Chapter 65: Physical Body Absorbs the Power Stone, Strength Greatly Increases
After Marcus left Land of Nihility, he flew through the star sea for a short while before landing on a grey, uninhabited planet.
Beneath his feet was a vast expanse of rocky terrain, with the horizon lost in eternal twilight; the entire planet was as quiet as a graveyard forgotten by time.
He turned his head to look at the Little Spider on his shoulder: "You should move further away."
The Little Spider pushed off with its eight slender legs, leaping from his shoulder and scurrying quickly into the distance. Marcus took Cosmic Orb out of his space bracelet, then flew over to the Little Spider, bent down, and placed the bracelet beside it.
After doing this, he returned to a safe distance and stood firm.
He took a deep breath and lightly opened Cosmic Orb with his fingertips. The moment the sphere cracked open, purple light gushed out like a burst dam, dyeing the entire grey rocky terrain a deep purple.
The Power Stone hovered above his palm, its dark purple pulses like a restless heart; every contraction distorted the surrounding light into eerie arcs, and the gravel on the ground rattled under the energy vibrations.
This time, he did not summon the Aether Particle to form protective gloves; he spread the five fingers of his right hand and grasped the Power Stone directly.
Violent purple energy instantly exploded from his palm, surging through the Meridians of his arm and rushing throughout his entire body. In an instant, Marcus's mind went blank.
Extreme pain swept through his body and mind; every cell was crushed and reconstituted, and his flesh, bones, and even his Soul were subjected to violent tearing.
Purple energy veins spread from the hand gripping the Power Stone, crawling along his blood vessels to cover his forearm, shoulder, and chest, as if countless white-hot iron chains were deeply embedded in his flesh.
Marcus gritted his teeth tightly, a muffled groan escaping through his teeth, and his body fell heavily into a half-kneel on the rocks; the fingers gripping the Power Stone never loosened for a moment.
The Little Spider curled up behind a rock, watching as his whole body was covered in purple energy veins, his muscles spasming uncontrollably under the energy wash.
Its front legs were nervously twisted together; it wanted to rush over but didn't dare, fearing it would disturb him, so it could only pace back and forth in anxiety.
It is unknown how much time passed before those violent purple veins gradually calmed down. Marcus's body seemed to have adapted to the energy of the Power Stone, and he no longer felt pain. He slowly stood up, looked down at the still-pulsing Power Stone in his palm, and sealed it back into Cosmic Orb.
Seeing this, the Little Spider immediately darted out from behind the rock, its eight thin legs moving quickly across the rocky ground, running and anxiously shouting: "Master! Are you okay!"
Marcus panted slightly, raised the back of his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, and looked down at the Little Spider that had run to his feet. His breathing had not yet fully calmed, but the corners of his mouth curled slightly: "I'm fine. In fact, I've never felt better."
As he spoke, he raised his right hand and spread his fingers. A beam of pure purple energy shot out from his palm, piercing through the towering stone mountain in the distance. The mountain exploded from the inside, countless gravel turned into powder in the purple light, and the entire peak was forcefully erased from the horizon.
The Little Spider looked up at the vanished mountain, opened its mouth, and after a long while, managed to squeeze out: "Master... you are so strong now."
Marcus didn't answer; he looked down at his palm, where the purple energy was still faintly flowing, completely different from the sluggish feeling when he had forcibly controlled it with the Aether Particle glove in Land of Nihility. This time, the energy of the Power Stone had directly integrated into his flesh.
With a thought, a transparent attribute panel unfolded before his eyes; all data had been fully refreshed.
[Super Strength: Level 5 (55%)]
[Super Durability: Level 5 (68%)]
[Super Mind: Level 5 (72%)]
[Super Speed: Level 5 (62%)]
[Super Energy: Level 5 (70%)]
[Bio-field: Level 5 (61%)]
[Spider-Sense: Level 5 (64%)]
[Dimensional Travel: Level 1 (50%)]
His gaze lingered on the panel for a moment. There was an additional entry: Super Energy. He clenched his fist; the purple energy within his body was quietly lurking between every inch of muscle and bone, and this sense of fullness was unprecedented.
For the rest of the day, he stayed on this desolate planet to test his new abilities. He forced the energy in his body to his palm, and a beam of light pierced through another mountain peak in the distance.
Released from his fingertips, five thin lines precisely cut through the rock wall. Bursting from his chest, the shockwave crushed gravel within hundreds of meters into powder. Every part of his body could become an outlet for energy.
He exhausted himself repeatedly until the last bit of energy in his body was drained. Then, he stood quietly on the rocky ground, sensing the free-floating energy particles in the Universe being absorbed by his body at a slow speed, filling the void bit by bit. The recovery speed was far less rapid than direct replenishment from the Power Stone, but it was indeed recovering spontaneously.
He stopped his experiments, flew back to the rock where the Little Spider was hiding, bent down to pick up the space bracelet left on the ground, and fastened it back onto his left wrist.
Seeing him walk over, the Little Spider immediately darted out from behind the rock, looked up, and asked: "Master, are we leaving?"
"That's right." Marcus nodded. The Little Spider pushed off with its eight thin legs and landed steadily on his shoulder.
He looked up at the grey, hazy sky: "Heimdall."
The multicolored pillar of the Bifrost Bridge struck down, blasting a scorched crater into the rocky ground. When the light faded, he was already standing in the backyard of the villa in Queens.
Marcus pushed open the back door of the villa and walked into the living room; this house had been empty for over three months, and a thin layer of dust had settled on the coffee table.
He found the long-unused mobile phone in the bedroom drawer and plugged it into the charger. The moment the screen lit up, dense messages popped up one after another, notification sounds rang out in succession, and the phone vibrated violently on the table.
One after another, they were all from Gwen, spanning over three months.
"Did you arrive? How is it over there?"
"It's been a month, are you okay?"
"It's been two months, don't slack off on training."
"When are you coming back?"
He scrolled down one by one until the latest one, sent this morning: "It's a holiday today, I'm bored to death. If you're back, come find me."
The Little Spider poked its head out from his shoulder, its eyes scanning back and forth on the screen: "Master, are we going to see Gwen?"
"Yes." Marcus replied. With a slight movement of his mind, the Aether Particle inside him flowed out silently, and his pure white Empire uniform transformed into a set of dark grey casual hoodie and black trousers amidst the dark red light.
He turned off the phone screen, pushed open the back door, and tilted his head slightly. His powerful hearing peeled away the soundscape of all of Queens layer by layer, and a moment later, he locked onto that familiar heartbeat rhythm.
He unleashed his Bio-field, soared into the air from the backyard, and flew in the direction of Gwen.
Chapter 66: Marvel Finale! Returning to the Invincible Universe!
Marcus flew over Queens, and it didn't take long for him to lock onto that figure.
Gwen was sitting alone on the edge of a rooftop, her legs dangling over the railing and swaying gently, her blonde hair lifted slightly by the evening breeze.
