Chapter 256: The Necrosword
Blue light flickered in Thor's eyes.
He looked at the pale monster before him, then at the black sword, and finally back at Asgard behind him.
The royal palace was in ruins; half of the golden palace had collapsed, and black shadows were everywhere.
Thor tightened his grip on stormbreaker.
The six stones on the axe's handle began to glow. Space, Power, Time, Reality, Mind, and Soul—six colors intertwined, blindingly bright.
Gorr tilted his head.
"Another god," he rasped. "Good, I need more sacrifices."
Thor moved instantly.
As stormbreaker swung down, the six stones activated simultaneously. The Space Stone warped the distance, the Power Stone infused it with energy, and the Reality Stonesharpened the blade.
This single strike could split a Planet.
Gorr raised all-black the necrosword.
The two weapons clashed.
Boom!
The Impact spread, cracking the Bifrost Bridge and causing several distant buildings to collapse instantly.
Thor narrowed his eyes.
Gorr was knocked back three steps, his feet carving deep pits into the ground.
But all-black the necrosword did not break.
The patterns on the black sword were writhing like a living thing, devouring something.
Thor felt it.
A portion of the energy he had infused was being sucked away by the sword.
"The Infinity Stones," Gorr smirked. "The strongest power in the Universe. But before all-black the necrosword, they are merely food."
Thor said nothing.
He swung the axe again.
This time, he didn't use the stones—just pure thunder.
Blue-white lightning descended from the heavens, converging on the axe and illuminating all of Asgard.
Gorr raised all-black the necrosword.
The black matter on the sword surged, forming a shield in front of him.
The thunder crashed against the shield, letting out a piercing hiss.
Thor frowned.
His lightning could not illuminate that darkness.
Chu Hang turned and walked toward Hela.
He knelt down, looking at her missing left arm.
There was no flesh at the wound, only nothingness. It wasn't a physical void, but a lack on the concept layer. It was as if Hela's left arm had never existed.
Chu Hang reached out, activating both the Law of Life and the Law of Death. The two powers intertwined at his fingertips, forming a pale golden light.
As the light touched the wound, a sharp pain shot through.
It wasn't Hela's pain, but Chu Hang's own.
He frowned, carefully sensing the energy at the wound. It was an ancient darkness, purer than any he had ever seen. It didn't just devour Life; it negated existence itself.
What concerned him even more was something else.
Hela's Law of Death was built upon the dimension of Asgard. The closer she was to Asgard, the stronger her power. This was a shackle set by Odin, but also the foundation of her strength.
And that strike from all-black the necrosword had directly severed this connection.
It wasn't a temporary blockage, but a permanent severance.
Hela's left arm, along with that part of her conceptual connection to Asgard, had been completely erased.
"Interesting," Chu Hang said softly.
Hela looked up, her face pale.
"What are you looking at?"
"Looking at how you lost." Chu Hang stood up and looked toward the distant battlefield. "That sword is specifically designed to counter gods. It didn't just cut off your arm; it severed your Godhead."
Hela's pupils constricted.
She had felt it, of course. After that strike, her connection to Asgard had become blurred.
The once endless flow of power was now reduced to a mere trickle.
"Can you heal it?"
Chu Hang shook his head.
"What has been erased cannot be restored. Unless you find another dimension to serve as your foundation and re-establish the connection."
Hela fell silent.
A loud boom echoed from the distance.
Thor was sent flying by a sword strike, crashing into the palace ruins and kicking up clouds of dust. He quickly climbed back up, the stones on stormbreaker glowing even more intensely.
"You lunatic!" Thor roared as he charged forward.
Gorr stood his ground, holding all-black the necroswordacross his chest. His expression was calm, his gray eyes devoid of emotion.
Thor's attacks were fierce. Every swing carried world-destroying power, with the Space Stone warping distance, the Power Stone amplifying destruction, and the Reality Stone altering forms.
The three combined powers were enough to split a Planet.
But Gorr was always able to block them.
The black matter on all-black the necrosword writhed, devouring a portion of the energy with every contact with the axe.
Although the amount was small, it added up, and Thor's attacks were being weakened.
Even more troublesome were the shadows.
Gorr raised his left hand, and the shadows within the ruins began to twist and condense, forming black spears that lunged at Thor from all directions.
Thor swung his axe, pouring out thunder to shatter the spears.
But new spears immediately condensed once more.
"Your thunder is bright," Gorr rasped. "But it cannot illuminate true darkness."
Thor frowned.
He had discovered the problem.
His thunder could destroy the shadow weapons, but it couldn't stop them from re-forming.
Because the source of those shadows was the area corrupted by all-black the necrosword.
In those areas, light itself was negated.
No matter how bright the thunder was, it could not shine into absolute darkness.
Chu Hang stood up and looked toward the battlefield.
Thor was entangled by the shadow weapons. His thunder was indeed powerful, with each bolt of lightning shattering dozens of spears, but new ones would re-form the very next second.
Gorr stood in the distance, holding all-black the necrosword before him with a sickly smile on his face.
He was wearing Thor down.
Chu Hang began to walk over.
Gorr noticed him, his gray eyes turning toward him.
"Another god?" he rasped. "Or are you just a mortal? I sense no Godhead from you."
Chu Hang said nothing.
He continued forward as the powers of twelve laws circulated within him. Space, Power, Time, Reality, Life, Death, Spirit, Alchemy, the Law of Body, Devouring, Darkness, and Soul—each one was under his control.
Gorr narrowed his eyes.
"Whatever you are, you deserve to die."
He raised his left hand, and the shadows in the ruins surged, turning into a black torrent that swept toward Chu Hang.
Chu Hang stopped.
He didn't dodge or resist. He just stood there, letting the black torrent crash into him.
Gorr's smile froze.
When the shadows touched Chu Hang, they were as if hitting an invisible wall, and then they were gradually devoured.
The black matter flowed along Chu Hang's skin and then vanished, like droplets of water falling into the ocean.
"How is this possible?" For the first time, Gorr's voice wavered.
Chu Hang looked down at his hands.
The essence of those shadows was the dark energy released by all-black the necrosword, and he happened to have two laws within him that could counter it—the Law of Darkness and the Devouring Law.
The Law of Darkness allowed him to understand and manipulate darkness itself, while the Devouring Lawallowed him to convert any energy into nourishment.
With the two laws combined, Gorr's shadow attacks were nothing more than a snack delivered to his doorstep.
"Your shadows," Chu Hang looked up at Gorr, "taste quite good."
Gorr's expression changed.
He wasted no more words and charged directly. all-black the necrosword cut through the air, leaving a pitch-black trail as it swung toward Chu Hang's neck.
This strike was fast—so fast that even Thor couldn't react in time.
But Chu Hang moved.
He raised his right hand and caught the blade of all-black the necrosword between two fingers.
Gorr's pupils constricted.
The black matter on the blade writhed, attempting to corrode Chu Hang's fingers. But as soon as the matter touched his skin, it was absorbed by the Devouring Law.
"Your sword," Chu Hang said calmly, "is essentially a living abyss. It devours everything, including you."
Gorr's face turned even paler.
He knew the price of all-black the necrosword, of course. Every time he used it, the sword devoured a portion of his Life force. But he didn't care, for his hatred was more important than his Life.
"You think you've seen through something?" Gorr gritted his teeth, trying to pull the sword back. "This sword is the God-Slaying Sword; it can kill any god!"
"But I am no god."
Chu Hang released his fingers.
Gorr stumbled back a few steps, all-black the necroswordtrembling in his hand.
"My power," Chu Hang said slowly, "does not come from a Godhead, nor from faith, nor from the gift of any dimension."
He raised his right hand, and the twelve laws activated simultaneously, converging in his palm into a fist-sized orb of light. The orb's color shifted constantly, each color representing a different law.
"My power is something I seized for myself, bit by bit."
Gorr stared at the orb of light, fear appearing in his gray eyes for the first time.
He could feel that the energy within that orb far surpassed any god he had ever encountered.
"What on earth are you?"
Chu Hang did not answer.
He simply stared at all-black the necrosword in Gorr's hand, a strange light in his eyes.
It was the look one gave when seeing a delicacy.
The essence of all-black the necrosword was a living abyss with the instinct to devour everything. And his concept was Greed, which also possessed the desire to devour everything.
What would happen when two similar powers collided?
Chu Hang was eager to know the answer.
He stepped forward, walking toward Gorr.
Gorr stopped.
He stared at Chu Hang, true confusion appearing in his gray eyes for the first time.
He had killed countless gods, from one end of the Universeto the other, yet he had never encountered such a situation.
all-black the necrosword was a God-Slaying Sword, specifically designed to target the Godhead.
Any being possessing a Godhead would be weakened, devoured, and erased before this sword.
But the person before him, while clearly emitting power fluctuations stronger than most gods, had no Godhead.
"What kind of thing are you?" Gorr rasped.
Chu Hang didn't answer.
He was sensing all-black the necrosword.
The black weapon trembled slightly in Gorr's hand, the patterns on the blade writhing more violently. Chu Hangcould feel that it wasn't Gorr controlling it, but it controlling Gorr.
all-black the necrosword had its own will.
An ancient, hungry, and insatiable will.
Chu Hang's Spirit energy followed the trace of their earlier contact, delving deep into the interior of all-black the necrosword.
He saw endless darkness, the remnant Souls of devoured gods, and a being even more immense than the sword itself.
It was a sleeping deity.
No, not a deity, but something far more ancient. It existed before the birth of the Universe, before the emergence of light.
It was darkness itself, the incarnation of the void.
The God of Symbiotes, Knull.
Chu Hang withdrew his Spirit energy, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"I see," he said softly. "You think you are using this sword, but in truth, the sword is using you."
Gorr's face changed.
"Shut up!"
He swung the sword again, more ferociously this time. The black matter on all-black the necrosword surged, transforming into dozens of sword-light beams that slashed at Chu Hang from every angle.
Chu Hang stood his ground, not dodging.
The twelve laws circulated within his body, with the Law of Darkness and the Devouring Law pushed to the forefront.
When those sword-light beams touched his body, they were like moths to a flame, absorbed by his Law Domain.
Gorr's attacks were nothing more than supplements delivered to him.
"Your sword is quite interesting." Chu Hang looked up at Gorr, a chilling light in his eyes. "I'm curious to see what happens if I eat it."
Gorr's pupils constricted.
For the first time, he felt fear. It wasn't from the disparity in power, but from an instinctive alarm. The look in this man's eyes was as if he were looking at a delicious dish.
In the distance, Hela knelt on the Bifrost Bridge, watching Chu Hang's back.
Her gaze was complex—filled with shock, awe, and something she couldn't quite define.
Once, she was Asgard's strongest warrior, the Goddess of Death, the eldest daughter of Odin. She had been proud her whole Life and had never bowed to anyone.
But now, she had been gravely injured by one mortal, while another mortal stood before her, looking down and scrutinizing the enemy who had made her look so pathetic.
She recalled the scene when she was first subdued by Chu Hang.
At that time, she was still defiant, thinking it was merely a momentary lapse.
But now she understood that from the very beginning, that man had stood at a height she could never reach.
And he was still growing stronger.
Chapter 257: Reversing Life and Death
Chu Hang paced slowly through the ruins, his entire being seemingly enveloped in an invisible abyss.
Gorr's attacks fell like a torrential storm. Pitch-black sword qi tore through Chu Hang's skin, leaving behind hideous wounds, only to be swallowed by the Devouring Law in the next instant, healing as if they had never been. The shadow-formed spikes pierced his body, only to be decomposed into the purest energy and vanish without a trace.
He simply walked like that, strolling leisurely as if Gorr's all-out attacks were nothing more than a gentle breeze brushing against his face.
Gorr's face turned from pale to ashen.
He frantically swung all-black the necrosword. That symbiotic divine weapon shifted into a thousand forms in his hands—at times a spear that pierced all, at times a giant blade that tore through space, and at times a heavy hammer that crushed mountains. However, all attacks were quietly swallowed by that invisible domain as they touched the three-foot space around Chu Hang, failing to stir even a single ripple, like a mud ox entering the sea.
"You... what kind of monster are you?" Gorr's voice trembled uncontrollably, laced with an unprecedented fear.
Chu Hang did not answer. His gaze pierced through the frantic attacks and locked firmly onto all-black the necrosword in Gorr's hand. That weapon, as pitch-black as night, was humming violently, the ancient patterns on its blade writhing madly like a cluster of startled venomous snakes, transmitting a nearly instinctive dread.
Chu Hang could clearly feel that an ancient and evil will resided within the sword.
The will of Knull. The God of Symbiotes, the Creator of Darkness. This sword was His creation, an extension of His authority in the physical Universe.
But at this moment, this will was feeling fear.
Because within Chu Hang, it sensed a hunger more primitive and more overbearing than its own—it was the Concept of Greed itself. An ultimate craving that viewed all things as food and could even swallow darkness and nothingness alike.
Chu Hang stopped his pace just three meters away from Gorr.
"Your sword, I'll take it," he stated plainly, as if announcing an established fact.
Gorr's pupils suddenly constricted. He instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt, only to discover in horror that all-black the necrosword was struggling violently in his hand, like a wild horse trying to break free from its reins, wanting to escape.
"No... this is mine! This is my god-slaying weapon! Without it, how can I..."
His words came to an abrupt halt.
Chu Hang had already reached out his hand, fingers spread, with his palm aimed at all-black the necroswordfrom a distance. The invisible Devouring Law and the Concept of Greed intertwined into a giant net, surging forth from his palm.
Buzz—!
all-black the necrosword let out a wail. The liquid dark matter on the blade seemed to be hit by a fatal attraction, beginning to twist and peel off, turning into slender black threads that drifted uncontrollably toward Chu Hang's palm. Gorr used every ounce of his strength, his muscles bulging and veins popping, only to find his power as insignificant as a mantis trying to stop a carriage before this devouring force.
"Let go." Chu Hang's voice remained calm, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.
Gorr gritted his teeth until they cracked, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth, but his connection with all-black the necrosword was being forcibly severed. The partner that had accompanied him through countless battles and drunk the blood of countless gods was being "eaten" bit by bit by the man before him.
"No!" Gorr let out a desperate roar, "That's mine! Without it, how can I kill all those hypocritical gods? Without it, how can I see Eternity? Without it..."
His voice suddenly choked. The madness and hatred that had supported him collapsed in an instant, turning into endless sorrow.
"Without it... how can I save my daughter?"
This whisper was nearly drowned out by the wind, yet it reached the ears of everyone present with clarity.
Chu Hang's movements paused. His Devouring Lawfaltered slightly, and his gaze moved from all-black the necrosword to Gorr's distorted face.
The pale man who had slaughtered countless gods was now kneeling on his knees, hands weakly supporting himself on the rubble, his entire body trembling. The overwhelming madness and hatred in his eyes had faded, leaving only a despair as deep as an abyss.
"What did you say?" Chu Hang asked.
Gorr slowly raised his head, tears glistening in his gray eyes. "My daughter, Love," his voice was as raspy as sandpaper, "she died. She died right under the noses of those gods we prayed to day and night. I offered everything to them, but in return, I only got their cold indifference... they just watched, watched as a child slowly withered and died in hunger and sickness."
His body twitched violently from extreme anger and sorrow.
"So I hate them! I want to kill every god in the Universe! I want to use their blood to pave a road to Eternity! Only Eternity, only that supreme existence, can bring my daughter back to Life!"
On the distant Bifrost Bridge, Thor's hand tightened instinctively around stormbreaker. As a member of a god race, hearing this blood-and-tear-filled accusation left him with mixed emotions. He had never imagined that the butcher who terrified the gods carried such a heavy past.
Hela knelt on one knee, a trace of emotion appearing on her pale face. As the Goddess of Death, she was accustomed to Life-and-Death partings, but Gorr's fatherly love—which had spanned thousands of years and was enough to drive him to make the entire Universe his enemy—still touched her frozen heart.
Chu Hang stared at Gorr, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly smiled.
"So, you stirred up this storm of blood just to see Eternityand beg him to resurrect your daughter?"
Gorr nodded tearfully, a faint glimmer of hope igniting in his eyes.
"Naive." Chu Hang's smile carried a hint of pitying irony. "You think the sword in your hand is a tool for slaying gods? It is itself a creation of Death and the abyss; it will only bring destruction and nothingness, not Life and hope. You've been used by it, right from the start."
Gorr's body stiffened abruptly. "No... impossible..."
"You think you're the one wielding it?" Chu Hang pointed at the still-trembling all-black the necrosword. "It is devouring your Life force, nourishing itself with your hatred. The more gods you kill, the stronger it becomes, while you will only drift closer and closer to Death."
Gorr instinctively looked at his hands, which were as thin as dry wood and covered in corpse spots. He recalled the changes over these long years—his body growing weaker day by day, his memory occasionally blurring... He had always thought it was the price paid for slaying gods, only to realize now that it was clearly the sign of his Life being drained dry.
"I... I just wanted to save my daughter..." His defenses completely crumbled as he murmured to himself.
