The dust of the Universe had not yet settled, and the remnants of battle floated between shattered galaxies.
Under the confinement of the Titan energy array, the constantly mutating and howling Old Mark was finally compressed into a violently fluctuating dark energy sphere, its interior continuously bulging with struggling outlines that sent shivers down one's spine.
The Titan Avatars emerged like ghosts, their glow dimmer than usual, as if maintaining this confinement array had consumed immense energy.
The leading Avatar extended a stream of light, drawing the restless energy sphere into a container etched with unknown runes.
"This defilement originates from ancient evil and requires special means for complete purification."
The Titan's thought waves carried a hint of imperceptible urgency.
"It is best handled by us."
Regent Mark of Universe 1 nodded slightly, his sharp red eyes scanning the container, asking no further questions.
He had dealt with the Titan Clan before and knew the ways of these ancient beings; since they were willing to take on this hot potato, he was happy to be at ease.
"Deal with it quickly. I don't want to see this kind of thing appear in any Universe again."
Regent Mark's voice carried an undeniable tone of command.
The Titan Avatar did not respond, only quietly vanished with the container, as if it had never appeared.
Turning around, Regent Mark looked at his unconscious counterpart from Universe 9 in his arms.
The other Mark was covered in blood, which had already congealed, and his breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible. His iconic battle suit was badly damaged, revealing horrific wounds beneath.
Especially the large wound in his abdomen, pierced by a bone spike, which, though no longer bleeding, showed no signs of healing.
"Hold on, brother."
Regent Mark whispered, steadily supporting the other Mark, and transformed into a streak of light, speeding towards the Alliance spaceship.
The Alliance spaceship's hatch had just opened when Rui Jia was the first to rush out. When she saw the familiar yet heavily scarred figure in Regent Mark's arms, her face instantly turned ashen white.
"Mark!" she gasped, almost losing her footing.
White Lion and Bearded Mark followed closely, equally shocked into silence by Mark's terrible state.
What surprised them even more was that the man holding Mark had a face almost identical to Mark's, but his demeanor was colder and more arrogant, dressed in an emperor-like black and gold battle armor, with a red cape silently fluttering in the vacuum.
"This... this is?"
White Lion protectively stood in front of Rui Jia, his claws slightly extended.
"Relax, big cat."
Regent Mark glanced at him indifferently, carrying Mark of Universe 9 directly into the spaceship.
"I am Mark Grayson from Universe 1, consider me his... brother. Now, take me to your medical bay immediately."
His tone naturally carried a sense of command from one long accustomed to authority, making everyone involuntarily obey.
Inside the medical bay, Rui Jia's trembling hands tried to perform an initial examination on Mark, but her medical instruments couldn't even pierce Mark's skin.
The top medical experts and equipment from various civilizations, who arrived later, were equally helpless in the face of Mark's condition.
High-intensity laser scalpels could not leave even a scratch on Mark's skin, nanobot repair machines could not penetrate his bio-force field, and the strongest stimulants and repair fluid injector needles all broke.
"This is impossible! Every life form should have a weakness, an accessible interface!"
A doctor from a highly advanced technological civilization cried out in despair.
Time passed minute by minute. Mark's vital signs, though weak, remained stubbornly stable, showing no signs of improvement, but also no further deterioration.
He hung on the brink of life and death, with all medical treatments seemingly ineffective.
Rui Jia finally collapsed, sinking to the ground, tears silently streaming down her face.
She had just found the possibility of happiness; was she to lose it this way?
"A bunch of fools."
A cold voice came from the medical bay door. Regent Mark stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe, a look of undisguised mockery on his face.
"You've been fussing around for so long, has no one figured out the source of his power, or why he could become so strong?"
Everyone looked at him blankly.
Regent Mark sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Cosmic radiation, and stellar light energy, especially the energy from yellow suns—this is the fundamental source for him to sustain life, gain power, and heal injuries. What good is it for you to poke him with these low-civilization toys?"
He walked forward, ignoring the expensive medical equipment, and looked directly at Mark's life data on the monitoring screen.
"In my Universe, he was also severely injured before, almost dying."
Regent Mark's voice softened for a rare moment.
"We just put him on a stellar instrument to 'sunbathe' him. Looking at your technological level, I doubt you have decent stellar energy collection and conversion technology."
