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*****
As cards slipped from Mike's fingers, the light of materialization erupted, expanding into a dazzling sea of stars. Within this celestial expanse, swirling portals flickered into existence one by one.
In the next heartbeat, the starlight fell. The materialized cards transformed into streaking meteors, hurtling through the portals toward their designated targets.
Plunging stars of raw energy, pillars of light that bisected the firmament, and lances that pierced through the very fabric of space... a symphony of destruction rained down upon the Earth, aimed squarely at the invaders.
At this moment, Mike's offensive spanned two planets. Every single interloper was a target for his wrath.
---
On Earth, Tony and the rest of the Avengers were locked in a grueling struggle. Had it not been for Wanda—who had unleashed a surge of power that surprised even herself—they would have suffered casualties long ago.
Yet, no matter how strong Wanda became, the sight of the ever-widening space-time rifts left everyone tasting the bitter tang of despair. As yet another enemy emerged from a fracture in reality, the Avengers felt their hope beginning to gutter out.
But then—
BOOM! BOOM!
Orbs of stellar energy materialized out of thin air, slamming the newest arrival into the ground. A shockwave of energy rippled outward as a massive crater opened beneath the feet of the heroes.
The man at the center of the pit looked utterly dazed. He had only just arrived; he hadn't even had the chance to draw breath, let alone act.
"The audacity!" he hissed, his fury boiling over. His wounds knitted shut with unnatural speed as his predatory gaze locked onto the Avengers. "You mortals—"
SWISH!
A crimson lance tore through space, descending toward his skull like a bolt from the heavens. The man snorted, raising a hand with casual disdain. As a host of the Phoenix Force, he didn't consider such an attack a threat. An invisible barrier of telekinetic force manifested to shield him.
The lance struck the barrier and halted. The man began to smirk.
"The hell are you smiling at?"
Accompanied by a mocking voice, a man with a blue ponytail and eyes as red as fresh blood appeared. He stood atop the shaft of the lance, looking down at the invader with a sharp, derisive grin.
*Cu Chulainn.*
He was a character summoned from Mike's cards—a Heroic Spirit of the Lancer class, but one who had been vastly empowered. He was the result of a permanent character card Mike had synthesized using the Space and Reality Stones. Mike had prepared several of these high-tier character cards, and now was the perfect time to field them.
Tony and the others exhaled in relief. Reinforcements had arrived. Mike had made his move.
In an instant, the lance beneath Cu Chulainn's feet began to thrum with blood-red particles. With a low shout, the weapon punched through the telekinetic shield like a scarlet star, plunging toward the enemy.
The real battle had begun.
Appearing across the globe were other legends: Artoria Pendragon, brandishing the golden Sword of Promised Victory with peerless grace; Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, riding his lightning-wreathed chariot with thunderous authority; and Heracles, a mountain of a man lost in a towering, berserker rage.
These Heroic Spirits, reinforced and fused with Mike's unique power, launched a devastating counter-offensive against the invaders, finally stabilizing the front lines.
Watching through his telepathic link, Charles let out a long-held breath. Thank God. We've held the line.
But the rifts were still there, still pulsing. If this continued, the balance would eventually tip back toward chaos. This fact was clear to everyone fighting, yet they did not falter. They knew Mike himself had yet to fully enter the fray.
---
High above Kent City.
Mike had not summoned Heroic Spirits here. He didn't need to—because he was here in person.
Holding a single card between his fingers, Mike felt a brief pang of reluctance. It was one of his most powerful assets, far surpassing anything he had ever used before. It was a fusion of a Rank 5 Gilgamesh, a Rank 4 Sword Immortal, and all six Infinity Stones at Rank 5.
A golden light flared. A figure with golden hair, crimson eyes, and strikingly handsome features appeared behind Mike. Clad in resplendent golden armor, the figure's left hand bore a gauntlet set with six stones that radiated a blinding, cosmic glow.
This majestic silhouette dissolved into golden particles, surging into Mike's body.
As the power flooded his veins, Mike was momentarily stunned. He had expected strength, but this was transcendent. It was a level of power that defied imagination.
Mike looked down at the battlefield where Eric and the others were struggling. The moment he raised his hand, a flash of gold sparked behind him. A weapon emerged from the void, hovering at his side.
With a flick of his eyes, the weapon vanished, leaving only a faint, fading golden line in the air.
Simultaneously, that seemingly ordinary weapon appeared—without warning or travel time—buried deep in the heart of one of the Phoenix hosts.
The host froze. Blood sprayed outward, followed by a fountain of golden Phoenix energy particles erupting from her chest. Her face was a mask of shock and agony. She hadn't even sensed the attack. It was as if the weapon had bypassed the laws of space and time, existing at that exact point in reality because it was destined to be there.
What terrified her more was the bizarre, multi-layered power surging from the blade.
The Mind Stone eroded her will. The Soul Stone tugged at her essence. The Reality Stone rewrote the fact of her existence as a Phoenix host. The Power Stone tore her physical form apart. Time accelerated the destruction while slowing her reactions, and the Space Stone locked her into a localized prison of reality.
The Infinity Stones?
In her own world, she was a top-tier powerhouse and knew exactly what these energies were. Usually, she could contest such power, but the strength of these stones was off the charts.
"AHHH!"
She shrieked, forcing the golden Phoenix Force to desperately repair her shattered body.
Slice!
A clean, sharp sound. An axe-like blade appeared out of nowhere, cleaving into her head. Her body stiffened, her mind going blank for a fraction of a second. Before she could recover, a dozen more weapons manifested, turning her into a human pincushion.
A moment later, the Phoenix Force surged out of her dying form and vanished into the void. Another host had fallen.
The combatants in Kent City froze, staring in disbelief. The two remaining invading hosts were paralyzed with fear. What kind of power was this? To kill a Phoenix host so effortlessly... if he could do that to her, he could do it to them.
The urge to flee instantly overrode their battle lust.
Eric and his companions finally smiled. Looking at the two remaining invaders, Eric whispered, "You're already dead."
(End of Chapter)