Chapter 250: The darkhold
Chu Hangs Clone stepped forward, his toes touching the first step of the altar.
Buzz—!
The darkhold suddenly vibrated. Beams of solid black light erupted from the pages, turning into a sky full of magicarrows that whistled through the air as they shot toward him.
Chu Hangs Clone didn't even lift an eyelid.
That layer of invisible Law of Death Domain automatically protected its Master; every black arrow that touched the three-meter range around him instantly withered and dissipated, turning into wisps of black smoke.
He stepped onto the second step.
The darkhold let out an even sharper hiss, its pages flipping frantically.
An immensely large black magic circle instantly formed above the altar, with countless twisted runes spinning wildly within it, releasing a massive pressure enough to cause even a Sorcerer Supreme to suffer a mental breakdown.
Chu Hangs Clone raised his right hand, and the light of the Alchemy Law glowed in his palm.
In his eyes, that extremely complex magic circle was nothing more than a heap of energy particles arranged according to specific rules. He clenched his fingers slightly, and an invisible force intervened instantly, forcibly rewriting the underlying logic of the particle arrangement.
The entire magic circle was like a tower with its core block removed; amidst a grating sound of shattering, it crashed and disintegrated into a sky full of black light spots.
The third step.
The darkhold stopped all attacks.
It began to tremble violently, its pages rustling as if in fear.
A frantic thought emanated from the book, desperately sending a distress signal to some distant and dark dimension.
It was calling its Master—Chthon.
Chu Hangs Clone's smile deepened.
He no longer walked slowly; taking several steps at once, he instantly reached the top of the altar and stood before the darkhold.
The pages flipped even more violently, and screens of light composed of ancient runes appeared in the air, attempting to shut him out. He could understand those runes.
"The creation of the Lord of Chaos, mortals shall not desecrate."
"The supreme knowledge of darkness belongs only to the chosen vessel."
"The fate of the Scarlet Witch is already sealed."
Chu Hangs Clone chuckled as he looked at those futile warnings.
"Scarlet Witch?"
He extended his right hand, and a mass of crimson light, filled with contradiction and uncertainty, emerged and flickered in his palm. That was precisely the Chaos Magiche had copied from the Wanda of the main Universe.
"Are you talking about... this?"
The darkhold's trembling stopped abruptly.
It seemed to perceive that same-source yet tamed energy; the pages slowly closed, and all resistance vanished into thin air at that moment.
The book could not understand why a man would possess power that belonged exclusively to the Scarlet Witch.
Chu Hangs Clone gave it no time to think.
Law of Spirit, activate!
His consciousness turned into billions of invisible sharp needles, instantly piercing the interior of the book. Unlike the well-ordered temple of knowledge in the book of vishanti, the internal World of the darkhold was a chaotic dark void, without rules or logic, only endless madness, twisted knowledge, and the corruptive will left by Chthon.
But before Chu Hangs Clone, who had already mastered eleven laws, this bit of chaos was nothing more than a junkyard waiting to be cleaned.
He used the Law of Spirit as a spear to carve a path through the chaos; the Law of Death as a shield to erase all mind-corrupting whispers along the way; and the Alchemy Law as hands to decompose, analyze, and absorb the principles of that dark knowledge and Chaos Magicone by one.
Thirty seconds later, he withdrew his hand.
The darkhold lost all its light and fell from mid-air, hitting the cold altar with a "thud." It was still the same book, but the evil will within it, and its cross-dimensional connection with Chthon, had been completely and permanently severed.
Chu Hangs Clone looked down at his hands. In his left palm, a wisp of gentle white light symbolizing order and light quietly emerged; in his right palm, a wisp of deep black light representing chaos and darkness flowed quietly.
Light and darkness, order and chaos, achieved a higher level of balance within his body. He nodded with satisfaction.
Just then, his spiritual power captured a hint of abnormal fluctuation.
Thousands of miles away, Westview, New Jersey.
The red-haired woman, who was cutting carrots in the kitchen, suddenly froze. A flash of crimson flickered in her eyes, and the air around her began to twist in a way that was barely perceptible to the naked eye.
Chu Hangs Clone raised an eyebrow. His formatting of the darkhold had not only severed its connection with Chthonbut also unexpectedly broke some delicate balance of the magic system in this Universe.
And that woman, the Wanda Maximoff of this Universe, the Chaos Magic sleeping within her was being completely activated by this sudden imbalance.
She was awakening.
Chu Hangs Clone had no intention of going there immediately. The Wanda of this Universe was different from the one he knew; she had her own life, a seemingly perfect family—even if that was likely just an illusion she had unconsciously created with magic.
But so what? Everyone has the right to choose their own life, even if that happiness is fake.
He was no savior, and he had no interest in interfering with others' life scripts. He came here for only one purpose—to take what he wanted.
Now, the purpose had been achieved.
However, just as he was about to turn and tear through space, another even more distant and familiar abnormal fluctuation crossed the sea of dimensions and touched his perception.
That fluctuation came from the main Universe.
He could feel that in a distant other dimension, some sealed existence was frantically restless.
Chthon.
That ancient Loki, clearly sensed that his most important pawn—the darkhold—had lost contact with him.
That fluctuation was filled with overwhelming rage and a hint of... imperceptible fear.
Chu Hangs Clone's lips curled up completely.
Interesting, it seems today's actions not only shook the magical foundation of Universe 838 but also, across endless time and space, disturbed the ancient Demon Godof the main Universe.
However, this isn't a bad thing; the more restless Chthonbecomes, the easier it is for him to reveal a weakness.
When he returns, he can take this opportunity to completely eliminate this hidden, massive threat.
He raised his right hand and drew a graceful arc in the air.
Golden sparks splashed as a portal leading to the Meteorite Base slowly opened.
Chu Hangs Clone took one last look back. His gaze first went deep into Wundagore Mountain, then turned toward Westview.
Two women, two fates.
One is awakening, the other carries a seal.
Both have inextricable links to Chaos Magic and are destined to become key pieces in the great game of the Multiverse at some point in the future.
As for where they will go, that will be their own choice.
Withdrawing his gaze, Chu Hangs Clone stepped into the portal. With a flash of golden light, his figure vanished without a trace.
Wundagore Mountain returned to its ancient tranquility, but that suffocating atmosphere of dead silence had already changed.
As the darkhold was purified, the dark magic of the entire mountain was slowly dissipating at an irreversible rate.
And thousands of miles away in Westview, the red-haired woman finally snapped out of her trance. She looked down blankly at her hands.
A faint but real crimson light was gently flickering at her fingertips.
She didn't know what it was, but she could feel something... an ancient, powerful power belonging exclusively to her, slowly awakening deep within her bloodline.
Chapter 251: The Law of Darkness
The core cabin of the Meteorite Base.
Wanda sat cross-legged in a corner, a wisp of scarlet energy swirling around her fingertips. She was waiting for Chu Hang.
Space distorted as a golden rift tore open.
Chu Hang's clone stepped out.
Wanda opened her eyes and felt a sense of relief, but she quickly noticed something was wrong—the clone's aura was significantly stronger, and it was wrapped in two kinds of light.
