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[Superman] Chapter 104: Separation of the Phoenix Force
🕑 Added 2024-03-09 05:37:44 +0000 UTCOn Sanctuary I, hundreds of light-years away from Earth, silence filled the air.
On the throne, Thanos sat quietly, leaving only a dignified and oppressive figure for everyone to see.
His remaining minions remained silent, fearing that their voices would disturb Thanos' contemplation and ultimately incur his wrath.
The entire spacecraft was eerily quiet.
Buzz!
Suddenly, ripples appeared in the nearby sky of Sanctuary I, followed by the abrupt appearance of a "small" warship.
"Great Lord Thanos, General Executioner has returned with the army!"
"But..."
As the warship docked at the spaceport of Sanctuary I,
the slender Ebony Maw led the returning General Executioner and Black Dwarf into the main hall, but hesitated to speak.
"Respected Lord Thanos, your most faithful servant has disobeyed your instructions and failed to conquer Earth, causing heavy casualties to the army. Please punish him."
Since he had returned, General Executioner naturally prepared himself for punishment.
Not to mention his failure to conquer Earth, but also the heavy casualties suffered by his troops.
Even if he disobeyed Thanos' command, leaving Loki's team without authorization to attack Earth, it would be enough for him to bear Thanos' punishment.
"The plan to attack Earth failed?"
Thanos slowly turned around, his purple face filled with seriousness.
"Yes, Lord Thanos, the human civilization on Earth is very weak, but they have several individuals with special abilities guarding..."
General Executioner looked at the serious-faced Thanos, kneeling down in panic to plead guilty.
"However, I request another chance from you, Lord. Give me more time, and I will definitely fulfill your instructions and completely conquer Earth."
General Executioner knew of Thanos' cruelty, and his subordinates were never idle.
So, having returned in defeat, he had to prove that he still had value, or else...
"It's not necessary..."
However, his request was coldly rejected by Thanos.
"Lord Thanos, General Executioner was careless for a moment. Please give him another chance, don't..."
General Executioner's face instantly turned extremely ugly, but he ultimately didn't have the courage to refute Thanos, only waiting for the judgment of fate.
Seeing this, Ebony Maw suddenly knelt down beside General Executioner, pleading for him.
"I said it's not necessary because our next target is not Earth."
Thanos still spoke with indifference.
After a pause, he continued, "It's Nidavellir!"
"There, I will obtain the supreme artifact that can perfectly control the Infinity Stones!"
Suddenly standing up from the throne, Thanos picked up his weapon, the double-edged sword, and slowly walked to the forefront of the warship.
Pointing the war blade in his hand directly at the cosmic sky ahead, he exuded an incomparably majestic aura.
Then he said in a deep voice,
"All troops, follow me into battle!"
"Target, Nidavellir!"
"Yes, great Lord Thanos, your faithful servants will always obey your command. Your name will be known throughout the entire universe!"
Seeing that Thanos seemed to have no intention of punishing himself for this failure, General Executioner instantly felt fortunate and cheered along with Thanos.
...
Meanwhile, as Thanos' cosmic fleet headed towards Nidavellir,
the first large-scale battle between humans and extraterrestrial beings, known as the Battle of New York, had come to a complete end.
Numerous superheroes with special abilities made their debut in this battle, making the entire world aware of their existence.
However, despite successfully repelling the alien invasion,
the casualties in New York City were devastating.
More importantly, it made all humans truly realize the threat posed by the extraterrestrial forces, following the previous threat from beyond the universe.
This victory served as a wake-up call for humanity.
Earth and human civilization had long been exposed to the view of other extraterrestrial beings in the universe.
No one knew when Earth would face an invasion from extraterrestrial beings.
Amidst the widespread panic about extraterrestrials,
the destroyed New York City was undergoing post-disaster relief and reconstruction efforts.
In addition to propagating humanity's victory in the battle against the aliens,
the news media also emphasized the significant role played by superheroes in the Battle of New York.
Heroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, and members of the X-Men quickly gained worldwide fame.
Even the controversial mutants finally gained some support and praise from humans after this invasion event.
The establishment of the mutant nation Krakoa was no longer opposed by all human nations.
At this moment, civilization on Earth was more united than ever before.
Of course, no one knew how long this situation would last.
...
Shortly after the Battle of New York ended,
a figure emerged from the core of the sun, awakening.
"Ah, it's just that little bit lacking after all!"
During this time, Peter had been in the core of the sun, shielding himself from all senses, as if he were in a silent slumber, attempting to take that crucial step forward.
Unfortunately, it seemed like he was just one step away, yet it had become an insurmountable obstacle for him to overcome.
"I wonder if merging with the Phoenix Force can help me break through this final step."
Peter anticipated that if he relied solely on absorbing the energy of the sun's core, he might need to "sleep" in the sun's core for more than a decade to achieve it.