The irony in Chu Hang's eyes gradually faded, replaced by an absolute calm. "You want to save your daughter?"
Gorr looked up sharply, like a drowning man clutching at the last straw.
"I can help you," Chu Hang said, "but there is one condition."
Gorr was completely stunned, his gray pupils filled with disbelief. "What... did you say?"
"I said, I can resurrect your daughter," Chu Hang's tone was as flat as if he were discussing the weather. "But in exchange, this sword belongs to me."
Gorr's Soul felt as if it had been struck by a heavy blow. He had slaughtered gods, crossed star seas, and endured untold hardships, all for just one boon from Eternity. And now, this mysterious man before him told him so casually that he could do it.
"You're lying to me!" Gorr growled hoarsely, "Resurrecting the dead... that is a forbidden zone of the laws of the Universe, the authority of Eternity! What are you?"
Chu Hang smiled. "What am I?" He raised his right hand, and above his palm, the powers of twelve laws—Space, Time, Life, Death, Reality, Soul, and others—gathered like brilliant stars, forming a miniature Universe that constantly shifted in color. "I am a... fellow who is more greedy than any god you've ever seen. What I want, I take with my own hands. Including the authority over Life and Death."
The fluctuations emitted from that orb of light caused Gorrto feel a tremor originating from the depths of his Soul. That wasn't energy; it was the foundation of the Universeresonating.
"Now, make your choice." Chu Hang withdrew the orb of light. "Will you continue to hold this sword that is devouring you and turn into a dried corpse in your hatred? Or will you give it to me in exchange for your daughter's rebirth?"
Gorr lowered his head, his gaze falling on all-black the necrosword in his hand. He remembered his daughter Love's smiling face—a face that had already begun to blur in his memory, as if it would be completely swallowed by the darkness in the sword at any moment. He remembered his original wish: not for slaughter, but for restoration.
This sword had given him the power of revenge, but it was also stripping away the meaning of that revenge.
Did he have any other choice? No.
After a long time, he raised his head, the last bit of madness and hatred in his eyes turning to ash.
"Fine." A single word seemed to exhaust his three thousand years of strength. "I promise you."
He let go of his hand.
all-black the necrosword fell from his hand but was caught by an invisible force, slowly drifting toward Chu Hang.
Chu Hang reached out and grasped the hilt.
The remaining dark will within the blade launched a final counterattack, attempting to corrode his arm. However, before the Concept of Greed and the Devouring Law, this power was like snow meeting lava, instantly melting and dissolving.
"Stop struggling," Chu Hang whispered to the blade, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Your Master Knullis sleeping far away in the abyss. Right now, you are nothing but a masterless object. And what I like to collect most are masterless good things."
He applied force with his palm, and the Devouring Lawoperated at full capacity. all-black the necrosword vibrated violently, the ancient patterns on the blade crumbling inch by inch, and the final dark energy turned into pure origin, all of which was absorbed into Chu Hang's body.
At the same time, in an unknown dark corner of the Universe, within a vast Living Abyss, an ancient consciousness that had slept for eons flickered slightly.
He felt that an important creation He had left in the material World, along with a strand of origin contained within it, had been completely swallowed.
That devouring force was more overbearing and greedier than His own abyss, as if it were an ultimate predator standing above all else.
A name, a concept, was forcibly branded into His sleeping consciousness by this power.
[Greed]
The ancient consciousness remembered this scent, and then returned to silence once more. But a seed of revenge had been planted... In the ruins of Asgard, Chu Hangcasually tossed the Sword Core—which had already lost all divinity and turned into a piece of common iron—aside.
"Deal." He looked at Gorr kneeling on the ground, "Now, take me to your daughter's burial place."
***
A desolate, dead Planet. Gray rocks and dried-up riverbeds formed everything on the surface.
Gorr knelt before a simple little earthen grave, his hands trembling as he touched the cold stones. A crooked wooden stick was planted in front of the grave, with a name carved on it in ancient script: Love.
"It's here," Gorr's voice carried a sob.
Chu Hang crouched down and pressed his right hand gently onto the grave. He closed his eyes, and the majestic power of laws surged quietly.
This time, he did not pursue speed; instead, he acted with a nearly sacred sense of ritual.
The Soul Law, like gentle threads, reached into the cracks of time, searching and aggregating that wisp of a remnant Soul that had drifted for three thousand years in the void of the aether. That Soul was as weak as a candle in the wind, but the father's obsession had built a faint barrier for it, preventing it from completely dissipating.
The Law of Reality began to reverse causality, using memory as a blueprint and dust as material. The ashes and soil underground began to reconstruct; calcium condensed into bones, and dust wove into flesh and blood as the outline of a child quietly took shape underground.
Finally, the Law of Life was injected into that cold body like the rising morning sun. The first heartbeat rang out in the chest cavity that had been silent for three thousand years—weak, yet firm, like an open rebellion against the entire Death order of the Universe.
The soil of the grave split open silently, and a little girl of seven or eight years old slowly sat up from within. There was not a trace of dust on her, as if she had just slept for a very long time. She had the same pale skin as Gorr, but those blue eyes were as clear as newborn stars.
She looked around blankly, and finally, her gaze fell on Gorr kneeling beside her.
"Papa?"
Gorr's body froze completely. He stared intently at the girl, and in his gray pupils, three thousand years of hatred and madness collapsed in an instant, replaced by a surging tide of love and ecstasy that nearly drowned him.
"Love... is it you? My Love... is it really you?"
The little girl tilted her head with a confused expression and reached out her small hand to gently wipe away the tears on Gorr's face.
"Papa, why are you crying?"
Gorr could no longer restrain himself; he pulled his daughter into a tight embrace, letting out a wail he had suppressed for centuries. He cried like a lost child who had finally found his way home.
Chu Hang stood up, brushed the dust off his hands, and quietly watched this scene of reunion, a barely perceptible curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Transaction complete," he said to the tearful Gorr, "all-black the necrosword belongs to me now."
Gorr raised his head and looked at Chu Hang with a gaze used for looking at a deity—no, at an existence that surpassed deities. "You... who on earth are you?"
"I've said it before," Chu Hang shrugged, "a passing investor."
Before his voice could fade, the space behind him had already torn open.
***
When Chu Hang's figure reappeared on Asgard's Bifrost Bridge, Thor and Hela were still waiting for him in the same spot.
Thor's gaze immediately fell on the "scrap metal" Chu Hang had casually discarded in the ruins, which was once the god-slaying sword that even his father Odin had been wary of. "You really... solved... it?"
"Pretty much," Chu Hang said indifferently. "Gorr's trouble has also been solved; he won't be coming back."
Hela slowly stood up. The dark erosion at her severed arm had stopped spreading, but she didn't care. She stared at Chu Hang, her gray-green eyes filled with a mix of awe and confusion. "You resurrected his daughter. With your power alone, you reversed Death."
"Mhm."
"That is the ultimate law of Death, a domain that even I cannot touch," Hela's voice carried a slight tremor. "That is the authority of Eternity."
Chu Hang glanced at her without explaining. To him, when one mastered enough laws with sufficient depth, so-called "authority" was nothing more than a tool used at will.
"Asgard's crisis is resolved," Chu Hang said. "The rest is up to you."
He raised his hand, preparing to step into the reopened Spatial Rift.
"Wait," Hela suddenly spoke.
Chu Hang stopped his pace and looked back at her.
The Goddess of Death straightened her back and, with an unprecedentedly solemn posture, gave him a slight nod.
"I owe you a Life," her voice was calm and firm. "The Life of the Goddess of Death."
Chu Hang stared at her, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
"Just remember that."
He stepped into the rift, his figure vanishing beneath the shattered Heavenly Palace sky, leaving behind only Thor, Hela, and a World that had been completely overturned.
Chapter 258: The Council of Kangs Descends
The Spatial Rift closed.
Chu Hang and Thor landed on the lawn of the Avengers Base.
Six-colored light still shimmered on Thor's stormbreaker; he glanced at Chu Hang but said nothing.
Chu Hang closed his eyes.
The source of all-black the necrosword surged within his body; the power from Knull was being dismantled and devoured bit by bit.
The Abyss.
This was what he had refined from all-black the necrosword.
Space, Power, Time, Reality, Life, Death, Spirit, Alchemy Law, Law of Body, Devour, Darkness, Soul... and now there was one more piece.
Thirteen kinds of laws.
"What you did to Gorr—" Thor finally spoke, "Resurrecting the dead, that is the authority of Eternity."
"So?"
"So what exactly are you?"
Chu Hang rolled his eyes at him: "What's 'what'?"
He didn't explain further and walked toward the Base... everyone was in the hall.
