Bab 295: Chapter 295: "The Hard-to-Read Scripture"
Imagining the astonished expressions of everyone as he instantly recovers, Clark couldn't help but feel a secret thrill. Silently, he began to count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...
No response.
15, 16...
Still no sign of healing...
...29, 30?
What's happening!?
As Clark was shocked and bewildered, he suddenly remembered the familiar system notification.
"Congratulations to the host for completing the hidden achievement 'Snap' (Using the power of six Infinity Stones to snap your fingers, proving to the Marvel Universe that you were here), and receiving a 'Random BGM Lottery Card' as a reward."
There's even a system achievement reward?
Clark felt that ever since he met the time-traveling Scott Lang, the system's style seemed to be undergoing inexplicable changes.
However, he wasn't in the mood to check what BGM he got. More pressing than the temporarily unusable BGM was...
Why did his immortality suddenly vanish?
Suddenly, Clark had an epiphany about the crux of the matter!
His immortality, derived from Lady Death's curse, was part of the cosmic rules, beyond the power of the Infinity Stones to nullify.
But now, having traveled to a different timeline where he never existed and never met Death, the situation was different.
If the Death he encountered was one of the primordial cosmic entities, ranking just below the Living Tribunal, then sure, as a multiversal entity, she could influence all parallel universes and timelines.
However, it's more likely that the Death Clark met was just an avatar cast into his universe. Limited by the universe's own power level, she couldn't possibly transcend time and space.
Clark even heard rumors of a parallel universe where Death was killed, causing all life there to become immortal.
That couldn't be the top-tier entity!
This explanation seemed the only plausible one given Clark's current situation.
His immortality was nullified, and the cosmic energy from the Infinity Stones' impact couldn't be expelled, preventing him from using cosmic energy to heal his injuries.
If that were possible, Thanos wouldn't have been crippled by the Stones.
Trying to move his fingers and feeling the numbness, Clark had to accept that fully recovering might be a long and tedious process... or perhaps he would instantly recover upon returning to his own timeline?
Perhaps the only good news was that after absorbing the Celestial DNA from the Grandmaster, his resilience was much greater than Thanos's. Even after being severely injured, the damage from the Stones was less severe, allowing him to retain some of his strength.
His overall combat effectiveness was probably similar to before he went to Sakaar?
"Clark!" Seeing Clark's severe injuries, Tony immediately came over, wanting to help but was stopped by Clark's gesture.
After indicating he was fine, Clark casually took out a box containing Senzu Beans and swallowed one, feeling slightly better.
But that was it.
For further improvement on this timeline, he would have to slowly expel the residual cosmic energy from his body.
Summoning the mechanical gauntlet with the Stones back to his hand, Clark then stored it in his personal space.
Seeing this, Tony couldn't help but ask, "Clark, shouldn't we be returning the Infinity Stones now? The longer they stay with us, the more unpredictable they become."
Clark could only respond with a bitter smile, "My current strength doesn't guarantee I can return the Soul Stone without any incidents. I need a few days to recover."
Captain America stepped forward, offering, "Then let me go..."
Clark glanced at Cap and gently shook his head, "The condition to obtain the Soul Stone is a sacrifice of a loved one, a soul for a soul. Thanos obtained the Soul Stone five years ago by sacrificing his daughter Gamora."
With a slight smile, Clark asked Cap, "Guess how I got that Infinity Stone?"
The room was shocked!
Cap, somewhat surprised, asked, "You took it from Thanos?"
Clark's calm smile served as a confirmation.
Impressions from Tony Stark +99999!
Impressions from Steve Rogers +99999!
Impressions from Thor...
The future Avengers' views of Clark were beyond words at that moment.
They had seen him effortlessly bring back the Stone without a word of complaint, assuming obtaining the Soul Stone was as easy as Nebula and the others going to the abandoned Morag for the Power Stone.
Only now did they learn Clark had actually taken the Stone from Thanos himself!
Snatching a Stone from Thanos and remaining so composed?
Invisible swagger is indeed the deadliest!
Knowing the Soul Stone came from Thanos, the urgency to return the Stones faded. It wasn't about stopping him from snapping his fingers in another timeline; no one could guarantee they'd survive an encounter with Thanos to return intact.
Better to let the Stones stay with Clark for a while for safety.
Clark kept the gauntlet with the Stones nearby, partly as a precaution against an unexpected attack from Thanos of another timeline.
With the gauntlet, Clark was confident he could survive another snap if Thanos showed up now, providing a perfect, one-shot solution.
Returning to his chamber, Clark finally had a moment to activate the system interface and use the "Random BGM Lottery Card" he got from the "Snap" achievement.
Without much expectation for this bonus BGM, the result brightened his eyes.
"The Hard-to-Read Scripture"
Level: 1 (Already at the highest level, cannot be upgraded)
Effect: Unbeatable Valor. In battle, the host's combat power can be amplified based on the strength of their fighting spirit. The stronger the will, the greater the amplification!
A straightforward description with a bug-like effect!
More importantly, unlike other powerful BGMs like "Pure Land of Bliss," this BGM came without any usage restrictions or the need for impression points.
Use it however, whenever!
Unfortunately, it couldn't be used in this timeline.
Otherwise, why worry about Thanos?
Bring it on, and he'd be finished!
With Thanos likely to appear soon, Clark prepared for battle. However, unexpectedly, the sudden attack mentioned by Old Man Cap never came, even after a month.
The only change was the resurrection of all superheroes, once again united.
Clark's injuries healed about seventy percent after some time, with the remaining thirty percent stubbornly infused with cosmic energy, requiring years to fully purge.
As Tony mentioned, the Infinity Stones from other timelines posed a threat every day they remained. Clark couldn't stay here forever, so after discussing with the Avengers, he began returning the borrowed Infinity Stones one by one.
With the superheroes' lineup now not needing a snap to confront Thanos, and without immortality, such a risky snap was avoided.
Only Mjolnir was temporarily kept by Clark for emergencies.
Yet, surprisingly, Thanos hadn't appeared!
This puzzled Clark greatly. To clarify things, he gathered key Avengers, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, and other top fighters to confront Nebula.
In a secret Avengers meeting, Clark, under the puzzled gazes of all, looked at a somewhat guilty Nebula and calmly asked, "If I'm not wrong, you're not the Nebula we know but from another timeline, from 2014. Am I right?"
Nebula, startled, tried to maintain composure, "How did you know
?"
"It wasn't hard to guess," Clark replied. "Although you've been quiet, your eyes betrayed you. It wasn't hard to see you were hiding something."
After a moment of silence, Nebula sighed, "What do you plan to do with me?"
The Avengers were shocked, as Nebula's admission indirectly confirmed Clark's suspicion.
A traitor was among us!
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