She held a soda can in her hand but didn't drink it, just staring blankly at the setting sun in the distance.
Suddenly, her spine stiffened, and she whipped her head around, her blue eyes widening as the soda can in her hand crunched with a sharp sound.
In the next second, she sprang up from the edge of the roof, webbing shot from her wrists, and her body swung in an arc, rushing straight toward Marcus.
Marcus raised his hand to catch her, and Gwen gripped the back of his hoodie tightly, burying her head in the crook of his shoulder, her blonde hair brushing against his chin.
Little Spider quickly jumped off his shoulder and landed on the railing nearby.
Gwen looked up, her blue eyes sparkling, and an uncontrollable smile tugged at the corners of her mouth: "You're finally back! Did you find what you were looking for?"
"I did," Marcus replied softly.
Gwen let go and stepped back half a pace, looking him up and down before asking curiously: "What is it? Can I see it?"
Marcus didn't reach for Cosmic Orb in his space bracelet.
He raised his right hand, fingers slightly spread, and a fist-sized ball of purple energy condensed in his palm, its light dancing gently in the twilight, casting a pale purple hue over both their faces.
"Is this what you were looking for?" Gwen stared at the light, instinctively reaching out a finger to touch its edge.
Marcus closed his fingers, and the purple energy vanished instantly.
The rooftop darkened again, leaving only the city lights in the distance and a few stars just appearing overhead.
"This is the energy granted to me by the Power Stone," he said, looking at Gwen with an exceptionally solemn tone, carrying an unquestionable warning. "It has immense destructive power; you absolutely must not touch it."
Gwen withdrew her finger, and seeing the rare, serious expression on Marcus's face, she nodded and didn't press further about the Power Stone.
She tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear and changed the subject: "You stayed in the Universe for three months; did you encounter any danger?"
"I didn't encounter any danger," Marcus said with a relaxed tone, then shifted the topic: "However, I brought back the alien gifts you wanted."
He took a dozen or so various items from his space bracelet and lined them up on the rooftop floor.
There was a palm-sized crystal that glowed on its own, several interstellar coins stamped with the totems of unknown civilizations, a bracelet woven from liquid metal, and a small piece of Ore that changed color with temperature.
He even took out a fist-sized fossilized insect egg with dark purple veins covering its surface.
Gwen squatted down and picked up the glowing crystal to examine it closely; pale blue light bands flowed inside the crystal, looking like a small, sealed nebula.
She picked up an interstellar coin, the front engraved with the map outline of an unknown planet, and the back with a line of curved alien script.
"These are more than enough. I can't believe you actually remembered," she looked up, her eyes sparkling like crescents, "Thank you, Marcus."
Watching Gwen crouched on the ground, Marcus suddenly raised his right hand. Aether Particle flowed out from his chest, and dark red liquid energy gathered in his palm, instantly condensing into a silver-gray space bracelet, identical to the one on his left wrist.
He held the bracelet out to Gwen: "This is a space bracelet just like mine. It's for you."
Gwen didn't decline this time. She took the bracelet and snapped it onto her right wrist, right next to her nano-bracelet, then raised her hands and shook them in front of Marcus, both bracelets shimmering with a silver-gray light in the sunset: "Thanks! But don't give me bracelets as gifts next time; I'm running out of room on my wrists."
"Understood," Marcus said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Gwen lowered her head and put the crystal, coins, and fossilized egg scattered on the ground one by one into her newly worn space bracelet.
After finishing, she stood up, brushed the dust off her knees, and looked up again: "What are your plans now?"
"I'm leaving now."
Gwen paused.
She looked up at Marcus, the curve of her lips still there, but the sparkle in her eyes dimmed slightly: "You just got back, and you're leaving again?"
Marcus gave a hum of affirmation.
Gwen didn't tear up like last time. She looked at him, exhaled softly, and said with a tone of long-accustomed resignation: "Fine, fine, you big busybody, go ahead then."
Her blue eyes looked back at Marcus, her voice becoming serious: "But next time you come back, you must take me to see Asgard."
Marcus nodded: "Alright, I'll definitely take you to Asgard when I return."
Gwen stepped forward and hugged him. Her arms tightened around him, her blonde hair brushing against his body, her voice so soft it was as if she were only speaking to him: "It's a promise."
Marcus raised his hand, gently patted the back of her head, and then let go.
He waved at Little Spider on the railing, and the little guy pushed off with its eight slender legs, landing steadily back on his shoulder.
A Bio-field quietly unfurled, and he soared into the sky. He looked back and nodded at Gwen, his figure passing over the edge of the roof and disappearing into the distant twilight.
Gwen stood on the rooftop, watching that figure vanish deep into the twilight, and raised her hand, gently gripping the silver-gray bracelet on her right wrist.
After flying some distance, Little Spider lay on his shoulder, its youthful voice echoing in his mind: "Master, where are we going?"
"Back to my original Universe." Marcus stopped in mid-air, a thought stirring as he activated Dimensional Travel.
After a year of dormancy in the Marvel Universe, this ability had long since recovered.
The space in front of him tore silently, and a pitch-black void opened up in the Void Realm.
He stepped inside. The moment darkness engulfed his senses, he could clearly distinguish two other familiar pulls: The Boys Universe, and the one belonging to Invincible.
He chose the pull belonging to Invincible and passed through the passage.
In the next instant, his feet landed on solid ground.
All around was the familiar sea of stars. The desolate asteroid was still in the same place, and his medium-sized spacecraft was parked quietly among the rock layers, the dust on its hull even thicker than when he had left.
Little Spider poked its head out from his shoulder, looked around, and then froze.
The patterns on its back flickered gently, then dimmed again, its voice carrying a rare sense of bewilderment: "Is this Master's original Universe? It's so special; I actually can't sense the web of life and destiny anymore."
Marcus turned his head to look at Little Spider on his shoulder, frowning slightly: "Does not being able to sense the web of life and destiny affect you in any way?"
Little Spider was tilting its head, adapting to this unfamiliar starry sky, and upon hearing Marcus's words, the patterns on its back lit up gently.
"Don't worry, Master, I'll be fine. Although I can't sense the web of life and destiny, the Totem Power inside me is still there, not diminished in the slightest."
Its voice carried a hint of satisfaction from being cared for, and its front legs swayed gently in the air.
Marcus stared at it for a moment, confirming it wasn't just putting on a brave face, and nodded: "That's good."
He turned and walked toward the medium-sized spacecraft, his boots kicking up fine dust as they stepped on the rock layer.
The boarding ramp lowered automatically, and the hatch slid open. The life support System sensed his return, and the lights inside the cabin lit up one by one, the soft white light dispelling the darkness that had accumulated over the past few months.
He stepped onto the ramp, Little Spider on his shoulder curiously poking its head out to examine the furnishings inside the ship.
