All the Skrulls had been training relentlessly over the past few days.
Every gene within their bodies was being continuously activated!
"It's just a shame that we weren't able to collect all the Ultimate Weapons before making our move!"
Dotilt still regretted that they had failed to obtain every weapon they wanted.
It truly was a pity...
He believed that their civilization and homeworld already stood among the most advanced in the entire Multiverse.
But their ambitions extended far beyond the territory they currently possessed.
"Once we take Earth and claim its throne, everything there will belong to us."
Tothwanwell smiled faintly.
The diamond in his hand was instantly crushed into powder.
He brought his palm to his mouth and blew gently.
The diamond dust scattered through the air.
Even the toughest rocks were as fragile as chips in his hands.
A mere gust of wind could scatter what remained...
"My Lord, your power truly is incredible!"
"We'll make them surrender obediently. They won't have any opportunity to resist."
Hearing this, Tothwanwell merely smiled faintly.
His current strength was already enough, in his mind, to conquer Earth.
Eventually, every superhero would be replaced by the Skrulls.
"What's so impressive about them?"
"Whatever powers they possess, we can replicate them without anyone noticing!"
"We need to make every person on Earth understand that the superheroes they depend on—the people they believe will rescue them in times of crisis—cannot actually be trusted!"
"Once their faith completely collapses, Earth will naturally fall into our hands!"
Tothwanwell swept his hand outward.
Dotilt understood that he had received his orders.
He had to begin immediately.
There was no time to waste!
Karl stood in their way, and countless other unpredictable variables remained.
The Skrulls had poured enormous effort into this plan and had been preparing it for years.
Now they would carry it out one step at a time.
"Replacing the heroes isn't enough!"
"We must also destroy the public's trust in them. Once Earth falls, all of its power will ultimately belong to us!"
A fierce light burned in Tothwanwell's eyes.
His emotions surged.
The power within his body became increasingly difficult to restrain.
Heat gathered in his palm.
He suddenly struck forward!
Boom!
A massive hole appeared in the throne!
"Karl, just you wait!"
"You may have defeated me this time, but once I finish what needs to be done, you won't escape!"
"When that time comes, I won't merely force you to submit before me. Every trace of energy inside your body—including the Phoenix Force—will become mine to use!"
"By then, even if you want to escape, it won't be so easy."
Tothwanwell revealed a confident smile.
Meanwhile, Karl suddenly sneezed violently while sitting at home.
He had no idea who might be talking about him behind his back.
Normally, when Karl wasn't training, he stayed inside his Personal Universe, developing it further or leisurely drinking tea.
But ever since Tothwanwell had personally come after him, Karl had been unable to shake his unease.
"Besides waiting for the right moment and gathering all those Ultimate Weapons, I keep getting the feeling that they're completely certain of victory."
"Seeing them replicate superheroes last time was already surprising enough."
"Could they be preparing something else as well?"
A huge question mark formed in Karl's mind.
But for now, it was only speculation.
He had no way to verify it.
Karl shook his head.
At the moment, he needed to devote all his attention to fully integrating the Phoenix Force with his own power.
Only then would he be able to control all of that energy completely without risking any unexpected accidents.
The more thoroughly he mastered it through training, the less likely he would be to falter when a real battle began.
Karl firmly believed that the Phoenix Force choosing him meant there was some kind of affinity between them.
As long as he trained properly, everything would continue improving.
Meanwhile, Tothwanwell had already dispatched a large number of Skrulls disguised as superheroes to infiltrate Earth.
"All the superheroes are now ours to use!"
"But whether we can complete the mission smoothly remains uncertain. Those people aren't easy to fool."
Dotilt had already anticipated that those useless sorcerers would become a major obstacle to their plans.
"All the Skrulls have already mobilized!"
"If those people want to protect Earth, let them come!"
"Let's see whether the superheroes under my command are stronger or whether those useless fools can actually stop us!"
"If we keep hesitating because we're afraid of every possible threat, we'll never accomplish anything."
"Carry out my orders."
Dotilt received the command and respectfully withdrew.
Once he had stepped away, he led the Skrulls disguised as superheroes back to their mission.
Dotilt had prepared a meticulous plan.
A direct frontal assault would naturally be the worst possible strategy.
He had something far more sophisticated in mind.
A sinister smile appeared at the corner of Dotilt's mouth.
Just thinking about it filled him with anticipation.
"We'll see what happens."
"Those foolish humans occupying Earth's resources will eventually fall completely under our control!"
"Everything will return to our hands!"
"When that time comes, they'll have no choice but to kneel and beg for mercy."
"And the Skrulls will deliver the final blow."
At that moment, Earth was bathed in bright sunlight.
Near the edge of a desert stood an inconspicuous little house.
Amid the blowing sand, it looked as though it might collapse at any moment.
It seemed dangerously fragile.
But beyond that small house and beneath the ground was an entirely different world!
In a desert where there wasn't a single drop of water for miles, an enormous underground complex had been built.
There was something resembling a huge aquarium.
There were swimming pools.
There were even villas!
Sunlight had been channeled down from somewhere above.
The underground complex didn't feel stuffy at all.
Instead, the warm sunlight and shimmering water created an unexpectedly peaceful atmosphere.
Ant-Man was relaxing there with his feet propped up, a magazine spread open in his hands.
Unfortunately, he had already read the same magazines countless times.
Almost everything about hiding in this desert was comfortable.
The only problem was the terrible signal.
He could enjoy some peace and quiet here, but he couldn't connect to the internet at all!
"I'm bored to death!"
"I wonder if anything interesting has happened lately..."
Ant-Man reluctantly got to his feet.
Suddenly—
His phone rang.
Ant-Man immediately perked up.
Ever since arriving here, almost nobody had known how to reach his private line.
Most of the people who did know it were close acquaintances.
The moment he looked at the caller ID, Ant-Man became much more energetic.
"Well, look at that. I didn't expect you to still remember me."
Hope van Dyne's voice came softly from the other end of the call.
"I'm already outside."
"Hurry up and open the door for me!"
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
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