The left hand held a white light, gentle and mild.
The right hand held a black glow, cold and sharp.
The two forces clashed within the clone's body but were forcibly suppressed together.
"You are..."
Before Wanda could finish, the Chaos Magic within her body suddenly became restless.
The clone ignored her and walked straight into the depths of the cabin.
Chu Hang's main body was currently meditating with eyes closed, as eleven Laws slowly circulated around him.
The clone stopped in front of the main body.
The two looked at each other.
The clone turned into a stream of light and merged into the main body's forehead.
Chu Hang's body jolted, and his eyes snapped open, black and white colors flashing in his pupils.
The entire cabin began to distort, the walls cracked, and the floor split open.
Wanda took a step back, her Chaos Magic forming a shield.
She could feel a storm erupting inside Chu Hang's body.
The light of the Vishanti.
The chaos of the darkhold.
The two forces were fighting, devouring, and merging within Chu Hang's body.
Intertwining black and white patterns emerged on Chu Hang's skin.
Wanda wanted to step forward to help but was blocked three meters away by a force.
She could only watch.
Chu Hang's consciousness sank into his body.
In the Spirit World, the eleven Laws had turned into eleven rivers, flowing slowly around a black hole. That black hole was the condensation of the pure Concept of Greed.
Now, the place was in total chaos.
Two new forces were clashing frantically.
A pure white light, warm and full of the aura of order. The origin of the book of vishanti.
A pitch-black undercurrent, violent and full of chaos. The foundation of the darkhold.
Neither force would yield to the other, each collision setting off massive waves.
Chu Hang watched coldly for three seconds.
The black hole of Greed began to accelerate its rotation.
"All of you, quiet down."
Chu Hang's will transformed into a giant hand, reaching directly toward the two forces.
He wanted to strip them away.
Strip away the consciousness of order, protection, and rules from the book of vishanti.
Strip away Chthon's will of corruption, madness, and destruction from the darkhold.
Leaving only pure power.
This process was very painful.
Both forces were resisting. The origin of the darkholdfrantically attacked Chu Hang's consciousness.
Countless images flooded his mind: destroyed Planets, wailing souls, devoured Universes... Chthon's whispers rang out.
"Accept me... become my vessel... you will obtain power that transcends everything..."
Chu Hang smiled.
"That's it?"
The black hole of Greed suddenly expanded, sucking in all the whispers, temptations, and corruptive will.
It wasn't resistance or purification, but direct consumption.
Your will? Sorry, I only want the power; you can keep your thoughts to yourself.
The stripping lasted for an hour.
Chu Hang opened his eyes again, and the Spirit Worldreturned to peace.
The eleven rivers of Laws had become twelve.
The newly added one was a river of pure darkness, without any ideology.
It formed an opposition and balance with the power of light.
The Twelfth Law—the Law of Darkness—was complete.
Chu Hang's body stopped trembling, the black and white patterns receded, and his aura began to climb.
Wanda walked over and reached out to touch his face, but stopped in mid-air.
She felt it.
A force was awakening within Chu Hang, of the same origin as her Chaos Magic, yet different.
That force made her feel both familiar and terrified.
The entire Base suddenly shook violently.
Wanda's expression changed, and her Chaos Magicformed a shield.
"What's going on?"
Chu Hang's eyes opened, black and white light flashing alternately in his pupils.
His perception covered the entire Base and continued to extend outward, penetrating the material plane and touching the dimensional barriers.
He saw it.
At the junction of Reality and the Dark Dimension, a rift was being forcibly torn open. On the other side of the rift was endless darkness, and in its deepest depths, an eye was slowly opening.
That eye had no white, no pupil, only pure darkness.
Its gaze penetrated dimensions and locked onto Chu Hang.
Chthon.
The ancient dark god, the source of Chaos Magic.
"You... stole my things."
The voice rang in Chu Hang's mind, with countless souls wailing. Every syllable carried the power to corrode the mind.
The corners of Chu Hang's mouth curled up.
"Stole?" He stood up, the twelve Laws operating simultaneously, "I merely took what I wanted."
Chthon's fury burned within the dimensional rift.
A giant dark hand reached out from the rift, grasping toward Chu Hang.
Everywhere the giant hand passed, space collapsed, matter was annihilated, and the flow of time became chaotic.
Wanda wanted to act, but was stopped by a look from Chu Hang.
"Don't move. This is between him and me."
Chu Hang raised his right hand, and a mass of black light appeared in his palm.
That was the newly condensed Law of Darkness, of the same origin as Chthon's power, yet different.
Chthon's darkness was corruption, destruction, and madness.
Chu Hang's darkness was pure power after stripping away all consciousness, a Law redefined by the Concept of Greed.
The two darknesses collided in mid-air.
There was no explosion, only silence.
The two forces engaged in a fierce struggle at the microscopic level.
Chthon's giant hand stopped three meters from Chu Hang, unable to advance.
"Impossible! How can you, a mere mortal, master my power?"
Chu Hang raised his left hand.
In his left palm, white light emerged. The origin of the book of vishanti, order and light.
Light and darkness bloomed simultaneously in his hands.
"Your power?" Chu Hang chuckled, "From the moment I copied it, it was no longer yours."
He pressed his hands together, forcibly merging the two forces.
Black and white intertwined, chaos and order collided, forming a Taiji Pattern in his palm. The energy fluctuations emitted by the pattern made the entire dimensional barrier tremble.
"And," Chu Hang's gaze pierced through the dimensional rift, looking directly at the giant eye, "I have one more thing to tell you."
He pushed the light and dark energy forward, turning it into a black and white pillar of light that flowed back up Chthon's giant hand, straight toward the other side of the rift.
"Wanda is not your vessel."
The pillar of light struck the eye.
A deafening scream of agony came from the Dark Dimension.
The giant hand disintegrated, dissipating into black fragments. The dimensional rift shrank violently, and Chthon was forcibly driven back.
Before the rift closed, Chu Hang heard Chthon's final whisper.
"This will not be the end... I will return..."
"Anytime."
The rift closed, and peace was restored.
Wanda stepped forward, her gaze falling on Chu Hang, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
"What was that just now?"
Chu Hang flexed his fingers, feeling the circulation of the twelve Laws within his body.
"Just an old fool who doesn't know his place. He tried to cause me trouble, so I kicked him back."
Wanda frowned.
She could feel that Chu Hang was making it sound much easier than it actually was. The sense of pressure from the dimensional rift, even just the aftershocks, made her Chaos Magic want to flee.
"That voice said you stole its things." Wanda hesitated, "What was it talking about?"
Chu Hang looked at her and didn't hide it.
"The origin of the darkhold. It's also the source of the Chaos Magic in your body."
Wanda's face changed.
She knew where her power came from. The Ancient Onehad told her that Chaos Magic was one of the Universe's oldest powers, created by the ancient being Chthon.
"So... he has been watching me?"
"He used to be." Chu Hang walked up to her and tapped her forehead with his finger, "Not anymore."
