"I was planning to take him back to headquarters, but since you've shown up too, I might as well earn myself another achievement!"
Every Skrull knew about Karl.
His actions had already caused considerable discussion within their ranks, and many of them believed he was exceptionally troublesome and posed a serious threat to their entire planet.
"I can't possibly turn down credit that delivered itself right to my doorstep!"
The fake Hope was extremely excited.
Desperate to distinguish herself, she immediately focused and prepared to attack Karl again.
But Karl was hardly an easy target!
Since the Skrulls were determined to capture him, Karl merely smiled.
"Of course. Tothwanwell already failed to capture me twice. His men were completely useless."
"Let's see how much stronger you are than those failures."
"Try not to disappoint me."
Karl glanced at Ant-Man, who had already lost consciousness.
There was no point expecting any help from him now.
Karl would have to handle everything himself!
But after successfully taking Ant-Man down, the fake Hope's confidence had soared.
She genuinely believed she could complete this mission smoothly without suffering a single casualty.
When she heard Karl insulting the power of her lord, even her normally controlled temper finally broke.
"You dare insult my lord?"
"I'm telling you right now—if I don't take your head today, I won't stop until I do!"
Karl smirked.
This impostor certainly had some courage.
Now he wanted to see whether she actually possessed enough ability to take his head.
"I hope so."
"I just hope you're a little stronger than that worthless lord of yours."
"Don't disappoint me. Otherwise, I won't just look down on you—I'll look down on your entire race."
Karl burst out laughing.
His provocation worked exactly as intended!
The fake Hope immediately clenched her fist and fired a wave of light directly at him.
At the same time, her body rapidly shrank.
Within moments, she had become so small that Karl could no longer see her with the naked eye.
Sure enough, the Skrulls hadn't merely replicated Hope van Dyne's appearance.
Her face, her abilities, and even the way her powers functioned had all been reproduced almost perfectly!
"You Skrulls really are intelligent!"
"I have to admit, the speed at which you copy other people's abilities is impressive."
"I thought you were at least smart enough to be interesting, but now it looks like you're just another idiot."
Karl watched as she shrank to roughly the size of an ant and disappeared from sight.
He immediately rose to the highest point in the room and created a spherical shield around himself!
The defense completely enclosed him from every direction.
The fake Hope had no way to break through it.
She thought Karl's approach was shameless.
Karl, however, believed that battle was about victory and defeat. There was no such thing as fighting too unfairly when your life was at stake.
"If I'm really that difficult to catch, then come down here, lower your head, apologize, and admit you were wrong!"
"I won't hold the rest against you."
"But you people keep resorting to these underhanded tricks. It really makes it difficult for me to respect you."
"If you want to fight me properly, then bring it on. Stop hiding in corners like a coward."
The moment Karl finished speaking, the fake Hope suddenly appeared behind Ant-Man.
Ant-Man was still barely conscious and had absolutely no idea what was happening around him.
Karl didn't dare launch an attack recklessly.
One careless strike could easily kill Ant-Man.
Karl understood that the impostor's mission wasn't merely to obtain Ant-Man's DNA.
More importantly, she had to abduct him.
Otherwise, Ant-Man would remain an unpredictable variable in the Skrulls' plans.
The impostor was secretive, desperate to earn recognition, and extremely easy to provoke.
Karl had already seized on all three weaknesses.
"You may be able to imitate Hope van Dyne's appearance, voice, and behavior, but you will never actually become her!"
"You're nothing more than a sewer rat hiding beneath someone else's face, terrified of ever being exposed to the light."
"Do you really think that's something to be proud of?"
"Or do you actually believe you're capable of controlling everything?"
"As far as I'm concerned, you're incredibly weak."
The fake Hope's face turned bright red.
A vicious light erupted in her eyes.
Karl knew she had taken the bait.
The moment her emotions became unstable, an opening would appear.
Karl could still control his own power perfectly.
And his first priority was to take this impostor down!
"What a shame. We let you escape from the palace last time, but you absolutely won't escape this time!"
"I'm curious, though. How exactly did you discover me?"
"I thought I had concealed every trace of my movements perfectly."
"With an appearance this convincing, how did you realize something was wrong?"
Karl had to admit that it was a good question.
The Skrulls could plan everything with extraordinary precision.
But no plan was completely flawless.
"When you approached him, I could smell something on you that told me exactly what you were."
"A smell?"
"What smell?"
The fake Hope had no idea what Karl was talking about.
She believed her disguise had been perfect, yet Karl had somehow exposed her anyway.
She refused to accept it.
Something inside her seemed to push her toward attacking again.
She had to seize the initiative!
But then she noticed a brilliant radiance gathering around Karl's hand.
For the first time, the thought of retreat entered her mind.
Karl smiled faintly.
"You people are practically machines wearing false faces, relying on disguises to deceive everyone around you."
"And with tricks this simple, you actually think you can conquer Earth?"
"Don't you think you're overestimating yourselves?"
"Even if you perfectly replicated Hope van Dyne's body, your soul still isn't hers!"
Karl fired the wave of energy directly at her.
The fake Hope froze in shock.
The brilliant energy struck her squarely!
She staggered backward several steps.
The power was terrifying!
She possessed Hope van Dyne's replicated abilities and speed, yet she still hadn't been able to dodge!
She couldn't withstand the attack either.
Just what kind of power did this man possess?
The sheer force terrified her, and even her confidence began to collapse.
Realizing that she couldn't defeat him, she immediately tried to escape.
But Karl waved his hand.
The escape route instantly sealed shut.
When Karl saw her preparing to shrink again, he immediately cast an Immobilization Spell and locked her firmly in place.
His immobilization magic still worked perfectly!
The fake Hope struggled violently, twisting her shoulders, but she couldn't move at all.
"Damn you! Filthy sorcerer! What did you use on me this time?"
"Why can't I move?!"
"Let me go right now!"
She shouted through clenched teeth.
Her voice had weakened, but the fury in her tone was impossible to miss.
Karl found the sight rather amusing.
He walked closer and lightly touched the skin on her arm.
It really did feel exactly like real human skin.
"Your species really does have an incredible ability."
"It's just a shame that you keep using something this impressive for all the wrong purposes."
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
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