He straightened up, looking around.
"The simplest way is to find a sturdy unmanned spaceship, send him to the safest orbit closest to your sun, and leave the rest to time and his own body."
Hope rekindled in Rui Jia's eyes.
She immediately struggled to her feet, giving hoarse orders.
"Quick! Prepare immediately! Use the fastest scout ship! Clear all non-essential items from the cabin, set automatic navigation to perihelion!"
The entire Alliance immediately began operating efficiently.
An hour later, an emergency-modified light scout ship, carrying the unconscious Mark, shot towards the nearest star like an arrow from a bowstring.
Earth's sun.
The spaceship was equipped with the most advanced observation equipment, transmitting data in real-time back to the Alliance every second.
When the spaceship reached its designated orbit, exposed to extremely intense solar radiation and high temperatures, its outer shell began to melt and deform at a visible rate.
However, the unconscious Mark, as if an infant returning to its mother's womb, automatically began absorbing the violent stellar energy, and a faint golden aura appeared around his body.
"Oh my God..."
In the observation center, people gasped in disbelief.
However, something even more terrifying happened.
Due to the rapid melting of the spaceship and structural failure, the device fixing Mark suddenly detached. Under the influence of gravity, Mark's body broke free from the melting spaceship and plummeted directly towards the scorching star like a meteorite!
"No!!!"
Rui Jia screamed, lunging towards the control panel, but was held back by others.
In the image, Mark's figure was swiftly engulfed by the sun's giant prominences and dazzling plasma ocean, disappearing from view.
The observation center fell into a deathly silence, and despair once again enveloped everyone.
Only Regent Mark of Universe 1 remained calm.
His technical team was rapidly analyzing the last transmitted data.
"Energy absorption rate is increasing exponentially... bio-force field strength is slowly recovering... vital signs are stable..."
The technical personnel reported.
"See?"
Regent Mark said to the almost-collapsed Rui Jia and the others.
"For an existence like him, falling into the sun is like an ordinary person jumping into a hot spring, except this hot spring's healing effects are much better. Now, we can only wait."
He walked to the viewport, looking at the distant, dazzling star, its light reflected in his red eyes.
"Wait for him to wake up on his own."
...
At the same time, in an unknown, dark corner of Universe 9, space rippled like viscous grease, and a blurry figure slowly condensed.
It had no fixed form, seemingly composed of the purest shadow and malice, with only a pair of cold, emotionless eyes slowly opening. It gazed towards the sun, as if it could penetrate countless spatial barriers to see the miracle unfolding deep within that star.
A low, hoarse snort, as if composed of the overlapping wails of billions of beings, echoed in the void.
"Poor young god... still thought it could struggle for a bit longer... truly uninteresting."
"However... as a slightly special bug... it's worth my slight attention..."
"Destroying everything you cherish... what kind of beautiful wails will that make you utter... truly something to look forward to..."
"Let you live a bit longer for now... the final dessert... always saved for last..."
The whisper was filled with playful and cruel anticipation.
Immediately after, the shadowy Avatar seemed to sense something else, letting out an even colder laugh.
"Titans... those skulking rats... as expected, they couldn't resist making a move..."
"Do you think cutting off my link to my Avatar will make you safe? Ridiculous..."
"The grudge of the seal... the hatred of obstruction... sooner or later, I will settle accounts with you..."
"When I recover my full power... that will be the end of your days of hiding..."
The shadow slowly dissipated, leaving only malicious whispers echoing slowly in the void, pervasive like cosmic background radiation, signaling a greater storm brewing.
Deep within the sun, immense pressure and terrifying temperatures exceeding tens of millions of degrees were a hell of instant vaporization for ordinary beings, but for Mark, it was like a warm womb.
He floated within the plasma ocean, unconsciously absorbing the vast, endless stellar energy.
The terrible wounds on his body began to writhe and heal at a visible rate, broken bones reconnected, and depleted energy rapidly replenished.
His consciousness was submerged at the bottom of a warm golden ocean, as if he had experienced a long and painful nightmare, in which he fought a desperate battle with an unkillable, constantly evolving monster...
His finger, unconsciously, twitched slightly.
The scorching plasma surrounding him seemed to ripple with it.
Waking up was only a matter of time.
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