Tony stood before a holographic projection, dark circles under his eyes. Steve leaned against the wall, his shield at his feet. Natasha was cleaning her gun, Strange was floating in mid-air forming hand seals, and Wanda sat in a corner, scarlet energy swirling around her fingertips.
There were also Rhodey, Sam, Bucky, Rocket, Groot... the atmosphere was heavy.
"Asgard is settled?" Tony asked without looking up.
"Yeah, Hela is alive; she owes me a Life."
Tony looked up at the stormbreaker behind Thor: "Quite a harvest."
"And you?" Chu Hang walked to the projection. "How's the defense line coming along?"
"The Time Defense Net has been deployed, covering North America," Tony paused. "Hard to say how long it'll hold."
"What about the magic side?"
Strange opened his eyes: "Wanda and I have placed seven layers of dimensional barriers around Earth. They can withstand the first wave of impact."
Chu Hang nodded.
Then, it was just waiting.
Three days ago, that youth named Nathaniel said the main force of the Council of Kangs would arrive in seventy-two hours.
It was almost time now.
In the corner, Nathaniel's face was pale, his fingers unconsciously touching the scar on his wrist—although the anchor of the Dimensional Beacon had been cleared, the mark remained.
"What are you nervous about?" Chu Hang asked.
Nathaniel stiffened: "Nothing, just wondering... will the Council come?"
"You know the answer better than anyone."
No one spoke.
Tony glanced out the window: "Seriously, I hate waiting."
"What happened at your high school prom?" Natashaasked.
"I got stood up," Tony shrugged. "But I became a billionaire later, so we're even."
Steve shook his head and smiled.
Strange's eyes suddenly widened.
"They're here."
---
The sky changed.
The azure sky began to crack from the center—one, two, countless cracks.
Then it shattered.
Behind the cracks was a city.
A floating city, so large it blocked the sun, casting a massive shadow over Earth. Spires, domes, and circular buildings intertwined, emitting a cold metallic luster.
Chronopolis.
Countless ships poured out from all parts of the city, covering the sky like locusts.
Thousands upon thousands.
Projections appeared in the sky.
One Kang, two, ten, a hundred... countless Kangs.
Pharaoh Kang, wearing a golden mask. Bio-Kang, half flesh and half machine. Cyber-Kang, a full data stream. A Kang in medieval armor, a Kang in a spacesuit, even a spider-form Kang.
Faces varied, but the eyes were the same.
Indifferent, arrogant.
"Earth," countless voices merged into a roar, "your timeline has been judged as a branch that needs to be pruned."
Scarlet energy erupted from Wanda's fingertips, her eyes turning pure red.
Thor gripped his axe, all six stones lighting up simultaneously.
Strange formed hand seals with both hands, unfolding the seven-layer barrier.
Tony's armor switched to combat mode.
Steve raised his shield.
Chu Hang walked out of the Base, stood on the lawn, and looked up at the city.
"That's it?"
Thirteen kinds of laws erupted simultaneously.
A Law Domain stretching dozens of kilometers spread out, enveloping the area facing the Kang Legion.
The pressure of the Council of Kangs slammed into this domain and was pushed back.
For the first time, those Kangs showed different expressions.
"the greedy one," a Kang spoke, "you really are still alive."
Chu Hang smiled: "Not just alive, but living better and better."
His gaze swept across the projections, stopping at several special figures.
Those Kangs didn't speak, their auras deliberately hidden. But Chu Hang felt a threat—a threat at the level of laws.
Interesting.
"Since you're here," Chu Hang said, "don't be in a hurry to leave."
...Those Kangs just watched, with eyes that looked at ants.
"the greedy one," Pharaoh Kang spoke, "what do you think your Law Domain can block?"
Chu Hang didn't answer.
He was observing.
Among the thousands of Kangs, most were average—Skyfather level early to mid-stage.
But three were different.
One wore all-black armor, standing at the very back, silent. His aura was suppressed, but Chu Hang felt a law—the Law of Death.
The second was like a mechanical lifeform, a complete data stream. His existence itself was a paradox, both here and not here.
The third looked very young, even younger than Nathaniel. But his eyes were terrifyingly old.
These three were somewhat interesting.
Chu Hang withdrew his gaze and looked at the Avengersbehind him.
Tony's Time Defense Net formed a barrier over North America. Strange's seven-layer dimensional barrierunfolded, golden runes flowing. Wanda's body erupted with scarlet energy, her eyes turning pure red. Thor gripped his axe, the six stones weaving into a rainbow. Steve raised his shield, standing at the very front.
This was Earth's defense line.
"You brought so many people just to prune a single timeline?" Chu Hang turned back. "Isn't that a bit overkill?"
Pharaoh Kang sneered: "You don't understand. A mortal mastering thirteen laws is something that shouldn't happen in any timeline."
"So?"
"So you must be pruned. Along with this entire timeline."
His hand fell.
Countless ships launched simultaneously, diving toward Earth.
Tony's Time Defense Net activated immediately, an invisible barrier unfolding over North America. The ships slammed into the barrier, emitting piercing screeches.
"The defense net can hold for three minutes," Tony said. "After three minutes, I'm out of tricks."
Strange formed hand seals, activating the seven-layer barrier, golden runes forming a wall of light.
"I can hold for another five minutes."
Wanda raised her hand, scarlet energy erupting. She didn't defend, she attacked directly. Chaos Magic turned into red beams of light, shooting toward the ships.
Thor raised his axe, the six stones activating.
Space Stone distorted distance, Power Stone infused energy, Time Stone slowed speed, and Reality Stonealtered the battlefield.
With one swing of the axe, blue-white lightning transformed into a giant dragon.
Boom!
Dozens of ships were turned to ash.
But more surged forward.
Chu Hang stood in place, unmoving.
He was waiting for those three special Kangs to make their move.
Sure enough, the Black Armor Kang moved.
He raised his hand, and a black light shot out, directly colliding with Thor's lightning.
The two powers collided.
Chu Hang's pupils shrank slightly.
That was a law—the Law of Death.
The corner of Chu Hang's mouth curled up: "Interesting."
He stepped forward, the thirteen laws flowing within his body.
"Since you're being so sincere, I can't be too stingy either."
He raised his right hand, the thirteen laws converging in his palm, forming a light sphere the size of a fist.
"Come on," he looked at the Black Armor Kang, "let me see how much your Law of Death differs from mine."
The Black Armor Kang didn't move.
He just stood there, the patterns on his armor flowing slightly. His aura was suppressed very deeply, but Chu Hang could feel that it was a similar yet purer, more ancient Death.
It wasn't something cultivated later; it was something at the source level.
Interesting.
In his peripheral vision, Chu Hang caught an anomaly.
Nathaniel stood at the Base entrance, his face deathly pale, sweat beads on his forehead. His hands were shaking, and his gaze moved frantically among those Kangs.
Most importantly, the scar on his wrist was glowing.
Residual traces of the Dimensional Beacon.
Chu Hang's pupils shrank slightly.
He had cleared it with Alchemy Law; theoretically, there shouldn't be any residue. But now, the scar had reactivated upon the Council of Kangs' arrival.
Chu Hang didn't say anything, just kept it in mind and looked back at the sky.
Those three special Kangs still hadn't moved.
Black Armor Kang, Data Kang, Young Kang.
They stood at the very back like three silent mountains. Their auras were hidden, but Chu Hang felt that they were the real trump cards.
Especially that Young Kang.
He looked only fifteen or sixteen, even younger than Nathaniel. But his eyes were terrifyingly old. He wore ordinary grey robes, but Chu Hang felt something from him that made even himself uneasy.
It wasn't a law.
It was a power on a higher level.
Concept? Source?
Chu Hang wasn't sure.
Pharaoh Kang's voice sounded again: "the greedy one, you have three choices."
He held up three fingers.
"First, hand over all your law power, and we will give you a dignified Death."
"Second, surrender and become a research subject. Your existence is a miracle; we'd love to know how a mortal masters thirteen laws."
"Third..." he sneered, "it's exactly like this. You and your friends, along with this entire timeline, will be pruned together."
Chu Hang laughed after hearing this.
"That's it?"
He stepped forward, the thirteen laws roaring within his body.
"Just a bunch of ants, yet you dare speak to a Cosmic Overlord like that."
Chapter 259: Battle of the Cosmic Overlords
Pharaoh Kang had not finished speaking.
Chu Hang raised his hand, his palm aimed at that golden mask.
"Are you finished?"
Pharaoh Kang's pupils constricted.
The next second, his body began to disappear. Starting from the soles of his feet, his armor, flesh, and bones, along with the time energy within his body, all turned into threads of light and surged into Chu Hang's palm.