A surge of energy flowed from his fingertip into Wanda's body.
It was a fluctuation of the Law of Darkness intertwined with the power of light, traveling along the pathways of Wanda's Chaos Magic, sealing off all channels connected to Chthon.
Wanda closed her eyes, feeling the changes within her body.
The faint, lingering sense of being watched deep within her consciousness had vanished.
In its place was an unprecedented sense of freedom.
"Thank you." She opened her eyes, her voice slightly raspy.
Chu Hang withdrew his hand as his communicator suddenly rang.
Loki's voice came through.
"Chu Hang, the vanguard of the Council of Kangs has entered the boundaries of the main Universe." Loki's tone was serious, "According to the Time Variance Authority's monitoring, the main force will arrive in six hours."
Chu Hang's gaze became sharp.
Six hours.
He looked at his hands. White light flowed in his left palm, and black glow pulsed in his right. The twelve Laws were operating perfectly, stronger than ever before.
"Tell Thor to get Stormbreaker ready. In six hours, we're going to meet this swarm of cross-timeline locusts."
He turned to Wanda, his gaze apologetic.
"Sorry, break time is over."
Wanda shook her head, scarlet energy rising around her.
She could feel that the Chaos Magic in her body was undergoing a subtle change—the energy Chu Hang had injected seemed to have activated something dormant.
"I'm fine. And... I think I've become stronger."
Chu Hang raised an eyebrow, his spiritual power scanning Wanda's body, finding that her Chaos Magic was indeed evolving rapidly.
Interesting.
There was a certain resonance between his Law of Darkness and Wanda's Chaos Magic.
But that was a matter for later.
Right now, he had more important things to do.
Chapter 252: The Gift of the Vishanti
Chu Hang pushed open the door to the Avengers Basehall.
Stephen Strange was floating cross-legged in mid-air, surrounded by dozens of golden magic circles.
The eye of agamotto hung on his chest, glowing with green light.
But Strange's condition was terrible.
His face was deathly pale, his forehead was covered in sweat, and blood was seeping from the corners of his eyes.
The magic circles were trembling violently, and from time to time, one or two would shatter directly, turning into golden dust and dissipating.
Wanda stood to the side, crimson energy wrapping around her fingers.
Thor stood leaning against the wall, gripping Stormbreaker.
Five Infinity Stones were embedded in the handle of the axe, glowing faintly.
The Time Stone had naturally been taken off stormbreakerby him and handed to Strange; after all, compared to him, Strange was much better at using the Time Stone.
Chu Hang walked over and stopped in front of Strange.
He knew what Strange was doing—using the Time Stoneto simulate the invasion path of the Council of Kangs, hoping to see the enemy's layout in advance.
It was a good idea, but the Multiverse was a mess right now.
Countless timelines were intertwining and colliding, with new branches being born every second.
Forcibly simulating under these conditions was like trying to count raindrops in a storm.
The human brain simply couldn't handle it.
Another magic circle shattered.
Strange let out a muffled groan, and his body swayed.
Chu Hang raised his hand, a force supporting him.
Strange opened his eyes, green light still lingering in his pupils.
He looked at Chu Hang and smiled bitterly.
"I saw some things," he said, his voice hoarse.
"It's too fragmented, I can't piece it together. The number of Kangs is more than I imagined, and they have a kind of power I've never seen before. That power can directly modify causality and erase existence."
Chu Hang nodded.
The Council of Kangs was indeed difficult to deal with.
That group of guys were variants of He Who Remains, each mastering cross-timeline technology.
What was more troublesome was that they had learned to cooperate.
"You're in bad shape right now," Chu Hang said.
"Your technique is enough, but your foundation is too thin. Borrowed power cannot be relied upon in critical moments. Give the stone back to Thor; only with the six stones can he handle the army of Kangs."
As Chu Hang's words fell, the Time Stone appeared on stormbreaker again.
Strange frowned.
As the Sorcerer Supreme, he was unwilling to easily admit his shortcomings, but what Chu Hang said was the truth.
Most of his magic came from borrowing from the Vishanti; there wasn't much power that truly belonged to him.
It was like a scholar standing on the shoulders of a giant—he could see far, but the foundation beneath his feet wasn't his own.
"What do you want to say?"
Chu Hang raised his left hand.
A ball of white light appeared in his palm, warm but impossible to look at directly, as if it contained some kind of supreme law.
Strange's pupils contracted.
The Vishanti.
One of the oldest and strongest existences in the magical World, the embodiment of order and White magic.
All the power of orthodox mages on Earth ultimately came from the contract with the Vishanti.
And this ball of light in Chu Hang's palm was a part of the Vishanti's origin.
"Where did you get this?" Strange's voice was tight.
"Universe 838," Chu Hang said casually.
"The Illuminati there weren't very friendly, but the library's collection was decent."
Strange was silent.
He knew about Universe 838; the Sorcerer Supreme there had already died, executed by the Illuminati themselves.
The book of vishanti should have been the most precious magic tome in that Universe.
Chu Hang had brought it back and even stripped the origin power from the book, condensing it in his palm.
"I don't need this," Chu Hang looked at Strange.
"My path is different from yours. But you need it."
Strange didn't speak.
Of course, he knew he needed it.
The threat of the Council of Kangs was imminent, and the previous simulation proved that with his current strength, he simply couldn't play a decisive role in that level of war.
But accepting a gift from others was not easy for a proud person.
"Don't think too much," Chu Hang seemed to see through his thoughts.
"This isn't charity. In six hours, the fleet of Kangs will appear in Earth's orbit. I need a Sorcerer Supreme who can stand alone, not a second-rate hack who only knows how to borrow power."
Second-rate hack?
Strange's eyebrows twitched.
This evaluation made him a bit annoyed, but he had to admit that on a true Skyfather level battlefield, he could only be considered second-rate.
"Are you sure?"
Chu Hang didn't answer, directly pressing his left hand onto Strange's forehead.
The white light exploded.
The Vishanti's origin power poured into Strange's body like a broken dam.
Strange trembled violently, and two beams of white light shot from his eyes.
Wanda wanted to step forward but was stopped by a look from Chu Hang.
"Don't move. This is his own battle."
Strange's consciousness was pulled into a pure white space.
Here, he saw the true face of the Vishanti—not a specific image, but a concept, the embodiment of order.
Countless runes, magic circles, and spells flowed before his eyes, each containing profound truths.
This knowledge was too vast, enough to fry the brain of an ordinary mage.
But Strange was not an ordinary mage.
He had once been a top neurosurgeon in the World, and his brain was already extraordinary.
His training in Kamar-Taj had pushed his spiritual power to a very high level.
He began to absorb.
Little by little, he integrated the knowledge and power into his own origin.
This process lasted for three hours.
From the outside, Strange looked like a statue, suspended in mid-air, motionless.
But the energy fluctuations around him kept climbing, turning from ripples into giant waves, and then from giant waves into a tsunami.
Wanda's Chaos Magic began to stir.
The crimson energy surged wildly in her body, as if feeling a threat.
She had to use more energy to suppress it, sweat seeping from her forehead.
Thor gripped Stormbreaker, the six stones shining brighter.
He could feel that a fundamental transformation was happening to Strange.
Chu Hang stood in place, his expression calm.
He knew this process wouldn't be dangerous.
The Vishanti origin was the embodiment of order and light, and it wouldn't harm a true Guardian.
Although Strange sometimes had a sharp tongue, his heart was in the right place, and he was willing to give everything to protect the World.
When the third hour ended, the change happened.
At the center of Strange's brow, golden light began to condense.
The light was weak at first, like the first ray of dawn before daybreak.
But it quickly became stronger and brighter, finally turning into an upright eye.
That eye was completely different from the darkened Sorcerer Supreme's third eye.
The darkened third eye was dark red, full of madness and destruction.
This eye on Strange's forehead was pure gold, emitting a holy and warm light, like a small Sun.
The moment the heavenly eye opened, the entire Avengers Base was shrouded in golden light.
Wanda felt it.
The Chaos Magic in her body was no longer restless, becoming calm.
The crimson energy began to spontaneously converge and settle, as if it had met a natural check.
It was like Yin and Yang, black and white, chaos and order.
Two opposing forces reached a delicate balance.
Strange opened his eyes.
His eyes returned to normal, but the heavenly eye on his forehead remained, only the light had faded into a pale golden mark.
He looked down at his hands.
Golden magic patterns flowed under his skin, like ancient runes surging in his blood vessels.
He could feel that the relationship between him and the Vishanti had fundamentally changed.
Before, he was a borrower.
The Vishanti was the creditor, and he was the debtor.
Every time he cast a spell, he was consuming the Vishanti's gift.
Now it was different.
He himself was the source.
The power of order and light had completely merged into his origin, becoming a part of his body.
He no longer needed to borrow power from anyone, because he himself was the embodiment of White magic.
Strange looked up at Chu Hang.
He wanted to say something, but his throat was a bit dry.
In the end, he just nodded.
Chu Hang also nodded.
There was no need for too many words between the two men.
Wanda walked over and stood beside Chu Hang.
Her crimson energy echoed with Strange's golden light, one black and one white, forming a Strange harmony in the air.
Thor watched this scene and couldn't help but sigh.
"The aura on you has changed," Thor said with approval in his tone.
"Before, you were like a mortal borrowing divine power, but now... you are a god."
Strange didn't refute.
He could feel he was different from before.
Casting spells before was like borrowing money from a distant entity, always paying a price, always having a limit.
Now, he himself was the bank.
"Thank you," he looked at Chu Hang and said only two words.
Chu Hang waved his hand.
"Don't be in such a hurry to thank me. In three hours, you have to prove that this power wasn't given in vain."
Strange nodded.
His eyes fell on his hands, the golden patterns flickering.
He tried to mobilize his power, and a complex magic circle formed in his palm, three times faster than before, almost without consuming any energy.
Wanda walked over and stood opposite him.
The two looked at each other.
Crimson and gold, chaos and order.
Two opposing forces collided in the air but didn't cause a conflict.
On the contrary, like the two poles of Yin and Yang, they reached a balance at a higher level.
"Interesting," Chu Hang's mouth curled slightly.
The Avengers' strongest magic lineup had been formed.
The Scarlet Witch who mastered the Chaos origin, and the Sorcerer Supreme who had become the source of White magic.
Plus Thor, holding a full-form Stormbreaker, and himself, who had fused twelve kinds of laws.
This lineup could be considered top-tier in the entire Multiverse.
But Chu Hang knew it still wasn't enough.
The Council of Kangs were not ordinary enemies.
That group of guys mastered cross-timeline technology, each was a variant of He Who Remains, and each had the ambition and strength to conquer the Universe.
What was more terrifying was that they had learned to cooperate.
One Kang was already troublesome enough, but a group of Kangs combined...
Chu Hang looked up, his gaze piercing through the ceiling, through the clouds, looking at a higher and further place.
Wanda and Strange sensed the abnormality almost simultaneously.
The sky was shattering.
Not metaphorically, but truly shattering.
The blue sky was like a giant mirror, cracks appearing from the center.
The cracks spread rapidly, cutting the entire sky into countless fragments.
Behind the fragments was endless darkness.
In the darkness, countless lights lit up.
Those weren't stars; they were spaceships.
Thousands of spaceships poured out from the cracks in the timeline, appearing in Earth's orbit, blocking out the sky and Sun.
Each spaceship was engraved with the same mark—a twisted infinity symbol.
The Council of Kangs' vanguard fleet had descended.
Chu Hang's mouth curled slightly.
Six hours, not a second off.
Chapter 253: Probing the Front Lines
The azure sky cracked from the center of the dome, web-like fissures spreading frantically in all directions. Behind the cracks was a bottomless abyss of pitch-black, and within that darkness, countless points of light ignited.
Those were starships.
Thousands upon thousands of hideous warships swarmed out from the massive gap in the timeline, like a plague of locusts, instantly seizing the entire orbital space of Earth. Engraved on the cold hull of every ship was the same emblem—a twisted infinity symbol.
The fleet of the Council of Kangs had arrived.
Outside the Avengers Base, Chu Hang looked up at the shattered sky, his expression calm.
Thor stood behind him, gripping stormbreaker tightly, the light of the six Infinity Stones on the handle pulsing rapidly. The mark of the Eye of Agamotto on Strange's forehead flickered in and out of sight, pale gold mystical patterns flowing beneath his skin like lava. Around Wanda, crimson chaos energy surged relentlessly, staining the ground beneath her feet with an ominous hue.
Inside the Base's main control room, surveillance footage from around the globe was pouring in in real-time. In New York's Times Square, crowds fled in all directions amidst screams; London's traffic was completely paralyzed, with vehicles jammed into long, frozen dragons of steel; on the streets of Tokyo, countless people desperately held up their phones, filming the apocalyptic scene.
The UN emergency meeting came to an abrupt halt, and the leaders of various nations looked as pale as death.
However, the fleet did not open fire.
They simply hovered silently in orbit, like a pack of prehistoric Beasts waiting for the perfect moment to hunt.
A blinding pillar of light suddenly shot down from the central flagship.
The pillar of light landed precisely three hundred meters in front of the Base, kicking up clouds of dust. When the dust settled, a figure appeared within.
The man wore a suit of purple high-tech armor, its lines sleek and lethal, with an energy core emitting a ghostly blue light embedded in the chest. Beneath the transparent faceplate was a face identical to He Who Remains, yet filled with a thirst for conquest and arrogance.
If He Who Remains was a weary old man who had seen the long river of time, the one before them was a Beastthat had just broken free from its cage, eager to tear everything apart.
He looked around, his gaze finally locking onto Chu Hang.
Thor took a step forward, arcs of electricity crackling on his battle-axe, the power of thunder ready to be unleashed.
Chu Hang, however, raised his hand to stop him, turning his head to cast an inquiring glance at Strange.
Strange understood, a faint smile playing on his lips as he stepped forward slowly. His Cloak of Levitation billowed without wind, and with every step, intricate golden magicpatterns spread out from beneath his feet, as if reshaping the laws of this land.
