บท 98: Restart, Spider-Man! [98]
In the command center of the warship, Xia Luo found himself face-to-face with Thanos once again.
"Spider-Man, it's been years. How've you been?"
"I'm fine," Xia Luo cut him off, getting straight to the point. "I need your help."
Thanos paused for a moment, then rose from his throne.
"Alright. You once helped me; now it's my turn. What do you need me to do?" he asked, agreeing without hesitation.
"We're up against someone particularly tricky—a dark sorcerer," Xia Luo explained.
"A dark sorcerer?"
Thanos chuckled. "Sounds interesting."
"Not just interesting, but dangerous. So be prepared."
At this, Thanos's expression grew serious.
"He's that much of a threat to me as well?"
Xia Luo nodded, his expression solemn. "Absolutely. I've fought him a few times, and every time…he took me out instantly."
"He killed you?" Thanos raised an eyebrow.
"It's a figure of speech."
"Oh, my apologies. In that case, I'll need to test your current strength first. I need to know how much stronger he is than me."
"Alright. I'll spar with you."
With that, Xia Luo fired off spatial webs from both hands, rocketing himself forward like a slingshot.
Boom!!
The air cracked with the force as Thanos blocked Xia Luo's strike with one hand, his stance as solid as a mountain.
"You've grown stronger. But I am even stronger."
Thanos smirked and, with a flick of his wrist, sent Xia Luo flying into the air.
Whoosh!
Webbing fired again as Xia Luo twisted and maneuvered in mid-air.
Thanos stood watching, showing no intention of counterattacking. These webs are unusual.
Buzz~
A moment later, Xia Luo's eyes flashed red, and his red-and-blue form blurred, transforming into a dark streak as he launched another assault.
Boom!!
Buzz~
As darkness erupted, Xia Luo's blackened spear shot through the air. Thanos, prepared as ever, used his years of battle-hardened reflexes to counter.
He stepped back, smoothly evading Xia Luo's punch, and extended his massive hand to catch the oncoming spear, entirely ignoring its razor-sharp edges.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Got it."
Sparks flew as Thanos grabbed the spear, his monstrous strength overwhelming Xia Luo's. With a swing, he hurled Xia Luo toward the ceiling.
Boom!!
The impact shook the command center as the ceiling's metal surface caved in.
But as Xia Luo slammed into it, his crystalline webbing tightened, triggering a spiderweb trap that stretched around Thanos, slicing through everything it touched.
Snap, snap, snap
Clang~
For a split second, Thanos staggered, and shards of metal fell from his armor.
"What…"
Thanos scanned the unexpected web traps around him, his expression shifting.
He brushed more fragments of metal from his armor.
"Not bad—you almost got me."
With a single sweep of his hand, he tore apart the web trap.
Xia Luo flipped down from the ceiling, rubbing his sore shoulder.
"'Almost' is all it was," he admitted.
Thanos clapped his hands. "So, this dark sorcerer you mentioned really is powerful."
Xia Luo shrugged. "I've fought him a few times, and I've never even managed to touch him."
Thanos's gaze grew heavier as he waved a hand. "Ebony Maw, tell Loki to bring the Space Stone. I'm going to Earth myself."
"What?"
Standing at the door, Ebony Maw looked startled upon hearing this.
Ebony Maw's gaze swept over Xia Luo's figure, a hint of shock in his eyes.
Who is this guy, to draw the great Thanos into action himself?
"Yes, Great Thanos," he replied respectfully before turning to find Loki. Meanwhile, Xia Luo pondered for a moment before speaking again.
"Thor could be a powerful ally here. We'll need his help."
Thanos nodded. "No problem. Loki will 'persuade' his brother to join us, even if only temporarily. As the son of Odin, he should be capable enough."
"'Persuade' isn't the right word for it—I'd call it 'trickery,'" Xia Luo countered.
"Tricking family is a very common thing."
"True. I have experience with that."
Soon, Thanos gathered the Black Order, along with Loki and Thor, and they all stepped into the spatial wormhole.
Buzz~
In an instant, they appeared on the outskirts of an abandoned warehouse near New York City.
"We don't have time to call in more soldiers, but this group should be sufficient," Thanos remarked to Xia Luo.
Xia Luo nodded, his gaze falling to Thanos's metal glove. "You already crafted the Infinity Gauntlet?" he asked.
Thanos shook his head. "Not exactly. This is a temporary substitute."
In the grooves on the back of the glove, two Infinity Stones pulsed with a gentle light: the Space Stone and the Mind Stone, which Xia Luo had returned to him.
