Ikaris had no idea that the White Demon also possessed a mutant ability for Energy Absorption. Seeing that his most trusted attack was not only ineffective but actually bolstered the Demon's power, he realized this situation was far from as simple as he had imagined.
His previous flippancy and arrogance vanished completely. Ikaris fully activated his Eternal talents, continuously interacting with the surrounding cosmic energy to push his physical attributes to their absolute limit! He was no longer arrogant, yet he still didn't believe he would lose. With a grim expression, he said to the White Demon:
"You are strong, but you still must die!"
Aurelius Viremont looked at the Marvel version of Superman. Through the energy vision of the Six Eyes, he could see the golden energy core within the Eternal's body. The Eternals were implanted with energy cores as life-sources that possessed near-infinite energy. While not true "infinite energy" like the Infinity Stones, they were not to be underestimated!
Notably, these energy cores had an advantage the Infinity Stones lacked: the energy was stable and easy to absorb! Even with Lv.4 Energy Absorption, Aurelius Viremont wasn't certain he could easily drain an Infinity Stone, but an Eternal's energy core? That would be simple. If he obtained Ikaris's core, it would be enough to sustain him for a very long time, allowing him to bypass Arc Reactors until he was strong enough to handle the Stones.
However, killing Ikaris wouldn't be easy. Eternals were created by Arishem the Judge, the leader of the Celestials. Their bones and muscles were made of specialized materials, granting them horrific strength and durability. As a standout among them, Ikaris's defense was even higher. Most importantly, Ikaris possessed incredible flight speed. If he chose to flee, Aurelius Viremont's current speed limit wouldn't be enough to catch him.
Plus, his armor was also Celestial-crafted. Combined with his physical toughness, his defense far surpassed even that of the Hulk. Killing him would be difficult!
But with the recent evolution of the Limitless, Aurelius Viremont felt confident enough to try!
Having used a Black Flash, Aurelius Viremont was in the "Zone," and his mastery over his internal abilities was at its peak. Paired with the Lv.3 Six Eyes and Lv.4 Energy Absorption, he could trigger Black Flashes with 100% success.
Ignoring Ikaris's words, Aurelius Viremont vanished and reappeared in front of him. Ikaris was no longer careless and reacted instantly. Out of pride, even though he knew Aurelius Viremont could absorb energy, he didn't dodge. He chose to clash head-on!
Their fists collided. Accompanied by horrific black-and-red lightning, a massive shockwave spread outward. Tony's villa couldn't withstand the pressure and instantly crumbled into ruins; even the underground lab was not spared! Under the impact, the seawater beneath them caved in, forming a circular void and pushing a wall of water dozens of meters high into the distance!
The two fought, systematically destroying the surrounding terrain. Ikaris grew more shocked as the fight progressed. Aurelius Viremont's energy absorption seemed to have no limit—he was constantly absorbing the kinetic energy of Ikaris's strikes and using it to strengthen himself. He was like a black hole, threatening to swallow Ikaris whole.
As the battle raged, Ikaris's confidence began to erode. He was no longer arrogant, looking at the White Demon with a heavy heart. He couldn't deal a single shred of damage; any energy he expended was simply turned into nourishment for the Demon!
However, the White Demon's attacks weren't dealing fatal damage yet either. While the Demon was fast, Ikaris was faster and could dodge most strikes. Even if hit head-on by a singularity, as long as it wasn't a direct hit to the head, he wouldn't be seriously wounded, and his Eternal constitution healed him rapidly.
This gave Ikaris some peace of mind. He figured the White Demon was just a "tricky" opponent because of the energy absorption. He decided he would leave and return with his companions; he didn't believe the Demon could resist Sersi's matter manipulation. That wasn't a simple energy attack, but a molecular restructuring!
Thinking this, Ikaris prepared to retreat and find reinforcements. He was arrogant, but not stupid. After one more clash, he turned to fly away.
At that exact moment, just as his focus wavered, the White Demon vanished—exactly as he had when they first met. In the blink of an eye, the Demon appeared in front of him. Those exquisite azure eyes were looking at him with greed, like a predator watching dying prey!
Throughout the fight, Aurelius Viremont had finally found the opening!
The further they were from the Spatial Disturbance Device, the weaker its effect. With the Six Eyes constantly adapting to the interference, Aurelius Viremont could finally utilize his Limitless to its full extent.
The azure black hole and the black-red singularity merged in his palm, forming a basketball-sized sphere of purple imaginary mass!
Activating the Limitless at full power, Aurelius Viremont abandoned his usual teleportation method and switched to Continuous Spatial Jumping! While this placed a massive burden on his body, it granted him unprecedented, extreme speed.
Aurelius Viremont arrived in front of Ikaris instantly. The horrific imaginary mass pierced through space, cut through the turbulent currents caused by the disturbance device, and slammed into Ikaris's body!
The specialized body structure designed by the Celestials was like tissue paper in the face of Hollow Technique: Purple. First the indestructible armor, then the skin that could withstand nukes, then the dense muscle, and finally the unbreakable bones—everything was cored out.
Ikaris desperately tried to dodge the fatal blow, allowing the purple sphere to erase only his abdomen, but he suddenly realized a figure had appeared at his side!
It was the White Demon! At the same time, a whisper reached his ear, echoing his own words back to him with a slight twist:
"You are weak, but you still must die!"
Because the Disturbance Device had also been damaged by the attack, Aurelius Viremont could use spatial movement freely at close range. Short-distance spatial movement was faster than Ikaris's flight!
While Ikaris was distracted by the agony, Aurelius Viremont used Cursed Energy Manipulation and Energy Absorption to fully reinforce his body. His hand slammed onto Ikaris's face!
Accompanied by an explosion of black-red lightning and countless lethal spatial slashes—mixed with the blood of an Eternal once worshipped as a god—the two plummeted into the ocean like a fallen meteor!
Before the vacuum created by the purple sphere could even refill with water, the massive impact of their fall pushed the sea aside again, splashing a hundred-meter-high tidal wave into the sky!
....
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