That variant of Kang looked at him and smiled.
"The so-called Avengers of this Universe."
The voice did not come from his mouth, but rang directly in everyone's minds, cold and majestic.
"According to Article 7 of the Multiverse Stability Act, this timeline of yours has been judged as a malignant mutation and will be pruned. The Council of Kangs are not tyrants; we are the gardeners maintaining the stability of Reality, and you are the gangrene that must be cut away."
He raised his hand, and countless points of light surfaced on his armor, converging into a massive holographic projection. It was a violently twisted band of light representing this timeline. On the band, several glaring red nodes flashed, each with a name labeled next to it.
Tony Stark. Steve Rogers. Thor Odinson.
And, Chu Hang.
"You have severely deviated from the preset trajectory of the sacred timeline." The Kang variant stared fixedly at Chu Hang, his eyes filled with a hint of research interest. "Especially you, codename 'the greedy one.' A variable that shouldn't exist; every time you devour a new ability, you cause irreversible tearing to the structure of the timeline. For this, the Council has issued a top-level pruning order for you."
Chu Hang raised an eyebrow, looking the other party over with interest, saying nothing.
"Enough!" Thor finally couldn't hold back and roared, "You clown in a tin can, what right do you have to judge us?"
The light of the six stones flared brilliantly as the violent power of thunder converged into a storm around him.
Chu Hang raised his hand again, his voice steady. "Thor, let Strange go."
Thor was stunned. "Why? Let me split him in two with one swing!"
"This is a probe." Chu Hang's gaze fell on Strange's back, his thoughts racing. Kang's technological system was completely different from magic, making it the perfect whetstone to test Strange's new power. He needed the most direct data to judge the essence of this new Sorcerer Supreme's power and the technological level of the Council of Kangs.
"I want to see," Chu Hang said slowly, "to what extent our Sorcerer Supreme has evolved."
Strange had already stopped, fifty meters away from the Kang variant.
The Kang variant sneered, "A sorcerer? You send a mortal who relies on borrowing power from dimensional entities to face me?"
"Borrowing?" Strange raised his right hand, golden light converging in his palm to form a constantly rotating rune. "Those are the laws of the old era."
The Kang variant's smile instantly froze on his face.
He felt it. The energy fluctuations from Strange were completely different from any Sorcerer Supreme recorded in his database. In the past, a sorcerer's power was like a stream drawn from a distant reservoir, with a source and a limit.
But this person before him, he himself was an unfathomable ocean of energy.
"Interesting." The Kang variant set aside his contempt, a ghostly blue light rippling across his armor. "But that's all it is."
He raised his right hand, and an invisible force field suddenly enveloped Strange.
Time Stasis Field—cutting-edge 31st-century technology capable of freezing the flow of time within a localized area to absolute zero.
However, when the force field touched the one-meter range around Strange, it was as if it hit an invisible wall; with a flash of golden light, it was forcibly repelled.
The Kang variant's pupils suddenly constricted. "Impossible!"
"Your technology is built upon the existing rules of the Universe." Strange's voice rang out calmly, the Eye of Agamotto on his forehead slowly opening, pure golden light flowing from it like the gaze of a deity. "But some powers transcend rules."
He raised his left hand, and an incredibly complex magiccircle rapidly took shape in his palm.
"Because it is the rule itself."
The Kang variant's expression changed drastically, and his armor's energy shield automatically activated, forming a layer of ghostly blue light film. He raised both hands, the armor on the backs of his hands sliding open to reveal two pitch-black launchers.
"Since conventional means are ineffective, then try this."
Two beams of black light shot out, their target not Strangehimself, but the ground beneath his feet.
The moment the beams touched the ground, a bizarre scene unfolded. That patch of land wasn't destroyed; instead, it began to twist and dissipate, as if being erased from the canvas of "existence" by an invisible hand. Causality was being altered—that patch of land had "never" existed there from the very beginning.
A pitch-black void ten meters in diameter appeared out of thin air.
Strange's figure swayed slightly, and the Cloak of Levitation immediately lifted him, hovering him above the void.
"A causality weapon." He commented calmly. "Directly modifying the history of an object's existence—31st-century technology does indeed have its merits."
"This is just the appetizer!" The Kang variant sneered, slamming his hands together as the energy core in his chest erupted with unprecedented light. An energy field a hundred times stronger than before instantly exploded, covering a hundred-meter radius.
This time, the air, the birds, the dust, and even everything in the surveillance screens of the distant Base fell into absolute stillness.
Only Strange remained able to move freely.
The Eye of Agamotto on his forehead flared with light, forming a golden orb that enveloped him. Inside the orb, time flowed normally; outside, everything was frozen.
"You think you're the only one who controls time?" Strange's voice echoed in the deathly silent battlefield.
He reached out his right hand, golden patterns spreading from his arm to his fingertips, converging into a rune containing supreme order. The rune flew from his hand, passing straight through the Kang variant's time stasis field.
Not by breaking it, not by countering it, but by purely ignoring it.
The rune struck the Kang variant's shield precisely, the golden light beginning to erode the ghostly blue energy film like a living thing.
The Kang variant's expression finally shattered completely. "How is this possible! My shield is a quantum entangled structure, theoretically immune to any form of energy penetration!"
"Your theory is perfect." Strange's lips curled slightly with a hint of pity. "But it failed to account for one variable—me."
He clenched his hand in the void, and the rune suddenly erupted with blinding light.
The Kang variant's shield disintegrated, peeling away in pieces like shredded paper.
"Damn it!"
The Kang variant tried to retreat, only to find his legs bound tightly by golden magical chains at some unknown point.
"The game is over." Strange walked toward him step by step, each step leaving golden ripples in the frozen air. "Tell me, what is the Council of Kangs' true objective?"
The Kang variant stopped struggling.
He looked up, the panic and horror on his face completely fading, replaced by a smile that was bizarre to the extreme.
"You win, sorcerer. But the outcome of this battle was never important from the start."
Strange stopped, his brow furrowing slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I was only here for data collection." The Kang variant's smile grew even broader. "Your energy signature, attack patterns, defensive limits... from the moment the battle began, everything has been transmitted back to the Council in real-time via the quantum entanglement network. Thank you for the wonderful demonstration, Sorcerer Supreme."
Strange's expression changed, his spiritual power surging out instantly in an attempt to sever the other's connection with the outside world.
But it was already too late.
"Until next time," the Kang variant's body began to turn transparent, dissolving into countless points of light. "We'll be back with weapons specifically tailored for you."
Before his words could fade, his body completely dissipated, forcibly recalled by a power from outside the timeline.
Time resumed its flow.
Strange stood in place, the Eye of Agamotto on his forehead slowly closing, his expression somewhat grim.
Chu Hang walked up and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't be too hard on yourself."
"Everything he said was true." Strange turned around, his gaze complex. "All of my data has been acquired by them."
"I know," Chu Hang nodded. "But it doesn't matter."
"It doesn't matter?"