The hatch closed slowly behind him, sealing off the eternal silence of this desolate asteroid.
Chapter 67: Full-Power Kamehameha Plows Through the Planet's Surface
Marcus walked into the cockpit, sat in the seat, and tapped his fingertips quickly on the navigation panel. The spaceship's engines emitted a low hum, and it slowly rose from between the rock layers of the barren asteroid.
After setting the course, he switched the flight mode to autopilot. The lights inside the cabin dimmed automatically, and the vibrations of the engines came through the cabin walls, like a slow-paced white noise.
Little Spider jumped down from his shoulder, landed on the armrest of the co-pilot's seat, and turned its head to examine the densely packed instrument panel in the cockpit: "Master, where are we going next?"
Marcus leaned back against the chair, and with a flat tone, uttered two words: "Earth."
Little Spider stood up from the armrest of the co-pilot's seat, tilted its head, and its voice carried a hint of confusion: "Master, are we going to Earth in this Universe too?"
"That's right." Marcus replied briefly, then closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking deep into the quietly lurking Aether Particle. He remembered that in the Marvel settings from his past life, the Infinity Stones would lose their effect outside the Universe where they were born.
If these two stones turned into scrap metal immediately after returning to the Invincible Universe, then his three months of waiting in Land of Nihility would have been in vain. So, he needed to clarify the situation first.
He raised his right hand, and the Aether Particle surged from his fingertips, condensing into a metal wine glass above his palm. Then, it transformed from the wine glass into a piece of Ore, and from the Ore into a dagger. Each round of transformation was as smooth as before, and the response speed of the Aether was no different from when he was still in the Marvel Universe.
But he could feel the difference. The energy inside the Aether Particle was no longer as endless as before; instead, it had a clear upper limit.
Although this upper limit was extremely vast, so vast that he could barely feel any consumption during normal use, it was indeed no longer "infinite."
He silently noted this conclusion in his mind and did not take out the Power Stone to perform the same test. Since the rules for the Aether Particle were like this, the situation for the Power Stone must be the same.
The next two years of the voyage were uneventful. The ship moved steadily along the established route in autopilot mode, occasionally encountering asteroid belts that required manual evasion, while most of the remaining time was as quiet as if the Universe itself were napping.
Every day, Marcus ate his meals as usual, browsed intergalactic network news, and occasionally accompanied Little Spider in the cabin to chase the little red dot projected on the wall by a laser pointer. Every time the red dot moved, Little Spider's eight thin legs would move rapidly, the patterns on its back flashing incessantly. After pouncing and missing, it would annoyedly slam its front legs against the floor, making the corners of Marcus's mouth curl up in a rare smile.
It was on a certain day in the first year that Marcus opened his attribute panel for a routine check and discovered that Dimensional Travel had quietly leveled up to Level 2. He tried to activate it, and the space in front of him tore open in response, a familiar pitch-black void opening within the cabin. He pondered for a moment, left Little Spider on the ship, and stepped inside himself.
On the other side of the void was a dead city. The glass curtain walls of the skyscrapers were shattered over large areas, and rusted vehicles lay overturned haphazardly on the streets. The air was filled with a sweet, rotten smell. In the distance, several swaying figures wandered the streets, emitting low, guttural sounds from their throats.
Marcus stood on the roof of a half-collapsed office building, scanning the dense crowd of zombies below. He soared into the air and flew around the planet in a few minutes.
Oceans, continents, islands—he lowered his altitude to check every place where one could land. It was all zombies, densely packed, without a single living person. The civilization of this planet had completely perished, leaving only these mindless shells.
He hovered high in the sky, looking down at the dead, silent land beneath his feet. Since there were no living people, there was nothing on this planet to worry about. He needed a target to test the power of his full-strength strike, and this place was just right.
He took a deep breath, brought his hands together at his waist, and struck a classic pose he had seen countless times in anime in his past life. The purple energy within his body surged out along his Meridians, gathering crazily between his palms. The ball of light grew larger and larger, illuminating the entire sky in a blinding purple-white.
The air around him was ionized into a plasma state, and electric arcs crackled and jumped between his fingertips and the corners of his clothes. The clouds within a range of several kilometers beneath him were forcibly cleared away by the surging energy field, revealing a vast, empty sky.
"Ka—"
He subconsciously uttered that syllable. The ball of energy expanded to its limit between his palms, its light already outshining the sun.
"—me—"
He exerted force from his waist and abdomen, tensed his entire body's muscles, and thrust his arms forward violently.
"—hameha!"
A purple energy pillar with a diameter of several kilometers shot down from the stratosphere with a roar. As the beam cut through the atmosphere, the friction generated rings of searing white shockwaves that spread outwards, vaporizing and dissipating all clouds in its path.
The moment the energy pillar slammed into the ground, with the impact point as the center, the earth was torn apart from within as if by an invisible giant hand—the crust shattered, magma surged, and shockwaves spread outward in circles, completely plowing through the entire surface of the planet within a few minutes.
Continental plates were overturned, oceans evaporated into white salt crusts under the high heat, and the atmosphere was torn open with a crack thousands of kilometers long, revealing the pitch-black starry sky outside.
By the time the light dissipated, the surface of that zombie planet was completely unrecognizable. The former cities, zombies, along with the mountains and oceans, were all crushed into a layer of uniform, molten scorched earth, slowly cooling in the vacuum.
Marcus hovered in the Void Realm, watching the sphere that was once a planet turn into a charred ruin before his eyes. He slowly retracted his hands, the purple light in his palms gradually fading. This strike had consumed all the energy in his body, but the power had indeed met his expectations.
Marcus let out a long breath. He took one last look at the charred planet and turned around to use Dimensional Travel for the second time.
When he returned to the ship, Little Spider sprang up from the co-pilot's armrest, circled him several times, and chirped, asking what it was like over there. He only said, "Very ugly," then sat back in the pilot's seat and resumed autopilot.
In the blink of an eye, the second year of the voyage arrived. The spaceship successfully entered the territory of the Solar System, and the familiar blue and white planet appeared prominently directly in front of the porthole.
Little Spider lay on the edge of the porthole, its entire body almost pressed against the glass, its voice full of amazement: "This is my first time seeing Earth from outer space."
Marcus steered the ship to slowly dock in the shadow zone on the far side of the moon. The ship shuddered slightly, and the engines cut out. He rose from the pilot's seat, and Little Spider skillfully climbed onto his shoulder along his arm. The hatch opened, and Marcus kicked off lightly with his feet. A Bio-field wrapped around him and Little Spider, rising silently from the lunar surface and flying toward the blue planet.
Chapter 68: Strength Comparable to Nolan? I Have Been Listed as the Highest Danger Target by Earth!
Meanwhile, on Earth, at the Global Defense Agency headquarters command center, red alarm lights were flashing rapidly on the screens.
