Kapitel 199: Effect
There's a saying that everything in the universe has its counterbalance.
Even Blake himself had nearly forgotten that he, as Asgard's God of Fire, initially awakened his powers by unintentionally absorbing the Eternal Flame. This inadvertently triggered Odin's fire god essence imprint, which had been used to seal Hela.
In other words, Blake's status as the God of Fire was essentially Asgard's ignition system, but now fueled by the higher-grade Eternal Flame.
Although Blake's body had yet to reach its peak potential, the fundamental nature of his flames remained unchanged.
Alioth, which claimed to be able to devour all forms of energy, derived this power from its very nature: a chaotic, amorphous energy mist capable of assimilating any other energy.
However, the Eternal Flame, said to burn eternally without extinguishing, was a different beast altogether. When exposed to energy, it became even more volatile, expanding rapidly.
It could only be said that Alioth had met its nemesis.
Ordinary flames would extinguish the moment they entered the cloud's domain. Yet, against the Eternal Flame, which required no fuel to burn indefinitely, Alioth had no advantage.
The flames flared wildly. Though Alioth was not an intelligent being, its instinctive reaction kicked in as its body started to burn and vaporize.
It charged fiercely at Blake, but the flames quickly spread over its form.
With a mournful wail, it abruptly turned tail and retreated at lightning speed, even faster than it had arrived.
The flames burning on its body fell away in chunks as it fled, trying to prevent its entire form from being consumed by Blake's fire.
"Huh?"
Blake watched the retreating cloud, now shedding flaming pieces, and laughed, raising a hand as if to stop it.
"Don't go! It's our first meeting, and you're leaving after just a handshake? Why not stay and chat a little?"
Whether Alioth heard Blake's words or it had finally rid itself of the flames, its speed increased again as it fled farther into the distance.
Blake burst into laughter and dealt with the flames that had fallen to the ground.
Originally, he had only intended to test things out. Who would've thought the results would far exceed his expectations? Next time, he could bring Groot along for a proper study session.
Since Alioth was no longer a threat, Blake decided to take Groot and figure out whether they could escape this place without relying on the system—or at least uncover what was hidden within the red clouds.
After sorting everything out, Blake treated himself to a good night's sleep.
The next day, he flew through the skies with Groot, actively searching for Alioth.
Previously, due to Alioth's looming threat, Blake and Groot had stuck close to the ruins of nearby cities, never venturing too far.
But now, with Alioth as their target, Blake finally realized how vast the place truly was.
Chasing after the direction the red clouds had retreated, Blake flew with Groot for what felt like an entire circuit around Earth, yet Alioth remained nowhere in sight.
Along the way, they came across all sorts of bizarre sights, including another desolate New York City. On the ground, Blake even spotted the ruins of Stark Tower, now collapsed with only a few broken floors remaining.
Inside the ruins, they discovered signs marking the rooms of the six original Avengers. It wasn't clear which unlucky parallel universe this remnant belonged to.
After nearly ten hours of flying, passing countless ruins and many recognizable landmarks from Earth, they finally spotted Alioth rampaging in the distance.
This was a wasteland that no longer resembled a city. At the edge of the ruins, a human—a Black man—stood nearby, staring up at Alioth in the sky with a look of shock on his face.
Alioth, as before, had transformed into a massive head and was lunging ferociously at the Black man.
"Finally found you!" Blake cheered as he accelerated toward the scene.
Little Groot, despite agreeing to accompany Blake for a closer look and hearing Blake's assurances that he had a way to deal with Alioth, couldn't help but grip tightly onto Blake's collar as they charged straight toward the massive entity. Sparks of electricity flickered across Groot's tiny frame, a sign of his nervousness.
"Don't worry! Trust me!"
Blake turned his head to reassure the little guy, then, with a roar and a burst of flames, dove straight at Alioth.
As they closed the distance, Blake could clearly see that the Black man was actually a seventy-something-year-old man.
Dressed in a black suit, he looked like an ordinary Earthling based on his attire.
The elderly man stood motionless, staring at the red cloud rushing toward him. His face remained calm, showing neither joy nor sorrow, as he closed his eyes and muttered rapidly under his breath—likely a prayer asking for God's protection.
Blake didn't have time for pleasantries. Surging with flames, he plunged directly into the giant, cloud-like head.
Just like last time, it was as if a spark had been thrown into a pile of cotton. The flames erupted instantly, engulfing the transformed head entirely.
Alioth let out a thunderous sound of surprise before recoiling like a wildcat whose tail had been stepped on. It retreated rapidly, pulling back at breakneck speed.
Having learned from the previous encounter, Alioth quickly severed the burning parts of itself.
Though the severed portion looked substantial, it was still insignificant compared to Alioth's massive size, which dwarfed entire cities.
"This thing's gotten more cunning than last time. Too bad it's still too slow. You rest here for a bit while I light up a few more parts of it. Let's see whether it can cut itself off faster than I can burn it!"
Blake gently set Little Groot down on the ground, nodding slightly toward the now wide-eyed elderly man. Then, with flames surging all over his body, Blake shot back into Alioth.
Alioth's sheer size was overwhelming. Without the ability to directly attack its mind or soul, Blake could only rely on the crude method of burning away large portions of it piece by piece.
Blake moved like a cleaning cloth across a dusty table. Wherever he passed, massive gaps appeared in the cloud, and the flames he left behind spread rapidly outward.
He zipped through the cloud at incredible speed, darting back and forth aimlessly. No matter how quickly Alioth shed its burning parts, it couldn't keep up with the widespread destruction Blake caused.
Meanwhile, outside Alioth, the elderly Black man observed Little Groot with curiosity and asked, "Are you a spirit? A tree spirit or something?"
"I am Groot. I am… a Flora Colossi. That's what Blake calls us. All Groot are part of the treefolk—a highly intelligent plant-based species."
Little Groot replied in his childlike voice.
The elderly man's eyes flashed with surprise, but he maintained a warm smile as he addressed Groot.
"Hello, I'm Mandela. I'm from South Africa. By the way, are you an Earthling?"
…
*About Mandela: Don't overthink it. This is just a way to give the Mandela Effect a logical explanation, similar to how Marvel forced an explanation for Loki being the legendary thief D.B. Cooper.*
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Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein