Honestly, the Illuminati were far from weak.
On Earth, every one of them ranked among the most powerful superheroes alive.
Strange needed no further explanation. He might have appeared weak in front of Karl, but that only proved how overwhelmingly powerful Karl was. It did not mean Strange himself was weak.
The other members of the Illuminati were no pushovers either.
Take Black Bolt, for example.
His power was among the strongest possessed by any Inhuman.
Even a casual attack from him could unleash destructive force comparable to a nuclear bomb.
At full power, his terrifying quasi-sonic scream could even destroy an entire planet.
At the very least, he possessed Skyfather-level combat power.
If he pushed his abilities to their absolute limit, it might not be impossible for him to display Single-Universe-level strength.
For Earth, that degree of power was already more than sufficient.
There was practically no one on the planet capable of standing against them.
However, when facing beings such as the Celestials and the First Firmament, that strength was still hopelessly inadequate.
Among the Celestials, even the weaker members possessed Single-Universe-level power, along with their own unique abilities.
The stronger Celestials could even reach the Multiversal level.
Some of the most powerful among them could look down upon the Five Great Gods—or even contend with beings on the level of the First Firmament.
That was simply how absurd the Marvel Universe was.
A created being could sometimes become far more powerful than its creator.
In truth, that was not particularly strange.
Humanity had created nuclear bombs, but could a human withstand a nuclear explosion with their bare body?
Of course not.
Mutants and Inhumans were both weapons created by other beings. Once a weapon possessed its own thoughts, escaping its creator's control was hardly surprising.
A sentient weapon was far more dangerous than any nuclear bomb.
The same principle applied to the Celestials.
The strongest Celestials possessed power that was in no way inferior to the Five Great Gods.
The Illuminati's current strength was simply insufficient.
As a result, every member of the Illuminati wore an extremely grim expression.
After a long silence, Tony Stark finally asked, "Just how powerful is a Multiversal-level being?"
"That depends on what kind of Multiversal being you're talking about," Karl answered.
"What's the difference?" Tony asked in return.
"Someone like me, who has only recently entered the Multiversal level, would have no problem destroying several universes."
"But reaching the level of the Five Great Gods is another matter entirely."
"A being at that level could probably destroy an entire multiverse in an instant."
"You should understand what a multiverse represents. Think about what it means to erase an entire multiverse in an instant and still have power to spare."
Karl spoke calmly.
Words horrifying enough to chill anyone who heard them sounded perfectly ordinary when they came from his mouth.
For the members of the Illuminati, however, they were anything but ordinary.
The revelation was terrifying.
As the most advanced secret organization on Earth, the Illuminati naturally knew many hidden truths.
That included the existence and nature of the Multiverse.
Precisely because they understood it, they could not imagine how much power would be required to destroy an entire multiverse in a single instant.
They had no means of resisting something so terrifying.
This was no longer a domain humanity could ever hope to reach.
If they truly faced an enemy of that level, a single thought from the other side would be enough to erase them from existence.
"If what you're saying is true, then this isn't an enemy we're capable of facing at all."
A bitter smile appeared on Tony's face.
Throughout his entire life, he had never bowed his head before a powerful enemy.
Yet when confronting an opponent of such unimaginable strength, there was absolutely nothing he could do.
Even he could not prevent a trace of despair from forming in his heart.
This was no longer something that could be stopped by building a more powerful suit of armor.
Even combining his abilities with Mister Fantastic's would not be enough.
Seeing despair begin to spread among them, Strange spoke.
"There's no need for us to be so pessimistic."
"Our universe also has powerful beings capable of confronting enemies at that level. We shouldn't have to participate directly in a battle of that magnitude."
"The opponent sent against us should still be someone we have a chance of defeating."
"Karl, how do you think the First Firmament will act against us?"
Strange had no clear understanding of beings at the highest cosmic levels, so he could only ask Karl for an answer.
Karl merely shook his head.
"Let me put it bluntly. We may be thinking too highly of ourselves."
"A being like the First Firmament would never personally come after us."
"His enemies would at least be beings on the level of the Five Great Gods."
"What we'll most likely face are his servants."
"They may be Celestials like the ones we encountered before."
"Alternatively, they could be corrupted Multiversal powerhouses."
"It isn't difficult to predict. There aren't many other possibilities."
After hearing Karl's explanation, everyone exchanged glances.
"I see."
"In that case, perhaps we still have a chance."
"It isn't as though we've never dealt with Celestials before."
Professor X, who had been listening carefully, finally spoke.
Of everyone present, he and Mister Fantastic had the strongest grounds for confidence.
The reason was simple.
There were simply too many outrageously powerful mutants.
Whether among the heroes or the villains, Professor X could assemble an entire team of formidable individuals.
He naturally had confidence in their chances.
Under extreme circumstances, he could even ask Magneto for help.
That possibility could not be ruled out.
With so many options available to him, Professor X naturally felt reassured.
"The Professor is right," Tony said proudly.
"The Anti-Celestial Armor I designed has never been tested in actual combat."
"If a Celestial really attacks, I guarantee we'll drive it away within a few hours."
"That's right. We've been preparing for something like this for a long time," Mister Fantastic added.
"I've installed large numbers of anti-god devices at sixty-four locations across Earth."
"If they dare invade this planet, I'll make them understand exactly what we're capable of."
As one of the most intelligent people on Earth, Mister Fantastic had every reason to possess such confidence.
By relying on technology, he had even managed to kill a mighty god in the past.
Even when faced with a powerful Celestial, he showed no intention of backing down.
"The Inhumans will not retreat either."
"Even gods will not be allowed to destroy our home."
Black Bolt had also made his position clear.
Because he could not properly control his immense power, he rarely spoke.
However, once he did speak, his words carried absolute authority.
Karl looked at the group, all of whom were overflowing with fighting spirit, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
Their determination to fight was admirable.
Unfortunately, they clearly did not understand what the Celestials truly were.
The Celestials called themselves gods, but that was not empty boasting.
Compared to ordinary mortal races, they genuinely possessed the power of gods.
The members of the Illuminati had probably never encountered one of the truly powerful Celestials.
Otherwise, they would never have been so confident.
Even Karl himself would not have been that confident.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]