Donald pushed open the door to the command room, walked quickly to Cecil's side, and handed him a tablet. On the screen, a red dot representing an energy signature was steadily approaching Earth along a predetermined trajectory.
"Sir, the energy sensing device in the Universe satellite has captured a massive amount of energy, direction locked, and it is approaching Earth."
Cecil stared at the rising energy curve as data refreshed frantically at the edge of the screen, with every indicator far exceeding known parameters. He raised his hand to press his communicator, cross-referencing the Guardians of the Globe's combat data with this energy signature. Red warning pop-ups appeared one after another, all displaying the same message: Unable to counter.
He turned off the screen and pressed the silver teleportation terminal on his wrist.
A white light flashed silently in the living room. Cecil stepped out from the light, his leather shoes making a faint sound as they landed on the wooden floor.
Omni-Man Nolan sat at the head of the dining table, a piece of fried egg still skewered on the fork in his hand. He watched Cecil, who had suddenly appeared before him, without pausing his chewing, merely raising an eyebrow slightly: "What a rare guest. Someone who never takes the initiative to find me has actually come to find me today."
Debbie walked out of the kitchen, her apron still on, wiping her hands on a rag. She glanced at the tense expression on Cecil's face, then looked at Mark, who was still eating breakfast at the table, and stepped forward without hesitation to stand between her husband and son: "No matter who you are, Nolan is eating. Can whatever matter you have wait until he is finished?"
Cecil's gaze passed over Debbie's shoulder and landed directly on Nolan's face, his voice calm but leaving no room for negotiation: "I'm sorry, that's not possible."
He tossed the tablet in his hand over. Nolan caught it. On the screen, the energy curve was still climbing, data was refreshing frantically at the edge of the chart, and every indicator was marked with a red warning. He stared at the red dot approaching on the screen, and his chewing stopped.
"This person, or this thing, is the only one you can stop." Cecil stood where he was, his tone devoid of fluctuation. "If you don't go, the entire world could be destroyed."
The atmosphere at the dining table suddenly froze. The fork in Mark's hand hung in mid-air; his gaze shifted back and forth between his father and Cecil, and he forgot to chew the bacon in his mouth.
Nolan was silent for a moment. He sighed, turned to Debbie, and his tone returned to a gentle one: "Take care of Mark."
Debbie looked into her husband's eyes without asking further questions, simply reaching out to press down on Mark's shoulder, her knuckles whitening slightly, and then she moved the plate toward herself: "Be careful yourself."
Nolan got up and walked toward the living room with steady steps, not looking back. A few seconds later, a red and white figure soared into the sky from the rooftop, his cape stretched into a straight line behind him as he pierced through the clouds, flying toward the approaching energy signal high above.
On the other side, Marcus had just passed through the atmosphere, the white-hot shock cone dissipating slowly in front of him, the outline of the city below looming faintly through the gaps in the clouds.
Little Spider was perched on his shoulder, its thin legs gripping his clothing tightly, and just as it was about to say something, Marcus suddenly stopped flying.
A red and white figure was approaching at high speed from below the clouds. The newcomer wore a tight-fitting combat suit interwoven with dark blue and bright red, his cape pulled into a straight line by the strong wind behind him. His flight speed was extremely fast, but he suddenly hovered dozens of meters in front of him, his posture as composed as if he were taking a walk in his own backyard.
Marcus recognized this face. Nolan Grayson, the conqueror sent to Earth by the Viltrum Empire.
Nolan was also sizing him up. The young man before him was wearing a dark gray casual outfit, with a pale golden Little Spider perched on his shoulder.
This was the person; the energy reading captured by the satellite just moments ago was enough to level an entire city. Nolan had served in the Viltrum Empire for a thousand years and had seen countless dangerous creatures disguised as harmless, but the young man before him gave him a feeling that was more elusive than any of them.
"Who are you?" Nolan spoke first, his voice low, his tone devoid of any pleasantries. "What is your purpose in coming to this planet?"
Marcus hovered in place and said in a flat tone: "I'm just here for a vacation; I won't do anything to this planet."
Nolan's gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds. He had seen too many liars and had personally executed quite a few, but the young man before him had no change in heartbeat, no irregular breathing, and no pupil constriction. Either he really only wanted to come for a vacation, or he was the calmest liar Nolan had ever seen in his thousand years of life.
Regardless of which it was, it was not a wise choice to start a fight here. He could sense the true strength behind that energy reading; starting a war above the city, with Debbie and Mark also below, he could not take the risk.
"You had better be telling the truth." Nolan withdrew his gaze, his cape slightly rising behind him. "If you intend to do anything bad, I will stop you."
As the words fell, he did not linger, turning his body, and the red and white figure returned toward the city below, disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.
Marcus turned his head, his gaze landing on a circular surveillance drone hovering not far to his side. The red light of the lens was pointed directly at him, obviously recording the entire thing. He spoke to the lens, his tone as flat as before: "To the defense forces of this planet, you should have all heard what I said. As long as you don't come to provoke me, I won't cause any destruction."
After speaking, he ignored the robot, the Little Spider's thin legs tightening slightly on his shoulder, and the man and spider flew toward the city below.
Inside the Global Defense Agency command center, Cecil stood before the main console, replaying the complete footage of the confrontation between Marcus and Nolan just now.
He was silent for a moment, then raised his hand to press the communicator: "Adjust this person's danger level to the same as Omni-Man, and list him as a top-priority monitoring target. Also, notify all departments: unless he initiates an attack, no one is to make unauthorized contact."
Chicago, in the basement of an old office building. Gunshots echoed one after another in the narrow corridor, and shell casings clattered as they bounced on the floor.
Marcus pushed open a rusty iron door. Behind the door was the boss of the gang, who was frantically stuffing cash into a bag. The moment he looked up and saw Marcus, his face turned deathly pale.
"W-what are you doing!"
Marcus didn't answer. He walked over, tore the iron door of the safe off with one hand, and tossed it aside casually.
The boss's legs went weak instantly; there was no need to ask anything more, and he confessed the safe's password and bank account details entirely.
Little Spider perched on his shoulder, watching him perform the transfer while tilting its head and speaking in his mind: "Master, are you really here on Earth for a vacation?"
Marcus tapped in the last digit of the password, the safe door popped open, and inside were neatly stacked stacks of banknotes.
"Originally, I came to Earth to wait for someone to grow up." He swept the banknotes into his space bracelet, stood up, and flicked his hand casually. A thin purple thread of energy shot out from his fingertip, pinning the few gunmen who had just rushed in, along with their guns, to the wall. "But now, I am indeed here for a vacation."
Chapter 69: Repelling the Mauler Twins, Declining the Teen Team's Invitation
Little Spider tilted its head and asked, "Master, what should we do next?"
Marcus tucked the last stack of cash into his space bracelet, turned, and walked toward the door, answering casually, "We're going to buy a house, of course."