"No... this is impossible! I am Kang! I am the Master of time!"
Chu Hang remained expressionless.
"What was it you said just now? Pruning?"
Devouring Law fully activated.
In three seconds, Pharaoh Kang completely vanished. The vanguard fleet behind him disintegrated, thousands of ships twisting and shattering, dragged into an invisible abyss.
In the sky, Chronopolis trembled violently.
Tony's mouth hung open, unable to close for a long time. He had seen Chu Hang strike before, but never like this—a Cosmic Overlord, wiped out along with his fleet?
Steve's hand gripping his shield was trembling.
Wanda's eyes reflected the dissipating light. She could feel the aura on Chu Hang; it wasn't just simple power, but something on a higher level.
Concept.
The concept of Greed.
"Alright." Chu Hang withdrew his hand and looked toward the three figures deep within Chronopolis.
Black Armor Kang, Data Kang, and Young Kang.
From the beginning of the battle until now, these three guys had been standing at the very back.
Now, they moved.
Black Armor Kang raised his right hand.
Pitch-black energy surged from his palm; it wasn't an attack, but a conceptual projection.
Death.
Absolute Death.
The black ripple spread toward the Avengers; the air solidified, light vanished, and even time froze.
Tony's armor alarm blared wildly: "Sir, Life signs are being forcibly reset to zero! Recommend immediate evacuation!"
Steve felt a bone-chilling cold rise from the soles of his feet; his body began to stiffen, and his consciousness blurred.
Wanda's eyes widened, her scarlet energy surging frantically, but it couldn't block that black ripple at all.
"The concept of Death?" Strange's expression changed drastically, "He is directly defining our Death!"
Chu Hang stepped forward, blocking in front of everyone.
Two laws erupted.
Death.
Abyss.
Equally pitch-black power surged out, colliding head-on with Black Armor Kang's concept of Death.
Boom!
Concept collided with concept, Death against Death, nothingness against nothingness.
Black Armor Kang's voice came from inside his helmet, deep and ancient: "You have also mastered the Law of Death? And the power of the Abyss... Knull's creation?"
Chu Hang didn't answer, focusing all his attention on the confrontation.
Black Armor Kang's concept of Death was stronger than imagined. It wasn't just a simple application of laws, but something on a higher level.
His Law of Death came from Hela and the dark trident; although powerful, it was ultimately acquired later.
But the Death on Black Armor Kang was more like an inherent existence.
This guy had been immersed in the concept layer for who knows how many years.
"You are strong." Chu Hang spoke, "But you have a problem."
"What problem?"
Chu Hang pointed at Black Armor Kang's feet.
Space was crumbling.
Not just Black Armor Kang; the space beneath Data Kangand Young Kang was also rupturing, as if countless invisible hands were tearing at their bodies.
Dimensional backlash.
This Universe was rejecting them.
Three Cosmic Overlord level existences forcibly crossing the Multiverse barrier was inherently a severe violation of this Universe's laws. The stronger their power, the greater the rejection they received.
"How long can you stay here?" Chu Hang asked, "Ten minutes? Five minutes?"
Black Armor Kang didn't speak, but his attack obviously weakened. He had to divert power to resist the Universe's rejection.
Data Kang's body began to flicker, like a holographic projection with an unstable signal.
Data streams around him ran frantically, attempting to stabilize his existence.
"Need an anchor." His voice carried electronic static, "Initiating stabilization protocol."
Young Kang finally moved.
He looked toward the Avengers Base, his gaze piercing through the building and landing on someone.
Nathaniel.
That boy from the future stood at the entrance of the Base, his face pale, his whole body trembling. The scar on his wrist glowed violently; he was being pulled by some kind of force, his body drifting involuntarily toward the three Kangs.
"So that's it." Chu Hang narrowed his eyes, "He is not just a beacon, but your stabilizer."
Young Kang looked at him, the corners of his mouth curling up.
"You are very smart, the greedy one."
He raised his hand, and an invisible force pulled Nathanielto his side. Nathaniel's body began to emit golden light; that light resonated with the crumbling space around the three Kangs, beginning to repair the cracks.
The dimensional backlash was suppressed.
The aura of the three Kangs began to stabilize, and was even slowly climbing.
"Now, we can fight seriously." Black Armor Kang said.
Chu Hang watched this scene, his mind racing.
Nathaniel was the anchor, the stabilizer. As long as he was here, these three guys could stay in this Universe.
But at the same time, this also meant one thing.
On Young Kang, there must be some kind of ability that could control the stability of space-time.
Chu Hang's gaze fell on Young Kang, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
"What are you smiling at?" Young Kang asked.
"Nothing." Chu Hang said, "Just thought of a good idea."
As he spoke, he flashed in front of Young Kang and threw a punch.
"You underestimate me!" Young Kang hurriedly crossed his arms, blocking the strike.
superpower copier.
Target locked: Young Kang.
Analyzing ability...
Detected concept-level ability: [Space-Time Sovereignty].
Copy?
Copy.
Strange power surged into his body; it wasn't energy, nor was it a law, but something on a higher level.
Like some kind of authority, some kind of right to define this Universe.
Space-Time Sovereignty.
Absolute say over time and space. Whoever possesses it is the Master of this space-time.
Young Kang's expression changed.
He felt his authority being encroached upon.
The power of Space-Time Sovereignty was already running within Chu Hang; he could feel his connection to this Universe becoming incredibly tight.
Every inch of space, every moment of time, was transmitting information to him.
He also felt another thing.
Dimensional backlash.
That repulsive force tearing at the three Kangs became incredibly clear in his perception at this moment.
It wasn't some mysterious power; it was the Universe's own immune system. Any existence that didn't belong here would be rejected, expelled, and eliminated by it.
And now, Chu Hang possessed the authority to control this power.
"Didn't you want to stay here?" Chu Hang raised his hand, thirteen laws intertwining with Space-Time Sovereignty to form a complex array of runes, "Then I'll let you properly experience what it means to be unwelcome."
He waved his hand.
The power of dimensional backlash surged.
The space that was originally only slowly crumbling at the three Kangs' feet now seemed ignited, spreading frantically toward them. Cracks began to appear on Black Armor Kang's armor, Data Kang's body flickered more violently, and even the space around Young Kang began to twist and deform.
"Damn it!" Black Armor Kang growled, forced to withdraw his attack and turn to fully resist the Universe's rejection.
Data Kang's voice carried harsh electronic static: "Stabilization protocol failed, anchor energy insufficient, need more input."
Young Kang glanced at Nathaniel.
That boy was glowing all over at this moment, his body trembling violently as if about to be torn apart by some force. The scar on his wrist was no longer just glowing, but beginning to spread outward, golden patterns crawling all over his entire arm.
"No... don't..." Nathaniel let out a painful groan, "I don't want to..."
"You have no choice." Young Kang's voice was very calm, "From the moment you were implanted with the beacon, you became a part of us."
Chu Hang watched this scene and finally understood.
Nathaniel was not just a beacon, not just a stabilizer. He was the living conduit for the Council of Kangs to descend into this Universe. Those golden patterns were paths forcibly carved by time-space energy within his body.
As long as he was alive, the Council of Kangs could continuously project power into this Universe.
"So from the beginning, you never intended to stay here by your own power." Chu Hang said, "You needed a local as a medium."
Young Kang smiled: "You are very smart, the greedy one. But what is the use of being smart? We only need to hold on for a little longer."
His gaze passed over Chu Hang and looked at the distant Chronopolis.
That floating city was slowly descending, getting closer and closer to Earth.
"Once the city completely descends, the laws of this Universe will be rewritten by us. By then, it won't be us adapting to here, but here adapting to us."
Chu Hang narrowed his eyes.
He looked at Nathaniel, then at the descending city.
Space-Time Sovereignty gave him the ability to control dimensional backlash, but to completely sever the connection between the Council of Kangs and this Universe, what he needed to do was not increase the repulsive force, but destroy that living conduit.
But Nathaniel was a child.
A child who was being used, helpless.
"Tony." Chu Hang spoke, his voice transmitted via mental power.
"What is it?" Tony's voice carried exhaustion.
"That child, Nathaniel." Chu Hang's gaze fell on the glowing boy, "He is the living conduit for the Council of Kangs. As long as he is here, these three guys can continuously draw stable power from him."
Tony was silent for a second: "You want me to kill him?"
"No." Chu Hang shook his head, "I want you to save him."
Everyone was stunned.
"Save him?" Steve's voice came, "How to save him?"
"Sever his connection with the Council of Kangs." Chu Hang said, "The beacon inside him was forcibly implanted, not voluntary. If that thing can be stripped out, he will no longer be a conduit, and these three guys will lose the foundation to stand in this Universe."