"What they collected was only the data of the 'you' from just now." A meaningful smile played on Chu Hang's lips. "But they don't know that your power is evolving every second. What they obtained is just an outdated sample. And..."
Chu Hang's gaze pierced through the clouds, looking toward the silent fleet in orbit. "They know even less about how many trump cards we have yet to reveal."
Just then, Thor's expression changed, and he pointed toward the sky. "Those ships... they're moving!"
The countless warships in orbit began to change formation, a massive torrent of energy surging from every ship and converging toward the central flagship.
"The main cannon is charging." Chu Hang's gaze became sharp.
"Are they going to open fire?" Wanda walked to his side, her crimson energy ready to be unleashed.
"It's more than just firing." Chu Hang's voice grew heavy. "I can feel it—an aura much stronger than that one just now is descending."
No sooner had he spoken than five more pillars of light shot down from the fleet, landing around the Base and surrounding them.
As the light faded, five figures clad in different suits of armor appeared.
One was clad in heavy armor, like a mountain of steel, radiating pure physical pressure; one had sleek, lightweight armor, holding two energy whips, his figure flickering in and out of sight; one had armor engraved with patterns of intertwined technology and runes, with an energy cannon in one hand and a spellbook in the other; one had almost no armor, but time energy flowed visibly beneath his skin; the last one wore magnificent gold-and-white armor, standing in the center, coldly scrutinizing them like a monarch.
Each one radiated energy fluctuations no weaker than the Probe Kang from before.
And in the higher orbit, the flagship's main cannon had finished charging, its ghostly blue light capable of destroying continents converging at the muzzle, aimed squarely at Earth below.
Chu Hang took a deep breath.
"It seems they don't intend to give us any time to catch our breath."
He turned to look at Thor, Strange, and Wanda behind him, as well as all the Avengers who were emerging from the Base one after another.
"Are you ready?"
Thor held stormbreaker high, the light of the six stones reflecting on his resolute face. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
The Eye of Agamotto on Strange's forehead opened once more, its golden light more dazzling than ever before. "Order shall never bow to hegemony."
The crimson energy around Wanda soared into the sky, echoing Strange's golden light. "We fight together."
Chapter 254: Crushing on a Conceptual Level
The battle began before the five pillars of Light had even dissipated.
The Kang in the gold and white armor raised his hand.
All five people moved at once.
Heavy-armored Kang charged at Thor. Every step he took smashed deep craters into the ground, and two particle cannons extended from his shoulders, firing directly at Thor.
Speed Kang turned into an afterimage, lashing out with an energy whip aimed at Natasha and Clint.
Tech-Rune Kang formed hand seals, and a halo that mixed machinery and magic locked onto Strange.
Time Kang wore no armor, but the power of time flowing under his skin made the very air become thick. He stared at Wanda.
The one in the gold and white armor stood still, staring at Chu Hang.
"the greedy one." The voice rang directly in Chu Hang's mind. "The Council has given you an SSS-Rank evaluation. Today, I am here to verify it."
Chu Hang did not move.
He was watching.
The five Kangs coordinated with great tacit understanding. Heavy-armored Kang tied up Thor, Speed Kangsuppressed the ordinary humans, Tech-Rune Kang dealt with the mage, and Time Kang countered Wanda.
The leader was left for him.
Divide and surround, then defeat them one by one.
It was textbook.
Unfortunately, the intel was outdated.
Thor raised his battle-axe, and the six Infinity Stonessuddenly lit up. The particle cannon fire hit him, but it didn't even shake his cloak.
"This is your attack?" Thor grinned. "Let me show you what power really is."
He swung the axe down.
The Space, Power, and Reality Stones were activated simultaneously. Heavy-armored Kang's liquid armor was torn open like paper, and both the man and the ground were split in half.
Three seconds.
Speed Kang flickered as he lashed his whip, intending to wrap it around Natasha's neck.
Wanda raised her hand.
"Your whip never existed."
The energy whip vanished. It wasn't broken or shattered; it was erased at its very source.
Speed Kang froze, looking at his empty hand.
"Impossible! My weapon is in a quantum entanglement state—"
"Theory?" Wanda tilted her head, the crimson in her eyes deepening. "In my presence, there are no theories."
She raised her hand again.
Speed Kang's armor began to distort, its precise structures turning into a pile of colorful balloons.
He stood amidst the pile of balloons, his expression blank.
On the other side, Tech-Rune Kang confronted Strange.
"Your magic is borrowed." Tech-Rune Kang sneered as his halo pressed forward. "My runes are calculations of the laws of the Universe."
Strange did not speak.
The Heavenly Eye on his forehead opened, and golden Light poured out.
The precise runes disintegrated under the golden Light like snow meeting a scorching sun. Tech-Rune Kang frantically poured energy into them.
It was useless.
"It used to be borrowed indeed," Strange's voice was calm. "But it's different now."
He raised his right hand, and a simple magic circle formed in his palm. There was no complex structure, only the pure power of Order.
"Because I myself am the source."
He gave the magic circle a gentle push. The rune system collapsed instantly; those precise models were as fragile as paper before true Order.
Tech-Rune Kang was sent flying and crashed into the ground, his armor shattered and blood spewing from his mouth.
Time Kang's face turned ashen. He no longer hesitated as the power of time under his skin erupted completely, turning into distorted shadows as he lunged at Wanda.
"I will accelerate your time, and you will die of old age in a single second!"
Wanda turned her head, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"You want to use time to kill me?"
Her eyes were drowned in crimson, and her Chaos Magicformed a domain. The moment Time Kang rushed into the domain, his acceleration failed.
It wasn't neutralized; it was rewritten.
"In my domain," Wanda said softly, "time does not exist."
Time Kang's body stiffened. He wanted to retreat, but he couldn't move at all.
His time was frozen—not just paused, but conceptually stripped of the right to flow.
The leader in the gold and white armor stood at a distance, watching his four companions be crushed within dozens of seconds.
The arrogance on his face vanished.
It was replaced by deep wariness.
"This isn't right," he muttered to himself. "According to the database, they shouldn't be this strong."
He looked up at the flagship in orbit and made a decision.
"Fire the main cannon." His voice was transmitted to space via quantum communication. "Target: the North American Continent."
The flagship in orbit moved.
The three-kilometer-long giant ship opened its bow, revealing a cannon muzzle five hundred meters in diameter. Eerie blue energy gathered at the muzzle, forming a rotating vortex.
"Data collection complete." Leader Kang's voice was cold. "Target strength exceeds estimates. Initiate B-Rank Purge Protocol."
"Confirmed," the flagship responded. "Timeline Erasure Cannon fully charged. Target locked: the North American Continent."
Thor felt the energy fluctuation and looked up.
His pupils constricted suddenly.
"What is that?"
Chu Hang also looked up.
His perception was sharper than anyone's. That energy was not a physical attack; it was a weapon that acted directly upon the timeline itself. Once it hit, the entire North American Continent would be erased from the timeline as if it had never existed.
"Everyone, evacuate!" Strange's voice rang out as his hands began to form seals.
It was too late.
The eerie blue pillar of Light descended from the sky.