As he stepped out of the old office building, Little Spider, perched on his shoulder, straightened its body, its front legs waving excitedly in the air, "Master, let's buy a huge house!"
"Sure," Marcus replied, giving a light kick off the ground as his figure soared into the sky.
His Bio-field expanded, and man and spider flew toward the other side of the city.
They hadn't flown far when a loud explosion suddenly echoed from a residential area below.
Marcus slowed down and looked down to see a girl in a pink suit standing in the middle of the street, her hands extended forward, a translucent pink energy shield completely enveloping her and the house behind her.
The shield was teetering under the dense barrage of fire, but she didn't take a single step back.
Opposite the shield, two two-meter-tall, bald, light-blue-skinned brutes were firing wildly with energy rifles.
They looked exactly alike.
Marcus recognized the trio at a glance.
Atom Eve, though at this point in time, she was still just a young girl.
The two opposite her were the Mauler Twins.
Just then, one of the Maulers shouted while firing, "We aren't going to hurt the people inside, we just need to go in and get something, so move aside, you brat!"
Eve gritted her teeth, her arms trembling slightly, the cracks in the shield widening with every bombardment, "Not a chance, I will never let you in."
The other Mauler drew an energy cannon from his back and spat impatiently, "Why waste breath on her? Watch this."
He cranked the power to the maximum, the humming sound of the cannon charging suddenly spiked, and a blinding blue light gathered at the muzzle.
He pulled the trigger, and a thick blue energy beam tore through the street, slamming fiercely into Eve's protective shield.
The pink barrier shattered with a boom after holding for less than a second, and the residual energy, carrying gravel and asphalt fragments, rushed toward her.
Eve instinctively raised her arms to shield herself and closed her eyes.
Marcus, in mid-air, saw the pink shield collapse and the torrent of energy rushing toward the girl, so he immediately moved his mind.
A dark red ethereal light surged from his chest, flowing over his body like water, and his original dark gray casual clothes instantly faded away, replaced by a black and red skintight suit, with a pale gold U-shaped emblem embedded in the center of his chest.
The next instant, his figure vanished from the air and appeared out of thin air in front of Eve.
The thick energy beam slammed violently into the U-shaped emblem on Marcus's chest, a violent explosion instantly echoing throughout the street, dust filling the sky and obscuring vision, while gravel and scorching heat waves surged in all directions.
The dust slowly settled.
Marcus stood where he was, not even a scorch mark left on his black and red suit.
Little Spider sat steadily on his shoulder, tilting its head as it sized up the two blue-skinned brutes before them.
Eve slowly lowered her arms from in front of her face, looking at the figure that had appeared out of thin air, and subconsciously murmured, "Omni-Man?"
Marcus turned his head and corrected with a flat tone, "It's Cosmic Superman."
Before the words had even faded, Marcus's figure had already vanished from in front of Eve.
Dozens of meters away, the Mauler Twins were sprinting toward the other end of the street without looking back; they had just witnessed this man block a full-power energy cannon with his bare hands, and an opponent of this level was simply not someone they could mess with.
Marcus appeared out of thin air directly in front of them, swinging both fists simultaneously, landing precisely on their foreheads.
The Mauler Twins had no time to dodge, their bodies falling backward at the same time, their energy rifles flying out of their hands and crashing heavily to the ground as they passed out instantly.
Eve flew over from behind and arrived in front of Marcus.
She carefully studied his highly recognizable black and red suit and spoke with deep gratitude, "Cosmic Superman, thank you very much for saving me. Everyone calls me Atom Eve."
"You're welcome," Marcus said in a flat tone, his gaze passing over Eve and toward the other side of the street, "Even without me, those two people over there would have saved you."
Eve followed his gaze to the corner of an apartment building, where a Robot constructed entirely of copper-orange metal was walking toward them.
Behind him followed a young man wearing an orange skintight suit, with orange goggles perched on his head, his hands in his pockets as he walked, a look of casual laziness hanging on his face.
The two who had been discovered exchanged a look, and no longer hiding, walked straight over.
Eve's gaze swept back and forth between the Robot's copper-orange metal shell and the young man's orange goggles, her brows slightly furrowed, "Who are you?"
The Robot raised a hand, its metal knuckles gleaming with a copper-orange luster in the sunlight, and a steady, polite mechanical voice emanated, "You can just call me Robot. I am currently assembling a team of teenage heroes—the Teen Team—intending to train a group of new-generation heroes to deal with the endless crises in the city together."
Its optical lens first looked toward Eve, extending an invitation with a sincere attitude, "Eve, I have been observing you for a while; you possess excellent abilities and a heart dedicated to protecting civilians, and I sincerely invite you to join us."
Then the lens turned toward Marcus, the tone becoming cautious and polite, "As for Your Excellency, Cosmic Superman. You possess extremely formidable strength; if you have any needs in the future, the Teen Team welcomes you at any time."
Marcus declined in a flat tone, "No need, I have no intention of joining any organization or team."
Rex had his hands in his pockets, tilted his head, and looked Marcus up and down, a lazy smile on his lips, "I'm saying, buddy, no need to act so cold, right? It was just dealing with the Mauler Twins; I could have handled that easily too."
Little Spider, perched on his shoulder, stared at Rex's grinning face, its voice filled with obvious annoyance, "Master, this guy is so arrogant. Let me teach him a lesson for you."
Before Marcus could even open his mouth, Little Spiderhad already launched itself from his shoulder, pouncing directly onto Rex's face.
Its petite body scurried back and forth across Rex's forehead and bridge of his nose, its slender, sharp front legs constantly tapping at his eyebrows, eyelids, and other areas.
Rex felt as if his face were being pricked by a dozen tiny needles at once; he let out a miserable yelp, recoiled a step, and clawed wildly at his face, his voice cracking as he screamed, "Ah! There's a spider! Robot, save me! Get it off!"
His fingers swiped across his forehead and nose, but every time he was about to touch Little Spider, the little guy would nimbly jump to the other side and continue to jab fiercely at his eyebrows.
Robot ignored him.
Its optical lens didn't even turn toward Rex, but simply looked steadily at Eve, its tone still polite and calm, "Eve, what have you decided?"
Chapter 70 Agreeing to Teach Eve to Cultivate, Running into a Society Elder at Dinner
Eve was silent for a while, her fingers unconsciously pinching the edge of her battle suit, and she said softly, "Give me a few more days."
"Okay." The Robot replied steadily, its optical lenses turning toward Eve, its tone still polite, "I have already sent the address of the Young Heroes Team to your phone. If you want to join us, you can come find me at any time."
At this moment, Marcus turned his head to look at the Little Spider, which was still jumping around on Rex's head, and called out, "Come back."
Hearing Marcus's summons, the Little Spider immediately leaped from the top of Rex's head, tracing a small, pale gold arc in the air, and landed steadily back on Marcus's shoulder. It tilted its head, its front legs gesturing excitedly, its voice full of joy, "Master, aren't I amazing!"