Young Kang heard this, his smile fading slightly.
"You think this is simple?" His voice carried mockery, "That beacon has already fused with his Life essence. Stripping it out forcibly, he will die."
"Then don't strip it out forcibly." Chu Hang looked at him, "I have over a dozen laws, and many abilities; do you think I can't do it?"
Young Kang's eyes changed.
Not anger, nor fear, but a more complex emotion. Like looking at a chess piece that had finally reached its predetermined position.
"Interesting." He said softly, "You really did choose this path."
Alarm bells rang in Chu Hang's heart.
This guy's reaction was too Strange. From the smile when his ability was copied, to the expression upon hearing about saving Nathaniel, it all reeked of something eerie.
What was he plotting?
But Chu Hang didn't have time to overthink.
Because Nathaniel's body had already begun to collapse.
Those golden patterns were no longer just spreading, but beginning to overflow with energy. Cracks appeared on his skin, like a container filled with too much water, ready to explode at any moment.
"No... don't..." Nathaniel let out a painful groan, his eyes filled with fear, "I don't want to die... I just wanted to stop them..."
Chu Hang took a deep breath.
He looked at the Avengers behind him, looking at Tony, Steve, Wanda, and Thor.
"Hold the line." He said, "I'm going to save that child."
"Wait!" Wanda's voice was anxious, "What about those three guys? Once you leave, who will block them?"
Chu Hang smiled.
"Don't worry, I left something for them."
He raised his hand, thirteen laws intertwining with Space-Time Sovereignty once again. This time he didn't attack, but constructed a complex array around them.
That was a trap.
A cage woven from dimensional backlash.
As long as those three Kangs dared to cross this line, the Universe's own repulsive force would tear them into pieces.
"How long can this thing hold?" Tony asked.
"Ten minutes." Chu Hang said, "Within ten minutes, I will solve the child's problem."
His figure flashed, appearing beside Nathaniel.
Young Kang did not stop Chu Hang; from the moment Space-Time Sovereignty was exercised by Chu Hang, he had been fully focused on maintaining the stability of the Council of Kangs members in this Universe.
Chapter 260: The Fall of the Overlord
Nathaniel floated in mid-air. Golden veins on his wrists crawled outward, already spreading to his entire arm and moving toward his chest.
His skin split into fine cracks, and light shone through from within.
It was the trail left by space-time energy carving a path inside him.
Chu Hang stood three meters away.
Young Kang did not make a move.
It wasn't that he didn't want to; he couldn't.
After his Time and Space Sovereignty was copied, he had to desperately maintain his own existence and that of the other two Kangs in this Universe.
The dimensional backlash was too strong; this Universewas repelling them, trying to tear them apart every second.
Nathaniel was the only anchor.
As long as this boy was alive and the Dimensional Beaconwithin him remained, the Council of Kangs could draw stable power from him.
Chu Hang was now going to pull out this anchor.
"Do you know what you are doing?" Young Kang's voice came from afar. "That beacon has already merged with his Life. If you forcibly remove it, he will die."
Chu Hang didn't look back.
He watched the golden veins flowing under Nathaniel's skin, like parasites gnawing on a host.
"What do you take him for?"
"A tool." Young Kang answered frankly. "A fool from the future. He thinks he is a hero, not knowing that from the moment the beacon was implanted, he was the key for us to descend into this Universe."
Pain flashed in Nathaniel's eyes.
It wasn't physical pain; it was the pain of betrayal.
"I... I didn't know..." Nathaniel's voice was very weak.
"I know." Chu Hang interrupted him.
He raised his right hand, and a complex array of runes appeared in his palm.
Alchemy Law.
In The Black Robe Universe, he had comprehended this power from the research on compound v. Equivalent exchange, material restructuring, Life distortion.
But he had come up with a new trick.
It wasn't exchange; it was reconstruction. Like removing a tumor, he was peeling away the Dimensional Beacon that had already merged with Nathaniel, bit by bit.
"It will hurt." Chu Hang said, "But you won't die."
Nathaniel looked at him, his eyes filled with both fear and hope.
"Can you do it?"
Chu Hang didn't answer.
He pressed his hand against Nathaniel's chest.
The Alchemy Law activated.
Spiritual power turned into countless golden threads, seeping from his palm into Nathaniel's body.
The situation was worse than imagined.
The Dimensional Beacon wasn't simply implanted; it was like cancer cells, already entangled with the boy's Lifeessence. Every meridian, every cell, had traces of the beacon.
Forcible removal would indeed kill him.
But Chu Hang didn't intend to forcibly remove it.
He was going to perform surgery.
A precise, meticulous surgery.
The golden threads roamed inside Nathaniel's body. Every time they found a trace of the beacon, they used the Alchemy Law to separate it from the surrounding tissue. It wasn't cutting; it was reconstructing. Dismantling the entangled things, bit by bit.
It was very slow.
And it was very painful.
Nathaniel let out a painful groan, his body trembling violently.
Chu Hang's hand was as steady as a rock.
Young Kang's expression changed.
He began to realize that Chu Hang might actually be able to do it.
This monster from the Main Universe had not only copied his Time and Space Sovereignty but also mastered some power he had never seen before. That power could separate things that had merged without destroying the whole.
This was absurd.
The Dimensional Beacon was designed by him personally, and the depth of fusion was precisely calculated to ensure no one could remove it without killing the host.
But Chu Hang was doing it.
Young Kang looked at Black Armor Kang and Data Kang.
Both were fully occupied resisting the Universe's repulsion and couldn't spare a hand. And he himself was no better; after his Time and Space Sovereignty was copied, the difficulty of maintaining his existence had increased at least threefold.
He had to do something.
Young Kang raised his hand, and a bolt of space-time energy shot toward Chu Hang.
The energy stopped three meters from Chu Hang, as if it had hit an invisible wall.
Chu Hang didn't even look up.
His Law Domain was still operating, and the defensive network woven by thirteen types of Laws wasn't something Young Kang could break through in his current state.
Inside Nathaniel, the core of the beacon was finally exposed.
A fist-sized golden ball of light hovered at the boy's heart. Countless golden threads extended from the light ball, connecting to every corner of his body.
The main body of the Dimensional Beacon.
Chu Hang narrowed his eyes.
The hardest part was coming next.
He mobilized the Soul Law to extend his perception to a deeper level. At that level, he saw the connection points between the beacon and Nathaniel's Soul.
Not one, but seven.
Seven golden chains firmly anchored the beacon to the boy's Soul.
Chu Hang took a deep breath.
The Law of Time activated.
He created a micro time-bubble inside Nathaniel, slowing the time flow of those seven chains to almost a standstill.
Then, he untied them one by one.
When the seventh chain broke, Nathaniel let out a heart-wrenching scream.
The golden ball of light was dragged out of his chest, trembling violently in the air.
Chu Hang didn't hesitate. Thirteen Laws erupted simultaneously, wrapping around the light ball, and then he crushed it with one hand.
The Dimensional Beacon turned into golden dust, dissipating in the wind.
The bodies of the three Kangs shook at the same time.
Black Armor Kang's armor developed large cracks, Data Kang's body flickered crazily, and Young Kang's face turned ghastly pale, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
The anchor was gone.
Their connection to this Universe was completely severed.
The force of the dimensional backlash surged more than tenfold, like countless invisible hands, crazily tearing at their bodies.
Chu Hang looked up at the three wretched figures, a cold sneer curling his lips.
Time and Space Sovereignty.
The ability copied from Young Kang, the absolute right to speak over time and space.
Before, he had only used it to manipulate the dimensional backlash; now, he was going to do something simpler.
Expulsion.
Chu Hang opened his arms, thirteen Laws intertwining with his Time and Space Sovereignty to form a massive array covering the entire battlefield.
His voice echoed between heaven and Earth.
"As the Master of this Universe, I declare—"
"You are illegal invaders."
"Get out."
As the words fell, the entire Universe responded.
The power of the dimension turned into a terrifying storm, surging from all directions, sweeping toward the three Kangs and the floating Chronopolis.
Black Armor Kang roared, and black light erupted from his entire body.
The Concept of Death, his final trump card.
"Since we are going to die, let's die together!"
Black waves rushed toward Chu Hang; wherever they passed, space decayed and time withered.
Chu Hang stood in place, not dodging.
A greedy light flashed in his eyes.
"Death?"
"I'll take it."
He opened his mouth, making a swallowing motion.
That black wave of the Concept of Death stopped three meters in front of him, then began to flow backward, surging crazily into his body.
Black Armor Kang's eyes widened.
He felt his power draining, his origin being stripped away, his existence being devoured.
