"How dare you!"
"That's too much!"