Marcus raised the corners of his mouth slightly, his tone carrying a hint of indulgent laughter, "Amazing, amazing."
Rex rubbed his forehead, which had been pricked red, rushed a few steps in front of Marcus, pointed at the smug Little Spider, and said with an irritated tone, "Your spider is attacking me, and you're not even going to do anything about it?"
Marcus looked down at him, his tone flat, "It's just playing with you."
"Oh, playing with me, is it?" Rex cracked his knuckles, stomped his foot, and was about to rush forward. The Robot extended a metal arm from behind, precisely grabbing him by the back of his collar and lifting him into mid-air, "Stop messing around."
The Robot dragged him away, turning and walking in the direction they had come from. Rex kicked his legs wildly in the air, his hands futilely prying at the Robot's wrist, while he shouted unwillingly, "Who's messing around with him! I'm going to teach him how to be a good master—" The voice grew more and more distant, disappearing completely after turning the corner.
Marcus withdrew his gaze and turned to Eve beside him, "I should be going too."
After saying this, Marcus lightly pushed off the ground, his figure flying off into the distance.
Eve watched the black and red figure fly away without looking back, then hurriedly pushed off the ground to ascend, chasing after Marcus. She didn't fly very fast, but she pursued him persistently.
Marcus hadn't flown far when he heard the sound of rushing wind getting closer behind him. He slowed down, turned to the side, and looked at Eve, who was chasing him, "Is there anything else?"
Eve was panting slightly, her cheeks flushed with a faint red from the chase. She stabilized her figure beside Marcusand organized her thoughts before speaking, "My home is also in this direction; we can fly a part of the way together."
"Sure."
The two flew side-by-side over the roofs of several apartment buildings. Eve turned her head to examine the black and red battle suit on Marcus, and finally couldn't help but ask the question she had wanted to ask earlier, "Cosmic Superman, are you a superhero from the East? I don't think I've ever heard of your title."
"No, I am not a superhero." Marcus's tone was flat. As he spoke, his thoughts stirred slightly, and the Aether Particleon his chest surged out silently. The black and red battle suit transformed into a set of ordinary dark gray casual clothes amidst a dark red flow of light, "I am just an ordinary person living as I please."
Eve's eyes lit up instantly. She was so excited she almost did a somersault in the air, her voice full of irrepressible excitement, "Is your ability the same as mine? Can you also manipulate atoms?"
As she spoke, she also raised her hand, and pink energy surged from her fingertips, decomposing and restructuring her pink battle suit into an ordinary T-shirt and jeans.
After she finished showing him, she pointed at the dark gray casual clothes on Marcus, then pointed at the T-shirt on herself; the joy of finding someone like her was almost overflowing from her eyes.
Marcus looked at her appearance and said in a calm tone, "I cannot manipulate atoms. The reason I can restructure matter is due to other reasons."
"No matter the reason," Eve interrupted without thinking, her hands unconsciously clasped in front of her chest, her voice full of anticipation, "You still have the same ability as me. So, can you teach me how to become stronger?"
Marcus looked at those sparkling eyes and was silent for a moment.
"…No problem."
Eve almost jumped in the air, a big smile blooming on her face, "That's great!"
She suddenly remembered something, looked down at the familiar apartment building below, and hurriedly stopped her momentum, "My home is here, right below. I'm going back first!"
"Okay." Marcus nodded. Eve had just descended a few meters when she suddenly turned back, a look of embarrassment on her face, "I don't know where you live yet, how will I find you then?"
Marcus was silent for a moment. He indeed didn't have a place to stay yet. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding neighborhood, when he suddenly locked onto a Chinese restaurant with red lanterns hanging, just a short distance ahead at the street corner, with a faded handwritten menu posted on the door.
"I will go to that Chinese restaurant to eat tonight." He raised his hand and pointed to the shop, "You can just come find me then. By that time, I should have already found a house."
Eve followed his finger and looked over, carefully memorizing the location of the shop in her heart, and nodded readily, "Okay, then I'm going home first."
"Mm."
Marcus watched Eve's figure disappear into the apartment window, then turned and flew toward the other end of the city. Over the next few hours, he looked at several houses and finally selected a detached villa in the suburbs of Chicago. He paid for it in full with cash, and the agent didn't even glance twice at his identification.
By evening, the sky was darkening, and streetlights were lighting up one after another. Marcus changed into a clean set of casual clothes, let the Little Spider lie on top of his head, and flew toward that Chinese restaurant. From afar, he saw a girl wearing a hoodie standing at the entrance of the restaurant, looking down and gently kicking the ground with the toe of her sneaker.
Marcus landed in front of her, and Eve looked up, a smile immediately blooming on her face.
"You've been waiting for a long time, haven't you?" Marcusasked.
"No, I only just arrived ten minutes ago." Eve hurriedly shook her head, her tone light. Marcus didn't expose her.
"Let's go, let's go inside."
"Okay." Eve replied, following behind him toward the restaurant entrance. Before entering, Marcus conjured a baseball cap and put it on his head, covering the Little Spider tightly.
Eve looked at the hat curiously and asked in a low voice, "Is that Little Spider your pet? It's actually quite cute."
Before Marcus could speak, the Little Spider heard her from inside the hat, its childish voice transmitting into his mind through the brim, its tone full of pride, "Master, this person actually has good taste! Since she likes me so much, why don't we let her join us too? I can inject her with Totem Power!"
Marcus sat down in a booth by the window, raised his hand to lift the brim of his hat slightly, and whispered to the Little Spider on his head, "Can she become a host for Totem Power?"
"What did you say?" Eve had just picked up the menu and didn't hear what he said clearly.
"Nothing." Marcus took another menu, his tone returning to normal, "Let's order."
As soon as he finished speaking, Marcus's Spider-Sensewas suddenly lightly triggered. He put down the menu and turned his head to look at the door.
An elderly Chinese man was pushing the door open and walking into the restaurant, with rough mechanized modification components embedded in his jaw and neck, followed by a sturdy man over two meters tall.
He didn't feel a fatal threat, but his Spider-Sense captured that there was a kind of extremely Advanced energy flowing inside the old man, and that energy was radiating cold malice all around.
Chapter 71: The Dragon Emerges to Break Out of Prison, But Cannot Defeat the Dragon Soul!
Eve followed Marcus's gaze and also noticed the mechanically modified old man.
She didn't ask any questions; her fingers moved stealthily under the table, pink energy flashing silently at her fingertips as a silver listening device the size of a rice grain instantly condensed into shape.
With a light flick of her wrist, the listening device launched silently, tracing an almost invisible arc and sticking precisely onto the sturdy man's back.
Marcus saw this, his gaze landing on the direction where the listening device had disappeared: "What is this?"
Eve moved her fingers again, conjuring two miniature earpieces. She tucked one into her own ear and handed the other to Marcus, lowering her voice: "This is a listening device. Aren't you a bit curious about that person? This way, we can hear what they're planning to do."
Marcus didn't take the earpiece, only raising his eyes to look at her: "I can hear them speaking."
Eve paused for a moment, but said nothing, neatly and efficiently dismissing the extra earpiece.
The old man and the sturdy man had already walked deeper into the restaurant.
A moment later, the sound of conversation rang out in the earpiece in Eve's ear.
"Has the item I wanted arrived?" The mechanically modified old man's voice was hoarse and low, sounding like sandpaper scraping against a metal surface.
Another voice replied: "Apologies, Mr. Liu. The person carrying the item was caught and sent to prison. The other party said that only after they are released will they be willing to reveal the location of the item."
"What a waste of space." Mr. Liu's hoarse voice reached Eve through the listening device, "You can't even handle a small task like this."
That voice quickly chimed in, its tone full of panic: "I am very sorry, Mr. Liu. Give me a little time, and I will definitely be able to get him out."
"No need to waste time. This time, I will handle it personally."
As his voice fell, Mr. Liu led the sturdy man out from the depths of the restaurant.
The two walked one after the other across the lobby, pushed open the glass door, and disappeared into the night at the street corner.
Eve put down the menu, stood up, and said to Marcus: "They are going to break into the prison. I must go and stop them."
Just as she walked past Marcus, her wrist was firmly gripped.
Marcus said in a steady tone: "You are no match for them."
Eve looked down at the hand clamped on her wrist and took a deep breath: "Even if I am not their match, I still have to stop them. After all, I am a superhero."
She forcefully pulled away from Marcus's hand and rushed out of the restaurant door without looking back.
The glass door swung back and forth behind her.
Little Spider poked half its head out from the edge of the hat brim, its childish voice sounding in his mind: "Master, are we not going to follow?"
Marcus did not answer.
He turned his head to take the plate of Kung Pao Chicken brought over by the waiter, picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece, and put it into his mouth.
After chewing for a moment, he said in a low voice: "The taste is quite authentic."
——————————————————
At an abandoned industrial area.
Following the signal from the listening device, Eve chased them to an empty lot.
Hiding behind a broken wall, she saw that Mr. Liu had his hands gesturing in strange patterns in front of his chest, a deep chanting coming from his throat.
An emerald-green Oriental Dragon charged out from within his body.
Its Dragon body was over ten meters long, its scales shimmering with a faint, cold light under the moonlight, its four claws sharp as hooks, and its Dragon whiskers moving in the night wind without a breeze.
Mr. Liu's body lost support and collapsed softly into the sturdy man's arms.
Watching the Dragon that was about to take flight, Evetook a deep breath and vaulted out from behind the broken wall.
She swung her hands forward, and the atomic energy within her body surged out from her palms, instantly restructuring in mid-air into several massive metal chains glowing with pink light.
They rattled as they wrapped around the Dragon body, locking the Dragon torso firmly in place.
The Dragon felt the sudden tightening of the restraints on its body, and its Dragon head slowly turned downward.
Those vertical pupils locked onto the tiny figure in pink on the ground in the night sky, and the Dragon tail lashed out fiercely, dragging Eve and smashing her into the building behind her.
At the moment she was dragged and smashed into the building, Eve's energy erupted throughout her body, and a pink atomic armor instantly covered her.
The Dragon tail dragged her through the walls of three buildings, with brick and glass fragments pouring down like rain.
The Dragon head turned again, looking at the pink chains wrapped around it.
It raised its front claw and waved it casually; the chains shattered at the sound, and the pink energy fragments fluttered and dissipated in the air.
Just as it was about to turn and fly away again, a giant pink energy drill whistled out from the dust and slammed heavily into its body.
The drill shattered upon impact, without leaving even a scratch on the Dragon scales.
The Dragon's gaze looked toward the dust as the smoke slowly dissipated.
Eve stood in the center of the ruins, with several pink energy spheres floating around her.
Inside each sphere was wrapped a ragged homeless person.
Just now, when the Dragon tail dragged her through the three buildings, she had completed the rescue at the moment the walls collapsed, protecting each of these people curled up in the abandoned buildings one by one.
The spheres slowly landed on the open ground in the distance, their energy shells shattering silently.
The few homeless people fell to the ground, trembling all over but completely unharmed.
The Dragon's gaze swept over the rescued homeless people, and its vertical pupils fell back onto Eve: "Little brat, what are you doing?"
Eve raised the back of her hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth, assuming a fighting stance again: "I will not let you break into the prison."
The Dragon let out a low scoff, its Dragon whiskers swaying slightly in the night wind: "Little brats should just go home and study; don't come here trying to be some kind of superhero."
As its voice fell, it flicked its Dragon tail, and its massive body twisted in the air with an agility completely at odds with its size, flying at full speed toward the prison.
Eve hurriedly pushed off the ground and rose into the air, pink energy exploding beneath her feet, pushing her to chase after it.
But the emerald Dragon silhouette ahead was getting smaller and smaller, the distance rapidly widening.
She gritted her teeth and swung her hands backward, the atomic energy within her body surging from her palms to condense out of thin air behind her into several streamlined pink thrusters.
The thrusters ignited simultaneously, her speed skyrocketing, tracing an arc in the air as she swept directly above the Dragon.
Eve raised both hands over her head, her internal atomic energy pouring out like a bursting dam, condensing above her head into a giant hammer the size of a truck.
Using the strength of her waist and abdomen, she twisted her body half a circle in the air, the giant hammer carrying a shrill whistling sound as it slammed fiercely onto the top of the Dragon head.
"Bang!" A dull, thunderous sound exploded in the night sky.
The Dragon's massive body was knocked down several meters by this hammer blow, its Dragon head swaying slightly, but on its emerald scales, apart from a few sparks of fine energy splashing up, there wasn't even a single crack.
It stabilized its body, its vertical pupils slowly rising to lock onto the panting girl above it.
"You actually want to die that much."
The Dragon's voice was low and cold, and the night wind froze around it for a moment, "Then go die."
As its voice fell, its Dragon tail whipped fiercely behind it, and the ten-plus-meter-long Dragon body shot upward at an incredible speed, its Dragon mouth wide open, sharp fangs gleaming with a chilling, eerie light under the moonlight, as it bit down directly toward Eve.
Chapter 72: The Immortal Suffers a Crushing Defeat, Marcus Faces an Indestructible Foe
The thrusters behind Eve erupted with pink flames once more, pushing her forward in the nick of time.
The Dragon's maw snapped shut behind her, the crisp sound of fangs colliding exploding almost right at her heels.
Before she could adjust her posture, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a jade-green afterimage; the Dragon's tail had silently swept in from the side.
Instinctively, she crossed her arms, and pink atomic energy condensed into a shield before her.
