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When you think about it, haven't there been countless times in this world when, facing your powerlessness, others poured their wisdom, effort, and heart into achieving something? They spared no expense, used every possible means, and stopped at nothing!
Yet, when the day finally arrived, you realized that in the very process of orchestrating everything and relentlessly striving toward that goal, you had unknowingly surpassed the very target you had poured all your schemes and efforts into defeating!
Arthur now felt exactly that way.
He had once believed that the most dangerous beings in the world were gathered around him, each one incomparably powerful. Every name he had heard from comics or movies sent shivers down his spine.
Even during the quest to collect the Infinity Gems, he had harbored moments of doubt.
After exhausting every means to collect the Infinity Gems, Thanos finally descended with his army, immediately seizing all the gems from Arthur's grasp.
Then, like a comic book protagonist, Arthur stormed into the enemy camp, fighting his way from the periphery to the core, ultimately defeating his target...
But these were scenarios possible only in comics. In reality, after being defeated once, he might have been rendered powerless.
Yet, as it stood now...
He suddenly realized that the people he had once feared and dreaded no longer seemed capable of instilling fear in him.
In fact, it was possible they lacked the strength to defeat him entirely.
Over the past year and a half, he had hunted down two of Thanos's lieutenants, yet Thanos remained completely unaware of his existence!
The very opponents he had once feared were now unable to harm him, even after he had completely abandoned all defenses.
This realization struck him like a revelation!
…
The stars still shone brilliantly, their light illuminating a spaceship drifting through the cosmos.
Arthur sat in the cockpit, communicating with Natasha.
Hank's Quantum Realm portal was nearing completion, and Tony's Artificial Intelligence project had been finalized six months prior. With lunar mining and construction progressing simultaneously, the project was now 95% complete.
These two monumental undertakings were on the verge of success.
Meanwhile, the teleportation arrays connecting Camp Lehigh to Vormir Star had been operational for over a year. Loki, that rascal, frequently materialized on Earth to eat, drink, and make merry, living a life utterly unlike the torment he had once imagined.
"Lunar construction is projected to be fully completed in another three months," Natasha reported. "When are you coming back?"
Arthur pondered for a moment. "If things go smoothly, about a month. If they take longer, perhaps three months. It's coming soon."
"Then we'll wait for you here," Natasha said. "Lily's condition remains stable and she's also looking forward to your return."
"Mm. How is Future... your counterpart from the future?"
"Aside from worrying about her original world, everything else is fine."
Arthur smiled faintly. "That's... good enough."
His gaze pierced through the spaceship's massive glass, drifting into the depths of the cosmos as he murmured, "Breaking contact temporarily. My prey has appeared."
"Good luck!" Natasha ended the communication.
After disconnecting, Arthur sat motionless for ten seconds before straightening his posture. "Perhaps fate has been by my side all along."
His figure vanished in an instant, reappearing moments later in the vacuum of space.
A crimson cloak billowed around him as his lifeless eyes locked onto the spaceship hovering nearby.
Through the glass, he saw the two figures inside!
Based on the intelligence at hand, Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight were a couple, so their being together was perfectly normal.
Behind them, the fleet had come to a halt in space the moment Arthur appeared.
Every weapon and firing system was locked onto Arthur.
Arthur extended his hand, palm open and facing upward, then suddenly clenched it into a fist.
Crack, crack!
The brutal sound echoed silently through the vacuum of space, where sound couldn't travel. Fire and arcs of electricity instantly filled the entire world.
Before the enemy could even realize what was happening, the entire fleet had been annihilated by Arthur's hand!
A figure in specialized armor appeared above the spacecraft, then suddenly darted toward Arthur like an arrow shot from a bow.
The blade in his hand flashed with lightning-like fire, closing the distance to Arthur in an instant.
Yet in the very next moment, Arthur seized the blade, shifted his stance, twisted his waist, and with a flick of his wrist, flung the armored figure away.
At the same moment, Arthur's figure vanished. In the zero-gravity environment, his opponent's body floated far away, unharmed. As the man searched for Arthur's whereabouts, a desperate cry blared through his comms: "Behind you!"
He whirled around—a colossal sword loomed against the heavens, golden flames flickering along its blade, poised to strike.
In an instant, the void trembled.
The man's armor, as thin as paper against such an assault, offered no defense and was torn asunder instantly.
Blood sprayed into the vacuum, scattering like crimson dust. Severed limbs drifted silently in the cosmos.
A second later, Arthur's gaze fixed on the sole remaining spacecraft.
The spacecraft abruptly changed course, accelerating toward a nearby wormhole.
Arthur spread his wings—Raven God's Wings unfurled from beneath his cloak. Harnessing the accelerating force, he transformed into a living comet, a streak of light across the void.
Moving at a terrifying speed imperceptible to the naked eye—beyond even the capabilities of machines to track—he pierced through layers of space, shattering the void. In a realm beyond the brain's ability to process, he materialized directly in front of the spacecraft.
The spacecraft seemed unfazed by this maneuver, already prepared to dodge Arthur's body and rush toward the wormhole behind him.
But in that instant, the spacecraft suddenly plummeted downward!
As if burdened by an unbearable weight, it not only nullified its evasive maneuver but also left Proxima Midnight inside in stunned realization that the spacecraft, once effortlessly controlled, had suddenly lost all responsiveness.
Looking up, she saw a palm, seemingly capable of bringing endless despair, pressing down on the spacecraft.
Flames erupted at its touch!
Extreme heat, fire, melting, explosions... like a macabre drama, each act played out in turn before Arthur's eyes.
Once he confirmed that Proxima Midnight inside had ceased all vital signs, Arthur turned and took a single step, vanishing without a trace...
(End of Chapter)