"Let's get on with it. I'd like to take Loki back home as soon as we're done." Thor sounded impatient.
Unaware of the foe they were about to face, Thor's tone was notably lacking in respect. Ebony Maw nearly moved to teach him a lesson, but Thanos's look stopped him in his tracks.
"I sense a magical disturbance ahead," Loki said, pointing forward.
"Let's go."
Leading the way, Thanos brought them quickly to a twisted spatial barrier up ahead.
Buzz~
Thanos raised a hand to touch the barrier, but before he could act, the impatient Thor had already leapt forward.
"Let me handle this!"
Boom!!
The night sky crackled with lightning, and with the crash of Mjolnir, Thor struck the barrier with full force.
Bang!!
Electric currents exploded outward, and Thor was thrown back by the powerful shockwave, crashing to the ground in a heap.
"Oh, brother, you're still as reckless as ever," Loki sneered.
Thor scowled, "I wasn't ready that time. Let me go again."
"No need."
With a calm gesture, Thanos activated the Space Stone, and the barrier shimmered open before them.
"Spatial magic requires spatial power," he explained.
"Let's move!"
Buzz~
They stepped through the spatial wormhole, entering a surreal world.
Here, the sky, ground, trees, and rocks shifted in strange, random motion. The abandoned warehouse floated high above, swaying in the wind, while the tendrils of a dark magical array writhed ominously, spreading darkness across the land. Not far away, on a small rocky island, a golden magic array shimmered faintly, struggling against the advancing darkness.
"There!" Xia Luo pointed to the island, and Thanos activated the Space Stone without hesitation.
Buzz~
Another wormhole appeared, and the Black Order rushed through.
"For the glory of Thanos!!"
Bursting out of the wormhole, Black Dwarf roared, swinging his massive axe down at the bald sorcerer holding the golden array.
"Hmm?"
Sensing the ambush, the Ancient One swiftly raised her shield, flipping backward just in time to dodge, as Black Dwarf's axe split the ground, leaving a massive crack.
"Idiot! You hit the wrong person," Ebony Maw muttered, gesturing to make a swarm of stones rise, sharpening them into deadly spears.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the spears flew through the air, aimed at the shadowy figure within the dark array. But each spear was intercepted by a new layer of the dark magical array.
"Attack!"
At the signal, Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive leapt into the fray, their spear and glaive slicing through the air.
Boom!
Proxima's spear struck the dark barrier with a bloody glint, while Corvus's glaive twisted reality with its sheer power.
Thud!
The dark figure within the array dissolved momentarily, only to reappear behind them seconds later.
"Watch your backs!" Ebony Maw shouted, rising elegantly on a pillar of stone as he continued his attack.
At his command, towering stone columns sprang from the ground, forming a cage around the dark figure. Black Dwarf and the others pressed on, each blow intensifying the battle.
Emerging from the wormhole, Xia Luo took in the scene, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Are they actually fighting the boss?"
Thanos chuckled. "They've followed me in battle for years. They've got skills."
Still feeling uneasy, Xia Luo approached the Ancient One.
"I'm Xia Luo Parker. Where's Tony?" he asked.
The Ancient One wasted no time. "Follow me."
She opened a golden portal, leading them to the dark magical array within the warehouse.
"He's in there," she said, then made a series of intricate gestures, dispersing the darkness within the array.
"I'll need some time to get them out," she added.
Suddenly, the entire warehouse shook, the walls twisting and splintering with the shifting dimension as another dark clone of Stephen Strange hurtled toward them, shrouded in dark energy.
With a single glance, Thanos raised a fist and struck.
Boom!!
The shadow shattered.
"That's just a clone," the Ancient One noted.
She paused. "So am I."
"What?" Xia Luo's eyes widened as he felt something ominous.
He looked up. Across the night sky, stars shimmered as a dark, devilish form filled the heavens—Dark Stephen's true self, grinning with sadistic glee, a writhing third eye open at his brow.
"You're past your prime, Sorcerer Supreme."
Dark Stephen's twisted grin widened as the mass of his third eye wriggled, and from its depths, endless monsters of darkness poured forth, rapidly coalescing into a colossal, terrifying demon dragon.
ROAR!!
The dragon opened its maw, unleashing a wave of hellfire. The entire dimension sweltered in its heat, the ground threatening to melt beneath it.
"What…?" Thanos's expression changed. Is this the power of a dark sorcerer?