The Dragon's tail struck the shield with immense force; the energy barrier shattered like glass, and the remaining momentum slammed into her chest.
Her pink atomic armor instantly disintegrated into countless specks of light, and she tumbled toward the ground.
A hand firmly supported her back.
The force of her tumble was silently neutralized by that palm. Dizzied, Eve barely managed to raise her head, following the arm to see the figure beside her.
A black and red battle suit, a pale golden U-shaped emblem on the chest, and that face that still carried no expression.
"... Cosmic Superman." Her voice was hoarse, and traces of blood still hung from the corner of her mouth.
Marcus withdrew his hand, his tone steady: "Are you okay?"
Eve steadied herself and raised a hand to wipe the blood from her mouth: "Thank you, I'm fine."
Before the words had faded, the Dragon soared into the air once more. Its jade-green body circled half a turn in the night sky, vertical pupils locked tightly onto the pair, its jaws wide open, a cold glint flashing between its fangs.
Just as Eve assumed a combat stance, a roar erupted from the sky: "Monster, stop!"
A figure interwoven with blue, yellow, and white descended from the sky, slamming into the side of the Dragon's body like a cannonball, the impact driving the entire Dragon from mid-air into the ground.
Rubble and dust shot into the sky.
The newcomer hovered in mid-air, a blue, yellow, and white battle suit clinging to his frame, long black hair combed back, and a thick beard covering most of his face.
He glanced down at the struggling Dragon beneath his feet, then looked up, his gaze falling on Marcus and Eve, his voice rough and urgent: "Take the injured child and go!"
Without waiting for a response, he turned and charged again at the Dragon that had just risen to its feet.
Marcus withdrew his gaze and said to Eve: "You should rest for a moment. With The Immortal here, nothing will happen—"
Before he could finish, a roar came from below.
The two looked down to see the Dragon's mouth firmly biting down on The Immortal, its upper and lower jaws slowly closing.
The Immortal braced his hands and feet against the top and bottom of the Dragon's maw, every muscle in his body strained to the limit, veins bulging on his arms as he barely held off the two rows of tightening fangs, preventing them from closing completely.
Marcus watched this scene, silent for a moment. He had just said nothing would happen, and yet The Immortal was currently clamped in the Dragon's mouth.
Eve pushed off with both hands, about to rush down to help, but Marcus raised a hand to stop her.
He handed the packed meal to Eve, the baseball cap on his head silently dissolving, and his dark grey casual clothes transformed into his black and red battle suit amidst a dark red stream of light.
Little Spider leaped from the top of his head, landing steadily on Eve's head.
"You wait here, I'm going to help."
In the next instant, his figure vanished from beside Eve and appeared out of thin air at the side of the Dragon.
The muscles in his right arm tensed abruptly, and his fist struck the Dragon's cheek squarely.
Jade-green scales shattered and flew under the force of the blow, and the entire Dragon body was sent flying sideways by this punch, plowing a deep trench dozens of meters long into the ground.
The Dragon's mouth was forced open, and The Immortalrolled out from between its fangs.
The Immortal flipped and flew up, landing beside Marcus, breathing heavily: "Thank you."
In the distance, the Dragon slowly propped itself up, dark green blood oozing from where its scales had shattered.
It shook its head, its vertical pupils no longer as furious as before.
"The Dragon Soul tells me that you all possess high-dimensional energy." Its voice was much deeper, as if relaying an order from a higher-dimensional will. "Since our energy all comes from the high-dimensional world, we should not fight each other."
The Immortal raised his arm to wipe the blood from his face, staring at the blood-soaked Dragon, his voice cold and hard as iron: "I am not like you, monster."
He kicked off the ground and shot forward like an arrow from a bowstring: "I will never kill a child!"
"Wait!" Marcus reached out to grab him, but his fingertips only brushed the air at the edge of The Immortal's cape.
The distance between the charging The Immortal and the Dragon closed in an instant, but he was met by a Dragon claw that had long been poised to strike. As the blade passed, The Immortal's battle suit and flesh were sliced clean open, and blood sprayed into the air in a glaring arc.
Immediately following, the Dragon's tail swept across, knocking him away like a kite with a broken string, slamming him heavily into the ruins, where no sound could be heard from him again.
Marcus watched this scene and let out a slow sigh.
In the next instant, his figure vanished from where he stood. Before the Dragon's vertical pupils could even turn, Marcus had crashed into its chest, pushing the dozen-meter-long Dragon body into the ground like a meteorite.
The earth shook violently, and the shockwave spreading from the point of impact sent all the surrounding rubble flying.
Marcus straddled the Dragon's head, his right fist raised high, and smashed it down; scales shattered, and dark green blood splattered onto his battle suit.
His left fist followed closely behind, and the scales on its cheekbone cracked.
The third punch, the upper jaw collapsed.
The fourth punch, an eyeball squeezed out from the shattered eye socket.
The fifth punch, the sixth punch, the seventh punch—the Dragon's limbs were still struggling, and its tail whipped the ground frantically, carving deep trenches into the asphalt road.
He rained down punch after punch, his speed increasing, the purple energy on his fists mixing with the Dragon's blood, steaming into a dark green mist in the night wind.
Until the Dragon's entire head was completely smashed, broken bones and scales scattered everywhere, and the Dragon's body finally fell silent.
Marcus stopped punching, stood up slowly from the Dragon's body, shook his fist stained with dark green blood, and flew into mid-air.
He looked down; within seconds, the shattered Dragon head began to reform under the pull of some invisible force—bones returned to place, scales regenerated, and those vertical pupils lit up once again with a cold, jade-green light.
The Dragon slowly propped up its massive body, broken scales and coagulated dark green blood falling from it with a rustling sound.
It raised its newly regenerated head, its vertical pupils reflecting Marcus's figure, its tone carrying a hint of mockery: "It's useless. I also possess the divine power from the high-dimensional world; you cannot kill me."
Marcus scanned it indifferently: "Is that so?"
Before the words had faded, his figure vanished from where he stood, and in the next instant, he appeared out of thin air directly beneath the Dragon.
The Dragon's vertical pupils constricted sharply, and before it could make any reaction, Marcus's hands were already pressed against the scales of its cold underbelly.
The energy within him erupted like an awakened volcano, and between his palms, a purple energy column several meters in diameter poured into the Dragon's body at point-blank range.
The purple light pierced through the Dragon's body, entering from the abdomen and exiting through the spine, swallowing the Dragon's upper body along with that newly regenerated head.
The energy column shot straight into the sky, tearing a huge hole in the clouds of the night sky.
A few seconds later, the light column dissipated, and the Dragon's upper body had vanished without a trace, leaving only half a tail connected to a small remnant of the body, which fell limply to the ground.
However, at the severed end of the remnant, flesh and bone began to grow on their own again. Within seconds, a complete Dragon appeared before Marcus once more.
It worked its newly grown jaw: "See? You cannot kill me."