"No... this is impossible... how can you..."
Chu Hang didn't answer.
He just stood there, letting the power of Death pour into his body, to be decomposed, absorbed, and transformed by the Concept of Greed.
Three seconds later, Black Armor Kang's body began to disintegrate.
The armor shattered, flesh and blood dissipated, his Soulwas torn to pieces, all turning into nutrients that merged into Chu Hang's body.
A Cosmic Overlord level existence had been devoured.
Seeing this, Data Kang turned and ran.
His body turned into a data stream, flying toward Earth. As long as he could enter Earth's network, he could hide and wait for a comeback.
But he underestimated Chu Hang.
Chu Hang raised his hand, and the Reality Warping Law activated.
"Data? In this Universe, there is no logic for your existence."
Data Kang's body froze in mid-air.
He felt his code being rewritten, his existence being denied, his logic being erased.
"No... I am Kang... I am the Master of time... I cannot..."
The voice grew fainter, his body grew more translucent, and finally, he turned into nothingness and disappeared completely.
Two Cosmic Overlord level Kangs, in less than ten seconds, were successively erased by Chu Hang.
Young Kang watched all this, the expression on his face finally changing.
He knew he was no match for Chu Hang.
He never was from the start.
He turned and looked at the spot where Black Armor Kangand Data Kang had dissipated.
Their origin energy still remained there, though weak, but it was enough.
"the greedy one, we will meet again."
He raised his hand and detonated the two masses of residual energy.
Boom!
The explosion detonated in the air, tearing space and forming an unstable space-time rift.
Young Kang's body began to dissipate, and his consciousness flew toward that rift.
Chu Hang frowned and raised his hand to stop him.
But Young Kang was too fast; his consciousness slipped into the rift the moment before it closed, disappearing into the cracks of the Multiverse.
He ran away.
Chu Hang withdrew his hand, not pursuing.
He knew that in Young Kang's current state, even if he escaped, he would be half-dead.
Moreover, the cracks of the Multiverse were the most dangerous places; whether he could survive coming out was a question.
He looked up at the collapsing Chronopolis.
The space-time storm was still raging, and the giant city that once blocked the sun was now crumbling and dissipating bit by bit.
Countless spaceships fell, and countless variants of Kang turned to ashes in the storm.
This invasion was over.
Chu Hang slowly descended onto the lawn of the Avengers Base.
His body was still glowing slightly; that was the aftermath of devouring Black Armor Kang's origin of Death. This new power was being decomposed, digested, and integrated into his existing system of Laws by the Concept of Greed.
A fragment of the origin of Death from Black Armor Kang.
Although it was just a fragment, it was enough to deepen his understanding of the Law of Death.
Tony was the first to walk over, his armor already retracted into a nano-particle state.
He looked at Chu Hang, his mouth opened, and finally he only said three words: "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Chu Hang nodded.
Steve walked to his side, his gaze complex.
He had seen Chu Hang fight, but he had never seen a battle of this level. It was beyond the scope of what humans could understand.
"The one who ran away..." Steve asked.
"He escaped into the cracks of the Multiverse. In his current state, whether he can survive coming out is a question." Chu Hang interrupted.
"But he still ran away." Natasha's voice came from behind.
Chu Hang turned his head to look at her: "Do you want me to chase him?"
Natasha didn't speak.
"The cracks of the Multiverse are not a good place." Chu Hang explained, "There is no time, no space, only chaos. Even if I chased after him, I might not be able to find him. And..."
He paused.
"He is not the biggest threat."
Tony frowned: "There is a threat greater than the Council of Kangs?"
Chu Hang didn't answer directly.
He looked up at the sky, which had returned to blue, and the wreckage of Chronopolis had long since dissipated.
But he knew that in a deeper place, in the void layer of the Multiverse, something was awakening.
The Anti-Monitor.
An existence formed by the fusion of pruned timelines and eliminated lives.
Young Kang fleeing into the cracks of the Multiverse would likely be discovered by that thing. Whether he would be devoured or utilized then was hard to say.
"Let's deal with the present first." Chu Hang withdrew his gaze, "How is Nathaniel?"
Wanda walked out of the crowd, with scarlet energy still lingering on her hands.
"He passed out, but his vital signs are stable." Wanda said, "You left something in his body."
Chu Hang nodded: "Residue of the Alchemy Law. The Dimensional Beacon was too deeply entangled with his Life essence; I couldn't completely clear it. But this isn't a bad thing. Those residues will be slowly absorbed by his body, and who knows, it might even bring him some... unexpected gains."
"You mean, he might gain some kind of ability?" Tonyasked.
"It's possible." Chu Hang said, "After all, he is a variant of Kang, with the genes of the Richards family flowing in his blood. Plus the catalysis of my Alchemy Law, who knows what will happen."
He looked at Nathaniel, who was being carried into the medical room in the distance, a thoughtful light flashing in his eyes.
This boy from the future was originally a pawn of the Council of Kangs. But now, he might become a brand new variable.
Iron Lad.
Chu Hang remembered this name. On some timelines, Nathaniel Richards would become a member of the Young Avengers, and might even create his own team of heroes.
But that was the original timeline.
Now, everything was different.
"Alright, everyone disperse." Chu Hang waved his hand, "Repair the Base if it needs repairing, and get some rest. The Council of Kangs won't come back for a while; they need time to lick their wounds."
The crowd began to disperse, but Tony stayed behind.
"You just said there is a threat greater than the Council of Kangs." Tony stared at him, "What is it?"
Chu Hang was silent for a few seconds.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Of course."
Chu Hang looked at him, a meaningful smile curling his lips.
"When you are ready, I will tell you."
He turned and walked toward the Base, leaving Tonystanding there alone, his brows locked in a frown.
Chapter 261: Phoenix Force and a New Journey
On the lawn of the Avengers Base, charred craters and twisted metal debris crisscrossed, resembling an abstract painting depicting the aftermath of the apocalypse. Engineering robots were emitting a low hum, methodically clearing the ruins.
Tony Stark stood in the shadow of the main building's porch, arms crossed, staring at the wreckage. On that face, which always wore a smug smile, only an unshakable weariness remained.
Chu Hang walked past him, his footsteps silent, his gaze fixed directly on the mobile medical pod not far away.
Behind the transparent pod wall, the boy from the future, Nathaniel Richards, lay quietly, the ventilator casting rhythmic shadows across his pale face.
His vital signs had stabilized, but the vitality that a teenager should have seemed to have been drained away. Most striking was his wrist; that scar, originally deep enough to see bone and used to inscribe the Dimensional Beacon, was now emitting a faint yet pure golden halo.
That was the lingering effect of the Alchemy Law, a seed Chu Hang had deliberately left behind when stripping away the beacon.
This power had already transcended simple energy residue; like a master craftsman, it was quietly merging with Nathaniel's Life source, using his genes as a blueprint to carry out a profound reshaping.
This was not a bad thing, but rather a costly gift.
The bloodline of the Richards family had already endowed him with extraordinary intelligence, far surpassing ordinary people in his understanding of technology and matter. Now, catalyzed by this Alchemy Law, a talent sleeping deep within his genes was being forcibly awakened.
Tony paced over, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Chu Hang, both of them watching the boy inside the pod.
"How is his condition?" Tony's voice was a bit hoarse.
"He will survive," Chu Hang's answer was concise, "And he will become stronger."
Upon hearing this, Tony raised an eyebrow, his eyes revealing curiosity: "Stronger?"
"Haven't you always wanted to find an apprentice to inherit your mantle?" Chu Hang gestured with his chin toward the medical pod, "This one is quite good. From the future, top-tier intellect, and now he has a little… talent. It's just that he was tortured quite badly by that lunatic Kang, so he might need some psychological guidance."
Tony fell silent. His thoughts drifted involuntarily to Peter Parker. That kid, who once always called him "Mr. Stark" with admiring eyes, had turned to ash in the snap, and returned five years later with eyes full of a composure and pain far beyond his years.
Now, another child burdened with a heavy future had arrived.
"Are you giving me an assignment?" There was a hint of self-mockery in Tony's tone.
"Suppose so." Chu Hang turned around, preparing to leave, "I need to go into seclusion for a while. Earth will be left to you for the time being."
Tony was stunned, his face full of astonishment: "Seclusion? You?"
Chu Hang did not look back, just waved his hand casually, and his figure soon disappeared into the shadows of the building.
He had to find a place to calm down. A violent force was restless and roaring deep within his source. That was not a law, but some kind of more ancient, more primitive existence.
Ever since he devoured Black Armor Kang's highly condensed source of Death, the sleeping volcano had encountered the opportunity for eruption.
Phoenix Force.