Buzz~
Before the hellfire could spread, the Ancient One created a massive portal, swallowing up the inferno in one swift move.
Crack, crack, crack
The cracked, scorched earth trembled, and the frail figure of the Ancient One staggered back, her face pale.
"We need to break this world apart, or his power will only grow," she shouted to Xia Luo and the others.
"What do you mean, 'break'? This is madness!" Xia Luo grimaced. A sudden, high-stakes showdown like this wasn't exactly his idea of fun.
Meanwhile, the Ancient One's clone, still drawing from her power, managed to pull Tony's head out of the dark array.
"Help me."
Xia Luo leapt over, reaching into the array to drag Tony out, followed by young Steve Rogers.
"There's something strange beneath us," young Steve gasped.
"Beneath us?" Xia Luo's eyes sharpened. "Thanos, aim here!"
"Understood."
Thanos raised his gauntlet, and the Space and Mind Stones flared to life. Though not as powerful as the Power Stone, the sheer energy contained within each gem was formidable.
BOOM!!
Golden and blue energy intertwined, forming a beam that shot into the dark array, shaking the dimension itself.
But it wasn't quite enough.
"Kid, give me a hand here," Thanos called, pulling out the Titanian relic.
"On it."
Xia Luo touched the relic, and glowing spider sigils appeared across his chest.
Buzz!
Red and blue energy poured into the dark array, causing the mirror dimension to shatter instantly.
"What…?"
The dark energy began to thin, and Dark Stephen's expression turned dark.
"No…that spider's power… how is it…"
The Ancient One's true self crouched low, her hands forming a golden array. With the mirror dimension shattered, a new world unfolded before them.
Clear skies, white clouds, lakes, forests…a golden sun hanging high, and white magic pushing back against Dark Stephen's shadows.
"No!!"
Dark Stephen let out an anguished roar as darkness coalesced around him, producing countless shadow clones that filled the skies.
"What's happening?"
Seeing another dark clone, Ebony Maw and the others felt a wave of panic.
A thousand dark clones shot ropes of shadow magic, while the Ancient One, undeterred, countered with her golden sword, cutting through the binding shadows.
But even she couldn't intercept every shadow lash targeting Xia Luo and the others.
Buzz~
In an instant, a blue portal opened, and Thanos teleported behind Dark Stephen, paying no mind to the shadow ropes binding him.
"Got you."
With a powerful swing, he sent a punch surging with the gems' energy.
"What…?"
Dark Stephen's shock was palpable as Thanos's massive fist descended.
BOOM!!
With the impact, Dark Stephen was sent hurtling to the ground like a cannonball.
Before he could even land, webs connected to the void flung him back into the air.
"Again!"
Thanos, his blood surging with excitement, retrieved his dual-bladed sword from the portal.
BOOM!!
With hundreds of tons of force behind it, the sword's blade ripped through the air, summoning a gale that tore into the darkness.
Meanwhile, the Ancient One leapt through a portal, reappearing next to Dark Stephen.
Xia Luo fired himself toward him from a web slingshot. But seeing the Ancient One engage in close combat now, he knew it was a disaster waiting to happen.
Where were Loki and Thor in all this?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Dark Stephen's sneering smile grew, and a demon dragon emerged from his chest, swallowing all three of them whole.
ROAR!!
The dragon's deafening roar and its hellfire engulfed everything, even reaching Ebony Maw and his allies, who found themselves buried in a sea of darkness.
Meanwhile, far away in the woods, Loki and Thor continued to bicker.
"You're my brother!"
"No, we're not even related."
"We're like cousins, at least."
"No!!"
"Just come back and apologize to Father."
"No way! I'm about to be king of Earth. Thanos promised!"
"Well, he's dead now."
Thor gestured toward the hellfire storm raging in the sky. "Now, let's go home."
Loki froze.
"They're dead…then how do we get back?"
Thor: "…"
Elsewhere, a storm of shadows raged on, and Mjolnir dropped to the ground amid the wreckage.
---
T/N: Jesus how strong is this guyyyyy
Hi, besties! I'm here to share my latest translation, Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman! Picture this: a young, in-training Bruce Wayne traveling the multiverse with his super mysterious (and a fraud) owl god father!. Their first stop? The magical world of Harry Potter! You just know there's going to be drama, action, and perhaps the birth of the strongest Batman!
Oh, and guess what? I've got even more stories coming your way this week, so stay tuned for all the fun. As always, thank you for being amazing—your support means the world to me. Love ya, and happy reading! (I don't actually love ya)
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