Over a kilometer in diameter and carrying energy that could rewrite causality, it blasted toward the ground at the speed of Light. Wherever the pillar of Light passed, the clouds vanished. They weren't evaporated; they were erased from existence itself.
Wanda's Chaos Magic trembled violently before this power.
"I can't block it."
Thor gripped his battle-axe, the six Infinity Stones flashing frantically. He knew that even the Infinity Stones wouldn't have time to construct a defense.
Strange's portal collapsed halfway through forming; the energy interfered with all spatial magic.
A figure soared into the sky.
It was Chu Hang.
He didn't dodge; he flew directly toward the pillar of Light.
"Are you crazy!" Thor roared.
Chu Hang did not answer.
Around his body, twelve types of law powers were activated simultaneously, forming a domain a hundred meters in diameter. This time, the core of the domain was not defense, but a massive vortex.
Greed.
His concept, his essence.
The thirst for power, the pursuit of ability, the Greed for everything.
When a concept is manifested, it becomes a bottomless abyss, a black hole that can swallow everything.
The eerie blue pillar of Light crashed into the vortex.
Everyone held their breath.
The pillar of Light did not penetrate or explode; instead, it was sucked into the vortex bit by bit. Like a massive river being swallowed by a drain, the energy capable of erasing an entire continent was being absorbed by Chu Hang's domain.
Leader Kang's expression changed drastically.
"Impossible! The energy of the Timeline Erasure Cannonacts directly on the causal level; no defense can stop it!"
But the fact was right before his eyes.
Chu Hang hovered in mid-air with his arms spread wide, letting the pillar of Light impact his domain.
His body shook violently, and cracks appeared on the surface of his skin, but they were repaired by his Healing Factor in the next second.
The Devouring continued.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
After thirty seconds, the kilometer-wide pillar of Lightcompletely vanished into Chu Hang's domain.
The sky returned to its peaceful state.
Chu Hang looked down at his hands.
Twelve types of law powers surged within his body. The timeline erasure energy he had just devoured was being decomposed, transformed, and absorbed by the Concept of Greed.
He could feel himself getting stronger.
It wasn't just a little; it was a massive leap.
"Thanks for the treat." He looked up at the flagship in orbit, a smile tugging at his lips. "Now, it's my turn."
He raised his right hand and clenched his fist.
Twelve types of law powers gathered on his fist: Space, Power, Time, Reality, Life, Death, Spirit, Alchemy, Phoenix, Devouring, Darkness, and Light. Each one had reached its absolute limit.
Then, he threw a punch.
The punch was silent and lightless, leaving only a visible distortion in the air.
The trail extended upward at an incredible speed, piercing through the atmosphere and into space, accurately striking the flagship in orbit.
The flagship's shields were torn like paper, and a hole five hundred meters in diameter appeared in the center of the hull.
An explosion blossomed in space.
Silent, yet spectacular.
On the ground, everyone was stunned.
Thor held his battle-axe, his mouth agape. Wanda's crimson energy drifted around her, her eyes full of shock. The Heavenly Eye on Strange's forehead was open, but he was speechless.
Leader Kang stood where he was, his expression changing from shock to fear, and then from fear to a Strange kind of excitement.
"As expected," he muttered. "The Council's judgment was correct; you are indeed an SSS-Rank threat."
He raised his hand, and his armor's communicator lit up.
"This is Kang-2099, requesting retreat. The target's strength exceeds all estimates; I suggest initiating the A-Rank Plan."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end before a deep voice responded.
"Received. Data recorded. Retreat authorized."
Kang-2099's body began to turn transparent.
"We will meet again, the greedy one." He looked at Chu Hang with a meaningful gaze. "The ones coming next won't be vanguards like us."
Before he finished speaking, his body completely dissipated, recalled by a power from beyond the timeline.
In orbit, the remaining fleet also began to retreat, vanishing into space-time rifts one by one.
The battle was over.
But Chu Hang knew this was only the beginning.
He turned and looked at the Avengers on the ground, then at Nathaniel Richards standing in the distance.
The expression on the face of the boy from the future was exceptionally complex. There was fear, awe, and something else that Chu Hang couldn't quite decipher.
It was as if he were looking at a long-predestined conclusion.
Chu Hang lowered his fist and watched the flagship explode in space.
That punch just now had consumed quite a bit, but the gains from Devouring the Timeline Erasure Cannon far outweighed the expenditure. He could feel the law powers within him becoming more condensed than before, and the coordination between the twelve powers was even more seamless.
This was the essence of the Concept of Greed—transforming all attacks into nourishment.
On the ground, the combat had ended.
Thor stood by the corpse of Heavy-armored Kang, his battle-axe still stained with blood. The Light of the six Infinity Stones gradually dimmed, but the sense of pressure remained.
The crimson energy around Wanda also slowly subsided. She looked at her hands with a sense of unreality.
"I just gave a casual wave..."
The Heavenly Eye on Strange's forehead had closed, though golden patterns still flowed under his skin. He looked at the spot where Kang-2099 had dissipated, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Did you hear what he said?" Strange spoke, his voice heavy. "He said this was only the vanguard, and the ones coming next will be even stronger."
Thor shrugged dismissively. "So what? If one comes, I'll cut down one; if two come, I'll cut down a pair."
"The problem isn't the numbers." Chu Hang descended from the sky and stood among the group. "The problem is that they've collected our data."
Wanda turned her head. "Are you saying they'll build weapons specifically to target us?"
"Not just weapons." Chu Hang's gaze pierced through the clouds toward the now-empty orbit. "The Council of Kangsis no ordinary enemy. They possess cross-timeline technology and can mobilize resources from countless parallel Universes. The five we defeated today might just be pawns for testing."
Silence spread among them.
A voice came from a distance.
"You're right."
Everyone turned their heads.
Nathaniel Richards stood at the edge of the ruins, his expression extremely complex. He looked at Chu Hangwith a gaze that held something Chu Hang couldn't understand.
Chapter 255: Gorr the God Butcher
Chu Hang descended from the sky, his feet landing on the lawn, smashing a shallow pit into the ground.
He rolled his shoulders; the power of the twelve laws within his body was still surging. The timeline erasure cannon he had just swallowed was being bit by bit decomposed, transformed, and absorbed by the Concept of Greed.
Refreshing.
Thor walked over, clutching stormbreaker, the light of the six Infinity Stones having already dimmed. The look he gave Chu Hang was still one of disbelief.
"You just... ate that light?"
"Pretty much."
"My concept is Greed. Any attack directed at me, as long as it doesn't exceed my limit, will become my nourishment," Chu Hang said. "The Council of Kangs gave me a great gift; I should thank them."
Thor opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he just shook his head.
Wanda flew over from a distance, scarlet energy still entwined around her fingertips. She landed beside Chu Hang, looking him up and down, only sighing in relief after confirming he wasn't injured.
"You scared me to death."
"Don't worry, I won't die." Chu Hang reached out and ruffled her hair. "Besides, I've become stronger."
Strange's Third Eye on his forehead slowly closed, golden patterns flowing beneath his skin. He walked over, his expression solemn.