That was the cosmic authority he had forcibly replicated with his own abilities during his journey in the X-Men Universe. All along, it had been like a trapped star, quietly lurking deep within his ocean of source.
But now, the energy of Death was like a key, opening its cage.
...
Inside the medical room, Nathaniel's eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he did upon waking was to look sharply at his wrist. The hideous scar was still there, but now it was flowing with a soft golden light; not only was it not painful, but it also transmitted a strange, bone-deep warmth.
"Awake?"
A familiar yet slightly weary voice sounded. Tony Starkwas standing by the bed, holding a tablet scanner, with data streams that Nathaniel couldn't understand flickering on the screen.
"There's something interesting in your body." Tony's gaze shifted from the screen to his face, "A form of energy I have never seen before; it is actively optimizing your genetic sequence."
Nathaniel slowly raised his hand, staring at it blankly. He remembered the Soul-tearing pain before he lost consciousness, remembered Chu Hang's calm, waveless eyes, and the palm pressed against his wrist that seemed capable of reshaping all things.
"He… Chu Hang… what did he do to me?" Nathaniel's voice was a bit dry from not speaking for a long time, but it was filled more with a tremor mixed with awe and unease.
He tried to touch that warm feeling with his mind.
The moment the thought arose, the metal tray beside the bed made a soft "hum" sound.
That hard alloy seemed to turn into mercury, beginning to deform and flow at a speed visible to the naked eye, finally complying with his invisible will, gathering at his side into a smooth, flawless metal sphere.
"This… this is…" Nathaniel widened his eyes, his voice full of disbelief.
Tony put down the scanner, a complex expression appearing on his face, containing both surprise and a hint of understanding from someone who had been there before.
"It seems you have awakened." He stepped forward and gently patted the boy's shoulder, "Controlling liquid metal, a pretty cool ability. Welcome to this crazy World, kid. By the way, you can call me Teacher Tony from now on."
Nathaniel was stunned. He came from the future; he knew his bloodline, knew he was a genius without superpowers. All his achievements stemmed from his intelligence and the future technology he stole from Kang. But now, a brand new power, originating from within himself, had been born in his body.
This was… a miracle.
What exactly did Chu Hang leave inside him?
...
Chu Hang found a deserted quiet room and sat down cross-legged.
His consciousness instantly sank into the vast source Universe within his body. Twelve brilliant rivers of law—Space, Power, Time, Reality, Life, Death, Spirit, Alchemy, Law of Body, Devour, Darkness, Soul—each flowed endlessly, intertwining with each other into a huge network, forming the cornerstone of his power.
And deeper than all the laws, in that sea of primal chaos, floated two distinct powers. One was an "Abyss" so deep it seemed to be able to devour all light; the other was a giant bird, curled up and burning with orange-red flames.
Phoenix.
Death and rebirth, destruction and creation.
Black Armor Kang's source of Death was like a drop of cold water thrown into boiling oil, completely detonating this long-dormant power.
That flame was no longer a sleeping star, but a supernova that was blazing and constantly expanding.
It emitted a silent shriek, a grand movement spanning cosmic dimensions, extolling destruction and singing of rebirth. Chu Hang felt as if his Soul was about to be ignited and burned by this power, and then reshaped from the ashes.
This was an unprecedented opportunity, and also a crisis sufficient to doom him forever.
He opened his eyes abruptly, scarlet Chaos Magic energy permeating around him like a thin mist. Wanda had arrived at his side at some point, her beautiful face full of worry.
"Your energy is going out of control." She said softly.
"The Phoenix Force has awakened." Chu Hang did not hide it, his voice carrying a trace of solemnity.
Wanda's expression changed instantly. She knew better than anyone the terrifying weight represented by the word "Phoenix".
"Can you control it?"
"I don't know." Chu Hang shook his head candidly, "But I must try. To… completely make it my own."
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the sky that was gradually returning to calm.
However, in his eyes, beneath this blue, countless surging undercurrents were hidden.
The Anti-Monitor, the remnants of the Council of Kangs, and that boy Kang who had escaped into the cracks of the Multiverse… threats were ever-present, and he had no time to waste.
Wanda walked behind him and hugged him gently from behind.
"How long will you need?"
"Not sure. A few months at the shortest, a few years at the longest." Chu Hang answered softly.
Wanda fell silent. After a long while, she let go, turned to face him, stood on tiptoe, and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead.
"I will guard this place and wait for you to return."
Chu Hang smiled, and just as he was about to say something, a magical projection flickering with green light appeared out of thin air. On Loki's handsome face was an unprecedented seriousness.
"Sorry to interrupt your tender moment," he said straight to the point, "but the Time Variance Authority has detected a… ominous omen."
Chu Hang's gaze sharpened: "Speak."
"The boy Kang has left a coordinate beacon in the cracks of the Multiverse, as if performing some kind of ancient summoning ritual." Loki's expression became solemn, "In our archives, only the oldest scrolls have ever mentioned similar energy fluctuations… It points to something… hungry. There is no name in the files, only a codename—'World Eater'."
World Eater.
Chu Hang's pupils contracted slightly. Just this word alone made him sense a malice that spanned time and space. He remembered the eerie anticipation on the boy Kang's face when he escaped.
"So, you came to urge me to hurry up?"
"I'm just a messenger." Loki shrugged, "But if anything can stop that thing before it arrives, I think it must be that power awakening inside you."
The projection dissipated, leaving only Chu Hang and Wanda in the quiet room.
Chu Hang's gaze swept over the distance.
Tony was bending over, saying something to Nathaniel; Steve was directing the cleanup work on the lawn; Natasha and Clint were sitting side-by-side on a section of broken wall, rarely enjoying a moment of peace.
These were all things he had to protect.
"It seems that relying solely on the main body to go into seclusion won't give us enough time." Chu Hang said in a low voice, a flash of determination in his eyes.
He raised his right hand, and the twelve kinds of Law Power gathered in his palm into an incredibly complex rune array.
"I am going to create another clone."
"Another one?" Wanda was a bit worried, "The last time…"
"This time is different." Chu Hang interrupted her, his tone firm, "This time, I will invest more source. The goal of this clone is not combat, but exploration. It needs to find me a brand new power system that can carry and harmonize the Phoenix Force, or… a Universe that can make my physical strength leap forward again."
As his voice fell, he closed his eyes. He stripped a large amount of power and consciousness from his core source; the feeling was like having his Soul forcibly ripped open, and the pain was unbearable.
A few minutes later, a golden ball of light, even brighter than the Sun, flew out from within his body and hovered in mid-air. The light condensed into a humanoid figure with the exact same outline as Chu Hang, but its eyes were empty and pure, with only absolute will remaining.
"Go." Chu Hang opened his eyes and gave the command to his clone, "Find what I need."
The clone nodded silently, raised its hand, and slashed through the void. A pitch-black crack opened in response; on the other side of the crack was the grotesque, chaotic, and surging torrent of the Multiverse.
The clone turned into a golden stream of light, without the slightest hesitation, and plunged into that unknown chaos.
The crack slowly closed.
Chu Hang withdrew his gaze, his body swaying slightly due to the depletion of his source, and Wanda quickly supported him.
"Don't worry." He looked into Wanda's worried eyes, reached out, and stroked her long hair, "I'll be fine."
"I know." Wanda's voice was very soft, with a hint of an imperceptible sigh, "I'm just wondering, when on Earth… will you be able to stop and rest?"
Chu Hang was stunned.
Stop? Ever since he possessed this power, becoming stronger had become an instinct of his existence, just like breathing. He had never thought about this question.
He was silent for a long time before slowly speaking, his voice carrying a trace of exhaustion he hadn't even noticed himself: "When I am strong enough, strong enough that no existence can threaten everything I want to protect, perhaps… then it will be okay."
Wanda gazed at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She knew that given Chu Hang's personality, this goal might never have an end. Because the Universe is so vast, threats will never disappear.
"Okay." She finally nodded, not persuading him further, "Then I will be here, waiting for you to become strong enough."
Chu Hang smiled, his smile containing relief and a hint of apology. He took one last look at her, then turned and walked toward the isolated quiet room prepared for him deep within the Base.
Behind him, at Wanda's fingertips, scarlet Chaos Magicquietly lit up, like a lamp that would never go out, guarding this land that had temporarily returned to peace.
And in that endless torrent of the Multiverse, the golden stream of light was traveling at a speed Beyond Concept. It swept past countless Universes that were being born and destroyed, and finally, it sensed a unique energy fluctuation.
It was a kind of… primitive, savage, and power filled with thunder and bloodthirst.
The clone changed direction, tore open space, and rushed toward that brand new World.