However, merging with the Phoenix Force might accelerate his efficiency in breaking through the final step.
Even if it couldn't truly propel him forward, it could grant him the power to destroy everything.
Instantly, Peter's figure turned into a streak of light.
He quickly returned to Earth.
"Huh? Why is New York City in ruins?"
However, as soon as he returned to Earth, Peter noticed the ongoing reconstruction of New York City.
"Did someone rob my house while I was away?"
Peter, using his super hearing abilities, quickly understood everything.
"Alien invasion? Chitauri? Thanos' minions?"
In an instant, Peter learned from the course of the Battle of New York that all of this was the doing of Thanos' minions.
"This guy couldn't resist attacking Earth so soon?"
Peter was puzzled. Why would Thanos dare to attack Earth at this time?
You should know that at this moment, due to Peter's intervention, the Ancient One did not die as she was originally destined to.
Because of this, Peter could confidently go to the core of the sun to absorb energy.
After all, with the Ancient One's protection, unless faced with a cosmic-level disaster capable of easily destroying Earth.
"Superman, you're finally back."
As Peter's figure appeared in the space station, Reed, who was researching the Phoenix Force and cosmic storms, couldn't help but be excited.
"When you left, aliens attacked Earth and destroyed half of New York..."
After calming down his excitement, Reed explained to Peter what had happened during the Battle of New York while he was away.
"I already know all of that. The space station wasn't affected, was it?"
Peter interrupted Reed before he could continue, then asked.
"Not at all. The shield system of the space station has been continuously improved and can withstand nuclear bomb blasts. Those alien warships couldn't break through our defenses!"
Speaking of this, Reed also looked fortunate and excited.
Even he hadn't expected that their upgraded shield system would be able to withstand attacks from alien warships.
Doesn't this mean that they already have the technological strength to fight against extraterrestrial beings?
"As long as there was no impact."
Peter not only worried about the extent of the damage the aliens would cause to Earth but also feared that the Phoenix Force stored in the space station would be taken away by someone.
"However, remember, what hinders human progress is not weakness and ignorance, but arrogance."
"Don't think that extraterrestrial beings are truly weak; they simply haven't used more powerful weapons."
Peter noticed that Reed seemed a bit proud and couldn't help but strike a blow to his pride and arrogance.
Although the extraterrestrial technology in the Marvel Universe may not appear as powerful as that in Star Wars, such as the Death Star's ability to destroy planets with a single shot.
"Superman, I understand. Compared to extraterrestrial civilizations, we humans still have a long way to go."
Reed was not stubborn, especially when faced with Superman.
Moreover, the incident of the alien invasion had indeed made all humans, including Reed, realize the weakness of Earth, sounding the alarm for the entire human civilization.
Just a single alien warship could easily destroy a city on Earth.
"However, this alien invasion is not entirely a bad thing. At least we can learn a lot of more advanced technology from the wreckage of the extraterrestrial beings."
With his pride put away, Reed once again excitedly told Peter about the results of his research on extraterrestrial technology.
"Sorry, Superman, for researching these without your consent..."
However, remembering that Peter had entrusted him not to research any new technology without Peter's consent,
Reed couldn't help but look at Peter with a worried expression.
"Alright, let's not make this a habit. You can continue researching this technology on your own."
Peter didn't blame Reed; he didn't value the technology from the Chitauri.
After all, Rocket Raccoon had once criticized these guys as the easiest to deal with among extraterrestrial armies.
"Oh, by the way, any progress on the research of the cosmic storm and that special energy?"
"Superman, I was just about to report this to you."
Speaking of the cosmic storm, Reed's face lit up with excitement and disbelief.
"It's really incredible. After the fusion of that energy with the cosmic storm, it actually has the ability to induce biological evolution and grant certain special abilities to living beings!"
"Not only can it increase the intelligence of living beings, but it can also allow them to control psychic powers, manipulate light invisibility, transform their bodies into special materials, and many other powerful abilities..."
Reed introduced with great excitement.
"So, can you completely separate that special energy from the cosmic storm now?"
Peter remained calm, as if he had known about its effects long ago.
"Separate?"
Reed was surprised, then fell into thought.
"It's not completely impossible to separate them."
"However, the cosmic storm has been fused with that energy for billions of years, and the cosmic storm has already completely absorbed the characteristics of that special energy."
"Even if they are separated, there will still be some characteristics of that energy remaining in the cosmic storm."
"Are you sure you want to separate them?"
Reed confirmed with Peter.
"If so, then let's separate them."
"I'll leave the cosmic storm to you for further research, and I'll take away that special energy."
Peter didn't hesitate; the cosmic storm had no effect on him, and only the power of the Phoenix Force was his fusion goal.
...
(End of Chapter)