"I felt it. The fluctuations of your laws are at least thirty percent stronger than before."
"I've had my fill." Chu Hang shrugged.
Tony's armor landed nearby, the faceplate opening to reveal a face full of complex emotions.
"So what are you now? An energy recycling station? Attacking you is just charging you up?"
"You could put it that way."
Tony was silent for a few seconds, then turned toward the wreckage of the Kangs.
"I need to analyze these things. That Kang just said they were collecting data; I need to figure out exactly what they got."
Strange followed him.
"I'll help you. Their energy circuits are very Strange, as if they are mimicking some kind of magic structure."
The two of them crouched next to a corpse of a Kang and began to study that purple armor.
Chu Hang did not go over.
He stood where he was, his gaze scanning the battlefield. Pits and scorch marks were everywhere on the ground, and several buildings in the distance had already half-collapsed.
The main building of the Avengers Base was still relatively intact, but its exterior walls were covered in cracks.
This was only the vanguard.
In three days, the real main force would arrive.
Chu Hang frowned.
Just then, his brow burned.
That was the Law Imprint he had left on Hela's brow. When he had subdued the Goddess of Death, he had implanted a brand condensed from five laws deep within her consciousness—it was both a shackle and a channel for communication.
Many years had passed, and this imprint had never once actively sent a signal.
Hela was too proud; she would rather die than ask anyone for help.
But now, the imprint was burning.
Chu Hang closed his eyes, his spiritual power extending along the imprint, crossing the endless starry sky to connect to Asgard.
He saw Hela.
The Goddess of Death, once proud to her very core, was now kneeling on one knee on the Bifrost Bridge.
Her long black hair was disheveled, and her face was terrifyingly pale. Her left arm was gone from the shoulder down; there was no blood at the stump, only continuously spreading black patterns.
Behind her, all of Asgard was shrouded in an eerie darkness.
It wasn't ordinary darkness, but a shadow that would devour light, slowly corroding this divine realm.
Hela's voice rang out in his mind, carrying suppressed anger and a hint of weakness.
"Chu Hang... a madman has broken in."
"What kind of madman could beat you like this?"
"He calls himself the God Butcher." Hela's voice carried a gnashing hatred. "A pale monster holding a black sword. That sword... can counter my Law of Death."
Chu Hang's heart stirred.
Gorr the God Butcher, all-black the necrosword.
He remembered; that sword was a creation of Knull, the God of Symbiotes, specifically made for slaughtering gods.
In the original plot, Gorr had used this sword to kill deities across the Universe; even Zeus had almost fallen at his hands.
"Where is he now?"
"At the palace." Hela's voice grew weaker and weaker. "He said he wants to kill all the gods, and Asgard is just the beginning... I can't stop him. That sword is too wicked; it's absorbing Asgard's shadows and growing stronger."
Chu Hang opened his eyes.
Thor had already walked to his side, his expression grave.
"What's wrong?"
"Something happened in Asgard. A fellow named Gorrbroke in, and Hela was wounded by him."
Thor's expression changed. He knew how strong Helawas. He had been watching when Chu Hang subdued her. That woman's Law of Death was almost unsolvable, and all of Asgard was her source of power.
An enemy who could seriously wound Hela was definitely no ordinary opponent.
"I'm going with you." Thor gripped stormbreaker tightly, the light of the six Infinity Stones beginning to pulse.
Chu Hang nodded. He turned to look at Tony and Strange, who were still studying the wreckage.
"Tony, put the matter of Kang aside for now. When they come back in three days, I'll handle it."
Tony looked up, about to say something, but swallowed his words upon seeing Chu Hang's expression.
"Trouble in Asgard?"
"A trouble capable of wounding Hela."
Tony was silent for a second, then nodded.
"Go. I'll keep an eye on things here."
Chu Hang raised his right hand, the Space Law activating as a golden rift tore open before him. On the other end of the rift was the shadow-shrouded sky of Asgard.
He stepped inside.
Thor followed close behind, the power of thunder already beginning to gather on stormbreaker.
The rift closed behind them... Asgard's sky was gray.
It wasn't the gray of a cloudy day, but a deathly stillness after light had been devoured by something.
Chu Hang and Thor stepped out of the Spatial Rift, their feet on the wreckage of the Bifrost Bridge.
The once-radiant Bifrost Bridge was now covered in cracks.
Its surface was covered in a layer of eerie black substance, like some kind of living mold slowly spreading.
"What the hell is this?" Thor's voice carried suppressed fury.
Chu Hang crouched down and reached out to touch the layer of black substance.
Cold.
Not a thermal cold, but a chill coming from the conceptual level.
This thing was devouring everything—light, heat, Life, and even existence itself.
He thought of that name—Knull. God of Symbiotes, creator of darkness.
If the sword in Gorr's hand really was Knull's creation, then things were getting interesting.
"Where is Hela?" Thor had already gripped stormbreakertightly, the light of the six Infinity Stones pulsing on the handle.
Chu Hang closed his eyes, his spiritual power extending along the Law Imprint. Very close. In the direction of the palace.
"Follow me."
The two of them turned into two streaks of light, flying toward the palace.
Along the way, Chu Hang saw more signs of destruction. A third of the once-magnificent Asgardian architectural complex was now shrouded in those black shadows.
Wherever the shadows passed, golden domes turned to ash, and exquisite sculptures dissolved into nothingness.
Not destroyed, but erased. As if they had never existed at all.
"He is absorbing Asgard's power," Chu Hang's voice deepened. "That sword is feeding on the entire divine realm."
A flash of shock and anger crossed Thor's eyes.
Years ago, he had watched with his own eyes as Chu Hangsubdued Hela and reshaped Asgard; it was the most powerful display of strength he had ever seen.
And now, someone was destroying it all.
The palace doors stood wide open.
Several corpses of Asgardian guards lay at the entrance.
But strangely, these corpses had no external injuries; their faces were merely distorted, as if they had seen something extremely terrifying before death.
"Their Souls have been siphoned away." Chu Hang glanced at them. "That sword doesn't just kill; it harvests Souls."
Thor's breathing became heavy.
The two of them entered the palace.
The main hall was a mess, the once-golden throne smashed into several pieces. And in front of the ruins of the throne stood a figure.
It was a man, pale to the point of being nearly translucent. He wore a tattered black cloak, was barefoot, and exuded a sickly sense of weakness from head to toe.
But the sword he held in his hand made Chu Hang's eyes narrow slightly.
Pitch black like ink, without any luster, yet it was constantly devouring the surrounding light.
Eerie patterns flowed along the blade, like some kind of living creature writhing.
all-black the necrosword—a creation of Knull, a weapon specifically designed for slaughtering gods.
The man turned around, revealing a face covered in scars.
His eyes were gray, devoid of any emotion, containing only endless hatred.
"Two more gods have come." His voice was hoarse and low, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time. "Excellent, I happen to need more sacrifices."
He raised all-black the necrosword, pointing the tip at Chu Hang and Thor.
"I am Gorr, the God Butcher."
"All gods must die."